The little shadow mare moved across the lands. Settling into the role of WeyrLeader of not just a herd, but now the lands that went with it, had taken some minor adjusting. She was not used to her name already being known by outsiders to the herd, she was often surprised when others spoke to her about the Qian without her prompting. A stiffness had entered her gait, stiffness from battle, and wounds that continued to ache as they healed. Poultices had been applied, and her dragon made sure to help her keep them clean, and with every passing day her strength returned. The mare did not enter her dragon form, and would not, until she held the strength enough to complete the transformation. The pain that resulted from shifting would be overwhelming on top of the pain of the battle.

Her illusionary magic, however, required little effort. As such, the WeyrLeader often strode through her lands nearly invisible, her golden eyes ever-present, her golden dragon flitting in the canopy above. As time went on and she healed further, she would once again leave the misty lands of her home. But for now, with the chill of winter thickening her coat, she was satisfied in 'hibernating' amongst the welcoming trees and embracing shadows. A breeze trailed through the timbers, and with it, a scent, unknown and new invaded her nostrils. Svelte ears stood high atop her poll, though they were obscured by her magic, and she listened to what the wind had to say. A wry sort of smile curved her lips, though none staring her in direction would see that. They would only see a smudge of obscured darkness against the dappled light that fell between the trees, a shimmering illusion.

"And what services, exactly, might you bring to us?" The voice erupted from an area in front of the unicorn stallion, but the blurred figure continued moving, making it difficult to focus upon her. In a position now, to the left of the tall, lanky creature, she allowed her glimmering cloak to fall, and revealed her dark, slowly healing self to him. Above them, a dragon called a curious, guarded trill, and came to land gently atop her bonded's back. Clear, vacant indifference showed upon the mare's face, the only interest she gave the stallion was in the alertness of her ears, which locked onto his position. She wondered, idly, where he got his information from, who might have told him.. she would find out before their conversation was through.

"You assume much, stallion." The mare's words dripped from her maw with a touch of dry, weary criticism colouring them. She stood now, visible to him, with her little golden dragon sitting atop her spine, her expression unreadable, only her ears tilted forward to show that she was indeed listening to his long-winded speech. There were small threads of truth weaved into his words, but they were largely inconsequential fluff - words were great to give, it was actions that completed tasks however. Action is what had earned them this land, action was what had caused so many to willingly follow Mirage's lead.

"None can be trusted, no matter where they call from, or whether they have horns, wings or none; not until they have proven themselves worthy." The leader spoke in clear, enigmatic tones, hoping to impress upon this steed that he could talk all the poetic vows he wanted to - it would take more than talking Mirage's neatly sculpted ears off to earn a rank within this herd. Her golden gaze drank his form in, silently wondering what truths he was telling about himself. Not many scars littered his hide, unlike others who called themselves warriors. Even the best warrior still collected scars, whether they be visible or mental scars was perhaps, why Mirage could not see any upon his chocolate hide. The World's Edge herd did indeed need more numbers - but they would not beef up their quantity with lesser quality souls. No, they would only accept those who were worthy, who were willing to prove themselves.

"Why would you choose the World's Edge, of all the realms that lie within Helovia, to offer your services to?" Where had he gotten his information, if he had any information at all? Mirage was sceptical, and rightly so - the safety of her herd was at stake here. But her expressions remained vacant, quiet, the tones of her voice nothing more than a strong projection of sound across the expanse of space that laid between herself and this unicorn. Akaith chirped quietly on her back, filling in a moment in the silence that dared to elapse, before both of them patiently awaited an answer from this, Quiach.

Patience was, fortunately for this steed, a trait which existed within the little shadowy mare that stood before him. With enough patience to wait out a thunderous storm as it beat against her, the mare stood, listening, considering each word this Quiach offered. She did her best to piece together his story; and yet she did notice that he had not answered her question directly. Why the World's Edge? He spoke of the Dragon's Throat, a herd, an ally of theirs who accepted those found worthy within their ranks - had he proven himself unworthy? Or was he lying, sent from another, an enemy to spy upon the herd, to learn the inner workings? He said that he wished to join the herd because they were small yet - and yet he longed to aid them to grow. Would he not become just another horse in a large herd if he lived by his actions? A dull throb upon her shoulder caused the mare to twitch her ears in an unsettled, uncomfortable way. The lacerations were healing, slowly, but they itched and stung at random. A fresh poultice would need to be applied again soon.

