When the proposition of her going to the Peak with Nashira had been presented to her, Sakhmet had taken the job without hesitation. The grey warrior had always put her duties first, but it did not stop the anxiety that churned in her belly when she first stepped foot into the cool waves lapping at Salem’s beach. Since Eness and herself had been brought to Salem, she had not left it. Whether a prisoner or a sanctuary, perhaps a bit of both, Sakhmet would not say. It was simply where she belonged and going elsewhere felt taboo.


Navigating the lush foliage and climbing the mountain felt just as foreign, and although the lean arabian mare was filled with stamina and hard muscle from traversing the sands of the Dunes, she still felt the burn of making the ascent. In the days after making acquaintances, Sakhmet had chased that same burn as much as she chased knowledge. Following every walked path of the Peak, learning the lay of the territory and the faces that called it home. She would not be caught unaware if something occurred and she was forced to take action; whether it was to force Nashira to flee or fight.


When the red princess decided to send her guardian home to deliver the news of their findings, Sakhmet was both relieved to be returning to Salem and riddled with worry. What would happen, if she was not there to look after her charge? Although the mares of the Peak were of a capable caliber, that is why Nashira had been sent there to train, it was still not the same in Sakhmet’s mind.


It was these anxieties that forced the grey mare to approach the resting stallion. He had only just laid down, when Sakhmet let out a soft nicker, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Sayyida not far away. “It is not often I see you like this.” she said softly as she come to stand beside him, the red mark facing him so that it was her brown eye that glanced down at him before looking out vigilantly over the sands. “I will not disturb you long.” Sakhmet assured, not wanting to keep him from the sleep he deserved.


“I must ask…. Was it only for your daughter’s benefit that you chose me to go?” the grey mare asked, a slight frown tugging at her face. Despite how she had been anxious about leaving Salem, and anxious about leaving Nashira, there was something else too. It was not only Sakhmet’s body that had begun to change; the muscle growing larger on her chest and hip from climbing and descending the mountain several times a day. Or the hair that grew thicker with the brisk wind so close to the sky. Sometime when she had not noticed, the fire she once had begun to flicker again. Though it did not blaze as it had in her youth, Sakhmet felt a difference in herself. Perhaps it was the purpose she had been given; she could not be sure. Only that she could feel its warmth even on the chilliest of nights, and it filled her with energy she had not had in seasons.