The sun rested high in the sky, the heat of its caress eased by the soft breeze that brushed across the sandy land. Xina stood alone, her head lowered to the foliage that her lips wrapped around before lazily pulling into her mouth, chewing and then swallowing with her eyes closed. The light movement of air made her mane and tail sway, a few strands tickling her ears and making the mare shake her head to rid the annoyance. Slowly she raised her crown, opening her blue and brown eyes to cast them across the open and golden beach. Out in the distance she can see the boy’s golden shape slow to a stop from his racing, thinking himself alone when really Xina never let him out of her sight. Deeming him safe she was about to lower her head and grab another bite when the first visitor showed.


Quickly raising her head, the mare turned so that she could fully face that direction as she pushed her ears forward in an alert manner. Gone was the need to graze as every muscle tensed, ready to leap into action should they turn aggressive towards the boy. Nares drinking into the soft breeze, it carried the perfume of another woman and upon that Xina slightly relaxes. Though it was a stranger, Xina was not worried of another mare hurting the boy. It was just not in a mare’s nature to approach a child just to attack it, although some were not as sane as others. Deciding it best to investigate, the roan woman starts at a steady walk towards the duo. But before she can make it far another visitor joins them first.


Xina does not have to stop and taste the air nor get a better look to recognize the king’s golden colored coat. Ears pinning, the mare launches herself into a gallop that quickly takes her across the beach. Legs churning, it sprays sand against her flanks and in her wake while leaving deep tracks behind. Rushing up towards the group, the mare does not say anything at first as she buries her ears beneath her inky locks, jutting out her nose in a warning manner while she shoves her way between the boy and the others to block him from their view. Only when she is fully between them does she stop, keeping her side towards them as she twists her face around to glare at them. Xina had not wanted to reveal the colt to anyone but it seemed she no longer had a choice as the king had found him before she could confess the truth. She had made a deal with a devil.


“Şahin” she says but does not raise her ears from her poll, giving a brief flick of her two toned eyes to the mare before looking back to the stallion. If she had known the name of the woman she would have offered her a greeting as well, but without that knowledge there was more to take on than that of learning names. Taking a few sidesteps towards the golden boy to place more space between her and the others so that she was not so close, Xina only then allows her ears to rise slightly but they have yet to cup forwards in a more calm manner. The tense muscles beneath her roan skin were evidence enough for the turmoil that the mare was in for this encounter. “I had not expected to see you so soon. Should I have known then I would have been better prepared.” And quite possibly not as short tempered.