Belatedly he realized that he was not alone in the wailing, the snow, the cold, the biting chill that filled the wind. Sapphire eyes narrowed against the tempest, but so too in a concise, thoughtful manner. He didn’t recognize the shape that moved towards him out of the gloom, head held high as if in challenge. The Phantom tensed when a feminine voice reached his ears, spoken over the cry of the wind as it swept over the rocky crags. He nodded in greeting, offering a small smile that did not reach his eyes. Even though he knew Illynx was a herd mate, he did not trust so easily. “My name is Roland, newly recruited Phantom,” his voice was welcoming and kind despite the emotions that broiled beneath the surface.

A sudden bitter wind tore across the flat plains, battering the mountain’s face with such force that the shards of ice around them quivered like agitated birds. With the sharp sound of shattering glass an icicle snapped from its hold and came tumbling towards the earth, shattering not far from the lingering pair. More icy daggers followed in its wake, fragmenting as they crashed into the ground, pieces scattering across the ice. Roland flinched away from the noise as a shower of snow brushed from above landed on his back, stepping away from the mountain he had once expected to shelter beneath. Apparently he would have no such luck.

The displeasure was not hidden from his features as he looked up at Illynx through locks of tangled hair, tilting his head to the side with an almost bashful quirk of his lips. “I’m not too used to the northern climate yet,” he admitted, in way of explanation for his behavior. He was sure by now it was no secret that snow wasn’t a favourite thing of his. He found himself lingering around the hot springs more than was likely proper, but he wouldn’t admit to that aloud.

As the sun sank lower on the horizon, nearing the mountains and sending streaks of blood red and fiery orange across the sky, Roland looked out across the flat land of his home. The dying grass shook with every gust of wind, looking feeble and dejected among the patches of snow. Ears perked as his eyes suddenly fixed upon the distant form of Mauja and Arah, recognizing them instantly as they were two of the few he had met so far, and more than once at that. His thoughts were drawn towards the fading wound on his neck, now fully healed but leaving the faintest of scars upon his otherwise unblemished skin. The white mare had done him a favour in helping him, and so too had the pale stallion, for he wouldn’t have been standing there if it weren’t for Mauja accepting him into the herd.

A smile grew on his lips as he watched them, tilting his head into the wind to cry out. “Mauja! Arah!” His voice echoed against the mountains at their backs, carrying across the uneven ground. As an afterthought his eyes flicked towards Illynx, hoping she wouldn’t mind the interruption to their budding conversation. It seemed the pair of white Unicorns had a new recruit on their tail, or someone else he had never seen before.

walk walk walk
"talk talk talk"