It was in the nature of the winter-hued filly to care about others. No one had taught her this, no one had imprinted on her the need to be open minded, generous or kind. With Shadow for a mother it could even be said that it was something of a miracle for the girl to have turned out the way she did; the lavender-eyed blackbird had been terse and incredibly private, a borderline recluse with very few friends. While Erthë had indeed inherited that sharp tongue and straight-forward bluntness, it was gentled by a likeness to her father's quieter, softer disposition, only without his withdrawn awkwardness and lacking self-confidence. This, along with her very own warm love of people and life in general allowed Erthë to go above and beyond anything her parents had ever been, and it was this successful combination that allowed her heart to immediately accept this wounded girl, include her into the vastness of her generous affection without for a second consider if it was normal or appreciated by the general masses. Oh, she could be mean and self-absorbed too, egoistic and demanding of time and energy... But it all stemmed from the deeply rooted desire to belong, to be of use and be loved back, in the same all consuming way that she did herself.

So when Hera accepted her affection and leaned into her cold-skinned, slender frame for comfort, the dove felt a wide happy smile spread across her face, completely inappropriate considering the topic and the reason why the younger girl cried. She tried to temper it, swallow it back down but it was so hard, because the warm surge of joy she felt at being able to help someone was tumultuous and near impossible to contain, like a flash flood or the surging Thistle River in spring.

Hera stirred beneath the gentle cover of pearly wings, the soft voice posing a question that made Erthë frown, an ear twisting thoughtfully as she mulled over what to answer. She was obviously not a mind reader, but her intellect was flexible and it was not hard to follow Hera's possible train of thought.

"Yes, dead means gone" she nodded and shifted where she stood, swinging the gently curving hips sideways until they stood side by side, her wing stretched casually over Hera's painted back; close and comfortable, and still able to look the saddened girl in the eye.

"But gone does not mean dead, Hera. I mean, she could just be lost still, couldn't she? Unable to find her way back, but still searching. There are many strange things in Helovia; I have seen our Goddess appear from a whispered word and the other gods pull new lands from a magic portal - there are even ways to be there one moment and gone the next. It wouldn't surprise me if it turned out the Threshold moved from one place to the next, appearing only before those who doesn't look for it... "

Dreamy eyes trailed off into the morning mist, clearer now than they had been before but with traces of a waking night still apparent like dark bruises on the tender pink skin. "I wouldn't easily leave this place myself. Who knows if you will be able to come back? Better just remain here, we've got everything we need here at the Edge."

Erthë returned her gaze to the young unicorn and winked lazily, lips ready to curve back into a smile at any moment.

"Tembu and Elsa are like parents to all of us, always clucking and worrying and ordering us around, don't you think? It's kind of like a family, all of us; Captain Nyx can be our aunt and Mauja the uncle who's going slightly bonkers while no one is looking."

This time she did laugh - Erthë was fairly sure that all of the mentioned horses would complain loudly over the labels she placed on them, and that was a thrilling thought unto itself. Maybe she should try calling the spotted stallion uncle sometime, and see how he reacted...

ERTHË

I think of love but let it pass
It       feels       like         fire    
but it won't last