I opened my orbs, lashes fluttering free of my heated flesh as I yearned to once more gaze upon the land. It had been so long since I had been here, so long since the heat of the dunes had burned my flesh and singed my lungs bringing back memories of a fuzzy childhood. Laughter from a little filly of long pillars and petite body as I, the filly, was chased by a older golden stallion who gazed at his daughter with love and adoration. Yet the dune also brought memories of equines crying out in fear, the sickening sound of bones snapping, the wet spray of blood on my pelt and the saltiness of tears and the ruby liquid reaching my tongue as she gazed at the destruction of my family one by one as the natural disaster struck without mercy, ripping to shreds her family's home and then the members of the land themselves, one by one ending their lives as though they were nothing...just insignificant flames that had shimmered in a world of millions. One by one the memories resurfaced, burning themselves in my mind and causing my heart to clench as I relived the nightmares of the past that haunted my mind and caused the love of the desert to twist and turn painful, but soon it was soothed by the balm of remembrance of the good memories I did have of these lands. The memories of love chased away the shadows...but only for the moment. Blinking free of the ghastly memories that haunted my soul, I let the lyrics of my homeland slip from my lips without a thought or care in the world माँ पिता ... मैं सही रास्ते चलना है? I tilted my crown slightly, a heavy sigh escaping from my pink tongue and dark cavern of my mouth, the hot air escaping from the trap that was my lungs. Rolling my shoulders, I once more let my mind wander as though it was a ba of the egyptian times running across the desert plains, searching with obvious intent for something...but what could it be? Running through memories of times best left forgotten, of the pain of love and the pain of loss. One by one the memories I viewed, letting them sink into my mind even as it pained me to watch my families slaughter and then watching my beloved turn his back and leave me to my fate from which I now resided. Life had not been so bad with Poet, I had been in peace but with him gone my life had crumbled and turned to darkness where I wandered a lonely soul in the shadows, having friends but not truly seeing the world for I was alone. Alone on my own accord, unable to bear the ability to love another being. The only thing I could love was one place and that was the dunes, my home and the place I had returned to. When my ba, or soul returned to my body I lifted my lashes once more. My auds flicked forth and I listened. Not the listening for the sound of other beings trying to approach me or attack me, but listened to what the dunes had to say. Listening to the magic of the dunes as it swirled beneath my feet, giving me tips and whispering in my auds the lives of the beings who had lived here once and the lives of the beings who now ruled. A smile flicked upon my lips as I drew energy and strength from the land, listening from my daggers as the beasts of these lands went upon their day. Everything sounded peaceful, a soothing lullaby to the shadows of my heart. Soon though, my 'hearing' picked up another sound. Another presence...not one but two. Listening, the thunder of daggers striking the ground vibrated up my pillars and into my form, warning me of the approaching equines even as my own true auds picked up the sound of them approaching. Lashes blinked and auds flicked as my orbs turned, searching with no emotion shimmering in these pale gold orbs of mine. My breath escaped on a hot burst of air and my flesh tingled from the heat as I shifted, waiting patiently for my new rulers to come inspect me, to see if I was worthy enough to grace these ancient and breathtaking lands...to call it my home once more. When they stopped before me, I did not jerk back in surprise or openly gape at them. Instead I just held my crown high and regally, tassels of onyx mane flowing around my neck, muscles tense under my ruby flesh. Emotionless orbs locked upon them, waiting for them to break the silence for I was unwilling to open my own jowls and speak words unless I was addressed. When the female spoke, I flicked a glance her way curious but never did it show upon my face. Many years did I have to practice, many hours of concentration so that not one speck of emotion betrayed me to strangers. I nodded my crown in a slight acknowledgement of the greeting but I did not speak yet. My orbs watched as the female nudged the male. I did not move a muscle, did not tense nor shy away as the male circled me like a cat toying with a mouse. When he paused before me, I only arched a brow and waited. At his lyrics, some hope in my heart grew and flared, giving me colors and true meaning to life once more, even as my face stayed blank like always. When his muzzle was offered, I reached forth to press my onyx cheek upon his own before pulling back, the swift contact merely like that of a feathers touch. I watched as he returned to the female...and the introductions escaped her lips. Finally it was my time to speak, to give my name to the winds that waited with baited breath for my calling to once more echo upon these lands. एक खुशी Sekhet, Sutekh.. I trailed off, having slipped my homelands language inside my greeting..that of the Hindi dialect. Meeting their gazes without hesitation, holding them for a few moments before turning to the other, I then added I am Azkadellia, beloved of the former king of these lands. I did not boast with my title, I did not brag. I simply stated a fact...I had once been the beloved and queen of these lands but not now. Now I was simply another equine greeting their new rulers. It is a pleasure to know that the Dunes are not longer in the hands of the old ruler. I tilted my crown to the side The Dunes have always been my घर. May it be so once more? I questioned, going straight to the point of my visit. |
| Mare - Marwari - Bay - V - Dunes ; table code by Katryne |