My time in the Dunes were brief, but already I relished in the benefits from the oasis the current chieftain had lead me to. My ribs still show, but already I show signs of thickening after just a couple of short days.. My days had been filled with grazing and drinking. My food choices were selective both from the scent of droppings the other stallion had left near the outskirts of the territory. As disgusting as it was, those droppings were quite valuable to any stallion who knew how to use the information given to him from them; it told the receiver the gender of who left it, their health, and what they ate. While I was not unfamiliar with how to efficiently scavenge a desert, this one was strange and different from the badland that I once called home.

I had also watched one of the mares – the feisty spotted one -- that called these dunes home submerge her head in the water, only to pull her head up with a mouthful of grass. Today, I followed in suit; I was happy to reap the benefits of a meal and the cooling water. I could feel my stomach churn at this sudden change in cuisine, I knew I would be dreading it later but at least for now I could be satisfied that tomorrow was no longer a question for me.

I knew Olaf had inadvertently saved my life. To him, I owed everything. I had doubt that I could live up to my promises as I was not a young colt anymore. No, I was a stallion who was older, well into his prime; but I was not far behind from being called a seasoned stallion. Some yearlings already did. I didn't care about their meaningless labels, though. Life was harsh, and it would catch up with them just as it did to me.

Just as it had her. Hot breath escaped as I thought of her; she was always near in my thoughts. Encouraging me, willing me to carry on. 'Damn you, Urgarok' her voice rang in my head while lost in the open sea. When I knew my doom was upon me, there she was screaming 'So fucking die already' at me. I had been confident that my last was about to come; that was when the haze cleared, and Salem had come into view. I made haste.

..and the rest was history.

BLOODMANE

i'll not bow down;
i'll rise through the sun