He hadn’t expected anything to come of the Relic, for he and no one he had met thus far had seemed to find it. Granted he hadn’t been looking very hard for it himself, but he had made it all the way from the southern reaches of Terrastella to the northern border of the Dawn Court, nearly half the continent of Novus. And there had never been a single hint that something otherworldly was in hiding nearby.
But it wasn’t long after reaching his homeland that he had started to hear new whispers, ones of a shadowy figure cloaked in the hide of an ancient beast who performed spells far beneath the mountains. A being who never ventured far outside of his dark caverns yet knew all things about the four courts and the lands dividing them. If anyone had information on the Relic, it would be this shaman, the whispers had told him. And Ipomoea couldn’t deny that this piqued his interest far more than a simple relic could—for people could talk and tell stories; items were harder to interpret. So when his wanderlust and need for adventure had set back into his veins, Ipomoea had listened and conceded—albeit reluctantly, for it pained him to leave the home he had finally found, but greater was his desire to keep moving. This time there had been few detours, for it seemed every wandering equine had beaten him to the same spot in the center of Ruris, allowing him a straight path directly to the maze he had been warned of.
Again caution was thrown to the wind when he stepped boldly into the midst of it, refusing to flinch when his entrance was closed off behind him. He, unlike many others, was not entirely alone after all; Alorus flit to and from before him, his silent presence a comfort to him. But even with two minds put together to solve the puzzle of twists and turns, they had gotten nowhere. The day had come and gone, leaving darkness in its wake that brought dropping temperatures with it. And for the first time, Ipomoea felt unsure, stopping in his path as the songbird returned to him.
“I think we’re lost.” He whispered the confession to his companion, worry etched across his speckled face. His bonded didn’t answer, as was his custom, but simply pressed his beak against the equine’s neck, wings flopped out to either side of his crest in seeming exhaustion. With a sigh, Po stepped forward carefully, holding his head as still as possible to not disturb his now-slumbering friend. ’So much for an extra pair of eyes,’ he grumbled to himself.
He too could feel fatigue slipping into his bones, but his mind was far too awake to allow him to give into it. He saw shadows dancing around every corner, and each time the wind rustled the leaves he jumped visibly in response. Once or twice he could have sworn he heard footsteps behind him, but each time he turned to face the threat he was met with empty air. That is, until a voice called out directly to his left, a sudden intrusion to the silent night air that caused Po to nearly drop to his knees in fright.
“I’m here!” he called out a response by instinct, the slightest tremble causing his voice to shake. Expectantly he turned to the hedge beside him, as though expecting to see some sort of monster jump out, ready to swallow him whole. Was this a trick? Or was he really no longer alone out here? Tentatively he stretched out one foreleg, pawing once at the brambles in his way. Unsurprisingly they didn’t budge. “Where are you?”
@Pan
<3 sorry this took so long!
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