Aponi woke with a start as a sharp pain pierced the sensitive skin on the inside of her ear. Turning swiftly her plan was to bite whoever had the nerve to bite her until she noticed who it was, and where they were. Mercy was looking at her with his usual look of apprehension, as if she was a snake in the grass who would strike him at any moment, and maybe that used to be true. Maybe when she was younger he was her favourite scape goat, she would pick fights with him knowing he wouldn't fight back, call him demeaning names or even at times act as if he was invisible and didn't exist. The princess had always been jealous that the boy had favored Nova and as a result lashed out at the pair of them, her childhood had been lonely until Karpos had arrived. While she acted as if she didn't need anyone else she loathed how her peers looked at her as if she was a burden, someone who had to be tolerated. Aponi truly was an alpha female and it was a trait she was growing into, learning to control, but it wasn't a trait that made making friends easy.

So it was here in this shallow ditch of snow with silver fur from each's pelt mixed together that Mercy and Aponi made history. Blue eyes softened for a moment before the princess turned her muzzle away so she could look out into the forest and she forced two of her least favourite words from her mouth, "Thank you." They tasted odd in her mouth and her voice was barely above a mumble but in these close quarters there was no way the boy didn't hear her.

It was many long silent moments before Aponi moved from her place next to Mercy in their makeshift snow den. She had needed to make a decision and finally one was made. Standing the princess shook the light snow from her pelt and did her best to stretch out her stiff muscles. She ached all over, and the pain in her stomach was worse than ever but her determination had returned and a familiar glint shone in her blue eyes. Scanning the forest she saw the way their paw prints had come from, if the way they were going was south than that way had to be north. Without glancing at Mercy she declared, "We have to get out of these woods and find the mountain, if we can find the mountain we can get home." Without looking back Aponi fell into their footsteps from before, she was getting out of here.

EXIT