Jason was a little uncomfortable on the steed,two reasons. 1.He didn't ride horses,mostly he just walked or flew where he needed to go if he didn't dash,mainly dashing was when he had to run for his life. It didn't matter which realm. 2. This wasn't a normal horse so it made him even more at unease. His tail felt so awkward and it was clear to see. The little two ice creatures came hopping back,warbling to one another in a way only they understood. Shade fluttered up to Jason and clung to his shoulder,squeaking worriedly at the scent of blood. Fatespeaker chose to flutter up to Ash and sat besides him,well rather behind him. She was careful not to dig her claws into the steed as she gave a soft smile to Ash from her elegant snout.

Ash smiled back at the small creature. Through the trees, silhouetted against the cloudy sky, a lone figure on horseback watched us atop a snowy rise. The single tree standing over it had curled its branches as far away from the figure as possible, its limbs twisted and warped, but the rider didn't seem to care. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, glinting off its steel armor.

Jason was carefully holding onto the horse,making sure to be gentle as little Shade sat on his head and looked about and smiled happily,as if he where the king of the world. Fatespeaker seemed pleased to be besides the prince and her little ice wings fluttered happily as he smiled back at her. She rolled her eyes at her icey brother and saw the other rider. She moved a little closer to Ash,head lowering a bit. "Rrrrr~." She squeaked softly.

"What's wrong?" He asked the tiny dragon

"beee....hinnnnd" She said in that underwater bubbly voice,pointing a little ragged talon toward the figure. Jason was struggling to get Shade off his head,the little dragon pleased and so was...needing...his claws...into Jason's head a bit. He was squeaking happily and dancing about his head as Jason tried to gently pick him up but wasn't able to get a hold on the little slippery dragon replica.

He looked at her and then followed her gaze. A faint metallic rustling drifted over the wind, like thousands of knives scraping together, making his blood run cold. As the Iron knight stood motionless on the hill, an enormous pack of spindly legged creatures appeared around him. Claws flashing, limbs jerking sporadically, the wire-fey crowded the hilltop like huge spiders, gleaming in the sun. Ash went pale, and the knight raised a hand toward us, sending the entire pack skittering down the hill. "Run," Ash whispered

Shade ended up catching sight of them and cried out a bit,a shocked cold icy sound of a winter whirl wind as he scuttled under Jason's wing swiftly and curled round the base joint,hiding. Jason was confused and looked behind and his face turned pale at the sight of them,white and sick green flooding his freckle scales. "Oh god." Fatespeaker growled and fluttered up off the horse,gently pushing it a bit to make it move. "Rrrr~!"

The faery steeds ate up the ground as they charged through the forest, their hooves making almost no noise in the snow. The trees flew by at a terrifying speed as the horses plunged between trunks and over logs. Thankfully, Ash seemed to know where he was going. Behind them, the metallic skittering of the wire-fey echoed on the wind, never fading or falling behind.

Jason held little Shade close as he held onto the horse. Fatespeaker glared behind them,gritting her sharp little teeth as if wanting to fight. "ccchhh!" She hissed behind them,little slender tail swishing. She had an easy time staying on the moving steed.

The trees fell away, and a steep incline soared above them, jagged rocks covered in ice as smooth as glass. The hooves of the Winter-born faery steeds charged up the hill without hesitation. It felt like they were running up a wall. At the top of the rise, Ash pulled his mount to a halt. He was staring down the slope, eyes narrowed to slits. The edge of the rise fell away into a dizzying vertical drop, jagged rocks jutting up like spines. "They're coming," Ash muttered.