The stranger said nothing, only stared at him with blue eyes that seemed eerily pale in the moonlight. Then suddenly she was moving, and moving towards him. Orhan stiffened instinctively, and knew that he could outrun her if need be, but there was nothing aggressive in her body language. The young stallion remained alert, but forced himself to relax and stand his ground as the mare invaded his personal space and nosed at his mouth. His stomach flip-flopped with nerves and confusion, and one ear atop his dark crest flicked backwards with reticence. His expression was empty as he regarded her and tried to make sense of her strange behavior, but it was up he had to look in order to do this, for now that she was close she more or less towered over him. He had never encountered a mare of her stature before, and was not sure what to make of her.

Then she spoke, and her voice was so soft and muddled that for a moment he thought she was speaking in another language. He watched as she seemed to shrink in on herself, stepping backwards across the dune and hanging her head so that she seemed almost small and pitiful. Then realization dawned, and Orhan’s lips parted. He had never encountered a deaf horse before, and had no idea what the correct way to respond was. How could he ask her questions, or find out anything about her at all? How could he communicate, tell her who he was, where she was, or what he expected of her now that she was in his home? A drink, get her a drink, a voice within him suggested, and he could think of nothing else but to obey it. It would kill time, at the very least, while he figured out what to do with her.

“I am Orhan,” he said, and made an effort to speak more slowly and mouth the words more clearly, though he did not know if that would make a difference. “Follow me.” He jerked his head to reiterate his message, and began to make his way down the sandy slope in the direction of the oasis, mind racing. He could only hope that she was open-minded enough to trail after a stranger in the middle of the night. Gods, what will the herd think?