Stepping out of the ocean at the shore of Salem was like stepping back into her homeland. The air was noticeably thicker and warmer, and further up the beach she could see where the sand began to dry up and climb slowly into gentle, burnt gold hills. She paused a moment, her dark eyes drinking in the land with a long, hungry look.

It was beautiful.

She was so entranced for a few seconds that she didn’t even notice Gabbar as he watched for her reaction. Sekhmet had always had an affinity for the desert climate, and she had missed it so during her time away. The Crossing had been too cold and its seasons too changeable for her liking, the land so green everywhere – it was boring.

If it had been up to her, she never would have left the desert.

Gabbar’s words pulled her back into the present then, and Sekhmet forced her gaze back to him. His damp goat glistened in the sunlight, and he looked even more handsome than ever against the backdrop of his home. Her dark lips curled into a small smile.

“Yes,” she agreed simply, not bothering to shake the water from her pelt before making a start up the dunes. It would serve to cool her a few minutes longer.

She moved at a lazy pace, taking her time to admire the sights as they climbed.

“Your home is beautiful, Gabbar,” she commented after a short duration of silence. “How long have you lived here?”

sekhmet
fly without wings and conquer without sword