i dream in phosphorescence | nyimara Posted on February 17, 2024 at 02:32:07 AM by Helios
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The bursting bark of an elf owl in the distance rouses the flaxen male with a sudden start. Chestnut nostrils flare with the sudden intake of breath as his head jerks upward. Brown eyes search for solid shapes in the darkness and find none but the saguaro standing a few strides from the cavemouth. The stallion champs lazily. He tried to swallow and quench the dry mouth he'd earned sleeping deeply with his mouth dangling inches from the dusty earth. Finding no obvious relief, Helios makes his way to the closest oasis to drink.
While quenching his thirst, the world around him has just barely begun to light with the new day. Sounds of the night began to lull, and the new audible traces of desert life slowly came to life. The flaxen stallion had done his best to find new things to love about the Dunes ever since Antares had agreed to take him on as a sub-lead. The endeavor was renewed when the older stallion decided to depart these lands with his family and bequeath the land to him.
Dark eyes browse the horizon, searching for a familiar shape coming home. He found nothing. It had been a week or so since Raegar had absconded with Starlight and their foal, his foal. Somewhere to the northwest, his child was living its first days and now weeks in the lands of a stranger, perhaps even playing with other foals there instead of their brother Caesarion here in the Dunes. It made his heart sick and heated his coursing blood. With a sigh, the stallion headed toward the long stretch of his border with the Desert.
The loss of Starlight, however brief he hoped it would be, taught the young male that he needed to be more proactive. One way he sought to do this now was through meeting his neighbors, the other rulers of the Salem territories. Perhaps by sowing goodwill now, there would be fewer problems for himself and his herd later on. Hooves struck out over the desert sand, propelling him on toward the heart of the island and dangerously close to the northern land. His eyes searched over the ground for any sign of a patrolman. Finding none, he loosed a low, crooning whistle for someone who might bade the Desert leader to come meet him. Early morning wasn't ideal, but he couldn't turn back now.