Aelin

Returning from her adventures in the north she'd taken a slight detour on her way home. Perhaps it would worry her siblings if she did not show up after being gone for so long or perhaps her father would search for her. The sandy princess mostly wished that they were all too busy to notice her extended absence. Still, she supposed, she hadn't given a time of her return. So perhaps they weren't worried in the slightest. The latter definitely would please the girl, meaning she could continue to explore and meet the many interesting souls that lived within this world. So happily the girl continued through the skies, wings stretched aside as possible and ready to meet many new and exciting members of Helovia.

As a large forest began to expand below her she adjusted her flight. Easing her wings she began to glide down towards the reaching trees, her eyes searching for an opening wide enough for her to descend into. Most gaps had reaching branches, likely to scratch her soft skin open. Drawing her wings in and scrunching up her body she plummeted towards the ground. The moment the forest opened up she spread her wings and rightened herself, managing (and surprising herself) to land rather smoothly upon the woodland floor. Starting to make her way through the she found her mane and tail getting caught and tangled into the branches that grasped desperately her dark strands. It was as if the world wanted to keep her forever, danger and yet...not. Tugging herself free she pressed on, weaving her way through the trees. The forest was impressive, beautiful and so alive but something within these trees unnerved her. Freezing as something moved behind her she swallowed, then spread her wings wide and gave them there might flaps, within movements she was soaring the skies again, escaping whatever laid in wait behind her.

Eyes searching the world below her she recognised the Threshold. Not too long ago she'd found some strangers there, lost souls looking for a for a home and a family. It was funny how they all wanted the same thing. It didn't matter if they were born in to Helovia, a family ready made or arrived as strangers. But she'd never traveled any further than The Threshold. The lands that rested after it she'd never even laid her eyes upon. This was where she'd decided to head, with ease she crossed the lands until coming coming in for a much smoother landing. Her hooves kicked up first as she skidded slightly, there was more wind behind her than she'd originally anticipated. Recovering quickly and folding her wings back to her sides, the girl finally looked up at the new lands. To her horror, she recoiled and stumbled backwards.

She'd thought perhaps the sun was playing a trick on her eyes, the pools beneath her surely were not as red as blood. No, a colour was being reflected onto them. Yet up close the girl realised that they were as red as blood because it was pools, rivers and streams of blood. Aghast she watched the blood, churning and roiling as it flowed over rocks and into a massive body of red. Disgust welled up inside her and yet she found herself completely unable to look away from the churning waters that could only have been made so from a massacre. Eyes flicked up to study the waterfall, the disgust grew and over her entire body shivers rippled and stung at her flesh. Aelin was no a daughter of some weakling parents, she'd seen the price of battles and tasted the thick, rusty liquid that had filled her mouth once before. Sucking in a few deep breaths she forces herself to look, to really look with her eyes, not her head. Blinking a few times she sucked in a breath of relief - a breath that did not carry the scent of iron.

It is not blood. The girl's knees stop trembling, the thoughts of her discovering a massacre above the waterfalls faded from her mind. Her first assumption had been closer than the idea of a pile of bleeding bodies. Glittering at the shore of the pools she can see hundreds of red rocks which eventually becomes indistinguishable shapes under the surface. The tense, upright and riding stature releases her body as she exhales one breath. There is nothing to fear here, not like she had in the forest. Here she was free to explore, there wasn't a forbidding feeling filling the pit of her stomach here. Bending down she inspects the stones closer, smiling at them. They are actually quite beautiful, richly coloured and bright.

The is a noise up ahead, the girl turns from her rocks and spies a dark figure in the distance. He is looking into the rushing waters of the waterfall, despite the dangers the girl watches as her dares to take steps towards the gushing falls. "Don't!" It's pointless, the boy will not be able to hear her. His ears will be filled with the rushing waters, not her sweet vocals. The sandy princess begins to hurry towards him, desperate to reach him and stop his from hurting himself. The closer she gets the more she sees, as also notices the telltale signs of a foal. He's still young, like her perhaps he's been born only a few months after herself. Still as the elder she has to stop him. Before she can reach him however he steps cautiously upon the first stone, the girl skids to a stop, watching on in horror. The boy takes another step, then two much more hurried steps then he's perched precariously atop the rocks. Aelin's heart pound in her chest, she watches his hooves sliding against the slick surface of the water washed stones. The boy is frantically scrambling towards something but the sandy Princess can barely watch any longer.

Scooping something gold and glittering from the waters the boy makes his way down the rocky path thankfully her reached the safety of solid ground. The girl makes her way over to him. She pays no attention to his prize. "You are crazy." Despite her racing heart, and concern for his mental well being she grins at him. What he had just done was stupid, insane and deadly. Yet he had to admire his skill in making it there and back safely, so she choose not to tell him off. "You could have died!" Her words where breathless, adrenaline rushing through her system.

@Kid