The sun was still on the rise when Aurelius stepped onto the Threshold, but it was already stinging. The tall trees here provided little relief, casting soothing shadows upon the sod below; all the while the sun was gathering strength from its throne in the sky. Aury sighed and shook his nape, trotting on relentlessly. With a naturally dense coat, he was meant for a much cooler climate, but he wasn’t one to complain. The dwarfen steed halted on a small inclination of the terrain, peering about with his mismatched eyes. Ears pricked forward to catch any sound of approaching souls, but he was once again disappointed. Truth be told, he had little idea of where he was headed, and he would very much appreciate a sort of guide who could give him a bit of a hint. Aury didn’t mind traveling alone, with his impressive set of horns, the predators seldom had the courage, but he wasn’t a great navigator. A long time ago, someone had told him something about the sun and the stars, and how you could use them to show the way, but it had long since skipped his memory.

Snorting, he flicked his silvery tail lazily to chase off a pair of cheeky bloodflies, once again pacing forward, this time at a slow stroll. The chocolate colored stag was well aware of the other dangers the forest may impose, but he hadn’t stumbled upon anyone of a malicious agenda just yet. Aury could talk his way out of anything either way; his lack of physical magnificence had resulted in a sharp mind and a golden tongue. It had gotten him out of many a jam through time, but then again, it was often that same tongue that had gotten him into trouble in the first place. The thought made him smirk; sometimes he really ought to keep his mouth shut. Striding up to a small pool, Aurelius dipped his nose greedily in the water. It tasted sour, like it had been still for too long, but he didn’t care. Sweat was soaking through his pelt and he needed to restore his reserves. Looking up, he realized there wasn’t much grass around, just some foreign foliage that he wasn’t sure if he should risk consuming. Getting caught alone out here with a poisoning would be a rather unfortunate turn of events. He decided to go hungry; maybe he could reduce a bit of his growing girth, making him more attractive to the fair maidens of this new land. Once again he smirked, deciding to stay in the shadow by the pool for a while, just to catch his breath, and see if someone would happen to find his way.

"¤"

[Done]

Aurelius took time to glance around the area, slowly becoming familiar with the new lands. Truth be told, solitude had always bored him, he by far preferred some company. A rustling of leaves made him prick his ears expectantly, but he was disappointed as a doe stepped out from the forest. The creature sniffed around and nipped at some foliage, hadn’t spotted Aury in the shadows. It wasn’t exactly this kind of company he’d had in mind. Dozing off a bit, he leaned on the solid trunk of the tree next to him, yawning. This heat was making him awfully drowsy, so when the doe suddenly scrambled off, he jumped in surprise. What had scared it? At once he was fully awake, flaring his nostrils to try and catch a scent on the wind, anything that could hint to the approaching. Apart from the musky smells of the overheating forest, he caught a sweet perfume that caused a smile to creep upon his features. A belle, he thought to himself, and he wasn’t disappointed. Moments later, a striking golden femme came into his view, moving closer and greeting him. This day had just gotten a whole lot better.

Now, Aurelius had seldom been accused of being handsome. Where he had come from, he had been the bastard, he had been spit on and kicked at, but he had gotten used to it. His mother had been an equine who had a brief rendezvous with his sire, a unicorn herdleader. When she died giving birth to him, his father had taken him under his wing, much to the dismay of his true mate. The members of this new herd hadn’t been very appreciative of a halfblood, and even though they weren’t much larger than him, he had always been mocked for his stocky build. His mismatched eyes, his stunted legs, his coarse hair – he had plenty counting against him. But that was all in the past now. Aurelius stood up straight and nodded at the femme respectfully, voicing his greeting as well. "Hello to you, m’lady. I must admit the weather isn’t exactly becoming me, but I’m not one to complain," he said in a smooth voice, shifting his weight on his feet. "I believe introductions are in order. I’m Aurelius, son of Gerion, of the Amber Isles. I’m weary of travel and looking for a place to rest." A pleasant smile remained on his face, queer eyes fixated on the stranger before him. She was a beauty, and he instantly became curious about her. Hopefully, some of his questions were about to be answered.

Aurelius was a hardy creature, strong for his size, but by now he was certain that he couldn’t point out one body part that wasn’t aching. With his relatively short legs, the travel had taken him much longer than one of regular size, and the heat made his joint swell slightly. Now wasn’t the time to show weakness, however, not while standing in front of a female. As he was about to reply to her introduction, he was interrupted by the arrival of yet another stranger. His left ear flicked back and forth a couple of times at the sight of the massive, ivory steed. This stallion towered well above him, but that wasn’t going to intimidate Aury. Something about him seemed peculiar; the drawven stag couldn’t point out what it was. He introduced himself as king, and Aurelius nodded his head respectfully, but nothing more than what he had offered Solstice upon her arrival. So he was a king, that didn’t mean much to Aury – he had no idea if he was the only one in this land holding that title, or if every other hessian with his head in the clouds could pronounce himself king of something something.

Aurelius counted himself a gentleman, so naturally he took time to respond to Solstice before returning to the newcomer. "Thank you for welcoming me, Lady Solstice," he said politely. Turning to the white brute, he raised his crown to look him in the eye. "Your highness, a pleasure," Aurelius spoke, simply nodding at Mauja’s notion about the weather. He could only agree the thought of a blizzard seemed eerily attractive right now. The slick smile on Mauja’s face made Aury ponder about his intentions, but then again he was always suspicious of stranger stallions. He didn’t know either of these horses, but he felt a certain distance between them, certainly they weren’t warmhearted in their interaction. As Solstice started speaking, he pricked his ears towards her, listening and trying to absorb the information in his weary mind. The names didn’t tell him much, be it of the souls who dwelled there or the climate in which it was located, so he decided to investigate further. "Tell me Lady Solstice, who rules The Windtossed Foothills? I would love to hear more," he said gently. He needed more information in order to make a decision.

Looking back to Mauja, he fell quiet for a moment. He wasn’t sure if an all-unicorn herd was what he wished to go through again, considering how rotten his former dwelling had been, but here they didn’t know his history. They didn’t know of his heritage, that his mother was an equine and that he was a bastard. "I would appreciate to learn about The World’s End as well, Lord Mauja." He sensed he would have to use his cunning around this one, but he also saw opportunities in joining the white stag. Time would have to tell which he would choose to follow.