Meg watched with a narrowed eyes as the herd began to mobilize for the move. Such a drastic change in the atmosphere of the gathering had set her on edge and her head whipped around to inspect the herd’s movements. She watched as most took to the air, and she longed to go with them. She ached to fly again; flying was freedom and safety and strength, but with a bitter taste in her throat she was forced to watch from the ground. The fire had clipped her wings quite thoroughly, and though she knew that at the start of spring she would molt and they would regrow, she was not keen on waiting that long. So she set off with the band that Midas led on foot and followed them into the underground labyrinth. It was lucky that she’d had some time to recover from her fall into Helovia’s Heart (she gave the place an extra wide berth as the party traveled past it) The skin on her forelegs and muzzle had healed over, and though it felt tight and stiff, hair was beginning to grow again over the burned patches.

Meg had not been too enthusiastic when she began to notice the fires that blazed upon every member of the herd, indeed when she’d first seen them on her own body, she had shouted in terror, thinking herself plunged back into the vast fire pit. She’d calmed when she realized they burned without doing any harm, but they still put her on edge. She tried to imagine the gentle flames of Africa’s fire in the Throat instead of the raging pit of the heart. They’d been so much nicer, warm and illuminating rather than destructive. She and Alina had spent a comfortable night ther… ALINA! Panic shot through the bay mare as she realized her darling little friend was not with them. She didn’t quite understand what was happening in the world abouve, but whatever it was, Alina and the other missing members of the shouldn’t be left to face it alone

She moved with haste towards the taller of the sultans, giving a small nod of respect, “Gaucho, too few have come! Alina’s missing and others, too. Could you see them from the skies on your way here? If you can tell me, I’ll go. I’ll make them come!” Her voice was quick but her face was set; she was determined to protect her new family and to hell with whatever danger that lurked above.