The Start of Spring

The young tag-along to their trio shifted the balance. Neith was always ready for some sort of shenanigan, be it an adventure or her newly acquired familiar trying to sneak into the packs they carried courtesy of Pandora. Voyeur wasn’t quite sure if he liked the spirited young filly or despised her; either way the balance has somehow shifted.

No matter how many times Voyeur insisted the supplies in their packs were gifts to Sirona, from one baroness to another, Neith just gave him a coy and cunning grin that had his stomach tying itself in knots.

Her newly acquired familiar, a sugar glider, always seemed to be resting on one of those packs, or showing up clinging to Voyeur’s mane or tail. He always had the sneaking suspicion that one or the other was up to something, some hairbrained scheme that was going to delay their delivery.

Nevertheless, they pushed on. Sidra and Sulien spent most of their time together, sometimes taking to the sky to soar high above them. Voyeur wanted to join them on his newly discovered wings, the gift from the regions he had passed through, but leaving Neith below by herself wasn’t an option.

So Voyeur suffered through it on their long voyage to Torre, with a patience he didn’t know he had.

When the plains revealed rolling hills in the distance, a break from the flatness of the wide land they had crossed, and both Shadowdancer and Falkreath announced that Torre was in the distance, Voyeur let out a sigh of relief. He had agreed to transport Neith, as well as accompanying Sidra and Sulien, but he had come to regret it slightly. He was certainly ready to be done with Neith’s antics.

“There are two mares ahead of us,” Sidra said as she landed, Sulien landing mere moments after her.

Voyeur considered those words then shrugged. “Most likely doing the same thing we are, heading to Torre for the celebrations,” Voyeur replied.

With a shared nod, the four Quirls kept their path, overtaking the two mares rather swiftly.

The one mare had rainbow hues to her coat, and wore a worn pack that seemed to be sagging and fraying in some parts. The other had a strange set of adornments, backs on her back, scrolls tied to her sides, and a lantern on a stick that was also attached to her side. Her mane had intricate braids, and there were bells on bracelets around her ankles that tinkled with every step.

“Hello there!” The bell adorned mare said cheerfully.

“Hello,” Sidra replied, politely. “What brings you this way?”

The rainbow hued mare perked up. “Would you be willing to help out Frysil?” she asked, with a hopeful look.

Sidra blinked at her, surprised for a moment. “We just left the Windy Region, actually….” Sidra said, sharing a glance with the others.

“Oh no, no!” The rainbow hued mare exclaimed. “Frysil needs help everywhere!”

The belled mare nudged the other, and shook her head slightly. “Sorry,” she said with a bit of a grin. “I’m Yelena, and this is Udelia. Udelia serves Frysil, and he is looking for help with doing away with the remaining snow and ice from this past winter. It’s sticking in some places where it shouldn’t, and creating a delay for the seasons,” Yelena introduced and explained. “We are asking all Quirlicorns we pass on our way if they would be willing to help as well.”

“We are on our way to Torre, perhaps we could travel together for this last bit of journey,” Sidra said diplomatically, and the others nodded their agreement.

“That would be great!” Udelia said, leaping into action and cantering off.

“Uhm….” Sidra murmured, watching the mare who was going in the complete wrong direction.

“I’ll get her,” Yelena said with a laugh, trotting off after the strange mare, bells twinkling in her wake.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Voyeur asked, and Sidra shrugged.

“I never promised to help, suggested we walk the rest of the way together. We should keep moving, they will catch up,” Sidra replied.

With a shrug, Voyeur nodded to Sidra to lead the way. They all stayed on the ground this time, and like Sidra predicted, Yelena and Udelia joined them again a while later.

Torre wasn’t nearly as far as Voyeur thought it might be, which was a blessing for the stallion’s patience. After dealing with Neith for the majority of the journey, the addition of Udelia and Yelena was starting to grate on his nerves.

But it seemed peace was never an option for Voyeur. Sirona, Baroness of Torre, awaited them, like he had expected. But what he hadn’t expected (nor wanted to consider) was the purple hued mare and her sunset son waiting for them as well.

