Her name is lifted to the wind… uttered so casually from foreign lips. For a moment, the mare is hesitant to respond but the feminine tones offer her a sense of security. Quickly, Essetia rouses Romul from a midday nap and before he can protest or refuse her, she reaches across their bond with urgency, “We’ve been summoned.” The wolf blinks away the sleep gathered around his golden eyes before rising drowsily before her. “What for?” he questions with bated breath. Essetia shakes her head with uncertainty before turning to track the remaining notes of her summons upon the breeze. Essetia trails the syllables north with Romul following slowly behind; she is anxious to face her mysterious caller.


Romul eventually recovers himself a mile or so into their descent and moves ahead to scout the way and pick out fresh scents from the curling wind. It doesn’t take long for the wolf to uncover a particularly recent fragrance, presumably one belonging to their unnamed comrade. Though Romul is hesitant, as per usual, Essetia does not nurture his fear and instead plunges headlong down the path in hopes of purging the tension building in her gut. The Hidden Falls had provided her many surprises and yet still stood to reveal more… She could tolerate the suspense no longer.

The pair had grown close enough to identify a singular, fragrant note upon the breeze, most definitely feminine as Essetia had previously assumed. However, the regal creature that awaited them stopped the mare and her companion in their tracks. A sooty black, winged mare, tipped in red and white cropped up amidst a sea of prosperous green. Birdsong was now upon Helovia and the blooming of color and life anew was comforting to the summer mare. She longed for the warmth and light of the warmer months though she was not always adverse to the cold of winter. There was simply something more tempting about the blooming of the wild flowers and the shading of leaved trees.

Peering into dark, curious eyes, Essetia cleared her throat upon approach. “Did you… call?” she questioned softly. Never before had she seen the mare nor heard mention of such a creature. But as the Falls had proven numerous times before, there was obviously something Essetia needed to know about her new place of residence. Romul came to perch between his companion’s knees and gaze stubbornly at the onyx maiden with golden eyes much too suspicious of his own Czarina... not that he was aware of the matter. Essetia attempted to calm the wolf by sending him comforting waves of warmth through their bond but of course he rejected them with silence and persisted fixation.

The pair had much to learn about the Falls but Essetia had a feeling that this unfamiliar mare would be able to answer all of her questions.


Essetia