As the painted stallion departed, Maslakhat’s eyes returned to the golden Akhal-Teke. Sidika’s coat was marred, yes, but he does not find this unattractive. If anything, her scars showed the truth of who she was—a survivor, capable of living through whatever turmoil inflicted these wounds upon her. When she spoke finally, her voice raspy and words curt, he can tell that the extent of her injuries bore even deeper than he imagined—to affect her voice where it was strained and words were this much a struggle, he was quick to encourage her to refrain from overextending herself.

“Pleasure, Sidika,” he acknowledged with mirrored briefness. “Yes, come. Save your strength.”

He exchanged breaths with her before turning to lead the way into the heart of the Dunes, toward the bountiful oasis. There was a myriad of plant life there, and if one was particularly observant, they could find select morsels such as a date or fig if the season was right.

They walked together, sharing a comfortable silence between them. He imagined the Dunes might be similar to where she had come from and thus he didn’t feel the need to explain much about the lay of the land. Sidika’s toughness was evidence enough that she could thrive in a climate as harsh, though he was hard-pressed to imagine a predator that could inflict such serious injuries. Still, he made no such inquiry with respect to her scars—she did not need to explain herself, nor would he ever ask her to.

“There,” he said at last, motioning his nose to the blue-green pool of cool, still water that stretched before them. As she made her way to the edge, he turned to the east where a grove of mature palms grew tightly together. Rearing up on his hind legs, he stretched his neck out far enough to clamp his teeth onto a fruit-bearing limb, breaking a bundle of dates down from their high perch.

He nibbled on a couple, enjoying the chewy, sweet texture, before taking the remaining bunch into his teeth again and placing them near Sidika’s feet, offering her the opportunity to share with him, if she was so inclined.


MASLAKHAT

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