KORAY
Following his confrontation with Shamwari, Koray had slunk away to the tiny, disused oasis near the border to nurse his wounds and his pride. There he intended to stay - for a few days, at least. He could not bear to show his face in front of the others, particularly his father; he knew how disappointed Orhan would be in him, and could already sense the judgement that was being directed toward him from across the sands. Koray was not stupid; he knew that Shamwari had been Orhan’s ally, and that Orhan would be questioning why Shamwari had broken their treaty and raised his hooves in violence toward their herd. If Koray was lucky, both Shamwari and his stupid sister would have left before they could blab their mouths to Orhan.
But it seemed luck was not on his side these days, and he was not hopeful. He knew it was only a matter of time before Orhan sought him out to discuss the situation. It was inevitable. That did not stop Koray from resisting the idea, however. With every passing day that found him still alone at the little oasis, Koray became more on-edge and more angry. He took to pacing around the watering hole until he had worn a deep path in the sand, replaying his scuffle with Shamwari in his mind over and over. He rarely slept, and barely ate; soon his ribs had begun to show beneath his pale coat, and his green eyes became ringed with red.
Orhan finally came on the fifth day, as the sun was setting in reds and purples. Koray stood and watched him silently, his heart hard and his face harder. His father was limping as usual and he bore an expression obviously meant to placate, which only served to further inflame Koray’s anger.
Orhan positioned himself near his son and they stood together in silence for a time, while stars began to appear like pinpricks in the dark canvas overhead. Koray could practically hear his father trying to collect his thoughts, obviously searching for the right words to say. But there were no right words. There was nothing Orhan could say that would relieve the shame Koray felt at losing his only mare in his first proper fight.
Finally Orhan spoke. “How are you doing?”
Koray did not reply. How did he think he was doing? What a stupid question.
Orhan continued, his tone cautious. “I would like to suggest something, and please listen before you react... I understand how you must be feeling, and obviously this was only one fight. You will have plenty more. You will not lose all of them. Regardless… I don’t know whether you were planning on chasing after Vita Nova, but I would advise against it. I spoke to her before she left, and she told how unhappy she was. She told me how poorly you treated her, and how you… how you hurt Evren. I can’t begin to express my disappointment in you, Koray. What you did to those mares is unforgivable. They deserved better. Vita Nova still has a chance for happiness out there, and who knows… maybe that’s why your sister left. It pains me to say it, but maybe she found somewhere better.”
Koray stood tall and stiff, his gaze avoiding his father’s.
Orhan continued. “If you intend on hiding out here much longer, I think perhaps you should let me resume leadership, at least for the time being. That was always our intention when I returned, anyway, and if you don’t mind me saying so, I think you have some soul-searching to do, Koray. I know you can do better than this.”
When Koray finally spoke, it was in a low growl. “You’re an idiot if you think I’m not going after Vita. She carries my child.”
Orhan stared at him in silence. Koray still did not look at him, but he could feel his father’s gaze, burning hot on his skin. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Orhan’s mouth open as though to say something, then close again.
MUTT; 16HH; PERLINO; SIX
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