Jaziri's onyx-and-ivory coat shimmered with sweat beneath the oppressive blaze of the midday sun, his sapphire eyes squinted against the glare. Though his coat was streaked with dust and grime, his head was held high and his gait was proud as he pranced across his homeland towards the oasis. The Desert was a harsh mistress - unrelenting, unforgiving, unyielding - but she was home, the only he had ever known.

Yet despite his fondness for Salem, the young stallion often found his mind wandering beyond the borders of the Desert. More and more lately he found his thoughts straying towards his father. The stallion was a complete mystery to him, some distant, faceless figure that he'd never had the opportunity to learn about. Shenzi had been most unhelpful when it came to answering questions about his sire, but Jaziri longed to know who he was. Did he take after him? he often wondered. Did they look alike? Had he been some great and powerful king, or was he a mediocre man who had somehow managed to capture his mother's attention, however briefly?

Despite his lack of a father figure thus far, Jaziri was content with his life in the Desert. Yet he couldn't seem to escape these questions that gnawed at his mind, questions that seemed as if they might remain unanswered forever. Unless, of course, he took his own action. Perhaps beyond the Desert, beyond the endless sun-baked expanse of sand and rock, he would find the answers he had begun to desperately crave.

The oasis shimmered ahead like a mirage on the horizon, flanked by tufts of reeds and crooked acacias that swayed lazily in the light breeze. Jaziri slowed as he approached, muscles aching and mouth dry, his body caked with dirt and sweat. He paused at the edge of the oasis and lowered his head, taking several deep pulls from the water. For a moment, Jaziri lost himself in the sensation of being refreshed, the water cool and crisp against his lips. So caught up in slaking his thirst, Jaziri failed to notice the steadily approaching figure that had begun to materialize from the rippling horizon.