Falls

Qadir had no doubt his relief flooded his face. He wasn't looking forward to leaving these islands and searching for a new, warmer land to spend the rest of his life in. He snorted but grinned easily again, vowing never to visit Tinuvel. As long as he steered clear of that nightmare, he'd be fine.

Hopefully.

He nodded to her observation. Although he couldn't remember much of his herd, he knew most were outsiders who joined him in the unbearable heat. Some had come because they were intrigued and others because they were forced, but few were already in his desert when he claimed it. He supposed he was an outsider to the desert himself. He held in a sigh, as well as a wish that he had been born there. Then, maybe, his skin would have already been toughened to survive the sun.

His ears twitched at her question. "Ah," Qadir smiled at her, "somewhere wonderful." The dark stallion moved closer to her, his large hooves stirring up the floor of sand and grit below them. He ignored the refreshed coolness of the water and instead focused on the sun against his back as he continued almost dreamily. "I came from a desert that rarely saw night. The few hours our sun set barely cooled the hot sands and freshwater. How we survived, without thick hides like lizards and elephants, I'll never know." He'd thank his luck, but he doubted he had much of it left. "There were ginormous dunes surrounding us, and before I collected a herd my mate and I would spend weeks exploring them. Our favorite things to find were sand waterfalls."

He shook himself out of his memories, chuckling softly as he turned back to Selenium. "Isn't it funny we're so similar? I almost feel like fate has brought us together." Perhaps she didn't view it the same way, but he still hoped she understood what he meant. He was grateful she was the first horse he had met on these islands.