How strange life was, to bring him back on a warm autumn day to Helovia, finding him stumbling into the Basin of the very verge of war, only for the world to fall dark, but not entirely. And now? Now the moon was back, the sky littered with twinkling stars, and... what the hell was that?

Jerking his head up at the distant roar that thrummed over the tundra, Ruka turned emerald eyes toward the mountains instinctively, body poised into stillness with alarm. His nares flared after a heartbeat, body remembering that it needed air even as his mind whirled. That was much too loud for an avalanche, too loud for a roll of thunder. No, there was something more guttural about that sound, that made him think of something living.

Perhaps against his better judgement, the lanky unicorn took a few hesitant steps forward, which swiftly turned into a jaunty trot through the swells and hollows of snow that permeated the lands of and around his new home. Even then he shook his head at himself. Could be heading to my death, and I'm not scared enough to run the other way.

That thought was soon to come close to being false, when he got close enough to feel the ground beneath his hooves shudder in a rhythmic pattern. He had no idea what could be so big to shake the ground so, and so was ill prepared for the sight that waited for him just around the corner.

A monster, giant and reptilian, like some overgrown lizard that had had far too much to eat. The mere sight of it froze the Vanthran in his tracks, eyes wide as he struggled to come to grips with the sheer size of the beast. Only when he could somewhat accept the fact of its existance in this titantic form did he begin to notice the oddities. A horn, narrow and extended like some strange blade, eyes the hue of azure glaciers, a peculiar substance of the same hue dripping from gaping jaws to splatter the ground amidst ruin and havoc in its wake.

Muscles quivered beneath liver chestnut hide, an interal war being waged over whether to stand his ground or flee. Before he can change his mind, the beast lets loose another awesome roar that vibrated through the stallion's body, locking him in place. But there was no longer overwhelming fear electrifying his system. It still lingered, yes, but lay latent, harnessed by determination that rose upon the understanding that this, this thing wanted a challenge.

Lips pulled back into a mockery of a grin, Ruka began to stalk forward. Funny how whenever he came into a new region, some unnatural creature decided to stir up trouble. If only he could reach his magic... but alas, that bright light within his soul was still dormant. Ah well, time to do things the old fashioned way.

His slow stalk increased in speed, shifting into a ground-covering lope that carried him quite easily over the ground, sweeping around snow drifts to avoid being slowed down. His trajectory was toward the beast's side, and his head bowed to align his barbed horn as he drew closer. Unlike some of his kin, he had no intentions to close and pierce. No, he meant to dodge in, swipe his horn against the creature's leg to break off a few barbs, hopeful in embedding them in flesh and potentially irritate and slow this monstrous creature. Yet Ruka was also not inclined to linger to find out. Nimbly he dove for the monster's other side, hopefully going unnoticed. Prancing sideways, he cast a glance toward the creature to see how well his attack went, and to see if any others had risen to this challenge.