I found myself lost in tumultuous thought as I picked my way through my home. My mind was plagued with worry for my beloved home and the threats that had recently been presented towards it, such as the Assassins, two of which I had stopped from venturing any further into the World's Edge and gathering valuable information. Of course, I had not known of the group at the time, nor had the others; they had simply wished to shoo the insolent yearling that dared strike out at one of our own members, and I had stood proudly at the side of my brothers until they had taken their leave.

But in light of recent events, it seemed that the group was no longer a threat towards our members nor our land. My thoughts had quickly drifted from the Assassins to more internal problems, such as the mess that my family had become. My children, as well as myself, had all fallen into despair at Tor's departure. Her explanation had been short as to where exactly she was going, and it had pained me to no end not to hold her back, and demand more information from the pale draft that I had managed to fall for. Yes, she had returned by now, showing her face out of the blue at a herd meeting nonetheless. Her sudden appearance had surprised me, causing my muscles to tense in an awkward manner. I was happy to see her back and well, with a smile upon her face, but I couldn't help but feel somewhat betrayed. It was obvious that my children held similar feelings towards their mother, and while I didn't enjoy knowing that fact, I found myself unable to blame them.

Despite the recent negativities in my life, there had been good points, too. The Dragonheart's tournament had many pining for the open positions as Captains, as I had always known them to be called, except here they were described as Wingleaders. I held enough confidence in my own abilities to enter the competition myself, and while it had been trying at times, I was happy to have defeat my first opponent, Smoke, and eventually come out with the very title of a Wingleader. I had not come out unscathed, however. My left shoulder was still bare of hide in some places, but it was slowly beginning to grow back. The fire produced by Smoke's dragon often left me sore on the most bitter mornings, and I was certain it would become a scar in time, a constant reminder of the things I had put myself through to get to where I was now. I was gracious of my new title, and would be sure to uphold it with dignity and respect to my brothers in arms, although I would have done the same regardless of receiving the title or not in the end.

As I walked along the cliff-side, I breathed a gentle sigh, and tried to wash the myriad of thoughts from my head. Instead, I tried to focus on the things around me. While some might think them mundane, I took joy in admiring the simpler things that were around me each and every day. Drawing myself to a halt, I cast my gaze to the right, looking out across the great sea that surrounded my home. It was dappled in a brilliant assortment of pinks and purples, with an ever present underlay of blue. The sun was just beginning to rise from its bed in the east, casting a golden hue against my pelt as I took in the gorgeous view laid out before me. It reminded me fondly of my home in Valhea, whenever Bran and I would partake in an early morning ride through the mountains. Those times had always been my favorite, for they were free of pain, free of anger, and free of loss...

The thought of Bran caused me to snap out of my musings and shake my head; less than a year had passed since that fateful war when I had lost Bran, that wild haired boy that I had loved so fiercely for so many years. If I could turn back the clock, I would have gladly taken his place in death, for he had so much to live for. As of now, I could not say the same for myself, having two children to watch over and a herd to keep safe. In the back of my mind, I wondered, would Bran be proud of me for my choices, for becoming a militant leader? Or would he be disappointed that I had fled the battle and ended up here, instead of returning to Valhea?

I inhaled deeply, barrel expanding before I slowly exhaled it, willing back an onslaught of tears that threatened to well in my chocolate eyes. This was not a day to reflect on the more despondent parts of my life; this was a time to be happy, to rejoice in the new life I had been given and be thankful.


"blather blather blather"