Sleep was something I was quite unfamiliar with. Sleep always seemed to bring along the memories of a bloodied body sprawled across the ground as a feathered stick stuck perpendicular to the body's chest...it brought back all the memories that I worked so hard to keep at bay on a daily basis. So sleep was something that I avoided with anything I possibly could, especially during the night when everyone else was dozing peacefully under the watchful gaze of the moon and stars, there was no need to trouble them with screams of grief while they dreamed of rainbows and foals skittering to and fro.
Some nights it was easy to fight off the sleep, wandering about aimlessly, going and staring at the shattered wall, wondering over what I was going to be here in the Edge. Of course there were nights in which I had to fight myself against the sleep that crept so close to my consciousness. Tonight was one of those nights, everything seemed to be trying it's damnedest at lulling me to sleep. From the fireflies to the crickets, to the gentle breeze that was caressing my multi-hued frame. But so far, I was proving to be the victor by pacing back and forth in circles. I could feel the demons of my past poking and prodding at my grey matter, waiting for my lids to fall over orchid pools so they could begin their plan of attack that night. A shudder passed over my frame before a low growl coming from behind me drew my attention away from the internal struggle.
With a snort I turned to look upon the great brown beast that accompanied the Constrictor everywhere she went. "Evening Eytan." I bobbed my white washed skull in a greeting to the grizzly bear before he turned on his hind paws and began moving away, looking over his shoulder occasionally to make sure that I was following him. For a second, I wondered if something was wrong with the Constrictor, but the bear wasn't moving quite as fast as I would expect had she been injured.
As we drew close enough to see the mare's white markings glowing in the light of the moon, our strides shortened ever so slightly as the bear moved away from my side to rejoined his bonded. Pulling to a halt, I bobbed my white washed skull to the horned mare as well, she was now a Captain along with the hulking Archibald. It was an honor to be serving under Ktulu once more, and I was honestly excited to see the greatness she would bring to the Edge. "Evening Ktulu." My words pierced through the cricket filled air as my orchid pools drifted away from the mare to take in our surroundings, especially the gap in the wall that we were standing at. Was something going to happen tonight, or would this be a peaceful patrol?

Speech
Tag:: @[Ktulu]
Words:: 488
Notes:: D: Sorry it is so short.

I assumed that it was strange that I didn't sleep, cat naps during the day were my way of getting a few moments of rest. But they never lasted for long before the terrors began slipping in through the cracks in the door of the filing cabinet I tried to keep them in. Keeping them there was like trying to catch the rain though, pointless. "Cheveyo."
The mare's voice brought me back to reality as she stared at the crumbling wall. Momentarily, I wondered what my purpose was standing here in the middle of the night, but I was so thankful for the late night meeting with the newest Captain of the Edge. Any distraction from my body's natural want to sleep was welcomed with wide open arms. Chestnut harks swiveled as I waited for the next string of words that would likely be an order, a reason to stay awake. A reason that many others would find taxing but I would consider to be an amazing gift.
"These walls offer nothing in the way of defense." The black, bronze, and white mare spoke up as she looked over at my own frame rather than at the crumbling wall. Her gaze was a familiar one, as she had been a great leader when the Gray was still up and running, but I had been much more of a shadow in that herd rather than anything that could have been noticed for more than a mere second. "I want to patrol the entire length of the wall. Once we've patrolled the wall you will be free to go about your day however you may please until your next patrol." I calculated the path we would be taking in my grey matter and was quite happy to realize that it would take us until daybreak to reach the star gate from where we stood. Hopefully, I would continue to get chosen to take on midnight patrols rather than the daytime ones where I could be sparring instead.
"Understood." My voice sounded so unnatural and foreign against the chipping of the crickets and other bugs that had taken up shelter around the shattered glass wall. As soon as the last syllable broke from my vocal chords the Constrictor had turned and began the patrolling, my own yellow painted hooves struck out in the same direction as if by instinct. I prayed nothing bad would befall the Edge on such a peaceful night, but at the same time I yearned for excitement.

