Şahin wanted nothing more than to run the other stallion out and take Dia to the others and secure his family in a cave and wait out the storm but it was not to be. The Akhal-Teke put herself between Şahin and the other male and he was forced to stand, ears tilted back and nostrils flaring, and listen. His instincts were in overdrive from the storm and having only just found Dia and now having to deal with an intruder whose intentions might not be the best or most moral. Still, he settled, twitching his skin and averting his glare to a space somewhere beyond the darkness behind the sabino.

He found a grin crawling across his lips as he heard Dia, his spunky palomino friend, light into the stranger with demands about... someone. Şahin couldn’t even decipher the name she gave, it was so foreign to his ears. He sneezed and smoothed his expression, and when he looked over at the other stallion his eyes were not so hard. He pushed his ears forward: personally, he had no qualms about the Crossing. With so many horses coming and going all the time, it almost seemed safer for foals. The Nez Perce wondered if Fundamental was telling the truth and glanced at Dia. She was bold, strong, and had a good head between her shoulders: if the other stallion really was such a problem, surely she would have noticed.

No, it was far more likely that Fundamental was telling the truth, and it was unfortunate that he’d gotten caught in the storm. Nothing nefarious there. Şahin kept his thoughts to himself as the other male responded to the mare’s questioning. When Fundamental addressed him again, Şahin flicked his tail. The liver chestnut’s situation must be grave indeed, to offer a stranger complete control over his life just for the sake of finding a home for his family. Another time, he might have offered the stallion a home without second thoughts or reservations, but Şahin had grown colder despite how warm his home was. He refused to let anyone live in Paradise who he did not know— one conversation was not enough to learn about prospective seconds-in-command, as Lyden had so aptly proven.

“I don’t know you,” he said simply. “Were you an old friend, I would consider it— but you’re not. Just a stranger seeking shelter from the storm.” He snorted and glanced over his shoulder, then leveled his dark gaze on Fundamental again as he pressed his muzzle against Dia’s back. “You may wait with my herd, for safety’s sake, for the storm to pass. Then move on.” And maybe, later, they would cross paths on the communal island and have another chat then. And perhaps one more, and then— well. Who knew what the future held?