With a sigh escaping her maw before she planned her speech, the mare considered all that had been offered to her. It was perhaps, fortunate that the mare trusted the Dragon's Throat, and the mention of Yol, a young medic whom she knew had come to serve under Onni during the aftermath of the great battle, it did ease her concerns, at least by a small amount. She trusted the Throat, and perhaps, in time, she would come to trust this stallion who so willingly pledged himself to her.

"It seems to me, Quiach, that you seek a family. We stand for equality overall, and balance - where will you fit in?" A devious smile curled her lips, as the damsel mostly posed the question to herself, in a hushed, softly spoken manner. "I believe the walk of a Philosopher would suit you. All begin as apprentices before they progress." The conclusion had come to her easily, for he seemed to be one who enjoyed to have his words heard. With appropriate training, perhaps he could learn to become a story-weaver for the young foals in the herd, or a wisdom-gifter to those in need of a knowledgeable source. Mirage did not think him completely capable yet, and so he would certainly have to prove his mettle to her in order to progress. A mischievous glint entered her gaze. "Welcome to the World's Edge, young Philosopher." He might have been an adult stallion only a year or two younger than herself, but all those with wisdom knew that chronological age did not define how brightly one's soul lit up the night sky.

"You first task is this; tell me a true story - and if I am satisfied, you will have only one other task to complete before earning your full title." Was it unfair of the mare to demand such a thing when he was probably travel-weary, hungry, cold and tired? Probably. But such hardships were all a part of the proof, the test that would reveal whether or not he was indeed, worthy.

The mare was a little surprised at the unquestioning way in which the steed launched into his tale. She had to respect him for his attempt, he was an honest steed, and gave an honest attempt at fulfilling the task she laid out before him. Her ears tilted towards him, her interest made plain against the usual vacant expression she wore. Akaith ceased her chittering to allow silence to decorate his words, the little dragon leaning over the nape of her bonded to better view and hear the apprentice.

Mirage leaned back onto her haunches, hitching a hind leg so that it might rest upon her toe. The tale he wove was roughly put together, but she was keenly interested enough to hear of his travels. So much she might be able to learn from him, a fellow traveller. She knew the vast amount that she herself had learned from her journeys, it would be grand to be able to hear all of his tales, though judging by the length of this one she doubted that even she was patient enough to hear them all out. It was a curious story, one of intrigue an mystery, she enjoyed it, even found herself trying to guess out the secret he spoke of before it was told.

People. She thought with mild wonder. She had seen them from a distance before on her travels, and met others whom had been enslaved by those who walked only upon two legs. But the mare possessed magic that had allowed her to easily dance from their sights, and a dragon as a companion to set fire to any ideas a particularly cunning human may entertain to capture her. Idly the mare wondered at whether the creatures would ever breach the Threshold of Helovia, or perhaps they would traipse across the seas and climb the cliffs into her land.

The DragonHeart entertained the notion for only a small collection of moments, before focussing upon the steed's final words. Was there a sense of loss within his tone as he spoke of his family? What family leaves without so much as a goodbye, an explanation? Family meant that everyone was devoted to each other no matter what differences of opinion they might share, family did not simply leave without question. A small frown creased her brow, thoughtful, almost pitying him, but instead, she found herself pleased that he had come here. The little shadow stepped closer to the crimson steed, extending her plush, velvet maw to touch gently upon his shoulder.

"I look forward to calling you my own kin, Quiach. May you grow into a fine Philosopher within the mists of the World's Edge." The mare gave a deep nod to him, before curving her scarred bodice away from him. A glance was thrown over her shoulder, playful, inviting. "Come, young Philosopher. Let your eyes behold the sea from the heights of the very Edge of the World."

[ We can finish this here I think. Quiach has already completed one lesson, so well done! He just needs to complete another task from a Tier One or Two ranked member (could be another task from Mirage) and he can progress to a full Philosopher. :-) ]