The past week had been an interesting one for the ruby stallion, from stumbling upon Helovia to being ushered into a herd, the lanky brute had found nearly no time apart from the rush to breathe. So he had wandered away from the sandy desert that he now called his home and found that his hooves had lead him back to the lush forest known as the Threshold. A small smile toyed at the edges of his lips as he recalled the profound sense of calm that had overcome him during his first encounter with the Threshold. It was as if the grand old forest was a soothing balm to his nerves, a buffer against that which caused anxiety and fear to bloom. 

As he moved, Rift kept his head lowered, lips brushing the stalks of emerald greenery that sprung up so greedily to reach for the sun. Ebon and sky blue spotted wings dragged over the softened earth as he moved, hooves threatening to bump his chin with every leisurely step. With a sigh, his eyelids drooped, what more could one want in the world? Peace, water, enough to eat, the sun and the stars shining in distant galaxies; that was all an individual would need, that was all Rift could ever justifiably want. 

But, just as his scarlet eyes were about to slide shut, the stallion's nose brushed against something warm, something alive. A choked exclamation sprang from his lips as his ears pinned themselves against his skull and he danced away, suddenly awash in fear. Wide eyes pinned themselves to the shadow-kissed form of an equine in the grass and Rift allowed himself to calm a bit. Questions danced about within his head, all of which he was too aghast at his reaction to ask. Had the horned creature been sleeping? Had he hurt them? Were they aggressive and take his lack of attention as an insult?

His wings snapped to their place at his side and straightened into a less panic stricken stance, eyes remaining upon the prone form in the grass. At last, he was able to discern from both scent and sight that the creature was indeed a mare, a thought that almost gave him more anxiety. Despite this, though, he needed to know if she was alright. 

"Hello," he choked out at length, "Are you quite alright? I'm Rift. I can help you if you need."