"And now I wish to God that The earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass"

Home. It was a strange term. Taught to her by a scrawny colt on a mountain meadow in early spring, the concept still puzzled her even though her understanding of the implications had increased since then.

Home. A place unto which one belonged. A place one could return to. But also a feeling in the chest when gazing upon a familiar face, when thinking of a lost one, when recalling the voices of dear friends and favored acquaintances. If home was where her heart was, then it would be Helovia, the World's Edge, and the sound of her father's soft breath as they lay side by side, resting.

A strong breeze pushed and pulled at the canopy above her head. Leaves quivered and sighed, shifted restlessly as boughs groaned and bent under its relentless force. It made the moonlight flutter and dance as it filtered down unto the ground, a dance of light and shade across swirling mists. Under the dense canopy, sheltered by row upon row of moss-covered trunks and evergreens it was still, quiet; but the energy of the night vibrated in every fiber of her body, luring her out into the open.

Reaching down to brush an icy nose over the shoulder of her father, Erthë whispered quietly for the rougarou to stay as its head rose sleepily from the ground. Smiling mischievously at her the filly slipped off into the forest, her progress slow and painful due to the injured legs yet determined none the less. If she liked the forest of the Edge during the day, she absolutely loved it by night. It had captivated her from the moment she set foot upon the damp moss, enchanted her as silver mists took her in and embraced the pale flesh with creeping, mysterious tendrils. Erthë loved the sound of wind in the trees, of murmuring waters and the scent of humus, of hidden things, decaying things, of greenery and life and prosperity.

A sacred place, they said, because these were the lands of the Moon and Her wings extended over those who resided here, blessing them with her favor and generosity. As she stepped out through the line of trees and emerged upon the sheer cliffs, barren and jagged and gleaming pale beneath the light of the stars, the child could really believe it. Where else would the new moon shine so brightly and the night air smell so sweet? Inhaling deeply she bathed in the nightly glow, leaning into the gale as it whipped about her, tugging at the feathers and combing invisible fingers through her short, dense curls.

It was quiet, still. Only the crash of waves against jagged rock and the hiss of bowing grass could be heard, and these sounds didn't bother her. They were soothing, allowed her to forget about the gnawing, throbbing pain that had woke her up in the first place. The eyes burned from lack of sleep but she kept them open and stared avidly at the moon, a fascinated, worshiping smile playing across the soft, rosy lips.

A porcelain doll. Not all that innocent, a little chipped and cracked but far from broken; her heart still burned a fierce crimson beneath the wintry shell, encompassing everything and everyone in a passionate love - almost too great for such a small vessel to endure.

"I love you" she whispered to the bright disc, aching and passionate, reveling in her childish devotion as the wind whipped the words from her lips and swept them away.

She loved the night, the moon, the world she had been born into. Though it was painful and difficult and confusing, Erthë loved life with all her heart.

And it felt wonderful.

"And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again"

boy with a broken soul
     Heart with a gaping hole

"And now I wish to God that The earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass"

The presence of another intrude upon her solitude, but the child is neither angered nor startled. She is safe here in these moonlit lands, safer than she had ever been anywhere else. Should she raise her voice and scream the herd would be there in a heartbeat; her beloved father, strong Tembovu and the mysterious Mauja, silly Anzanie and the bedraggled yet undeniably strong Elsa - all would come to her aid, of this she held no doubt.

But there was no need to call out tonight. By the sound of lightly tripping feet she could tell that the creature that drew up towards her was small and lithe, shorter and thinner than even herself - at least for now. Upon hearing a voice the filly turned and smiled brightly at the young colt, delighted to see him. Erthë had longed for a chance to play with the newborn twins and it didn't matter much to her that there was only one here right now.

"Hello Libertad!" she cooed, turning with some difficulty on the spot so she faced him rather than the restless ocean. Moonlight gleamed like a halo upon the wind-tossed curls, lending an ethereal glow to the slender girl.

"I live here" she said, "just like you and your sister and your mom. I was there when you were born - not for long, but I was there."

Shifting the pearly swan wings she eyed the little colt curiously. He was the youngest foal she had ever met and it was weird to actually be able to look down upon someone for once. Though not exactly an expert in kids, she suspected that he would grow quickly, stretch tall and lean and be able to return the favor before long. And he was pretty, all silver and white with cute little dapples and that rosy nub of a horn that would grow to be long and sharp with time - it was enough to make her want to squeal and hug him tightly!

