She got little out of the rippling red stallion much to her frustration. Even though to the entire world he appeared genteel and polished, he had very little to say for a guy who’d travelled far and washed himself up in an all new, strange land. Why didn’t he ask questions? Wasn’t he curious at all about his surroundings, the smells or the souls that lived here? Or perhaps he was just one of those stallions who were so dashingly handsome they had never had a need to develop a personality. Either way, he built his own brick wall with his tight lips, Dacianna thought. She stopped herself before her mind turned too viscous with wild assumption lest she blurt it out loud like she had done so many times before; it was usually followed by an awkward smile and a delicate exit.

“What happened to them, may I ask?” she prodded politely, looking for a hole in his gleaming exterior, hoping she hadn’t just stepped on a landmine.

Before Dacianna could do any more digging a pale mare, who introduced herself as Raeden, greeted them as she stood next to a beautiful deer. For a moment, Daci was mesmerised by the Cerndyr, Tin, her eyes glazed over like she had just uncovered a diamond in the wild. A bemused smile wove onto her face as she greeted them both with a small dip of her head. The only problem with being new is that every face was a stranger’s, but one by one Dacianna was beginning to know each Edge member by name rather than just brief passing.

She let the charming Ron speak first before replying, “I’m a new Philosopher here” she felt like she told everyone this, but in case anyone ever needed some ill advised wisdom, they knew who to look for. “You can call me Daci, I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself earlier” it was still so very strange not knowing everyone and their business. She longed for the day that comfortable familiarity would take over from the feeling of being a bewildered outsider. That mare who came from the Rift.

It was then that some authority arrived along with an elephant, in miniature. The gathering had quickly become a jumbled mess of varying heights and species as Daci marvelled over the calf; she had never seen an elephant before. It was almost funny that, what was meant to be one of the largest animals in the world, was smaller than the mammoth that was Bo- Tembovu, the giant King who towered over all the gathered. “Glass dragons are far more interesting” Dacianna shook her head in mock disappointment at the sovereign before shooting a grin at Mbwene.

“This is Ron” she motioned to the crimson stallion, the subject of their meeting “I and another from the Falls came across him in the eastern forests” she informed before leaving Ron to handle the rest.