It was through the darkest of shadows that he moved through the Threshold, his black and white painted body blending spectacularly with the shadows that were offered. The spy’s honey-brown eyes were soft as he kept his eyes open, moving at a leisurely walk, as if truly in no hurry. Since his day spent with Phaedra in the Endless Blue, little had feared Apollo any longer… Darkness was one of them. In the Threshold, with the moon cascading its gentle caress of lights that cascaded through the trees, there was little to fear. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and that alone caused him not to worry. Where as in his home in the Deep Forest, the darkness was thick and inky, almost as if it were a substance that he could spear with his icy horn.

Here… It was pleasant. Relaxing, almost. With a small smile decorating his lips, the stallion picked up to a calm trot, nostrils flaring as he weaved through the trees. His foot falls were muffled, just gentle thud, thud, thud’s that echoed softly throughout the stale air of the Threshold… Long, ebony strands of his tail flicked free of the branches of a low-hanging tree, and with a snort the stag tossed his head, a feeling of freedom leaving him exhilarated. Since escaping the Kraken and defeating the wolves by the ocean, Apollo had found himself filled with a sense of pride. He and Phaedra were alive, surviving a pack of six wolves and a sea-monster with coiling, deadly tentacles…

So lost as he was in his thoughts, Apollo froze upon hearing a voice, softly cutting through the air. Pausing in mid-step, the stallion tilted his head, the ebony strands of his forelock cascading slightly over the base of his crystalline horn. The Unicorn snorted then and stamped a hoof.

“Hello?” He called, then ventured further forward, surprise pushing aside confusion when his honey-brown orbs landed upon the form of a rather pretty bay. She was a lovely creature, he surmised, who stood about his height, a dark mane and tail framing her figure in a pleasant way. Her scent was foreign and new, a clear sign that she wasn’t from Helovia… More than likely she was a stray who had just wandered in. Taking another step closer to get a closer look, a hint of concern marred his gentle gaze. She looked tired, this mare, as if she had been walking for a long, long time... Allowing a welcoming smile to cross his dark lips, the boyish stallion dipped his muzzle slightly, kind eyes locked on her.

“Hello there! I’m sorry if I startled you… My name is Apollo, and welcome to Helovia.” Straightening, he shook his head once more, blue horn catching a ray of moonlight. “It can be dangerous to wander the Threshold alone at night...”

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."

Apollo’s keen eyes noticed immediately how the bay mare twitched and stiffened, as if she was unused to being approached. Understanding that he may have intruded where he wasn’t wanted, the stallion halted in any advancement, allowing his head to drop slightly to appear less threatening. The last thing that he wanted to do was scare her, especially since the paint was far from the most intimidating creature to walk Helovia’s surface.

’Pleasure to meet you. I am Ilka.’ So, that was her name… Her words were soft, and Apollo’s black ears swiveled forward as he listened, head tilting slightly to the side with genuine interest. There were few in Helovia who he had actually met, aside from those of the Grey, his family. Allowing his smile to grow, he lifted his head, honey-brown eyes locked softly upon her pretty face. It was only then that he spotted her brown eyes… The color suited her, he thought to himself.

“The pleasure is mine, ma’am,” he said softly with a chuckle, lifting a hoof to idly scrape the appendage gently across the dirt beneath him, “And no, you haven’t bothered me. I was just taking a stroll and enjoying a night of freedom… Where you stand now is the Threshold of Helovia, the land that surrounds this forest. All newcomers to the area arrive here, actually.” The overo could vividly recall his own entrance into Helovia; where he had been chased in by wolves, only to be found by Phaedra and offered a home… A home. It was something that he loved having, somewhere structured where he could thrive and find purpose.

“Now, if I may ask, Ilka… What brings you into Helovia?”

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."

There was little he could do to help himself but tilt his head curiously to the side, watching with a strange sort of fascination as she mulled his words over in her head. In the back of his mind, Apollo was aware the he could very well be mimicking an own, but refrained from speaking of that out loud. It wouldn’t due to have Ilka think him ill in the head for saying such nonsense… Maybe if they got to know each other a bit more, then he could loosen up and joke around with her? That same smile upon his lips, the overo nodded.

