"I have heard rumor of a blind seer. A freckled mare... with a bloody shoulder."
A'idah was there, standing right before him. He could see every hair on her body. They were back in the meadow, meeting as the sun set over the trees and cast a lavender glow in the sky. Orhan was exhausted from lack of sleep, but his exhaustion made him brave. A'idah's words did not matter; all that mattered was her. Why weren't they in the desert together? Why didn't she live with him? He could not remember, but the need to bring her home filled him like hot air until he thought he would burst.
Orhan reached forward to touch A'idah's cheek with his nose. He murmured her name. But as soon as their skin met, a sizzle of electricity rushed through him and he jerked backward in shock to see that A'idah was no longer A'idah. Staring back at him with blood-red eyes and a grim expression was the dark figure of his mother.
Orhan woke from his afternoon nap with a start, his heart racing. Awkwardly he stumbled to his feet, his mind reeling. A name escaped from his lips, little more than a breath of air. Before he could contemplate his revelation, however, the tang of an unfamiliar scent invaded his nostrils.
A stallion.
He wasted little time, taking a moment to shake the dullness of sleep from his body before taking off across the sands, tail flagged and neck arched. Fueled by the adrenaline of his dream, Orhan glided like a falcon, navigating the hills of his home with little effort. Of course, he was not infalliable, and so by the time he caught sight of the intruder his pale body was well lathered with sweat. The stallion skidded to a halt and paused a few moments to catch his breath and take in the sight of the stranger, who was a shade of red not dissimilar to Vesti. Immediately his mind went to the one living son that Vesti had, and he relaxed slightly.
Breathing heavily, Orhan tucked his chin to his chest and approached the stallion at a cautious trot. As he breached the distance between them, he noticed the other's small advantage in height - and his disadvantage in age. He was likely too young to be Vesti's son, so what on earth was such a youthful stallion doing here?
He stopped well out of reach of the other's hooves and teeth and gave him a curt nod. "You lost, friend?"
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