The fog slipped its cool fingers over her tawny brown scales, caressing her like the touch of a lover. It wound around every fierce inch of her, keen on claiming her ferociousness for its own. Though she had been raised a princess of the Gates, she was born from the darkness. Perhaps there was too much of it in her bloodline for her to escape it entirely. Despite being from the Gates, her heritage was rich with the Valley. From her sire’s grandsire, Carnage, to her other grandsires sire Covet…the Valley was, by all means, her birthright. It was here that she had learned to come into her own, and tap into the darkness that had always lingered in her chest. Here she had learned to control said darkness, to funnel it into something constructive. The Gates had been little more than a nest to keep her safe from the darkness in the world…little did the Gates know, she was the darkness. She was the thing that hid in the shadows, the things young foals whispered about late at night to scare one another. She was the thing of stories and legend.
Their presence did not go unnoticed, even before she heard the call. There was little that escaped her Raptor senses, and a trespasser certainly did not. She stood still for the moment, still but for the rapid expanding of her ribcage as she searched for their scents. One male, one female. The male didn’t smell quite equine though. Topsail the horse was curious, while Topsail the Raptor was simply furious. Again, she did not move, waging a silent battle with the other side of her which was keen on eliminating the perceived threat. Only when she was sure that the Raptor was carefully hidden beneath her equines more logical brain did she proceed. The forest flew beneath her clawed feet as she ran, paying little to no mind as the briars bounced harmlessly off her leathery hide. It did not take her long to reach the pair, and when her eyes found the stallion, curiosity was replaced by confusion. He was a hodgepodge of legs and wings, topped off by giant eyes. He gave off a distinct powdery smell, though it was distinct only to him. It certainly wasn’t something she had ever smelled before. The mare beside him was oddly marked but very much an equine, so for now Topsail paid her little mind. It was the dusty-gold stallion that had her attention. Even the Raptor had no response, an odd turn of events indeed. When she had regained her wits she quickly scanned their minds. Elysium and Padma, former members of the Valley. Flashing them a toothy grin, she quickly shifted back, replacing the large reptile with her more common grulla form. “Elysium. Padma. Welcome back to the Valley. Topsail.” Short and sweet and with no explanation how she knew what she knew.
topsail
I was in the darkness, so the darkness I became