Binary still being in Torre was one thing he was certainly avoiding thinking about, though he couldn’t say he was mad to see Rasalas again. But judging by the flinty look to Binary’s gaze as she spied the two new additions to their party, Voyeur figured he was in for one hell of a time.

“Greetings, Baroness,” Voyeur said, a bit more formally than he had planned as they approached. “We bring gifts from Baroness Pandora of Artmesium, for the celebrations.”

Sirona smiled with genuine warmth. “Oh, I hope she is doing well! And what’s this? Neith! My how you've grown!” Sirona exclaimed. “Yelena as well, a pleasure dear girl! And a new friend?”

Yelena grinned, and Voyeur blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realized that Sirona would know one of their companions.

“This is Udelia,” Yelena introduced. “She brings tidings from Frysil, but it has been a long journey for our companions and I believe we can talk more on that once everyone is rested.”

Voyeur watched the young mare, as she addressed Udelia’s purpose here but in a way that seemed to make the other mare a bit apprehensive about spurting out her proclamations that Frysil needed help. With a slight bit of a smile, Voyeur made note of the way she did it, and decided to save that information for a later time.

“Oh indeed!” Sirona said, and began to usher them towards the city. “Rest is indeed needed after such a long journey. Let me show you where to deposit your packs, and then we can get refreshments.”

As the baroness led them up the hill, Voyeur marveled at the changes that had come to Torre. The city itself seemed to have the same feel of energy, but now with bright garlands hung, and colorful spring banners fluttering in the breeze. But there was that same chill to the air that he had noticed in the Windy Region, and to Voyeur’s surprise he noticed there were piles of snow through the city, ones that he had thought cleared since the last time they passed through.

Noticing his interest, Sirona sighed. “We had another snow storm after you left. The gardens that were planted were saved, but barely. We had thought winter was over but….” Sirona shook her head, trailing off.

The mood wasn’t pensive for long. As they hit the center of the city, the infectious energy of celebration overtook the group. To Voyeur’s surprise, Binary had been keeping her distance for now, and had wandered off into the chaos of the city with Rasalas.

There were old faces and new surrounding them, some Quirlicorns visiting from Espeor, some from Snowhaven, and some, Voyeur surmised, from the Desert. But not as many as had gathered in Queensbreak for the Winter Solstice celebrations.

“I was almost expecting more Quirlicorns,” Sidra commented, as if reading Voyeur’s thoughts.

“Indeed, it has been hard for many to travel. You must have missed most of it, but a last minute storm seemed to have rolled through the entire continent. Even the desert felt the bite of winter this year,” Sirona explained. “A lot of Quirlicorns stayed home to celebrate, especially from Espeor. The mountain passes are choked with snow.”

When they reached the tower, and Sirona directed them on where to place their packs, Neith stepped forward.

“A gift from the Baroness of Artemesium to the Baroness of Torre,” Neith said formally. “May these gifts carry the blessings of good health and friendship between our lands.”

Voyeur blinked, a bit surprised, but Sirona seemed delighted.

“May the bond between our lands continue to prosper,” Sirona agreed, before curiosity overtook her and she opened one of the packs. Inside were a sampling of seeds and dried herbs from the Windy Region, things not so easily grown in the plains.

“Mother said many of them have properties you would be interested in studying,” Neith commented with a grin.

“Indeed,” Sirona nodded, her attention mostly on the samplings. “We are quite grateful for these gifts, and will put them to good use.

“But come! It is time for refreshments and rest. In the morning we can talk more.”

Voyeur had been looking forward to the rest, but shortly after settling into his room for their stay there was a knock on the door. He sighed and pulled it open to see Sidra and Sulien standing outside, thankfully without Neith. But…

“Where is Neith?”

Sidra shrugged slightly. “I believe she is helping Sirona organize the packs we brought,” Sidra answered.

Voyeur was surprised, but didn’t want to curse their luck as Sidra and Sulien walked into his room.

