Faelene.
The golden's head shot up at the recognition of the faint scent drifting on the spring air. It sent pictures of the garnet tressed beauty flashing through his mind, and feathered limbs shifted almost instantaneously into a brisk canter towards the Throat's Northern border. His poor bonded, graced with the fitting title of Ember, scrambled to stay balanced on his back. A bothered sqauwk came from her small beak, obviously displeased with the sudden jolt of motion. She had come to connect with the massive pegasus, but his strange movements were still quite new to the youthful eagle.

Ice blue eyes scanned the horizon, finally catching the glint of ebon. A dusty stallion stood near her, and for the briefest of moments, unease grasped his chest. But the sight of the stag was a familiar one; he was Yiska, the newest scholar to the Throat. He would not pose any threat to Faelene; yet the mere sight of another male near her was enough to set his primal side on edge. Flaxen locks thrashed as his pace quickened even more.

"Faelene."
He greeted her softly, nearly breathless as he slowed to a halt a few steps away. It was no easy task, but he resisted the desire to go any closer. Not when what they had was so risky, and not when one of his herd members was present. It would be too dangerous for the both of them. Ember warbled inquisitively, her own gold stare flicking from the black unicorn to the equine. She kept her keen eyes on the strangers, but settled back into a more comfortable position on her bonded's back.

"Yiska, this is Faelene, a good friend of mine." He nodded to the dun as he gave the simple explanation, then turning his eager sights back to the silver eyed lady. "It is good to see you, Faelene. Much has happened since we last spoke." His chords hid the affection he felt for her expertly, but what fondness could be held in his frosted pools was present. There were many he knew who had not noticed his changes; unaware that his normally golden eyes had morphed into blue, nor the constant frost that laced his henna wings. But Faelene would see, surely, for she had looked upon him so intently in the past. Bald, burnt patches of skin still lay in haphazard patterns across his forelimbs and running to dot across his lower face, though Tor's healing had done the injuries well. Spots of Ember's young wings also showed the bare remains of the fire, though her pain was thoroughly eased away. What would Faelene think of this; of all the changes that lay so visibly across him?

The new scholar was quite astute, and for that, Leander was thankful. Still, there would be no way for his new friend to know if Faelene was anything more than a good friend. Unfortunately, the lack of knowledge in that area might also prove to be a bad thing. The palomino fought the desire to bare his teeth as someone else called Faelene, his Faelene, lovely. Her beauty was something that he longed to enjoy, and the thought of anyone else trying to charm her made his blood boil. Forcing a grin onto his sooty lips, he nodded pleasantly to Yiska, betraying the furious rush underneath. "Thank you, Yiska. You enjoy the day as well, and do not hesitate to find me if you ever want to talk." He let his usually warm words send the stallion on his way. He genuinely did like the equine, but his love for Faelene often had a way of twisting his soul into knots.

Frosted pools lingered on Yiska's russet form as it faded off into the distance, waiting until it was just a small dot on the horizon before turning back to Faelene. It was then that the mask started to fade; all the pain, confusion, worry, and weariness flashed through his face, a sigh of exhalation rising a stark white curl into the warm air. He did not have to hide all of these things from her. She loved him.

"I do not know where to begin, except that I've missed you." He spoke, tired gaze lingering in the depths of her ebon face before dropping to the sand at his feet. "Kri has appointed me to lead alongside her. I'm called the LionHeart now." He repeated the title Yiska had just addressed him with, a weak smile tensing his maw at the name. What would she think of his new position? A small part of him wondered if the realization would drive her away, for he would be responsible for defending the Throat against her group. But the rest of him knew better, for they had still held their affection, even after she'd lost her home to the Qian. They could overcome anything, couldn't they?

Ember had begun to grow restless upon his back, and had made the decision to scramble haphazardly up the arch of his neck to get a better look at the Unicorn mare. She squawked unpleasantly as Leander shifted his head to glance at her precarious position. Returning his sights to Faelene, this time with a more hopeful look, he spoke. "This is Ember. I rescued her from a tree fire, and I suppose she has rescued me from a good deal of loneliness." Chuckling softly, he took a step closer to the garnet locked fae. "Have you been well? I am glad Birdsong is finally here, it must make things much easier on you." There was the familiar hint of concern in his eye, the one he always got when worrying over her safety.

Cerulean pools caught the brush of her dark lips against his own, but the feeling he coveted so much was lost on his poor sense of touch. Grimacing, feathered limbs retracted a step back. He did not want her to feel to wrong cold of his skin, nor to watch her touch him when he could not feel. It was too painful, to see her so close, yet be so far away. The golden felt as enclosed in a sheet of snow as the beast he'd shattered had been.

