The chill of Frostfall attempted to enter the very bones of the smallish raven mare that wandered towards the Threshold. She was lucky, for the magic that darkened her soul enabled her to create flames from within a powerful draconic fire-belly. Even now, in her equine bodice, she found warmth with relative ease, what with the magical, soul-binding bond she held with the majestic golden queen, Akaith. The World's Edge was relatively north in the world of Helovia, and though it held thousands of trees, they stood tall and strong - but naked of their leaves, and there was great patches where the lands still healed from the tantrums of the Sun God. The Sun God, who was apparently absent now, in the depths of winter.

As harsh and drought-ridden as TallSun was, it seems FrostFall will be as deep, and dark. The thoughts were shared in that magical bond that combined the souls of the equine and dragon, and the mare knew she was lucky to be able to find warmth in her land, that really should be feeling the same freezing conditions as the rest of the world. But a dragon's flame, when directed with care, could melt away the snows, provide fresh water, and find what was left of the autumn growth of grasses. The mare was not in the same condition she would be in the midst of Spring, but she was fairing better than she would have been had the walk of an Outcast still be calling her. Having a permanent land to all her own was something she had missed without even realising it, the World's Edge was the Goddess of the Moon's patron land, a land as close to her birthland as she had ever found.

And she had the Qian to keep her company, to help her build the land into a stronghold of peace and equality. A soft snort erupted through her nostrils, as snow swirled around her form. The pale, powdery substance stirred up as she walked. No cloak of shimmering, illusionary magic slung around her shoulders, today she walked, slowly healing, mending from the battle she herself had waged. Scars of deep lacerations were scabbing up along her hide, but she was otherwise clean, the bruises upon her ribs were nothing more than aches if she stood still for too long. Of course, the emotional wear and tear upon her soul had barely begun to heal.. The guilt she carried troubled her still, but she was always good at ignoring such things as emotions. She walked the Threshold now, with purpose, determination - but showing nothing more than passive indifference.

The mare knew of hiding one's inner most demons; it was what her family did, how they survived. Her very foundations were built upon hiding herself, and instead learning as much about others as possible - knowledge was her drug, her power, it was knowledge about the world that Mirage sought as she wandered the Threshold this day. Elegant strides brought her to a clearing, the golden queen that fluttered in the skies above her darted out to fly a large circle amidst the naked, barren canopy. The little charcoal mare paused in her step, alert, listening, smelling, dissecting the air for what may lay ahead. It took a moment for her to recognise the outline of a stallion against the far side of the relatively small clearing, and another moment after that to decide that he wasn't about to charge blindly at her in a raging attack -or was he? With Akaith above her, the mare walked onwards, even allowing a throaty wuffle to escape her, announcing her presence had he not grasped it sooner. She may have the ability to turn near-invisible, but even when she chose not to use it, her motions were often subtle enough to go unnoticed.

"What brings such a formidable steed to Helovia this wintry day?" Her tones were light, curious and encouraged by the playful, devious glint that shimmered behind her golden eyes. The mare did not approach any further than several lengths away - close enough to make it obvious that she was addressing him, but far enough away that she could flee swiftly if the need arose. Not all were as welcoming as she was of the great array of species that called Helovia home.

With each breath that fogged in the air before them, the mare greedily drank the appearance of the steed, noting with critical accuracy the way in which each feather bent across his wings, the way each hair lifted and shifted in the wind. Most curiously, in her opinion, were his eyes, not for their colour, for colour was merely a cover, a distraction to what laid within - it was the deep and constant pang of grit and determination within his gaze that caught her attention. He did not seem to shy away from her, nor did he chase her away - instead he captivated her, caught her completely - his bait were his eyes and his hook the resolve in which he carried himself. He was a tall steed, formidable being the choice word she had used in scripting him earlier, but it was not the thick layers of muscle that coated his skeleton nor the obviously lacklustre condition of his feathered appendages that Mirage allowed herself to judge him by; it was the manner in which he presented himself.

Svelte flutes pressed forward atop her finely chiselled tiara, clinging to his voice like a child would grasp upon snowflakes - one moment they were dancing before you, the next, merely a memory. It was by the very roughness of his tone, and easy way in which he relinquished that which laid within him that further drew the mare in. A step, singular in number but large and speaking far more than a thousand words ever could, was taken towards him. She was curious, but not only that, she yearned to know what life this brute had lived. A chilled breeze sliced through the air, and the queenly little shadow was reminded of the injuries that laced across her hide, the bruises that ached and the cuts that needed a new warm poultice slung over them. But such things could wait.

"Folly indeed, stallion, to assume anything of one whom you saw for the first time only seconds ago." Quietly her exotic, accented tones pressed into the space that lingered still between them, though they lacked the obvious drawl of an insult, or accusation. They merely dissected the words which he had originally presented her with, and gave a hint as to just how she might be interpreting them. Almost quizzically, her ears twitched at their station atop her poll, before swiftly refocussing upon the titanic brute before her. It was not the first tall, mahogany stallion she had come across; not the first time she stared into something which could very easily crush her.

"And when the cold season passes and you have lived happily in this home, what is it you would do then?" A brow raised, a subtle, soft emphasis on the interest she was showing towards this pegasus. The WeyrLeader was draw him, to the sense of fortitude he permeated, the sheer will to continue on surviving, no matter what life threw at him. Strangely, the mare wanted to see what his journey within Helovia would be like, she wanted to learn as much as she could about him.. If only he would show the appropriate attributes; perhaps he could call the World's Edge his home in the near future.

