The stallion blinked and shielded his eyes from the harsh sun as he approached the peak of the dune, his hooves struggling for purchase on the loose sand.
Wind whipped round his head, tousling his mane, but provided some much needed refreshment from the blistering and stale air that pervaded the desert.
The sun beat down on the stallion’s body, his only protection a simple white robe that had seen better days.
The stallion stood at the top of the sand dune, gazing out into the featureless sand, searching for his destination.
The golden-brown sand all seem to melt together before the stallion’s eyes, brutally contrasting with the deep blue of the cloudless sky above that was as boundless as the desert seemed to be.
After a few minutes of searching, the stallion’s eyes alighted on a speck of green in the distance, the indication of where his village lay.
With the prospect of finally returning home, the stallion hurriedly readjusted the bags slung around his back and scrambled down the side of the dune, taking care not to fall.
He continued his trek through the desolate sands and the sweltering heat, his thoughts consumed by a singular drive to return home, back to his tribe, back to his family.
After what seemed to be countless dunes and countless steps, the sand flattened out and gave way to dark, fertile soil populated by grass and small shrubs as the river that gave life to these parts came into view.
He followed the river upstream, marveling at the lush green foliage after spending so long in the lifeless desert and came across a group of young foals playing in the water.
As the stallion approached, the foals stopped frolicking and stared at him warily, afraid of his weathered and imposing visage that had been born from his time in the desert.
Greeting the foals and introducing himself, the stallion left them and walked toward his small village, the foals eventually deciding to trail behind him as he went, their trust established.
He entered the settlement proper, immediately drawing attention from the older horses that lived there, who soon began to follow behind him as well, joyful that he had finally returned from his trek.
The stallion made straight for the center of the village, where a large, ancient tree stood next to the riverbank and stopped, bending down to drink from the water below and to wash the dirt from his face.
A crowd formed around the stallion, around the tree, everyhorse curious to hear the stallion's tale of his long journey.
But the stallion did not speak, instead searching the crowd, his eyes scanning over every familiar face there, searching for two in particular, but could not find them.
He suddenly clenched his eyes shut, overcome with nausea from his tribemate's expectant faces, and all the sounds, sights and smells that came with civilization, overwhelmed after so long of being alone.
He swayed, wanting nothing more than to leave the intense, questioning stares behind him, to leave the village altogether and head back out into the peacefulness of the desert that he had spent so long in.
But he did not.
Then, the stallion heard a shout over the mumbling voices of the crowd.
The mass of horses parted, revealing a rather nervous-looking mare and a small, gangly colt cowering under her legs, clutching at the shawl she wore.
The mare smiled and stepped out, towards the stallion, raising a hoof in greeting.
The stallion moved towards her as well, and embraced his wife, feeling her presence and warmth for the first time in months.
And then he bent down and scooped up his son, who squealed with joy and hugged his father’s neck.
And as he was reunited with his family and went home to sleep in his own house, in his own bed, he knew that he preferred the comfort of his own village over the wild of the desert.
And he was happy.