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Robelia wished she could say it had been unexpected that her father had so thoroughly shot her down. If it had been unexpected, she would have been depending on her father's approval and likely wouldn't have formulated a back-up plan for if things didn't work out. Yet the strong bond of love and affection between father and daughter had not blinded her to the basic elements of her father's nature, and she knew that asking him to support her in her desire to train as a border guard had been a long shot. Even the most well-reasoned arguments had fallen flat, and she had been left in the end with an expected, but still very hurtful, 'no.'

Robelia had always been a mix of both her parents, in both appearance and temperament. Fortunately, she was nearly as good at controlling her temper as her father, which prevented her from getting too impassioned during her arguments and from irrevocably putting her hoof in her mouth when she realized her cause was lost. A bigger challenge had been keeping her temper when she was basically put in the position of being happy with her lot or, apparently, being ungrateful and disrespectful of her mother, sisters, and the rest of the females of the Summit.

Following her conversation with Grencia, Robbie had briskly made her way down the switchback path that lead from the lofty plateau where they'd chatted down to a green mountain meadow. Like the path, the meadow was deserted; it would have been a perfect place to have a graze, roll, and run, if she was so inclined. But right now, she was in more a mood for melodrama than anything. Looking down the wide expanse of green grass, she sighed and shook her head. "You're a perfect metaphor, aren't you, meadow? Calm, beautiful, and serene on the outside, but empty and alone all the same."

She did take a n** of grass as she wandered through the field, a spot of red amidst an ocean of green. It was a pretty place, just like almost everywhere in the Summit, and she would miss it.

Plan B, as she had dubbed her 'in case Daddy proves true to form' plan, was simple, but rather abrupt. Without Grencia's support, any chance of Robelia being able to train as a border guard, or train at all with any of the herd's champions, was dead in the water. This was unfortunate, but did not make her plan impossible. She was still determined to train and to hopefully some day be an force for protection and good in the world, preferably in the Summit itself. However, she would have to go elsewhere to get her training. Having never actually left the Summit lands herself, determining a suitable 'elsewhere' had been tricky, until she remembered one pertinent little bit of information: Brother Fenghuang.

Fenghuang was one of her older siblings, and she'd actually never met him. What she knew of him was that he had left the Summit a very long time ago, back when it was still part of a larger herd territory, and he'd supposedly taken up in the Lowlands, those mysterious places beyond the protection of the mountain peaks. The Lowlands were a place her oldest brother, Ambroise, only spoke of with scorn, and they were the base of the recent mass Kalona incursion that had caused so many drawn faces in the Summit and cost so many lives in the Lowlands. Fortunately, though the Kalona Herd had never penetrated into the Summit, the Summit had remained informed of the Herd's progression and it had seemed that brother Fenghuang had either completely avoided the carnage or had been spared. Either way, he was theoretically alive and well, somewhere out there. And more to the point, in spite of what she had heard described as Fenghuang's 'unique' lifestyle, he was still a trained Summit fighter. And with that atypical outlook, he might just be willing to train a female, especially a sister!

That was Robbie's hope, anyway, and it would be a rough road to get there. Just to name a few hurdles, she had never met Fenghuang and didn't know exactly what he looked like, other than a lot like their mother (and consequently, Robbie herself!) She didn't know exactly where he was living, or if he was living a nomadic lifestyle. She'd never left the Summit in her life, and the majority of the gates into (and out of) the Summit were still closed to travel in the wake of the great Kalona herd.

And one minor thing; she had decided not to tell anyone what she was up to. With how jittery the Kalona Herd had made everyone, she didn't think any of her family members would agree with her descending into the Lowlands, especially not if they knew why she wanted to go!

