With his back to the intense heat of the sun, Orhan stood atop a gentle rise and let his eyes drift across the length of his home. In particular, they lingered on the high dunes in the distance that marked the border he shared with Olaf. Beyond those hills was A’idah, he knew, and though he should have been happy that the Arabian mare was only a stone’s throw away, he felt only a sour twisting in his gut.
So he tore his gaze away, settling instead on the distant blue-green shoreline while a cool breeze tousled the black and silver strands of his hair. The ocean was beautiful today, reflecting a clear sky free of any threat of rain, yet this, too, only unsettled him. The desert had been granted just one storm this season so far, but even that had been short and stingy. The oasis still held enough water to support his herd for some time, but with the sun beating down and horses drinking from it often, its shores shrunk a little more each day. Winter was the rainy reason – the time when their resources were replenished to carry them through another year – or at least, it was meant to be. Orhan was beginning to worry that they might soon need to find another source of water.
No matter where he looked, he was reminded of something he did not care to think about. Even with his potential firstborn on the way, spending time at the oasis with the mares turned his thoughts toward his mother every time, without fail. He still awoke every morning expecting to see her standing beneath the shade with him.
With a wistful sigh, the stallion folded his legs beneath him and made himself comfortable right there on the rise, with eyes shut and chin hanging just inches above the sand.
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