The sun was hot on the palomino’s mangy hide. She had lost great clumps of hair to some parasite or another, and now her bare skin was constantly exposed to the harsh sun of Tallsun. Her wings had already become quite severely sunburned - blistering unpleasantly - and now her shoulders and spine threatened to do the same. Had the Goddess of the Moon desires to conflict such grueling physical trauma on the mare, as well as strip her of her beauty? Did she know what her cruel punishment would entail? Phae still believed that she was being punished; this was no mere quest, this was revenge. Revenge for being too beautiful? Revenge for forcing the Goddess down from the clouds to hear her out?

Pregnancy was perhaps the worst punishment of all - the period of being sick in the morning had passed, but now she had to deal with her swelling belly. Given her curse, she was not privy to the warm ‘glow’ that some pregnant mares experienced; Phae was still as hideous and disgusting as ever. The oddest part, was having a belly fully of life, pushing out against her emaciated frame. Although Phae felt no hungrier than normal, her body had caved in on itself, as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks, and yet her belly still protruded against her ribby-sides. Surely the Goddess’s magic would not affect the foal...? Would she truly be so cruel? Then again, perhaps that would be a blessing...whatever were She and Tolio going to do, given the nature of their relationship, and the herds that they were a part of it? Well, that he was a part of. Surely The Grey wouldn't care...? That she didn't know either. She had meant to find Ktulu or Ophelia and let them know, but both twins had been scarce as of late. Frowning, Phae made her way down the steep incline to the water below. She felt her hooves sliding unsteadily on the descent, her muscles deteriorated and her coordination gone. She couldn't even curse properly, as she had lost all but 3 teeth. From above, Stella whistled slowly, trying to soothe her bonded’s frustration, but to no avail. Ignoring the secretary bird, the only real giveaway to her identity, Phae moved towards the water.

Her sunken green eyes look almost happy as the ocean enveloped her aged and withered body. The salt stung her open wounds, but equally cooled her skin down at the same time. Having no mane or tail, the waves rolled over her with little resistance. Dunking her head into the waves, she screamed under the water, releasing her frustration and tension as she did so. She didn't dare make the noise above the waves, for fear of attracting unwanted attention to herself. So far, she had met 5 other creatures since her curse had begun, none of whom she knew, none affiliated with The Grey. That was a blessing - perhaps she could get through this curse without any knowing what had happened?