The blind horse’s bellow startled El Aran. She danced away from him and cow-kicked savagely to one side to deter any pursuit. She wheeled, ears flat, each of her eyes revealing a shocking white crescent as she rolled her gaze between each horse in turn. It was impossible to watch them all at once. She settled for lifting her ears toward the blind one who berated her and staring heatedly at the Arabian who stood so close to her son. Orhan was the least threatening horse in the group, for now, and so she ignored him.

"I am not blind," she spat, but before she could launch into anything more heated Orhan spoke. El Aran’s gaze shifted to him and her whole body grew still. She pressed her hooves against the gritty sand and tipped her chin down. A deep inhale was her only response to his apology to the blind horse, the sudden flare of her nostrils the only indication of her suppressed fury as he spoke past her like she was some kind of petulant filly. He spoke as if she had been overreacting in her behavior to each of the strangers. His behavior only grew more inexplicable as he forbid —forbid!— her to assault either of the intruders, despite the fact that the mare behind his shoulder was clearly a Purebred.

Had he learned nothing from her?

Still bristling, El Aran raised her head to look down her nose at Orhan and flicked one ear to the side. "Do not make me promises that you cannot keep," she told her son, disdain for his attempt to act as a mediator evident in her voice. "A Purebred is a Purebred. Even if you refuse to acknowledge all that I have taught you." She glanced at the Arabian and cocked a hind hoof.

When the Purebred spoke, however, El Aran could not contain herself. She pawed the packed sand and tossed her head. "Help? At what cost, and to what end? There is nothing we need or could possibly want from you. Orhan, why?" Abruptly the seer’s attention returned to her son, although her eyes shifted to the blind stallion to be sure he hadn’t made any threatening moves in her direction while she was distracted. "In the name of Aşk, what do you hope to gain from allowing a Purebred to tread through our territory not only unchallenged, but apparently welcomed?"