“What brings you to my room?” Voyeur asked as they got settled.

“We were curious if Binary had sought you out yet, and figured if she tried to it was better if you weren’t alone,” Sulien said, and Voyeur snorted.

“Surprisingly she has kept her distance,” he said, his tone showing just how suspicious he found that.

“I think she was waiting for you to say something,” Sidra teased.

Voyeur considered it, mulling over the idea. He gave a deep sigh that had his companions laughing.

It was going to be a rough trip.

The morning brought more activity than Voyeur had bargained for. His night of rest had been swept away by Sidra, Sulien, and their familiars hanging out in his room until well past dark. He had hoped for a quiet morning to himself, perhaps time to more familiarize himself with the Raven he had been given by Pandora (as a thank you for putting up with Neith, Voyeur surmised). But like most of his recent hopes for peace, that swiftly changed by a banging at his door.

Still half asleep, Voyeur opened it to find Binary there, looking ready to tear into him. Voyeur blinked, his mind snapping awake and processing what to say.

The conversation from last night came back to him, and Voyeur tried not to smirk.

“I didn’t expect to find you here. I thought you no longer had interest in me,” Voyeur said before Binary could start.

The mare huffed, seemingly trying to puzzle over how to respond. “I gave you ample opportunity to approach me,” she finally settled on, a bit haughtily.

“After you didn’t bid us welcome, and then left shortly after the docks, I figured you had no desire to speak to me, or seek me out,” Voyeur replied. “It would not be polite of me to press my presence on a lady who did not wish to speak to me.”

Binary stared at him, and started speaking to him several times. “Oh… you…. Ugh! Stallions!” She spat, and turned on heel, stomping back down the hall.

Voyeur peeked out to see if anyone else had noticed that confrontation, only to find Rasalas standing a bit of a way down the hall. The young stallion had grown since the last time that Voyeur had seen him, and by the twinkle in his eyes, was well aware of his mothers antics.

“Nicely handled,” Rasalas commented with a snort of laughter.

“I sure hope so,” Voyeur said, knowing he very likely opened a large can of worms.

“We really came up here because Sirona is gathering everyone in the hall. There are some issues arising that need some assistance,” Rasalas admitted. “Otherwise she might have continued to ignore you for a while.”

Voyeur sighed. “On the morning of the Equinox of all things?”

“It seems Udelia finally got to talk to Sirona about whatever was bothering her,” Rasalas said with a shrug.

“Well we best go see then,” Voyeur said, nodding to the young stallion to lead the way.

The hall was packed. Voyeur hadn’t realized just how many Quirlicorns had arrived for the Equinox and celebrations until he entered behind Rasalas. He knew some faces - Sulien was chatting with Ausrune, the Baron of Phaedra. Sidra was talking softly with Melione, who Voyeur recognized from Espeor, as well as Eira, the Baroness of Snowhaven. There were some others he vaguely recognized, but his attention was quickly pulled away to Sirona as her kitsune gave a musical cry.

On the dais, Sirona stood with Udelia and Yelena, as well as Eisling, who Voyeur had come across in his time of serving the deities.

“Thank you for your attention, and thank you for gathering so swiftly,” Sirona called out. “As well as thank you for coming! This winter has been long, and while some of us may be used to the snow,” Sirona gave a slight grin and a nod to Eira who grinned back, “Many of us have felt restless as this winter dragged on longer than expected. This is why I gathered you here today. On this joyous Equinox morning, while we are ripe with magic and power, troubling news also comes. Udelia has made me aware that there are several areas still snowed in, and suffering for it. She brings tidings directly from Frysil, who asks us to join together in helping clear the snows of the winter away and bringing relief to those who have been stuck through the winter.

“Yelena and Eisling have brought news of areas around our land which are much deeper in winter than we are, especially along our Mountains border. For such a large task we will have to split into groups, which shall be organized shortly. Thank you once again for your help!”

Voyeur pondered how he could potentially help with all of this. He had a regional transformation, and he had some magic, but he wasn’t sure what else he could do. Then he remembered Shadowdancer had magic of her own, and nodded to himself. While he might not be the most useful, Shadowdancer certainly could be.

