'Never feel with that impulse in your brain, Raimo. It defeats us all like mesmerizing stars and beautifying bodies...'

The stars are rather weak, tucked into their cozy black blanket only their heads exposed shining and bald, like deceased Spartan boys. A light, perhaps dawn's light, is emerging from the eastern side of the world behind him, a tawny candle ray that pierces the blackness and casts a blue glow in the sparse forest. The light's fragile arms stroke the backside of Peixos and cast an iridescent sheen on his content blue. Both eyes, mocha and royal scale the landscape with eager intentions. Pale forelegs step with bulky grace as the dark hinds follow through with energetic yet cautious strides. The world is calm, so is he. The pair both inhale the scents of familiar races, perhaps descendents of those who perished in the shade take-over. 'Like Aërwen,' Raimo adds in softly, gently as if not to truly arouse unsettled emotions. They come anyway.

'Don't say that,' the pale boy's mind-voice is snappy with a defensive rasp. 'The shadows consumed her dragon's fire as if it were air. They consumed her as if she were a blade of Eterna's grass,' Raimo stiffens upon his high withers. 'They consumed all of us as if we were grass.' Peixos' head slightly drooped as the images flooded his brain and took over that adolescent anger. He paused in his step, it was forgotten, yielding to the passing onslaught of images. Red eyes bit like ticks in his soul. Pain crawled like red spiders along his growing hairs.

'I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring her up again.'

It was silent between the two for a while. Thoughts still screamed like innocent children, and Raimo could only try to balance upon Peixos' jolty walk. While the stallion's eyes were only fixed on the dirt, the blue's royal eyes remained settled on the mountainous figures ahead.

"Are there any from Anarore still left?"

As the stars were slowly covered by peachy dawn, Peixos had found himself inhaling the forest's familiar smells. This place was like the old Gateway. The place where he'd found himself roaming endlessly as a colt, seeking refuge from his domineering mother. This place was dull as all hell for all, but a thrill-filled haven for ones of a darker enlightenment. He remembered whispers falling from his inky muzzle - not whispers but prayers. Prayers to Neique for all of the wickedness in war that fell like lit ashes from the flame-licked palms of the Tides. And indeed the Tides did fall. It was a hell of a long way down.

Raimo silently pushes an image of gold and white atop the fuzzy memories in Peixos' mind, a subtle reminder that he is not free yet to let thoughts evoke such long winded emotions. They were still easy variables in a new world like this, and it wouldn't take but a tendril of magic to collect these two souls unguarded. Raimo would often lose himself in Pei's memories, watching the vivid stories unfold - but his feeling was to protect, and even if it did mean to miss some of the stallion's passionate past life, he would do it. But smelt in the brief carriage of wind a mare called Solstice.

'Solstice,' The blue spoke into the grey stallion's head.'She was of Anarore and Isilme. Remember, she was Ataraxia's mate?' A dark ear tips to his left to catch a smooth feminine voice. His eyes follow and grace her slightly pert bodice. He mentions to Raimo she may be expecting. The dragon takes to the skies with a ginger nod, to leave the two to their own terms.

"I am," His eyes lock with hers and his pace increases. "and you're from here?" He silently wonders to Raimo more about her history with Isilme, and more old memories are dusted off.

"I'm Peixos and that's Raimo. We heir from Isilme. The Shades drove us and our families apart."

The Threshold’s sun graced their backs now with sudden ferocity as its light poured subtly over the trees. The strange familiarity was the opposite of welcoming, and a sense inside Peixos (that easily could have been Raimo) held a stiff guard. The pale stallion was unsure what to think about it.

But he kept a firm bronze eye on the painted girl. He did sort-of remember seeing her present in herd meetings, back in the frozen days of Aera. The blue steps in with a bitter cold response, ‘you were probably too busy watching Aёrwen…’ At that, the fishboy glares up into the sky and utters absentmindedly. ‘Damn it Raimo…’ His thoughts quickly return to business and he takes a fraction of a second to adjust his connection with the cocky blue. Sometimes he just wished he could cut his fire spitting mouth off for a while.

The pale stallion’s mind returned to Solstice’s words. She spoke of the Cliffs and immediately Peixos could guess her age.

“I was born in the Tides when Aera ruled. I’m out of Terrador the EarthMover and a mare called Spy.” It hurt to say both their names, but the fish marked muzzle refuses to reveal any vocal disturbance. “The family relocated to the Valley as soon as the Tides were demolished. That may be where I’ve seen you, but perhaps I was too young to remember...” His vivid eyes stare blankly. “But it’s nice to meet you, if for a second time anyway.”