El Aran was content. She stood with her haunches obscured by the shade of a tree in the oasis, one hip resting against the smooth trunk and her cocked hind hoof pushed into the grassy sand. While autumn had undoubtedly swept over the rest of the islands, on Salem the sun still burned hot and the dry, dusty air still aggravated a horse’s thirst. Nights were no cooler than they had been in summer or spring, but El Aran’s nightmares had disappeared like stars before the sunrise. She assumed Encantador’s apparent enthusiasm regarding her decision to carry his foal had had something to do with it, but she would be lying if she claimed she had made the suggestion to him selflessly.
Things had not been the same since Dany’s most recent disappearance. The black mare knew it was impossible to return to the past but she could still try to help her partner and herself overcome the obstacles of emotional pain. The child they had been attempting to create throughout the season was meant to do exactly that. El Aran knew there was no greater joy than a foal. Their lives were precious things but not to be taken for granted, and any foal to survive past weaning was considered a miracle in her desert. Mares had often been forced to run and abandon their children, and just as often mares had stayed to protect their offspring. It was a foolish decision, but El Aran understood them now. Her only son, Iskelet, had shown her what it meant to have the fierce heart of a mother.
But she did not want to think of war. El Aran snorted and turned her head to regard the herd. While Encantador was away, her vigilance on the herd had been heightened. It helped that the unforgiving land forced horses to congregate where survival was most likely, and so the herd was never very far away from the oasis. They were a small group still, composed of Sova, a chestnut mare who looked familiar but she could not place a name to, and an entirely foreign fine-boned amber champagne roan. Once her partner returned from the Dunes she could suggest they transfer to one of the smaller oases. Grazing there would still be sufficient for the herd as a whole and that would give the larger oasis time to regrow the grass that had been cropped short.
Until then she would introduce herself to the new mare, and perhaps later reacquaint herself with the chestnut. She had been altogether too focused on her own goal involving Encantador, and it was about time she got to know the newer members of the herd. El Aran pushed herself upright and stood flat on all four hooves as she beckoned the roan mare with a whicker.
Seer of Aşk
♥ Uforia
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