“Wonder how they are going to assign groups,” Rasalas commented and Voyeur blinked. He certainly hadn’t expected them to assign groups!

“Excuse me,” Voyeur murmured, before wandering through the crowd to where Sidra and Sulien were now standing together, talking softly.

“Assigned groups?” Voyeur asked as he approached, forgoing greetings.

Sidra nodded. “It does make sense, in a way. Some of us know the land better than others, and we all have different magics that can help or hinder others.”

“We talked to Sirona before the announcement. I’m going to be helping each group stay in contact,” Sulien added.

“As will I,” Melione said as she approached. “With my telepathy and teleportation, and Sulien’s ability to converse with animals, we can keep everyone in contact and aware of any developments.”

“I’m going with some newcomers to the Plains,” Sidra added. “I know the area better, and with my wings I can fly above and spot any areas ahead we might need to pay attention to.”

Voyeur had to admit it made sense but some kind of dread was rising. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like his group.

Sidra was trying to hold in her giggles as her group left the city. She had caught a glimpse of Voyeur’s face as they left, and after seeing that he was in the same group as Binary she had a hard time keeping it together.

“What makes you laugh?” Lullaby, Eira’s right hoof asked.

Sidra shook her head then burst out laughing. The rest of her group looked at her a bit strangely, but Sidra simply shook her head again.

“Nothing much,” Sidra commented. She looked around at her group mates. She knew Lullaby from her time in Snowhaven, but the others were strangers. “I think we should do some introductions. I’m Sidra, currently a wanderer,” Sidra introduced herself.

“Lullaby, second to Eira of Snowhaven,” Lullaby introduced.

“I am Lothair, recently come to Torre, hailing from the Mountains,” the deep purple with light blue points introduced himself.

The brightly colored mare went next. “And I am Linaeve, daughter of Eira,” she said, her voice soft and musical.

“A pleasure to meet you all. What magic do you have? So we can best figure out a plan,” Sidra asked.

Lullaby grinned. “I can manipulate Clouds and the Weather,” she said.

“That must be useful for keeping Snowhaven less cold,” Sidra joked, and Lullaby nodded.

Lothair and Linaeve shared a look before they replied.

“I, uhm, was born with Telepathy,” Linaeve admitted. “And have recently discovered my inclination towards music.”

“And I was born with Invisibility and Abacomancy, and have discovered I also have Endurance,” Lothair said, a bit stiffly.

Sidra stared at them for a few moments in surprise. “You were also born with magic?” she asked in shock.

Linaeve started to nod before tilting her head. “Also?” she asked.

“I was born with an ability to see parts of the future, as well as control over air, water and earth,” Sidra replied.

Linaeve and Lothair stared at her in shock. “Until I found out about Lothair’s magic, I thought I was the only one! I thought I was crazy, picking up on others thoughts. But I never thought there were others!”

“My full blood siblings were also born with magic,” Sidra admitted. “I didn’t realize there were any others than us.”

But as Sidra spoke the words she began to wonder. Sulien had always seemed overly powerful as a foal. Was he potentially born with magic too? She had never thought to ask, he was older than her. She made a note to ask him about it.

Linaeve tilted her head, as if trying to listen in from a distance. “We can talk more about this later,” she said excitedly. “Melione gave us an exact location.”

“Let’s get going then!” Sidra said, the awe of meeting others like her momentarily overshadowed by their task.

“The snows were not as bad in the desert,” Ausrune said, as he walked beside Sulien. Wind and Fire trailed behind them, talking softly with Eira, the Baroness of Snowhaven.

“I’m glad the mountains didn’t hinder your trip too much,” Sulien replied, happy to see the Mystic stallion he had traveled with and learned from in his young months.

“And I’m glad to see you are doing well. Still with the Espeor princess?” Ausrune said with a teasing tone.

Sulien chuckled slightly. “Sidra is a lot more than a princess of Espeor now,” Sulien replied. “She has really grown.”

