Desert

Mortality was a fickle creature. It gave and took life without warning and other times, it allowed existence to remain even if it was not wanted. Rougaru knew all too well that the dark horse lingered on the horizon, pacing back and forth along the sloping dunes of his lifeline like a coyote stalking a weakened prey. It was waiting for him to fall. Waiting for him to fail. But he would not go down without a fight.

Perhaps it was the thoughts of his own mortality that caused him to act out of impulse over the last few seasons. Instead of curling into the tightly woven nest of comfort he had created in the Desert, the old wolf stretched his reach across the islands, snatching here and there at loose tendrils of life and daring to pluck at the very core of Tinuvel. Solomon.

The ice king had become a thorn in his side long before he failed to appear to Warsaw’s battlecry. For whatever reason, he had always held a sense of distrust and disdain for the painted stallion and that burning ember had only blossomed over the years until the very name brought a vile taste to his tongue. There was only ever one way that this feud would end and they both knew it.

He was determined to see to it that his small herd of mares was safe, regardless of where the battles took him.

Sinaet’s gentle whicker draws him from the morbid direction his thoughts had wandered towards. Sinaet. Sweet Sinaet. Guilt tugged at his thoughts as he turned toward the sound of her voice. He had forgotten her. It was not unusual for the white-splashed woman to keep her own company, especially as pregnancy came to a close. Hell, most of the mares tended to prefer doing just this. But while he had spent a good deal of time with Titania (both discussing what should happen if he falls in battle and well because he was not quite sure that he could trust his fleetfooted queen to remain his just yet), he had not yet explained himself to Sinaet.

He returns her call with a deep baritone of his own, traveling the well-worn pathways with his head bent and nostrils searching for the trail she had taken. Afterbirth is fresh on the warm desert breeze and a renewed energy tugs his hooves into a quicker gait. His new foal! He did not want to keep the mother and child waiting on his behalf.

It is not easy to find them, Sinaet had chosen a well-protected patch of earth to bring their child into the world and for that, Rougaru feels a sense of gratitude. He should have been keeping watch instead of letting his clustered thoughts draw his attention away from his duty. Dark ears rotate shamefully as he slows his pace, catching the soft suckling noises that alerted him of their presence. ”Sinaet..” he murmurs softly, blowing a gentle snort from his nostrils to alert her of his approach. Rounding the side of a tall outcropping he sees them, mother and daughter bathed in the cool silver-blue glow of moonlight.

As always the sight causes him to stop and stare. There was something magical in watching mother and child together, knowing that he had helped to create the life that she worked so fervently to care for and bring into this world. A proud smile tugs at his lips as slowly he approaches, careful not to startle the small shape or disturb her from the meal that she greedily devoured. ”Sinaet…” he repeats, stretching his muscular neck towards the beautiful mare, lipping affectionately at a straying strand of her dark forelock. ”She is beautiful… like her mother.” he murmurs, daring to take another small step closer to give his emerald gaze a better view of his new daughter. ”Have you chosen her name?” he asks, his heart swelling proudly.