A gentle spring breeze carried th kind-hearted shaman from her homeland. Her body was painted, a brilliant pure white interlaced with her mother's chocolate brown. While Kaj may have been a blend of his favorite elements, Onni was a perfect blend of her father and mother in appearance. You might ask the mare if her personality was a mix of both of her parents, but she had never properly met Zodiac; Kri rarely spoke of the stallion. As for her mother, Onni was very different in personality from the hothead of the Throat. Patient, kind, forgiving - a light aura radiated from the mare, bestowing even those who did not necessarily deserve a sweet smile with one to carry in their mind.

Like the soft airs upon which she floats, the mare who had faced her fair share of tragedy and challenges ruled her own life with a calm, serene outlook and treated everyone she met with care. The healer had long since turned from her training received from the stallion she came to view as her father, Voltaic the Samurai. Formerly hardened muscles were slackened to reveal a more lithe frame. Onni was more thin than she had been in her peak of strength, but she was hardly the elegant creature many admired. Average of height and build, kind-hearted Onni was far from statuesque. Any beauty that could be claimed by the mare was not, her modesty reigning supreme, especialy when she turned contemplation toward herself.

Certainly, Onni was not worthy of praise like the gleaming golden body of the pegasus below, drawing her light blue eyes to rest on his figure even from the distance between them. The glimmer of the spring rolling across the meadow, along with the reflected sun on the coat of this stranger, invited the painted mare to tilt her wings back toward the earth and join in a quick round of conversation and a sip to quench the thirst in her throat. Gentle circles bring her ever closer toward the ground, a slow descent likely noticed by the stallion at the bank of the small river. When her hooves finally meet with lush green fields, her face is already turned toward Kaj, a smile decorating her lips in welcome, even if she has no right to extend it. They were not standing within the Dragon's Throat, but on the turf of the Wilds.

"Hello," her voice - the ring of a small bell. A trill announces the small bird resting easy on her wing, nestled between the mass of blond hair and chocolate feathers. "I am Onni, Shaman of the Dragon's Throat." A quick walk brings her toward the side of the stallion, minding a few paces to keep from making him uncomfortable by her approach.
""

Calm, steady, like the wind which curled over Onni's body gently to remind that Birdsong still had a hint of winter's refreshing chill. Under the glimmer of the sun, the wind was welcomed much the same as Kaj had just been. The painted mare standing easily a few feet from his side, light eyes of the sky watching him with a shy curiosity. The deep crimson of Lyhty's eyes follow his movements as well, the little songbird hopping easily along her wing and shoulder. Occasionally, the small black beak reaches up to preen her blonde mane, seeking comfort as the healer's attention has shifted to this stranger. The pair did not have the luxury of words, but Lyhty knew his bonded was often blindly trusting of those she did not know. Never had Onni found herself in a situation where she was within the reach of harm, but the small songbird still worried for the sweet mare.

Naive, trusting. Was there any reason for her not to be as such?

Certainly, Onni had plenty of lessons to teach her that life was not always a blue summer sky. There had been plenty of thunderstorms shaking the core of her home, separating her from her mother, tearing rifts between her beloved mentor and she, and shadows chasing her to a new home. In this new home, the shaman had found light beside the darkness. Her spirit had chosen the light, not surprisingly, though some may doubt the pureness of the former warrior in training. If any were in doubt, it was not this golden stallion offering her an unexpected bow. Quite taken aback, the mare's light eyes widened before settling back in a calm expression. A deep bow of her neck is offered to this stranger as well, resulting in a displeased squawk from Lyhty, who was nearly dislodged from her shoulder from the movement. The peel of a golden laugh break's Onni's lips, looking over her shoulder with a patient smile.

"Apologies, my friend," she whispers to the bird before turning her attention back to their company, who introduces himself after lifting with a smile. Smiles were much more familiar to Onni in contrast to reverence. Though she had been the healer in the Throat practically since she arrived in this land so many months ago, there had been few who treated her as one worthy of such respect. Being a creature of a modest soul, perhaps it was just as well. Onni did not know how to handle being fawned over; her mother certainly had never treated her in such a way. A gruff upbringing, but not one lost of love.

