The sun was setting, casting an orange glow around the cave as Moth stirred from his slumber. Luckily for the pair, night would cool the climate considerably, leaving them without the danger of overheating in the air. Escaping from the dim lit cave with the last of the day’s rays, Onni and Moth were left to drink from the stream in the early night, prepare to leave, and set a course southward for the Dragon’s Throat. Lyhty, thrilled to see his bonded come back unharmed from the dark gash of the mountain, greeted the pair with a cheerful trill before setting down on the mare’s back, between her wings.

Knowing of Moth’s less than adept skill of earthbound travel, Onni decided his body would be less stressed in flight. More natural for him than walking, he was likely to be more comfortable once again in the air. Giving him one more quick sweep with her eyes in the dying orange glows of the setting sun, the healer ascertains that he is, in fact, well enough to fly now with a few hours of precious sleep under his belt. “Are you ready?” she asks him, a faint smile playing across her lips as own wings unfold, preparing for the lift off. Lyhty bounces up off her back in attention, fluttering closely beside the mare before she begins to canter swiftly down the riverbed, gaining up momentum to pull her gently into the air, veering upward with a powerful push of her chocolate colored wings.

A pale face, like the moon rising above, glances over her shoulder to watch Moth’s lift carefully, looking for any signs of weakness that may still plague his body. A triumphant smile plays across her features as he rises almost as easily as she recalls in her memory - perhaps she had painted him larger than life in her reverie. Still, she had a feeling it was due to the stress placed on his body recently and not any overblown image of him in her head. Tugging on the invisible reins of the wind, Onni gives the pair a gentle, soft push toward the south. Time to return to her home.

Helovia shrunk below the pair of pegasus and the songbird as they flew easily on the wind, rising slightly in altitude for easier cruising. The tobiano felt no need to keep an ever watchful eye on Moth in the sky, as his movement was still fine, but she dare not drift far enough to miss sharp falls that could be disastrous for her recently recovered friend. Their pace was steady, slow enough for the small wings of Lythy to easily keep pace with the pair, who flew side by side under an expanse of darkness lit by the twinkling of stars far above. “We should make it before sunrise,” Onni says absently, almost as those she was talking more to herself than to the stallion at her side.

[ insert time lapse here ]

As the moon falls closer toward the horizon, the yellowed grass and trees begin to fade from the ground below, revealing soft orange sand and red rocks. Tilting her wings, Onni makes for a soft lowering of altitude, gliding easily downward from their vantage point in the early morning, now racing the sun to the Dragon’s Throat. The ground seemed to rush underneath the painted body of Onni, even as she made her way forward toward the center of the land - the Oasis. Lyhty clings to her mane, sitting idly behind her neck, perched comfortably on her back to avoid be pulled off during the landing. With a soft thud, her hooves hit the dirt not far away from the dark patches of green in the distance.

Dancing easily on her hooves, Onni turns to watch the landing of Moth, something she had not had the pleasure of witnessing for quite some time. Excitement bubbled in her face, pulling her lips naturally to a smile. She was excited to show him her new home - their new home, if he would stay. “Welcome to the Throat,” she says happily, even as the sun begins to peek out from the eastern horizon, sending pale yellow tones to light up the purple night sky.
""

He looked nervous, but Onni could not really understand why. Her pale white face took on a puzzled expression as she glanced over at his tan body, the muscles seeming to twitch where he stood, but what was wrong? He had been less nervous on the edge of death, simply just hallucinating and struggling with the difference between reality and fragmented visions that he could swear were real. So what could be bothering him in the early dawn of the Dragon’s Throat? Onni tilts her head to the side, but shakes it off as excitement to see her new home - at least she hoped.

A giggle breaks from her lips as he struggles to recall the name of the land upon which they stood. She turns to face him fully, a warm smile still dancing upon her lips as she looks toward him with soft blue eyes. “Dragon’s Throat,” she says, echoing her words from the day before, a stretch of time that seemed so long ago now that she thought back. After all, here Moth stood, a masterful recovery considering the frail condition she had discovered him in. Had it really only been a day ago that he had passed out on the side of the mountain?

Onni begins to step carefully toward the edge of the lake even as Moth begins to speak of it, and she glances curiously over her shoulder at him, a questioning look in her eyes before turning to face back toward the lack that he was so skeptical about. Lyhty chirps at her questioningly too, judging from the confused look on her face, he assumes that she needs help figuring something out. Her eyes dance over from the small bird toward the water, where she sees a few discarded bodies of fish floating toward the surface. The majority of the lake, however, was clearer than it usually was, considering how it appeared lately this summer.

A slight flush takes to her face, if you could see it underneath the already pale cover of her coat, as she realizes that he is not used to such dirty water. Embarrassed, Onni keeps from turning her face toward him and instead continues gently toward the edge of the water, slapping a hoof in the cool liquid discontentedly. A small trill sounds from the throat of her companion as he lands on her shoulder, bouncing over toward her mane to twiddle it and try to console her, though the poor creature did not truly understand her worries. “Sorry; this lake is the only source of water in the desert,” she says calmly, evenly, yet unenthusiastically in response to his query. “The nearest fresh water is the river of the Thistle Meadow, north of here.”

Lowering her head to the surface, Onni takes a large gulp of water. Lyhty, hopping down from his perch on her shoulder, comes to the edge of the shore as well, dipping a tiny beak in the glassy surface as well. Unperturbed, Onni raises her head, making a sidelong look toward the teal tipped body of Moth, flashing him a half smile. “I can take you there, if you’d like.”
""

The soft trill of Lyhty rings in Onni's ears, which she flicks toward him before looking down softly at the bird. There was a distance in her eyes the small songbird had not seen before, and, quite disgruntled, he did not approve of either. The small finch makes his wake hopping toward her, even as the tobiano gently lowers her head to look at him closer to his level. A questioning sound, a light coo, as the little black and red bird sings to his bonded mare. She smiles, half-heartedly, worries of the stallion who makes his way toward the lake now weighing on her mind. Still, curious red eyes stare back at her, until her head lifts and she looks toward Moth, her gentle offer somewhat sad, matching the soft color of her eyes.

Bird and pegasus tilt their heads at Moth's odd little babble before he comes toward the shore. Curious, watching actively, the pair are amused even as the tan stallion ducks his head to the surface in a hurried manner, teal eyes directed out over the water, at the dust, at the scarce trees, but quite blatantly not at the tobiano mare or her bird. The attempt to slurp down the water is admirable, and Onni smiles sadly to herself as she watches her beloved friend sacrifice his own standards for her comfort. That twisted more at her heart than his rejection of the lake at first, for it branded her as nothing more than a selfish child, who guilts those around her into fulfilling her wishes. Her heavy feelings could hardly stay, though, for just as quickly as Moth had accepted his fate to drink fish water, he began to cough as though something were clutching at his throat.

Alarmed at first, Onni takes carefully yet quick steps over to her friend, even as he begins to look at her from under a heavy mat of black. Her brow knits worriedly until he snorts, and then, like a golden bell, Onni begins to laugh. She takes her time in the emotion, savoring each breath, until she settles down into a more neutral phase, letting out a snort of her own, one that seemed to say 'That was ridiculous'. Lyhty's own small voice chirps amused at the stallion, before he leaps into the air only to land, perched on Onni's withers. "Are you alright?" she asks, half serious, face happy once more. While Moth's foolish antics brought him trouble, they also fixed the problems they caused, at least where Onni was concerned.
""