With the onslaught of recent threats against the World's Edge, I had found it my duty as a Wraith to set out and gather more information on the supposed usurping of my home. Ink had taken it upon himself to venture to the Dragon's Throat, our sister herd, to learn more of them and their arid lands until Frostfall came. I respected his decision as well as those who had promsied to go along with him, and I might have volunteered myself if it didn't mean leaving our untrained Wraiths behind, as well as my family.

Today, however, my dearest girls of gold would not be at my side. Although I merely planned to travel the lands and listen with sharp ears, an innocent bystander in most cases, there was always the chance that things could turn ugly. I had learned that the hard seasons ago, when I had granted the great Weyrleader the power to leave the Aurora Basin. Of course, she could have overpowered me with ease, but still; after she had taken to the skies, Psyche and the Basin's Haruspex had approached and called me out on my claims. I still felt horrible for knocking the old stallion off of his feet, but I had felt it necessary for mine and Solstice's escape.

Though despite my worries of a scuffle, young Azel was trotting alongside me, his vibrant blue eyes peering all about as we began to ascend a rather steep hill. I had been unable to deny him the chance to go scouting with me, for I knew painfully well how much he enjoyed it. He had grown taller and strengthened in both mind and body since his hatching, and was able to keep up with me more easily than before. I knew this would be a good trial run for days to come, when he was grown and able to run even faster than myself. If he were to become my ever reliable companion, then he needed to learn how to be silent and listen when it was needed.

As we climbed the lip of the hill, what my golden eyes beheld was beyond anything I had ever seen before. We must have climbed higher than I had realized, for the hill, or mountain as it suddenly seemed, reached high into the heavens above. It was a rolling hill of still green grass, with a wide array of flowers wavering ever so slightly in the gentle breeze. For a moment, I couldn't help but wonder why I hadn't stumbled across this place earlier. The Foothills were not far from here... had Romani ventured to this heavenly escape before the overthrow of her old home?

Suddenly, I shake my head to rid myself of thoughts of the Foothills. I still wasn't sure how to take the news of a new reign upon the land, knowing it had been my love's pride and joy at one point, but there was little either of us could do about it now. Instead of dwelling on the thoughts, I focused on the beauty that lie before me, unable to help it as a smile pulled at my lips. It was unlikely that anybody else was up here, and while that might not always be the case for this quiet getaway, it belonged to none other than myself and Azel for now.

But like everything that seems to happen in my life, the moment doesn't last long. Up ahead, I spot the form of a most interesting figure. From her neck bursts the brilliant colors of fire, for that is what her mane seems to be made of, as well as her tail. Upon her body is a meshing of blue and earthly brown, and below her, she stands upon hooves that catch the light like no other I can recall. Although I had previously thought myself alone with Azel, the sudden appearance of this mare and her pale, winged companion do not bother me in the slightest. While my job consisted primarily of gathering information in silence, there was nothing stating that I couldn't simply ask for it. After all, my duty was to learn; not to be mute.

"Hello!" I called out, lifting my head in not a threatening manner, but in a way that displayed utmost joy as I began to approach. The last thing I wanted to do was scare the pair away, or have them attack me as had happened back in the Thistle Meadow during Birdsong. At my side, Azel had moved into a lengthy trot, his eyes looking more intently to the winged dragoness than to the equine. Even if my attempt at learning any new information was in vain, then perhaps Azel could make a new friend. "This place is lovely," I speak again, drawing to a halt when I declare myself a comfortable distance away from the colorful mare, "Do you come here often?" I pause then, shaking my head at my own haste. "I am sorry, forgive me; my name is Xanthos, and the little one is Azel."