“You’re very welcome, Ilka,” he said, a sense of pride swelling in his voice and causing him to puff his chest out rather adorably, “I’m glad that I could be of help to you.” Growing quiet once more, lest he make a fool of himself, Apollo listened as the auburn mare spoke of just why she had ventured into the Threshold. It sounded rather confusing, he surmised… But then again, who was he to judge? He had left his own home years ago, desperate to escape the unsafe ferocity that had become his herd-life… With a harsh shake of his head to rid himself of such thoughts, Apollo cleared his throat and spoke, honey-brown orbs landing once more on the bay and ebony creature standing before him.

“Honestly,” he began, taking a small step towards her. The grass beneath his hoof cushioned his weight, causing no sound to erupt from the bulk of his weight. “I would say that there’s no better place to start looking for a home than Helovia’s Threshold. There are many herds in this land; the World’s Edge, the Dragon’s Throat, the Windtossed Foothills, and the Aurora Basin…” Apollo trailed off then, brows pinching as the pondered just how to say what he was thinking. “Although… I’m afraid you won’t be allowed there, Ilka. It’s home to a group of racist unicorns, and they only like others with horns. If you’d like, I could lead you to one of the herds?”

Shifting his weight slightly, the stallion grew quiet, simply allowing for the bay mare to soak up what he said. There were many choices once one came into Helovia; where they would go, who they could meet, what their lives would entail… There were so many places one could call home, it was quite unnerving at times. “Of course… If you don’t want to live in a herd, you don’t have to.” Here, Apollo’s voice was once more tinged with pride. He was an outcast, yes, but that didn’t mean he was left without a family or a group of others to rely on. He would, however, refrain from mentioning his family for sake of secrecy. ”It’s completely up to you.”

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."

The longer that he found himself standing in Ilka’s presence, the more comfortable Apollo became, falling back into his boyish personality instead of the proper façade he had been displaying. He realized that she, too, was becoming accustomed to him being around, and seemed less fidgety and flighty. The mere thought made him smile. Tilting his head once more as she mare finally seemed to come to a conclusion, he listened, ears swiveling forward to better hear her softly spoken words.

“The Foothills?” He asked, honey-brown orbs taking on a rather quizzical glaze, “Oh, it is a lovely place, and not too far. A little ways north from here, I believe…” Abruptly, the unicorn paused and then shook his head, a good-natured chuckle leaving his dark lips. “I mean, I’ve never really walked through it, since I don’t really belong, but I’ve ventured past and it’s quite a beautiful place… If you’re looking for somewhere peaceful to settle down and start over in life, I’d definitely recommend it.”

Apollo hoped that his words would suffice, as he was speaking the truth. Never had he stepped foot in any herdland, for sake of being mistaken for one of the Basin-goers. Of course, despite the racist bunch who resided in the Frostbreath Steppe, there were those who weren’t racist that lived in the frozen tundra. He hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, of course… But, still; being a spy had its perks, and ears were everywhere.

Refocusing back on Ilka’s pretty face, the black and white overo could practically see the thoughts churning in her head, as if she were contemplating asking him another question. He kept a calm and collected, if not good-humored, expression upon his face, yet just as he was about to inquire if she needed anything else, she spoke. If you do not mind me asking. A loner? … How does it work out for you?’ Apollo paused for a second. How, indeed? No one had ever really bothered asking him such a question…

Clearing his throat, he thought for a few moments before answering, choosing his words carefully. “Well, Ilka… Honestly, at first, I wasn’t sure. I was kind’ve lonely, but the more I ventured around Helovia, the more friends I met. Now, I don’t mind it so much. I don’t think I’d join a herd even if the option was brought before me, ‘cause I’m perfectly content with where I am now.” He smiled, a handsome expression upon his maw. “I’ve found a home of my own, and that’s all I could ask for.” For structure had been the one thing that he desired all his life, and finally, he found it in the form of The Grey.

[ooc: It’s fine, dear. :3]

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."