A chill wind races through the valleys of the Peak, and draws some of autumn's last leaves from the tree tops. Brittle and brown, they sail on a gust, and skitter across the ground. The movement catches the whether eye of a stallion. He lifts his speckled head, and white-lashed eyes follow the swirling path of an errant oak leaf.

He is prepared for the the coming of winter. Thick fur upon his back ripples like long summer grasses. The thickness of his coat obscures the clarity of his spots and he becomes more white, better camouflage for when the first snows fall. He grazes with vigor. A healthy appetite and a rounding flank prepare him for times when sustenance is lost beneath heavy snow drifts.

As the leaf sails upwards, so do his eyes, whereupon he finds the circling shadow of Keen. Her broad wing span passes over the sun, and for just a moment, he can see her sharp eyes looking back at him. He smiles, ever appreciative of her companionship.

The stallion is lost in his appreciations for Keen, and all things right in the world, when he hears a disturbance behind him. Deliberate foot falls are too light to be Kyuubi's. Kestral turns, casting a curious glance over his shoulder. It's a welcome surprise to see the familiar face of Rhadra ascending the slope behind him.

Kestral tuns and ambles down the slope towards her. Sure and careful steps bring them together. The will to smile surprises even himself. Kestral greets Rhadra with joy painted across his face and a welcome nicker. "Rhadra. You return." He begins, itching to know one thing. "Have you come to stay?"

The peak lost one sister this fall. There is no better time for a fresh face than now.