Aryel sighed with relief as Levi began drinking like a thirsty camel. Maybe he would be okay. And then he rolled into the water.

She blinked, expression rapidly going from relief to worry. The water was shallow, though, and he emerged, sopping but alert. Grinning, she stepped into the water so her front hooves were submerged up to the hocks. "You can thank me by getting better." she said, enjoying the touch of his muzzle against hers. Levi had always been rather uninhibited when it came to physical contact, not that it mattered. She liked that about him, his open and trusting personality. Her ears pricked as she listened to his explanation. So they had fought and Tio was telling the truth for once. The fact he now had magic caught her by surprise. She knew the feeling of being unable to control the ability. The first time she had tried to use her fire magic, she had charred the ground around her hooves. Even now, she still felt odd when she called it up, especially in a fight. Aggressive. Sadistic, almost. Like she wanted to burn everything. And yet it was such a subtle feeling, she had yet to connect it with her flames.

"Aw, come on." she laughed as he claimed she had saved life. "You'd have managed." She leaned into his neck hug, feeling his smooth feathers brush against her back. Funny how fate worked. The first Throat horse she met became her closest friend. When his lips brushed her cheek, she blinked in surprise. The gesture left an odd, but not unpleasant at all, buzz where he had touched her. Before she could ponder over the feeling, she noticed his shock upon seeing Java in his tree. "Things have changed since you've been gone." she said, smiling. "That's Java, my bondmate. Granted, he takes a little getting used to, but he's sweet as can be. And I've acquired some magic myself, from a dragon in the Heart." Her irises flickered electric blue as a wisp of blue flame rose from one hoof. Extinguishing the flame, she extended one wing towards the ground to showcase the silver design, then tilted her head to show the eagle feather woven in her mane. "Of course, it hasn't just been me getting new stuff." She gently slipped out from under his neck hug. "The Throat and the Grey struck up a temporary deal. They won't help Catallatio in his invasion, but in return we helped them take over the Windtossed Foothills." She sighed, recalling the conflict she had felt over that. She had wanted desperately to prove herself to Kri, but at the same time wished she had not been ousting innocent horses in order to do so. "And I met Catallatio again, actually. Near the Threshold. He was an arrogant mudbrain, as usual. We probably would have fought if two other horses weren't there." Recalling the no-nonsense star-colored mare that had interjected, she grinned. "Also, I've adopted a son, Oras. He's a little black unicorn with blue marks. His mother abandoned him." She wished Levi had been there during the invasion. Maybe he could have helped her understand why she did it.

Walk walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk talk."