Though wanderlust had crawled its way like a poison into her bones, Hotaru was still the shy, obedient girl that feared breaking the rules. In time, she would bloom into the intelligent, observant girl that hid beneath timidity and submissiveness. So despite the wonderful- strangely both older- friends she had made, Hotaru had to return to the lush wonderland that was still becoming 'home' to her. Did wandering run in Phaedra's blood? Had it spread to both of her daughters? Ru hadn't been very fond of it at first, but upon that first nervous venture away from Rae's side- and the ensuing discovery of her wonderful friend Tingal- the little tri-toned princess couldn't resist the new joy of making acquaintances. So at last she had decided to remain in the woods that day, pale snowy hooves a bright contrast against the vibrant green that hid happily under the canopy of the trees where the sun couldn't dry it up. It was deliciously warm, thankfully not unbearable as Tallsun slowly broke and gave way to the oncoming colder months. Ru didn't want to think of those days, but the Foothills were blessed to never be too cold, and her frail form would likely never be too hard-pressed for warmth.

Though all this rambled on somewhere in the back of her mind, it wasn't what took up the forefront of her musings. That day, she was more concerned with not looking too sleepy-eyed, and actually walking like a proper horse and not some bumbling dog. Of course, Hotaru wasn't one to care much about her appearance like Raeden, but she still wasn't fond of bumping into trees in her half-awake state. The warmth only desired to lull her off into a nap she had just awoken from, laying curled in a soft bed of earth with the sun directly upon her like a particularly sated feline. So Ru had forced herself up and awake, and wouldn't let the devious little blob of yellow in the sky drag her into dreamland once more. Yawning softly, dichromatic eyes blinked at the dappled land spread out before her like a rolling canvas waiting for her to paint her own life experiences on.

And paint she did.

Hotaru danced over the greenery with a shy smile on her face, as if unsure she was allowed this happiness. Palomino legs kicked her up and away from the earth, though she knew flying was not in her future, as both twins had taken after their father. Even so, she ran and giggled and kicked her small colorless hooves at the flowers and dandelion puffs that dotted and colored the grass. With every attack of her play, they went up in a spray of color and drifting puffs that attached to her locks and were promptly dislodged just as quickly as the little filly went flying happily over the land. Of course she was hardly looking where she was going, humming and giggling as her eyes found the next target at her feet. When her gaze flickered up, for once not hidden beneath silvery blonde locks, the young girl was surprised to spot a darker form not far from where she stood. Slowing to a jog instead of a lighthearted canter, Ru knew there was no way she would go unnoticed now with all the noise and movement she'd made so near to him. He was rather stunning, a deep color that reminded her of shadows and the midnight sky, with silver accents just as bright as the stars that accompanied it. Much like Ophelia, whom she knew was a hybrid due to her companion Tinek, this colt had a crooked horn and wings that covered hints of the same moondust beneath. Clearly he was older than her, though since befriending multiple adults Ru wasn't too off-put by that. Though...she'd never seen him before, and Hotaru had always prided herself on at least knowing the names of most of the members, whether they knew her in return or not.

Approaching slowly, she hid instinctively behind her forelock so that only her sapphire and sea-foam mixed iris could be seen. The pale silver, nearly white one made her feel like a freak, as if fearing others would think her blind. Sometimes she wished that it would cover all of her, to hide the sabino-spotted blaze that Raeden always teased her for. The similar lining that separated pink and palomino. Hotaru wasn't pretty, and she knew it, but it seemed that yet another beautiful- or in this case handsome- younger member had joined. Though his crooked horn was rather strange to her, having never seen one in the herd that wasn't straight, she found it gave him a certain charm despite not knowing him. Tingal's stripes and lion tail gave her the same impression upon their first meeting. Shyly she approached, curiosity in her eyes as a tentative smile lit up her face. "H-Hello. Are you new here?" Soft voice rang out, both strawberry ears pricked intently to catch any word he cared to give her. Realizing she had forgotten her manners she suddenly turned sheepish, awkwardly flicking her tail against her own legs. "Sorry...I'm Hotaru," she said brightly, hopefully. Would this colt be her friend?