She had just finished a patrol and was drinking at the Oasis' edge when the falcon swooped past her. Although falcons and eagles were a normal fauna in the Throat, this one was so exceptionally close that Ampere startled somewhat. Her dark skin rippled in response and her wings flared, though her feet stayed planted. Water was slung from her head as it pulled into a rounded defense line at her neck, ears flicking back and forth in chaotic intrigue. It was only when the falcon came back again that Ampere recognized her as Azeeza.

"Oh," came her thoughts, followed by a roll of her eyes as Ampere relaxed and returned to drinking. Bucephalus seemingly hand't learned how utterly obnoxious it was that he sent his companion to harass her so often. It still hadn't crossed Ampere's mind that Azeeza might actually like her, given that she was there for the bird's hatching. Even if it did though, Bucephalus was always close behind, in usual bonded habit. Although his bond to the bird hadn't distanced her as much as Gaucho's had, she still couldn't look at the stallion in the same light, so she hoped he wasn't sauntering over to try and flirt again, she hadn't the energy left to deal with it.

Bucephalus never came though, and Azeeza never left. Tirelessly the falcon harried her, until at last annoyance broke into concern. Quietly Ampere set off after the falcon, galloping into a low, quick flight. "What's happened!?" she called out at one point, but she didn't have any choice but to follow and find out. She didn't see anyone from the herd on her way to help her, and she was afraid to waste time going to find someone. Sun help them, what trouble had Buce gotten into now?

Azeeza led her towards his body, which was crumpled on the ground. Ampere's heart immediately sank, and with it she descended, hitting the ground hard in her haste so that it jarred her legs. Fighting off the rising panic inside her Ampere rushed over to his side, knees hitting sand as she nestled beside him. He radiated warmth still, and as she fought off her irrational response, she recognized his breathing and the beat of his heart. Still, this didn't seem like a sleeping position, and Azeeza was so worried.

Ampere tried to bump him with her nose, teeth even aimed to set upon his hide in an attempt to wake him. "Bucephalus?" she asked, concerned, but strong and heavy. Get up.

Blue coasted over black and gold as she looked over her nose at him in the moment her teeth went out. His eyes flickered, and his neck twitched, giving her a hopeful uplift. The moment was short lived however, when he set his own teeth upon her, causing her to flick back, hooves scattering the sand as she shied away instinctively. She didn't blame him for retaliating, she probably would have, and the weakness was evident in the lack of follow through. Yet, there was more to it than that.

Shaking her head, resettling her mane and her nerves, Ampere made to step around to Bucephalus' head as he began to struggle to his feet. A sound bellowed from him, like anger, and Ampere's ears slicked back with uncertainty and worry. "Are you hurt?" she asked of him, neck leaning back down, nose whuffling, but slower, more cautious this time.

Azeeza's scream sent chills down Ampere's spine, causing another involuntary flinch that sent Ampere's head shooting up just as the falconet dove into a tree hollow. Ampere's head spun around, confused and alarmed by the awful noise she had never really heard the raptor make before. With Bucephalus it was always fun and games, or occasionally some righteous justice like that time on the beach, but this... this was something hard and dangerous. Yet, why, what had caused it, what was wrong?

Azeeza popped back out, seemingly changing her mind as she approached rather than fled Bucephalus. Was he injured, and it was sending pain through their bond? Was he sick, and that was making him act so oddly, and why he was on the ground?

About to approach him again, convinced he needed help to fix whatever was wrong (because something was definitely wrong), Ampere instead froze. His hoof slapped down on Azeeza's tail feathers, enough to render Ampere immobile and speechless - out of all the bonded horses she knew, he treated Azeeza considerably well (although he fought with her, which irked her to no end). "What the fu-" Ampere sputtered out, but his sneer and his dark words cut across her, slapping her. The laugh which followed filled her with a certain dread she couldn't place, but one she instantly knew she disliked.

In the moment Ampere wasn't sure what set her feathers to ruffle, though she would later recognize the way Bucephalus referred to himself like a different being. For now though, she only knew that she hated the gnawing sensation she had in her gut ever since he woke up, and that what he was doing to Azeeza was unforgivable.

"STOP!" Ampere snapped, finding herself after being stunned. "Let her go Buce!" Yet Ampere had a suspicion that he wouldn't cooperate, not like this, so instead she pulled on the magic within her. Sensing the electrical processes in Bucephalus' body, Ampere plucked on them like an instrument, attempting to control the hoof which was detaining Azeeza and move it off of her tail to free her.