The trees shade is invitingly cool after the warm sun of the plain. Though only twenty or so meters in diameter the thick foliage overhead all but blocks out the sun entirely, leaving much green-lit and fae. Curious to meet the bright shape you momentarly saw from out on the plain you carefully walk between the tree trunks, trying to catch a glimpse of palamino fur. There. How you could have missed her you do not know, standing in a lone shaft of sunlight is a golden Pah'llock mare. Her rich blue mane and tail bright against the new minted hue of her body.

Rah'l'tahrni 'Fire given Godess', twelfth daughter of Sa'nitha. She looks at you with sorrowful emerald eyes. "You seek me K'zarti? I am Rah'l'tahrni, last daughter of Sa'nitha the warrioress." As you near she draws away slightly.

"Come." She says softly and leads you towards the center of the copse. It is far larger than it looked from the outside and you get the feeling that magic has a part in it. The trees are tall and thick leaved, of many different sorts, and block out all but the smallest amount of sunlight. Somehow the trees presence comforts you. Near some trees you feel as though the boughs would cradle you as a child, while others you sense a fiercer nature but not directed at you... as though the trees were alive. Finally the azure maned mare leads you out into a large clearing. The ground is sprinkled with wild flowers and four saplings grow nearby the center.

Rah'l'tahrni steps to the nearest and touches the slim trunk tenderly. Cautiously you step closer and realise that the saplings glow lightly. The one Rah'l'tahrni is closest to is lit by golden light, the others with purple, green and a mottled white & blue. The golden mare touches each in turn "Sa'nitha, Azinth, Zyf'naia and Tz'rhiannoc." She says, her soft voice clear against the tapestry silence of the trees.

Rahl'tahrni
Body: pa,pa
Mane: m*,m*
Markings: N,a
Forefeet: h,h
Hindfeet: D,D
Tail: H*,L
Horns: D,D
Mutation: M*,n
Sire: Tz'rhiannoc
Dam: Sa'nitha
"This is sometimes known as the Forest of Rest. When each Pah'llock returns to the earth another tree grows here. They will eventually grow to be normal trees, but very long lived but for while they wear these hues, the Tarkbasi, of these four still roam the Tir, watching over us all.A sanctuary within a sanctuary."

She bows her head to the gold lit sapling again and it almost seems one leaf bends slightly to touch her cheek.
She flings her head up, green eyes hard with defiance.
"My dam died too soon... giving more than she had for those who always wanted more, like gibberlings swarming to take and not return. She died, not of battle as a warrior should, but faded by foaling, as was gentle Azinth and Zyf'naia. I shall not let that happen to me! I will remain for as long as I can to defend my home and my ancestors and die of age or wounding. Mahnon Pah'llocks are many once more I shall not be taken piece by piece as my Dam was!." A tear trickles down her golden cheek. "I never saw more than a glimpse of my Dam before she returned to the Tir but she looked weary... so very weary. I am glad she can rest now."

"Oh Katri!" She sobs softly to the sapling, her voice catching. Without saying a word she spins and bolts away, leaving you to find your own way back. As she goes the woods seem to murmur comfort and love. Not only to the weeping mare but to you as well. There is a sudden shaft of sunlight in the glade and for an instant you can see four Pah'llocks watching you in the glittering dust motes caught in the light. One, a tall golden mare, nods slightly to you then they are gone again.

The woods seem to shift around you and you find yourself no longer in the clearing but standing near the edge of the copse, looking out onto the plain once more. You can see, from here, the glint of a lake to the West and the forest, closer, back to the North East Before you leave you cannot help but look back and think, with some joy They have not left yet but remain to watch over the lives of those they love.