Why on earth was it so cold?! Did the world have no sanity?! Honestly, with the temperature dropping this low even Hell would freeze over. Resplendence had gathered a much thicker winter this coat this year, not for lack of attempting to stay in an a warmer environment. Though, she supposed that receiving this warmer coat was only something that could aide her in the future - such as this exact moment right now. She was trembling in her metaphorical boots. Every inch of her body was shivering. Not one muscle had decided that it wouldn't move in an attempt to keep her moving, to keep her warm. So, she pranced in place, shuddering as the winds blew in and blew across her frame. An annoyed snort escaped her maw, tendrils of fog curling up into the air that was slowly beginning to transform to night.

She didn't want to be alone, not when it was beginning to become dusk with a weather so harsh. Stumbling forward she trudged through the snow. Now, more than ever, her movements more like hops as the snow lifted up about three quarters of her legs. Had she really managed to find the deepest pit of snow to attempt to push through? Apparently so! And it didn't do anything to calm her senses down. "Screw you too, world!" she hissed in annoyance as she finally hopped from the deep snow to the shallow pit indicating a wall must be around to block this wind. Her eyes strained through the darkness as it fell completely, white illuminated faintly by the sliver of moon in the sky.

And then, a flash of northern lights illuminated the sky. Shots of green spread in waving lines and mixed with blues and purples. Colour and light flooding the white terrain she was standing upon. Shock spread across her face as her entire body froze, not even a shiver leaving her bodice. But, that wasn't a very good choice. The lack of movement caused her muscles to start to lock up and complain the second she attempted to move them. Her legs trying to keep her in place as if she were a statue. Straining she trudged forward, still having to hop through the snow in an attempt to keep her body a bit warmer than just pushing through it. Her mane and tail was already beginning to gather a layer of ice on the tips and the tendrils of fog were being emitted with each breath she took.

When she finally ran into the cliff area that blocked her from the wind but was illuminated by the northern lights she let out a tiny cough and closed her eyes. Make the cold stop! Please. Anyone, anywhere, make it stop! She trembled from the cold. And she uncertainly shifted her weight from left to right. Right to left. Left to right. A cycle that was an attempt to calm her. Her audit pinned to her skull in disdain of the sound of the wind as it tunneled straight past her opening and out into the rest of the world. A howling noise. A distasteful howling noise. One that clenched her heart and made her want to run.

But then again, what didn't make her run?

What in the world is he doing out here?!

Oh right. Stretching his legs. Wings, to be precise. Kaj wasn't fond of leaving his home borders, but it wasn't a suitable place for his wings to be free and unrestricted. Duty had made him weary, and soon he had forgotten what it felt like to simply enjoy what had been gifted to him at birth. The northern lands were unfamiliar and unknown to his pale azures, a frosted hillside he was not keen on exploring. High in the heavens the air was already icy, and the golden stallion was not looking forward to having to land, already envisioning the shock of cold against his earthen toned pillars. Even so the elements disagreed, heavy wings beating against him with a power that could not be overcome by a mere flyer. The Lords and Mother Nature herself were intent on keeping all winged beasts from enjoying this land, birthing twisting winds that had all struggling to keep aloft. No wonder the unicorns had retreated to the frozen lands.

Aureate appendages thrust hard towards the earth, wingtips kissing each other below his mighty hooves as a sudden twist in the wind's finnicky path left the noble stallion dropping too fast for his liking. Clear azure irises gazed at the overhead clouds that dispersed with the night, the winds refusing to calm even as night's soothing caress touched the snowy lands. Tiny diamonds were cast out upon an obsidian blanket, illuminated by a light withheld from the view of the wind child beneath their blinking, silent faces. There was no time to enjoy the dazzling, mute display they put on for him. The weather was growing fiercer with each passing moment, and even in his exertion through constant motion of flight, chill was seeping slowly into his large frame. Huffing into the windy, frosted night, Kaj relished in the warm cloud that blew back against his face, and descended from the cloud cover. Moisture clung to every golden feather, and just as he was lowering himself, a brilliant ripple of color burst across the canvas above like an explosion. Kaj hefted his wings down, stilling his descent, and coasted along in soft-faced awe beneath the swirling ribbons of navy and turquoise, a touch of lavender and carmine, a wink of roseate hues. It danced upon his pale canvas like childish fairies, laughing just as silently as their pinprick cousins that were so outshined by the similar nightly occurrence.

