Ashamin's flaws had lessened significantly since he had come to helovia, but swimming was still something he was not very good at. The water dragged at his thick beard and coat and weighed him down. His companions, with their long legs and slender bodies, were swifter and nimbler. They reached the shore and looked back at him with eyes that were wide in the dark. This island was an unexplored territory and they were eager to plunder its depths. Lochan was patient enough to wait for his bonded, but Rakt was already moving into the jungle-like foliage by the time Ashamin dragged himself on shore.

In preparation for the short journey he had left his coils on the opposite side of the shore, figuring that the last thing he needed was a damaging shock to his system as he went for a soothing night swim. He would return to it soon, however, and did not plan to leave it alone for long. The riptide isles had been a special request visit made by Rakt. The red cerndyr had been insistent that they go somewhere special that night, as if there was something he needed to show them.

And as it turned out, there was.

In the nimble embrace of the darkness they all gathered, wet with thin ocean water and clean with each other's company. Lochan's white eyes pierced the dark and watched his younger but larger brother with care; Ashamin's pitch ones blended with every shadow cast upon him. But Rakt was alight with the fire of the stars, twirling and dancing some beautiful dance he'd created. He leapt through the isles' mists with ease, cutting through their fog and causing it to fly from him whenever he touched down to the earth again. Gold stardust commingled with the thin veil of silver and began to move, to live, to breathe, until it created two wobbly images of ghosts. When Rakt finally stood still there was a look of utter peace on his face, one mirrored in the expressions of the apparitions he had conjured. Two other deer-like creatures, flashing in brilliant hues, circled the young companion.

Somewhere along the way Rakt had discovered a beautiful magic. On this special night he revealed it to them like an unfolding flower. Within was something delicate and unique to their trio. The moment the summoned deer faded, Lochan and Ashamin ran towards their brother and they all shared the breath of a family united by pride.

It was an intimate moment, a perfect one, but it was not fated to remain uninterrupted for long.

""

As always, Lochan stirred first. He pulled away from their embrace the moment that the stirring of feathers filtered through the sound of the wind moving through the night, and his soft lowing was enough to alert his two bondmates that they should do the same. By the time the other mare landed—winged, feathered, and with gold on her back—they stood separately and facing her like a united guard.

Lochan lifted his small nose to sniff the faintest scent of burning and sent it through their branching bond so that Ashamin caught the same, despite its subtlety. It was a familiar smell, one he'd noted in multiple battles with his coils on his tail, but he didn't make the connection until the mare spoke.

She spoke of magic and enchanted items; with her freshly singed nose, Ashamin could only assume she spoke of his. He smiled and exhaled softly, offering her his nose to touch in traditional greeting before pulling away to speak. "I see you found my coils on the opposite shore, then," he offered, hoping that giving the object a name might ease her fears about it. "I thought I'd hid it well; you must be a skilled tracker, stranger. I hope it didn't give you too bad of a shock," Ashamin said. It was a compliment, really, and something that intrigued him. Ever since he'd left the Basin he'd found himself in the company of a wide variety of unique creatures that, like him, were not from this land. How had he not realized how much there was in the world while he had been locked up in his cage?

When the pegasus spoke of old wives tales he sympathized immediately. He, too, had been shocked when he'd come to this land and discovered magic—though not as literally. Now, just over a year later, he'd mastered the element of electricity in more ways than one. "You must be new to Helovia, then," he mused, exchanging quick glances with his companions before turning back to catch her gaze. "I am Ashamin the Clovenheart, and these are my companions, Lochan and Rakt. I was once in your position. Should you need guidance, I would be willing to share what I know."

After all, what good was it to have all that knowledge in his head if no one would get to use it? And he'd been like her once, too. Scared of all the new things Helovia had to offer and even more scared to ask about them.

He got the sense that she wasn't quite as timid as he had been, though.


""