At first the stallion with the moon-lit mane remained in place, night black coat blending into the darkness surrounding; wearing the hour like a chameleon cloak. Should not the firelight’s playful glow have been dancing across the side of him bared, Africa wondered musingly if he might have simply been swallowed altogether and lost. She disregarded the silly thought literally, shaking it from her mind so that the thick mass of stippled, oily mane bounced and writhed through the cover of warm firelight. That was when he approached her- drawn audaciously into the light with prying, ravenous eyes and quivering lips, like no one before him had dared.

The feeling of his touch, of the unexpectedly gentle brush of his whiskers across the partially numbed socket-scar caught Africa off guard, and the Oracle dithered on the spot helplessly. None had before touched the raw-looking scar which shone vivid and pink on this occasion, and although the brash stallion did not press his nose against it, she suddenly felt quite self-conscious of the sagged, ugly naked skin there (that which she herself had long ago, inspected many times before). Her trembling nostrils fluttered uncertainly, turning towards her wingless shoulder also and he withdrew in the same staggered moment.

Africa could feel his discomfort and the harmony in her mild expression faded into the rising, shy nervousness that caused her to recoil from him- to find comfort close by her fire. “The fate of foolishness…” she answered simply- generously, the stick clamped tightly between her teeth, and her eyes closed as she let it’s tapering point drag through the yielding sand by her hooves. As if sent by the God himself to rescue her from her own bitter insecurity, a second horse appeared; her pale hue emblazoned as fire-glow gripped her.

Relieved for the sudden blessing of distraction after found the energy to flash a quiet smile towards he who had challenged her- no matter how unintentionally the gesture had been intended. Her eyes swam then greedily through the half-light towards the new stranger as she spoke Africa’s title; the solitary word swamped by harmless interrogation. Meraki did not pause for long and swiftly introduced herself to the pair- “The Sun God,” Africa answered easily, the smile returning to lift the weight of her secret clear from her mind. Pale eyes danced between the newcomer’s own and she added, “I am Africa, the Diviner of Dragon’s Throat and I tend this, our Lord’s, fire.” Narrowing eyes shifted towards the stallion then, hoping to compel forward his still unrevealed identity- it seemed unlikely that they were conversing with a spy or the like, but Africa knew stranger things had happened.