“She does carry herself differently,” Ausrune replied.

Falkreath soared overhead, and called out directions to Sulien. He could feel Melione in the back of his mind, catching those snippets of conversation and direction and relaying them out.

“I’m surprised they put us together,” Sulien admitted. “I figured a powerful desert blessed stallion like yourself would be on the front lines.”

Ausrune chuckled at that, his skull teeth clacking. “I had asked Sirona about that. Don’t worry, if things change I will be pulled away to assist as needed. Wind and Fire as well.”

“What are your magics?” Sulien asked them curiously.

“Thermokinesis,” Fire replied, with a grin. “Wind hasn’t found her first magic yet, but she has plenty to play with during the Equinox.” Wind nodded in agreement.

“With all the possibilities, I still feel myself pulling toward the warm desert magics, perhaps with a drop of water added,” Wind added.

“A good mix to have for the desert,” Sulien said with a nod. Another call from Falkreath had him looking up to his familiar before nodding.

“We have snow ahead!” he announced, and picked up the pace, the others following his lead.

Neith was annoyed. She didn’t want to babysit, even though Ura and Luuedei weren’t quite babies. But Neith wanted to be out in the field, helping with the others.

But no, she was stuck back in the city helping with coordination.

Instead of doing anything exciting, Neith found herself running messages back and forth, assisting Melione in collecting reports from Yelena and Eisling so the young Mystic could send them out to the others.

The young mare was begrudgingly grateful to have Luuedei and Ura; she sent them to meet with Yelena and Eisling. Neith didn’t mind Yelena, but Eisling’s wolf familiar made her wary, and it seemed Eisling was never without her wolf.

In addition to running messages to Melione, Neith was swiftly caught up in assisting Sirona and the others with different reports of medicines.

“Neith!”

Neith looked over to see Ilkay, the High Scholar of Torre’s sister city, Arcanum, and Asteri, one of the young Acolytes, beckoning her over.

“We just got here from upriver,” Asteri said, looking around seemingly for someone other than Neith.

“And?” Neith asked shortly.

“We brought some more stores of medicines on the barge, as well as more information about areas in need of assistance,” Asteri said, ignoring Neith’s tone.

“Luuedei!” Neith called out, and the glowing white filly quickly joined them.

“Have Eisling run a message to Lunaris. There are medicines to be unloaded on the barge,” Neith instructed, knowing Luna’s golems would be able to handle it.

“Roger roger!” Luuedei said brightly, before rushing off.

“You sound like a little general,” Ilkay chuckled and Neith gave him a level stare. After a moment's thought, she decided she liked that idea.

“That I am,” she said with a grin to her father.

“Come onnnn Clove! We gotta help!”

The loud voice startled Neith, and she turned to see two younger Quirlicorns entering the hall. The one with intricate markings was the one who had spoken, half shoving the smaller grey hued one through the doorway.

“Eva, I don’t wanna,” the other one mumbled, but her protests were quickly overridden by the other.

“We gotta, Frysil asked Udelia to ask us!” she said, bouncing on her hooves and looking around. Spotting Neith, she zipped over.

“Hi! I’m Evaline, and this is Clover! We are here to help!”

Neith blinked at them for a moment, before glancing at Asteri and Ilkay.

“Are you good?” Neith asked them, desperately hoping to dump Evaline and Clover on them.

“We could use some help sorting the medicines when they get here,” Asteri said. “But we probably only need one Quirlicorn for that. Clover, are you good at counting?”

Clover looked a bit offended, but Evaline answered for her. “Clove is super smart!”

“Good,” Asteri said with a gentle smile. “Then Clover, if you wouldn’t mind helping us sort? And Evaline, are you fast?”

Evaline was practically bouncing with energy. “For sure!”

Ilkay chuckled at the energetic response. “Sounds like you would make a good messenger,” he said, sharing a look with Asteri. “We could use someone to help us run totals back and forth with the others.”

“Sir yes sir!” Evaline announced with a giggle.

