It was just another night (or was it day?) of endless darkness with only the light of the moon and the lamp trees that the Moon Goddess had given them to light Alleo's path. He had only been in Helovia for a few months, but he was weary of the darkness and often found himself wondering why his sisters chose to stay in a land that the sun refused to rise. Sometimes he thought about trying to convince them to leave so they could all travel together to a land that was more forgiving than this. But as he watched them he came to realize that they wouldn't not leave. Lakota was committed to the Foothills and the dark mare that had been Chieftess before she left them. Even with her gone he didn't think he'd be able to convince her to leave and so he was stuck because he would not be separated from his sisters again. Not after he'd promised to watch over them.

There was something different about today, though. Something that he couldn't quite place. He didn't know what it was that made him look up at the sky, but when he did his heart seemed to lurch in his chest and take off at a thousand miles an hour. His dual colored eyes grew wide and her huffed out a heavy breath laced with relief and happiness. The sun had returned and their endless plight was coming to an end. It was so very bright, though, and he had to squint his eyes against the sun so he wouldn't be blinded by its brilliance. He couldn't wait for the sun to be high, high, high overhead and beating down on his back. Couldn't wait for it to chase away the chill that had lingered even though Frostfall had passed.

As his gaze dropped down from the waking sky he could see, in the rays that penetrated the canopy of the forest, the figure of an antlered unicorn rising from the ground. Had she been sleeping? His brow furrowed at the idea that someone would leave themselves in such a vulnerable position in a dark forest. The warrior began to move toward her, noting as he came close how her legs shook as if she were on the brink of collapse. She was svelte, built for speed and easy movement and that made him wonder if she were a warrior or not.

Alleo cleared his throat and dipped his head to the mare as he came to a halt several feet away from her. "Greetings." He said, his voice deep and gravelly. "And welcome to Helovia. I am Alleo, warrior of the Windtossed Foothills north of this forest. May I ask what brings you here?"


@[Cheyenne]