I've become so numb I can't feel you there......

It was cold here....or rather she could assume as much. She could not very well feel it, but the sight of so much ice led her to believe that this was indeed a cold region... Good.....the blood that ran in her veins was thick, and her limbs were sturdy...and while she might not feel discomfort in a warm environment she could also easily overheat, not having the nerve connections to sent the transmission that she needed to sweat. It was an inconvenience....always having to keep so many variables in the back of her mind....but that was her life. With each step a mighty echo chorused through the dangling ice, singing in different tones according to the size and shape of the shard. While the icy footing would normally be perilous for an equine her horned lineage had also gifted her with goat like hoofs...meaning she could walk on pretty much anything but water and air. It was early morning, and clownish reflections of the massive mare danced all about her.....She could see her marred body in those images....the deep scars that littered her frame....the broken horn that even now had a frozen bead of blood halfway down its mast.

In these new lands she had contemplated immerging herself into a herd...as she had tried many times before.....But there was always a pushy mare that felt threatened by her bulk...wanted to push her around.....and ultimately that mare would die....How many had she killed now....four...five? Her two toned eyes squinted as she tried to remember...but in the end decided it was best she did not know....Not that she felt guilt....there was only one equine she regretted killing. With a snort and a toss of her mighty skull she quickened her pace, pushing further into the icy landscape....No...she would not think about her.....about the pain she must have felt as she passed from this world into the hands of the gods...no.....Grimacing she flicked her long tail against her bum and then let it fall to sweep the ground behind her...Yes....she was a tortured beast, a tortured beast that could not feel any pain leaving nothing to distract her from the hurtful memories that plagued her mind.

She froze as a small mouse skittered across the icy floor, watching its desperate flailing......heavy breathing...and then suddenly a white blue flashed across her vision. It was enough to make her balk, but with a loud squeak and a flutter of wings it was over....and the large owl sat only feet away from her, its yellow eyes boring into her....A kinship of sorts could be felt...between murders.....She even took a small step closer to snuffle at the ivory down.....but a loud crash of falling ice cycles ended the little meeting....Sending the owl flying back to its home to hide from the encroaching day....and leaving the small dead mouse to waste. She waited to see if the owl would return, but after several moments deduced that it would not. Scooting closer she nudged the tiny body with her massive nose, breathing warmth onto its little body.....But its blood continued to flow...and she could feel the very moment when its soul left its body...it seemed to shrink...becoming little more than a shell. She sighed, turning her two toned gaze to see a shadow on the floor next to her......

She had leaped from Mauja's shoulder, not yet fledged wings snapping wide as she glided down. The movement ruffled her soft white down, and unfazed she passed the bulk of the large, black mare. Why would owls care about horses? Her bonded might be one, but that linking of souls did not extend to other fourfooted creatures. In silence, the young predator flared her wings and landed with a click on the icy floor, one set of talons digging into it for stability, the other upon the soft, still-warm flesh of the dead mouse. For a moment her blue eyes stared at the mare as if daring her to challenge her claim, but then she ignored the bulky horse and began to tear into her meal. Slightly behind Rook stood Mauja himself, taller but narrower than the mare. His white reflection was distorted in the layers of ice upon the walls, the spots of black looking more like grime from the cave walls than actual pieces of himself. Grimacing at the stallion in the ice, he turned his attention to the mare and the owl again. As this was the Wilds he had no claim over the lands, but frequently patrolled through the snowy vastness. Sometimes it brought interesting encounters around, but first and foremost it helped him keep tabs on his scattered herd. "Morning," he said, voice light. He often walked through the nights to keep the heat in his blood up, since the hairless patch on his hindquarters was excellent at leaking it out. Short, white stubble covered it, not yet enough to keep him warm throughout the long Frostfall. It was only slightly odd to find someone else awake at this early hour, but then again, what in the world wasn't slightly odd? He had no real desire to brush past her in these cramped quarters, so he remained where he was behind her. She had lived a life of either violence or abuse, since her skin was littered with scars, but that was no strange sight in Helovia. War drove many from their homes, or sad tales of abuse. He had a hard time seeing her head properly from here, and if she had a horn, it wasn't a long one. Still, it didn't matter right now whether she was unicorn or not. He liked to keep tabs on everyone who passed through the northlands. With curiosity in his blue eyes he tilted his head, thick white forelock sliding off his forehead. "Are you new to Helovia?" Because, yes, it was perfectly normal to have friendly conversations with strangers in ice tunnels.

Rook I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware I'm becoming this, all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you Her ears twitched, large head rotating to see the speckled beast behind her. He was rather close, but she was confident in her abilities to defend herself so with a slight dip of her skull she returned his greeting. "You could say that...." Her voice was surprisingly deep and cool as it rolled over her scarred lips. She flicked her long black tail, attempting to wrap it against his long powerful legs. On her white face her different colored orbs seemed to glow eerily, the warm rays of morning making the gold brilliant and bright while the pale blue almost seemed to dwindle in comparison until it was little more than a dull gray. She took a couple steps to the side, angling her body so that she did not need to break her neck to get a good look at the beast behind her, immediately she noted the brilliant horn that burst from his skull. She hesitated for a moment, feeling a hatred for her own protrusion..or rather what was left of it. Had he killed his mother as well? Was it the curse of their kind? Or had he been birthed as a normal equine and then grown his dagger as to not endanger his mother. The question was on her tongue....she did not encounter many of her kind, but she forced herself to swallow it. He was a stunning beast, even with the many reflections diluting his pelt it was easy to see that his spots were skin deep. He reminded her of a birds egg she had encountered once, fragile and beautiful....though there seemed to be nothing breakable about him.....Rather he was one of the few stallions that stood higher than herself. His limbs were feathered and muscled, though not as thickly as her own. His frame was more refined and pleasing to the eye, where hers was rough around the edges and left her rather heavy set. Her mismatched eyes danced as they landed on the owl....the owl that had apparently accompanied the snowy beast before her. A slight grin pulled at her lips as she watched the duo, yes.....she had heard of equines taking companions in the form of other species....but she had never encountered any. Her massive head tilted slightly as she contemplated the odd relationship...no.....she could not have a companion...it would surely be killed in her travels....Or exploited as a weakness. "I take it that you are not......I did not detect a border, have a trespassed onto your lands?" Her voice should have held concern or worry, but it did not. Rook's voice was nearly monotone. She waited for his answer patiently....even though she already knew the answer....these were no one lands......not formally anyway....But perhaps this snowy beast felt he had some claim over this frozen earth....It would be interesting then if he tried to make her leave....But he seemed friendly enough, so she doubted this reaction. "Might I have your name?" "speech"