I had a dream I stood beneath an orange sky.</style> Solace still had no idea what he was going to do with the child. As they walked he had done his best to keep her entertained by telling stories of his travels or singing the occasional song. He did keep a careful eye on her, and he found himself feeling all the more paranoid about his surroundings. This wasn’t a capable adult that he was taking to the Foothills, this was a child. Anything could leap out at any moment and consume her. She wasn’t strong enough to strike down a predator. That made him feel all the more protective and he constantly scanned about when she wasn’t aware in the midst of his stories and songs. “Here we are child,” He said looking down at her as they arrived at the borders of the Foothills. “What will happen is, Apollo or Phaedra, our leaders, they will want to meet you so they can formally accept you into the Foothills.” His tone was gentle and king, and he hoped he was frightening the child by the thought of meeting the leaders. “Both are very kind and I am confident that they will like you. It has been awhile since we’ve had children roaming the Foothills.” All of the children Solace had seen since arriving were older or ad left. Odd to think about how many fillies and colts had decided their paths led elsewhere. Hopefully Amethyst wouldn’t grow lonely with the absence of children her age. Many members would be willing to play with he was sure, including himself. The Foothills was filled with incredibly warm and friendly equines that may be delighted with the youthful presence. “Tell me, what do you think?” The draft would at the very least keep conversation up while they awaited the leaders. “I remember when I first approached the border, it was like coming home. Before then I had never felt that way about anywhere. My heart was born to wander, but nowadays I satisfy that by exploring Helovia as there is so much to see.” [@[Amethyst] Open to anyone.]

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Amethyst loved the stories Solace had told her as they were making their way to the Foothills. They were so adventurous. She loved to listen to the fun endings, or the tragic ones. It was interesting to hear about, and she pondered what rank she would want to be in the herd when she grew up. A warrior! Maybe. Oh! A crafter! That would be fun! She could make her herd-mates friendship bracelets. This thought reminded her of her childhood and made her think about the foals in the herd. Was there any? She hoped so. Then, she could play like she played with her friends in her old herd.

Every once in a while Solace would check his surroundings. Amethyst assumed he was checking them to make sure he was going the right way. But she was wrong. He had been paying a lot of attention to the surroundings because he wanted to make sure nothing would jump out at her. But of course, the little gem didn’t notice it.

Suddenly, the little girl clumsily bumped into Solace’s back leg whens he was looking off at a distant butterfly. Its wings were black and at the bottoms were a bright blue. But the undersides of the wings were a whole different color. A brown hue, with darker brown spots. Beautiful! But she then shifted her attention to Solace, once she bumped into him. “Sorry!” she muttered. “It was an accident.” But he didn’t seem too bothered. He just told her we are here. Maybe it meant they were finally at their destination! Good! Amethyst was getting tiered! He then spoke about what would happen. The leaders, one Apollo and one Phaedra would come to meet her, and ‘formally’ accept her. Wow. An interesting thing to think about. Both leaders coming to see her! It would be an honor to meet them. But the more she thought about it the more nervous she had gotten. He spoke of it being a while since a foal had roamed the lands. Amethyst sadly looked at her feet. Maybe there are some other new comers eager to play! She hoped so.

A slight dreaded look clouded Solace’s eyes for a moment. Then, it disappeared. Was he worried she would leave because there was no other foals to meet here? She wouldn’t leave him. She didn’t want to. But she did want to play! That reminded her of the sky. A wonderful place. She wished to take flight, somehow. She could fly, just not that good. No fancy loops or neat curls in the air. Nothing too extreme. She could only just lift herself at least a yard from the ground.

The grey stallion then cut into her thoughts, making her jump up a little, fluttering her wings. He was asking her a question of the land of which she still didn’t know yet. But she responded, her kind tone seeped into the atmosphere as she started her speech, then ended it. “I like this land, and I believe it as a true home.” Solace spoke again, telling her of when he first stood at this border. How at home he felt. How he had never had that feeling ever before. How he knew he had the heart of a wanderer, but he suited it with the lands of Helovia, which he seemed to like a lot.

Much to see, eh? Maybe She could explore Helovia someday. But not leaving him. Not forgetting him.

