 The tall filly fell into step beside Vita Nova and strolled with her downhill back toward the oasis. Her light brown eyes thoughtfully stared at the sand that shifted beneath their hooves as they walked, and she contemplated her companion's question.
"Who knows?" Evren said, and shot a sheepish glance at the mare beside her. "You've probably known him longer than I have. In fact, yeah - you have. When he brought you to the desert, that was the first time I met him." They had reached the banks of the oasis, and Evren shouldered past the tall stalks of desert grass to drink from the cool water. Unexpectedly, she remembered the time that she had discovered a bird drowning in this very oasis. It was long gone now, no doubt nothing more than a skeleton resting on the sandy bed of its watery grave, with fish picking at the last morsels of flesh clinging to its bones, and the thought made her stomach turn. With effort, she swallowed her last mouthful of water and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
"I'm guessing Koray never told you why he was sent away in the first place, though. Dad said that Koray was meant to be his heir, and Koray grew up believing that, but before he came of age Dad took in another stallion - a blind stallion - as his second. He didn't have the heart to send this stallion away, but with him here it meant that there was no room for Koray anymore. The desert can only support so many horses, you know. So one day, Koray left. It apparently upset his mother, Carisa, quite a lot, and it's been a bit of a sensitive subject in the herd since then. Koray wasn't meant to come back; he was meant to start his own herd somewhere else. But I think he felt entitled to the desert, and I'm sure he came back intending to fight for it if necessary. Lucky for him, Dad's second had disappeared by that time, meaning there was room for him again."
Evren shifted her weight and took a moment to relieve an itch on her shoulder. "I'm sure Koray would tell you his own version of the story, but personally I'd believe Dad over him any day. He just..." She pursed her lips, searching for the right words. "I don't know. Koray won't let me in, so I can only guess what goes through his head. But I get the impression that he's one insecure dude."
A thought came to her, and a twinkle appeared in her eye. "Out of interest, why did you agree to come here with him if you don't like him?"
EVREN
two; EE Aa nT; 15.3hh |