There is a sense of dread in the pit of her soul. It had loomed earlier in the day when Lilliana had gone seeking the golden child - Brine's daughter - and found the scent of her faint on the Taigan wind. It's natural for fillies that age to wander, she knows. It's the nature of adolescents to want to echo thunder with their hooves and to chase wayward breezes. At that age, it's perfectly normal to feel all the beginnings of wanderlust without any of the mastery of it.
But the girl she comes seeking is not normal. She is not just any other girl. Lilliana had made a promise to Brine - sweet, gentle Brine who often looked over her shoulder as if whatever fears she was running from would eventually find her - and it is something she intends to see kept. No harm will come to filly while she remains in Taiga.
What of the girl, then, when she is out of it?
That sense of dread she carries spills into her veins as she breaks free from the shadowy binds of the treeline. She's been to the Field before and has even recruited for Taiga here. Lilliana has been to the Field a few times but there is always this: a sense of apprehension that comes from feeling like the world is watching. A quiet exhale and the copper mare pushes herself forward, trying to think of all the things she would say to Ruth when she did find her. If she was here trying to recruit for the Taiga, that was certainly an admirable thing and due praise. However, however... there would be other things to say. Things like that trips to Field are best done at daybreak because when else is hope brightest than at the beginning of a new day?
And besides, it allows time to observe and learn. Taiga's borders are open to everyone (or so Lilliana tells herself), whatever had lurked in the forest the previous winter is behind them and her home is safe. Coming to the Field to recruit is best done at the beginning of the day because it allows one to learn about the groups of horses who gather - mares with foals do well for Taiga. Young, bachelor stallions might be another good fit if they can curb the need to kick up their heels and put that energy towards diplomacy or soldiering instead. Families that only want the peace and privacy that such a dense forest can provide. In her mind, all are welcome but certain types seem to suit the Redwoods better than others.
Taiga has enough shadows.
(Flames, she sometimes imagines she feels flickering from beneath the bark.)
No need to bring one back from the Field.
The chestnut mare walks by the few groups, weaving through the bands of horses that come together for their own various reasons: some clamor together for warmth, some seek companionship against the coming night, some speak in hushed whispers (of what, she wonders? Plagues and wars like she and Neverwhere had once teased when they were new?). Whatever their reasons are, they keep them to themselves and Lilliana walks past them after casting a glance for gold, searching for a glimpse of warmth in the depth of winter. A palomino horse might be seen as ordinary by Beqanna standards but surely a winged palomino would stand out?
It's the west, she thinks. She's walking towards it and it obscures everything. What little light remains almost blinds her and she is about to change her trajectory when-
"I am Ruthless. I live in Taiga."
Her ears immediately prick forward to the sound. Winds, she thinks as relief immediately spreads through her. Ruth. In the group of horses ahead? There is a shadowed mass in front of her - a rather large and imposing stallion who obstructs her gaze so that all she sees is the faint outline of gold in the dying embers of sunset. Ruth is on the other side of him, she assumes, realizing that the filly is facing him as Lilliana goes to move around him. Another stranger approaches as she does - someone who asks, "Are you looking for somewhere to cause trouble?" (If Lilliana could see this one better, she might notice the wild and wonderful similarities that she has always admired in Velkan. For now, there is only a slight tug of sympathy for the newcomer who has attracted the attention of so many - how overwhelming this place can be.)
A half-smile curves against the edges of her dark mouth as she comes into view from behind the gray with a trademark quip, "Has the winter made you all so restless?" Or something else, she doesn't add. The question is for all of them - this group of souls that gathers when it seems the rest of Beqanna would rather (or should) be slumbering the bitter season away - but her blue eyes go first to Ruth, needing to see for herself that the girl is alright. The gold before her pools like daylight before it dawns into something else entirely.
Wolfbane.
LILLIANA
light me up, i will blaze
like a soul you have saved