The stillness of the morning had seemed impenetrable. The cool air of fall was a welcome reprieve from the heat that still enveloped most of the days, especially when the sun stood at its highest towards midday. Then it was hard to breathe at times, as though the sun was attempting to steal the moisture from the air before it managed into the lungs. None of that now, though. In the first light of dawn the temperature was perfect, the air crisp and clear with a sweetness to it that reminded him of eating apples that had yet to fully mature. Tart, sweet and fresh all at the same time.

Dew covered the trees and the strands of yellowing grass that grew in the glen, covered his own gray coat and the pearly scales of the white dragon that slept on his back. His wanderings had led them back towards the Threshold some time during the past night, and being unfamiliar in the area still he had chosen to stop rather than to try and find the bearings and risk getting utterly lost. Now he stood under the protecting branches of a bowing tree, his monochrome body all but hidden behind a curtain of yellowing leaves. Hips cocked to the side and weight placed on three of the black-marked legs only, he dozed quietly in the still of the morning. Content. It had been a long time since he felt that, and even though the inhabitants of this wide-stretched land seemed to have a knack for stirring up memories of the past, Lace found that he rather liked Helovia. The land was rich, and to his own knowledge there were no open wars going on. At least not yet...

The sound of rapid hooves against the rain depleted ground made a silver-toned ear twitch. The silvermaned grulla cracked a gilded eye open and peered out from his golden chamber, gaze examining the glen for a while before he detected the source of the sound. A horse stood on the western edges of the clearing, hesitating as though it didn't know whether to step out into the light or not. Lace contemplated simply letting the unknown soul be, but as moments dragged out old habits kicked in and urged him to move. With a faint sigh he shifted the weight back to all four legs, and carefully as not to waken the sleeping beauty on his back he eased through the cover of overhanging branches and stepped out into the clear morning light.

"Are you lost, wanderer?" he asked calmly before lowering the head to rip off a mouthful of dewy grass. Chewing casually he kept his eyes on the unknown one, on his guard but not overly concerned; it was too early in the morning to be fighting anyway.