NYAZIK Nyazik watched silently as the distant forms of the dunes herd disappeared in the vast surf - first the bay stallion accompanied by Valve, and then Avangeline soon after. Though the sky was dark and heavy with the threat of rain, there was no real tension in the humid air. If there had been, she might have been forgiven for thinking they were fleeing the imminent destruction of Salem. With the desert island safe, however, Nyazik had to wonder why the entire herd had fled and when, or indeed if, they would return.
With a crack of her tail, the buckskin filly turned back to the sprawling emptiness of the dunes that was now entirely her domain. While she was used to being mostly alone (save for her conversations with Valve and Avangeline and the odd visit to her mother and Wolpertinger), it was a strange feeling to know that there was no one at all nearby. While examining the barren territory before her, she resolved that she would have to protect it with her wiles - for her brawn was lacking only due to age and inexperience. If the dunes herd returned, they would not find their home commandeered by another and the seeds of accord she’d sown with Valve and Avangeline would remain intact, with the prospect of further growth. If they did not return, then perhaps in time, the buckskin filly would take them for herself.
Sometime later, Nyazik found herself in the shade of the oasis that had previously been out of her reach due to the herd’s close proximity. It was rather surreal to be grazing from the very spot she had only observed from afar before, but there was a sense of small victory in it all the same.
A deep rumble signified the beginning of the rain and Nyazik lifted her head to observe the downpour, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she surveyed the vast emptiness that was now under her presumed-temporary guard.
15.2HH BUCKSKIN AKHAL-TEKE FILLY
MASLAKHAT x KEYIK
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