When he could tear his gaze at last from the awe inspiring display of natural magic, the golden brute began to scour the earth below for a decent place to land among the hills of sugar. The condensation upon his feathers were slowly and painfully freezing, and soon enough he'd be downed as easily as a frail bird frightened in flight. Not to mention he truly didn't fancy ripping his feathers out if it iced over too badly. It would be the only way to get home, but it would also be an self-inflicted, agonizing process. Should he find decent shelter, he would likely be less weather-worn by the end of the night, an upon the dawn of morn he would be flying back out to his family. But where to find shelter in a land so unfamiliar to his presence and gaze? In an environment he hadn't encountered since foalhood?

The question was answered for him in the appearance of a small, pale wheat form below him. In a moment he is concerned, brows knitting as he swings a large circle and descends in front of her. He is careful to go slow, wary of the fact she may be part of the Basin he has heard so much of, the devils that had stolen his Queen away. Best not to startle the poor creature, definitely a female with the river of locks that surrounds her like a barrier and a blanket all at once. Instead of his usual flare for landing- usually borne of the remains of his exhilaration while exploring aerial stunts- his wingbeats are steady thumps against the snow that rises and stirs as he forcefully manipulates the air beneath his span. The earth is the same shock of cold he had anticipated and imagined, and a soft huff escapes his icy wheat-painted maw at the sudden temperature change upon his umber pillars. Shaking out his iced wings, the stallion did the same to his mane and tail in a rather canine fashion before tucking the frozen things close to his side in an attempt to thaw them and to not appear intimidating. Clearly she was no unicorn, but he knew of the wicked magical abilities of Helovia now, and was far aware in his meet-and-greets.

Despite all this, and in spite of the chill of his wings against his sides while they thawed, a warm smile was placed upon his light sunny features as he approached enough for his words to be heard. "Good eve, m'lady. My name is Kaj. May I inquire as to your own calling?" There was such a frightful look in her golden orbs, and in sympathy he cooed his words softly, not wishing to strengthen that particularly emotion by his arrival and continued presence. But her shivering, near full-body quaking, made him frown gently in concern. "M'lady, are you well? Have you gotten lost? I can offer a wing and my warmth until sunrise, and then take you to your home or loved one?" Worry echoed in his deep, honey sweet lyrics. Pausing so that she had plenty of room to run, unwilling to make her feel trapped. As bad as Kaj was with most social nuances, he was rather adept at reading body language.

Lowering his crown, but keeping his harks kindly upon her to catch any word she gifted him, he smiled sweetly at her to try and ease whatever fear she seemed to have been feeling and was still experiencing. Perhaps the action and new posture would make him see smaller, less of a threat. While he waited he observed her flighty, yet pleasing features, taking the time to try and understand and discern who the fair maiden was. And why she was out all alone, defenseless and scared.

--
NOTE: So sorry for the wait love!!!
WC: 1,046

Resplendence shuffled her feet back and forth, her golden eyes locking on the form circling above her. Was it a vulture? No. It was too big. It wasn't Quil. He wasn't the right colour. Panic flooded her features as she continued to shiver. It was too cold for all of this. It was too cold for her to be standing here. But it was too cold for her to actually move. She didn't know what to do.

He lands close enough to her to give her cause to stumble back a couple of steps, watching as his creme wings beat down and spread the translucent snow around, some of it spraying up toward her delicate face. A minuscule snort escaped her maw as she eyed the weapons that when spread could easily attack her and be a cause for maiming. He shook. Ice falling from his expansive wings and then it doing the same from his golden coat. He pinned his wings tightly against his frame, as if to keep the ice from forming again. His body acting a heater for the cold wings after a long, tiring flight.