Satisfaction leaks out of the golden eyes of the mare as she peers upon the reaction this stallion offers her. He rises to the occasion, he speaks of things she is most pleased to hear, though all she shows of this pleasure is a slighty curved brow, easily mistaken for curiosity at his response. The rough, ultamaidum sense his words invoked did not scare her away, but only drew her nearer; another step encroached upon the space that lingered still between them. He did not back away from her approach, she noticed keenly, happily. The values he shows, if they are indeed honestly spoken, make her long to open the lands of the Edge to him; but this mare had recently tasted the bite of battle, her ability to trust had shrunk away, it needed more coaxing in order to grow once more. It was indeed growing, with th epromise of gaining a friend, one who could help shape her home into something grand, who could help protect her kin with the might of his muscle and resolve of his temper.

"Native to these lands is something I am not." She kindly corrected, her voice merely factual instead of accusing or rude. It was a strange sort of pleasure she found in talking with this steed, for he spoke to her as an equal even without knowing of her identity; so she returned the favour. "Indeed, a land within this vast realm beckons to me as my home. It is called the World's Edge, girt by sea and decorated with a forest whose timbers blend in with the mist." A drop of pride may have coloured her voice as she spoke of the realm her heart had captivated since she had walked upon it, almost an entire year ago. Mirage was pleased that she was able to rightfully call the land her own now, she had earned it, with the aid of her brethren by her side.

"My family is large, dark knight of winter, and not all are of them are bound by blood; but something deeper, something within." It was a rare display of both her weakness and her strength; a weakness being that to get to Mirage, one merely had to get to her family - a strength in that, should Mirage's family be threatened, one would not be able to stop the mighty power that would be unleashed from the fury and passion that resides deep within the mare. The mare wondered further at this stallion, for it was all she could do at this stage; wonder in silent curiosity and intrigue. "My purpose here is varied; I seek many a thing, though whether I am successful or not in finding what it is I seek sometimes only becomes apparent after time has passed."

Back to her cryptic ways, the mare then allowed a softer expression to colour her facade. A golden winged lizard dropped down from the heavens above, giving a quiet trill in greeting, the dragon's gaze quite obviously looking over the stallion's appearance from her perch atop her bonded's withers. Mirage smiled further now, more genuine and meaningful than any hints of a smirk she may have given before. "My name is Mirage the DragonHeart, and I suppose the first thing I might seek is your identity."

Observation was key to the mare's nature; she watched the way in which this stallion absorbed all that she offered him, saw the way her words registered withn him by the subtle changes that dances across his handsome, masculine facade. His reactions seemed to give her more fuel; she had arrived to this scene battered and nearly broken, but the path the conversation had wound itself down had rejuvinated her, reminded her again of her purpose in this world. The little shadow recognised the longing behind the eyes of Thor, the joy at the prospect of belonging to such a family that she had spoken of. She could see how he yearned for more information - and she respected this, more than anything else, about him. Intelligence was not found in assuming one knew everything, it was found in one striving to know more, to always learn and expand one's knowledge, to question that knowledge again and again in order to prove its truth. He spoke with the tones of a learned steed, though he was comparatively young against the ripe years Mirage had wandered the earth, the devious little mare also knew that it mattered not how long he had existed, but rather, what he had done with his existence.

"Indeed," a playful glitter shone behind her eyes as he addressed her beloved Akaith, who preened herself appropriately for the occasion. "Without her, I would not be whole." An affectionate smile softened the edges of her lips, as a swift glance was given to the little bundle of golden scales that stood upon her back. Akaith had been with her almost a decade of her life, the years before then were spent with her family, in her birthland of eternal midnight. There had been more than a handful of occasions, where without the bond that bound them together, Mirage would not have endured the life she had lived had it not been for the brave light the little dragon shone within her soul. "Akaith is her name," Mirage began to say, before the little dragon crawled her way up the mare's nape to peer at the stallion herself from above the sculptured ears that sat alert on Mirage's poll. The little queen chirruped a greeting to the stallion herself, before givin a small huff, an approving nod, and then swiftly launched herself to the air once more, to get lost amidst the canopy. The sea air of the World's Edge would do well to invigorate his potential.

The words were spoken by the dragon, in the silent, exclusive way that the bond permitted them to be spoken. Mirage often found her dragon's cryptic ways to be as irritating as she must sometimes be to strangers, but the little shadow mare appreciated her bonded's opinion nonetheless. "Thor," her exotic melody began again, as her eyes finally pulled away from where her dragon had disappeared amongst the branches above. "I feel that the World's Edge would benefit from your presence as much as you might be able to benefit from those who reside there." Carefully she chose her words, trying to make it clear that she longed for him to follow her home, to aid her in building the Edge towards its full potential. Not only that, but she was intrigued by him, she wanted to keep him near to herself if only to see just what potential he had to give. With such a mighty name as Thor, surely there was great strength to be unlocked? The mare silently devoted herself towards aiding him, directing him, helping him find himself. "Should you wish to continue on through the Threshold of Helovia, you would be welcome to find yourself a home amongst the Edge." It was given, at last, the offer of a home, the silent promise of an enduring friendship. "There are other herdlands within; they are allies to my own home and just in their ruling.. I fear I am not as learned about them as I could be. The life of an Outcast is one I walked for many seasons until recently." She added, not wanting to disillusion the steed into thinking there was only one option beyond the Threshold. Hope, and nothing else, now shone behind the mare's golden pools, hope that rejection would not come from his lips.

[ ooc: don't be silly, I'm loving Thor <3 If you would like him to join just let me know what rank you would like and I'll post it on the Updates board for Admin to change :-) ]