He moved through the jungle quickly, a bright flash of white between densely packed trees, fleet footed and focused on the sound of foreign hooves crushing dried vines and scattering stray pebbles across the damp stones. The sun painted the sky in long, varied brushstrokes of crimson, peach, yellow - yet the light provided was not enough to illuminate and reveal the stranger Asche was searching for. Then, as the foliage thinned and gave way to the ocean air and the sound of roaring waves, he saw her, almost ghostly, haloed by the dying light of day.

"May I join you?" he called to her in a hushed tone, leaning his head to the side in order to allow himself to be more visible to her. He didn't wish to startle the girl, but she seemed somewhat lost to the glory of the Ridge - eyes closed, pink face tilted to the heavens. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Asche - I'll be staying here for a while."

Without waiting for an answer he edged closer, doing his best not to invade her personal space while dipping his muzzle slightly, body language speaking out: 'I'm no threat.' "It's beautiful," he mused, his mane being whipped around his ears as they pricked downwards, listening to the crashing of the surf against the rocks, the juxtaposition of the gently lit sky and the endlessly violent sea delighting him somewhat. Rocking back on his hooves, he craned his neck to watch her, hoping to read into what she was feeling. She was fair, as pale as he was, but not marred by dark patches - pure, bright, clean. She emitted an air of knowledge about the land, a sort of confidence in her surroundings. "Have you been here long?"

. . . and would you like to stay a while?