The stallion stood silent sentinel at the top of the falls, but his eyes didn’t scan the land far below, instead staring quietly at the glowing foliage that had definitely not been glowing before when he’d met Balian here. Teal eyes narrowed as he lowered his horned head and examined the watercress that blazed with unnatural color. His hide twitched in a brief shiver as his head rose once more, backing a step away to scan the area, nostrils flaring as his sharp ears caught a rustle. Soon a fox slipped from the brush. The stallion’s ears flicked forward as the furtive creature skulked along the riverside. Like the plants, it glowed. Blue, even in the eyes as the animal glanced his way—and it definitely wasn’t just a reflection from his coat striking the pupils. The horse snorted sharply, and the fox, instead of scattering to the brush, turned and snarled at him. Taliesyn’s tail flicked side to side, undecided, until the animal dove at him. Fortunately for him – and unfortunately for the fox – he was standing at the cliff’s edge, and the horse stepped aside, pivoting with a snort of alarm as the animal sailed over the edge. Quickly, he snaked his head out, catching the fox’s tail – barely – in his teeth and flipping his head to toss it back to safety. The beast was no threat, far from Valhalla, and no young pups in the pack to defend. The fox scrabbled, panting, and bolted from sight with a scream and the stallion watched it flee, ears flat to the sides in concern. While he was used to glowing creatures — considering he and Aurielle, and her son all glowed, one could hardly not be used to it – it was strangely unsettling to see the foliage glowing, and small animals as well. His eyes rose to the sky, eyeing the one of many other odd things he’d been seeing lately. The moon should have waned by now. Hells, it should have been at most a three-quarter moon on the way to half. But the moon hung bright and full in the sky, the stars gleaming coldly. Taliesyn huffed, lips tightening fretfully. What strange happenings were ahoof this time? And what did it mean for the packs? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Alright, perhaps she'd gotten a little bit turned around. Fable had been meaning to head towards the Battlefield to observe from the sidelines but a thick, thick mist had come down just when she had thought she'd been getting close. Try as she might, she couldn't see more than a foot in front of her face. When the mist finally cleared, she'd found herself halfway up a mountainside. Never one to be called a quitter - and with the hope that once she'd reached the peak, she'd be able to see exactly where she was - Fable continued on her way up. Once she'd reached the peak a terrifying sight revealed itself: glowing foliage, glowing fox (spinning through the air, as if thrown?), glowing horse? Glowing horse-with-a-horn? Unable to help herself, she simply stopped and stared. At least she managed to keep her jaw from falling open.

He was on edge, but kept himself stil, tipping his head to catch the owner of the paws he’d heard in one large teal eye, the alert sharpness softening as he turned to face the young wolf, horned head lowering to a level with her own as he greeted her gently. “Good evening, miss.” She’d been standing gawking, not an unusual response, and he didn’t draw attention to it as he lifted his head again to scan the surroundings and their luminescent sheen, before moving and lowering his head to dip the tip of his horn into the middle of the glowing watercress, pulling some of the plant from the water, though not far. Normally, he considered cress to be tasty, and Wangui had used it as a poultice on a swollen knee the last time he’d banged it on a rocky out cropping, a few years past, but this glowing cress he felt would be foolish to taste test. “I can’t say as I’ve ever seen watercress glow before. Have you?” His great head cocked to side eye the girl to see if she had any ideas. His gentle nature was visible, even if his appearance was ethereal and fantastical, and he didn’t mind the young wolf’s company if she was willing to stay near him. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

"Good evening, miss." Oh! He bowed! Perhaps he was a nice... horned-horse. Fable hadn't met another creature with the same spark of intellect except her family's signature ravens. Suddenly she found herself feeling weirdly guilty about the deer she'd eaten recently. He had a warmth about him that reminded her (foolishly, maybe) of her father. He'd just recently set off to his homeland and she found herself missing him fiercely. Feeling encouraged by the thought, Fable put her remaining worry to rest and crept closer to the tall, shining stallion. "No, I can't say that I have..." she admitted, peering down at the glowing vegetation. It seemed to pulse faintly, growing in strength and then fading again. Everything in her was squirming to taste it. She'd never seen anything like it before and she doubted she'd see it again. "What do you think it tastes like?" she asked shyly. "I'm Fable, by the way. From Abaven."

As the girl relaxed slightly, Taliesyn slowly lowered to his knees, mane pooling on the ground, his hind end soon following with a flick of his tail as he studied the cress further, head tilting to regard the yearling with a faint smile. “Well, normal watercress is peppery. This, stuff, however, I’m not certain about. Perhaps whatever's made the plants glow made the flavor change.” His lips tightened in a faint frown as he gazed around at all the glowing vegetation, then up at the moon. “There are many strange things afoot lately. The moon should have been well-waned by now, there are blue fireflies drifting about, and the vegetation and animals are glowing, the animals acting strangely. At least it’s not nearly as cold as it was last winter.” He smiled at the girl as he added, “Fable is a lovely name, by the way. I am Taliesyn of Valhalla. From what I’ve been told, Abaven and Valhalla are allied, so it’s good to meet a friend from the east coast.” Wangui slipped from the brush, grumbling as she shivered under the pelt she carried with her for warmth and tucked herself against the horse’s warm hide. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It was strange, to be talking with a horse. But he seemed so kind. "Yes, I've used watercress before in various ways. I'm just awfully curious about this special, shining one." Fable resisted every urge to lean over and lick the brightly glowing plant. If something bad happened because of it, she'd surely never hear the end of it. But just a little taste couldn't hurt, right? She stared long and hard at the scrap of greenery (or was it blue-ery?) as Taliesyn laid down before her. "I got terribly lost in some thick mist," she admitted, finding herself a little relieved that he confirmed her suspicions about strange happenings. "It wasn't like anything I've ever seen - so thick, I couldn't see inches in front of my nose!" Fable blew out a short breath of frustration. Stumbling up the peak had been exhausting. Taking a moment to observe the surrounding land, she spotted the dark peak of Mount Volkan in the distance. She was a bit far from home.

"Oh, yes! My aunt is the alpha. Theory. I have a feeling you haven't met, because I sure think she'd tell me about you," she said with a laugh. "So you live in Valhalla? Amongst only wolves? Or are there others like you among their ranks?" Fable couldn't resist following up with a question. Valhalla was so far away from Abaven - and the recent cold season so, so long - that she'd never seen the pack lands of their allies. If she was that far from home, she was sure to get an earful about it by the time she made it back. Hopefully the mist, and the moon, and the strange glowing plants would abate by the time she picked her way down this mountain.

FABLE

A breeze seems to blow through you rather than around you. You also find 3 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Taliesyn

There's an eerie chill in the air. You also find 3 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…