Orhan

Koray half-listened to Vita Nova as she talked. Seeing that she had made herself comfortable a short distance away in the shade of a tree, he did the same, though he made no move to stray from the area he stood. The young stallion relaxed his neck and cocked a hind hoof with the sun hot on his back and sweat frothing along the shallow crevices of his body. He could feel his sensitive pink skin burning in the heat, but he did not care. It would be a badge of his return home.

Just as he had had begun to search his mind for a lazy response, there was a rustle in the shrubs nearby. He lifted his head, ears pricked toward the sound, and watched as a buckskin stallion emerged onto the banks of the oasis. It was Orhan, his father. The stallion did not mask his surprise as he approached them, and his light brown eyes flicked back and forth between Koray and Vita Nova as if waiting for an explanation. There were a few seconds of silence before either of them spoke.

"Dad," Koray said, trotting closer to his sire with his honey tail flagged. Though he was taller and broader than his sire, the years between them were evident. Orhan was not old by any means, but he stood with a collected grace, a wariness that spoke of experience and knowledge, and an expression carefully measured to the situation at hand. He also favored his front left leg slightly, and Koray did not fail to notice this, though he said nothing. "This is-," he continued, nodding briefly in the mare's direction, and hesitating as though he had almost forgotten her name, "Vita Nova. She's here to stay, as am I. Where is everyone? Where is Mother?"

"It's nice to meet you, Vita Nova," Orhan addressed the young mare kindly with a dip of his head. He focused on her for a second, with something like sadness in his eyes, as though he felt sorry for her. When he looked back at his son, his posture stiffened slightly. He stood tall to meet his son's eye, and flicked one ear back. "Arcana and your sisters are nearby, resting in the shade. It's good to have you back, Son. I looked for you after you left, but-"

"Where is Mother?" Koray repeated, raising his voice slightly. His ears had twisted back to rest atop his honey mane.

"Koray, lower your voice. She left not long after you did. She took Feray with her; I don't know where they went. The others are gone too. Everyone is gone except for Arcana and Indira, and your newest sister Evren. That's why I wanted to come find you, to bring you home. You were gone too long. Let’s talk about this later, shall we? I’m sure Vita Nova has come a very long way." The two stallions stared at each other in silence. Orhan's expression was both firm and pleading, but Koray was bristling, staring down his nose at his father with barely-concealed aggression.

The air was thick with unspoken accusations.