Gabbar
stallion . arabian . bay . 14.3hh . 6
War is never precise. One can plan, and plot, and account for any manner of variabilities and still be forced to make unplanned decisions when the moment comes. Gabbar knows this. Still, he obsesses. He considers every possible retaliation he can make against the stallion who whisked Nereid away from the Dunes before her coat even had time to dry. It occupies his every waking moment. He cannot stop moving.
He has secured his borders. There are no more strange stallions lurking at the edges of his home —only a girl, stumbling through the sand, but she is hardly the same level of threat as the stranger who stole Nereid— and no familiar sleek Akhal-Tekes. He slips into the water at sunset and strikes out for an island in the distance. He has slept, easily, for a soldier knows how precious such a resource is in times of war, and kept himself well fed. Gabbar is ready.
The swim does not take long. He is focused on what is coming, his plans to reunite with Nereid and bring her home. When he strides from the water under a purple-orange sky, he finds himself in familiar yet unexpected territory and stops. This beach belongs to the Crossing: he knows the stand of trees up ahead that leads to the waterfall, recognizes a twist of driftwood from when he and Nereid left this very shore.
“Seni aptal,” his voice rumbles deep, the words drawn out as he chides himself for his inattention. This is not the right island. Even without scenting the air, he knows the two horses he seeks are not here. The irony of this situation is not lost on him: once again, Gabbar seeks a pair of horses.
The mental image of the two Arabians clears his head of almost all other thoughts, and he stands for a moment contemplating the power of the mare he has lost, and the conflict that has arisen from it. He has not thought of Iftikhar or El Halin since meeting Nereid. It reinforces his resolve to find her and bring her back to the Dunes. Gabbar does not want to think of the past, of the violence and hatred stemming from the mare who birthed him and the manipulations of the High Seer. He wants to move beyond all of that and start something better here, on the Islands, on the Dunes.
Gabbar turns back toward the ocean. He must find Nereid. He must.
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