I felt guilty about that, for my mother had shown me compassion and welcomed me into her herd, but I barely did anything for them. I spent many nights sleeping in the heavenly fields and dreaming about my time in the Falls, I traversing bamboo labyrinths, and talking to turtles, but I spent so few hours at the Edge in comparison.
This fact prompted me to go back, to at least make sure they hadn't fallen apart since I had been gone. Their politics were shaky, and the herd seemed to have many like me who claimed its land but did not sleep under its stars. But I was going to be better, even if just to prove to myself that I could be.
After meeting a Dragon's Throat patrol once, I took it upon myself to patrol the Edge's borders. The Throat had themselves well put together, so I figured this was a good idea. I found patrolling on the ground to be time consuming, especially when you're just one horse. So I took to the sky. This proved to be a good idea, for a mile down from where I was there stood an equine. He was lingering too close to our wall for me to be comfortable with his presence.
I landed a few meters from him, approaching him from behind. As a protector, I could play the whole 'GET THE FUCK OUT,' act and get away with it, but he had a dragon. I was not about to mess with that. So I stayed relaxed, but on edge (ha), so that if he pulled any funny business I would be ready.
"What's up?" I asked, stopping a length or two away from him. I didn't offer him my name, nor did I ask for his. Truthfully, I wasn't interested.
She is far away. She...she is far, far away from me.