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By Hades it was chaos and mayhem, anarchy, she would not stand for this! Pagona huffed and stomped her little hooves on the stone path leading to a temple for Hera's followers. The priestesses had just worked hard to tend to the pomegranate seedlings and plant beautiful flowers along the sides of path to the temple. It wasn't quite warm enough for the flowers to flourish and bloom so they may not have looked like much yet but they were precious to her dear Hera. Well, they were. Someone had clearly trampled over them.

Her mind was made up, she was going on a quest to find the culprit so the little Mikroi said goodbye to her friends at the temple (not that the poor priestesses understood a word she said) and she was off.

How would she find the fugitives? Hmmm... ah, that's right, the hounds knew how to find things best you just stick your nose to the ground like so... She was hunched over sniffing the pathways like a dog, which, she'd never admit was incredibly ineffective at finding well, anything.

And so her adventure began, taking her away from her home to the open fields and merchant trails where there were so many different sights and smells that she'd likely never find a thing. But good luck telling this stubborn little Mikroi that.

The little red Mikroi stood in the middle of a barren field. It looked like it had long lost its fertility and was now filled with many rocks, sticks and weeds. Not much to look at to be sure but here in the center was a patch of small flowers, many of them still green buds but one, a single flower, had happened to bloom. It was small with five white petals that came to a point, and had a creamy yellow center. It was something you wouldn't be able to see from the road, as the lush weeds and overgrowth were much denser than this little patch in the earth yet the little Mikroi's nose led her right here. Was it a sign? Was Hera trying to tell her something?

A shadow passes over Pagona's head and she looked up just as a Pegasus began to make their descent.

The culprit! Hera had led her straight to the criminal. Of course, her goddess would know exactly who had done it, why hadn't she thought of asking her from the start?

As the Pegasus soared through the clouds she was able to get a better idea of what lie waiting in the middle of the field. A mikroi! She'd heard of these tiny Hoi but hadn't gotten the chance to interact with one before. What were they doing way out here all by themselves?

Yaro gracefully landed in front of the little Mikroi, her hooves barely making a sound as they shifted onto the earth beneath her. If her parents had taught her one thing that stuck, it was her flying lessons, having two Pegasus parents made her as graceful as a swan when it came to the sky. Nestling her wings against her back to seem less intimidating she took in her surroundings but her eyes quickly grew wide. The little red hoi was bristling and sizing her up. Wait, what was going on here?

"Hi, I'm Yar-" she raised a hoof to step forward and the look on the Mikroi's face, shock, pure horror, caused her to freeze. Looking down she realized she was about to crush a tiny little flower so she quickly retracted her hoof with a soft "Oops"

The thud of his hooves against the terrain struck up a cloud of dirt to announce his arrival. He'd started off at a leisurely pace, until a tinge of anxiety at the distance between them, forced him into a canter. It wasn't that Yaro couldn't take care of herself, but he didn't want to tempt the Fates. Not when they were on their way to Hera's temple. Not when they'd made a commitment to one another. Not when the idea of Yaro being quiet seized his heart into panic.

Vihaan thundered up to the pair, stopping with a skid of hooves against the dirt. He stood with his face between them, turning to nudge Yaro's nose with his own in question.

"Are you all right?" he asked, gaze flicking between his love and the mikroi. The posture between them was alarming and his ignorance of the flower between the three of them . . . (He was lucky he hadn't trampled it.)

"Is something wrong?" he turned his attention to the mikroi, eyes concerned and body tense. He wasn't much of a warrior, but if he had to . . . Even if it was a mikroi . . .

He blinked, sucking in a breath through his teeth, as the two spoke of—"Don't fret, love," Vihaan started, pressing his nose against the pegasus's cheek. If there were monsters, then surely that took precedent, except the mikroi said there were no monsters . . . He pulled back and huffed a breath, then turned towards the mikroi.

"How about we start with some introductions?" It was the best place to start, since it seemed there must be a misunderstanding somewhere in all of this.

"I am Vihaan and this is my lifemate, Yaro. We were on our way to the temple of Hera as we wish to welcome some clouds of our own into the world," he smiled.

But if something had happened to the temple of Hera . . . Would that impede their desires? It surely complicated things.

"Is there trouble at Hera's temple?" he started and then stopped, "Forgive me, we were introducing ourselves, Miss . . .?"

He shouldn't get ahead of himself and yet the thought of Yaro's disappointment should they not be able to visit Hera's temple . . . His own disappointment could wait, should the need arise, but he did not like the thought of his mate feeling any sort of sadness. Even if he knew he couldn't shield her from it forever. Or really at all. He would do all he could to try.

A shot of thrill coursed through him, this mikroi was one of Hera's followers? How fortunate! It must be a sign that he and Yaro were on the right path; it soothed the worry that he knew not how to be a parent, even if it might only be coincidence. Surely, it meant that even if it wasn't this moment, that clouds would come to them at some point. A fear he had not dared to voice, that perhaps he would be found lacking; not Yaro, never her. She was vibrant and brave and kind. Perfection, truly.

"Pagona, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it, dearest?" he grinned as he turned to look at his beloved.

Granted that did not explain the monsters . . . And there was no doubt that he was glad that there were no monsters, or must not be if now all talk of them had disappeared. He was doubly glad that he did not have to fight the mikroi, although he was sure Yaro would have forgiven him for being kicked to the ground. She was the warrior, he was a diplomat. Although it gave rise, he might need to learn to fight to protect their young . . . A thought for another time.

"We are indebted to you, Miss Pagona. Tell us what to do."

Vihaan breathed in deeply and then bowed his head, eyes taking in the flower before closing in prayer.

He thought of Yaro. She was beautiful, to be sure, but it was her bravery and her kindness that fed the flame. She was curious as she had shown when spying this mikroi and, what blessed luck, to find the one who could help them. She inspired goodness in others and he saw her with their children teaching them to stand tall and fight for their beliefs. Even if they all had wings, like Yaro, he would still watch them fly high.

He thought of himself. He had far less to offer, but he was devoted. He would ensure that Yaro forever remained joyful and that their children would thrive. He would let them learn and try, to make mistakes and teach them how to fix things. To love and to be loved. It was the greatest gift one to give to another when hurt and sadness blotted out the sun.

He thought of their clouds. One, three, ten, fifty. It didn't matter. He would love them all. A chuckle bloomed in his throat at the idea of them walking their first steps and stumbling. Of meeting new creatures and taking tumbles in fright or bouncing into messes that they should not have. He saw them covered in mud and being forced into taking baths. And with each thought, his love only grew.

"Bless you, Hera, for listening to our prayer. And bless you, Pagona, for giving our prayer to your goddess."