Astrid Running, running, running. That’s all Astrid had done since she had left the remnants of the army she once served proudly with. Running from the bloody war she had left behind. More than anything, she had been running from the heavy cloud of shame and guilt that had plagued her since she watched her mother finally succumb to death. She should have reacted sooner, fought harder; maybe then she could have saved her mother’s life and she’d be standing beside her today. Stormy colored eyes gazed down upon the forest she had been calling a temporary home of sorts for the last few months. Astrid’s original plan was to rest and move on, but the longer she stayed, the more she grew to like the place. Something about it spoke to her and beckoned her to stay. So far she hadn’t yet stumbled upon any other equines. She counted her blessings to have the solitude to heal from the nightmare she had narrowly escaped, though she knew that eventually she would be found. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, or at least she told herself that. Maybe she could find something useful to do besides wallowing in self-pity and guilt. With a dip of her bony, leathery webbed wings, the golden and black mare made a slow descent from the sky to the lush green ground underneath her. Landing gracefully in an opening in the trees, Astrid took a few strides before coming to a complete stop. The overly large, dragon-like wings rested on the grass, unperturbed by the dirt touching the bony appendages. Blue-grey eyes closed as she basked in the silence, knowing that the quiet would not last long once she was found. "Speech!" Thoughts notes: Recycled post since her old one was closed. (Totes my fault on that one.) Open to anyone!

The change of seasons brought a new sensation of peace for me, and I was starting to believe that the seperation I had given myself from Bucephalus was rather good for me. Though I had been wandering around my herd lands on my own for a bit, every now and then I would still come across a friendly face either there or in the main lands that would offer me a pleasant conversation. And now with the sun shining brightly, fresh vegetation growing all around, birds singingly sweetly...Everything seemed as though all was right in the world, and it was time for me to to enjoy the world.

I would start with this trip to the Threshold, hoping to find something or someone that I could offer my assistance to, welcome them into the amazing herd I had joined. The Dragon's Throat had been the most respectful home I ever had, no one pressed me and let me mind my own business, no one mocked me for my appearance, no one judged me for my being quiet. Gaucho was a strong but quiet leader, and I was growing to trust in his judgement, even with this development of destroying the land bridge. Although the majority of the herd were blessed with wings, there were a small few of us that were flightless. The fact that Gaucho was not forgetting us, even going so far as to ask the Sun God for help, was an incredible show for the stallion's character. I wanted to pay my respects for their kindness and do what I could to help the herd.

As I weaved through the trees, a shadow from something with a massive wingspan temporarily blocked the sunlight that broke through the trees. I picked up the pace to the follow the direction the shadow was headed, curious as to who (or what) it was. As I broke through the trees, my scarlet gaze settled on a rather pretty mare with a massive set of dragon wings. For a moment, I stared at them in awe. Once I realized I was staring, I cleared my throat and averted my gaze to the side as I stepped slightly closer, leaving a fair distance between us in case she was not as friendly as I hoped. "Hello, miss." I offered her a smile from beneath the massive amount of hair that fell around my face, garnet eyes studying her carefully.

She needed to breathe. Being a mom was a lot harder than it looked. Especially with two very, very independent children. Not to mention ones that possessed abilities, and one with wings learning to fly. Oxy was a little help, so that was nice. Edgar also liked to babysit Auriel, but he wasn't much older than a child either. So this was her chance to sneak away while no one was there to disturb her, and for once, she wanted to go looking for company in the threshold. New faces always provided a break from the craziness of life. So her wings spread out before her, and no longer heavy, she was able to easily glide her way down to the Threshold. She was lucky her flight was so short, she can't imagine how much the others must walk or fly to get here, and then doing it again on the way back. Casting her shadow above the tree-line, she caught sight of two below, just a few steps inside of a clearing. It was hard to tell who they were, but she was going to go investigate nonetheless. Circling back around, she landed with an audible thud on the ground. Trees embraced her, and she welcomed it. Walking slowly, she approached the two females. One she recognized, Elsa had even been the one that tried to bring her home. Morrigan was it? The other she didn't recognize.. but dang! That girl had a nice pair of wings on her, Elsa smirked, a little out of jealousy and awe. "Nice to see you guys." She started, maybe a little too friendly, but hey, she was glad for some other female friends that weren't half her size. "My name's Elsa, what brings you here today?" The question was more directed at the dragon-winged mare, but the cobweb one was welcome to reply. Although, Elsa had a feeling both her and Morrigan were here for the same reason. "Talking" Elsa

Astrid The change of the season was rejuvenating for Astrid. The dead of winter, with its silence and snowfalls, had allowed Astrid to mourn in peace. There had been very few souls in the Threshold because of winter’s icy grip, and even fewer were brave enough to stick around long enough to make small talk. The few that had stuck around were easy to dodge once Astrid found an excuse that allowed her to slip away. Not that she hated having company; it was quite opposite, in fact. Astrid was often a social butterfly, but how could people be so blind to the bleeding heart she held? She wanted to mourn for her late mother and for the brave, loyal soldiers who had died. She wanted to bury her wounded heart so she could keep carrying on. She owed that much to all the souls lost on that bloody battlefield. She would carry on and honor the sacrifices they all had made that day. While the snow had melted away and silence gave way to bird songs, the new season could easily be a period of rebirth. Astrid had to admit that she felt worlds better after letting everything go – well, almost everything. There was still a heaviness in her heart, but no longer did she feel like the weight of the world was crushing her. With a sigh, Astrid’s golden and black body leaned heavily on her left wing as blue grey eyes fluttered opened. Black ears twisted about on her skull, picking up the rustle as someone, or rather a mare once Astrid’s stormy eyes landed on her, approached at a safe distance. Astrid’s skull tilted slightly, matching the casual lean of her body, ignoring the fact it caused silver-blonde strands of her forelock to fall over her eyes messily. “Why hello there!” she chirped brightly, before offering the other mare a crooked, easy-going smile. “What brings you out to these parts?” Before Astrid could get the satisfaction of an answer, a shadow passed overhead and caught her attention. Out of instinct, Astrid’s golden and black body drew itself up, muscles coiled tight to react if it was a threat. Despite her time spent out of an army, it had done little to affect her military training. Astrid’s oversized wings drew close to her body, as they were no longer being used to support her body weight, though it did little to dwarf their size. Stormy eyes assessed the other quickly and after realizing it wasn’t a threat, but rather just another mare to join the party, Astrid’s frame relaxed. “A pleasure, Elsa,” she replied, her smoky voice warm despite how tense she had been moments before. “My name is Astrid. While I don’t know about the other lovely lady with us, I’ve been lurking about for a while now.” "Speech!" Thoughts notes: @[Morrigan] @[Elsa]

