Desert

One of these seasons she would learn her lesson, but it was clearly not this season. Vanya could argue that this child - for she was already certain of it's existence, as irritating as that was - had been created with a purpose. That they represented a reunification with her king, and a renewal of the bond they'd once shared...but she'd be lying to herself. He was just convincing as hell and she was weak for him, whether or not she wanted to admit it to herself or not.

Either way, the fading of her heat had made her bold again, and the slender ballerina had taken to checking their borders herself: a task that had rarely interested her in the jungle where mud and grime were likely to accumulate on her during her travels. Vanya wanted to hate Salem, and she still did to a degree, but she could not deny that it had its perks too. The openness of the Desert meant that the little jewels she collected for Rougaru would have a harder time escaping... so long as she was able to bring them back home first. She still wasn't certain where Suraya had gone, but if she found that little golden mare again she wouldn't let her out of her sight this time.

Snapping the length of her tail against her haunches with an audible crack, Vanya turned her gaze away from the territory line and inward toward the territory itself. She still expected the comet-marked witch to rise from the dead at any moment, but she was not nearly as afraid as she once had been. She carried the promise of Rougaru's loyalty within her body once more, and should Titania think to threaten her life again, Vanya would not be taken down so easily.

There were few that called the Desert home so far, but Rougaru had mentioned that Calypso had joined them, as had Hound. The later was the most curious to her, as she would have never imagined the possibility of Rougaru having parents that would not only seek him out, but submit to living beneath his authority. It was a strange power dynamic that she was curious to explore... but carefully. Vanya had no doubt that if she pressed for too much information too quickly, one or both of them would become suspicious and doubt her intentions.

They'd be right too, of course, but she didn't want to shed any doubt on her loyalty, given how hard it had been to convince Rougaru that the crown still belonged to her.

Instead of seeking out their new residents out individually, the slender mare carried herself to the top of a minor hill and loosened a lilting call, opening herself for conversation if any were so inclined.