At his question, the tobiano begins to look around the meadow, taking in the beauty of Birdsong, the blooming flowers and the gentle green of grass. "A beautiful morning always treats you well. It reminds me I have not left my home in far too long," she says sheepishly, looking at the glimmering water to escape meeting the gaze of Kaj. The reality was that the shaman had become little more than a hermit, living solely within the red expanse of the desert and rarely leaving it. The outside of the desert was just as beautiful as her crimson home. She was glad to have ventured out this morning. "How are your fellow warriors of the Edge, Kaj? Have they recovered well from the invasion?" A pale face turns to one of burnished gold, looking at him intently. She did not recognize his face from the battle in the forest, so perhaps he would be surprised by her mention of war. Still, the healer could not help but wonder how her former patients were doing. Were they well? Had they recovered from their wounds completely?
""

Fleeting was the shadow that crept across Kaj's face. Onni had seen in flicker across, just as she had turned her attention back toward him from Lyhty. It was not surprising for anyone to hold demons in their mind, past memories which snag your conscious thought and twist your face into ugly expressions. If not for surpassing optimism, Onni might appear the same. She remembered on the shores of the Endless Blue, meeting a stranger and revealing her own fresh wounds. Sparrow, that was the buttermilk stallion's name, who she had shared strange questions with. This was a habit of Onni's, obviously, to ask such pointed and direct questions that were likely out of place in small talk.

While the once solitary mare had come a very long way in her ability to interact with others, there were still times, much like now, that her awkward conversation strategies made her novice apparent. She was not a socialite, did not understand the ways of subtlety, was blind to hidden meanings often in conversation, and appeared absent of what lines of familiarity were proper when talking with others. Kaj was little more than a stranger, yet Onni spoke to him with warm tones that, while perhaps shy in their delivery, were not suggestive that she viewed him as anything short of a friend. Indeed, she assumed his company well enough to ask him of the other World's Edge soldiers, though the mare had no idea about his past or if he had become acquainted with them. Delving into serious topics while avoiding light hearted banter was just a unique trait to the soft-spoken mare from the land of the Sun, one that she had carried for most of her life.

Perhaps because she knows no better, Onni holds no suspsicion of Kaj's words. The mare only smiles, glad to have made the acquaintance of this larger golden male as well on this day. Any other possible constructs of the words were absent of her mind, no ulterior motives needed. "Home holds many comforts. I think it is only natural to wish to stay in its warm embrace," the shaman nods with her words in response to the statement that he too enjoyed remaining in the land he called home. What a strange coincidence that two such homebodies would stumble upon each other on their adventures. Some might say the hands of fate had crossed their paths, but Onni would find this foolish. She had met a deity of this land, and thought he would likely have no interest in which mortal met which.

The serious topic of soldiers, stealth, and war comes about, shattering reverie, but leaving the painted mare no less pleased to be in the company of this new stallion. Her eyes keep locked upon Kaj's, even as he voice becomes more somber to match the heavier topic. Onni had heard of the ambushes taking the head of the Edge and others captives, her mother's own form of vengeance bringing some of the Basin to reside within the borders of the Throat. She had little interest in politics, however, and chose to remain quiet, though she felt that holding prisoners of your enemy was a dangerous game in itself. She nods, unable to offer him little else, despite being pleased that he is becoming closer with his fellow warriors. A warm enough bond, it seems, to call them brothers. A happy glint rests in her eyes, but she keeps quiet.

Kaj had no personal knowledge of the invasion, and for some reason, this makes the healer happy. His beautiful golden figure did not seem fit for battle, regardless of his title as a soldier. He looked more like a peaceful character, though she was certain he had earned the rank of a warrior in his home through skill. It was odd, to invision his chocolate brown hooves dealing damage to another. It was more odd, she supposed, to imagine a healer being a skilled fighter. The world was strange. "So you are relatively new to this land," she states, rather firmly, but not judgmentally. It was refreshing to think that others found refuge in Helovia still. It was a land graced by tentative peace, despite the occasional invasions that rocked the land and stole away her mentor. Her eyes close momentarily, thinking of Voltaic's body crumpled and broken on the red sand.

Something were better left untouched in your memory.

"I am glad to hear they are well," she says, opening her eyes with a smile again. It would be better not to worry this stallion with things that were trapped in the past. There was no way to fix it. His next words intrigue her, and the shaman takes a curious light on her pale face as she listens. Lyhty, sensing her interest, scoots vaguely closer toward the golden stallion, chirping quietly. She pauses for thought, her face slightly distant before her focus returns. "Our homes are tied by alliances, but I am not one to care for such things," her voice is soft yet serious, the healer speaking as she might to a pupil. "The true duty of one with the ability to heal is to aid those who need it, regardless of imaginary lines drawn by society. I would not deny my gift to any who ask."

