The day was warm and the sun unyielding as its rays illuminated the gentle rolling desert dunes. Valve shimmered like a newly polished gemstone in the light, the heat on her back a welcome feeling of home. These dunes were as much a home as she had ever had—she had been born on the Peak, yes, but she never quite liked the steepness of the rock face or the chill in the air like her mother did. And even more unlike her dam, Valve made an effort to travel beyond the islands. The desert of her ancestors was a barren wasteland now—ravaged by her brother’s greed and hubris. The land beyond the desert had been promising too for a time, but she could only blame the gods for its eventual dilapidation. It seemed that she was always destined to return here. So be it.

She snorted loudly, casually flicking her dark tail as she kept an eye and an ear out across the dunes. Valve did not crave company, yet she knew that it would only be a matter of time before she would encounter another other than Gabbar among the sands. There were two others, he had informed her, with desert blood, he had said. His vagueness was not lost on Valve, but it was of little concern to her. As long as the red Arabian and her blood-marked sidekick weren’t the two he spoke of, it hardly mattered for now. And if that were the case, Gabbar would have been more specific.

A glint across the sand caught her dark eye and Valve pointed her long and narrow nose toward the source—another Akhal-Teke, and a young one. She smirked and with a kick of sand galloped effortlessly toward her.

“Well, kendine bak,” Valve spoke in greeting, praising the young Akhal-Teke on her confirmation and stature. She was truly a beautiful sight; golden-buckskin and shining like the sun. This Valve thinks, is thoughtful breeding. So thoughtful in fact, that she was immediately curious as to who sired such a stunning creature.

“Who are you,” she inquired evenly, with a hint of interest.

VALVE
slenderman x black heart machine