I had lingered far too long in the Badlands. The strain of being away from home for so long was wearing on me, and I could feel the teachings of my father slipping away. The politics and values of this land were so foreign to me that I constantly felt like an outsider. Even Naz's company had become infrequent and I was frequently left to my own devices, a state I became less and less fond of with each passing day.

I watched the sun skip over the distant lands of the Dunes with longing each morning until at last I followed the call of my heart. The soft sand was bliss beneath my pale hooves, and I raced along the top edge with my heart thundering in joy. This was as close to home as I had felt in months and I relished in the feeling. My feet skipped over the ground as my mane and tail flagged behind in an unbridled show of ecstasy. It was only when my lungs burned with the hot summer air that I finally slowed to a prancing trot, drawn to the faint scent of fresh water.

I drank deeply from the still pool until my thirst was sated, and turned my face back to the sky. Mere minutes were left in the day and the sun was sure to set soon. I should return to the Badlands and to Naz, but I did not want to. These lands had been my home for one brief instant when I had first arrived, and I was in no hurry to leave their warm embrace again so soon.