Valve smirked at Gabbar’s quip, amused by him taking her inquiry literally at first. Of course the dunes were still here—they were here before either of them came to this world and would certainly be here after they both departed. The desert itself—all deserts in fact—were a reminder of the inevitability of death—eventually we would all turn to dust. Time was in shorter and shorter supply as the days went on, and so Valve did her best to always remain productive. Gabbar however, did not seem to share such motivations.

Did he truly spend two years acquiring only two other members of the herd? Valve found this suspicious but does not offer the stallion any kind of indication as such. She flicked her tail, catlike and calculating, as a breath of silence filled the space between them.

“Well then,” she began. “It seems we should discuss matters of governance.”

Regardless of whether or not Gabbar was telling her the entire truth of his business during her absence, it was important that they establish expectations. If there were two others now, more were bound to come later. And Valve did not want any confusion among the ranks. Confusion lead to sloppiness and mistakes—something a mare of her stature had little patience for.

“Loyalty,” Valve continued. “This is of utmost importance.”

Valve knew it—if they didn’t stick together in a land such as this, there would be dire consequences. And both her and Gabbar had too many enemies, too many reasons to look over their shoulders. Trust was critical, both between them and those who saw fit to call this place home.

VALVE
slenderman x black heart machine