Orhan
Orhan had been reluctant to enter the ocean again. His previous attempt weeks before, after all, had nearly cost him his life, as well as the lives of his beloved Arcana and their unborn child. As he had stood facing the waves in his warm desert home, he had been unable to shake the memory of what it felt like to be sucked under the water, bashed against the rocks, and spat back onto the beach like a water-logged corpse. But, in the end, he'd had no choice but to swallow his fear and brave the ocean once again, to finally begin the search he had intended to start so long ago.
He would never forgive himself if he did not at least try.
Thankfully, his swim had been uneventful, if predictably tiring, and the stallion now found himself in the cool green meadows of the crossing. For a time, he did nothing but rest and recover his strength while his coat dried in the summer sunshine, and made the most of the endless bounty of sweet, lush grass by filling his belly until it could hold no more. He also took the opportunity to test his weight on his injured front leg, which was still not fully healed after his close brush with death and which became tired very quickly if he was too physically active for any stretch of time.
Eventually he was compelled to keep moving, for there were no horses nearby he could interrogate and his mouth was desperate for a refreshment to wash out the taste of salt from his swim. Orhan followed the promising rumble of water, which led him through a copse of lush, leafy trees and onto the banks of a river, which in turn flowed downstream from a small yet majestic waterfall. Orhan sated his thirst first, marvelling at how cold and sweet the water tasted compared to his oasis back home, then lifted his head and stood admiring the way the falls cascaded like a translucent veil from the rocks above. There was nothing like it on his island, and he was certain his daughters would be fascinated to hear of it when he returned.
Then movement caught his eye, and he realized he was not alone. Further upstream, there stood a fine-boned, ash-colored mare pawing at the water with her hoof. Orhan immediately began to approach her, though he did so slowly and warily, favoring his front left leg slightly and carrying his head low to show he was no threat. "Hello," he called out, "I was wondering if I could--" He stopped abruptly, as it became clear that this mare was carrying baggage of her own, quite literally. He recognized the gentle swell of her lower abdomen that indicated she had given birth recently, though there were no foals to be seen. Judging by her body language, she was apparently deeply troubled about something too.
Orhan very quickly put the two together and his gut tightened.
"I'm sorry," he corrected himself. "I don't mean to disturb you. Are you all right?" His honey-brown eyes peered at her curiously from a face lined with concern.
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