For One More Day, I'm Not Afraid to Fall Ah, the days of youth. Apollo could remember his youthful years, back in his days as a careless young colt with a stunted horn that seemed determine to not grow. A lanky, foolish thing he had been as a youngling; full of timid smiles and shy, boyish graces that he hadn't grown out of. It seemed like such a long time ago, hiding behind Andreas as a colt as the members of their deteriorating herd fought for dominance... It was a position that Apollo had never wanted to hold, and yet here he was, doing just that. Chief is what some called him now, but he didn't feel like one. He was just a brother to his herd, an ordinary soul full of thoughts and yearnings, and that was what he wanted to be known as. In no way was he better than those who he called family; he was not smarter, stronger, or more keen than anyone else... And yet the title of Chief had been mounted upon his shoulders, and Apollo had done what he could to keep the Foothills a stable, safe haven for those who called these mountainous terrains their home. With Mesec's warning in the days before, of the creature that had tried to attack him in the midst of the Spectral Marsh, Apollo had taken to pushing himself on his patrols. During the day, he was jovial, kind, and all laughs and smiles like usual... Yet as the sun fell and darkness swallowed his home, Apollo's demons came to play. He fretted that ghosts were beginning to run amuck Helovia, and at every strange sound or happening, the monochromatic overo would stop short, nostrils flaring, and attempt to tell himself that it hadn't been a ghost. It was on one of these very patrols that Apollo caught sight of a familiar form; Solace, the goodly warrior who served both he and Phaedra loyally. The unicorn came up short, soulful honey-brown eyes simply watching his battle-born brother return from whatever venture had stolen him away. It was only after a moment that the Merciful realized that Solace was not alone; a young thing trailed along behind him, and her colors reminded Apollo vividly of Irrydae, their Storyteller. If Apollo didn't know any better, he might have thought the winged filly was Irrydae's daughter, simply by their similarities. Remarkable... By the Gods, how old was she? And already on her own? Dark lips tilted upwards in a kind smile and Apollo lifted his head, nickering in a greeting to both Solace and the young filly. "Solace!" Apollo greeted, his pace nothing more than a leisurely walk to demonstrate how very at ease he was, "Out and about once more, my brother? Have you been well?" Turning his head, the stallion's honey-brown eyes lingered upon the lavender-hued filly, offering her a kind and warm smile. In a boyish sort of gesture, he tilted his head low in her direction in a simple bow. "And greetings to you, young miss. Has our beloved Solace brought you home to the Foothills? My name is Apollo, Chief of these lands. It's an honor." For One More Day, We Try to Save it All

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I had a dream I stood beneath an orange sky.</style> Solace smiled when she felt the filly run into him. “Oh don’t fret child, I’m rather sturdy, it takes a lot to break me.” He appreciated the filly’s manners at least. The child continued on to speak about the land and a smile passed over his lips when she said she liked it. “Good, I’m glad you like it. Hopefully you can grow up here and find it to be as welcoming and warm as I do.” No place even compared to the Foothills in his mind, and he always felt a certain joy when he returned to the familiar scent and sights of the herd. His gaze shifted as he heard a nicker, and a grin passed over his lips. “That’s Apollo,” he said softly to Amethyst. “No need to be afraid of him, he is very kind.” The earthy draft dipped his head in a respectful greeting to his chief. As the chief spoke he laughed softly, “It’s good to see you Apollo. And yes I have, I’ve never been the type who can just sit around. I’m faring well, how about you brother?” There were only a small collection of those that Solace could say he held a genuine admiration for, and his chief was one of those. As Apollo introduced himself to Amethyst, his own gaze drifted down to the filly, hopefully she wouldn’t feel too intimidated by the Merciful. “This is Amethyst,” Solace said looking back at Apollo. “She’s a truly strong filly, and I think as she grows she’ll benefit the Foothills.” When he was sure the filly couldn’t see it, he gave the chief a wink. “I’ll keep her under my care of course.” Leaving a young filly alone would be great foolishness, and even though he believed himself to be incredibly inept with children, he would at the very least keep her out of trouble. text

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Amethyst entertained herself by replying the stories he told her. But with her in them. Adding herself to the story was fun, and exciting. She didn't even think about the man or woman that would be coming to accept her to the herd. Would they? She hoped so. But she kept quiet, not even noticing when a big black and white horned stallion quietly approached us. But when Solace spoke to her, she looked up to see him. Solace called him Apollo. He said he was very kind. Amethyst nodded a small nod. A kind smile was on Apollo's face. Was this the leader? He certainly looked superior! But Amethyst still felt weird. He had looked at her in recognition. It was a different stare, and she was not used to it. But the man didn't keep it for long. She was not scared. No. Not of him. He was large, yes, and his strong muscles rippled under his smooth pelt. It was a good sight, if he was her new leader.

Apollo spoke in a kind voice. He said he was the chief of these lands. The ones they were all standing on right now? Wow. He said it was an honor to meet her. That was something she didn't see everyday. Or should she say hear. This was her new leader, he admit this was a honor to meet her. She never heard one older than herself admit anything like that to her face. It was different for her.

Before, Solace had spoke to the chief about how strong she was, and that she would be good for the foothills when she grew up. She nodded happily.

Something caught her attention. It was the whistle of a red bird. And of course, it was a beautiful thing. My attention was off the two for only moments, when Solace winked speaking in a hushed voice.