Never in all the ages of the world to come would Meg admit to her reaction when the small gathering was joined by the black beast, Einarr. Even as she moved she was not fully conscious of it herself, but at catching sight of the stallion she had shifted her weight across her hooves to be closer to Hector. The margin of difference was barely an inch but it was an inch closer to a known and tested ally and enough to help dilute that strange and unsettled feeling that had marked their first meeting. Indeed she was happy to be distracted from his arrival when the tiny boy came bounding up to stand beside Ampere.

The first thing she noticed of course was his singular wing, and some strange metallic growth where the other might have been. The bar definitely felt a twinge of pity for the boy, knowing how much flight had meant to her, that this boy might only get halfway there. She wondered if there was something the Sun God could do for hum, or perhaps some healer in Helovia… but if he had been born that way? Well… and all this before Megaera could realize that the boy’s blue lightning marked him as belonging to Ampere.

When he spoke, any confusion or pity melted away from her face and was replaced by a broad grin. The boy was soaked and tiny but his bold proclamation charmed her in and instant. She laughed, low-pitched and thoroughly amused, this one would do just fine if he kept that attitude. Ampere’s quick admonition made it clear that this was a new realm for the Blue, even if she was right in what she said. Thinking Ampere’s eyes averted, she sent a quick wink to the bold little colt and an indulgent smile. At least Meg didn’t have to be the disciplinarian.

The Dragon Girl made quite a distraction and it was difficult for Meg not to positively gape at the marvelous mix of scales and shine. If anyone was born to live in Dragon’s Throat, well here she was! Meg returned the nod to greet the girl. It was Ampere’s voice that broke the little enchantment and returned plain-looking Meg to thinking over that tasks at hand as the Gladiator spelled them out.

What she said made sense to the little warrior. Though she was one to hope that the warriors she stood with could completely shield their herd from outside threats, Meg knew that threats could just as easily come to an individual from inside a herd, or inside a family. The idea that everyone should have at least a basic ability to defend themselves, or at least rely on getting to some form of defense was an idea that Meg could get behind and she nodded her agreement.

When Ampere posed her question, Megaera answered almost immediately: “Speed.” It was her gut reaction and a good portion of any advantage that she had learned to rely upon. “And not only physical, but larger movements as well. If you can act before your opponent, move before he knows you’re moving then you’ve got the upper hand.” A beat, a pause, where her most recent confrontation popped into her mind and dispelled her first theory. “And knowledge. On the floating Isle not a week ago I…” she hesitated, shying from the sting of admitting her own mistakes. For the good of the heard she repeated to herself, …good of the herd good of the herd! ”If Gaucho hadn’t been there I might have struck out at the Basin Lady, because I didn’t know who or what she was.” though of course Meg wouldn’t have been there if Gaucho had not been there and been so forcibly accused of murder. She carefully avoided any gaze but Ampere’s. “Gaucho and Tandavi and Bucephalus can make alliances and decisions left and right but unless we know with whom and for what, unless we know more about the goings on outside of the Throat, their diplomacy does no good.”