the moon hung high in the clear night sky. pristine blue eyes occasionally peek upwards towards the moon, and a little cryptic smile tugged at the strange creatures parched lips. the bicolored dancer strolled along at his leisure, never in to much of a hurry. his rounded striped hooves sunk into the dried, crumbling earth, under his weight. there was little respite from the sun god's revenge; however, surely not all was lost. the goddess of the moon was obviously taking her sweet time to battle it out with the tallsun, but Moon Boy stood strong in his belief that she would yet conquer. the gods and goddess were much like the Egyptians Horus and Seth, so this surely could not last forever...could it?

in his aimless wanderings the equine had taken little notice of his surroundings. only as he pulled his thoughts together did he take the time to give the area a swooping glance. there was nothing really that seemed the need for his concern, an owl whooted in the distance, crickets chirped loudly in the surrounding dried and shriveled grass. He was amazed at how sturdy even the seemingly most fragile of creatures tended to be. all of these critters were surviving in the unquenching heat that was being bestowed upon them, by their ever gracious sun god.

As he casually continued on his way, the sound of something rubbing caused his ears to twitch. his black and white head rose to meet the direction of the sound. his bright eyes twinkling with mischief. he slinks off towards the sound, only to find a yearling rubbing away the dried decay. he stops and continues to watch the youngling work.

To be quite frank, these two intruders should praise themselves lucky that it was Aurelius who got to them first. Others might not be so tolerant, and they’d probably end up being hurled over the Edge. The dwarven steed had been nibbling on some parched grass in the untouched part of the land, covered in shadow as the trees blocked out the moonlight. It wasn’t much to brag about, the dry weeds brittle and turning to dust in your mouth, but it was food. Aury had shed some weight since his arrival, and he was in the best shape he had been for a few years; which was good, if only he hadn’t been so damn hungry. Losing interest in the yellow grass, he raised his head and looked out over the burnt area, sighing. As long as the sun was this harsh, nothing had the slightest chance of growing back, and Aurelius prayed that everything would go back to normal soon.

Standing there, his saddened expression suddenly turned into surprise, as he picked up on foreign scents in the air. Strangers in the Edge? Certainly no one would be so stupid, not at night, when all the habitants were out prowling. The imp shook his nape and set forward in a bouncy trot, following the smell to locate the intruders. The moon reflected off of his fluffy, silvery mane, the ram horns on his head looking rather grotesque at nighttime, eyes gleaming with curiosity under his thick forelock. Moving closer, he spotted a colt, and though only a yearling, he already towered well over Aurelius’ humble height. Whatever he was doing looked quite peculiar, causing Aury to flick his ears in suspicion. Why was he here, at this hour? Optics moved to the colt’s face, concluding that as an equine, knowing that he may not be very welcome in the land of an all-unicorn herd. The dwarf looked around, thankful to see that none of the other herdmembers seemed to approach, so he slowed to a relaxed walk.

Into view came also a stallion, bi-colored like the colt, and Aury wondered for a moment if they were related. He pushed the though aside as there seemed to be no interaction between them; it was merely a case of one curiously watching another. "Gentlemen! To what do we owe this dubious honor?" he spoke, voice cutting clear through the chill night air, authority in the words. Aurelius had seen no sign of Mauja, so he took it upon himself to represent the more diplomatic individuals that lived here. Some of the other gruff, scowling sourpusses did not have the same taste for politics. He halted, a bit closer than one of larger size might have, mismatched eyes looking at the others in turn. His eyes were not hostile, nor were they smiling; but they were somewhat demanding. If they knew what was best for them, they would answer and then follow his advice to get the hell out of there. Unfortunately for them, from their unsheltered position, it was likely that others would soon join them. Others who might not have the courtesy to ask questions first.

light blue eyes twinkle with sheer giddiness and entertainment. the bi colored lover looked upon the approaching faces of each individual as they surrounded and pressed themselves upon the two travelers. the corner of his parched lips twitched into a amused smile before being brushed away with a casual shake if his chiseled head. the first to catch his interest was the also the first to arrive. the rotund dwarf that is arguably the most welcoming of the parade. his brow creased together as he concentrated on each of their "greetings" and demands. he found is utterly hilarious that with each arrival they seemed to get meaner and more pompous.

