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

Through the Threshold he went, eyes open, ears alert. The number of trips that he had been making to this part of Helovia as of late have been staggering, but... It had to be done. The Grey was faltering in their numbers, and their strength. While the core members of their family were strong, resolved, and resilient, Apollo knew that they needed more members. There was a risk brewing, he could feel it in his bones... And unfortunately, they needed more members in their herd.

The Foothills, or the Grey known by some, were sitting ducks. They were changing, turning from the ways of ruthless mercenaries and to the ways of true herdship. A new foundation was what they needed to survive... Or else their land might be stolen from them.

The monochromatic stallion made his way through the forest, eyes lingering upon the dark-enshrouded trees. In the normal days of Birdsong, birds would be flitting about, singing their songs, and the sunshine would be shining through the leaves of the tree's canopies... For now, however, thanks to this cumbersome darkness, Helovia could have none of that. How much longer would it take until the Sun returned to them? With the moon present, hope had returned, but...

A sigh escaped the Mercifuls' lips. Such melancholic thoughts raged through his head, when he needed to remain strong. Hopeful. Resilient like his brothers.

It wasn't long into his abrupt journey that Apollo stumbled across another, a unicorn like himself who lingered in beneath the full branches of a tree. Apollo nickered towards the mare as to not alert her, stepping through the darkness and lifting his head high. Soft, honey-brown eyes lingered upon the mare's frame, a warm, jovial smile crossing his lips. His horn lifted skywards, head poised high, ears tipping forward. Apollo wanted this newcomer to know that he didn't mean any harm.

"Greetings, miss," Apollo called through the darkness, his eyes bright and welcoming, "Welcome to the land of Helovia. I am Apollo; Chief of the Windtossed Foothills. May I inquire your name?"

[ooc: Welcome to Helovia, Esther! :D Just to let you know, there is a Side-Wide-Plot going on that has covered Helovia in darkness, with just the moon and these 'lantern-trees' to light the paths for the inhabitants that live there. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! <3]