Koray

There was no joy in her voice or expression as he had hoped, but neither was there any sign of anger or indignation. It was clear that his offer was not the most appealing to her, and perhaps she could even see through his half-true tale, but given she had accepted, she must not have been exaggerating; she must truly have had nowhere else to go. And beggars could not be choosers.

The young stallion lifted his head and pressed his lips together in a faint smile of satisfaction. "You can call me Koray. If you don't mind, I'd rather get going sooner than later. Let's go."

With that, he led her to the beach and into the sea. He was quiet during their swim, making no effort to converse. His mind swam with thoughts and images of how his mother and father would react to seeing him again, and he toyed with the idea of challenging Orhan for leadership of the desert upon his return, though this was just a fantasy, and one he had no real intention of pursuing any time soon.

They arrived later in the afternoon to a hot desert blazing with sunshine. Koray splashed from the sea with an enthusiastic toss of his head, and took a moment to scour the landscape. The land was flat and cracked near the shoreline, but it rose in endless undulating hills further inland. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but sand and stone. This did not concern Koray, of course: he knew that his family would be tucked away in the sanctity of the oasis.

With saltwater dripping from his pale coat, Koray turned to check on Vita Nova. "This is it," he said, eyeing her carefully to judge her reaction. "It's not much to look at right now, but there's a watering hole a short walk away with plenty of shade and grass. The herd should be there." He turned to lead her away, then hesitated. He did not care what his father or anyone else thought of his behavior, but he knew that if his mother met Vita Nova, she would have something to say about his callous demeanor toward her. He would need to watch himself.

He turned back to Vita Nova and added more politely, "Are you ready to meet them?"