Hikaru
March 2nd, 2012 at 8:44am

Where was she? Hikaru couldn't tell, whichever direction she looked.
There was no up and there was no down, no dark and no light, no sight
nor sound; there was nothing. She swung her head to look behind her,
or at least she thought she did since she couldn't actually feel
herself moving. Still she saw nothing, not even darkness, which
confused her since she was sure she had just been dragging herself
through a wooded valley just moments ago. She had been so tired, so
very tired, after abandoning her Guardian duties and fleeing as
quickly as physically possible from her vengeful masters. As the
scenery had progressed from dry desert to grasslands and then to the
lush forest, Hikaru's stamina had almost depleted and she had found
herself stumbling along through sheer willpower.

She hadn't been as blessed with physical prowess as she had been with
her magic, and so she had finally given in to her body's complaints
and taken shelter beneath some trees, sagging against the strangely
soothing trunks. Finally not having to focus on moving, the
fire-unicorn realised through her exhaustion that her herd members had
probably given up by now. She was pretty far into what the herd called
the Devil's Waters, based on their superstitions about the elements
being connected to everything, including directions. The chestnut mare
had barely managed a weak chuckle at her former herd's beliefs before
her eyes began to close and then all was nothing.

She supposed, then, that she must be either asleep or passed out and
this odd situation of not being able to sense or do anything was a
very odd dream. Suddenly a warmth spread through her, flowing from the
tip of her white horn to her legs, which she suddenly could feel
shivering. Then her hearing returned and she realised there was
something barking, though muted as it was it took her a few seconds to
recognise the sounds. Consciousness was slowly returning, Hikaru
trying in vain to stamp her feet or shake her neck to hasten the
process, but soon she could see white and green around her. It was
snow, she realised with a slightly startled glance, covering the
ground and tree branches in abundance. Blinking slowly, Hikaru
realised she wasn't as cold as she should have been and knew exactly
whom she had to thank for that. Twisting her neck gracefully, Hikaru
gently nuzzled the small fire-foxes that had draped themselves along
her length, from her white horn to her white tail, and shared their
warmth with her.

She was glad to have her summons back with her, after having sent them
away before making her escape, however there was no doubt in her mind
that their appearance would draw other creatures seeking warmth. She
was unsure whether to keep moving or stay where she was - she no
longer had to fear pursuers from her own herd but she didn't know what
could be lurking in the dark of the forest. Still weary from
travelling, Hikaru remained standing beneath the tree with it's
splayed out branches, deciding to await whatever was drawn by her
fox-spirits and their fiery glow that promised relief from the bitter
cold.

---

Kri the Resolute
March 2nd, 2012 at 12:32pm

“Peculiar,” I say as my blue eyes fall on the wriggling flame bodies
of what looked like small wolves. Their posture was different, though,
but I could tell they were of a similar family. Foxes, maybe. They
surrounded the body of white below them, a mare, from the look of it.
I tilt me head to the side as I watch them tumble and play on her
flesh, though without causing any damage, not even singeing the
delicate hairs on her frame. There was warmth radiating from their
bodies, even from this distance, so I had no doubt they were plenty
capable of burning.

Aside from that, the snow surrounding the mare was melted instantly,
dampening the ground below her, but leaving her in relative warmth.
Myself, I had wrapped my wings around my side and back, thick winter
coat surrounding the parts of my body that were not so easily
protected. Envious of this little girl, who could fall asleep in the
dead of winter, and still wake up without hypothermia. Foolish, too,
to fall asleep unguarded in an unfamiliar territory.

Though, I suppose I didn’t know for certain if she was a foreigner
here, though she did not have the same scent of a Helovian. Thalia had
been the closest to a native that I had found, since she had been here
for many years, it seemed. This mare, lying on the ground, did not
share her same makeup. So, I would settle on the fact that she was
from another place, far from this one. A weary traveler, much like I
had been when I entered the Threshold. My blue eyes look away from her
playing pups to her face, calm and curious.

I smirk at her then, just before speaking. “It is unwise to sleep in
such a place.” I meant this girl no harm, but there were always darker
souls creeping in the most unlikely places. “If someone else had come
along, this meeting could have been very different.” A chiding tone,
like a mother would give to her misbehaving child. I had adopted this
tone not long after the birth of my daughter, out of a growing need to
protect her from her own foolish actions. “I am Kri the Resolute.”