Keeping a sharp eye out for any other Soquili, Robelia made her way back to the caverns where the mares had been organizing supplies so very recently. It was all she could do to avoid wrinkling her nose as she ducked back into the enclosed area; having been born and brought up in the open air of the slopes, she had found the caverns to be incredibly claustrophibic and uncomfortable. Yes, they protected from the elements and would hide the mares and children from any prying eyes, but at the same time they were close, dark, and depressing. Having spent so much time there during the crisis, she was looking forward to avoiding the underground world for a loooooond time to come.

However, there was one last thing she needed from the caverns.

Her hooves echoed hollowly against the hard-packed dirt floor; like her, the majority of the mares and children who had worked in the caverns had returned to the fresh air and sunshine as soon as the crisis had passed. Without the extra bodies, the caverns felt hollow and hungry; it was enough to give a superstituous Soquili the willies! Fortunately Robelia was NOT a superstituous Soquili, but that didn't mean she found the emptiness comforting.

She moved quickly through the caverns until she found what she was looking for; her travel pack, carefully hidden amidst a pile of rocks. Inside were dried grasses, dried fruits, and some nuts; enough food to tide her over for a few weeks, in case of emergency. She wished there was a way for her to bring some water along as well, but in spite of her best efforts she'd been unable to securely contain some water. The food would be a good start, she would just have to make a point to find water as soon as possible. Maybe there would be a stream she could follow...

That was for further down the road, though. Scooping up the bag, she wrestled it onto her back with effort. That done, she shook back her long mane to mostly cover it, hoping that it would be enough camoflague to prevent any herdmates she might encounter on her way out from observing or commenting on the bag. It wasn't unusual these days for Robbie to be collecting food stuffs, but the basket was odd enough to attract comment.

"Ok, Robbie, you have scouted this out and should be able to pull this off if you keep cool and remember the plan. Time to get moving." With that, she continued off down through the caverns to one of the far entrances. If she was thinking of the right path, she should emerge less than an hour's walk from the south gate, which SHOULD be open again. She could only hope she'd heard that tidbit correctly in her eavesdropping...

Making it out of the gate unseen had been Robbie's biggest fea concern. Out of everything she was trying to do, nothing had given her more anxiety than the idea of getting caught before she even made it out of the herdlands. While she was technically not forbidden from what she was attempting, she would rather not explain herself or have anyone try to talk her out of it. Her meeting with Grencia had had enough unpleasant notes without any of the other stallions adding their two cents, or any of the mares, for that matter. She loved her family and her herd, but sometimes they could be so traditionalistic that it made her want to beat her head against a wall!

She continued to play things cautiously once she'd crossed out of the Summit lands, however. The border guards in this region all had wings, after all, and with the Kalona Incident being so fresh in everyone's minds, she didn't doubt there was extra scrutiny on the lands bordering their own. Though her brilliant orange coat was anything but stealthy, Robbie did her best to try and look nonchalant as she trotted down the path. At this point, there were no trees to hide behind, and if she were to try to scuttle along the rocks, she'd only look suspicious to anyone who happened to be watching.

Besides, she'd rather not cling too closely to the shadows, not out here.

She shook herself slightly at the thought, glancing off to the side of the path to the expanses of craggy rocks and boulders off in the distance. Robbie had never been one to believe in ghost stories as such, but there were other stories, stories of corporeal creatures who would make a ghost look pleasant. Creatures with names like 'skinwalkers,' or, perhaps even more sinisterly, 'the Boogeyman.' Skinwalkers she had been told of, but the Boogeyman she had heard on a few very memorable occassions. Nothing chiled her bones nearly as much as the thought of whatever was behind that eerie, high pitched cackling that came and went on the wings of the wind...

But now she was just being silly. The Boogeyman didn't live anywhere near here, at least based on the direction the laughter had always seemed to travel. More to the point, it was the middle of the day, the sun was shining, and there was no one to be seen, period. Yes, there were potentially dangerous things out there in the world. Yes, she would have to utilize common sense and normal prudence. Yes, she would need to keep her wits about her as she wandered through this alien land. But there was no reason for her to try and freak herself out when she'd barely gotten started on her trip!

