Olaf told her to come and the roan mare obliged, not protesting or fighting against his subtle pushing. She said nothing, merely moving with him as he took her towards the dunes. If she had any thoughts about anything during the journey, she did not voice them or display them wordlessly. For now, all he cared about was getting her out of the lagoon and into the dunes; her violent first reaction and subsequent breakdown could be addressed when she was in a safe place with the rest of the herd.

The swim to Salem was uneventful and their hooves soon found the solid ground of the dune’s beach. Wiry little plants sprouted from the compacted sand further up the shore, increasing in number as they reached the fringes of the river. The mare moved forward and began to ascend one of the dunes. Olaf snorted, shaking off the excess water that soon would have settled into his coat under the heat of the sun anyway, before following after her.

He paused atop the same dune as she did, caramel eyes gazing out over his home. He let her take it all in for a moment before he reached out to bump her shoulder, indicating the flowing water that fed into the ocean further to her left with a tilt of his chin. ”The ground beside the river is easier to navigate.” he told her. The shifting sands made the open sand a tedious barrier to cross but the moisture from the river and plants that bordered it kept the ground hard and compacted. “The river will lead us to the oasis where the herd awaits.”