Genuine light on her face, Onni is happy to speak of her gift given by the God of the Sun. "I worry for my patients, maybe like a parent for their child." It seems contemplative, her words and the look that casts over her face. His offer is kind; she cannot deny his pure intentions. However, a flush of shyness crawls up in her chest, and she might blush beneath the white of her coat. Looking back toward the glittering stream, the mare lets out a breath. "You should not trouble others with my concerns. I am pleased to have improved their lives. That is happiness enough, but thank you for your kind offer, Kaj."
""

Silently taking in information, Onni's ears are attentive and perked, her head held steady upon her neck, light blue eyes watching gently as Kaj speaks. Filing away the information that he plans to stay, but not actively responding to it aside from the occasional nod of her head to note that she was mulling it over. With no home in Isilme to return to, Onni had found herself here in the land of Helovia. Were it not from the push directly from Voltaic, it was possibly the painted girl would have had her life claimed defending her beloved island home from the shadows of the dead. An eerie thought to consider but no less true. There had been a time when Onni was little more than a warrior, fighting to protect those she loved much like her mother. Now, she was quite the opposite of her formal self.

Instead of battling with her hooves, Onni battled with the light of fire to heal the wounds cause by others. Ultimately, the business of protection had never changed, just the method in which she chose to go about it. However, there was no decisive moment in which the girl had found herself changing from the rank of a soldier. In truth, the God of the Sun had chosen her with his own will, granting her the ability to be the vessel for his holy light soon after her arrival. She had been drawn to the Dragon's Throat for its similarity to the Crimson Cliffs, but she had stayed to follow the calling of a healer. It was during this time she began to see Helovia as home, her new home. The Dragon's Throat would be a land she would die for, if necessary, but she hoped that day would never come. Let peace fall upon her beloved home. Let her stay in its welcoming arms underneath the light of the sun.

Kaj, apparently being a homebody, would understand her love for the land, even if it was not the red home that had claimed part of her heart. It was because of this that the mare began to grow less concerned about infringing upon his personal space, taking a few steps closer toward the bank of the river, hooves sinking slightly in the wet sand as she lowers her head for a quick drink of water. When she had begun speaking of the alliances, it seems her tone had stirred some worry in the heart of Kaj, as he quickly apologizes for perhaps offending her. Onni smiles, a show of forgiveness, but more to assure him that she was not worried in the least about it. "You needn't worry. It takes much more to offend me," she says, her voice calm and genuine. "The Qian is my mother's oldest remaining ally." There had been others, but they had fallen apart like grains of sand. Onni did not ask where they came from, nor where they had gone to hide. Politics were frankly not her arena, and that is one similarity she shared with her mother well.

"I am," she hums in response to his question, Lyhty understanding the word and chirping excitedly. "And Lyhty is my helper," a smile on her face as she glances to the small bird on her wing. Slightly embarrassed by being mentioned, the bird hides his small black face behind a larger chocolate feather. Onni, too, was quite shy when it comes to compliments, and her face makes an abrupt escape to the sky as Kaj mentions how she likely takes pride in her talent. An impressive individual? The modest mare would flee from such a statement, if it would not paint her as a fool in this situation. Instead, she is rooted to her position, looking up at the blue sky painted with soft clouds and sunlight. In all honesty, the painted girl thought herself rather mundane, one who did things from necessity. She wished to be of use to others, not to impress upon them. As long as she had become a mare her mother could take pride in, Onni was pleased. There was no need for superfluous admiration.

Almost as if she did not hear his statement, the girl remains quiet, the beads of her blonde mane clinking as a slight breeze tugs at her face and refreshes her nerves. "As long as they are well," a smile renewed on her face as she speaks to Kaj. "That will be my joy." While it would please him to deliver a message, Onni wondered if the warriors of the invasion could recall her name or face from the turmoil of the battle's aftermath. Burned land, flesh, blood, broken bones - it reminded her very much of the destruction of her home and the invasion of the Shades. Dragon fire did little to harm the shades, but it had taken its toll on several unicorns of the Edge. The shaman remembered the taste of burnt flesh on her tongue as she stood amid the aftermath. War was not kind to any, not the victors and especially not the medics.

Kaj's question takes her quite by surprise, and her pale face moves instantly back to meet his gaze, sky blue pools widened for a moment, obviously caught off-guard. She glances down quickly, trying to gather her thoughts as to what to say. The painted mare thought her story would be a disappointment, as she had never made a conscious decision to seek out healing abilities. Her lips tug into a momentary frown before she looks up. "I never chose to be a healer, though maybe I secretly desired it so. I came to Helovia as a warrior," she says honestly, see no valid reason to lie, unless she had wanted to seem impressive to him - there was that word again. "I felt a warmth touch my heart when I entered the Dragon's Throat shortly after my arrival here in Helovia. As far as I know, that was the moment that my powers came to me."

