now that I’m found, I miss being lost

Nils had been slacking, but it was easy to forget there was another world out there when this was so empty. He spent most of his time at the oasis, enjoying the little paradise he had found, content to let the borders he had once kept up blow away in the breeze. It was only when the call of another stallion reached him across the dunes did he realize his mistake.

Lifting his big head, Nils looked in the direction of the call, but could see nothing. Dunes rose around the oasis, which was tucked away rather nicely in a shallow valley. The roan stallion rolled his shoulders, stiff from sleep, and took off at a leisurely trot toward the border.

Sand sloughed away beneath his hooves as he climbed out of the valley and ran fluidly down toward the glittering water. Nils was big and heavy, but his hooves were so wide that he actually did not have too much trouble navigating the sand. The heat was another problem, however - it was likely the main reason he had retired to the oasis most of the time. Patrolling and exploring this thirsty land was not easy for Nils, and it was slow to get used to. Even now as he pulled himself up over a ridge of sand, his coat slicked with sweat, he was almost relieved the land had been claimed by someone else. He was definitely not built for this climate.

After a mild battle with the sun and the hot earth, Nils finally caught sight of the stranger near the border. He gave out a bellow of his own before closing the short distance between them, energized by the presence of another enough to pick up a ground-covering canter. He slowed as he reached the palomino stallion, halting a few paces away, his sides heaving and slicked with sweat. He shook himself, then bobbed his head politely and extended his thick neck to exchange breaths. The stranger did not look eager for a fight, which was good; Nils was not up for any more strenuous activity, and he wasn’t that attached to the land.

”Welcome to the Dunes,” he said gruffly, his voice husky from disuse. ”You look far better equipped to run this place than I.”

stallion | liver chestnut roan | 18hh | belgian draft