I was travelling into the threshold again. It was all becoming a blur. I didn't even really need to pay attention to where my glass hooves were falling. No. The path had become one that I was beginning to know like the back of my hand. Of course, the path was also not one where I knew all who lurked upon it. So while I wasn't necessarily paying attention to the foliage that was around me I was taking in all of the scents that flooded my nostrils. It was something that I would never take for granted. My scent was my lifeline. It was quite simple. Nothing would change that.

Oh. Don't be so cocky. Acid would take away your sense of s- Unheil started only to have me grind my teeth to force him to stop. I didn't want to listen to his sarcasm at the moment. I really didn't. It was just highly overwhelming and annoying. No other words for something of such a matter.

He seems lost, mein kleine. Innerste said, my eyes landing upon a stag who was moving at a slow trot, as if he were looking for a place to rest for the night. I followed him in the shadows for a few moments until he started to run out of breath - obviously not having found his 'shelter' yet. "You've come at a time of an Endless Night. The moon has just granted us with it's return, I wouldn't count on the sun to rise anytime soon, though." I announced, sliding from the shadows. "Perhaps I can offer you aid in finding somewhere to rest or get warm? You seem strong enough to survive on your own." I said, Schwere tsking in my cranium. But why? Oh. That's right. My name. "How rude, I forgot my name. I am Seele, what might you have been dawned, recke." I question, tilting my head to the side just a little. Time to judge and see if he is crazy enough to join my little brigade.

SEELE

The difference between right and wrong was a blurred line. Over time it had been twisted, changed, better and now who really understood if they were in the wrong? What if you mind had been burned at a young age, that from the very start you were taught that there was no such thing as being right or wrong. Did that make your choices wrong? Or were they simply misguided? Or even more than that, would they ever be accepted as right just because you simply didn't know any better?
But really when it all came down to it, did anybody really know what was wrong or right? Or all we all simple walking around in a haze, clueless to what the standards of society actually are?

Quiet, nimble hooves gently settled upon the ground, she moved at a slow gait. Emotions were absent today, which made her so much more dangerous and unstable. The huntress, was most definitely on the hunt. However at this moment she was not out for the kill, in fact she had already felt that pleasure this morning. No, under this moonlight she was on the hunt for members. Members to join her and Seele's little family, well it wasn't so little anymore. The numbers had grown, the group seemed to be expanding daily. They still weren't quite large enough for a full scale invasion however, to take over the land they had their eyes on, they would need many more skilled fighters.

A dark cloud surround the golden dame to day. She wasn't a soul with emotions today, today she was a warrior on a mission, a girl that had learnt how to get exactly what she wanted out of life. Being constantly judged by those who live around her, had not made life easy. Her childhood had been even harder to live through. None of that mattered on these days though. Because she simple just did not feel the emotions to feel.

So as she moved through the threshold, her hooves as red as her hair, she had a desire to find her partner Seele first. This black and white mare had a habit of finding the lost and crazy souls that wondered through the threshold. Her sister also was much more clever with her words. At times Eris had to bring herself to admire the amount of work that the other killing leader had done for the group. She had done a lot more that Eris, so now, Eris had to prove herself. That is what she was going to do as well. Picking up the slack she pressed on harder, searching for Seele or a lost crazy soul that would need a home.

Hearing voices ahead the female wondered forwards, keeping to the shadows. A voice she knew quite well spoke, Eris had done it. She had found her sister. Walking up behind Seele, the golden mare stopped beside her blood sister. She did not speak at first, instead she took her time to study the stag. He did not seem to be crazy like them, there forth he would have a spot in their home unless he proved to be messed up or if her wanted to heal for them. "As Seele said, we know places where you would be quite safe and warm." She managed to hiss it sweetly, blue orbs still resting on the stallion. "My name is Eris." She offered him a charming smile which didn't quite reach her eyes. Standing right beside the black mare, the two leaders of the Asylum no doubt seemed a little imposing.
The chilling blue still rested on the stallion.

603

It wasn't long before I could feel the air shifting just a little. Your... sister... has arrived. Schwere announced before the mare had even shuffled her feet to appear from the shadows behind us. Quietly, I shifted my weight to the right to allow the mare room to stand beside me. No other form of recognition flickered through my form. So charming, a smile. But her words were not charming, and I could tell that her orbs were missing the connection. One could at least learn how to fake the emotions if they were going to present them.

He stood there for a few moments after the two feminine voices were sent to linger into the air as if he were sizing me up. While I stood tall, I allowed my frame to present a slightly weaker demeanor. My eyes would go toward him, but not fully lock upon his gaze. Solace. Finally, his name was lingering in the air and I couldn't help but to smile just a little. He instantly asked for the catch in her offer. He can judge far better than I expected. Schwere said approvingly as Innerste began to complain in her cranium, The point of this is to help others, Seele. Not use them for your games!