"Without asking, without even thinking about healing, I became the Shaman," she smiles, thinking about the golden deity of her home guiding her from a most foreign and foul decision of resorting to violence to avenge Cera. He had been kind, though reserved, and Onni had found within him the mentor she had been longing. "The God of the Sun has always known better than me the language of my heart."
""

Being one who did not understand possess the finesse of conversation, Onni was hard-pressed to find individuals who did not seem to notice her at times awkward mannerisms. Long pauses of silence are taken without a thought to her conversational partner, and luck would have it that Kaj was just the type to ignore her lapses in etiquette. In fact, he seemed as equally as distracted by thoughts and the beauty of the day, which made it all the easier for Onni to flatly ignore the need to fill gaps of silence. While many would probably feel uncomfortable in her quiet presence, the tobiano felt a sort of companionable silence here in the company of Kaj. The discourse was friendly enough, filling Onni's heart with the light glow of happiness that she could find one to share her mind with.

Long periods of time spent wandering had left the mare a bit rough around the edges, but she was kind and friendly enough, while still embarrassingly shy about particular things. Kaj's words draw a giggle from her mouth, and Lyhty hops up cheerfully in response as well. "Do I really look the sort to be so confrontational?" Her pale face is happy, not accusatory. The slight folly of thinking her to be easy to offend was one she found amusing, never having had any make the mistake before. Perhaps, when they discovered she was the daughter of Kri the Resolute they would reconsider, but Onni was her own individual. The pair, while close, were so vastly separated in personality you would almost never make the connection until they were standing side by side. There were plenty of similar features externally to her mother, but aside from the determination of the little paint, the illuminant healer would never match up with the Commander. Not so long ago, Onni would have felt shame in admitting that she was so different from the mother she had idolized as a girl, but she had matured past this point.

To be your own individual was beautiful and honorable.

The arch of the stallion's brow did not go unnoticed, and Onni takes a breath as she realizes she may have stepped too lightly upon a topic otherwise avoided. The Shaman had no interest in garnering respect through the name of her mother, but regardless it occurred. Still, Kaj says nothing about it, only tucking the information away for potential later reference and giving her an odd glance. The mare was thankful he did not press her further on the matter of Kri, as she was painfully aware of how many tended to dislike the little bay. She could not entirely blame those who chose to abhor her mother, but the tobiano knew the greatest fault of her mother was the tendency of her personality to be misinterpreted. Much like the Sun God, her temper had led to many misunderstandings. Onni would never abandon her mother, but that did not hold any other to her side.

The blue sky above calls her to soothe the strange fit of embarrassment the shaman feels at Kaj's compliments, eyes of the same tone finding comfort in the ocean above. So busy avoiding looking toward the golden boy in case he should slip in another boast for her sake that she doesn't notice as he extends a soft muzzle toward her side. It is with surprise that Onni realizes she is being touched, gently, and jumps a little out of her skin. Unhappily, Lyhty screeches at Kaj for startling the mare, only to be clucked and chided at by the paint. "Shh, Lyhty," she says, a voice for a misbehaving child. "It is alright." In the process, her eyes turn back to fall upon the face of her company, light eyelashes still turned slightly downward to hide shy pools of crystalline blue. Her voice is heavy, thick, and tight in her throat, finding its way to the surface with no sense of ease, feeling all the more embarrassed as she reluctantly accepts the compliments of the stallion, face shuffling back away to the surface of the twinkling water. "Thank you, Kaj."

Speaking of the Sun God settles the race of her heart, feeling the warmth that his presence brings her. Above, the sun shines with a gentle light, and it radiates into her soul. To be without the guiding deity she had come to respect would be tragic, much like her loss of former beacons. While she trusted the golden steed of fire and light, Onni wished to better understand his ways. That he felt her suitable for the role of healer was rather amazing to her, for even when aiding Silverline on the shores of the Islands, the painted girl had thought forlornly how she was built better to protect through force than with a gentle hand. The push given to her by the Sun was all it had taken to convince her otherwise, though not immediately and not without practice. She had been too novice to save Voltaic, and that scar still tore across her heart painfully. Still, all of the faces of those she saved were comfort for the failures, no matter how massive an impact their loss had taken on her.

"I think he is lonely," Onni says frankly, when Kaj speaks of how special it is for him to have taken an interest in her. "He tries very hard to distance himself, but the Sun cannot hide his light." Smiling to Kaj, she seems a bit sheepish, speaking of a great God as though she knew his inner workings. She did not, but from the experience he had given her, the advice and the comfort, the magic that healed those who live in this world, the mare cannot help but believe that the God of the Sun is kind. "I believe he cares about us mortals a lot more than he would have us know. Because of this, I have no regret assuming the duty of a shaman."
""