I was rather surprised at the immediate sense of ease that the strange mare presented herself with, leaning against one of her impressive wings while offering an unexpectedly friendly greeting. With the vixen's smile, I felt my muscles begin to relax from their tensed state. Until then, I hadn't even been aware of the fact that my nerves had been getting to me. Perhaps this wouldn't be as difficult as I had initially thought? Before I had the chance to answer her, I flinched at the sudden movements of the gold and black mare. Following her gaze, I immediately recognized the snowflake donned vixen of...The Falls? Yes, yes she had asked for me to follow her to the Falls. A single aud flicked back with guilt, a little ashamed to have turned her down and now to try and prevent her from taking another equine with her. I hoped she didn't take it personally, for I really did grow to like Elsa in the short time we had to speak.

Respectfully, I dipped my muzzle towards the pretty ivory vixen, giving a friendly smile that also served as an apology of sorts. Something seemed different about the mare since I had last seen her, though I was unsure exactly what it was that had changed. Not that it was any of my business in the first place..."It's nice to see you again, Elsa. I hope you are well?" Ruby orbs settled on the stranger once again, auds flicking as she introduced herself. Astrid, seemed like a strong name. And given her stature and certain mannerisms, I had a feeling that she was a mare who could handle herself very easily. Now that we were all settled and calm, it was easier for my gaze to drift along the curves of her body, noting the miscellaneous scars and the rather prominent scar on her shoulder just before her wing. Of course, that is why she reacted the way she did when Elsa arrived. This mare was nothing like what I've ever been, this mare was experienced and battle-worn. Gaucho would surely be impressed to welcome such a mare to the Dragon's Throat.

Realizing that I had been staring, I quickly looked to the ground for just a moment to collect my thoughts before glancing back up at the newcomer. Elsa would probably remember my rather nervous habits of meeting new people, this should not come as any surprise to her. Though I am indeed a good deal better about keeping up with the conversation and willingly accepting new conversation. "I am Morrigan, a healer for the herd land Dragon's Throat. I hope I am not overstepping my boundaries when I say that I believe Elsa and I are exploring these lands for the same reasons. We are acting as recruiters for our herds, if I remember correctly Elsa belongs to the Hidden Falls. I almost joined her when I first arrived here as well." With those words I offered another friendly smile towards the snowflake mare, hoping she understood that I meant no ill-will towards her if Astrid decided to follow her. Returning my gaze to the multi-hued mare, I took a few steps closer so as not to feel like I was yelling across a field.

"I must say, I believe the Dragon's Throat would be very glad to welcome you. You are more than welcome to follow Elsa as well, as she once told me, you can always change your path should you not like it."

Maybe her entrance wasn't the best of entrances, but she was eager for the company. So when the mare accepted her into their little group, she grinned from ear to ear. The mare however, seemed to be one who lurked around these parts. That right there was surprising, how had Elsa not seen her? Had she been here for a while, or just a few weeks? Either way, anyone who wandered in here "homeless" was recruited in a heartbeat. In the midst of all these questions, Morrigan addressed her, and Elsa smiled her way. Of course she couldn't be mad at the laced girl, Bucephalus was a very convincing character. If anything, it was him that piqued her bad side. She didn't know why, but even though he lived away, their first meeting had put him right in her alley of hate. "Very well, thank you." She said, addressing her question politely. It was small talk, and they weren't friends so to speak, so there was no reason to tell her of the two children she had wreaking havoc in the Falls. Morrigan took her first stab at talking, telling her of their reasons here, and where they lived. Elsa nodded in surprise that Morrigan had remembered where she lived. So often those she met here shoved her into the back of their memories, merely nothing but a wisp in their lifetime. When Morrigan finished speaking, however, Elsa took her turn to be convincing. This was practically her second job to building large stone things, and a thousand times better than building large stone things. "Morrigan was right in her tellings, I am from the Falls, although I'd like to provide a little more light, considering going to a new home is quite the decision." She finished softly, taking a breath to begin. Elsa was known to be long-winded, but information was key. "The Falls is just north of here, settled in a valley in the mountains. It follows it's namesake, and is filled with many roaring falls and lush valleys full of ponds. Were a land of water and lush grasses so to speak." That was a little better description of the Falls. Saying that it was "indescribable" did not suffice anymore. "There are two other herds than the two we have mentioned, the Edge and the Basin. The latter, you won't want to be visiting. They're a "unicorns only" type of crew." She said with a shrug, no use in sending her to an inevitable declination. "Or, if none of these sound interesting, you could continue a life as an outcast, living here or moving farther into Helovia. Although, if you stick around here, there will be no lack of visitors." She finally finished with a small laugh. Her words were long, so it was now time to give Astrid a little time to make a decision. "Talking" @[Astrid] Elsa