He watched the black and white mare wander the beach for a time, leaving her to her own thoughts while he wandered through his own. They’d only met once, and he thought he recalled her name as having to do with the sky— Skylar, yes, he’d made note of that given how his own namesake meant “hawk.” The parallel had pleased him, even if she was unaware of it. The blanketed palomino uttered a low snort and looked out at the rising sun as it colored the waves gray and purple and a deep, deep navy. He preferred sunsets, himself, but usually only when he could enjoy them with another equine.

He’d woken too early from sleep today and though he was tired still he could not seem to drift back into unconsciousness. Şahin took a walk to clear his mind of the cobwebby dreams that lingered in the darkness at the edges of his thoughts and found himself on the beach of his home. He was glad that he was not the only one who walked the shoreline, and while he had not seen Skylar since her arrival with the absent Lyden and her buckskin daughter, it still soothed him to now that his habits were not unique. There was something alienating about being the only horse to pursue his thoughts on the beach.

Or perhaps he had just been alone too long and was coming up with explanations to ease his shattered self-confidence. It was on the mend, but the path was a slow one. Şahin tossed his head and made his way further down shore until his path intersected the mare’s, just as she headed off the beach. “Skylar,” he called, to stall her course. “Good morning.” His voice was quiet, both to match his own mood and the still-waking world around them. Even though the sun had risen fully by now, it still felt as if Paradise was asleep.

Or just empty. That was probably it.

He wanted to know if she liked it here, or if the land was as repellent as he seemed to be. “How are you?” he asked. “How do you like Paradise?”