She doesn't know why, but she feels like something is watching her.

It is a strange feeling for the Dark Empress, for she is not a paranoid creature by nature. No, she prefers to feel as though she alone is in control, as though none can sneak up on her, surprise her. She is restless, with this strange feeling, and wanders from place to place within her lands, suspicion coloring her amber eyes with a rather shrewd, challenging mood. The hot springs, though pleasant, do not shake the feeling; the caves, though solitary, do not soothe her unease. And so she set off to patrol her lands, to wander their borders. Perhaps it was a futile effort, considering that the borders are cliffs, set with small caverns. The only way in or out is the pass, and so it is in that direction that she strikes out, pistons blurring into a smooth canter.

The pass is clear, the swirl of snow dusting the rocks unbroken. Warmth has pervaded the valley, but here, the Frostbreath Steppe's wintery breath reaches, its fingers evident in the chill of the breeze. It is not the frigid gusts of Frostfall, but it is cool nonetheless, and the shadow-mare moves on. At first, she thinks that the howl is the wind through the pass; but then it strengthens, sharpens, and she hones in on the noise coming from within their borders. Lobes pinpoint the source, and she is off to greet the intruder, a scowl on her features. It wouldn't be unheard of for a pack of wolves to venture into a herd, of course, but a lone wolf was an oddity in and of itself.

Her wariness is apparent in her approach: auds tilted back, nape arched, horn prominently displayed and kept pointed in his direction. There was a deadly look in her eye, more than the general malicious tint that they generally carried. It was a clear warning: come after her, or her kin, and you will die. But her vocals held none of the aggression, instead harboring a sickly sweet harmony, poisonous in its ability to lure in its prey. "Well, hello, stranger," she said cooly. "I am Lady Psyche, the leader of Aurora Basin. Might I inquire as to your title and your purpose here?"

""

What an odd creature.

In what world did wolves join the ranks of unicorn herds? Didn't he have his own kind somewhere that he could join? Amber orbs regarded him cooly, though her posture relaxed slightly. It was still the haughty stance of a queen, as was fitting for her status, but it was no longer a stance of prepared aggression. She noted his pride in his name, in his very being, it seemed, and listened to his words, watched as his plumed tail fell neatly around his paws. Well, he seemed polite enough, and he wasn't trying to rip her throat out. Yet, a voice added from the back of her mind. She viewed the predator with suspicion, as it was his instinct to hunt her kin - wasn't it?

Her mind turned to Bazilisk. He, too, was a predator, but she hadn't for a moment feared that he might turn on her - why? She felt a certain kinship with the snake, but not with the wolf. And how would the herd react if she allowed this creature to stay? There were some who questioned the addition of the serpent. But she had spoken, and so he had stayed. So it would be with Lupus, if she chose to allow him in. But first, questions. "Why should a wolf seek acceptance into a herd?" It was absurd, really.

""

""

His words piqued her interest, and she regarded him now with a slightly warmer gaze, allowing herself to relax more. Though she still held herself with a great deal of pride (bordering on arrogance), she rested a hind leg easily as she considered the wolf. She offered a predatory smile. "My dear friend, if you should wish to hunt outside our borders, be my guest," she told him with a touch of amusement. "My brethren an I share no love of outsiders, particularly when they are not of our blood." She wondered briefly if he would ally himself with the Plague, but shook the thought away; her followers would skin her alive if she admitted a non-unicorn into their ranks, regardless of his allegiances. But he would prove useful, she was sure, if only to her.

""