The view from down here

there are no markings on her country roads no signs that show the way back home Otem's thoughtful contemplation was interrupted. Like her mother, Otem was not a fan of small talk or really prolonged social encounters of any kind. Unlike Isopia however, Otem was incredibly good at acting as if she enjoyed them. The girl could come across as bubbly and polite just as easily as flapping her wings. And so as Kyros appeared at her side, maintaining a respectful distance, the autumn-coloured filly flashed the boy a warm smile and nodded her ram-horned head in greeting. "Hello Kyros, I'm Otem. And this is Pandora-" The filly motioned towards the owl at her hooves. Although Pandora was normally quite polite, at the moment she was also awfully hungry. Briefly the feathered creature  looked up, hooted a quick hello, and then returned to her meal. "I used to come here all the time. But it's so weird to stand here now and not see the Dragon's Throat on the other side of the water..." Otem mumbled, hating uncomfortable silences. She pulled her gold and burgundy gaze away from the rolling ocean to look at Kyros. For a moment she thought that she maybe recognized the boy, but the feeling faded. It was only his colouring that she recognized. He was a descendent of Ilios, just as surely as she was a descendent of the Earth God. But was he a son? Or a grandchild like she was? "Your markings-" She began, and then immediately tried to swallow the words. Hadn't Ilios been killed when the portal had been opened? Otem had been so focused on her own mother's death that she often forgot that others had lost parents too. Otem coughed uncomfortably, unsure where to direct the conversation now that she'd mistakenly steered them down the dead parents path.

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