Adele
March 30th, 2012 at 2:58pm
Adele was a creep. There was no denying that. Ever since she had been
here she was just stalking and watching everyone who made there way
into this "Helovia" place. Vera, like always, was perched atop her
head, purring gently to soothe Adele. The rumble of her throat gently
massaged the top of her head. "I guess your right Vera. It's time to
go." She said, and eventually they moved closer to what smelled like
living bodies. Her flaming body stood out like a sore thumb during the
frostfall. Her flaming mane and tail looked so menacing, yet there
were no harm to any touch. Even her breath came out in condensed
clouds of air, she looked like a walking campfire, plus a dragon.
"Uh.. hello?' She called out, hoping someone besides family would
join. She just needed an escape from family at the moment.

---

Galileo
March 31st, 2012 at 2:06pm »

Galileo was camouflaged well thanks to his coat. Whether or not he
could be smelled was his only worry, and the fact that he was
beginning to smell traces of other horses probably meant that
something would smell him sooner or later. Some tracks were fresher
than others, some scents were faint on the trees and some dung was
still fresh. It did not appear to be a herd moving through the land,
but many newcomers. Galileo was intrigued, and continued, pushed along
the land by its shape.

Against the white snow, Galileo could see flashes of red. Interested,
Galileo moved forward slowly. Not silently, though; his hooves were
heavy against the white power. As he came closer, his eyes narrowed
and he had to take a few moments to understand quite what was going
on. He didn't understand how a flame could live in the middle of a
frozen forest, or how it could even have been started. Then he saw the
filly.

"Well, I'm definitely mad." Galileo muttered, staring rather
obviously at the youngster. His brain couldn't compute this
information, and yet he couldn't look away.

---

Mirage
March 31st, 2012 at 5:36pm

“Hello.”

The reply came from the direction that led off towards the
Helovia. The voice was smooth, indifferent, merely a reply to the call
that the young filly gave. Mirage did not wear her cloak today,
rather, she seemed to melt away from the shadows of the densely packed
trees surrounding them, the darkness tugging at her charred form. The
glorious golden dragon sat atop her withers, peering curiously at the
white one that sat atop this peculiar filly’s. The honey-gold eyes of
Mirage roamed over the filly and subsequently the stallion, drinking
their appearances greedily. The youth was strangely marked, that much
was very obvious, though Mirage had witnessed stranger in her travels.
The stallion’s comment amused her, though she didn’t show such
amusement outwardly. She remained impassive as she spoke directly to
him.

“Surely a madman never truly knows when he is mad?” The question
was rhetorical, but she posed it with the tilt of her head and the
lilt of a true question. Akaith chirruped a small greeting to the
white, but otherwise grew bored quickly of the smaller, lesser dragon,
and mostly allowed her attention to dart elsewhere. Nape arched as
Mirage inclined her tiara towards the lands from whence she had just
roamed.

“You stand upon the Threshold of Helovia.” She spoke as if stating
the obvious, which really, was all she was doing. Allowing her gaze to
fall once more upon the red and blue filly – for Mirage did have a
soft spot for mostly any who had experienced impression with a dragon
– she softened her tone, not in a coddling way, but rather she spoke
to the youth slightly more like an equal than simply being a vessel
from which facts would regurgitate out of.

“Might I guess you ventured from Isilme? There are many within the
lands who fled the destruction that became the lands.” Mirage had fled
before the great clash of the Gods and their sons, and though she knew
that the lands recovered under a new flag, she and Akaith had instead
travelled for many countless years, simply learning and living.
Helovia, it seemed, had managed to hold her attention for a little bit
longer than many other realms, who knew how long she would linger this
time.

“For what rhyme or reason might you have ventured here, steed?”
Mirage wasn’t one to proffer names or identify herself without first
gathering more information about those she conversed with. All she
ever did was present a blank canvas, and provide only the essential
information. Many thought her to be childish, cowardly, stupid, or
otherwise disabled; when really, all she was was a brilliant actress.
The golden eyes that reflected the golden hue of her dragon’s hide
peered silently, probingly at the stallion awaiting his reply or
response with svelte ears awaiting atop her refined crown.

---

Adele
April 4th, 2012 at 2:34pm

The first to approach was a stallion, a large grey one. Then suddenly,
he stopped and stare. His eyes drank in her looks, her color,
obviously stunned. She eyed him and Vera jumped and hovered above her
head, getting a good look. He looked pretty harmless, and she let out
a chirp, inviting him. Usually, she wasn't the one to invite people
over.