Speech
Tag:: @[Ktulu]
Words:: 418
Notes:: <3

It was difficult not to grin at the surprise that seemed to cross the Constrictor's features when I didn't complain about the lack of sleep that would come with a midnight patrol. My insomnia wasn't something I broadcasted publicly so it was no surprise to me that she expected some kind of complaint to fall into the gentle breeze of the night. Chestnut harks swiveled forwards as we began our trek for the night, I could feel the excitement of having an excuse to stay awake all night bubbling just beneath the surface as I followed the the Constrictor's side, my shoulder matching her own as we carried on stride in stride through the mists of the Edge.
The mist, something that normally seemed so mysterious and beautiful, seemed to be more of a nuisance tonight as it lowered the visibility from one hundred percent down to nearly twenty percent. I cursed inwardly at the mist as I prayed that there would be no interruptions on our midnight stroll, it wouldn't be very easy to defend ourselves against something we couldn't see. Luckily it seemed as if Eytan, the great grizzly, was scouting ahead of us. Surely he was sending back word of whatever it was he could see through he and Ktulu's mental bond. I enjoyed the near silence of the Edge at midnight, the only sound that could be heard was the chripping of the crickets as they sang their songs back and forth between each other. It was a sound that I was so familiar with, due to my many late nights, that I was almost surprised I could even still hear it.
But the silence didn't last long as the Constrictor's lyrics broke through the nothingness and settled into the air effortlessly. "What made you come to the Edge?"
I hesitated for a moment as I thought back to the weeks spent locked away in the caverns while the wraiths took over the world above. I wasn't entirely sure what had drawn me to the Edge when the caverns had errupted and the population kept within the walls were set free into the lands of Helovia once again. But whatever it was that had drawn me here had been powerful, powerful enough that I had left what had once been the Foothills without even a second glance over my painted shoulders. I rolled my shoulders ever so slightly as I tilted my skull to the side ever so slightly and my rosy kissers parted. "I'm not entirely sure, something had drawn me to these lands once we were set free from the caverns." Maybe it had been the Goddess of the Moon, calling forth more followers and protectors for her home since the glass walls had been shattered into a million pieces. Or maybe it was the fall of the Foothills that had brought me to the Edge, whatever it had been I was grateful for it.
I cleared my throat and looked away from the bronze and white painted mare as I looked out into the mist, attempting to keep an eye out for any shapes that weren't bear-like in the mist. "What brought you to the Edge?" As I spoke my attention remained focused on the path that we were walking, the grass here grew less abundantly due to the constant patrols that stunted the growth of any greenery that could possibly grow here. I knew that at one point the Constrictor was the Cheiftess of the Foothills, but I didn't know why she had left them rather than remain a just leader as she had been.


Speech
Tag:: @[Ktulu]
Words:: 603
Notes:: Sorry for the wait on this <3

A grunt was the response to the reply that I had been drawn to the Edge by some unknown force once we had been released like dogs from the caverns, and for a moment I wondered what was truly going through the Constrictor's mind when I mentioned the caverns. For all the time I had spent wandering aimlessly in hopes to keep my spirits up and not feel like such a trapped animal, the Constrictor was not a face I saw in our rabbit tunnels. In fact, I hadn't seen her at all, her face was one that would have brought me at least some comfort in the midst of the chaos. Perhaps she would have slapped some sense into me when I thought the feelings between me and the bay with flaming wings had been genuine and saved me the tinge of pain when I ran into the blue flamed Birsa.
"I wronged this herd because of a contract the Grey had with the Basin. I need to make amends. I thought that offering my body to protect this herd would be a good way of doing that." The white and bronze stained mare's voice was softer than usual, causing my harks to flick forward as I caught onto every syllable that fell from her darkened kissers. I appreciated the mare's honesty and from what I could tell she was doing a fairly decent job at keeping the Edge safe since she had already managed to snag a council slot as one of our two Captains. A light smile tugged ever so slightly at the corners of my rosy kissers as I nodded silently, enjoying the sounds of the insects and the owls in the tree as I normally did at this time of night.
But the silence didn't last long as the frosted midnight mare looked at me and spoke once more, her words hushed and stern against the sound of the crickets and owls. "Eytan says he smells wolves, but he thinks the scent is old. Keep a sharp eye." I nodded once more, this time my mind staying sharp and focusing on more of the big picture rather than just the comforting cooing of the owls. Harks flicked forwards as I continued moving forwards, keeping on the alert for any movement that shouldn't be there.



Speech
Tag:: @[Ktulu]
Words:: 389
Notes::