Their return to the sun and bitter warmth of the Dragon’s Throat was quick-lived. Essetia had wanted to prolong her visit to the Threshold, but conversation had proven to be more a formality than indulgent. However, the closer she drew toward her own southern borders, the closer she became to Romul and their shared telecommunication. First he came in small bits before growing larger and more excited in her thoughts. You’re home, he shuddered internally when at last Essetia and her new companion faced the waters that separated the island from the rest of Helovia. They shimmered and lapped along the embankment below, where the cliff dropped into what were once red canyons, but their rushing could still be heard from above. As Essetia lingered at the cliff face, she turned toward Sabia with an enchanted smile. “Welcome home Sabia,” she began easily. “I’m sure you won’t need my help for the next part,” she assured while nudging the key that hung loosely about her thick neck.

When the spy motioned to take a step toward the sheer drop and imminent death beyond, the magic bridge appeared soundlessly ahead of her instead.  Sabia wouldn’t need to access the Throat in such a way due to her wings, but Essetia allowed room for the newcomer to join her in the crossing anyway. "Fortunately, you won’t need a key like I do, but should you require one, just let me know. Aside from that, there are many taskforces within the Throat that you may want to take part in at some point,” Essetia informed lightly as she lead the way into the glaring heat of the desert. “I am a spy by trade and have been so in numerous other establishments, but there are a great many jobs available to you here.”

The spy turned to study her new recruit with some curiosity. She wasn’t sure that Sabia was cut from a warrior’s cloth and instead envisioned her a healer or a scholar. However, Essetia had seen more surprising matches than this and therefore watched Sabia intently. “Is there anything you think you might be particularly good at?” she prodded insensitively. The Pegasus had only just arrived to Helovia, but with Essetia’s lack of proper conversation (aside from the childish babble of her offspring) she found herself hugely inappropriate when it came to conversing.

The red rolling sands and the soft orange haze that danced up from the blistering dunes beckoned from all around. However, the electric blue sky gazed down on both Essetia and Sabia with remorse. The Throat was boiling, but beautiful… the perfect place to forget your fears in order to stay cool.

Coming home always felt safe and secure. It felt like coming up for air after too long beneath the ocean’s waves. It was like nothing else.

When Essetia first came to call the Throat home, she didn’t imagine it would ever become so dear to her heart, especially after her misfortune in the Falls. Yet, as she led another lost soul into the devouring heat of the south, she knew that the fire would eventually wash her clean. The sand would rub her raw before it caressed her and the ocean would roar until it whispered. This was becoming a place that offered sanctuary if one allowed it—everything took time to fall together after it had fallen apart. Somehow, the spy believed that Sabia was in need of a sanctuary, and her suspicions were only confirmed when the steely grey mare finally sought comfort in the only word Essetia now trusted of her southern borders. Instead of acknowledging the changes Sabia was about to face, Essetia allowed her a moment to sink and fall into that which she would one day inhabit and fly.

Even as her companion listened to the spy’s prelude of welcome, Essetia imagined that Sabia was more enchanted by everything that the Dragon’s Throat now represented. Sabia had become a sister, a friend, and an ally to the bay and her family. She had also become a warrior, a healer, a scholar, and everything that she ever wanted to be. However, she had also learned quite a lot about Helovia in the past day and half than she probably would have liked. To Essetia, magic and companions were natural… She’d been born to Helovia, a child, and none of the land’s wonders felt especially fantastical to a native. “I’m sorry, sometimes I forget myself,” she told Sabia from ahead. “These keys allow those without wings to cross into the Throat. I call it a safeguard… it keeps ill-intentioned fools out.”

”Excuse me!”

When Essetia had nearly reached the opposing side of the bridge, she turned, believing to find another in her wake, but saw nothing over the soft slope of the fluttering magic. Shaking her head, the spy returned her attention to Sabia as she conceded to becoming a healer, which in turn made Essetia smile. She’d been right about the Pegasus. “That’s a fantastic choice,” she affirmed with fervor, “and it is a beautiful place.”

However, just when Essetia was about to leave the cliff face behind, she became aware of an impending dark figure upon the bridge behind she and the new apprentice healer. Without any knowledge of whom the stranger was or what she intended, Essetia stepped forward with her ears pressed flat against her skull. Internally she called to her missing wolf since she’d arrived safely back within the Throat, and he replied eagerly. It would only be a matter of time before her bonded appeared to assist her in her endeavors to ward off the foreigner brave enough to follow her and Sabia into the south. “You better have a good reason for entering without permission,” she called from afar.

The stranger was a dark colored mare with electric blue eyes, but she didn’t appear to be a part of the Throat (at least not yet) and that put Essetia on edge. it had been quite some time since she'd been put to battle, but it wasn't above her when it came to protecting her newborn family inside.

Essetia appreciated ingenuity and it was a quality that Sabia appeared to embody in more ways than one. As the spy watched the winged maiden enjoying the warmth and aridity of the Throat, she listened intently to the lavish compliments surrounding its magnificence. It had been such a long time since Essetia had thought so highly of the desert she called home and it was nice to be reminded of her good fortune. Not to mention that Sabia was certainly correct in believing that a herd of this magnitude was always in need of assistance. “I’m certain that we will manage to put you to good use,” the bay assured with a flippant smile. However, the troublesome feeling of being followed kept Essetia from fully indulging her new desert flower, even though she was wise enough to question the impending creature at their backs. “Let me take care of it,” she warned harshly. After all, Essetia couldn’t have her garden threatened just as it was beginning to bloom.

Yet, their present circumstances were constantly growing more complex and intense as one horse appeared after the other. The first was the coal-black mare, stout and wild in appearance, while the other was more familiar to the Throat spy. Sikeax appeared to trail far behind the newcomer and (by the looks of it) was less than thrilled to have been beaten to her borders. However, the Sun Physician was not the first among them to reach out to Essetia and her troubled recruit. Instead, the moon-kissed lady called out to the spy, apparently meaning no harm despite her bold and careless entrance. She was mildly deceitful if Essetia had been looking to label her, especially after seeking to use Essetia’s key to gain entry to the South.

However, before she could properly scold the intruder, Sikeax began a small tirade that kept her from doing much at all. After all, Essetia wasn’t quite yet aware of the nature of the situation or of the fact that Luna had in fact been recruited by their Sun Physician. So, for a moment she waited until Sikeax had recovered from what appeared to be a bout of frustration or some other inward complication. If Essetia and Sabia had been closer, thy may have been able to hear her tantrum, but instead it was more like a silent movie—more action than dialogue.

When the Unicorn finally called out to Essetia (yelling and screaming aside), the spy nodded solemnly toward the Physician and turned back to Sabia with some hesitation. In some capacity Essetia wanted to wait for the chaotic duo toward which she was almost inclined to inquire about, but instead she moved on to cross the bridge. At least Sabia wasn’t daft enough to abandon her lead… “Well then, I guess this is one hell of a welcoming committee,” she sighed. “I guess you could say the Throat houses quite a few unusual characters.”