The sun shines strong here. Its light rolls over the soft peaks of each dune, spilling gold, and Shararat watches the covetous dawn spread itself over the land from the rise of a modest dune just off the oasis. She has heard of this place. One source praised the ferocity of the heat on her back and under her toes, another the wind-manipulated landscape that shifts, subtly, grain by grain. Her dearest had spun stories of sand softened by wind and warmed by sun, of water pooling within the farthest reaches of the land, cupped by tall sentinels and hidden like treasure from eyes prying near the seashore. Of a land where sand is a constant, heat a reassuring pressure on her ears, where the sky stretches far and wide and when the clouds are away one can see, for miles, all the jewels of the earth scattered like so many grains of sand.
Her first night had been restless under such a wonder. Ak Burun had spoken truly. The black mare turns her head to look over her shoulder, dark eyes scanning the tops of the dunes rising at her back, but no figure stands slender and stark against the blue. No matter. Shararat tosses her fine head and steps down the little incline, smiling as her feet sink deep. It is so different from the hard, packed crust of her mother’s homeland, much more inviting, but it takes more effort to walk through. Her muscles protest wonderfully at this new challenge. She pauses to stretch each leg, then shakes herself out and jogs back toward the oasis.
Shararat had not felt like introducing herself to the others the night before and had kept to herself after she and Bahadir arrived, but now she is eager to acquaint herself with the rest of the herd. Her energy is high as she surveys the mares, debating who to approach first when one mare all cloaked in gold raises her head to look around. Shararat nickers a greeting to her and moments later joins the palomino in her patch of grass. "Günaydın," she says, smiling warmly. "Are you in the middle of something right now? Or can I coax you away from here to do a little exploring?" Shararat tosses her dished nose toward a long, sloping dune at the back of the oasis. It isn’t the tallest hill in their home but it is sizable enough to present a challenge and, hopefully, a rewarding view without taking them too far from the herd. |