The night cloaked her in a thin veil of shadows and mist, her only discernable features being her brightly coloured mane and tail. She shifted through the darkness smoothly, her hooves barely making a sound on the ground beneath her. The starlight occasionally kissed her hide, highlighting her draconic wings and golden hooves with brief splashes of colour. Her movements were natural, not practiced- she was a beast of the night, and she had all the grace of a dancer.

 

She skirted along the edges of the Wilds, darting in as close as she dared before prancing away to a safe and comfortable distance. It was part of who she was- she liked to push the boundaries, to test the waters. She was not as daring as Ruse perhaps; the mare would exceed all things reasonable in order to achieve her goal. Stalk would take carefully calculated risks. If the risk was too great to proceed, then she wouldn’t. If it seemed reasonable enough, then she would explore it further. The Wilds were a dangerous thing to chance however, yet she had always been intrigued by them. The region had a certain air of mystery to it, and since it was a complete unknown she wanted to find out more, as was natural.

 

The air seemed to sigh with exasperation as the mare continued to trot her way along the border. She smiled to herself and flicked her long, tufted tail in response. Just as she was about to place one golden hoof over the border limits, a crystal clear voice came out of the darkness behind her.

 

“No. Not yet.”

 

She paused to find an amethyst mare, clad with a glowing crystal necklace about her neck. Orchidblush.

 

“Why not?” she asked. There was no impertinence there, just a need to know why this area was considered off-limits to their kind, if indeed Orchid knew.

 

“It’s just not time yet,” repeated Orchid with a small frown, the crystal pulsating with a strange white light.

 

Stalk almost scowled, but she smoothly back-tread with the smallest of nods. Somehow, the striped mare had always seemed to know when something was amiss, and she wasn’t about to disregard her feelings now. There was something about that amulet, and the mare for that matter. Orchid had always been very intuitive.

 

“I’ll take your advice. I have a feeling it’s in my best interest to do so,” she responded softly. 

 

Orchid visibly relaxed. Usually a more concrete explanation would be required to convince the mare, but apparently her concern was all that it took this time.

 

Without a word, the two took off towards more familiar territory, abandoning the border for now at least.