Was the title really fitting? Lines of thought creased his brow as Faelene mentioned his new name. What if she knew how he had hurt that poor, foolish spy? How he had called a storm forth from the sky, to defend the bond of their loves from that impudent filly's assumptions? Would she still think him fitting of such a noble title then? Distracting him from his thoughts as usual, Ember began prodding strands of his flaxen mane with her sharp beak, picking around as if trying to clean the masses of hair. She had decided that the Unicorn mare was nothing to be concerned of, though she could see her bonded was well interested in her. And if he liked the mare, than she must be decent enough. She would glance over at the ruby adorned female every so often, sometimes still holding a lock of Leander's mane in her gold beak.

Letting himself sidle a bit closer to Faelene, the palomino raised his as she spoke of her herd. It was the most she'd ever talked to him about the group, besides some brief mentionings of Mauja in the past. It was like a tearing of the soul. He wanted to be completely happy that Faelene had found a home; and he was relieved that she would have adequate shelter now. But the most of her group would not be happy with only the new land, and it was clear that even she feared for their violent whims. He fought a scowl when she spoke of Psyche; listening to anyone call that hot-headed bitch a lady was enough to set him on edge. She was no matriarch; just another fool hungry for power and ready to lead a desperate group to their demise. With a hardened gaze, Leander stared out across the sand. Did Faelene know that her new queen was now a prisoner of his own land? Sooty ears swiveled gently in each direction, making absolutely sure of no one else's presence before continuing. "I am glad you have a more reliable place to call home now, Faelene. But you are right to worry about lady Psyche. I have spoken to her myself, and she sees no need for peace. Stealing from the herds will put many of yours in danger. I cannot, I will not, prevent violence if my friends are being held against their will." Fury pooled into his pale orbs, and suddenly his frame was held a few notches higher. There was no excuse for thievery, and it would be dealt with. Still, Faelene would not have taken anyone, that much he was sure of. A weary sigh slid from his maw, and his gold crown shook shortly. "I know you do not want this anymore than I. I only wish I knew how to find a compromise between yours and mine. Both parties must be willing for that, though, and that is what I cannot help." For a few moments he remained silent, hoping she would not grow angry at his sentiment for her new leader. He could not deny his dislike for Mauja's replacement, no more than he would deny his dislike for the ex-Edge king himself. Soon Faelene began to ask another question. Part of him had hoped she wouldn't notice his eyes at all, but it was clearly in vain. "I was with the foals." He began, vision once again locking on the horizon. "There was a white stallion. I went to see who it was, but it wasn't really a stallion at all. It was made of snow. I know this doesn't sound possible, but it came to life. It attacked me, and I fought back. I broke it apart, and a blue orb rose from the center and fell into my skull." Worry was etched across his face as he recalled the fight, trying for the first time to explain to someone what had happened. "I don't know what it was, but I believe it was a spirit, and not one of good intent. I have not been the same since it happened. It takes barely anything for me to get angry. I can do things that I could not do before."

Faelene's sweet voice, the one which had been so often soothing on his soul, turned sharp as she spoke of Psyche. Did she actually feel some loyalty to that bitch? Ashen ears twisted backwards as she defensively commented on the mare's title, but he would not let those ears burrow into his mane. Anger began to flare within him, unchained despite his desperate desire to keep Faelene from it. It was unbearable. Thoughts of the spy pegasus, snow covered and frightened, flashed through his mind before fury's blur began to overtake such memories. "If she does anything to the Throat, it will cost her." He spoke, voice quiet yet deep, venom lacing the words. He would kill Faelene's leader if she even stole one member of his herd. He would rip those trinkets from her mane one by one, and tie her horn into his own. Porcelain eyes began to freeze over with rage, showing only a bit of Leander's struggle to contain his emotions.

"If your group is foolish enough to want violence, then maybe they need to be granted their wish and learn the hard way." Raising unyielding blue eyes to the dark of her face, he let his chords hang on the air. He could not help being this way, could not keep his anger from taking control of his speech at the very least. If he could only keep himself from hurting her, than talking to her this way would be worth it. Even as she tried to reassure him, to comfort him, he shifted back away from her once again, furious and terrified of causing any harm to her.

She spoke about his situation, talking of Demons. Yes. A demon. The name felt right for the thing that held him, for it was no normal spirit which caused his demeanor to run so volatile. A fleeting plea flashed across his features, for the shortest of seconds replacing the anger. "You must go. I am not myself. I don't want to hurt you, Faelene. Please." The last bit of resolve had drained from him. He would be able to control his rage no more. The brawny palomino turned, away from the ruby locked maiden who meant so well, and began to walk back towards the center of the Throat. Ember had turned to look back at the dark mare, wondering why Leander was leaving her so quickly.




[ooc: Leander is having a mood swing due to the Demon possession. Faelene can try to stop him if she wants to, but he will likely get violent/worse. xD Sorry for the drama <3]