fiachra

Home, where I wanted to go,
And nothing else compares.

It had seemed a mere number of hours since being welcomed into the frozen herdlands that the call came echoing around the valley. The ebony-hued mare had been poking around the far reaches of the mountainous walls, searching out a cave to call her own. She didn't require much, nothing huge as it was just her, and she certainly expected no cushions of down feathers and blankets of fur covering the floor. Still, everything she had so far come across smelled of other equines or was far too grand for her. Large empty caves only left her feeling lonely and cold.

Just as she had found little in the way of housing, she had also seen very few other equines since meeting the golden Thief name Rexanna. She had seen some moving about their days from afar, but she had yet to approach anyone. So when the call came down from on high, Fiachra felt her heart jump into her throat. She recognized the tone immediately, it was a beckoning to gather, perhaps from one of the leaders of the herd, perhaps not. Ears pricked delicately forward, Fiachra turned to look down the length of the valley, towards the entrance where she had so recently passed the enormous medal guardians. She spotted a few other herd members emerging from their hidey-holes and moving toward the gathering spot.

With renewed vigor to her exhausted limbs, Fiachra picked up an easy trot and made her way across the Basin. As she approached, she heard voices raised in anger and a slight frown took over her lips. So, this herd was like all the others in that way, at least. Not every soul who wanted the company and safety of a secure herdland could get along with each other. She broke upon the meeting at last and barely withheld an audible gasp. Unicorns. Many of them. All of different sizes and shapes, their uniqueness emanating not only in their colors and body types, but only their horns and their airs. It was, simply put, the most beautiful thing Fiachra had seen in a very long time.

She immediately spotted Rexanna, the kind mare of liquid gold who had been so ready to welcome her into the Basin. The mare was speaking about something called the "sneak rank". Fiachra could only guess that as the Lead Thief, these were the ranks Rexanna was the leader of. The name sparked Fiachra's interest. She had been one of the favored stealth workers back when she had lived among the raiders. She made a mental note to speak to Rexanna privately late on about that.

At the head of the group, stood a dark beast of the stallion and a rosey-colored mare. Perhaps these two were the leaders of the Basin herd. The source of much of the backlash seemed to be two characters, another dark stud with decorated double horns, and a bizarre looking creature with thick reddish hair covering his underside. Fiachra's gaze lingered upon this stallion the longest, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Something about him sparked a deep-seated terror that had been ground into her since her first days upon the earth. A shivered escaped her, shuddering down her spine before she forced herself to look away. The stallion had a crass tone that bit into her just as much as his appearance.

There were many, many others as well. A starry mare that seemed to purely glitter as she moved, another black mare with locks of amethyst, like herself, and another stallion that caught her eye who's mane was of creme and crimson and who held a strange critter upon his head. Fiachra could not help but smile as she looked at them all, shaking away the distress that had settled upon her when she looked upon the goat-like stallion.

She settled herself near to the group, just behind Rexanna, for that was who she knew, and listened to the proceedings. They spoke of the Sentinels, the large metallic things guarding the entrance of the snow-covered valley. They spoke of many names Fiachra knew nothing of. She took it all in, trying to keep up with it all through the harsh tones and bitter words. All of that bothered her little, for she knew not of most of what they spoke about, and therefore had no opinion of who may or may not be right. So instead, she only sat back and listened and waited for a time when she might be able to give some input.

"Talk."