---

Hikaru
March 2nd, 2012 at 2:33pm

Tired as she was, Hikaru stiffened slightly as footsteps reached her
twitching ears, muffled by the snow and closely packed tree branches;
she hadn't survived her Guardian training by being lax in her watch.
Soon a word also touched her senses, as well as the sight and smell of
a winged-horse emerging from the snow-ridden forest. Hikaru had seen
creatures like this before in her herd, though they had been rare
enough that none had been within the ranks of the Guard and she had
merely known they existed. Pegasus, she remembered they were called,
though she didn't know the reason behind the name - perhaps she would
ask the stranger later if they turned out to be nice - nor anything
else about them.

Watching the resident mare closely, Hikaru wondered if the stranger
would say anything else since she seemed to have decided to stay near
and observe. The younger mare thought that maybe the pegasus - she
liked that word - wanted her to take the initiative and introduce
herself. After all, Hikaru was new to the land, as well as social
interactions, and perhaps it was custom for the intruder to commence
with the introductions. Nodding her head gently, Hikaru had begun
rehearsing an introduction when a strange expression marked the
beginning of conversation by the pegasus, causing her ears to twitch
again in order to catch any and all nuances in the important words.
She hadn't had much practice in social interactions, so she listened
carefully to the mare's words, and when her reply came, it emerged
slightly stiff and more formal than she had wished.

"I do not know what, or whom, it is that could wish me harm here in
this unknown land but I will take heed of your words, Mistress Kri."
Forcing herself back upon weary hooves, Hikaru turned to face the
strange winged-mare, lowering her neck slightly in deference. For a
reason beyond her conscious understanding, the unicorn could tell that
the mare before her was someone to be regarded with respect and
listened to. Perhaps it was her voice - scolding, but at the same time
motherly and so different from the reprimands Hikaru was used to,
which lacked any of the kindness in Kri's words. "My name is Hikaru. I
am grateful you have chosen to greet me, even on a night such as this.
It must have been quite troublesome, with the weather being what it
is. If it pleases you, my little ones could provide you with warmth as
they have with me and you could relax your lovely wings."

Hikaru attempted to smile at Kri, but wasn't sure how successful it
was in reality since her lips had had little practice forming such a
shape. Hoping she wasn't being inconsiderate, Hikaru quickly glanced
around, attempting to scan the distance for anything that could be
approaching in search of her magic's warmth. Seeing nothing, the
chestnut unicorn turned her attention back to the welcomer, awaiting
her answer.

---

Kri the Resolute
March 3rd, 2012 at 3:04pm

“It was no trouble,” I say, my voice very matter-of-fact. I had no
intention to greet this girl, truthfully, until I saw her laying in
the snow, in the dark, devoid of any form of protection aside from the
foxes which glowed and wriggled around her. I was thankful to see her
rise from the cold ground, though, even if she had miniature little
pyres to keep her warm through the bitter winter night. The frogs at
the bottom of my hooves could feel, very distinctly, just how chill of
a bed the floor of this forest made. “After all, I have no home to
return to, presently.”

Her offer to lend me some of her fire was especially strange to me. My
blue eyes glace at the moving forms hesitantly. The natural instinct
of a horse would be to avoid such flames, but they were of no harm to
this Hikaru. The smile which was placed on her face was awkward,
crooked, and very unpracticed. The action itself made me laugh, a
golden sound that bounced from the trees and warmed my cooling skin.
“Your assistance could be appreciated, Hikaru.” My head motions to
some of the foxes between us. Warmth would be appreciated.

There was something decidedly unlearned about this girl that was
fascinating. While she had clearly mastered speech, there was a
hesitance in her voice that made me think she had never used such a
thing socially. That was quite hard to believe - communication the
very root of a social interaction, and language one of the foremost
ways to communicate. Her smile, also, made me feel as though she had
never had a warm relationship with anyone. What kind of place had this
girl called home for so long, to deprave her of camaraderie?

“From where do you hail, Hikaru?” I ask, my face curious and eyes in attention.

---

Hikaru
March 6th, 2012 at 6:59am

As Kri spoke once more, Hikaru was again put at ease by her casual and
business-like handling of the conversation. She had thought her
awkward conversation skills would deter any stranger she came across
but the pegasus mare had continued on like her lengthy diatribe had
been perfectly normal. Anxiousness, once again stirred at the
continuation of the authoritative mare's sentence. This winged-one had
no home to return to? How was she, Hikaru the novice
conversationalist, supposed to respond to a statement like that? Or
even more importantly, was she meant to respond at all. Was this a
test after all?

