Most horses walked his beach casually and with curiosity in their eyes. Sylvia had stood out because of how comfortable and unconcerned she looked posing on his sands. The mare who strode the width of it now, however, caught his eye for two different reasons: the absolute confidence in her stride (as if she owned the land she walked on, moving off the beach and across the grass with a familiarity that appealed to him) and her spots.

Şahin carried a modest blanket on his own hindquarters, but that was nothing compared to the big patches of alternating color that covered the other horse. He’d been wandering about at the edge of his herd with no particular destination in mind as he considered his life and home, and as usual his hooves had pulled him closer to the beach than the herd. It was uncanny how often there was a horse waiting for him by the ocean. If Şahin were prone to superstitions, he might assume it was fate. With nothing to seriously distract him from the newcomer —things had been fairly calm in Paradise lately, all things considering— the Nez Perce picked up his feet and trotted over to meet the stranger before she moved too far away from the shore.

“Afternoon,” Şahin greeted her with a warm smile once he was close enough to speak at a comfortable volume. He halted in front of the mare but slightly to one side of her, prepared to fall into step with her should she move in any direction. “See anything you like?” The stallion tossed his nose back to indicate his land and grinned. He felt good, better than he had in almost a year. It was refreshing and he didn’t try to hide his newfound positivity. Truly, Şahin had very little to complain about. “I can give you a tour if you do,” he added, and winked.