Oswin hadn’t been able to pull her eyes from the viewpoint laid out before her atop the highest accessible point of the Peak. She stood, breathing quietly, ears pointed forward and eyes soaking in the most beautiful sight her eyes had ever seen and felt true peace warm in her heart. This was the only place she had ever felt most at home second to her foalhood in the Prairie. All those years of wandering the Mainlands had shown her so many places but none of them had ever held her soul quite like this place.

She felt as if life had been breathed anew within her body. An invigorating sense of purpose shot through her veins and made her skin itch with how badly she needed to contribute again. Already, just a day after her return she’d pushed through her sore, bruised shoulder and thrown her weight forward to climb the Peak. It ached now, and she held her weight carefully off it, deciding she would spend the entire day here before trekking back below to begin traveling the islands and learning everything she could since she’d been gone. Oswin needed to be a powerful force in the Peak as ever and she had a lot of catching up to do.

A loud cry made her jump, heart beginning to pound as her head shot up and her muscles bunched tight beneath her coat. She glanced, alert and bright-eyed, searching for the source and worried someone had been horribly injured. Oswin started toward the source and found a red and white mare with apparent injuries on her knees. A sympathetic expression pulled Oswin’s face momentarily – her own coat was littered with patches of scars, like one would see from a fighting band stallion less than a mare – and she glanced from the mare’s knees to her face.

“Are you alright?” She was sure it was just a scraped knee, but figured it was kind to check rather than just assume.

oswin
this is as brave as I know how to be.
I know it’s gonna hurt you, but please… be a little proud of me.