Redsand Canyon ox

she had not seen winter before.

yet it seemed as if it was destined to come before she went home. the sudden chill in the early morning air was unique, rare. she wondered if the palace was this cold — or if the mountain deceived her.

gently she moved to rouse @Khaba awake.

He felt the prod. In an instant, the mazoi jerked awake, head snapping directly to face the amiirad.
Why you wake me? Something wrong? Instinctive questions, simply; the most important.

no,

she told him softly. nose hovered somewhere near his ear so they did not wake her lilac.

the air is cold and i feel the need to move.

He felt a soft nose on his ear, then. It caused a small, brief shudder.
But when she spoke of her desire, he straightened.
Offering a low slough, the amiirad could lean into him for warmth as they walked. The choice was hers, but he would hover until it was made.
We walk, then. Khaba rumbled, tone quieted.

shoulder to shoulder.

gold met onyx. she shied not once from him. soon they would return home to akashingo and they would be united stronger than they had left.

do you like mereo?

she sought the truth.

They walked together. It did not nerve him, but he did often question of whether this was a professional amiirad to mazoi encounter. 
But did it truly matter?
I will not say if whether I like or dislike it. I have no preference. In truth, there was nothing he truly liked about Mereo. He knew of things he disliked, but he wouldn't share each of them. Not unless he was ordered to do so. That was his way. No oversharing unless it was demanded of him.
I can say that I am ready to return home. This was certainly the truth. Akashingo was the one place he knew he felt at home and that he knew there was little that would step in the way of him and his tasks at hand. Makono was safe there, as none were foolish enough to intervene within the mesa. 

he played a neutral field.

she was not sure if she admired it or had a distaste for it. khaba was a man who continued to unfold before her with each day. this trip had only proven that.

as am i, just as much as she loathed to leave mereo behind so soon. what would it have looked like if she had stayed for six months? a year? then her heart yearned and twisted, unable to imagine being away from the palace for her own lifetime!

what would you change of here, if you could?

humor her.

They both wanted to return. But he did not know of whether she desired it more or less than he. At least she had purpose for being here. He was only her shadow.
What would he change? There were many answers Khaba could have given, but none that seemed appealing. Mereo was no place of interest to him. He knew little of the place and how they operated. 
I know too little to say.
Or maybe he just wasn't willing to share light on the subject. Either way, she had her answer.

she wondered if he held himself back. then she wondered why he would do such.

perhaps he feared ears that listened in the early hours.

you will learn in time — and then i will trust you will tell me. her voice a tease. she waved her tail like a summoning banner and began a quicker pace. aiming to warm their muscles in the cold.

Time indeed. That was how any learned, was it not?
But she wanted to know; if not now, later.
When I know, I will share it with you. Though for now, he did not.
When she beckoned, the jodai quickened his pace to keep up. She was a fast mover, even for one so small.