Tensions ran high, ever since our borders had been threatened. My beloved was pushing herself further and further with each passing hour, forcing herself to be fit for any future threats. The ability to heal with sunlight was still beyond her reach still, but the weather which patterned her hide had returned, albeit faded and difficult to see in the moonlight. The magic that allowed her to shift the weather patterns around us had not returned, though the wind did fill her wings more easily than before. I clung to her back with tooth and claw, as we flew over the borders, again and again, observing the ruin, the incomplete wall, exercising, forever improving fitness.

Do not push yourself to break, I say to her, through that connection only we share. As always, I feel her reaction to my voice, the rich tones that sound so much like her father, the warmth and affection that springs up in the very fibre of her soul as she hears it, feels it. I will push myself until I can be sure that we never lose. Her reply, somewhat haughty, came back at me. She was a stubborn creature, stubborn and bold, refusing even my request. Let us travel elsewhere then. There are guards enough here. I left it unspoken, that we could do little to heal now, with the absence of the Sun rendering her powers obsolete. The annoyance at not being able to do anything rolled through her still, and a growl vibrated in my throat in reaction.

Still, it spurred her to change our course, and so north we flew, and then east. The thoughts running through my beloved's head were unsettling. And where will we go, my little cloud? I asked, for as we reached the Threshold, she did not seem content on slowing, but rather on continuing through, to lands beyond. Wherever the hell I want. Father travelled most of his life. Once again, the stubborn, irritated thoughts pounded against my skull. Our home is here. I murmured quietly to her, hoping to calm her raging soul. She was as temperamental as the weather, one minute a raging tempest, the next a cool breeze.

Do you think the Sun rises beyond Helovia's borders? The question surprised me as much as the change of tone. We were gliding now, easily swooping over the Threshold, but her attention was on the horizon beyond. I felt her gaze attempt to see the Sun beyond that horizon, to see whether the Gods of Helovia affected the rest of the world. I do not know. I replied back sadly, hoping that my beloved would decide to land sometime soon. I was tired of this game, this flight, and I could feel the fatigue rotting in her bones as well.

Soon, we did land, with a light thump on the ground. I rose from my crouched position on her back, and before leaping down, I stretched a long, elegant gesture along her spine. With a spark of her normal resilient self emerging, she laughed as she shook me off, my wide grin responding in kind with glittering teeth and a wagging tail. My paws met the earth easily, my form trotting off into the surrounds. I was hungry, and the Threshold often held creatures suitable for my consumption. At the back of my mind, I was aware of Cirrus' ventures elsewhere - she was as disinterested in my hunting for game as I was in her eating of grass.

With ears pricked, my beloved happened across a meeting, stumbling into view just in time to hear the introduction of a dark mare, as well as a intriguing question. "I would assume he walked here." Her sly reply came, an easy grin upon her maw as she boldly walked towards them. "Given that he doesn't have wings," she added by way of explanation, nodding her tiara in greeting to the duo. "I'm Cirrus, of the Dragon's Throat. Who might you be?" An easy smile coated her lips, as the young belle stood before the gathered with the stars upon her pelt, and blue skies in her eyes.