The next that came along was a mare, who looked oddly like her mother.
A gold dragon at her side. Inwardly, Adele could feel the tension
building within Vera. She hated these golden and silver beauties who
were so cherished. Vera... Adele said soothingly in her mind. Vera
kept her cool, and calmly chirped back, retreating into Adele's
flaming mane. Neither of the equines had spoke until after Vera had
settled.

"That much I know."[b] Adele responded. Her voice had actually managed
to calm her down, conversation with others she had been lacking for a
while. [b]"And yes, I have come from Isilme, and I plan on never
returning. Destruction is everywhere, I even saw my own mother
slaughtered in front of my face." She replied with a stone cold voice.
Aera's screams were the only thing she could remember of her mother
since the trauma. The way she writhed in pain....

Vera flashed a brilliant yellow color into her mind, bringing her
attention back to the two in front of her. Their attention was no own
this stallion, who still seemed to be staring in a stupor-like state.
"Uhm. I think we've made it clear that i'm different." She said,
hoping to break his attention from her if the mare's did not.

---

Galileo
April 7th, 2012 at 4:42pm

Galileo was, again, a little too stunned to answer the dark mare's
first question. She was taller than him (unsurprisingly) but had
traces of the same thick build as he. The first thing he noticed was
the beast atop her withers, and the first thing he felt at the sight
was uncontrolled fear. He had met lizards before, mostly in the form
of snakes, and it had never been a benevolent meeting. However,
Galileo's mind worked fast. He was not a dimwitted creature, merely
one momentarily stunned by such strange new information. The creature
was not attacking; the creature was interacting with the mare in a way
that seemed to cause the mare so little concern that the mare was
completely disregarding its presence, for the most part. And, most
tellingly; the filly had a similar reptile, which he had somehow not
noticed whilst being blinded by her unique colouration.

Certain things registered through the tumultuous thoughts
ricocheting through his brain; the land was called Helovia. Isilme -
that was the land he'd passed around last. If it had perished in
flames, he was glad that he never went through. The youngster had come
through there. Her mother was dead. The filly was on fire. The filly
was on fire. But they were addressing him. He stared at her for a mere
moment, contemplating a reply, before the filly responded.

Instantly, he jerked out of his stupor. How could he have been so cold?
"Forgive me, forgive me." Galileo responded, hesitantly. "I
have...only once before met horses...whose coats...and never yet one
on fire." Galileo truly felt awful, and had a great inclination to
kick himself, if he could. He had responded much better to this
stimulus the first time he had encountered it outside Isilme. Perhaps
his brain had dismissed it as a hallucination? He gritted his teeth
and took the shame; he'd only brought it upon himself. "I have no
home. It was not my intention to arrive here, neither was it my
intention to stay away; but here I have come, and here I would like to
investigate further."

---

Mirage
8th Apr, 2012 at 12:17am

Akaith was oblivious to the hatred the white dragon felt, the
small pale fleck barely registering on her radar. Yse, she was there,
and had she been a wild dragon, Vera probably would have run for cover
or felt Akaith’s anger for not showing appropriate respect. But as it
were, they were both bonded dragons, and Vera did not outwardly show
disrespect, and Akaith had a tummy full of her latest hunt and so was
feeling quite sleepy and lazy – the golden one couldn’t care less
about the presence of the white. The gold yawned, her jaws opening
wide, her many teeth glittering, her tongue flicking out. Stretching
her neck at the same time, she then resettled upon Mirage’s withers,
watching the proceedings like a sage gilded statue.

Mirage listened to the mare, aware of her dragon’s indifference,
but maintained her own interest in the youth. Sadness was reflected in
her gaze at the mention of lost family, it was a sad tale. There was a
familiar quirk to this filly, and Mirage wondered if she had perhaps
met her mother before – but it was useless trying to remember. Too
many years had passed for her since Isilme, very few names resonated
in her memories from those time. “I am sorry to hear it.” She said
gently, her soft muzzle reaching out to touch the curiously hued mare
on the shoulder in comfort. She knew what it was to have family
members die, though she hadn’t witnessed the actual decline of life in
her parents, she and her siblings had found their bodies together,
locked in an eternal deathly embrace. Not knowing whether her action
would be accepted or not, however, she then turned her attention to
the stallion.

With silent amusement she watched him try to figure out the scene
before him. Obviously he was inexperienced with the ways of dragons,
or at least, these dragons. His words revealed that he was not used to
the filly’s appearance also, but he seemed to be able to move on from
such things easily enough. Mirage was always one to look past the
appearance of another, she mostly wanted to know about the inner
workings of others. The stallion spoke in an unusual way, not in the
form of a different accent, but just in the ponderous, philosophical
air he commanded. “You are in for a learning experience, stallion.”
Mirage commented, amused still at the stallion’s shock and attempted
recovery from the surprise.

