Though he is not Xina's true son, there is a resemblance that runs deeper than the contrasting colors of their skin; similarities born of character and not appearance. Hardship has molded both into reluctant creatures, reserved creatures; open gestures of affection such as the one Conquistador had sought to placate Sahin with were the rare exception and not the rule. But such is the colt's relief at the diffusion of the tension that the floodgates of his emotions open, and a surge of affection for the trio that surrounds Conquistador courses through him. In that moment he knows what it is to be cared for, to be wanted - to be part of the companionship a herd offers.

Xina, of course, he has already ventured to love in his own careful, constrained way; a tenderness that is tempered by his respect for the mare. She is all that he has, the last tenuous connection to the family that he has lost. Twisting his neck around, the colt catches a strand of his surrogate's inky mane, nibbling it in response to the rare physical gesture of affection she gives him. The velvet touch of her muzzle, the brush of her lips over his back - these things are both achingly familiar and utterly alien to him. Conquistador leans into the bay roan's shoulder, crooning a soft sound of contentment in the back of his throat that lasts until the moment has passed.

The youth's attention returns to the pale golden stallion then, his steps forward more deliberate this time, less hesitant. Conquistador had known his father, but only briefly, and his precious positive memories of Debonaire have been tainted by an undercurrent of fear. The violent outburst he had been witness to had left the colt wary of his own gender, and keen to avoid mature stallions rather than to approach them. The confrontation between Sahin and Xina had almost reinforced this lesson, but the warmth of the stallion's smile, and the sound of his name on Sahin's lips, gives the boy a strange feeling of satisfaction, of completeness. It leaves him yearning for more, and so he reaches out to nip lightly at the man's shoulder, darting behind the golden form of Dia with a squeal.

Even the strange women seems warmer and more welcoming now that he is accepted as one of the herd. Peering out from behind Dia's flanks at Sahin, the colt lays his ears back and snorts a playful challenge at Paradise's king, then races for Xina's side, nipping the hollow behind Dia's shoulder in passing, extend an invitation for her to join in the fun. Even his surrogate is included, though Conquistador is uncertain what her reaction will be when he gives the wayward strands of her tail a tug, then runs past her and down the beach. His sprint is short-lived, of course, as his small lungs begin to protest the exertion, but Conquistador's heart remains light.

So this is what it feels like to belong.