She was uncouth in her response to his chiding, proving her speed with flattened ears as she shifted into another gear and surged ahead. Unsurprisingly, Merwerit was quite unlike other mares of his kind he had known. Where they might have acknowledged him with a subtle biting remark, the pearl-gold girl was direct, meaning precisely what she said. Maslakhat was only slightly taken aback by this, and in the moment he can only offer her a short snort in response.

He dug into the sands, his dark legs whirling as he tested himself to keep up with her, and as she weaved around the bases of lesser mounds of sand, he found himself closing in once again. No doubt Merwerit was quick—and even after the long journey she had, her speed rivaled if not exceeded his. He was impressed, because she was impressive despite her callow affront.

As the oasis came into view, he tailed her as she peeled away, keeping a stride or two between them until they were within short reach of the water. They arrived within steps of each other, and he took pause to drink his fill beside her before he spoke again.

“Well, I suppose your origins will remain a mystery,” Maslakhat acknowledged with a flick of his dark tail. He took a few steps away from where she stood as to not stir up sand and waded knee deep into the cool water to provide some relief for his legs. He looked past her as the crescent moon hung low in the sky, stars dotting the deep blue tapestry of night like sparse pinholes of light.

“Perhaps it’s not important,” he finished, his tone aloof if only to test the bounds of her own ego.


MASLAKHAT

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