The sun had settled behind the crest of the mountain about halfway through their journey home from the Threshold, the mare turning back every now and again to share words with the yearling colt that followed in her wake, their exchanges not so much conversation as they were warnings about various places on the narrow path that were treacherous if one put their hoof down the wrong way, or tidbits he may find interesting that were generally unknown to those who didn't live at the peak of the mountain. She held her tail high, the snow thick enough now to gather on the tips and become a nuisance, and her eyes caught the orb just as it vanished behind the horizon, her brain unable to comprehend the importance of this sunset or what would come to pass in the morning when it did not rise again. For now, all she thought of was bringing their newest recruit up the mountain safely, and also to provide him with a tour of the grounds, her knowledge of the various oddities within the Basin something which she was proud of, considering it a sign of a good soldier to know what lie within the boundaries one had sworn to protect. And while she had not given her loyalty to all the unicorns within her home, she certainly felt the need to keep those who did not belong here in their necessary place below the mountain.

As they crested the final stretch into the Basin, Illynx found a soft smile of comfort broadening upon her features as the glistening surface of the lake came into view, paying no mind to the fact that the moon had not yet begun to climb into the sky to reflect upon its surface, too enamored by the way the stars and the red tinged sky blended on the deep blue lake to make the water a dreamy indigo littered with pale flecks. The Haruspex gleamed within it's cave, various Basin members loitering along the banks of the water and through out the natural valley that the stone protected from the sheer winds that had buffeted them on the climb. She turned now to speak to young Ares, who she assumed was not too far along behind her. "Welcome home, Ares," she said, her golden gaze sparkling within her chocolate face, a bunch of her forelock draped over one eye and the rest spread across her forehead, split where her horn burst from the bones of her skull.

The slow progression up the mountain was well met upon their arrival, the mare's eyes filling with the image of the colt as his eyes fell upon the Basin for the first time. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat, not uncommon for those who were not used to such a hike on a regular basis as she had become, and it was not surprising that a young and undeveloped male like Ares, with his slight limp that had gone unnoticed in the Threshold as well as his young muscles, had found the trip laborious. His breaths came deep and common, his lungs attempting to regain the oxygen that his sinew had burned on their journey, but it was the statement that fell from his lips that drew the corporal's attention more than his inability to gallop up the steep slope that had brought them here. "I'm sorry if I held you up, I was born deaf in one ear with terrible balance and it makes such excursions hard for me," he explained, the look on his face sheepish and terribly uncomfortable by what she could glean just looking upon him as the words tumbled forth. The older mare simply smiled, her head tilting playfully as it had back at the Threshold within the first few moments of their conversation, the strange posture of Ares's crown throughout their conversation explained with this confession of his born ailments. "It is a hard climb for those of us with normal bodies, as well; the more you travel the path the easier it will become," her voice was sweet and kind in the frigid air, though she knew that in her youth, Ares would likely have received the brunt of her taunts and cruelty for what she now gracefully set aside at this moment. He was a cripple, by all means, a stallion who would never grow to the full potential of others who could hear through both ears and keep up with the fleetest of scouts, but Illynx knew that within the heart of such a being was more resolute will than she could find even in herself. Those who were faced daily with challenges like Ares would be had no options other than to grow strong or die, and from the eager way with which his eyes searched the Basin now, Illynx made a silent bet that young Ares would grow into a fine man one day, despite that which he believed made him lacking.

What he didn't know is that he had been born perfectly whole; her eyes ran up the length of his growing horn, admired the bright orange tint of his mane as it caught the dying light. She found his enthusiasm endearing, something she felt herself anytime she looked out on the Basin and it's unicorns, and she let him admire it in silence, her breath rising from her muzzle in strands of misty, silver steam. "How many live here?" he asked, and the corporal found that she did not immediately know the answer to that question. Several dozen, that was to be assured, and her mind traced back to the herd meeting, the number of horned beings that had gathered there. "Around fifty," she guessed, a half hazard assumption that she couldn't truly verify, and hoped that he would not inquire much further; she didn't much enjoy looking a fool, "every last one a unicorn, like us." She searched his face after these words to witness his reaction, to attempt to gather more information about what lie in the heart of this one; if he showed the right signs, it wouldn't be too long before Illynx would be bringing him to meet with Psyche, to determine with her long-term friend and Lady how the half deaf boy could be best used in their plots against the hornless.

"I know of many pretty girls around your age," she jested. The mare took a few steps closer to Ares, if he would allow her approach, her shoulder pressed into the air in hopes to playfully nudge the colt's shoulder, her smile warm and friendly as her voice sang out once more. "Sielu and Zima I know by name, and there are many others." A bright and lyrical laughter fell from her lips as she found herself unable to provide names for the rest of the herd's children, the golden marked mare finding better company with that of adults than the youth, and the irony of a corporal not knowing the names of who she protected on a daily basis was mildly humorous to the chocolate lady. "To think, a corporal, and I cannot even give them all a name." Her horn angled to a gathering of unicorns along the lakeside, the mare finding not a single face she actually knew in the crowd, and another thought edged its way into her mind; if this was her home, and they were nearly all strangers, how overwhelming must it be to arrive and not know a single soul but that which led you here?