He felt the mare tense before she pulled away, and Şahin tried to ignore the misgivings that made his heart sink. He stood and observed Xina as she processed what he had said, but as her breathing changed and she stood still he stepped forward in the sand. “Xina?” he said, hoping to coax a reaction from her. The mare did not seem to be focused on the present at the moment.

Her eyes met his, one a brilliant blue and the other a deep, liquid brown, but they did not hold contact for long. Xina spoke again —his gut tightened again as she admitted to knowing the stallion— and shut her eyes. Şahin wondered if she was trying to savor a memory. However, the mare’s next words allowed him to relax just a bit. “I will drive him out, if I see him here,” he reassured her. For a moment Şahin thought she would tell him more, but such was not the case. He kept his disappointment off his face and managed to hide his hurt when she chose to go off alone.

Some things were better considered in one’s own company. Şahin often wandered by himself; he would not begrudge Xina her time to think.

“You know where to find me,” he replied, reaching out to nibble at the base of her mane one last time before he let her go.