It was evident to me that he was feeling uneasy, and I was almost certain that Eris was the cause of this discomfort. It was only minute twitches in his frame, something others might overlook. But, I've grown to have to notice such details. Shrinking a little bit backwards I dropped my head before allowing my voice to radiate outward again. "The catch? Why, everyone must be capable of holding their own in this home. But, really, I would just prefer to have a strong able stag helping me back toward the home I speak of - incase Eris decides to stir up some more trouble." I offer, before allowing my yellow eyes to finally meet his gaze. Cut to the chase? I was already blunt! Fine. I'll be blunter. "This home, also only takes those who are a little mentally unstable. Of course, if you'd not and prefer to heal then you don't have to be unstable. It is meant to be a refuge for those who are outcasted and pushed aside without a care. We offer a way to rehabilitate and to learn self-defense. Though, I don't doubt someone as strong as you would be capable of that. Really, we just wish to extend our hand in aid to those we can - or allow others to offer their aid if they so desire." I explain, Schwere tsking in my cranium ever so slightly at the fact that I had explained all of that. But, really, I hadn't explained everything. I hadn't offered a name of our group or much information past our purpose. It was time for Eris to begin to figure out if she thought he was hiding a mental disorder.

I was simply attempting to keep the peace...

SEELE

There was no doubt in his mind that things were changing. The flow of time was inevitable, and one could do little to stop it... Much was the same with change. You could hate it, embrace it, do everything you can to ignore it, but change does happen. That was a lesson that Apollo had learned early on in his life, and one that he had learned yet again just recently, with the departure of Ophelia from the Grey.

It's still so hard to think that she's gone... The stallion thought to himself, his breath exhaling out in harsh wisps of mist that curled and danced towards the dark heavens. Still, even with the absence of Ophelia, the Grey needed to continue on. They needed to re-form, strengthen their numbers and their walls, tighten their family bonds. It was those very thoughts that had driven the Earth Medic from the safe confines of the Foothills with only the sparse moonlight to guide his path. The chill of winter was high in the air, snow crunching beneath his ebonite hooves, but Apollo paid it no heed.

No... The important thing was that he needed to search for those who were strong and capable, and hopefully on such a cold night of the entrance to Helovia, he could find someone in search of a home. Each step was light, muffled only by the disturbance of the snow, and honey-brown eyes surveyed the darkness and the trees that filled the Threshold's forests. Lighting was minimal, but for once, Apollo wasn't put-off by the darkness. There were more important things to worry about than his innate fears.

Pausing mid-step, the painted medic's ears snapped to attention, his head lifting and crystalline crown pointed towards the sky as voices drifted through the trees. He huffed once, a brief exhale, before sucking in more of the frozen air, and then promptly headed towards the voices. He remained in the darkness for awhile longer, simply watching, soaking up the scene, trying to learn. The scene that he arrived on was a common sight in the Threshold; a gaggle of horses, despite their variances of breeds. Apollo's dark eyes lingered upon each and every one of them, memorizing their looks and comitting them to memory.

There was one who didn't smell of Helovia, and immediately Apollo's eyes rested on him first. He was a large, impressionable stallion, with a strange two-toned coat. The newcomer looked steadfast, strong... A perfect candidate for the Grey.

A rusty bay was speaking of a home to the male, a group, that welcomed those with mental instabilities, a 'refuge for outcasts'... Apollo gave a quiet snort as he listened. Another group was forming, although this one didn't seem to terrible, not like that pathetic lot of Assassins. Still, it never paid to let one's guard down. There was another, less talkative mare, but Apollo paid her little attention. Instead, he cleared his throat and moved further out of the trees, allowing himself to be seen.

"My apologies for interrupting," he said kindly with a jovial enough smile, glancing to the two ladies before resting his honey-brown eyes upon the stallion, "But I couldn't help but overhear your conversations. Frostfall does so carry sound like no other season..." Here, the Medic dipped his head downwards in a form sort of bow, the crystalline crown upon his brow glinting in the moonlight. "My name is Apollo; Earth Medic of the Windtossed Foothills. A pleasure to meet you all."

Lifting his head once more, Apollo smiled warmly towards the stallion. "Welcome to Helovia, friend. Perhaps you have already made up your mind, but I offer you another solution, if you, indeed, are searching for a home. I come to you offering my land, the land of the Foothills, the home of the Grey." There was a noticeable shift in Apollo's voice, a sense of pride overtaking his words as he spoke. And why shouldn't he be proud? He was a part of the Grey.

"We are a band, not terribly unlike the type that this one lives in," Here, he paused for only a second, dipping his crown towards Seele, "But we are a close-knit family group. We are a band of mercenaries, who swear allegiance only to one another. We live for one another, bleed for one another. We are brothers and sisters in arms, you could say... But the life of the mercenary is counter-balanced by the life of those who do not wish to fight. Like myself." Apollo grinned again, this time giving Solace his full attention. "I prefer to heal than fight... And so that is what I do, as medic."

