Desert

Solomon knew that he should feel grateful. That there should be some relief in knowing that the bonds he'd formed with his herd were strong enough to keep them at his side, no matter what land he lay claim to. But their belief in him only compounded his guilt for letting him down in the first place. They trusted him blindly. Such a scenario had seemed ideal as a younger stallion, but now, as a seasoned leader with more than a few mistakes beneath his belt, seemed ill-advised.

Just once, he almost wished they would be angry instead of adoring, furious instead of forgiving. As it was, the act of self-recrimination was the only outlet for his guilt and so it occupied most of his days. Even now, that sense of failure followed his idle footsteps and swirled around him as he stopped to allow Polar and his entourage to approach.

Their son had grown quickly into a handsome young stallion, but Solomon was most proud of the way he watched over his mother and Soulful. He was a dutiful son, and for that the tobiano would be forever grateful. Still, the sight of them here, in the Desert, in the last place he had wanted his herd to be, twisted the knife in his chest a little deeper and he stifled the weary frown that threatened to form and offered a wan smile instead.

"Hello," he murmured softly as they approached, his gaze sliding from their grown son to the beautiful spotted mare at his side. Sharkie had been with him nearly from the beginning, the same as Daciana. And while their time together had been sporadic since, she was one of the few who remembered his very first mare on the islands, and knew the pain he'd gone through in never meeting the child she'd carried when she'd disappeared. "It's good to see you both again."

As Polar launched into his questions, Solomon's eyes grew darker but he said nothing until his son was finished, his own dark-rimmed ears tilting gently back. "What happened is that I grew complacent, Polar." He finally answered, his voice tight with his own repressed feelings on the matter. "I lingered here too long and Nyimara took advantage." Solomon's tail flicked at his hinds before he elaborated more, doubting that Sharkie or Polar had heard of what had happened in the Desert. Despite Rougaru's death being a net positive, the oppressive weight of what he'd done hung heavily on Solomon's shoulders. "I fought and... killed Rougaru here." Or, well, as good as killed. The enigmatic comet-marked mare, Titania, had dealt the final blow but it was his battle that had brought Rougaru to a point at which she could do so. "I had come back here to..." He shook his head, not entirely certain why he had come back. Something to do with guilt or curiosity or trauma. "I came back here and Nyimara took the Cove while I was gone. I've bargained with her to get it back, and we will soon be back home again."

Solomon