She eyed the stag, watching as a warm smile appeared on his chiseled face. But not all those who looked nice were really nice. She needed to remember that. The pain that had been caused to her by those who had seemed to have good intentions was something she dare not forget anytime soon. She craned her head to the side just a tad as he spoke. Manners. He was horribly mannered. He spoke much like Quil. "My lady." Formalalities she was uncertain of whether they marked this new land she was upon or if it was just by her luck that she had stumbled across those with such medieval manners. So different yet so familiar. Her calling? He wanted her calling? Oh! Her name! She bobbed her head for a second, shuffling back another step, shifting her tail slightly, before allowing her silky voice to protrude from her maw. "Resplendence." she whispered hoarsely, soprano chords cracking a little from the freezing air. "You may shorten it as you wish," she finished, eyes peering up toward his frame as he frowned. Why was he frowning? What had she done? She hoped nothing she had exhibited had caused him distaste. She hadn't meant to insult him. That was far from anything she'd wish.

Was she well? Had she gotten lost? He could offer a wing? She hoped by a wing he only meant her sliding up between his wing and his barrel. There were many other ways the wing could be given to her - such as injuring her. But, what were all these inquiries for. Res supposed they were normal, though she had attempted to keep herself hidden away from the world since Ciro's untimely demise. She wasn't sure how to answer, unfortunately, so her mind shifted her to glancing around this area to see what the entire situation was. There was ample room for her to leave, her frame could easily fit through the hole that was left beside him. Res knew that he was deliberately leaving her the area so that she could bolt if it was her desire.

He lowered his head, ears perked directly at her frame as if waiting for something to emerge from her maw, the smile back upon his face. He didn't seem bad... Perhaps she should answer him. Something warm didn't seem too bad. After all, it could only aid her, couldn't it?

Her audit perked up, tresses still pooled delicately around her frame. Her locks were acting as much as a blanket as they could in this cold weather. Heat was unable to pool off of them to act as a heater but it seemed to work more than not having them at all. "I'm not injured nor am I sickly - thankfully - though I am a tad lost." she offered, her chords beginning to lose the crackly tone that they had carried from lack of use. "I was wandering around, and it started to get icy. I thought I had turned away from it, though it seems I had turned directly into the mess." she explained, shuffling her feet left and right a little bit. A calming mechanism for her.

A tendril of smoke curled around her maw as she let out a deep breath. If she didn't trust him she would freeze to death. Her frame forever staying mummified in the ice only for her lack of certainty. She had to take his offer. She had to continue to stay alive so Quil didn't find her frozen to death under a foot or more of this dreaded white fluff that offered nothing but took more than was suitable. One more shuddering breath and she peered toward the stag who had done all he could to make himself appear smaller and less of a threat - much like Quil had done for her earlier. Her gut was telling her to take it. Her mind was telling her to run. Her heart was aching with an undeniable throb for it to be Quil here and not this Kaj. But she would go with her gut and accept the wing. "If it's not too bothersome warmth sounds lovely. Though, I don't think you can aid me in a home or loved one. I have no herd, been wandering in an attempt to find one since the Foothills were lost to the Grey, and my loved one is off seeking a healer." she explained, sadness coating her soprano chords as she inched a little closer to the stag. Her panic was still in her eyes, and she was still trembling. But she was going to have to let some of it go. She was going to have to be rave and accept the help when she needed it. So, she delicately grazed her maw against his forehead to let him know it was fine, he didn't have to be smaller before voicing the words to ensure he understood it. "You don't have to attempt to shrink yourself, Sir - Kaj, Though I do appreciate the wings close against your frame at the beginning. And thank you, for offering help." she explained, swishing her tail so it curled back up around her legs from the motion and tossing her head just slightly to keep it piled up around her missing ear.

Needless to say, tonight would be an interesting night...

