He smiled as he waited for Conquistador to respond, pleased that the boy took the time to formulate a response. Few horses did, and it showed when they spoke, but when the palomino colt replied the few select words he chose spoke volumes. Şahin’s expression didn’t waver despite the negativity that crossed the younger male’s face, although the Nez Perce felt a heaviness settle over his heart. Complicated. Xina hadn’t told the blanketed palomino enough for him to have expected this.

“You are always welcome to call this herd home, Conquistador. Now come,” he said, before he moved down the beach and strode into the water. There was a wide bar of sand that extended for quite a long way into the ocean, and instead of descending into water Şahin walked along the flat sandbar in water that only came up to his hocks. It was warm, and as the beach had dipped inward, the whole area was fairly private. This part of the territory was on the opposite end of the beach from the low hill Şahin liked to stand on, and the shiny palomino was a little miffed at himself that it had taken him so long to find the sandbar. It was quickly becoming one of his favorite places and he was glad to be able to share it with someone else— glad, too, that Conquistador was the first member of the herd he showed it to.

He stopped several lengths away from the shore and looked over at the young colt, confident Conquistador had followed him into the water. “I won’t insult you by insisting it isn’t complicated, but maybe I can make your decision a little easier for you— and this is entirely up to you. I know Xina wants to keep you around, and I have enjoyed watching you regain your strength among the rest of the herd. You look healthier every day,” he said, and reached out to nose the colt’s shoulder affectionately. “But no one is going to force you to do anything you haven’t decided you want to do for yourself.”

He looked out over the ocean and closed his eyes to slits against the salty wind that gusted over them. The water in the small bay they stood in was relatively calm compared to the rest of the beach: just one more reason he was glad to have found this little cove. “I’m not quite as young as I used to be and we’ve been lucky that no one has come harassing us here,” Şahin said before he uttered a small snort of laughter. “Not that I’m incapable of defending this herd,” he continued, and the steel in his voice left no room for doubt that he would be capable of repelling adversaries. He turned his head back to Conquistador. “But I’ve thought of something that would benefit both of us, and I wanted to run it by you to see what you think of it. How would you feel about becoming my second in command here at Paradise? You’ll be a full-fledged stallion before long, but there are horses out there who are older and more capable than a two-year old colt. You could stay here and learn the tricks of the trade with me, and start building a herd of your own under our shared protection. Maybe in a few years, if you were interested, you could step into position of lead of this land and allow me to help you— a reversal of roles, if you will.”

Şahin had never thought to have an heir before, but he was getting older and the concept, now spoken aloud, appealed to him immensely. Fifteen was not terribly old, but in a few years the Nez Perce would no longer be in his prime. Already he knew age was settling in: there was a reason he chose a territory on Atlantis and not Luthien or Tinuvel. He pressed his toes against the wet sand beneath his hooves and watched Conquistador’s face, eager for the boy’s reaction and curious as to whether or not his offer would be enough to dispel the boy’s idea that he “couldn’t” stay at Paradise.

This land was home, and this herd his family. Surely that would be enough.