Welcome to Gaia! ::

Wheeling directly overhead, Crousader fought down the urge to bugle another challenge. The painted stallion looked formidible enough to give him pause, as did the presence of an unfamiliar mare.

Snorting in fustration, he decided to follow them, initially believing that they were traveling together.





Breathing deeply of the rich pine scent, Blais released the breath with a huff, turning to survey the clearing half-heartedly. Subconciously, he knew he was going the wrong way, but his mind refused to back down and turn back to the lowlands. What if I die up in these mountains? The treacherous inner voice of reason whispered. Closing his eyes, the brown and white stallion sighed, "Then I die up here, at least I won't be running from a little snow."

But that's not your goal...

"... No, but finding Flame is, and for all I know, he could be hiding up here."

The inner voice fell silent, and Blais reopened his eyes, finally noticing the other occupant of the clearing. She was fiery, as was Flame, but not even a fanatic like Blais would have ever thought her a stallion, even after the initial passing glance. Eyes narrowing to focus on her, he tilted his head to the side questioningly when she appeared not to be noticing anything around her. "My lady..?

Under different circumstances, Blais would have just smiled at the mare and excused himself, But the fustration of being unable to find a brightly colored stallion amid the dismal white of winter was beginning to take it's toll on his mind.

"Probably not." He heard himself reply tartly, for which he winced and hastened to apologize.

"Err, my apologies."






The constant hovering was beginning to tell on his faltering strength, as were the occasional gusts that were slowly driving him closer and closer to the pair below.

For a while, he battled the wind steadily, his wings beating rythmically against the strong currents. At least, until the wracking cough shattered his body with spasms of pain. Faltering mid air, he fought desperately to regain the lost altitude, backwinging but a a scant 20 feet above the snow dusted meadow.

Perhaps the blessing of the situation was that Crousader fell unconscious the moment his wings crumpled and he plummeted the last remaining feet to the snowy field. Perhaps... it was also a blessing that fresh snow greeted his fall, and not the unforgiving wintery ground.



Blais had started to respond to her, apologizing again, but the rest of her statement (not to mention sudden arrival of a white and red figure) startled him, but did not freeze him.

"He's no friend of mine!" He said loudly, starting forward when he realized that the fall had not been an intentional one. In the calmness of his mind, he realized that the red he thought had been a color pattern was actually blood, fresh mingling with old all down the stallion's white coat.

Blais had himself been in need once or twice, and was not the type to turn his back on another. Not to mention fate had a way of returning the favor, and he was in need of many favors from the hands of the gods.

So without pause, he followed the red mare's directions. She was far wiser then he, and he hoped she had a plan. The white figure was barely breathing, and what little breath he did draw was ragged and weak, as if his lungs were closing.

Belatedly, he realized that one of the stallion's massive white wings was spread out at an unnatural angle, broken perhaps. Gently, he nosed the appendage into a more appropriate position before settling down next to the prone form.





While not completely conscious, Crousader had awakened enough to feel the full effect of his injuries, and the strange warmth pressing against his side. Weakly, he tried to move his one good wing to cover that other side of his body.

"Tai, my love, have you any idea why we are going this far up the slope?"

The voice was muffled by many layers of furs and a hood, but the burnished gold stallion heard his adoptive mother none-the-less. And though he knew she would not uderstand him. He replied. "Not at all."

Beneath the slim native woman, Flame snorted at Tai. Long ago he had stopped actually responding to humans. Despite this particular humans' affinity with soquili, he found the pursuit hopeless. Tai only frowned at his mentor and snorted in response, much to Celei's amusement.

For as long as she could remember she had wished she could understand the majestic creatures that had allowed her to care for them. She knew they spoke to each other, and through the nuances of body language, felt she could almost understand them. Take now for instance, Tai was obviously miffed at Flame, probably because of the younger stallion's whickered response to her question.

Whatever it was, she bit down the last of her chuckles and settled into silence. Before they had left the teepee, she had given each animal (and there were four of them, including the two familiars Gully and Edelsteine) and good wiff of the evergreen broom they were searching for. Now, as they approached the distant peaks, she wanted them to help her locate the illusive plant.

Tai, however, had stopped, ears pricked forward alertly when he detected a familiar voice on the wind. After a moment, his eyes widened and he whinnied back. "YEI!"

Taken aback by his sister's appearence and almost panicked state, Tai took a moment to glance at Flame, but the stallion of fire had already launched into a full gallop after the red mare, Celei's robes whipping over his haunches like a brown flame.

So without another thought, he took off after them, aware of Gully and Edel padding after him.





The warmth at his side shifted, removed itself for a moment, only to return and press something cold but succulent to his muzzle. Somewhere he recognized the offering as a bite of snow covered grass shoots, and he accepted it hazily, wondering how he could have let this mess happen.

Struggling to keep up with his added burden, Flame gathered himself to "bounce' along like Yei was, discovering the quick-sand like feel of snow beneath his hooves. Irritated, he quickened his pace.

Upon reaching the clearing, he slid to a stop at the edge, and almost reared back when Celei scurried off and ran to the two stallions. Within moments Tai joined him, and after Celei ahd removed one of her robes to cover the white stallion, (and otherwise showed all the signs of a two-legger performing healing feats no soquili but a unicorn could) bith Tai and Flame converged on Yei.

"What happened!"



Blais's eyes had narrowed to mere slits when the other soquili and the two-legger had appeared, and he focused exculsively on the bright chestnut stallion with eyes that reminded him of his own.

Part of him wanted to charge forward and demand the strangers name, but pride and honor would not allow that just yet. He still had the white stallions body propped against his, and a native woman who seemed hellbent on saving the winged stallion.



Hands, they caressed and spread soothing salves into his battered flesh. The warmth remained constant and strong, but he could sense fustration building in the one who offered his body.

Suddenly those same hands went to his head, tilted his chin up to pry his mouth open. Weakly he fought those hands, but they were persistent, and he almost bit them to stay the threat he was sure they represented.

"Stop.. no more chains...no more bindings." He muttered, turning his head away.