Like a startled mouse, she jitters backwards away from his descent, and a look crosses his handsome face that is something akin to shame and apology. He hadn't meant to scare or startle her. He was raised a gentleman after all, and she reminded him so vividly of his baby sister that his heart ached painfully. Even when his soft, glowing smile came into play an answering twist did not curl upon her lips. She watched him as a cat may eye a snarling dog, and it saddened him. What had happened to the petite dame to make her so fearful? Even when she gives her name, a sweet lyric of 'Resplendence' in her feminine vocals, she steps away from him and curtains herself in caramel-strawberry locks. With it came the allowance to shorten her name into anything he found appropriate. "Resplendence? A fitting name. I admit, I am far from creative with nicknames, m'lady. You seem to be a kleine aardbei to me, but perhaps something like Cece will sound better to you? It is a language I have not used since colthood, I admit." My, had he even spoken the language since he had entered Helovia? How long had it lingered on the fringes of his conscious, awaiting the time when he could speak it once more? It was his native tongue after all, but the Mages had always despised the masculine language due to stallions being the muscle and not the magically inclined. It was old and familiar upon his tongue, old syllables he could hardly recall if he thought too hard, but which flowed like water when he relaxed and let himself remember soft utterances he'd whispered into his sister's ears from birth to death.

In his thoughts, her nervous silence was wasted away without awkwardness or impatience on his end. The pale warrior was hardly ever impatient either way. When she confessed, her breath tinting the air with moisture in the frozen tundra, it was to tell him that she was indeed lost but thankfully free from illness so far despite the unfavorable conditions they stood motionless in. Her explanations made sense, the wintery tundra was an evil mistress, and her ways were subtle and hard to understand or learn in the first place. He was far more concerned for her warmth at that time, but watched in quiet observance as she shuffled her hooves, clearly still unwilling to give him much more of a chance. Kaj couldn't find it in his heart to blame her.

At last she accepts his wing, but her story is saddening when she explains how the Foothills sanctuary had been ripped from beneath her hooves, and how her loved one was apparently injured and seeking aid. "Is there anything I can do? Even help you look for your beloved?" Concern and sympathy crinkled his proud features, wondering why life had been so hard on a being with such small, incapable shoulders. In his shrunken, crown-bowed state he watches her with clear azures, completely still. She is shaking, trembling delicately with something far more than chill. Afraid to frighten her, he kept every inch of his large canvas still, allowing her to make the moves and decisions, unwilling to pressure her. Kaj had always been infinitely patient and unfalteringly gentle in his treatment of females, and the fear in her eyes only endeared her further to him.

A gentle butterfly kiss is pressed to his brow like a goddess blessing a lowly knight, and he blinked up at her owlishly in surprise. Her sweet soprano lyrics brought him out of it, smiling both at the brave action and the words she spoke. Slowly he uncurled himself, straightening and watching her carefully to judge if at any point it became too much. "You're welcome for both, kleine aardbei. There is a grove of evergreens not far from here, I spotted it overhead. Walking will keep you warm as well, may I lead you?" As he spoke he moved, hoping to comfort and calm her with his soft voice while he draped one massive wing over her side to shield her from the wind and snow, allowing her to press either towards his side or his feathers, knowing that she was more aware of her boundaries than he could ever be. Craning his neck he kept his eyes on hers, a habit he had as a form of respect, and awaited her tremulous vocals once more.

---
Hehe <3 love you too

He seems to understand her fear. But, she isn't sure that it is so easy to understand. One cannot truly understand the fear that radiates in her gut until they have a certainty that there is no way that thing is ever going to hurt her. The tiniest movement can jolt her away if she sees it but cannot place an ear to it. And, if she cannot recognize the sound then she jolts as well. It is difficult when hearing seems to have decided that she wasn't worthy at birth and given her no way to gain it back. After all, there is no way to regrow a missing ear.

She offers her name upon his request and then gives him the right to shorten it should he have cause for it. He repeats her name as though asking a question and she bobs her head ever so slightly, mumbling the word "Yes..." as she peered back up at him as soft, calming words continued to slide from his mouth. He asks for her opinion on the nickname and her audit perks up just a little, shifting her weight ever so slightly. "Kleine aardbei... is fine..." she responded, struggling over the words just a little bit as she was definitely uncertain on pronunciation after only having heard it once.

