"Dust becomes us all, in the end, and when it blows free, so do we." When the duo met him at the crest of the dune, Orhan smiled despite how weary and dizzy he felt. He experienced a little thrill when his and Arcana's snouts met, one which numbed him to Carys' touch. "Well met," he replied simply to the stranger, smiling when she commented about the terrain (for he hardly heard her, he was in such a daze), and without further ado turned and led the young mares down the sandy slope to the shade of the oasis. This was the larger one, where he and his mother had spend almost all their time before - it was the one he had led Arcana away from the last time they'd met - but with El Aran gone and it all to himself, Orhan could display it proudly to them today.
His skinny body was trembling with nerves and exhaustion - for it was an ordeal just standing here playing the part of the smiling host - so Orhan hardly spared the familiar grasses and trees of the oasis a second glance. Instead, he had eyes almost entirely for Arcana. She'd been very quiet so far. He reached forward and touched her snout again, more gently this time, as if to ascertain she was real. Still he smiled. "It's so good to see you again," he told the filly, bobbing his head and flicking his frosted tail over his bony hindquarters. He hoped she would notice he was making an effort to be calm and accomodating this time, despite his deteriorated physical state.
Then, finally, he paid Carys some attention.This mare was as boldly marked as Arcana, if not more so; the rich golden color that stretched down her neck, across her back, and spilled down either side of her barrel was strikingly pretty (not to mention, the color he had always imagined his sire to have; was it a sign?), as were the blue eyes twinkling in her pale face. She was also shorter than him, which was a nice surprise - most others were as tall, if not taller than him - and, what's more, she looked to be about the same age as Arcana and him. That was good. The company of others his own age, something he had lacked in his childhood, was something Orhan always craved. He exhaled, contented. "Welcome. Please, um, have as much grass and water as you like." Maybe, just maybe, if he played his part well, he would not have to say goodbye to them, or worry about being alone again.
O R H A N EL ARAN x ENCANTADOR two; mustang; buckskin; 15'1hh; played by shiva |