Silence filled the space between words and questions and Murdock couldn’t help but fear he had opened up a subject that would have been better left undisturbed. He could tell that Thor had a great deal to think about when it came to his daughter, and he watched the taller stallion’s expressions change like the surface of the ocean. Clearly, he missed her, as Murdock himself missed his mother and father and every other creature he had come to love. But, like Thor, he had lost them too.
Why did it have to be so easy to lose touch with those you care about? Why did the world have to be so big, so vast, as to swallow up faces and memories and condemn them to shadows that were forever beyond your reach? Murdock knew he would search every inch of this planet if only to turn up some sign that the family he left still existed. But, what would be the point? They were gone, most likely, and he was here. He had found new friends, a new home, a new family. Though they could never replace what he had lost, he could not afford to lose them too.
He turned back toward Thor as he spoke, blinking against the bright gaze of the sun that had now climbed high above the treetops. Murdock shook his head softly, turning back toward the cliffs and the ocean and the endless world as if they might provide him with the words he sought. “You do not give yourself enough credit. I am sure your daughter loves you still, just as I am sure the inhabitants of this land still harbor respect for you within their hearts. You may have left, but you have returned. That shows great courage,” he smiled thoughtfully, shifting his head into the shadows behind Thor’s great figure to shelter the sunlight from his eyes.
He met Thor’s gaze as he turned to face him one last time, searching his friend’s tired eyes as he spoke heavy words into the cold air. He had known love and loss, the comfort of companionship and the painful heartbreak of abandonment. He would never forget the feeling, how it had haunted his mind and extinguished the light in his heart that kept him burning. It was a wonder he had been able to go on, though hope had always kept his head up and his feet moving. But losing a daughter had to be all the more damaging.
He could not imagine how difficult it must have been for the former King to return, hoping to find forgiveness and open arms to welcome him back into the Edge, while at the same time worrying for the safety of his daughter, though her name seemed to rouse mixed emotions. “Of course,” he replied softly, dipping his head with a warm smile. “You know where to find me, my friend,” he stepped away from the larger stallion, moving toward the forest and allowing him space in the sunlit meadow as daylight swelled and claimed the lands. His heart felt lighter now, eased by the words of a wise mind, wise as the trees themselves, and he knew it would not be long before he spoke to Thor again.
"talk talk talk talk "
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