Taiga was not home. It was an odd place - far too damp and soft for Ketzia's liking. She missed the firm lava stones grown and soggy air of Tephra. It had been the place of her birth and the only home she had known up until a few months ago. She was so young and, yet, everything she had ever known had been uprooted. It had happened so fast that her head still spun from the effects of it all. Here, in the home of the giants, she felt lost surrounded by moss and fallen branches.

She had been told not to wander too far. The forest of Taiga was home to many nomads, some more friendlier than others and with Sylva nextdoor - there was a darkness that resided amongst them.

Ketzia missed the company of her twin sister. Everyday she watched as Karat and Kromium's bond surpassed the normality of any other bond. It was a cruel reminder she faced and it was one that only served to deepen her longing for Kove. Last summer their days had been filled with adventure and careless play. Before father had instructed them to leave Tephra, they had almost been a family. Whole and happy, Ketzia clung to her hope that one day they would all be reunited.

Heavy hearted her body paused almost of it's own accord, her ears' twitching signaling to her that she was not alone. Karat was back at camp and Kromium was out scouting for a more secure place for them to reside. No, it would seem that whoever lurked just beyond her sight was not a familiar sight. Frozen she slipped behind a stump, her eyes shifted about and searching for any sign of the stranger. It was just beyond the next row of trees that she spotted him - his flash of green giving her brain a moment of pause. The colt was of her own age, an appaloosa yearling with spots of familiar emerald. The way he moved too, sparked a warmth within her that defied her carefully thought out logic. Tentatively she stepped forward, her brows pinching together as she stared at him with growing interest. Not paying attention to the foliage beneath her, her hoof landed upon a brittle twig, the snap of it traveling far. Terrified she gasped, her body instantly rigid and her breath catching in her throat. Her gaze never left the colt as she waited to see his reaction.