Her golden eyes continued to watch him, though, to keep an eye on his movements. But, even though she seemed to have taken a while to gather her thoughts the stag seemed far from impatient. That in and of itself was slowly allowing her to begin to relax - though she doubted she would ever be able to actually fully relax. Finally, she can pull up the courage to accept his wing. She didn't want to, in all honesty. Part of her whole-heartedly believed that the wings were meant to cut and maim - that there had to be something horribly sharp there in order be used as a weapon. And, she had yet to even allow Quil to wrap his wings around her to comfort her. But she was cold. She was all too cold. And her hair was not about to serve as an actual blanket for long.

His voice reaches her again as she explains how she cannot accept any of his other help and he offers something else. Anything else at all that he could do? Even helping her look for Quil? Concern seemed to be flooding his features and she couldn't help but to tilt her head ever so slightly to the side in confusion. There was really nothing to be concerned about, though she supposed she could understand the sympathy. She was still shivering, each muscle trembling in the cold and the fear. She knew she needed to accept his wing but the concern about the sharpness was still bothering her. Resplendence had yet to be around creatures with wings that were not birds before her arrival in these lands it and shook her to the core. "I don't think there is much you can do other than, perhaps, help guide me out of this harsh weather after the sun has risen, sir. And point me in the direction of the Foothills, that's where he said that the healer was - even though it sickens me to have him receiving help from those who injured him..." she whispered before stepping forward.

She was gentle, her maw just barely gracing his forehead to alert him that it was fine that he stretch out. His reaction is eyes widening in surprise and she has to allow her vocals to pull out once more in order to explain the touch. She shuffled her feet again, watching as a smile graced his face once more before he slowly began to uncurl himself. Her eyes locked on his wings, watching them intensely before shifting backward a little as they start to spread out a bit too much, her breath getting stuck in her chest. He wasn't going to hurt her. She had to keep reminding herself of that. He was simply offering her warmth. He was ensuring that she didn't freeze to death. That was good, wasn't it? She took in a deep breath as he spoke again, saying that she was welcome, attaching her new nickname, and then explaining that he had seen some trees. Walking would warm her up. That was very true. And then he asked to lead her there. He moved, slowly, draping one of his wings over her but not actually touching her at the moment with it. Her eyes looked upward, taking in the expanse of his wing and inspecting it for anything that seemed sharp at all. He left her room to decide whether she wanted the warmth from his wing or from his side as his head craned around to continue to look her in the eye.

Res was trembling even more. "So... there... there's nothing... sharp in your wings, sir?" she choked out, before curling up against his side, careful not to touch any of the feathers until she had confirmation on the matter. "Like... to help maim someone in battle..." she elaborated a bit more since she was uncertain if her first question had even made any sense. Her hair was still draped around her though with her head ducked down and pressed up against his shoulder blade to avoid nicking the top of his wing the pool of tresses covering her missing ear had fallen and she self-consciously attempted to hide that fact. Though, there was no way for her to flick her hair back up there without bumping up against the top of his wing so she merely buried herself even deeper against his side in hopes that he wouldn't notice. "And yes, you may lead me," she added, remembering his comments.

Golden orbs fell shut as she took in a few deep breaths. Each of her muscles still trembling. The effort which she had taken to calm herself down so that she could stop the trembling completely seemed to have been forsaken as the second she put herself under the wings she was back at the starting line.

She didn't want to be this scared...

Like a mouse she is quiet, shy. Every movement makes her scurry off in the opposite direction with fear in glossy eyes. Kaj had long been called a lion in the form of a pegasus, originating from the first person he had ever befriended in Helovia, but his claws were always carefully hidden and pads gentle with those who meant him no harm. Delicious she may be, it really was too much of a hassle to devour her. Too much hair after all; yuck. Imagine chewing through that? He’d be spitting up hairballs left and right. Bit too much like a lion for him. Additionally, women didn’t seem all that pleasant when it came to eating them. Much too high strung, did that mean they were stringy and tough to chew? Oh Gods, why was he imagining eating innocent little mares in a snowy wonderland?! He wasn’t some fairytale pervert preying on the sexist-manipulated characters of a children’s book! Gods he knew he had a wandering mind, but just where did it go sometimes?! Quick, focus on her, she’s speaking!

