Contemplating an escape for him and his brethren had taken the forefront of Kaj's mind, the mantle that he gazed upon every eve. It was a problem that had become part of even his dreams, keeping him tied down to the earth and forcing him into restless nightmares that he would never admit to. Even as his exhaustion lagged, seeping down upon him like sap, the King kept his chin high and eyes focused. His people needed him, and though the fate he was slowly revolving towards was one that his kin may not appreciate, it was the only one Kaj could think of when it came to saving them. No matter their objections, unless they could offer up an alternative, Kaj had scoured his brain into numbness searching for an answer. No matter how they may hate him, it was his job to keep them safe. And so he would.

Though he groaned to think of patrolling that morning, considering the aches and pains of his body, there was no other alternative. It was too last minute to ask for a replacement, and that would tip off his family that he was running at less than perfection. So the sunny stallion shook his mighty frame, stretched his aching knees, and set out on the well-worn path round the borders. He was solitary in his rounds, and for a moment he merely enjoyed the warm morning, the hours before the sun intensified and burned away what little of the mist remained creeping along the bases of the trees.

Birds heralded his arrival, ever conscious of the passerby beneath the boughs. Sunlight streamed in through the cracks of the cover above, playing in shafts that decorated the forest floor in odd, attractive patterns. It was a beautiful morning, one Kaj breathed in, seeking to draw it into his lungs and imprint it into his pores. It gave him life, chased away the demons that pursued him in the nightly hours. The brevity of his nightmares never seemed to matter, for they lingered with him long after he'd jolted awake. It was why he slept so little, worked so much. If he were ever to fall to slumber, to the arms of Morpheus in his ever-reaching possession of the King, it would only be to conjurations of Lucifer that he would fall into.

A voice broke through the pattern of his thoughts, golden aurals swiveling to place the position of the speaker. A whinny broke through his surroundings, its birthplace his chest, a promise of his swift arrival. Swift it was, the massive, mountainous man cantering down the easy path behind the decimated walls to where the tiny figure sat awaiting him. Slowing, Kaj regarded the tiny filly with distinct intrigue, and not a lack of concern that twisted and disfigured the royal set of his brow. Why was she so far from home, where was her mother, her father? Why was she wandering in the wilds with no soul to keep watch over her innocence?

"You are at the borders of the World's Edge, young miss Tempe. My name is Kaj, I am the King of these lands." His regal voice was soft even in its proper structure, eyes like warm summer skies as they gazed down at the tiny thing at his borders. Alone. Lost. "Tell me child, where is your family? It is not safe to wander the wilds alone," he murmured, moving towards her only to stop a respectful distance away. There was no telling how she would receive his worry, his well-meaning chiding.

@[Tempe]