I knew that the closer it got to Frostfall the more the temperature would drop. With that would come the aches and pains that the winter cold tended to set deep in bones. The only problem was that it wasn't Frostfall yet and I was already beginning to feel the ache in my shoulder and wing joint. I'd hoped that it would pass with time, but the injury I had sustained during the rift god fights lingered. It was a constant reminder of what had happened and what we had all done to protect Helovia. It made me wonder how many other still suffered with aches and pains related to the fight and how they were dealing with it.

Unfortunately for me I had decided to go out for the afternoon and it was easy to venture far away when you were flying. The distance seemed minimal until you had to walk it back. The moon was already high in the sky and I was still walking and silently thinking about how stupid I was to go so far when my wing had been aching so much. I pressed on, not wanting to stop until I made it at least to the secret place I shared with Dragomir. I'd be lying if there wasn't a part of me that hoped when I got there I would finally find him, but I had gotten to the point where I wasn't holding my breath anymore. I couldn't.

I was getting tired, though, and I was growing less and less sure that I would make it to the place I wanted. "Why did I have to fly so far?" I wondered aloud to myself as I trudged through the meadow. "Why couldn't I have stopped closer but no. Stupid Ranjiri had to go all the way to that mountain top meadow before turning around to come back."


"."

ooc://
because david bowie was on the radio and i couldn't think of a title xD

I knew at some point this moping about the lands of Helovia was going to need to stop. At some point I was going to have to man up and return to the frozen lands of the Basin to accept the duties that I had forsaken for so long, my sire had taught us little of the poisons he held so dearly, but enough that I could probably manage to follow in his steps with a little guidance from the other healers that resided within the grasp of the frigid mountains. Edison cooed his approval at my thoughts while nestling in for the night on my withers, tonight I would begin my journey back to my home. Return to the lands in which I belonged and start the long quest towards putting my now shattered soul back together. One step at a time.

Nighttime aided in my travels, lending me a little bit of sight as I meandered through the now snow blanketed lands of Helovia. The idea of moving a little faster, putting a little bit of purpose behind my easy stroll, had crossed my mind a time or two but I was in no rush to get back just yet. There were still some demons in my path that I would need to find a way to tie up and shove into the darkest corner of my jaded mind along with all of the other memories I had that liked to try and tear at the pieces of my sanity whenever they had the chance. Tonight was a night of healing, new starts, and hopefully a bit better of a life than what I had been leading alone. Ink stained ears flicked back to listen to the gentle snoring of the bird of prey, amused by the innocent sound coming from the killer of bunnies and wee mice, Edison was an asshole. But at least I knew he always had my best interests at heart and he did seem truly happy with the idea of us heading back to the Basin.

Mismatched limbs were carrying me through the meadow that during the warmer times of the year would be filled with beautiful violet blooms when a familiar voice danced through the cold breeze into my ear canals where the notes finally collided with my eardrums. "Jiji?" I perked up a bit at the idea of running into my childhood friend once again, the excitement rushing through my nervous system causing the red bird to open an irritated eye before he put up a gentle wall between our minds so he could continue to slumber in peace. Moon eyes skirted the horizon before settling on the horned and winged frame of the mare I assumed the voice had came from. Oddly enough, it had just dawned on me, that even though I had known the Throat mare for as long as I could remember, I had never actually seen her before now. Sacre's ease around her had never made me wonder if she was one of us, lo'and behold, she was part sky rat. Disgust began to creep across my frame, causing my bloodied flesh to shiver before I quickly shut the feeling down. This was Ranjiri...even if she wasn't pure she was a dear friend and at least deserved a greeting in passing.

"Ranjiri! What are you doing out so late?" I forced a smile upon ink stained lips as I drew closer to the tri colored mare, knowing that she would likely return the question, and again my obvious flaw would come into play. Moon eyes dragged carefully across her body, finding it odd that a winged one would be walking around in the snow this time of night, unless she was injured somewhere that I just couldn't see clear enough in the cursed black and white vision I had currently. "It's better than none." Edison chided mentally without moving a muscle from his now faked slumber, I knew once he realized that the sky rat Ranjiri wasn't going to cause any kind of trouble he would go back to his self and whatever dreams he had been having.


"Speech."