Here, on Atlantis, the sunsets were deep gold and the wind that blew off of the ocean was warm. Trees waved in the breeze and grass covered the earth not choked by sand. Şahin stood on a hillock that obscured the beach to him. It created the illusion that the water started where the grass ended, and that the change was abrupt rather than gradual. He liked it here, he decided. It had been warm throughout winter and likely would remain balmy for the entirety of the year. If the lack of variety ever bothered him, well, the Crossing was a half-day’s swim away. He could find his cold weather there.

He snorted and turned an ear back. He wasn’t old, but he found he preferred the warmth of the sun to the chill of winter more often than not. Paradise provided that. The most inclement weather he had to deal with were storms, and Şahin had no qualms about that. He enjoyed heavy thunder and sweeping rain, and the calm that both preceded and followed a storm. It was the constant cold he wasn’t interested in dealing with anymore, and he was glad Yusuf had suggested a warmer land. The palomino stallion would have been willing to attempt to live on Salem, and island he knew hosted deserts and dry heat, but they really had landed in Paradise here on Atlantis.

Şahin only lacked company, and this is he decided to remedy the next day. For now, he was content to stand and stare out at the ocean, relaxed and in a contemplative state of mind.