It turns out that beyond the sands of our home, there existed an entire world. Once we had found that out - once I knew that there was more to discover - I couldn’t stay still until we were out there. There was an entire world out there, filled with strange and wonderful things and I wanted to know about all of them. Instead of chasing lizards through the Throat and spying on the seabirds that nested on the rocky shores, there were other things to pick at and learn about.

As we travelled north, I became distracted as I followed a strange grey creature with a striped tail and a mask across its faces. It made a violent hissing noise when I got too close so I hung back, contenting myself with watching from a safe distance before the curiosity became too much. In a rush and a rustle of leaves, I chased after the creature (only wanting to get closer to it!) before it climbed up a tree to the safety of the tall limbs. I circled around the base, unfurling my down-covered wings and wishing I could use them to fly as the fire-wings had upon our exit from the Throat.

It was about this time that I realized Castor was no longer at my side.

Dark brown eyes widen at this discovery and for the first time in my young life I’m alone.

I notice the chill in the air at the same time, feel the stir of the wind across my pale red back before I folded my wings again, for what little protection they provided me. Compared to our homeland, this place felt frigid. “Cas?!” I call out, feeling a rush of fear as I look around. When I catch movement I gravitate toward it naturally but quickly discover that around the bushes there is someone else. He’s around my age I think, although at first I’m not entirely sure if we’re the same animal.

“Seen my brother?” I ask it - him - curiously, resisting the same urge that had propelled me to get closer to the racoon and keeping several feet between us instead. I didn’t want to chase him up a tree too, after all - especially not if he had seen my twin around.  

For a moment, all she did was stare.

Then she frowned at him - trying to riddle out the sound he had just made in her general direction while the wind played with the soft down of her folded wings. “Is that no?” Was it merely a sound, a clearing of the throat, or an actual word? And, if it was a word, what did it mean? The deep voice with which it had been spoken was one Vastra associated with adults and, by association, she quickly adopted the idea that this spotted, strange, wingless creature must be an adult. Albeit a very small one.

Like a troll or one of the faeries! It was a fanciful thought but Vastra met it with complete seriousness. She felt an intensely burning curiosity about this new faces but it was quickly snuffed out by the reminder of her search.

Surely, she assured herself, he held the answers she needed - she only first needed to figure out how to communicate the problem more effectively.

After a moment of contemplation, the red filly got an idea. However, far from causing her dark brown eyes to light up in excitement, it merely caused them to crease into a deeper frown - one that may very well match the one on the face of the strange small-adult she had discovered. Perhaps he was speaking another language - perhaps it was even their language. The idea was rather thrilling, to meet someone outside of her family that could speak it! Thrilling enough even to encourage her to relax but not give up on the scowl of concentration on her face as she spoke once again, carefully enunciating the words. “Hash yer ray tih gaezo anni?”

There was definitely something fae-like about the colt before her. If he even was a colt. Before her very eyes, in the pause of their conversation, he turned to stone. Dark brown eyes widened in surprise at this discovery but she did not dare say anything lest she break the spell. He had been flesh and bone just a moment ago but there was no doubting the new texture that had suddenly appeared over his body.

It was magic and it was beautiful! No, that was a silly word to use for it - it wasn’t beautiful in the way that new flowers were or in the way her mother was. This stone-but-not-stone creature before her was exquisite and captivating. She had been studying the animals she saw but not once had she found one that could turn into something else. Magic! And not the obvious, fire-magic like the wings that carried her with the help of an adult from the Throat to Helovia. This was subtle and something else entirely.

And then, in a blink of an eye, while Vastra spoke her question in another language he was back to being flesh again. The red filly had to shake her head and wonder if she had even seen the stone there at all. Still, she did not want to say anything - fearing it had been a trick of her mind, or that she would not get to see it again if she was reckless with her words.

Now she was paying more attention and she realized that the words he spoke - while distorted - were in fact the common tongue. “Oh.” Vastra didn’t know enough to apologize so she didn’t, not thinking she had done anything wrong - she had simply made a mistake.

To answer his question, she replied simply “My father’s tongue.” because she knew no proper name for it. Perhaps that had been part of the very first lesson, and she frowned at herself for forgetting it - her eyes darkening as she realized the knowledge simply wasn’t there. Perhaps Castor would know, if she ever found him again. Right now, temporarily, her search was suspended because she wanted to spend more time with this fascinating faery creature - wondering if he would turn to stone again or what else he could turn into. “I could teach you some, if you want.”