A light breeze whispered through the thick woodlands, rustling the leaves and gently coaxing the woodland birds into flight. They twittered overhead, a quiet song in the afternoon. To one side of the small strip of woods rose the mountains. They were tall, daunting, but seemed to lead somewhere. At least that's what the femme wandering along their base hoped.

She was petite, slightly stocky, golden with splotches of bright white. In short, she stood out against the woods like a sore thumb. However, she either didn't notice or didn't care, as she made no effort to conceal herself as she meandered aimlessly through the trees, heading nowhere but nevertheless heading somewhere. She tossed her head at the birds flitting overhead, reveling in their carefree nature, so like her own. Her attention shifted with the breeze, her gaze shifting forward. The trees were thinning, and she had a view of a clearing up ahead.

Kanti paused at the edge of the trees, tilting her head, her ivory locks floating down against her nape. The emerald fields stretching before her were no doubt inviting, but some unknown sense was compelling her to stay in the shade for a bit longer. She wasn't sure what to make of this feeling. Kanti had never been truly alone. Sure, her parents died when she was young, but the herd raised her after that, until she was ready to venture away from them. She hadn't known why, but she felt a calling to something different than her homeland, similar to this knowledge to wait... Wait for what? she wondered silently, still not leaving her post beneath the trees.

Kanti was almost startled to hear another's voice. She had been gazing peacefully into the distance, almost trance-like, for no reason at all. It probably wasn't a good idea to wander around a land she didn't know alone with her guard totally down, but there you go. She wasn't known for her wariness, anyway - quite the opposite, she enjoyed meeting new equines and had very little sense in the way of self-preservation. And so it was that she came to be standing in the open in a strange land gaping at her new surroundings like an idiot.

Not that she saw it that way. Recovering quickly, she turned to acknowledge the newcomer, pleased to see a mare who seemed interested in giving direction. "Hello," she chirped sweetly, "It's nice to see someone else! I've been wandering in this direction for a few days now. It's very peaceful, but I'm not sure exactly where I'm going. I didn't have a destination in mind, you see, I just thought I might like somewhere else better than where I was." She became aware that she might be oversharing when she didn't even know the femme's name, so she quickly added, "My name is Kanti, by the way."

Kanti listened to the words carefully, sure that this conversation would at least give her a hint as to where she was headed. "It's nice to meet you, Query!" Kanti chirped. She was interested by the invitation - but she was confused. Kanti came from a land of only Equines - she had never heard of this unicorn creature. She tilted her head to one side, confusion etched into her face. "This Paladin and his herd sounds lovely, but might I ask... what is a unicorn?"

She was a little afraid that Query would think her question stupid, as a unicorn was clearly not uncommon in this land - or perhaps it was just this herd. Now she had even more questions. "Are there many strange creatures in this land? Where am I, by the way? I've just wandered here and I haven't the slightest idea anything about the place!"

Kanti contemplated this new information. She had seen plenty of horns and plenty of wings - there were deer and birds back home after all. She simply couldn't imagine any of the various horns or wings she'd seen on a horse. She found herself wondering if these Unicorns and Pegasi were as varied in appearance as just normal Equines were. She could imagine dozens of different birds, trying to picture their wings on a horse's back; the same was true of horns, though her experience with them was somewhat less. And did they all get along? Well, even us normal Equines don't get along all the time, she reasoned, so other species probably don't get along all the time, either.

She didn't know where to start - should she ask about the land of Helovia? Its history? The different species? The other creatures - what did Query call them - dragons? Did the species get along with other species? Should she be afraid of them? Well, that's silly. Paladin is a unicorn, that's what Query said, and we're both Equines. Surely that means I shouldn't fear them! Kanti smiled sweetly. "I'd be happy to join Paladin's herd. But I have so many questions!"