The pungent scent of animal dung remained at the back of his senses no matter how many times Sage tried to wipe his shoes in the grass. He would have spent more time cursing the animal and trying to get any last remnant off, but it had been the horrid stench that had kept him and the leader of the border patrol safe earlier. The sound of the monster's heavy breath echoed in his mind.

Standing alone near the border, Sage tried to be patient and wait. The patrol leader, his friend Wyck's father, had told him to stay put while he worked on fixing the breach. It gave him time to formulate a plan. He would have to find some way to explain how he knew the monster would break through the wall of the border.

After a long wait, he couldn't stop himself from focusing on the hum of the border near his resting spot. While most wouldn't notice it, because he could light the wall, he felt the energy that came from the active wall. The scenery displayed had a lush green coloration as the illusion of moss covered trees While the image didn't show the real trees and whatever else existed beyond the border, it had a real image. He almost felt like he could reach out and touch the furry surface.

Sage could feel a strange energy change in the border panel. Despite the trouble of the day, he moved closer and tried to touch the wall to fix the weakness he felt radiating from it.

Before he could finish the fix, the ground under his feet crumbled away. His foot caught on a root when he tried to jump back, instead causing him to fall forward, through the border. He tumbled downward, crashing against limbs and hard dirt until he finally came to a stop at the bottom.

Pain burned in his shoulders, wrists and his left ankle but Sage was able to push himself to stand. Looking up, he knew he wouldn't be able to get back that way. He'd have to find a different spot. He didn't look forward to explaining yet another ability and he worried one day the lies would catch up to him. It was only a matter of time.