[open] and the bravest of faces are the ones where we fake it [any]

[Leilan]

Taiga has been attracting visitors and residents; the forest is alive in ways that the other northern lands are not. The climate on Icicle Isle was too much for many a recruit and most don’t find it suitable for reproduction which leaves the children here in Taiga - and Nerine had faded into the past just like the Amazons occupying had. Poppy had shocked everyone awake, but is a shock or two enough to bring life - I’ll have to wait and see.

This is the excuse I have for visiting Taiga more often than the other lands. That and my own children. My large dragon wings carry me over the icy sea easily, and the patch of growing land between the southernmost land in the North and the rest of the area is the easiest landing spot for me.

I’ve noticed the growth, of course - more and more bushes, small trees growing large in a way that can only be magical, even though it is gradual. I still haven’t met the person responsible, but I hope to encounter them over time.

There is a loud snap when one of my wings hits a newly made branch upon landing, and I mutter indistinctively under my breath. As my hoofs touch the ground I let the large, silvery white appendages fold and disappear, knowing they are a nuisance more than anything else in a forest - even a Taigan forest, which is relatively more humid and cold and thus sparser than a regular one. Normally, anyway.

I’m not alone in the area today, and my eyes snap up to the sound of someone calling out a question. My dragon vision finds them easily, more due to the infrared patterns that come with it than with the hawk-eye clearness that they bring, since the forest isn’t made for wide views. I lumber forward with a greeting. ”Hello. I don’t think we’ve met before.” I admit, tilting my head slightly and then nodding to her once. ”I’m Leilan of Icicle Isle.” I explain. Perhaps she knows the name, perhaps not. At least I hope the blue-maned mare would stay for a chat. Honestly, I haven’t met enough of the Taigans here - I know my nephew is around somewhere in the shadows and possibly even my brother and his wife, and that Lilliana and Yanhua, having somewhat similar personalities, are very capable of greeting all nee visitors. Nevertheless this mare feels to me like she’s been here a while, and I feel it’s overdue that I meet her.

there’s an ocean in between your heart and me

@[Borderline] I hate writing starters, but had Borderline on my list for a while <3