Phaedra noticed the cat… Kiara… looking at her and tried to draw herself up. She almost puffed up, asserting confidence that she wasn’t quite sure she felt. She turned her gaze from the zephyr to the tiger and lowered her head slightly to gaze at the cat, trying to convey that she thought that the creature was lovely as well. She felt proud in her ability to mask her wariness in this moment and turned again toward her two companions. “That is reassuring. And it is a pleasure to meet… all of you,” she said, something close to a laugh on the edge of her words as it seemed a bit odd to be including the other animals in this but at the same time wrong to exclude them. It seemed there would be some new adjustments she would have to make in her way of thinking if she planned on staying here in Helovia… and with her heart so heavy with loneliness she didn’t see any other viable option.

Phaedra turned back to the bird, fascinated and delighted by the response that she had received from Sabine. She gave the bird another soft noise before shifting her attention to Thor. She felt small in comparison to the both of them but especially this second stallion who stood hands above her. But instead of feeling inadequate or afraid she felt delicate and was surprised by this. Perhaps it was being greeted with such courtesy but Phaedra had never felt self-conscious about her appearance, and although Cicerons’ horn was lovely and Thors’ stature was near-intimidating she knew that the dapples on her coat were lovely when the sunlight caught them and her thick forelock lying over her eyes made her appear feminine and mysterious. It was awkward being here in the presence of others but at the same time it was almost like she was home. She had been so afraid of stumbling over her words and being unsure of what to say but instead her thoughts sprung from her mouth with confidence and little thought, her stance was confident and almost proud.

The mention of a herd caught her off-guard. Of course she knew that was the preferred lifestyle and it was something she had longed for in her youth. She remembered as a teenager feeling she had been denied something owed her as Pheonyx would not let them live communally. Phaedra now understood that the anxiety was too much for her sister, who was prone to worry and panic, and instead was only grateful that Pheo had given her all that she had and more than she was comfortable with. “I suppose a herd… that would be interesting. You see I have always lived alone, or just with my sister, but I think that being around others would be nice… although different.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to accept the offer or not, before turning to Ciceron. She looked at him although her words were in answer to Thor and for the both of them. “Your land sounds lovely although… Ciceron hails from somewhere different? I wouldn’t want to rob him of an opportunity to tell of his land if that too was his intention in greeting me,” she said. And she sounded confident but inside she hoped she wasn’t being presumptuous in assuming the other stallion wanted to offer her shelter as well. In fact she wasn’t sure what she would do if they both extended an offer of a herd, she didn’t know anything about living in a herd let alone how to choose between multiple offers. Phaedra looked between the both of them, looking directly out into the distance as if the horizon held the answer.