Magic was something that it seemed was referred to when things
couldn’t be explained otherwise. The rising and setting of the Sun and
Moon, the growth of plants from the Earth, all were mysteries to the
simple equine folk who roamed the lands. Having been born to lands
where only moonlight shone and Lady Luna was the only celestial being
to rule the skies, magic was something that Mirage accepted with ease.
It was even instinctual imprinted upon her, but required the touch of
the lands of Isilme to become more apparent and controllable. Her
illusionary magic was an extension of herself, Akaith even more so.
But the little black mare could understand if not everyone had the
same experiences and understandings of the lands.

“There are many herdlands within. I am but a wanderer of the
lands, Mirage is my name, and my companion is Akaith.” Her voice had
taken a melodic hum, while she didn’t express many emotions upon her
façade, she allowed her genuine honesty to be felt in her tones.
“Perhaps if you enlighten me further to your names and exactly what
sort of investigations you are intending on performing, I could point
you in the right direction.” She spoke to both of them, though her
voice teased the stallion lightly for his brief explanation as to why
he was here. His words had seemingly walked a complete circle,
providing some information and yet nothing which would be put to use
at this current situation. The little black mare was being very
forthcoming in giving her name to the gathered, though she doubted
they would appreciate her letting her guard down for them. She even
wondered about her reasons quietly, but decided such ponderings were
best left for another day.

---

April 11th, 2012 at 3:32pm

He seemed interested in Vera too, who popped her head back over
Adele's poll to watch him with milky eyes. The flames looking as if
they were engulfing her white body. Sometimes Vera wondered if people
thought she was just ashes amongst Adele's flaming mane, for her white
coat looked like cooled coals. Finally he responded babbling about
never seeing one like her. Adele shrugged, and agreed with the unknown
mare. "People like me look weird, but believe me. For the horses that
inhabit these lands are usually more than meets the eye. At least
Isilme was like that." Vera chirped in agreement, flashing her
brilliantly shiny, pointy teeth. All looking like a thousand tiny
daggers.

Then the mare, who introduced herself as Mirage and her dragon as
Akaith, inquired about who they were and what they needed. "I'm Adele,
daughter of Aera and Terrador. And this is Vera." Vera again chirped,
but this time was sitting like a small dog atop Adele's pole. Her
white tail wrapping gently around Adele's white ear for stability,
careful that her sharp scales that tipped her tail didn't cut into her
bonded's soft flesh. "Speaking of Terrador, has he been around here?
Or has Adalwulf?" She knew that before her mother died in Isilme, she
asked her to find Adalwulf if he was still around. He was the father
of Ataraxia, and if he could find Adalwulf, she would have more help
in finding Ataraxia. And finding Terrador would finally reunite her
with the father she never met. "Or, if you don't know any of them, I
would like to find myself amongst an all equine band." Maybe her words
were harsh here, but she still couldn't bring herself to live amongst
the unicorns and pegasi yet. There were just too many shades that took
on their forms.

---

April 27th, 2012 at 12:02am

The mare listened to the words the younger one spoke, and she uttered
names of leaders past in Isilme, names even that Mirage recalled
vaguely. Aera was one she thought she might have met at some stage,
the charred mare had been owner of shadow-magic – Mirage was saddened
slightly to hear that she had passed on. The name of Terrador rang a
bell, the image of a mare named Misery surfacing within her mind’s eye
as to being the colt’s mother. At least, he was but a colt when Mirage
had last heard of him. Clearly many years had passed since then.

“I fear none of the names you speak have walked through the
Threshold of Helovia.” The mare replied simply, quietly. What Adele
said next surprised her a little, though she did not show it, her
carefully trained mask never slipping. “Such a think does not exist
within the lands to my knowledge, Adele. The Foothills are an
established herd led by Gossamer the Benevolent, they are peaceful and
welcoming to all who might need a place to rest their bodies. I know
little of the other herds – as I said before, I am but a wanderer. You
are welcome to find solace where I wander if you please – just be
aware, I tend to keep what others might call strange company.”
Alluding to the friendships she held, there certainly wasn’t one
stranger than she held with the hybrid brute Vikram. She made her case
honestly, curious as to how the other would react. Would she overcome
her discomfort with other species, join a herd that accepted all or
would she walk alone and risk the dangers associated with such a
decision? Though Mirage walked alone, she never truly was alone –
having Akaith with her all the time, and having formed strong
friendships, she was rarely endangered.

[ ooc : Sorry! I didn’t realise that Galileo has obviously
disappeared, and I wanted to get something up for you. ]