How long had it been since she had wandered these woods?

Years, was the answer. The golden child reflected on the stories of this realm told to her by her mother and father. Of when the Qian resided here, of a time before the World's Edge became their home. Amaris reflected on the story of the Qian's victory, and of her mother's words to her at the end of it; Pray you never need to experience war, my darling girls. But they had experienced war, hadn't they? Her mother had stolen the children of the enemy in retaliation to murders and disappearances in their own herd, and the enemy had struck back by bringing war to their borders. Amaris and her sister and cousin fled to the Throat for safety - but then war found those borders too. United against the enemy, the allies stood and defended their homes.

Amaris had seen war, and she did not want to see more.

But those stories of the Qian's residing here were from before she was born. Before her parents had even claimed they loved each other. The last time she had been here, she stood by her mother's side, over the body of their fallen friend, Torasin. Even as the dragon-girl walked through the moonlit forest, she reflected upon the circumstances that brought her here first. The pillar of ice, stained crimson with blood, piercing the centre of the gold and white bodice of the stallion.. The girl sighed, inhaling deeply, holding the scents of the forest within her before releasing them. Being omnivorous, she knew the scent of blood, she was attuned to the sound of it pulsing through the veins of prey - but this forest seemed to pulse with a life of its own, an ancient beat that breathed life into every tree and shrub and animal that wandered beneath the thick canopy.

It wasn't uncommon for her to catch the scent of a fellow equine. Naturally, she did not feel inclined to think of that scent as prey, but rather as identifying another equal, another potential for a new acquaintance, a new adventure, a new journey. She paused her steps, shutting her eyes as she pulled upon the magic that sang with her soul. A smile curved the velvet edges of her maw as she summoned a red and green soul forth, the draconic spirits glowed like lanterns, enlightening the dark abyss that stretched before her. They appeared with a colourful trill, their draconic music echoing through the timbers as they weaved and danced a path ahead. The green swirled mostly over Amaris' own tiara, the red darted out ahead, and the dragon-girl followed with smooth, easy steps. Golden scales glimmered an eerie green hue beneath the glow of the green that floated lazily above her.

As she approached the red lake, she watched the crimson lantern float over the air, watched as it danced over the crimson lake, and barely noticed the strange, glowing crimson eyes that had potentially trained themselves upon her already.

Daniel Schiersner @ flickr & larfsalot @ deviantart