;; desert mirages

OOC: Hope you do not mind if I jump in!
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The desert seemed endless. Dune after dune, no matter where she walked or how far she traveled, she never seemed to get anywhere. It was a maze, of sorts. It messed with your mind, got you all twisted around until you couldn't tell which direction was north and which was south. Without proper navigational skills, it was nigh impossible to escape the desert.

Or so, she used to think.

An unfortunate storm had separated Sarita from her herd nearly a year ago. She could still remember every detail—the howling winds, the sand that stung her eyes, the screams of terror as the horses were engulfed in a sandstorm. She was younger and less worldly, and her way of dealing with one of the worst sandstorms the desert had ever seen was to simply...run away. At the time it had seemed like a smart idea. But in the end, all it did was isolate her. She'd searched at first for her herd, dutifully checking every dune, every oasis she could find, but after several months, she had had to admit defeat. If anyone from her small herd was still alive, they certainly weren't in this part of the desert anymore.

In fact, if anyone was alive... Sarita had not seen another horse for nearly as long as she'd been wandering the desert. It was a rarity to come across others in this harsh, unforgiving landscape, yet the desert seemed unusually barren. She had almost forgotten what it was like to see another horse. The wanderess had roamed alone for the last few months, becoming acquainted only with the sound of her own footsteps. Subconsciously, she had given up on seeing another horse. Perhaps it was not meant to be.

The black mare yawned as she stood atop a small crest, her thick black mane and tail teased by the gentle breeze. Her dark brown eyes were half-closed to keep the sun's powerful rays at bay, yet nothing could protect her body, which felt as if it were smoldering. The black fur seemed to suck in the heat of the sun, setting her aflame. It didn't bother her too much, though. She was desert-born and bred. She had lived with the heat her whole life. The warmth didn't bother her. In fact, it made her feel a bit drowsy, and she closed her eyes for a few seconds, relishing the beautiful day.

What sounded like thumps in the sand caused her to open her eyes again. Thumps in the sand? The sound startled her only because it was so unusual. She was used to the hissing of the sand and the whistles of the wind, but certainly not what sounded like heavy hoofsteps. Turning her dished head curiously, the Arabian surveyed a grey blob that was cantering. She squinted with disbelief. It was cantering! It was a horse, and one she had never seen before. Her ears pricked, her muscles tended, her tail raised, as she watched this enchanting new figure from atop her vantage point on the dune. Would the horse see her?

Her head tilted curiously as she watched the grey horse plow on through the sand. The stranger obviously had not yet noticed her, or if it had, it was doing an awfully good job at ignoring her. Sarita trotted forward a few steps, her hooves disturbing puffs of sand. Stretching her neck forward curiously, she pricked her ears, watching as the horse turned in her direction.

There was no way that the horse could not have seen her. She stuck out from the golden sand like ash in snow. With a soft snort, she tossed her head, mane flying every which way. She debated whether or not to get closer. The horse didn't look like one of her old herdmates, but from this distance, how could she be sure? Flipping her tail restlessly, Sarita was undecided on what to do. She could approach this stranger, who she was pretty certain existed, and risk either a benefit or danger, or she could wait and see what would happen.

She chose to wait and see. And what she saw next startled her. Why the grey horse felt so compelled to rear up and neigh, she did not know. And why she chose to let out a shrill whinny on return was even more baffling. Perhaps it was months of solitude in the same golden desert, driving her slowly but surely mad. Perhaps it was curiosity. Or perhaps it was a drive to entice the stranger closer. Whatever the reason, Sarita whinnied again, tossing her head. Her hooves slid in the sand as she shifted, tail swishing eagerly, eyes alight with curiosity.

Her ears pricked eagerly as she surveyed the grey form, who at first hesitated. Was the other horse frightened or just unsure? Sarita tossed her head and waited impatiently to see what the grey would do, her nostrils flaring as she attempted to distinguish the new horse's scent from the earthy, dry scents of the desert. Swishing her long tail again, she took a few more steps forward, coming to a halt at the edge of her mound of sand. Pricking her ears again, she waited to see if the horse would approach.

She stayed still as the stallion moved closer and closer, eventually coming to a halt in front of her. Her dark eyes surveyed him curiously. He was a horse unlike any she'd ever met. He was a bit more heavily built than the horses in her last herd, who were often more leggy and sleek than this stallion. His odd, rippled mane caught her attention. She'd never seen anything like it. No horses she'd ever met had curly hair. Stretching her muzzle forward to sniff curiously at the stud, she tilted her head with wonder. The first horse she'd seen in nearly a year, and unlike any other horse she'd ever met.

Withdrawing a bit, Sarita flashed him a puzzled look. What was a horse like him doing in her desert? He was a far cry from the sleek Arabians and Baladi horses that she was better acquainted with. And he seemed...odd, to be in this habitat. It was as if it did not naturally suit him like it did her. But there would be time for questions later. She had to restrain herself from babbling incoherently in her excitement, and instead flashed him a charming, impish grin. "Hello," she nickered to the dappled stallion, eyes glimmering as she watched him. Her voice sounded foreign even to her own ears; she had had no use for it for so long that she hardly remembered the sound of it, and it did startle her. Nonetheless, at least now she had someone to talk to.