Of course she couldn't see anyone. It would have been embarrassing for the Sleuth if her dark colored body could be that easily spotted, even by a herd-sister. It would be an understatement to say that she was pleased as Africa's gaze swept over her where she huddled in the deep shadows beneath the trees, fur still moist from her recent soaking in the cool waters.

The Oasis was the only reason the black mare was able to survive the desert at all. She had yet to adapt to the harsh climate; the hollow strands of her thick coat were made to keep out cold winds and frozen precipitation, not withstand the relentless beating of a white-hot sun for months on end. The tips of each strand had been bleached into a rusty brown, she always felt covered with a layer of grime and dust and sand crunched between the teeth every time she ate.

Even so, the blackbird couldn't think of a better place to be in the world. This was HOME, the place she had been looking for ever since life as a vagabond and a nomad had become unbearable and painful. The stallions that led them were her brothers, the mare that slowly submerged herself in the liquid depths was her sister - a sister she knew exceedingly little about, but a sister none the less. Their ties were not of blood or history, but rather of a common wish. To live in the land of the sun, to coexist and try to survive each day, and perhaps become a little wiser for it in the process.

Maybe it was curiosity that made the shadow-born pegasus relax and allow the layer of twisted light that had kept her unnoticeable to disappear. Once the dappled girl resurfaced she would be met with a pair of fierce, unyielding eyes and ebony lips pulled back into a wry, amused grin. Round black ears would be pricked her way, and a voice, sightly hoarse and deep as raging rivers, soft as evening winds, warm as a mothers embrace drifted across the surface of the lake.

"Silly girl, don't you know to stay still when the sun is at its peak? If you want to kill yourself there are better ways to go about than being fried alive, I assure you." The raven inched over to the edge of the vast expanse of water, movements slow and awkward due to the every growing belly that now had become impossible to hide (even though she still tried to, covering it with the feathered wings) and dipped the nose below the surface. Drinking deeply from the life-saving waters, she didn't linger long under the glaring sunlight; as soon as she was done the short mare waddled back into the shade, gesturing with a shrug of a wing for the one-winged girl to follow.

Can't have her faint from sunburn, now could they...