Now that Tallsun had arrived, fully rearing its ugly head, Ashamin was finally done shedding the last of his thick coat. The night before he'd found himself standing lighter and moving with more ease. His sides were no longer mussed and damp, but rather slick with shine and a much thinner layer of sweat.

It was, however, still far too hot for him to bring much of his garb along. In the red shadows of the blood falls, guarded by a sleeping but willingly alert Lochan, the Clovenheart considered his things to be safe. When he journeyed to the threshold he brought only the necklace around his neck and the coils on his tail. Oh, and Rakt, of course.

The blood cerndyr was no longer just a fawn, and as a result he desired to wander further and more independently from his bonded brother. Though all members of their trio preferred to operate at night, it was only Lochan who was naturally designed to do so, and the others catered to him out of solidarity. Rakt grew less patient, though, when he found himself missing the adventures that his bonded carried out during the hours of the sun's height, and so he followed Ashamin to the threshold that day determined to make up for lost time. With every passing day the red-coat grew taller and stronger, and Ashamin was proud to see Rakt growing up. But no matter how proud he was, Ashamin was still shocked when Rakt first spoke to him.

Warm, was all the cerndyr said. It was a simple word spoken with grace, and the sound of the syllable echoed in the Clovenheart's mind for quite some time. With every step he heard it again, warm, until Rakt's surprisingly deep and gruff tones faded into silence. Ashamin would have crafted some sort of reply, but he knew that just because Rakt had learned how to speak, it didn't mean the red cerndyr would become a great forest king of conversation. So the Clovenheart only nodded and continued to walk through the threshold, keeping his companion's pace. Together, they moved in silence.

Ashamin only stopped when Rakt sent an image, painted in his trademark red, flashing across their bond. That, accompanied with a large growl of some stomach, was all that stopped a collision. The cerndyr had stopped short seconds earlier but Ashamin had kept walking, foolishly keeping his head up, and almost tripped over the stag lying on the ground. Just a year or so before, Ashamin would have kept his features low out of some permanent sense of shame; oh, but pride had gifted him with the ease to err.

"My apologies, stranger! I almost didn't see you there," Ashamin said as he stepped back, hoping to give the stallion more room. The newcomer (or at least, given his lack of helovian scent, Ashamin assumed newcomer) was a small buck, mainly white but flecked with brown that could have, from farther away, just seem like spots of dirt. Ashamin would have thought of Seanan if not for the eyes that this resting stallion bore, which were much more like the Clovenheart's.

Ashamin paused for a moment, and Rakt began to look around at anything other than the stranger, feigning a lack of interest. "I am Ashamin the Clovenheart, and this is my companion Rakt. Are you new to Helovia?" Ashamin's large black eyes blinked slowly, and he bent to offer his cheek to the stallion in a warm greeting. Quietly, once more and across their bond, Rakt spoke.

Warm.

This was Ashamin's favorite sort of visit to the threshold. When the stallion practically flipped himself upright he revealed an expression of genuine pleasure, of something like an innocent joy. This was not an injured and bitter stag, nor was it a flirtatious and ungrateful mare. It was good to see someone that, for once, wouldn't be so quick to avoid his company in these woods.

There was another whose company was to be had, too: Lyanna. The Clovenheart greeted her with a wide smile and a respectful nod before answering, quietly and contemplatively, "Yes, so it seems. Good to see you again." And that, brief and kind, was all. Rakt moved closer to the mare, for he had seen her more than enough times now to drop his act of not caring. He snorted softly, exhaling cool into the thick Tallsun air and towards Lyanna's chest. As if sensing that the gesture could be considered too caring, he then turned away and shook his coat, letting stardust fall as his eyes--impenetrably gold--rolled imperceptibly.

The newcomer's answer to Ashamin's question was just as precious as his freckled expression. The painted buck smiled at the white stallion, before cocking his head. "This is just the beginning, friend. You stand in the threshold, a forest that welcomes all into Helovia's much larger expanse. There are wilds and herdlands; Rakt and I move through the unclaimed territories, along with a few other loyal companions, and together we make a home for ourselves with knowledge," the Clovenheart explains brightly. He wonders if this stag's desire for company might burn as bright as one for knowledge, but does not yet ask.

