Dust swirled up around Ophelia's hooves with every step, the paths set before her makeshift at best, little more than dirt trails. Her legs tingled with approaching soreness, and she reshuffled her wings along her sides, tempted to take flight. She consulted the emerging stars to curb the impulse, eyes gritty and tired in a way she'd grown accustomed to over the past few weeks. The filly blinked past it, lips pressing together as her gaze came down again, searching for telltale signs of movement. It was quiet this far out, more than she was used to after months spent in Gunnar's company. True, the stallion never said much to her one way or another, but at least he made noise - hoof beats that tread slightly heavier than her own, the ebb and flow of breath, every minor genuflection that gave away his thoughts. Still, better for Gunnar to stay behind and monitor their influx of volunteers than waste his time shadowing her, no matter how much he'd seemed intent on tagging along on her errand. Especially when it had been mere whispers and rumors that drew her out at this hour, seeking someone both like and unlike herself. The message had been relayed to her after it had filtered through her people, starting among the greenest recruits as hearsay. Angeni charms were nothing new, a bauble that offered limited protection and required renewal from time to time. But what once served as a simple ward had found a new purpose, one too tempting to ignore. Previously, bringing low a Skinwalker required strength, agility, and numbers, something Ophelia found herself in the thick of arranging. Now there was another, infinitely more tantalizing possibility: a charm that gave them back their own minds once attached to their flesh. The idea that such monsters could regain themselves, redeem themselves, had emboldened her. Planting the charms presented a risk, of course, and there was no guarantee that all would take as intended. Yet anything seemed preferable to senseless bloodshed.
But Angeni charms required Angeni, their purity as of yet unsullied by worldly attachment. It had been the first time that she'd felt a bitter pang for her mixed blood, not potent enough to achieve the same effects as that of her forebearers. Fortunately, the mechanics of running a team left her with little time to brood. What had begun as a simple desire to right wrongs had evolved into something far more, and as it flourished past its initial conception, so too must she grow. That meant expanding her tactics, and navigating the hazards that came with leading those who accepted her command. If there was a way to abolish the sins of this world without resorting to murder, then it fell to her to at least try.
Except she was sincerely beginning to doubt that this Angeni of the Crossroads existed, much less wished to be found. Ophelia blew out a loud, exasperated breath, staring down yet another set of crossroads she recalled from her and Gunnar's maps. Maybe she should start looking for an Angeni of Visibility or Coincidence instead. Better that than wandering aimlessly in hopes of finding a creature who dwelled in obscurity as part of their calling.