selenium -----
by bellum out of dissolve
The dread grows in Selenium’s heart the closer they get to Salem. It’s only her fondness for Qadir that has made her agree to this trip. She can already feel the grit of the sand in her eyes, the dry heat slowly suffocating her. Never mind that she’s never actually been to the desert island; her nomadic lifestyle has given her great insight about the climate of every island.
Finally, she drags herself onto the beach, immediately turning to make sure she hasn’t lost her companion on the journey. He’d begged her to bring him to Salem and she couldn’t deny him after he’d described the sandfalls he’d seen in his old home, which she’s become curious about despite herself. She gives herself a good, firm shake, trying to get as much as the salty water off as possible. She doesn’t mind being dripping wet, but sand will cling to her much easier if she isn’t completely dry.
Her blue eyes survey the landscape and her distaste grows with every passing second. She has to work hard to keep from glaring at the dunes of sand, which is all she can see. At least she knows they’re in the right place. She does her absolute best to keep her expression neutral as she turns to the stallion, not wanting her dislike to ruin the experience for him.
”Well, here we are,” she says, keeping her tone light. She turns her head back inland to keep him from seeing any slip of her mask. The motion reveals movement out of the corner of her eye and at first Selenium thinks it’s only shifting sand, but then she spots the flash of color. ”There’s someone,” she says without looking back, and immediately she sets off in that direction.
She assumes that Qadir will follow her since he’s the one who wanted to come here. She doesn’t know if it will bother him to see someone else so soon but she figures it’s best that they don’t skulk around like they’re up to no good. That could run the risk of them being chased out and she has a feeling that her new friend would be crushed if that happened.
”Hello there!” she hails the stranger, who is much, much smaller than the two of them. Her coat is a familiar color, a few shades darker than that which Selenium sports under her white patches. The thing that’s most unusual, however, is the mare’s ears. They’re curved inward, something that Selenium can honestly say she’s never seen in her life on the islands. She does her best not to stare but she can’t seem to keep her eyes from straying to those ears once or twice.
She doesn’t think that this girl is the leader of the territory, but the barrenness may be skewing any scents that are lingering. She is reminded again of how much she isn’t suited for this environment. With a sideways glance at Qadir, she asks, ”Do you know who rules here? We’ve come to explore and we wouldn’t want anyone to think we were here to cause trouble.”
ten - smoky blue roan overo - draft mix - 17hh |