That their former Chief now roamed in the borders of their lands was a message they had received in a quizzical manner. Their recent escape from captivity had seen them travelling across the lands, through the thistles that lined the broad meadows between here and there. In their travels, they had intercepted the gleaming, golden bodice of their sister in the sky, trumpeting greetings to her, speaking to Akaith of their news, and receiving a wash of images through their skulls in return. Messages from Akaith always were haphazard, only sometimes making sense, only sometimes were they able to actually decipher the rush of images and sensations that tickle their membranes. They wondered if it was the same for all creatures whose mind's she tried to touch sometimes, or maybe it was different - it didn't matter to them. They had no need for a companion of that nature - they had each other.

An image of the slaughter taking place in the Foothills flashed through their minds, and their teeth ground together with annoyance. So that was what that creep Rafe intended on keeping them away from. A pointless endeavour, clearly, for here they were, already free from his weak clutches, and they hardly would have fought upon spying their allies fighting. It was a difficult predicament, one that they liked even less than their draconic sister. In the jumble of images, came the dark form of Paladin, framed by his white mane and tail, so similar to the design of the sisters that now owned their former residence. It was curious that he would choose to give the Edge his alliance now, for surely he would have found acceptance easily with his daughters at the helm. Would he stay loyal to the cause of the Qian, or would he simply linger around long enough for him to grow bored of them, like he had seemingly grown bored of his post as Chief, and then leave to continue doing his own thing?

The brothers' opinion of Paladin was skewed; they respected him, they knew his prowess as a warrior was admirable, and he had good intentions within his heart. He was a steed they could follow into battle, as they had done in the past, but he wasn't someone they would trust to lead a herd again. He had so easily given the responsibility away to others who led the herd into ruin - it had been he who started this domino effect of leaders falling in and out of rank at the Foothills, and yet the brothers did not blame him directly for the failings of others.

So the brothers scouted their new residence for clues that the Valiant was present, discovering a scent trail between them that hinted at exploration of the northern rim. With a smile flashed between black muzzles, they pressed onwards, splitting up so that their dark forms might encircle his. The Edge was as new to them as it would be to Paladin, they covered a great deal of ground with their long, sweeping strides, but it was not as well-practised as they had become at the Foothills. New terrain meant they neglected their subtle, silent motion, but still, having two sets of footsteps in one's wake was not necessarily a comforting thing. Laughter rumbled from the brothers' chests as they felt themselves near the warrior, their athletic forms weaving a rough dance through the timbers, amongst the shadows, their crimson socks catching in the dappled sunlight to create a curious illusion of fire and shadow travelling across the land.

"Hail, valiant one!"

The greeting echoed through the trees, whispered by the brothers who called to the stallion as a fellow, an equal, a new member of the revolution that was the Qian.

[ meant this to be a quick little post.. NOPE ]

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