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Many moons ago, Sykes had been whole.

That's not a dig at her scars. Sykes is proud of those, for the most part: they're badges for a survivor who came out screaming for joy. But she can't really call herself whole when her heart still calls out for a storm of hooves on flat, dry sand, cocky jeers making up affectionate banter, wind-blown hair blocking out the sun.

Those had been the days.

There had been something unreal about their friendship, back then. Nothing about it had made sense: they'd come from all corners of the Homewood, or beyond, and taken lessons from different nouls, some of whom opposed each other quite vehemently in council debates. None of that had mattered. They'd snuck out for jaunts in the ruins together, daring each other to jump higher, to run faster. She can still remember Pa's throaty laughter when she wasn't quite quiet enough on her way back to the den. "Foals'll be foals," he'd always said. "Now come, lass..."

She'd gone everywhere with them. The Vertices, they'd called themselves - all their paths had met. In retrospect perhaps Vertex might've been more appropriate. Sykes has discussed it, on the rare nights she has company. It wouldn't have mattered, anyway. They weren't none of them known for their learned-smarts, but they were fast-talking daredevils whose bodies were unparalleled in whatever they tried. Racing champions - unofficially, anyway. Always skiving off their lessons to get up to some tomfoolery.

Of course they'd come to the Grandfather Tree together. They'd all waited for Sykes. She'd always run a little runty, and she was a doe, too. She had strong, sturdy bones to make up for it, though; she'd never been an easy opponent in a friendly tussle. But when the last vestiges of gangliness had faded from her limbs, and they'd all become convinced she wouldn't grow any further - and neither would anyone else - they'd made the familiar trek out to the Grandfather Tree as a group.

No one had ever expected otherwise. This was the way the Vertices were meant to belong. They had paced themselves most of the way, but true to form, it'd turned to a race by the end. Sykes remembers it vividly, still. She'd been neck and neck with Cairel, and she'd launched herself forward that last body-length, just to get an edge -

She had landed with a clatter in the ruins of Erli, one hoof directly on a stray shard of pottery, which shattered further and then skidded across the metal walkway.

She was alone.

Sykes found herself looking down at the shard, and then up again at her surroundings, and then letting out a long, long laugh, before she stood up again and swept the little shards carefully to the side, so that no one else would trip. The sort of habit that had been ingrained into any noul who made their way through the ruins.

Oh, she loved the ruins. She hated it, too, obviously: the Others had been the enemy, and it was the most obvious reminder of their presence. But the Barrens didn't have much in the way of obstacles, and running circles around the Homewood's trees could be great fun, but it disturbed someone's work more often than not. When the Vertices wanted to get up to some tricks instead of just out and out racing, they'd always made their way to the Ruins.

And if the Ruins were gonna be her test, she was sure to excel.

She knew her way around here, after all, though she couldn't quite tell what the Grandfather Tree wanted her to do here. She liked to race, but there was no use when there wasn't someone else around to measure yourself against. It didn't really matter, though: "It'll give you a vision quest when it knows you're ready," Pa had always said. That meant that she'd already passed. So she held her head high as she walked, though she was careful to keep her eyes peeled open and her ears pressed back. Would there be catbeasts? They were known to frequent the ruins, their original home, and they were dangerous: surely ample proving grounds. Or, perhaps, was there something important to find here? Awful and careless as the Others had been, they'd also been, apparently smart. All kinds of their technology still proved useful to nouls, as long as they stayed mindful about their use. Sykes couldn't imagine what the ruins might hold.

She traveled quickly, as she was wont, turning around the Others' sharp corners. There wasn't much of note in the vicinity, and she couldn't quite recognize the arrangement of buildings here. She had come here often enough to know that this was that sort of place that had been used to conduct studies, once upon a time. Everything was made of glass and chrome, and the buildings here filled with cabinets and those flat, ugly monoliths with a whole web of wires reaching out from their hearts, which noulicorns still couldn't understand. Monuments, perhaps, to a god of knowledge? It was hard to tell, but research centers seemed to be constantly full of them.

That kind of stuff wasn't really Sykes' thing, anyway. What mattered more to her was - was -

The acrid scent of smoke entered her nostrils first, and she turned her gaze skyward immediately. Smoke rose, after all, and - there it was, a cloud forming that was getting darker as she watched. Only a few seconds later came a high-pitched voice, more fearful than shocked, but sharp and shrill.

There was Sykes' test, though of course it was more than that now. Danger, and someone who couldn't avoid it. It was lucky she was quick.

She broke into a run easily, turning corners when she knew it'd get her closer. The ruins were like a maze, but the Others had been organized: they liked grids and sharp corners. Though Sykes had no idea what building the incident had happened in, she knew how to find it. "I'm coming!" she called, feeling the familiar burn of her muscles as she accelerated. She kept her voice loud. "Keep making noise; stomp if y'can't open yer mouth!"

She had to make it there. It was important, and she was one of the fastest in her crew, which meant she would succeed. She skidded around the last corner, seeing the building come into view: a tall one, with a window cracked open where the smoke was gushing out. "Hey!" she barked, reminding herself to stay calm as the operation commenced. She was almost there, though, so no part of her wanted that calmness at all. Her body lengthened into another leap toward that building. She'd get it done - !