Robbie had always felt that she was in good shape. A life living on the slopes, running everywhere, breathing clean mountain air and eating fresh mountain food, could only benefit her. Although she would have loved to have inherited the wings that made travel among the slopes effortless, her legs had become strong through constant moving, whether running, walking, or even skipping. Though wings hadn't been her lot, she had nevertheless inherited a multitude of strengths from her parents, and she considered herself in every way a well-rounded Soquili who was ready to take on pretty much any physical challenge that came her way.

With one minor exception.

As she leapt from rock to rock, she was mindful not only of her foot placement and the stability of the rocks themselves, but of her mane and tail. While not nearly as long as those of some Soquili she knew, her mane fell to her knees and her tail dragged on the ground. On many times she had considered having it cut, knowing that the length could pose a hassle at least and a danger at most in a high-stress situation; there was always the possibility that she would trip, or catch it on something, or have it caught by someone. The practical side of her, the side that wanted to be a guard, knew that the benefits of having a short mane and tail were incontrovertible.

But in this one point, her vanity had won out. She'd never considered herself to be a girly-girl, but her long, thick, vibrantly colored mane and tail were a beauty that even she couldn't ignore. Oh, she'd let them get tangled, or muddy, or full of leaves, but she could not, in good conscience, cut them off.

As a result, she had developed a unique skill-set all her own; 'hair awareness.' To some, her mane and tail might be a handicap, but to Robbie, they were tools. For example, right now she was using her mane to hide her backpack; that was only one use!

She was being spoiled, Robelia acknowledged to herself about halfway through her meal. She still loved the Summit, her home since childhood; venturing out into 'the Lowlands' had done nothing to dampen her enthusiasm for home, or alter her ultimate plan of becoming a Summit border guard. But in the meantime, while she pursued the means to that end, she was discovering just how wonderful the Lowlands could be. Food and water were abundant, and the food was so sweet, so moist, so varied! There was no need for Robbie to dip into her dried food reserves yet, and if food remained as abundant as it was now, she might never need to.

Right now, she was enjoying a meal of sweet, luscious grass. Earlier in the day she had stopped to enjoy some apples, and there was fresh mint growing everywhere amidst the grass. Together, the flavors mingled in sweet, happy harmony; a delight to the tastebuds. She could eat herself beyond fat if she wasn't careful, Robbie mused as she grazed. It was all such nice food...

She was standing in the midst of a meadow, enjoying her meal and her musings. Admittedly, she wasn't all that focused on her surroundings, figuring that she would see or hear something well before it posed a danger to her. After all, she wasn't oblivious, just...inattentive.

It would have been challenging to avoid seeing the chicken. Although the grasses of the meadow were alive with color, the chicken was even more vibrantly green, the color of the brightest, most beautiful emeralds. Edging his green wing feathers and forming a ruff at his neck were bright gold feathers, making him an altogether remarkable sight. But even if she hadn't seen him, she would have heard him....

"Help! Help! I say, help me, please!" The chicken fluttered and flapped his way through the meadow, an awkward array of feathers and grass. His wings were useless for getting him any higher than a couple feet off the ground, and his short legs did nothing for running. Perhaps it was because of the complete impracticality of his 'running' that he sounded so desperate; like a chicken running for his life.

And now that Robbie looked, he probably was. Because as she looked beyond the floundering chicken, she could see weaving swiftly through the grasses after the chicken a very hungry-looking fox, eyes narrowed and fangs bared. It looked like the fox was contemplating a chicken dinner, and it didn't have much farther to go.

Except the fox hadn't counted on Robbie. She might not be a bird lover in general, but no predator was going to kill another animal, not while SHE was around. Rapidly swallowing her mouthful of grass, Robbie leapt forward, over the chicken and between it and the fox. Crouching protectively over the chicken, she snarled at the fox, "Hey, back off you! Leave the poor bird alone, or you'll be feeling the weight of a hoof on your back!"