Their journey through the shadows and trees had barely begun before Lyanna was speaking, mentioning a land called 'Morham', which was where she apparently was from. Apollo offered the winged mare a cursory glance, a smile upturning dark lips to show that he was listening and was truly interested to know what she had to say. As she spoke, the horned stag found himself lost in the sound of her melodic vocals, listening intently, his mind trying to concoct images of this unheard of place.

Morham, hm? With trees and forests much like Helovia? He tried to imagine it being lighter, perhaps, maybe with a bit more sunlight, as Lyanna mentioned that it wasn't as dark as the Deep Forest, but he simply couldn't. Oh, he had been around many wooded areas during his lifetime, but few ranked as high on his list of favorite places as this forest. He wondered if the forests in Morham would compare...

There is a part inside of the overo's black breast that is flattered that Lyanna also has an affinity for trees. Perhaps that was why she hadn't mocked him for his obvious kinship towards the said trees around the?

"Your home sounds like a beautiful place, m'lady," Apollo murmured warmly, once more offering her a glance over his shoulders before he focused back on the path ahead, always cautious of where his hooves fell. Leading the fair-faced mare onward, he wove through the trees, keeping his pace slow and casual, as honestly, there was no point to rush. They had all the time in the world at the moment, and rushing could cause him to trip, and that would risk Zola tumbling from his spine.

The said feline had turned to recline facing towards the Merciful's rump, her socket-less eyes staring emptily at Lyanna as the winged Pegasus followed. Zola truly liked this female... She seemed honest and sincere, warm and welcoming, but also careful, as though something had hurt her terribly in the past. Who knew, maybe something did. Lyanna was a far better candidate to be Apollo's friend than others he had come across, that was for certain, and the black cat vowed to, somehow, let the beautiful Pegasus know her appreciation.

Finally, they arrived to the heart of the forest, and Apollo slowed to a halt. In front of them, stretching upwards in a proud display, was the old, ancient fir tree, branches spanning out above them. Cradled beneath its grace lay the crystal clear pond, blood-red stones glistening like rubies at the pond's cool depths, and slowly the Merciful stallion approached it, always cautious of water despite knowing that this particular aquatic depth would cause him no harm. Maybe one day he'd tell Lyanna of how he had crossed paths with a kraken at the Endless Blue... But that would be a tale for another time.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Apollo asked, his voice soft and whimsical, low with awe as he lifted his chin and gazed up at the wise fir with wonder in his honey-brown eyes, "Imagine the things that it has seen, the knowledge it holds. Once, many years ago, I visited this place in the middle of the night. When I came, a great specter of a stag manifested from this fir, and granted me the power to heal others. I've respected and loved this place ever since."

ooc: I just wanted to say that they make me very happy. <3