they all seemed to swell and have to puff themselves up as if the presence of two lonely equine where going to do anymore damage then what was already done. many acted as if you plucked a tree by its roots and moved it across their imaginary border that is would just not grow the same once replanted. their lowly reactions were sad. where was the welcoming party, bringing one into your home an offering a traveler some respite from worldly woe. nay. this horde of unicorns see only the fact that they lack one thing, a horn. they forget the many things they all have in common two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, four feet, and a heart.

moon boy's perked lobes twitched as the colt finally spoke up, causing him to crain his head toward him. what he was doing was...amicable. with a simple flick of his black threaded tail he addressed each question that was barked at him. his attention was first placed upon Aurelius, who received a rare straight forward answer from the riddling poet. "I am simply passing through, wondering, or adventuring. You may pick from the list if you wish to label it." his voice was light and airy as he spoke to the small gnomish unicorn.

His expressive face turned to look upon the one called Kou. "courtesy is a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted: and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart; for, truly, I love none. " his response to her abrasive questioning was both poetic and a riddle. as for d'Artagnan and the rest of their 'merry' band, including the one's he already answered to he had but this to say. "Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more. Men were deceivers ever. One foot in sea and one on shore, to one thing constant never. Then sigh not so but let them go and be you blithe and bonny, converting all your sounds of woe into hey nonny nonny."

he stood there only a moment longer staring at them expectantly. did they all truly hold a harden cased with in their chest? if so it seems that history is once again doomed to express it's repetitive nature.

Just as he had predicted, more Edgers arrived. The wee stallion watched as the pale Kou arrived, always a pleasant sight, but less than pleasant to the likes of his two companions. As soft as she looked on the outside, just as fierce could she be under certain circumstances. The femme spoke first to the two others, like Aury had expected her to, so he just watched and listened. Kou and d’Artagnan had been in the Foothills? He hadn’t known and he was surprised to hear the welcome they had gotten. He believed the mare in question was Solstice, who had greeted him along with Mauja when he arrived to Helovia. The dwarf remembered her as nothing but pleasant, and he was usually a good judge of character, so he frowned in wonder. When Kou diverted her attention to him shortly, he returned her smile with a respectful nod and words of his own. "Kou. You look great, as always," he spoke, smiling. Oh yes, Aurelius knows his way around the ladies.

Next was d’Artagnan, never far behind the pale femme it seemed, and it made Aury chuckle amusedly to himself. There was something there that he’d want to look in to later. However, d’Arts facial expression didn’t leave much to laugh about, and as the red stallion interjected himself between them and the strangers, Aurelius felt almost touched. Only almost, for obviously d’Art wasn’t the talking kind, and he meant to take charge of the situation. Just then, yet another stranger appeared, a red unicorn who was indeed less out of place than the other strangers, but still an intruder. Something told Aurelius that the chestnut fellow had been watching all along, and when he chose to speak, Aurelius could’ve kicked him over the shin. It was obviously not a good idea to march into a strange land and dictate how people should behave, unicorn or non. And especially telling d’Artagnan something like that was just plain idiotic.

Their numbers increased as another Edger joined them. Aurelius didn’t know much about Cineviam, couldn’t remember having ever spoken to him, and the brute did not look to be in a cheerful mood. The words he spoke were harsh, aggressive, and Aury sighed on the inside. The situation wasn’t getting better; everything was more complicated with so many hostile individuals waiting to tear someone’s limbs off. The small steed admired the painted colt for his courage, though it would’ve probably been wiser to bolt in the other direction. Having yourself surrounded by so many hostile strangers wasn’t pleasant, Aurelius knew from experience. The yearling spoke and introduced himself as Aaron, and Aurelius immediately decided that he liked Aaron; he had guts. But of course the shaggy stag wouldn’t say it out loud. Moving around d’Artagnan, he made it clear that he would not be overruled like that. Just because he was small didn’t mean he would let others roll him over. "Your mission is a noble one, Young Aaron. But your timing is most unfortunate, I’m afraid. Stealing into someone’s home at nighttime is seldom a popular hobby," the dwarven steed spoke clearly, his voice friendly but insistent.

Then the bicolored steed spoke to him, eyes of green and black looking into light blue equals. "I understand you must be weary from your wanderings, but I’m afraid we cannot offer shelter to travelers. I would recommend the both of you to leave, before harm could become you," he speaks, not threatening but simply stating that even though he himself was friendly, he couldn’t hope to control the likes of his herdmembers. He must admit that the words the vagabond speaks to the other Edgers don’t make much sense, and yet it does. But it is concealed under a veil of riddle and song. Aurelius did suspect that his funny speech held way more meaning than they would know.