Ashamin was new to this land too, once. He knows that these are special moments, one where questions must be asked and answered by those who are willing. Though he'd once been far too shy to ask about much (which later he learned the hard way, and he thought then of Phantom and old wars,) Ashamin wanted to make sure that this newcomer was allowed to voice all his queries. He may have left his scholarly cave, but the mindset--the desire to inspire others to learn--still stuck with him.

Rakt tilted his head as Ashamin's righted, and looked upon the newcomer with bold eyes. Quietly the beast lowed, perhaps saying hello in his own way, before turning to face away from them all and press his side against Ashamin's, as if seeking comfort. Rakt was, after all, still quite young. These were the golden days of some sort of innocent youth for more than one.

Ashamin waits for some time before answering the newcomer's question, suspecting that by keeping silent he will learn more. Besides, he would not wish to speak over Lyanna. It's true that they're competitors of a sort, but he likes her, for what that's worth. The Clovenheart isn't sure if she sees him with friendship in mind, or if she ever could given that they always meet at strange odds, but he sees no reason to preclude it. Besides, it would be good to have a friend in the World's Edge, it is one of the herds he knows the least about. When Rakt lights a grin across her features, he can't help but let his own lips lift. Rakt runs his gold antlers along the ground, impatient and irritable that his momentary lapse has revealed something like affection.

Waiting pays off in the end, for Ashamin gleans the cheerful stallion's name: Hé. Ashamin nodes slowly, considering the brief moniker. It is unlike his own, but bears its own charm. The painted buck looks back at the spotted stag then, prepared now with an answer.

"The Unbound seek all knowledge, and though some pursue the Gods I would not liken us to the priests you may have encountered. We are independent, but connected by trust and what we teach each other. It is not the lonely life that many in herds might think it to be," Ashamin explained, trying to emphasize that his experience was not one of devastating solitude. Rather, he simply had his freedom to do as he pleased without fear of tarnishing the name of leads that existed far above him. He liked it that way.

Rakt's large ears swiveled and his gaze lifted as he listened into Ashamin's thoughts. The red cerndyr also enjoyed this way of life, and the time that it afforded him to practice his magic and sparring skills. "To answer your question more specifically, however, my primary discipline is the art of combat. Crusaders of the Unbound fight to defend; Rakt is my bondmate, and he often aids me in spars," Ashamin explained, turning down to look at the cerndyr. Rakt turned to face Hé and kicked out his hind legs proudly then, ruffling his elk's beard and lowing.

Ashamin couldn't help but nicker at that--couldn't help but reach down to ruffle the soft fur between his cerndyr's antlers despite all resistance.

Rakt shuffled backwards and away from Ashamin's touch the moment it was offered. In private the cerndyr would have gladly accepted the gesture, but before this newcomer he was meant to be seen as a tough warrior companion rather than a coddled infant one. He snorted once, but with enough force to get the point across. Ashamin obeyed, shaking his head and smiling. He couldn't help but let the cheer shine through his expression.

Hé's continued interested sparked further joy in the Clovenheart. While Rakt lifted his head higher upon being complimented for his warrior rank, Ashamin only rolled his shoulders and adopted a modest, almost shy look. "Oh, I'm not sure about that. But I would be more than happy to teach you some of what I know, Hé. That is, after all, the way of all members of the Unbound," Ashamin said, waving his long tail brightly. It would be nice to show this stallion a few things, but the painted buck worried somewhat that it would only do more harm than good; practice spars with the Clovenheart had ended in bloodshed, as of late. It had grown to a point where Ashamin wondered how he was so unaware of his own strength.

Not wishing to think more of the hurt he had caused, Ashamin focused on Hé's next words. The worry faded from his mind when the newcomer asked more about the Unbound, and even Rakt's mood seemed to improve at the thought of this friendly stag joining them in the wilds.

"All that is asked of members of the Unbound are that they are loyal, independent, would teach and learn, and be willing to defend themselves and their allies should the need arise--in whatever manner best suits them," Ashamin said, reciting the tenets he'd crafted himself with more confidence than ever before. "We would be honored if you would choose to join us, and I could travel with you through these lands, telling you what I know, until you felt familiar enough with the land to wander on your own," he offered, remembering how nervous he had been upon coming to Helovia. The land was large, after all, and it seemed as if it grew every day. Having a guide at the start of life there could do Hé no harm.