Restraining these inexplicable urges, her gaze fell to the ground about his feet. Roses bloomed around the tiny hooves, magicking themselves into existence before her very eyes. They were such a brilliant, vibrant red that not even the monochrome night could rob them of their color.

Erthë drew for breath, delighted at the sight; "Oooh those are pretty! Are you doing that?" But there was a smell about them that made her feel a bit uneasy. A repugnant, salty scent that made her soft, pink nostrils wrinkle and pinch. Reminding her far too much of one that had clung to her as she lay on a ground of sun baked sand, crying next to a black mare that lay much too still...

"What... are they made of? The flowers..." she asked.

Though, albeit unwilling to admit it to herself, the moon-bright dove thought she already knew.

"And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again"

boy with a broken soul
     Heart with a gaping hole

"And now I wish to God that The earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass"

The grimace of disgust reflected upon her own face as the young colt lapped at the residue of an imploded rose, the taste almost echoing upon her own tongue. Salty, metallic, heavy and lingering, a scent and taste filled with memory and bad omens.

"No, I won't" she assured him, the unease in her stomach growing more pronounced as she leaned down and stole a closer look at the crimson flowers. She touched the liquid with a gleaming porcelain clove, smeared it about a little and studied the effect; Erthë sighed and backed off a little, gazing gravely at the newborn.

"I think it's blood" she said, voice calm and easy but with storms brewing in the pale, dual-colored eyes. "Do you know what blood is? It is what keeps mortals alive, it runs like water within our bodies and makes sure everything works properly." Leaning down she inspected her knobbly, adolescent knees and found a scab, acquired at some point while shuffling through the underbrush. She scraped it with her teeth, picking away the crust until a small bead of red began to pool upon the skin, saturated beneath the moonlight yet still red against her milky skin.

"See? Blood. It's not good to drink, but we need it none the less. I wonder why it follows you..."

Trailing off, the filly quieted and gazed thoughtfully at the dappled youth. Magic was odd, and this was perhaps the eeriest application of it she had seen so far. While the roses were beautiful, they now also appeared noxious to her, sickening and horrific in a way that made her take a step away from the foal in subconscious rejection... Until, at least, she realized what she was doing and could make herself stop. It wasn't his fault the magic had chosen him, no more than it was her fault that her body was so cold.

"So... eh.. What are you doing here, all alone?" It was a blunt and unrefined change of topic, rather rushed and clumsy, but the filly felt it might be best to move on before she said something unforgivable. "Where's your Mother, and sister?"

"And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again"

boy with a broken soul
     Heart with a gaping hole

"And now I wish to God that The earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass"

Despite her unease, Erthë couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the puffed up little colt's bragging words. His speech was garbled and at times hard to understand, but she contributed it to his youth and her lack of familiarity with him. She simply nodded and smiled, trying her best to keep the amusement from shining through as he declared himself to be a future pinnacle fighter of Helovia - it wouldn't do to hurt the pride and enthusiasm of someone so young, now would it. Never mind that she wasn't all that old herself - the filly felt like it had been years upon years since she were that blissfully naive.

"I see. Just make sure you don't go too far away from them, alright? Just, you know... so you're there to protect them if anything happens."

When he returned the question, her smile faded a little as the reason for her own nightly strolls returned. In the nature of pain, as soon as she was reminded of it every half-forgotten memory of it returned in full force, to the point where Erthë felt she ought to start wilt any moment now - like a lily exposed to toxic waste.

"I couldn't sleep" she said, somewhat distant as her gaze was drawn back towards the glowing disc in the sky that was the moon. "I didn't want to disturb my dad, so I went out here to look at the sea..."

Her eyes, drained of all color and very pale in the faint light, dropped towards the restless, glittering waves far below. It was quiet, as always during this time of day. No gulls to shred the silence as they dove beneath the surface in search of food, no voices drifting from the forest as proof for the presence of others. Everything was still and calm, and in a sudden flash of mischief the young hybrid wondered what would happen if someone suddenly unleashed a hailstorm over the barren, white-washed rocks. A downpour, violent thunder and flashing lightning, to rouse every living soul that dared to sleep, eyes closed even though the Lady's blessing shone down upon them all.

They probably wouldn't like it at all... Shame she had no control over the weather. Erthë smirked to herself and turned back to Libertad.

"Do you want to play something together? I can't run or walk very fast, but if you can come up with a game that doesn't require either...? Only if you want to, of course."

"And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again"