With unseeing eyes, the older mare gazed back at her. She acknowledged her words as if from some other dimension, not truly hearing, and something about this lapse from reality shook Ophelia to her core. The young mare had never truly encountered one so old, as many died tragically in their youth. With the way the mare seemed to drift back and forth between this reality and another was horrifying. Was she possessed by some unknown thing? Was she mad? Was her mind truly that far gone to not even recognize the truth of the snow that laid beneath her own hooves?
And even more frightfully... would her own mind ever succumb to this disease?
The idea of her tomes of knowledge hidden in her perfect mind becoming meaningless and her thoughts void of reality was the worst hell she could imagine. How this poor mare must be suffering, though she seemed quite merry. Ophelia too had seen horrid and glorious things, but she was not so old, and her few years had granted her more than a lifetime of pain. The years to come were so distant and unknown, though she could not help but feel a shadow cast across her heart with thoughts of what lay ahead.
A new light shifted in the mare's eyes with such startling violence and speed that Phi jerked her head backward, eyes narrowing warily. Tinek, disturbed by the movement, hissed a breath of frost and blinked crimson eyes at the stranger, his gaze ever unwavering and his expression like a sphynx. As if a veil had been lifted, the pegasus seemed to truly see her know, recognizing her as female and the one who had been speaking. Ophelia's narrowed gaze was mired in curiosity, and she paused her cloven hooves in the deep snow, watching for the mare to slip into her other dimension again.
She seemed stable enough for now. Ophelia shook her head. "No, you are in unclaimed lands, free for all Helovians," she replied, the soft chime of her voice clear in the winter's chill. "I am not affiliated with any one herd, however I can show you the way if you wish to join one." Though Ophelia would enjoy having this mare's knowledge at her side, she was unsure of what Ktulu would think of her bringing home this ancient relic to their band of spies, mercenaries and healers. Something about this feathered mare was an enigma, something new, and Ophelia wanted to crack the shell of this mystery.
"Are you well?" she asked, her eyes dipping with concern. "I know a healer. Perhaps she can help you from... drifting like you did." Tinek was curious now, and the silver dragon stood on his bond-mate's white back, crawling up her crest to gain a better look at the graying mare.
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Weary Feet, Gotta Keep Truckin' It [Open]
