Arcana can relate all too well with Carys. Perhaps this is why Arcana took such a liking to her when they met all those years ago. See, Arcana too is always running away. The life of a wild horse could always be cut short by disease, predation, or the actions of others. It's a rare horse that does not suffer some loss throughout their life, but Arcana has not dealt well with her losses. She constantly finds herself running away from sadness, as if it's the place that makes her sad.

However, unlike Carys, Arcana is not usually so close to a smile, and nothing about her demeanor or expression can be described as bright. Since she was a young filly, she has mostly been described as subdued, quiet, and wise for her age. But on this day, so much has changed. For the first time since she was a carefree filly playing under clear skies in the Badlands, she is happy. There is light in her eyes, and a smile on her lips.

After the abuse she endured with her last stallion, Orhan is a breath of fresh air. He is gentle, kind, and so irresistibly attractive. His familiar face breaths life into an old, adolescent fantasy, but also sparks new feelings of a much more adult desire. It was not her intention to breed this season, but it all happened so fast. Her racing heart and her desperate quest for good feelings drove her to open up to him. In a moment of passion, and probably bad judgement, she allowed, and even encouraged him to mount her. She will undoubtedly regret her actions later, but nothing can darken her mood now. Arcana is so swept up in the impossible meeting of an old acquaintance quickly become new lover, that no task seems impossible.

Arcana remembers the route to the Desert and to the Oasis within as if she were visiting just yesterday. She took off from the crossing, kicking up her heels and challenging Orhan to a race of sorts. She paddles across the ocean narrow between the islands an climbs ashore in Salem. This island has been and always will her home to her. She breezes across desert sands. The dust clings to her wet coat, and her muscles burn with the effort, but she canters on, eager to arrive in the place she promises to never run away from ever again.

By the time Arcana reaches the oasis, she is winded. Sweaty and panting, she slows her pace and moves easily to the water's edge. The mare dips her head for a drink, not looking at the horse that drinks only two lengths away. She lifts her head for a moment, only to catch her breath, and this is when her eyes fall upon the gold and white coat of another memory. "Carys?", she questions. Her head is spinning with the shock of so many reunions.