With a sullen nod at the kind stallion's words, the mare began to move forwards again. She knew that he meant only to be considerate and take her mind off of the past, but the mare couldn't help but feel like she had just been dealt a blow to the stomach. Her act of cowardice was not something that she liked to confess to openly, and it had emotionally drained her to tell him of what she had not been brave enough to do, and she couldn't help but feel that Thor was supporting her in a criticizing way. He may not have said it so freely, but Sulwyn picked up on the double-edged meaning of his words.

We are a family that comes together in the toughest of times. Sulwyn was sure that those words would now haunt her.

Shaking their past conversation off like a crisp brown leaf withering from its stem, the vixen turned her attention to the land they they were approaching. The faint wisps of mist from before were growing into thick clouds and pressing against the travelers' hides, and billows of steam wafted out through Sulwyn's nose with each breath. The smell of salt was steadily growing stronger, and silver ears pricked slightly at the roaring of distant waves. The mustang had never seen the ocean before, and therefore did not know what to think of it. Were the crashing waves going to be a nuisance when she tried to gather her thoughts, or was the melodious rhythm going to help lull the mare to sleep when she laid her head down to rest?

The thought of seeing the giant monster of an ocean was miniscule compared to the thought of resting her golden gaze on the figures of her new herd, and Sulwyn immediately began to feel restless. The stab of pain that came when she thought of her parents was dulled by the mare's anxiety over meeting a cluster of judgmental and inquisitive gazes all boring down at her at once, and the mustang shivered. She had a habit of making things out to be worse than they seemed, and it seemed that that habit was not going to leave her be, either.

Left to worry over the reputation that her first impression would leave her with, Sulwyn didn't notice that there was another horse waiting to greet them. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, in fact, that she didn't look up until her shoulder brushed against one of Thor's wings, startling her. The fae was met with even more surprise when she rested her gaze on the other's brow; there, nestled between each brilliant orb, was a long, spiraling horn.

Sulwyn's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the protrusion on her forehead, but she knew better than to let her jaw hang open in astonishment. Instead, the mare followed suit and turned her eyes to her hooves, giving a deep bow before bringing her head up to look at the horn again. As if to make up for rudeness, the mare nickered, "Forgive me, stranger, but I've not seen a unicorn until just this day. I am known as Sulwyn, and I have come to understand that you are Hellena?"

A quick glance at the dappled mare showed that she was indeed not an equine. As if her gleaming horn was not proof enough, each of the unicorn's slender legs ended with a dainty cloven hoof. The mustang felt almost light-headed at the sight of the mythical beast, but she kept herself from acting out. All creatures were made equal, and Sulwyn simply refused to appear prejudice towards a horse that was not of her own species.

Looking to Thor for approval, the equine greeted, "I am most delighted to meet you, fair Hellena."

That works just fine with me ^^

Stout silver legs shuffled awkwardly as friendly banter was passed from one beast to another. The owner of those antsy legs was feeling rather... uncomfortable, for lack of a better word, with the flow of conversation that passed so easily from these two strangers. She envied them, to say the least, and longed to be so at ease with the pair of them as they were with each other.

Nervous golden eyes cast their gaze on gentle brown ones, searching for encouragement. She knew that she had a friend in the big bay stallion, and that he would always be there to guide her, but to what extent? When did his kindly act as an elder sibling reach its limit? Not that the mare wanted him to stop being so generous towards her; she really appreciated it -- she'd still be wandering around the Threshold, completely passing Helovia by if not for him. She just knew from experience that all good things end in misery.

"I don't think you've informed me of much, now that the lady mentions it," the grulla's worrisome eyes now shone with a playful glimmer, and she found that her spirits were beginning to pick up as she became more engaged in the conversation.

"I'd love to hear more about the hierarchy of the Edge, but that can wait until we're settled in, can't it? I'm afraid that my hooves will fall off from exhaustion, and I'm sure that you must be tired too, sir." Sulwyn reached out with her silver lips to scratch at his withers, her neck almost having to go completely vertical to reach the stallion's great height. Her gesture of friendship, although not as subtle as she had wanted it to be, had completely opened the floodgates of her mind. It felt incredibly liberating to be so open towards another, to lessen the burden that she carried upon her shoulders, and to interact with someone after so many months of traveling. It was like she had let down the stage curtain, and now the still-developing props and the unprepared actors were all vulnerable to the scrutinizing gaze of the audience. It was like taking a breath of fresh air, to finally be able to let the acts and scenes of her own personal play be witnessed for the first time.

Sorry guys, I'm just not feeling it tonight. I tried DX