somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me

[ Sorry, my brain has decided it's a great idea to make me sleep deprived, and I always struggle to write then. :( Still am sleep deprived but here goes... ]

It was a strange gathering, to be sure—then again, it had a way of ending up that way in the Threshold. "On the contrary," a well-spiked little mare was saying as his voice faded into silence; lightning-quick the beast inside of him struck, eyes switching onto her lithe frame. Black and gold (—fuck, death is black and gold), pleased as a cat, stared at observed by a giant with blue, gentle eyes. "While the garden is there, it's very small. Also, the mists are easily traversed by those that know the land. You can wander all you want, but others' noses still work."

His pulse was thundering beneath his skin, a low roar at the back of his mind. What a little bitch he thought with growing anger—and what an idiot. "I suppose noses stop working outside of herdland borders," he conceded with a flick of his tail as Diego dropped out of the woodwork. Uncharacteristically, the owl settled on his head, sharp talons grabbing his forelock for purchase as his amber eyes spun. Mauja flicked his ears back, listening as the spiky mare went on, speaking of an outcast group—the Unbound. (And how do you know when to gather if you roam free? Who will heal you, when disaster strikes? Who will protect you, when the land rebels against you? When the darkness comes again?)

Next to speak was the interesting, scaled mare. Her voice carried little inflection, her eyes much the same; he watched her with interest even as his owl stared fervently at Ovidius. What hid beneath the wet-looking gray of her skin? How come the water dripping down her neck stained her in shades of purple and blue? Was she just like him—filtering her emotions, but still having them?

Or was she dead inside?

Now wasn't the time to find out, and perhaps, he would never know, either. She came from the Falls, a place he had never visited, not since the days when it was still known as the Windtossed Foothills. A shame, that—he'd been on the borders once, depositing his damaged daughter, but he hadn't seen it since.

The stranger remained to the point. Mauja's tail flicked again as his gaze settled upon her. Sadly, this was another of those 'or some such shit' answers from him, because he didn't have the damndest clue anymore. What was expected of anyone, really? Did he do what was expected of him? "Don't start trouble," he replied with a wry grin forming on his dark lips. "Attend the seasonal herd meetings." He shrugged. Was there anything else, really? "If you decide to follow a set path, such as taking up with the healers or crafters, you might be tasked with additional duties, though." One black-rimmed ear flicked, and something in Diego tensed for a moment, focused into a sharp, unseen blade. What are you doing? he asked the owl.

Playing, Diego replied with smug satisfaction as he sent his magic towards Ovidius.

[ @Ovidius - Diego is trying to flip some switches in her brain using Rage. Rage: elicit this emotion in bonded or some other by removing sensation of pain and sensibility ]

somebody make me feel alive
and shatter me