The filly wasn't so distracted that the sound of approaching footsteps didn't reach her. She heard the rustling of grass and soft thud of big feet against black sand perfectly well, and looked up and about well before the white stallion had reached her. The sight of Mauja coming towards her made her smile falter and die out, the glittering stones forgotten in the face of his less than warm expression. She tensed, wings shifting uncertainly - he looked angry, like he was about to scream at her again or something even worse.

Not that she could blame him. Their last encounter hadn't ended well. Erthë regretted nothing of what she had shouted after him, but in hindsight it would probably have been better to stay quiet, say nothing. A wiser horse probably would have been able to swallow down annoyance and anger, but she was neither wise nor patient enough to coddle adults or dote around with feelings, as she saw it.

Still. If he was going to shout at her, she would really prefer if he just got it over with so they could leave this awkward tension behind. If he wanted apologies or such Erthë would give them, if he wanted to stay pissed it wouldn't bother her overly much. She didn't hold grudges, and though they lived in the same herd it wasn't as though they were close, or even friendly. She could live with his anger, hatred or resentment - but it would be more comfortable if he let it out.

But no. Not today, apparently. Beneath her wary gaze his expression changed, smoothed out like ripples fading from the surface of a pond. Before long she saw only marble skin and stony nothingness, as though he had transformed into a living breathing statue. Even his voice was laconic and dead as he said her name, and the girl shuddered at the sound of it - because though nothing of his mannerism suggested it anymore, she had this feeling that it would have been better if he had snarled and spat. Healthier, for everyone.

She sighed, and forced a smile back onto her face.

"Hi Mauja. You look... uh... "

Before she managed to find a word to accurately describe the icy, dead-eyed stallion however, her attention was drawn off as a dark figure grew larger in the periphery of her vision. Descending on midnight wings was a big black stallion, cloaked and crowned and horribly familiar. Word and breath lodged somewhere in her throat and left her breathless as he landed and came walking towards them, smiling and greeting Mauja like they were old friends. And maybe they were, she wouldn't know, but she knew who he was and it didn't make her happy at all. Not that she had a problem with his parentage - far from it, he was the Moon's son and she loved the Lady Moon - so it was more the matter of the manner of their last encounter, and the fact that as his pale, glowing eyes turned and fixed on her something like panic rose in her throat, searing and burning like bile and fear and hot, searing anger that didn't go well at all with her cold physique.

Mesec smiled at her, but Erthë only made a half choked sound and stumbled, hobbled, fled in behind Mauja. It was strange indeed how the intimidating unicorn suddenly seemed so much safer and friendlier now, compared to the wolf shifting bastard who had tried to kill her and didn't even seem to be sorry about it.  

He asked for her name but she didn't answer; instead she reached in beneath a ruffle feathered wing and grasped the ivory bow that hid there, prepared to defend herself should it prove necessary.

"Schday awae fom me, woulphe!" she slobbered, nearly unintelligible around the handle of the weapon - though there was no mistaking the ferocity of her voice nor the seriousness of her warning as she glowered at the demi-god from around the Frostlight's haunches.  

Erthë

the      night      is      calling      my      name