Father Earth had returned; she knew this, not because she had seen him, but because the flora of the world had begun, even without the light of the sun, to bloom and prosper throughout the Basin and the surrounding mountains. Illynx had not left the confines of her home since the end of the battles they had (rather uselessly) waged against the mixed breed and pegasus herds of the Edge and the Throat, and wearing her new crown, she felt it was perhaps best to become a phantom that lingered within the borders. It was droll, that was to be certain, but rather safe; never before had the singular entrance into the mountain, aside from the sky-way, been so precious to her, so very necessary. But with two angry herds surely attempting to lodge whatever thorns they could into the side of the Plague and their herdmates, she knew all too well that the single entrance into her home was only a silver lining around a rather dark and dangerous cloud, and so very thin a lining at that.

Still, she was restless; Lena's song had been superb, restoring the damage worn into her flesh by Smoke's bonded dragon so completely that Illynx could swear she had lost some years in it's melodies, and while she was thankful, she also silently cursed the spell for being so wonderful and allowing her to have more energy than she could use while trapped at the top of a mountain. And so, with a long and thoughtful gaze around her at her people and the serene view, the newest Lady of the Basin decided she'd had quite enough lounging about, waiting for something - anything - to happen other than the slow drag of stars across the sky.

Through the singular entrance she departed, her scar-marked limbs dancing gracefully over the still partially snowy earth, though the near lack of weather in the absence of the Gods hadn't brought any spare flakes drifting to earth, and so the path itself was slick with compacted snow that had been crushed under the hooves that had come and gone since the patrons of the people of Helovia had slipped away to solve whatever problem had arisen. Whatever it was, they were succeeding; no doppelgangers had been sighted or mentioned as far as she knew for quite some time, and aside from the massive beasts that had assaulted the wilderness (the location of one such occurrence where she decided she would go), the lives of Helovia's people had steadily bettered over time, despite the lack of sun.

With great pleasure she observed the foliage that had begun to grow along the sides of the path, happy to smell once more the green vibrancy of young plants, unaware that she had even missed it at the season's turning. When she reached the location where the path evened out and branched one way towards the Threshold and the other to the far east of the mountains, the mare increased her pace to a jovial trot, her head raised and ears listening for any trouble, though she doubted many but the Assassin's, having taken residence at the foot of the mountains, would be out this far north.

The splendor that awaited her in the valley where the lightning dragon had been felled was awe inspiring; the mynx felt her lips curve up into a smile at the sight of the wild flowers beginning to bud up from the rich soil and vibrant green grasses, the trees once again covered in vines that bloomed their vast, dark emerald leaves. And there, in the center of it all, the massive bones of what had been the greatest foe Illynx had ever encountered, nearly swallowed hole by the grass that had erupted seemingly overnight. She drew closer to it, pleased to find that the great wounds it had torn into the earth with it's drool, blood, and vengeful claws had been sewn shut by the passing of the Earth God, though the uprooted trees still lay upon their sides and a broad path still broke through the forest where the monster had made its way down to this valley.

[ OOC: Open to anyone. :D Thread is for her to discover her leg band though she hasn't spotted it yet. x3 ]

A glimmer, there in the roots of the nearest felled tree, to the left around the earth-eaten corpse of the long since deceased dragon. She skirted the shape of the bones, a mild discomfort at being so close to the lifeless colossus, the mare not quick to forget how easily the monstrosity had drop kicked Arah all the way across the field that it's body had come to it's final rest in. The dark, earth stained base of the uprooted tree grew more clear to her sight, already well adjusted to the blackness of the world, the nearer she came, until finally, the gleam gave sight to an intriguing bit of metal work nestled in it's tangles. A dark tinted muzzle pressed aside the roots that blocked the object from freedom, her teeth clenching tightly about its firm substance and tugging it free, dropping it at her hooves to examine more closely.

Silvery metal, the same hue as the pendant she had found waiting for her in the moss covered cave back at the basin, it's shape a serpentine that seemed perfectly fitted for a limb. Growing more curious, she lowered her gaze to inspect the pendant like objects at the end of the band's arms, circular, inscribed with various markings and inlaid with sapphires that caught the starlight like bright, blue embers. And the pearls; she had only ever seen one, fortunate enough to observe after stepping and crushing open a clam while walking the beach (if you could call it that, the muscle of the beast was rather squishy and repugnant). That pearl had been her mothers; long since lost to the soil of the Edge, which had reclaimed not only her dam's body but all her worldly possessions.

Grasping it once more in her teeth, the mare turned her head about to hind right leg, sliding the loops over the muscle gently and with a bit of struggle. It's cool surface held firm against her flesh, the bend of her gasket and hock holding the trinket in place. She took a moment to admire it's sparkle against the wood-like hues of her limb, the contrast of the silvery metal to her gold dipped appendages. She found that she was rather in love with the piece already, and so it was no surprise that she did not hear the approach of Castiel, and that his words immediately set her ears back upon her delicate tiara, a harshness entering her gaze as the sweetly feminine features of the Lady turned about to glare at the painted stallion.

"This? This is mine," she sharply retorted, the friendly nicker he had sent her way sweeping over and above her head as her nose bluntly gestured towards her new found trinket. As the words died upon the air, however, she noticed that he looked not at her tree treasure, but at the skeleton of the dragon. Her angry visage instantly dropped, replaced instead with a sheepish smile that betrayed her embarrassment as she tested the air for the stranger's odor. He had called himself Castiel, the name familiar, which meant only one thing; he had been a member of the Basin at one point. But judging by the ruggedness of his condition and the odor of wilderness that penetrated his musky, male scent, he no longer lived there, but here, alone.

She wondered if he would regret his decision to travel as an outcast when she informed him of what, precisely, the overgrown shrubbery was concealing.

"Well, those," she began, a devious little smirk crossing her lips and her gaze turned, momentarily, towards the massive corpse, "are the bones of dragon. Ruka slayed the beast, but many of the Basin came to the aid of the mountain; myself included." Turning her bodice so that she might more clearly see and speak to Castiel, Illynx let her cruel smile slide away, "Perhaps the greatest foe I have even encountered in my life. I wear the marks to prove it." Her right forelimb was raised, a quirky and humorous expression marking her visage as she nodded downwards toward the white, splotchy scars all along her four golden legs. They lined her underbelly, also, but unless Castiel was willing to lie on his back while she stood over him, he'd never see those, and she sure as hell wasn't going to roll over for a turn-cloak.

"Illynx the GildedBlade," sternly stated the Lady, not wishing to draw out her most proud title as of yet in case the stallion had friends waiting in the shadows to ambush her. He seemed friendly enough, but she knew all to well that smiles were simply tools to disarm the weak hearted and easy to trust. A light breeze lifted her dark mane from the sinewy bend of her neck, the golden lock blending intricately with the ebonite strands, her forelock cast before her equally preciously hued gaze. "I do not believe we've met, though we once shared a home."