“Let’s get started then!” Asteri said, as she saw golems bringing in the start of the supplies they had brought.

Neith sighed with relief as Ilkay and Asteri led away the two youngsters, and shook her head. It was a sin that anyone had that much energy, it made Neith feel drained just watching the filly.

With a chuckle to herself she turned back to her duties, her new perspective making it easier to take charge and get the things done she needed to. Despite not being in the field, she would still find a way to help.

Voyeur wasn’t sure if he was in hell or a nightmare. Binary was giving him the cold shoulder, which was good, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was a bigger storm about to brew.

The companions he had been placed with seemed a bit useless. Binary was there of course, with Rasalas. Another (admittedly quite beautiful mare) who Voyeur had been introduced to as Rouen was with them, along with her young apprentice, Pyralis. Voyeur recognized the young sun-hued Quirlicorn, one of Khaalida’s half siblings. Speaking of half siblings…. Voyeur glanced back to where the father of one of the most powerful Queens followed them.

He could have cut the tension with a knife. Pyralis refused to speak to Abraxas, and Rouen ignored him as well. Instead, Rouen tried talking with Binary, who gave short answers, and kept cutting glances to Voyeur. Abraxas had tried cutting in for a while, before falling silent and just staring after them like a lovelorn pup.

The only one who seemed to be enjoying themselves was Rasalas, who was watching the group with a sparkle of amusement to his gaze.

“Do any of you happen to have some form of magic that can help with this or are we doing this by hoof?” Voyeur finally asked, leveling his gaze across each of them.

“I can breathe fire,” Abraxas chimed in.

Pyralis snorted. “I’m immune to fire,” they muttered, with a glare at their father.

“I also have Telepathy,” Abraxas added, a bit offended.

“The only reason we are stuck with you,”  Pyralis muttered.

A snort of laughter came from Rasalas.

“I feel the stirrings of magic within me,” Binary defended quickly, glaring at Voyeur for his insinuation of her uselessness. “I’m sure I will have proper power when we get there.”

“Of course you will, sweet,” Rouen said with a purr that had Voyeur tilting his head at the tone. Mares. They were always so confusing.

Abraxas tilted his head, as if catching a sound far away. “We have an area to go to,” he said, with a bit of a self important nod. “Melione says it's due north of here.”

“Well then we best get to it,” Rasalas said with a hint of that amusement in his voice. “Before we stand here arguing for a few hours,” he added in a mutter.

Voyeur snorted out a huff of frustration. “Let’s get to it then,” he said wearily, nodding to Abraxas to lead the way.

Melione stood at the top of the Torre, the famed tower of healing. Despite the excitement of the Equinox adventures they were on, she could still feel the healing going on beneath. Healing waited for no holiday.

Udelia stood beside her, the disciple of Frysil seemingly more relaxed now that those who had gathered had taken to the world around them, helping clear away the snow.

“Frysil will be quite pleased,” Melione commented with a slight smile.

Udelia looked over to the other mare with a grin. “You think so?” she asked.

“I know so,” Melione said with a nod.

Udelia puzzled over the statement then nodded. “You learn under Aberfa, do you not?”

Melione nodded. “Aberfa is my patron deity, though Khaalida has also taught me a lot of the world. As well as my mother.”

“You were a born Mystic?” Udelia questioned, and Melione nodded again.

“A gift to my mother, no doubt. She helped raise Khaalida, and helped her understand her power when she was young. It’s my belief that I was her reward,” Melione replied with a bit of humor.

Udelia looked over the Mystic beside her again. “Your horns are very shiny,” she complimented, and Melione chuckled.

“You like shiny things?”

Udelia nodded. “I like to collect shiny rocks,” she admitted, and nodded to her frayed satchel. “While I might not have much of a sense of direction, I always seem to find myself in places with pleasantly shiny rocks and gems. They remind me of those I have come across in my travels, though admittedly this is the farthest I have been from home in a long time. Without Yelena, I probably would have gotten lost a lot more,” Udelia said with a wry grin.