Trying to retain the expression on her face, Hikaru's ears twitched
almost frantically as questions and rehearsed responses circled her
mind at a dizzying rate. Movement halted mid-fuss as a strange sound
broke the silence between the two mares, Hikaru's delicate ears coming
to attention at the unfamiliar noise. She had heard this sound before,
somewhere, from a distance maybe, within the herd members going about
their daily routines. It was laughter. Joyous laughter. It was
beautiful. Brown eyes focused, wide and curious, upon the silver bay
mare as if she was an interesting specimen. Thoughts about how she
could again incite laughter from the other mare almost made the naive
mare miss hearing Kri's acceptance of her magic. Strange yips and
barks passed between her and the foxes perched upon her bi-coloured
body. Soon two fox shapes - one scampering from her horn, the other
floating from her shoulders - moved to drape themselves along the
chilled, dappled body, bodies and fluffy tails emitting a comfortable
amount of heat.

The question emitted afterwards made Hikaru pause, unsure whether she
could answer Kri's query without launching into another strangely
formed, lengthy torrent of words. After the earlier statement of the
shorter mare having no home, Hikaru had thought anything after would
be easy to respond to. As the silence between them grew lengthier, the
timid mare knew she had to break it or she would probably back out and
keep silent on the matter. She wanted, just this once, to have someone
listen to her troubles.

"There is an unnamed land, far south of this one. It was once a good
place to live, celebrating both the gods and the elements. Now the
herd is over zealous in its dedication to the Flame God and enslaved
to their religion, as I was." The words came, slow and hesitant at
first, before the younger mare could no longer withhold her emotion,
though whether it was sadness, loathing or pity that she felt for her
previous home she could not decide.

"The members of the herd do not recognise how much suffering goes on
in the name of their Flame God. They see only what they are told to
see, what they want to see, and for that I loathe them." Over the
years, enduring the pain and the bloodshed and deaths of her
caste-mates, she had never said a word for the good of the herd.
Memories flitted at the edge of her mind, brown eyes becoming slightly
wet. The fiery foxes, noticing her shift in emotion, dimmed visibly,
ears and whiskers drooping slightly as they tried to express the
emotion she couldn't. "Yet there is also pity because they will not be
as lucky as I was. They will never escape."

---

Kri the Resolute
March 21st, 2012 at 2:31pm

Her eyes felt heavy on my body, but that did not hold back the burst
of laughter that I exhale into the cold, winter air. She seems to be a
bit timid, this Hikaru. I thought her strange first for laying in the
snow, but I had no idea of the quirks that surround her. Those curious
brown eyes watch me with a similar fascination, as though we are two
very different individuals somehow brought into the presence of one
another. It is the innocent, wide-eyed gawking that leads me to trust
this strange girl. For everything she was, Hikaru was anything but
dangerous.

The fire foxes squirm and bark, one drifting through the air, needing
no touch of the ground to spur its movement, and the other launching
from her horn toward my body. Muscles tense, as if expecting the sting
of flames and burning flesh, but my senses do not collect such
alarming injuries. Instead, just a warm glow, like the kiss of the
sun, surround the areas where the little flames bound and wiggle on my
body. Even my delicate feathers are unaffected by the fire of the two
figures. Mesmerized, my blue eyes watch them dance on my body for a
time. The light stings my eyes slightly, but I cannot seem to draw
them away from the fiery faces that glimmer at me.

Simplistic happiness in their feral faces; I gladly return it with a smile.

Turning my attention back to Hikaru, I question her previous
whereabouts. The strange magic and behavior was fascinating to me,
having met very few outside of the realm of Isilme. Even Helovia, it
seems, was flooded with my old countrymen. As the younger mare began
to speak, my ears tug forward in attention, hearing the first sign of
pure emotion pouring through in her vocals. A sensitive topic, it
appears, as it pulls at the heartstrings that had remained otherwise
buried. Such a strong connection forms between you and your home; I
knew that well. Religion, however, was a different story entirely. I
had never understood the worship of Gods. Having met one, gotten much
too close, I know very well the hideous gluttony and pride they
possess.

Hikaru speaks in a downtrodden voice, though it is blended in a
mixture of pity and sadness. She too, I feel, is jaded about religion.
“Sounds like you made the right choice to make a run for it,” I say,
my voice calm, but still powerful. This mare, though a bit odd, still
has a strength in her heart that I admire. There is a glow of life in
each of those brown eyes that has not been snuffed out by the tragedy
she recalls from her past. A strong body, a warm heart - it is enough
to bring another smile to my face.

“Welcome to Helovia. I hope you find a better life here.”