Time had passed, and Vihaan had remained. Much of her time was spent bonding with her son anew, and often she would watch Akello from afar, heart welling with pride at the young stallion he was becoming. Someone who was kind, and inquisitive, and cared for his family; a perfect blend of all the best aspects of his father, and of herself. When she was not preoccupied by the golden-striped tobiano, Vihaan walked the borders of the Desert, sometimes alone, sometimes joining Cain as he patrolled. It was not in her nature to sit idle, and though she wasn’t opposed to getting to know the residents of the Desert better, her heart still missed her family on Luthien, and it was easier, for a time, to maintain a little distance.

Now, though, just as dawn approaches, setting the eastern horizon aglow, she seeks the black and white stallion out. The night had passed agonisingly slowly for her, and though her copper eyes were bright, there was an apprehensiveness about her, an uncertainty edging the lines of her face. Still, the smile that graced her lips upon meeting Cain’s gaze was genuine and lasting, and she moved closer, greeting him with a soft nicker and a gentle caress. “I hope your sleep was peaceful,” she murmured. Since Vihaan’s return in the aftermath of the war, much had been laden upon the Desert King’s shoulders, and it pained her that what she was to say to him might only add to the burdens he carried.

After all, Vihaan had come to realise that what she truly longed for most (aside from the safety and wellbeing of her family, both here and on Luthien), was to wrest the worries that weighed upon his heart away, and toss them into the hot desert winds, so that he would be at peace.

It is not only Cain that has changed since their first meeting – maturity has tempered the blunt honesty of the dunalino mare, and wisely, she holds her tongue for the moment, biting down on the truths that burn within her. Patience, she realised, can make one powerful, and though she did not intend to hold back anything of how she feels and what she wants, the questions she had for him, Vihaan would wait until the right time. For now, she was grateful for his companionship, and relished the quiet stillness of the dawn. With a soft sigh, the dunalino stepped closer and pressed her muzzle to Cain’s neck, relaxing a little, as though his proximity and scent calmed the fire within.

Vihaan