Melione thought about that for a few moments then nodded with a small smile, and sent out another telepathic request to the groups wandering the Plains that spread beneath them.

Sirona stood with Melione and Udelia just outside the city. Slowly the others began to trickle back in, their tasks completed.

Behind them, Neith ran the Quirlicorns who had stayed behind like a commander sending out troops, her sugarglider familiar sitting between her ears. Melione thought it looked a bit silly, but no one dared to comment on it while Neith had everyone scrambling.

Ilkay, Asteri, Clover and Evaline helped pass out food and drinks to those returning, while Ura and Luuedei were running messages back and forth to the tower where Lunaris stayed, helping heal any who had gotten scraped up in their adventures.

Melione gave a deep bow of her head to Sidra as she and her group returned, one that Sidra returned.

“All went well here?” Sidra asked, and Melione noted the way the others fell in behind Sidra.

“Very much so,” Melione said, but any other words were interrupted by the arrival of Sulien and his group.

Lullaby quickly went to Eira, the two mares catching up on their adventures. Lullaby’s rabbit familiar bounced around their feet, while Eira’s snowy owl rested on her back, tired from the daytime flight.

“Greetings, Melione,” Sulien said with a grin, before looking to Sidra and behind her. “New friends?” he asked.

Sidra grinned at her other half. “Not only new friends, Sulien. They are like me!”

Sulien caught the words and gave a surprised snort.

Melione turned to Ausrune as Sidra and Sulien moved to the side, Sidra introducing Sulien to her groupmates.

“A good trip?” Melione asked, and Ausrune snorted.

“Had a bit of an issue, but it was resolved. Are healers around? Wind got a bit of a scratch on her shoulder, the wet snow underneath decided to cause a bit of a landslide,” Ausrune said, and Melione frowned, but Sirona had overheard.

“I will see to her personally,” Sirona said, and Fire breathed a sigh of relief as she helped Wind over to a soft patch of grass to lay so Sirona could look over her shoulder.

“I’m glad no one has been seriously hurt,” Udelia said with a bit of worry.

“We still have one group left,” Melione said, and reached out for Abraxas and his group. They were the last to return, and she was worried something might have befallen them.

But she felt a tired response from Abraxas; they were nearly there.

Melione looked up to see them coming over the Horizon. Voyeur was in the lead, looking dazed. His singular Quirlicorn horn was gone, replaced with dual twisting horns from his head. The others were subdued as well, Rouen and Binary walking and talking quietly with each other, Pyralis following them. Only Rasalas seemed to be walking closely with Voyeur.

“What… happened?” Melione asked as they got closer.

“Don’t want to talk about it,” Voyeur grumbled, walking past her.

Melione looked to the others for an answer but the two mares hurried off with Pyralis in tow, and Abraxas went trotting after them with a hopeful look.

Rasalas watched them go with a bemused smile.

“Do…. I want to ask?” Melione questioned, and Rasalas gave a snort of laughter.

“Honestly, probably not,” Rasalas admitted. “The snow is cleared, and that is what really matters.”

Melione sighed and shrugged, looking to Udelia.

“Well it sounds like our job is complete,” Melione said, and Udelia nodded with excitement.

“Frysil will be thrilled!”

Sirona gathered the Quirlicorns in the hall at the base of the Torre.

“Thank you once again for all coming, and for all of your hard work!” Sirona grinned at the gathered Quirlicorns, familiars and guardians.

“While this is not what any of us expected to occur during our Equinox celebrations, we have once again proven that we are stronger together than we are apart,” Sirona continued, with a nod to the visiting Quirlicorns from other lands, as well as her own Quirlicorns. “And a special thank you to Udelia, for traveling all this way on Frysil’s request, as well as Yelena who came with her. Udelia, if you would join me?”

Udelia looked around a bit uncertainly before joining Sirona on the platform.

“As a special thanks,” Sirona smiled, and Melione brought over a new harness, fitted with plenty of pockets and bags for any shiny rocks that Udelia might find in her adventures.

