She was expecting the summons. The cloudmare had been making an attempt to be nearer to him, to learn about him and the herd she was now a part of. She found the Falls to be very different to the Throat, or any other land she had lived in - it snowed here, for a start. The Throat had only ever experienced a hint of snow even in the heaviest of frostfalls - but the Falls? Might as well have moved into the Steppe, Cirrus thought, but there was no bitterness or regret in the thought - rather a sort of amusement as she reflected on her choice of abode.

It was the right choice, she was confident even now, as she watched her golden leader stride with purpose to a central point of the lands. The cloudmare hung back, wondering if her guess about his purpose was right - wondering if she had begun to read him accurately at last, this mystery of a man she could not help but be drawn to, follow, admire. He was everything she wanted, everything she needed - she hoped she had the courage to tell him so one day.

She hoped she had the courage to face the consequences of his potentially not feeling the same way.

Though he had never denied her silent advances, they hadn't spoken properly, they hadn't said the words, at least not those words.. And she wondered if there was a need to - and then she knew that of course there was..

Fear gripped her again, like nothing she had experienced before - fear of rejection, fear of a hurt deeper and more consuming than anything she had experienced before (- or had she? Maybe she feared a similar hurt - maybe she knew that if she had to go through that again, she wouldn't be able to come back from it a second time -). Cirrus shivered, though her magic kept a patch of sunlight on her no matter the season that surrounded them.

The summons came, and she obediently followed, choked up slightly by her own emotional constipation, but by the time she arrived she had schooled her face clear again. The weather that surrounded them was that of a warm spring day, though they all stood in shallow drifts of snow. Cirrus was glad for the opportunity to look, and see the faces of all those she should call her family - some, she recognised already, and that was more comforting than she wanted to admit to herself. Cirrus smiled, she nodded, to those who met her gaze, before diverting her attention wholly to her leaders.

They were of a height to each other (though the big black one was taller again than the lofty reaches of Kaj).

Her golden Czar spoke first, with words of passion, of instruction and protection, questioning the herd, the family, and their own conviction, their own desire to be not just great, but strong, powerful.

Cirrus only had Gaucho and the Throat to compare her leaders and new herd by, and the differences were.. Interesting.

Where the Throat was filled with a herd of militaristic soldiers, passionate crafters and fiery healers all with the goal of bettering the herd, the lands; the Falls seemed to be similar and yet.. They seemed to be lacking something.

She couldn't pinpoint it - perhaps it was just as the leaders openly admitted - perhaps the herd had just been lax coming into Frostfall. Perhaps that was why, when Cirrus looked out over them, she saw tired, uninspired masses, all without goals, without purpose. It annoyed her - she wanted them to feel alive, to feel inspired, to want to improve and grow and hell, just to be prepared. Peace was a joke in Helovia - even as Archibald spoke of it, Cirrus only half believed it.

"I am Cirrus," she said as she stepped forward slightly, brandishing confidence whose origin she wasn't sure of. "I am a new member here - and I am experienced in both the arts of healing and defending lands. I think it is important to be prepared for anything - Helovia might know a time of peace now, but it will not last forever - we must be prepared." Maybe she was just repeating what her leaders had said - but she wanted to say so much more.

Instead of more, however, she finished her small speech, with a simple; "I'm happy to help with the training of our warriors, and the keeping of the healer's herbs - my magic can enable anything to grow during any season." To demonstrate, she flourished her wings slightly and looked to the heavens above, and called upon the magic that made her feel alive, and summoned a sunny rainshower - and just to help everyone feel a bit better, with a smile, she imbued it with her new god-given gift of healing as well, to rejuvenate and energise the gathering and further make her point known.

Cirrus the WindDancer