Swamped

You decide to search for signs of civilization. The first one to catch your eye is a fence surrounding the area.

It's not much of one, mind. It barely goes a foot off the ground. The desert-horses could easily step over it if they tried.

But that's just it - they'd have to put effort into escaping it. Most likely it's good enough to keep them from wandering too far afield. Considering this is a mountain, that's probably good for the desert-horses as much as it is for their keepers.

You walk over to the fence, keeping low to the ground in case there are lookouts watching. There doesn't seem to be a gate, but with how low it is, they likely don't need one. However, after a little searching, you manage to find a trail that leads to what looks like some kind of settlement. There are dozens of tents.

It's some distance away. It would probably take you a good fifteen minutes to walk there. That seems odd; why keep your mounts such a long distance away from your homes? Even if they don't see much use as mounts, presumably they have to be fed regularly. Wouldn't it make sense to have a caretaker near them, at the very least?

But you don't see any sign of such a person. That's odd.

Just as you wonder about that, you spot some figures leaving the settlement. They're likely to be headed this way.

You should probably get ready for their arrival.