“You said you like to collect rocks, and that they remind you of your travels,” Melione said with a grin. “Let these be a gift from us to you, so you will remember your time here with us.”

One by one, each group came forward and offered Udelia a variety of sparkling and pretty rocks. Sidra had found one that glittered like stars, and Sulien had found one red like the sun. Voyeur gave over a deep black one, and Fire and Wind offered beautiful blue river rocks. Ausrune gave her one that seemed to glow with an inner light, and Udelia felt herself quickly overcome with emotion as each of the Quirlicorns made her offerings of friendship.

“This is…. This is wonderful!” Udelia exclaimed, and Sirona laughed with a smile.

“I am glad you find them to your liking,” Sirona said.

Frysil soared over the plains, his head tilting with a bit of confusion. This region seemed to be cleared of snow, and there were signs of fertility magic having helped the land grow. Had word of his Equinox request reached this area already?

He sensed the presence of a great gathering of Quirlicorns, and soared closer to the city. He landed lightly and walked through the streets to the hall at the base of the great tower.

As he entered, the gathered Quirlicorns turned, seeming surprised by his entrance. They quickly made a path for the deity, with the exception of a little filly who was standing, shocked, in the middle of the path.

“Move Clove!” another filly hissed in a loud whisper, and the filly quickly skittered to the side.

As Frysil moved down the aisle made by the Quirlicorns, he found himself blinking in surprise and confusion.

“Udelia? What are you doing here?” He asked.

Udelia looked startled, standing next to Sirona and Mystic mare.

“Frysil! What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I thought you were headed to Vallis next? In the mountains region?” Frysil questioned.

Udelia gave him a blank stare. “This…. Isn’t it?” Udelia asked.

Sirona and Melione gave her a surprised look. “Udelia…. You are in Torre….” Melione said gently. “In the Plains region…..”

Udelia looked to Yelena, then over to where Sidra stood with Sulien, Neith and Voyeur. “You never said this wasn’t the mountains!” she said in surprise.

Sidra tilted her head. “We said we were going to Torre,” Sidra said.

“Oh heck!” Udelia exclaimed. “I best get going!” She looked between them all. “Thank you so much for your hospitality and gifts but I’m going to be late!”

Yelena gave a sigh and a laugh as Udelia ran out of the hall, her new packs laden with the gifts of Torre.

“She never mentioned Vallis,” Yelena said. “At least we ended up next door instead of across the continent. I’ll get her there safely.”

With a dip of her head to the Baroness and Frysil, Yelena trotted off after Udelia.

Frysil sighed and shook his head, but had a grin on his face. “Well I guess I don’t need to stay since Udelia already took care of it for me, now do I?” he laughed.

Sirona laughed as well. “No Frysil, please stay! Enjoy the feast with us at least,” Sirona offered.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Frysil said with a nod of thanks.

Voyeur dined with Sidra and Sulien, and for a while things felt normal. Neith was off with Ura, Luuedei, Clover and Evaline, and from the laughter in that corner Voyeur figured things were going well.

Luck smiled on the stallion, for Binary was still ignoring him, chatting with Rouen and Pyralis instead, and most of everyone else was leaving them alone.

Almost immediately he was betrayed by his own thoughts.

“Mind if we dine with you?”

Voyeur turned to see two of the Quirlicorns who had been in Sidra’s group behind them.

“Feel free!” Sidra said enthusiastically.

Introductions passed briefly, and Voyeur learned they were Linaeve and Lothair, two other deity blessed Quirlicorns, born with magic. They fell into conversation with Sidra and Sulien, and Voyeur was happy with that. He simply watched as they chatted, and nearly smiled. Sidra’s cat was lounging in the middle of the table, and Shadowdancer was stealing food and tossing it to Falkreath.

Watching the other Quirlicorns around him, Voyeur felt the sense of community around him. It was a sobering thing; in a way it was something Voyeur had never expected for himself, nor would feel for a while. But looking over to Binary and Rouen, Voyeur knew that would change. Despite the chaos of the feast, and the chaos of the day, Voyeur smiled.