Great distraction, now at least he could stop wailing in distress within the confines of his own mind. No wonder people looked at him strange.

Untrained tongue stumbled over alien sounds, forming delicately over a pronunciation she had heard only once in passing. It was clear she did not know the language, but a spark went sashaying down his spine just to hear someone else speak it. How long since it had rolled in rough, rumbly purrs off his own tongue? It was like a long-forgotten friend, whose face was still familiar after years apart and the changes of life upon his visage. At least the little fae seemed content with the nickname.

Not that it seemed to keep her intense eyes from pinning him, as if he were the mouse and she the cat. It was clear she was struggling with the decision, and something far deeper spoke of passion and romance, guilt and remorse, fight and fear. Just how important was a gentleman’s wing to her shoulder to the fae? Was he perhaps crossing a border, a boundary, or triggering an unpleasant memory? He desired to do neither, knowing just how fragile young souls could be. His sister’s smiling, dainty face flashed in his mind’s eye, and he squeezed them tight against the real world in response. A dull ache began in his chest, the beating of a half-crazed prisoner against iron bars that did not yield, spilling blood from his fists without remorse as he wailed and bellowed that he would be free if they had just given him the chance to fight back against something he could actually see. A disease cannot be battled, and a life cannot be spared if the immortals beckon so sweetly into the child’s ear. Something pure and delicate was shared between those two childlike does, and it was impossible to ignore the ghost of his failed duties when he looked at the beautiful mare his sister could have become.

There is nothing else you can do to help her, you have failed once as it is.

Verbally she seemed to echo the prior half of his sentence, and with a quiet hum he nodded. "Very well. You have my word that I will lead you true, miss Resplendence." That is all to be said, and with her kiss to his brow he rises, watching her shrink away and still in her lungs like a statue, uncaring of the violent trembling housed in her limbs. She is a contradiction, one he cannot understand even beyond the normal puzzlement he holds towards the Helovians. Slowly she moves towards his side, sheltered by the slope of his large wing. She cowers in the crevice of his body, eyes flickering fearfully towards the soft golden feathers to her left. Quietly she begins to speak, and now her words do not hold that quiet strength they once did. Now, they break and tremble like she does, fearfully inquiring if his wings house anything sharp. An item that could possibly maim another in battle. Confusion takes over his features, a dumbstruck look pasted right there where she could see it.

”Sharp...? Oh no, no, no kleine aardbei. My wings are as soft as a bird’s, they have nothing sharp or painful within them. In fact, they are more a disadvantage in battle than anything else, for they are fragile and delicate, and useful only in flight. If I were to hit somebody with my wing, it would bruise me very quickly, and hurt a terrible lot. Fear not, kleine aardbei. They are soft as a cloud, you have my word.” Her torn ear- or was it completely missing?- was shown to him in her nervous shuffling, but he kindly looked away and did not comment on it. She was flighty as it was, he wouldn’t put the spotlight on her if it would only make her uncomfortable- or worse, stress her out even more. With the baby steps they’d been making together, Kaj was reluctant to do anything to have her take a step back in their long line ahead.

Could he ever get her to trust him?

Scoffing inwardly, the brute felt like slapping himself. Clearly with all she had endured she would not trust easily, and he was wishing for her to do so when they had first met? He was a fool to think she would follow him so blindly, think he would not wound her when so many others clearly had. Kaj was more than idiotic, more than presumptuous, and he wanted to apologize to her immediately; even if she hadn’t heard a thing. Her trembling saddened him, but the clench of her eyes betrayed her own frustration. At the very least, he’d been granted permission to lead her out of the clutch of the wintery ‘scape into the shelter of the evergreens. Humming softly in acknowledgement, not wanting to frighten her even more with his voice, he pushed earthenly coated pillars through the snowdrifts to take point in the two-man team. Of course he was mindful enough of his longer legs, keeping the pace on his end slower to account for her slighter frame. If only he could show her that he’d never harm someone who did not wish the same upon him.

