For the first few minutes she had been left alone in the Basin, Clay had been in a state of panic: eyes and stance wide, ready to run but at the same time as frozen as the ground. Her previous home was large, but it was a desert. Voices carried across the entire kingdom and you could see other equines on the horizon no matter where you were. This place was an entirely different planet--covered in the remnants of snow that now began to wane in the warming sun. It was contained by a mighty wood and the subtle hills made her feel entirely alone. 

If there was anything the gradient mare was good at, though, it was squashing her fear. One may call that a dangerous trick (most would, actually), but it suited her just fine. A few moments of her heart beating faster than ever, then she was off, using the adrenaline for other purposes. She had launched into action, hellbent on exploring every single part of the Basin she could. She lived here now, didn't she? Time to get up to speed. 

She was an early riser and had spent most of the morning exploring the land's border. When the enormous sentinel at the entrance had neglected to respond to her introduction, she moved on, making her way west of the lake, past a series of caves and a scary looking prison, which she gave wide berth to. She continued for some time, shocked by how large the land really was. 

When she reached the Northern most part of the Basin, she was delighted to spot a body of water. Writing off the steam that rose from it as some brand of the odd magic that existed here in Helovia, she enthusiastically lowered her head, plunging her nose into the water for a drink.

ACK! was her response, somewhat muffled by the hot water in her nose. Her head flung up as she coughed, dismayed by the aggressive warmth and sulfur-like taste. Dramatically, she hacked a few more times before eyeing the water as though it had deliberately betrayed her. You see, she'd never seen a hot spring before, and it didn't quite make sense to her that the water would be steaming hot in such a cold, cold land. She soon overcame her betrayal, though, and lowered her nose once more, cautiously testing the water to see if she had simply been tricked before. Large puffs of air emitted from her nostrils, disrupting the top of the pool. Hooves danced lightly in confusion and excitement, and her prehensile tail extended like a cat's on high alert.  

SPEECH