Artem was gone. Like her handsome Gavriel, he is a mere dream that vanishes with the morning light. Once more she is on her own but this time, there is nothing scary or disturbing about that. It is a mere fact and she finds her emotions numb to it. He had taken what he wanted, entertained her as he saw fit and when the first opportunity arose to be rid of her that is just what he had done. Why should she mope about this time? At least Tyr had come searching for her and the child they had created. Perhaps time might bring him back to her; though even that left her with its own set of questions. Did she want to see him again? Would she allow him into her life once more? As much as she told herself no, the need and desire to belong left her with a resounding yes that even her heart could not deny. She wanted to belong more than anything.

She told herself that the swim to Salem was not in hopes of seeing the dark colored stallion again. She told herself she was merely exploring the desert island that she had long avoided. However it was the faint scent of the sandy Dunes that drove her onto the beaches of Salem and brought her to wandering about the Dunes with no real direction or point of travel. Perhaps in time, Artem would find her here. Perhaps like the gentle red giant in her dreams, he would appear bathed in sunlight and whisk her away into the comfort of his embrace once more. Perhaps it was only the hopeful fairytale of a dreamer at heart but still the golden mare could not help but to hold onto that hope. It is this hope that brings her further from the beach where her golden coat might blend in too well with the golden sands. She wanders over the seas of sand and towards a stand of tall skeletal trees that found shelter from the sun’s heat in the rocky shadows of tall cliffs of stone. Here, even in the burning desert, green grass shoots out from between the red clay rocks and scattered shale. The faint, sweet scent of fresh water is enough to drive her forward at a parched lope. How long had it been since the last time she tasted water that was not soured by salt? How long since she had grazed on anything but twigs and woody roots? Salem was a harsh place and growing up on the prairie had done her no favors in learning to adapt here.

Greedily she lapped up the droplets of water that trickled from the cliffside, ignorant to all noises around her save for the rough scratch of her tongue over rock. That is, until the sound of hoofbeats over hard rock resound in her ears. She turns just in time to see the dark colored painted colt lunge towards her with mouth agape and ears buried beneath the dark folds of his mane. ’Go!’ he shouts and dumbstruck she stands, azul eyes widened in surprise. Go? Go where? She opens her mouth to speak but finds no words as he lunges forward again, his blunt teeth nipping at her flesh. Alarmed, she squeals and stumbles backwards to avoid the onslaught of his teeth. Hard hooves slide on the rocky ground as she tries to pivot away but finds only a hillside of rock. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

Ears fold backwards as she offers a half-hearted kick as his teeth once again connect with her flesh. ”Hey!” she squeals, lifting her head and trotting forward, her alabaster tail tucking tightly against her hip. ”Okay, okay! Stop it!” she chimes reluctantly allowing him to guide her where he wanted her to go. She was beyond hoping that her prince might come to save her, might as well let the devil have his fun. At least he may be able to lead her to a decent place to drink and maybe even soak her hot skin.