"andhere mein vah ek raasta talaashatee hai"
in darkness she finds her way
At Cain’s greeting, Vihaan merely shook her head lightly, staying silent at first. The ground beneath her hooves – physically and figuratively – wasn’t solid, and even as the sand gave way to her weight, sinking her hooves into the dune, so too, she struggled to determine where she stood with Cain. He certainly seemed pleased to see her, going so far as to express concern. However, the dunalino was still unsure. Unsure of Cain. Unsure of herself. And she was not used to this. Vihaan had thought she’d known who she was, and where she belonged, but after everything that had happened on the Crossing, and all that had transpired on Luthien, it was clear that she knew very little indeed.
Vihaan felt lost, had become untethered, and she desperately sought something solid and real. She couldn’t trust herself anymore, and after leaving her parents and Everglow behind without so much as a good bye… The desert mare had no-one, and nothing. Except Cain. “The journey would have been much harder had I not come now,” she said finally by way of reply, but as with much about her, the words were still vague, and carried layers of meaning and depth. It would have been harder to navigate the sea had they been any deeper into winter. It would have been more painful for her to leave the Prairie had she stayed any longer. It would have taken a greater toll on her - if she did indeed have a life growing within her – to have journeyed any later. And it would have filled her with shame had she broken her word and forced Cain to keep to his. To have had him come to the very shore of the Prairie, threatening Everglow again, or dragging Vihaan herself back to the desert with him… No. This was for the best, and there was no doubt within her concerning this.
Slowly Vihaan closed the distance between them, taking her time to approach. Her bronze-brown eyes studied the stallion with renewed interest, searching for traces of the dogged savagery she’d seen in him the very first time she’d laid eyes upon him. She’d spat an angry insult, had been frightened by his ferocity, and had forged herself in that burning fear. Stood against him like iron, she had, but in the end she had submitted, bending to his will. Even now, she remained supple, head held lower than his out of respect, keeping in line with all the rest that she had promised – that she would obey, be helpful. And there was a spark of respect within her, glowing briefly in her eyes. What had seemed ugly before, when it was she and hers that he came against, now seemed almost noble. Even if she had been the farthest thing from his mind, the very least of his motivations, in a way, Cain had fought and prevailed for her. Vihaan acknowledged this internally, but in days to come, once she felt comfortable and learned more about him, her gratitude would make itself known.
“It was good to see my birthplace again,” she began, trying to keep her voice light. It pained her, having to leave, hurting and abandoning those she loved, but that was not something she wanted to concern Cain with. After all, she had chosen this, had pledged herself to him, hoping that such an action would prevent harm befalling the Prairie and those within it, at least by Cain’s hand. “My father still rules there. My mother is where she belongs. And Everglow too. They are safe, for now. All of them are safe.” What had meant to be light conversation that Vihaan intended to help herself feel at ease was coloured (as was all Vihaan did) by her inherent protective instincts. “And we are safe here, because of you.” The dunalino mare hovered near Cain for a few moments, shifting awkwardly, before she cautiously reached for him, pressing her muzzle very gently to a part of his shoulder that appeared uninjured.
She drew back, cutting the physical connection short, and briefly turned her face away. Vihaan was as uncertain of herself as she was of Cain, and did not wish him to see this, even though it was difficult for her to hide it. A moment more, and the mare turned back to her piebald protector. There was no smile upon her lips, but that did not mean she was without softness nor reasonableness. Where once she had been nothing but wilful and defiant, she now stood willing and humble. But still strong. Always strong. This was the first time in her life that she looked to someone other than her mother for direction. Vihaan angled her muzzle back towards Cain, and her copper gaze drifted from his face to the oasis. Pulling away to slake her thirst, and rid her mouth of the salt of the ocean, Vihaan returned to Cain, her narrow muzzle dripping water, moist velvety lips parting as she spoke again. “Is there somewhere sheltered nearby where we can rest?” The question was spoken out of genuine interest, and betrayed some of the eagerness Vihaan felt. The idea of freely exploring the desert – so similar to her mother’s homeland, distracted Vihaan. So much so that she hadn’t even noticed.
We. Not I. Familiarity, unity and a sense of belonging.
No matter the circumstances that had led her here, nor what others would think of her acting so recklessly and seeming to forgive so quickly, Vihaan did not falter, nor scramble to take back that which she had spoken. As she looked upon him now, the ghost of a smile flickered across her lips, there-and-gone like the mirages one often saw upon the sandy horizon. It lingered though, in her eyes that shined amber ochre and gold like the desert sunset.
Vihaan
the persistent
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