Auds flicked forward to the approaching sound of the Sultan, my gaze temporarily leaving the precious babe that wobbled before me to watch just as a fire bird landed nearby. I didn't recall Gaucho having a fire bird before, then again we rarely ever talked directly to each other so it should be no surprise that things had changed over time. With a soft smile I watched Pongo's reaction to the phoenix, stretching his neck out as far as he could without actually having to step forward in an attempt to sniff the chick. When the chick burst into flames, even surprising herself, I couldn't help but chuckle as Pongo jumped away from her and raced underneath my belly. When the phoenix cawed softly, the calf stuck his little head out from between my front legs, ears turned towards the chick.

The deep voice of Gaucho pulled my attention away from the animals, though all I could do was shake my head in response to his question. "I'm not entirely sure, he is some sort of antelope. But...I've never seen an antelope come from an egg..." I looked back down to the baby antelope, wondering about what I would be able to feed him. I knew that when they were older, they ate grass and other vegetation, much like equines. But, didn't all mammals need milk as babies? Or was he in a loophole of sorts, having hatched from an egg? I wasn't sure where to go from there, all I knew was that Pongo needed me more than anyone. A deep down I had an understanding that I needed him as well, I needed Pongo in my life. Already, although so young, he was my anchor, my heart, my soul. I felt tied to him in a way that had never felt before, with an honest love and trust that would never be broken. Perhaps it was all the time I carried him in the egg that helped us bond, where he could hear my voice through his shell and I could feel his warmth roll against my neck. I'm not sure if I would ever know why I felt my heart, my mind, my soul intertwined with his, but I would never do anything to change that.

Although my dear little Pongo was able to distract me from my worries earlier, I could still feel the thoughts creeping up in the back of my mind. My auds flicked towards Gaucho and scarlet eyes watched the powerful Sultan, thankful that he had accepted me into his home, his family, and trusted me with a rank as a healer when he didn't even know me. If it wasn't for Bucephalus, I never even would have had the opportunity to come to the desert, and there would be no telling just where I would have ended up. But, what if Bucephalus was hiding things from Gaucho as well? We all had secrets, we all had a history in which we chose to keep certain sections confidential when disclosing any information. But it seemed as though the Chancellor's history had followed him to Helovia, and with the memory of the blue speckled stallion charging towards the Morningstar, I had more concerns than just for myself. Telesaan was a pegasus, should any ill-will be directed towards Bucephalus in an attack, it would be easy for him to reach the Throat without any assistance of a key.

Gaucho had done so much to protect the herd, the strange family that worked together to complete the Sun God's quest, shouldn't he be made aware of the situation in case trouble did follow the Morningstar to the Throat? My gaze dropped nervously to Pongo, who seemed to sense my worries and was nuzzling against my inner left foreleg and looked up at me with those big, ebony eyes. With a sigh, I spoke quietly. "Gaucho, there are things I worry about. I would never wish to burden you with these thoughts, but I fear it may come to affect the herd one day. Specifically, Bucephalus."

Much like a small childing hiding from strangers behind it's mother's legs, Pongo peeked out from beneath my stomach to carefully watch the young fire bird beginning to play in the sands after beckoning him out. Without a sound, he watched as she shaped and molded the sand. Ever so slowly, he took a few cautious steps out from beneath me, pausing for a second, then creeped a bit closer. Finally, he must have decided that the fire bird would not hurt him, and began to push at the sand with his nose , flinging it closer to the castle like structure to widen the base. Grains of sand covered his moist nose, but he didn't seem to mind using it as a shovel to play with his new acquaintance. Simply watching him brought me a sense of comfort and duty, encouraging me to fulfill my responsibilities in alerting Gaucho to my concerns.

Now that Pongo was happily distracted, it gave me time to return my attention to the burning stallion. "When the Earth God cleansed the lands, I partnered with a black pegasus that looked very much like Bucephalus, he went by the name Telesaan. Originally I believed it was simply a coincidence, knowing that there are many black pegasi in the world, some with similar markings and such. But, when we went to alert others, I found Bucephalus and Hertz in the Heavenly Fields. Before I could even introduce anyone, Telesaan charged them." My gaze left the intimidating figure of Gaucho, not wanting to falter in my confidence. So, scarlet orbs scanned the surrounding sands and shrubbery, trying to keep myself calm by also thinking about different uses for the plants around us. "He shouted something at the Chancellor, a word...a name...I'm not sure which. He had yelled 'Altan' just as he began his charge. I was able to intervene, rammed him with my shoulder to knock him off balance before he could reach them and put myself in the middle. Telesaan agreed not to fight because of the colt, and Bucephalus instructed me to watch Hertz while they left to discuss whatever it was they needed to discuss."

Now that the words were flowing through my lips, it sounded almost petty that I was telling the Sultan about all of this. So, some stallions had a little squabble, big deal. But I could not ignore that aching, nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that the entire story was not being told. The Chancellor was hiding things, just as anyone in the world would, but what if Telesaan came here? What if their little 'chat' did not go over as smoothly as anyone could hope? What if the Chancellor was injured, or worse, when I knew that I could possibly do something to put an end to it, to protect him before he had to protect himself? "Normally, I would let petty fights between stallions be ignored. Bucephalus has been silent, I have yet to really talk to him since then and I didn't question Telesaan afterwards. I know not what Telesaan is to Bucephalus, but he had every intention severely injure the Chancellor...Or worse...Had I not gotten to him first, had he not cared about a foal being in the middle...I don't know what would have happened."

My gaze glazed over as I spoke, the memory of the strange day flashing back to me and replaying in my mind on repeat. I could feel the bruising of my shoulder, the painful impact to shove the stallion away from the Morningstar, the look of sheer terror in the eyes of the Morningstar, the way he crumpled to the ground in shock. My voice choked slightly as the memory morphed into possibilities, potential outcomes that could have happened had I not been able to put myself between them, had I not reached them in time, had the blue-speckled stallion not even cared that I had gotten involved. Telesaan could have attacked me, he could have attacked Hertz, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't have, for I had only known him for one other meeting before that day. Scarlet blood could have splattered the lands, bones cracked and lives stolen. It wasn't until just now that I realized just how dangerous of a situation it was, just how horrifying the situation could have turned. In retrospect, it was foolish of me to step in. Brave? Perhaps, but damn foolish. Then again, if I hadn't...No, that's not something that I even want to imagine happening.

"What if...What if he is in...danger?"

With the words barely managing to break past my lips, I looked back to the Wildfire with a pleading look in my eyes. For a moment, I even looked up to the snake that was frequently settled in her antlers, looking to anyone that could give me the answers that I was looking for. For someone to tell me I was foolish, for someone to say that nothing would have happened or was going to happen. To say that Bucephalus would be fine and that this would all be forgotten. But there was no denying that fear lay in my eyes for the Chancellor, and potentially for the safety of the herd.