As she speaks the foreign tongue (though not without difficulty) she can see something in him clicking. It is almost as if he has forgotten what it sounded like. Or, perhaps, he was simply disgusted that she dare attempt to speak this language that he knows so well while she only ends up butchering the entire thing.

And then, as she finished speaking with her entire frame trembling, she noticed that he seemed to be off in his own world. Her eyes taking him in sharply, attempting to figure out just how close she could allow herself to get to this stag. Golden orbs were shifting around his frame, eyeing the wings that he had held close to his side in order to keep himself from truly scaring her. But, again, she was still uncertain as to if he really cared or if he needed to keep up the facade so that way he could sink his teeth into her and make her the new meal.

Finally, he seemed to snap out of this state, eyes no longer completely glazed over before sweet lyrics fall from his mouth. He would led her true, he says, and he tags on the 'miss' for what seemed like formalities sake. Gently, her maw bumps his forehead and she shrinks back the second he grows. Her frame trembling even worse than before but her breathing so still and almost calming. He seems to notice it as she shuffles toward his side with such wide eyes before managing to weasel her way in. She dare not touch the feathers, mind so positively attached to the idea that there is something in there that could become weapons that she does not want her coat becoming stuck to it.

Once she is positioned underneath his hulking frame and the extended wing she instantly pulled herself directly up against the silken fur of the muscled shoulder. It takes her a few minutes to even attempt to start gathering herself together just enough to allow words to begin to spill from her maw in uncertain, trembling terms. Asking, almost pleading, to know if there was something hidden between the downy feathers that would injure her should she rub her petite frame up against them.

Confusion floods his face, obviously dumbstruck at her question. Instantly, she ducks her head, shame only increasing the trembling of her muscles as she attempts to continue to take in deep, calming breaths. Counting to five seconds before releasing, letting it out on ten, and breathing back in on ten. It would all be okay. It had to all be okay. Right?

His voice pooled out, repeating the word 'sharp' with uncertainty. It was as if she should know this. But, she didn't. She had never been around winged equines before. It wasn't something that she was used to be around. The nickname is used again along with the repetition of the word no. Soft as a bird's. She had never touched a bird. He began to explain, how they were a disadvantage, how they were easy to bruise. And then, he said they felt like a cloud after claiming there was nothing to injure her.

She shifted her weight ever so slightly, entire body leaning off of him just a little bit. Quietly, she stretched her neck before almost touching her maw to the feathers closest to her. She gently breathed on it, watching as the feathers moved out of the way ever so delicately allowing her to see that there was, indeed, no sharp object under it. So, she pressed her muzzle up against the feathers quickly before instantly curling her head back up against her chest. "I've... I've never felt a cloud before. I'm not sure, exactly, what it feels like..." she murmured before shifting her weight just a tad. "Hurt you... more. But they look like they could... decapitate someone - especially if there were something sharp in them..." With a sigh, she lowered her cranium as she heard the sound of his voice humming something unbeknownst to her. He started to edge forward, his steps small to ensure that she could move in time with him and he didn't cause her to have to resort to fighting the cold on her own. "I'm s-sorry..." she whispered, taking a short pause before her voice managed to come back, "I've just... just never seen an equine with wings.... other than Quilyan..." she attempted to explain, though her vocal chords continued to betray her as she fought with the sound that was attempting to emerge from them.

She was forever scared, but she was beginning to warm up. Her legs not moving as tightly anymore and the shivering from the cold air dying down. Of course, the shaking from the fear had not completely resided yet, and she wasn't sure it ever would.

Either way, she was beginning to feel a bit safer around this earthen-coloured, winged stag who had offered her warmth and protection in this cold...