I shifted my weight ever so subtly. My petite frame's muscles shifting in perfect unison in order to support where my center of gravity had now shifted to. I did not stand in a threatening stance, but of course, some did find those with horns to be rather threatening - especially if they had never seen one of us before. He seemed to be mulling through the options in his head, figuring out the exact wording of which to respond with.

He didn't seem crazy, not to me, really, so I supposed it was a good thing I had not granted him with too much information other than the purpose of our band. That was, unless he wished to be a healer, then there would be a much different conversation on our trek back up toward our home in the Spectral Marsh. His words were chosen, as if sculpted away in order to ensure that it was fitted to sound perfectly mannered.

Just as I went to allow myself to respond another stag appeared from the shadows, horned as well as adorned with the dark coat I was blessed with. Though, his was broken up by huge patches of white unlike the white clownface which I had painted on. The stag, Solace, seemed to be watching us, as if he was waiting for us to snap and yell at him for not realizing that he really was crazy. But, in all honesty, I was far from doing that. If he did not believe himself to be crazy, nor did he believe himself to wish to heal then he served no real purpose to me. The new unicorn introduced himself, apologizing for intruding upon the conversation. I gave him a light smile and a bob of my head - better to play nice while we decide what our true mark is going to be. We do not need a bunch of herds attempting to break us up before we gather a chance at gaining the home we so wished to have. "It is fine. It would not be a normal trip to the Türschwelle if more than one person did not attempt to snatch the new recruit. And the pleasure can be returned, especially when I stumble upon another who has a home who was granted with manners." I spoke, German heritage spilling over in my word choice and consonants. Apollo then explained completely about what his home had to offer. The only differences, in my head, was that no one was obscenely crazy and they actually had a stable environment to thrive in. One of this difference we would fix in the future - hopefully the near future.

Solace seemed to accept this offer with the Foothills, so I swished my tail with a curt nod of my head. "Solace, you were looking at us as though we were going to jump you for saying no?" I inquired, tilting my head ever so slightly to the side. "Just because we are crazy does not mean we expect everyone to be. If you are not, and don't wish to heal it is fine. I wish you the best in your travels - you too Apollo - but I would like to give one last word before we depart." I explained, pausing ever so slightly to gather my breath, "Keep in mind that your mind, nor your heart, truly make the decisions of your life. What makes the decisions is your soul - deep inside. Not only is it your sustaining life force, but depending on how you take care of it, it can also decide what path to take in life. Your heart and your mind are controlled by your soul. I hope, kleines, that you take that into account with every action you make - it can only better your life." I offered, the dead souls from those who had not survived the winter still tugging at my heart strings. And, really, with no true soul to connect to from the bunch I only attempted to relay the message which I could understand from the tugs and pulls on my brain as they cried out to be heard.

So, with those last words I gave Eris a light bump on the shoulder to motion to her to join me in leaving the two alone before disappearing into the shadows. The souls, they would never stop calling...

SEELE

A P O L L O

And how can you say that your truth is better than ours?
Shoulder to shoulder, now brother, we carry no arms

Apollo remained silent to allow the stallion time to think. He could rememer his own adventure through the Threshold rather vividly, but then again, there hadn't been a number of individuals attempting to coerce him into joining their ranks. No, it had only been that ridiculous outcast, and then Phaedra, who had brought him home to the Grey. He would forever be grateful to her for that.

"My name is Solace."

The stallion introduced himself and Apollo's smile grew wider. Solace returned the elegant dip of his head, then went on to explain his situation, and his self-consciousness about his fighting ability. That made the Medic chuckle softly, but not in a mocking kind of way. No, it was more one of brotherly understanding.

"Do not worry, Solace," he said at last, his words meaning to put the stallion's mind at ease, "There are many inside of the Grey who are experienced veterans in warfare and battle. They would be more than willing to teach you things regarding fighting techniques, if you should so desire." Eloquent and simple. Apollo resisted the urge to snort; he was becoming more and more the diplomat with every day that passed.

Honey-brown eyes then lingered towards the two mares, his words pausing in his throat as Seele took her leave, but not after speaking her own piece. Her words caused the stallion to tilt his head in confusion, but mull them over for a few moments in her head. The words were both strange yet wise... And since coming to Helovia, Apollo had learned that words could be far more dangerous than any weapon.

Still, as the two mares disappeared into the darkness, the Earth Medic turned his sights back on Solace. The warm look remained in the overo's honey-brown gaze, and his smile softened. "The Grey is always looking for new members. Come, brother," here, he paused and turned to head back the way that he had come, "I can lead you to the Foothills, to your new home."

[ooc: Sorry for the wait, dear! I shall have a request to have his rank changed to Foothills Stallion. <3]