The wind begins to swell.

It is then that the robust sound of chocolate feathered wings snap in the air, and I descend, finding my eyes upon the sight of a mare who had gone missing from the herd for some time. I was not one to investigate long absences with little to no substantial proof, for I am no tyrant who demanded that all in her borders would remain until they reached their death beds. However, by the shaking gait and overall defeated stoop of the young mare as she walks within the red sands, I am instantly drawn to land beside her, finding that a small crowd had begun to grow already.

My gray hooves crack down, and the red sand sprays forth as my hooves carry me forward to usurp the distance between us, coming to a steady halt beside Aryel, my dark eyes heavy with concern for the younger girl. I had never met her face to face, surely, but that was the case for many. In fact, most did not even know that I took notice of the movements across my borders, watching the bodies which move like grains of sand in the wind in and out. I knew her, Lana, just as I knew Africa. They were family to me, though we had never formally met. Family bound to me with strong ties. I would lay down my pride, my heart, in order to bring them to safety.

No matter who they were.

"Lana," I say, my gruff voice quiet with the hushed tone of the mood. "Are you in need of a healer, sister?" I ask, my face soft, despite my overall rugged exterior. How did you get out? I hear the words call from the lips of the blue girl at my side, turning to look at Aryel with a confused look. Out of where? Where had she been? My ears flick back, looking at my Sergeant, my attention turning away from Lana even as my eyes become cold as ice.

When my voice comes out now, it is uncomfortably heavy. "Aryel," my voice a thin warning. "Where has she been, and why was it not reported to your superiors?" I wore the title of Commander, did I not? Surely, my soldiers were not hoarding information about the whereabouts of my beloved family from me. Surely, they would not be so petulant. Surely, they would not be so fucking stupid as to not tell me when our kin are in danger.

Right?
""