Confusion. Shame. Displeased with her own actions. Really, she needed to learn to bulk up. She needed to learn just what it truly meant to be strong. She had lost that tiny smidgen of strength the second she had seen her young one slaughtered before her eyes - all because she had been told to run. If she had tried to fight, oh how things might have been so different! But, yet, here she was beside someone who was trying to offer protection, comfort, warmth, and the only reason she dared even shuffle her trembling frame closer to his massive, winged one was because she knew if she didn't she would die of frost-bite in this weather she had only attempted to avoid.

Life as an outcast was not something that had suited her very well, and while the northern lights were still dancing in the sky around her she did not allow that to attempt to calm her. No. Apparently her warmth against him had staved away some of the chill that was beginning to nip at both of their bodies, but she didn't truly recognize it. He, on the other hand, did. A sigh of what she could only match with contentment had escaped his muzzle as he blew out into the world around them, her eyes locking upon the cloud as it fizzled away into the sky, twirling around in a dance with the wind.

She asks a question, uncertain about exactly what his wings were made of, shame pulling her face away from him and his puzzled glare. His voice reaching her perked up audit. Soft, delicate, almost unnoticed 'don't be sorry'. But, really, there was tons to be sorry about. There was the fact that she couldn't even allow a tiny bit of her to start to trust him. There was the fact that she was so clueless and so scared. There was the fact that she really wasn't any more knowledgeable about the world than a filly out in the open. But hadn't she been raised that way? Locked up in a little cove in the corner of a war stricken world so that she would stay forever innocent - her parents not expecting the war to ravage directly upon them, and when it did it left her alone and lost. The last words from her parents lips being "Run" So that's all she was raised to do - to run. Everything was out to get her. She had never been trained to fight. She had never allowed anything close enough to her to fight for that matter. That might, really, be the only reason that she was alive at this moment.

So, with a heart racing and muscles trembling she forced herself back into her protective shell. Her entire frame almost swaying a little with the breaths she forced to a timed rhythm. In for ten, hold for ten, out for ten. In for ten, hold for ten, out for ten. Her body slowly, but surely, beginning to calm the racing of her heart and the trembling of her muscles from the anxiety and the desire to get up and just run. She knew, deep down, that if she really ran, that she would probably only run farther and farther into the cold. After his words of explanation left his lips and she had fully calmed herself down she allowed her maw to stretch out toward his canopy of a wing in order to feel this for herself.

She spoke, making a comment about the clouds, how she didn't truly know what they felt like and he made it sound as though everyone knew. Again, her head tilted down in a bit of shame as she listened to the rest of his vocals begin to float out into the air around her, legs moving at twice the speed of his in order to make up for their size difference. "I-I know what the conception is, sir. I meant I'd never actually felt a cloud..." she murmured, eyes trained upon the ground as she continued to shuffle her feet forward. Again, apologizing for not realizing these things since she had never seen a winged creature other than Quilyan.

The golden one spoke up again, telling her not to apologize before asking about the name she had presented. "Yes... he's the one who's badly injured," she whispered, eyes shooting up at his sigh and then shifting a little as he started to look at the skies behind them. Her eyes locked upon the same clouds which his did and uncertainty began to go through her steps as they continued to move forward. The pace was a little quicker, but not too bad, as they pushed forward through the snow, his frame managing to snag most of it out of the way so that she didn't have to plow through it herself. Worry was upon his face, increasing her trembling as she dropped her gaze back to the snow covered ground they were shuffling through.

His voice reaching her audit once more, asking what she did for fun. For fun? She had never really had fun, had she? Thinking back on it - all of her actions had been out of fear or worry. She swallowed once, returning liquid to her dry throat as she glanced up at him quickly before back at the ground, the pace easily beginning to warm up her muscles more now, though she was certain to stay a good breadth away from his wing. "I-I have never really... done anything... for fun..." She whispered, eyes shutting for a second as she fought the urge to shake her head, shame flooding her features. Was she really that strange? Was she really that broken? So much so that she had never done anything for fun? It tore her apart. It shattered her even further, realizing how many cracks and breaks were really in her soul.

She was that broken toy that no one would really ever want...