Nodding slowly, the Oracle absorbed the information presented to her, realizing how familiar the information sounded, "so you're father's line hails from the Badieh Badawie -- while we are not allies with any outsiders, we do keep an eye on our neighbors, and back when the Flock was located here, the centuries before the Cataclysm, they are a vast culture of many herds we kept a close eye on, though they never ventured too far into the mountains, always stayed far from our culture except for the occasional curious flyer..." Aylin smiled slightly, her lips quirking and her pale purple crest smoothed back "It is clever of you to include the bells into the Flock for more free moving stallions as an award. And they seem to be popular for those dressed casually since your mother has taken the habit of wearing them as well.."
She noticed that they had encountered another skeleton, half tangled in the vines, and Taarab's quiet prayers. Closing her eyes, she went over to the skeleton, brushing a vine away -- the mare had died after the flock had left, having ventured in while it was still dangerous in the valley, "I was lucky.. The Oracle's temple was only barely touched.. Many others were not so lucky..."
Silence fell for a long pause as she gently began cleaning the vines, unhappy with how they curled through the empty sockets of what had once been eyes. The skeleton -- this sister -- had been young when it happened, just barely an adult, likely separated from the flock in one of the earliest earthstrikes, only to return to a land toxic and tainted and had given up hope. Aylin was familiar with the story. Mares were still on occasion finding their way back home, or had come back after living elsewhere to pay respects to the dead only to discover the Oracle and be given the path home.
Usually she was able to ignore the bones -- there were too many for her to manage on her own without it tearing at her heart.
