If the slight fever of warmth that rises when we hold hands lights a light
Look, It will shine until it reaches even the corners of the dimmed world, so brightly.

The journey south took much longer than Riel had expected. While she didn't say anything, the steady increase of distance between herself and the vast forest left her with a sinking sense of dread, an ominous feeling that each step she took, every day she woke up and and turned towards the rising sun rather than head back would decrease the chances of meeting up with her family again. Not even the warmer weather and disappearance of snow on the ground could cheer her up for more than a few hours at a time - if it hadn't been for the company of the blue-black mare and the promise of a safe place to rest and recuperate, the gold-dusted sparrow might have changed her mind and headed back to the Threshold a long time ago.

As it was, however, she found herself growing increasingly fond of the slightly older girl. Despite the difference in their temperaments Riel thought they were getting along quite well. It was easy enough to overlook any bursts of temper whenever they found topics to disagree over, and between her own chatty nature and a steady stream of questions coming from both of them it was far from a boring journey.
Even as they passed over grassy plains and ashen wasteland left by some smoldering volcanic pit and closed in on their destination, the four-winged angel had so many questions buzzing around the head that she thought they might resemble a swarm of bee's, had they been seen.

"I still don't understand" she sighed in exasperation and shook her long, slender neck so the grayish mane was sent flying, causing silver bells to jingle merrily from the tips of the many braids. "How can you receive this 'magic', as you call it? If it's not in the blood to begin with, how can it just.. appear? I've never heard of anything like that happening - where I come from you either have it or you don't, and it's as simple as that. If you have a gift it will show, strange things will happen around a child from birth; the latest blossom as they turn into adults but never, never after that."

The look she gave her companion was curious, eager; there was no mistaking the interest she had in this topic, it had been obvious ever since Ampere had revealed her own abilities when they first met. Riel still found herself smiling whenever she thought of the sparkling, crackling bird that had appeared at the bid of the blue-eyed filly, remembering her own gasp of awe and incredulity and how she had hoped it would appear again even after Ampere got tired of maintaining its shape. The revelation that similar abilities could appear in others just by coming to this land had kindled a spark of hope in the young mare, one that was both frightened and jealous and painfully intense - oh, how she wished something like it would happen to her. But rather than saying it aloud - she had a feeling that expressing these wishes might render them unable to be fulfilled - she just kept pestering her guide to tell her more, so much more about this place, these strange and foreign lands that she had caught a glimpse of as they steadily walked towards Ampere's home.

"Speaking of gifts by the way" she quickly threw in before the first question could be answered, "do you think I should bring something for the Elders as a thank you for letting me stay on your land for a while? I don't know what's proper here... Or, maybe you don't have that system either?" She nibbled her lip slightly, nervous and looking more concerned than she would have wanted to let anyone see about meeting the leaders of a foreign herd all on her own. Not for the first time she felt a stab of pain as she thought of Kehar - he would have taken charge of the situation right away, charming elderly mares and pacifying temperamental stallions with a cock of the neck and that glittering, unabashed grin of his. Was it bad of her to miss him even more than she missed her sisters, or parents?


@[Ampere]
Sadness sinks, and look, the night comes to an end.
Let's go searching for you
And your warmth, in a world yet unseen.