Själ

The wind was crisp against her hide, winding her forelock around her longest horn as it blew by.  She shook her head, freeing the trapped locks, enjoying the warmth of the Orangemoon sun upon her back despite the chill of the breeze.  Her coat had begun to thicken, preparing in its own way for the winter to come; her father's lineage, she imagined, brought this heavier pelt to bear, for her mother had been sleek, even in Frostfall.  Again she wondered about her father - who he was, and, more importantly where he was.  Where was her half-sister, who had so effortlessly destroyed any hope the filly might have had of familial companionship?  Of course, Själ was not the same as she had been then; in the time since her original entry into Helovia, she had grown.  Perhaps she didn't know who she came from, but she was beginning to learn who she was.  She wondered if she and Sno would still clash as desperately as they had back then.

Probably, she thought to herself.  Sno had been bitter, back then; angry, semi-depressed, and not in the least bit happy to learn of her sibling's existence.  Why would she be any less so now?

--You change,-- Ansgar reminded her.  Of course, the griffin was right.  If the princess had changed and grown, who was to say that her half-sister had not done so as well?  The girl sighed, blowing a tuft of warm air into the soft fur of her companion's belly, then wiggling her muzzle gently to muss the feathers along Ansgar's chest.  The creature squawked and rolled quickly to her stomach, crouching against the ground indignantly, her tail lashing.  The unicorn giggled, more than amused by the creature's reaction.  Ansgar wasn't truly angry, but it was quite fun to tease one another.  The griffin sat up and began to preen, pleased to have coaxed such playfulness from her bonded.

"Hey, Princess!"

The voice jolted the filly, who spun quickly to take in the sight of her badass bounding toward her.  He had grown since she had last seen him, becoming less a gangly colt and more...

A soft oh fell from her lips, a slight sigh of surprise and pleasure and something else; and then, half a heartbeat later, glee appeared in the place of her confusion, and she leaped forward to meet him, laughing in a way that bespoke her excitement.  She reached to bump her muzzle against him, hoping to feel him and smell him and just make sure that he was really here - and he was, and she grinned, her eyes lighting up, more free with her emotions now than she had ever been before, even more so because he almost pulled it out of her, effortlessly bringing her hidden feelings to the surface -

"I'm so happy to see you!" she squealed, answering his question without having to, because it was so obvious that she had missed him.  She hadn't had the word for it until now, but now she understood, and she knew what it meant to miss someone, what it was to have a friend.  He was her best friend (except maybe Ansgar), and she adored him and he made her happy.  "I hoped I've find my Badass here."  My Badass.

"Speak."
--Ansgar.--