Orhan

When Arcana suggested they return to the oasis, Orhan agreed without issue; it made sense that his daughters should meet as soon as possible. Of course, he still had no idea that Indira had wandered from their home, and so he took his time in preparing for the walk. After fussing over Evren for a while longer, he turned his attention to Arcana and gently licked away the blood on her face. He then did the same to the wound on his front left cannon bone, which was shallow enough that it had already stopped bleeding but had nonetheless stained his leg a dark burgundy all the way down to his hoof. It would not do to frighten Indira when they returned, after all.

While he did this, Orhan tried to ignore the deeper sensation of pain that lanced through his leg. It indicated a more serious wound beneath the surface, but he had no time for or interest in self-pity right now.

Orhan let Arcana lead the way back to the oasis. He trailed a few paces behind the mare and foal, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings and watching Evren to be sure she did not stumble in the sand. The filly struggled at times - her long, ungainly legs catching on each rise in the ground and getting tangled as she attempted to correct herself - and when this happened Orhan would jog forward to support her with his snout in case she toppled over, as quickly as his injured leg would allow. But Evren stayed close to her mother's flank and never fell.

As the oasis came into view, Orhan lifted his head and opened his nostrils to drink in the scent of water and grass. Elation and pride flooded through him, for here he was with the love of his life, bringing their second child home. What better feeling was there?

Then he caught sight of two figures by the water, and almost called out to them when he realized that one was a stranger: a strange stallion, specifically. For a moment, Orhan froze. Blood rushed in his ears. Then, with a shrill whinny, he flagged his tail and rushed forward, past Arcana and Evren. His leg screamed with pain, but he pushed this to the back of his mind, focusing all of his attention on the stallion who was, as far as he was concerned, a threat to his daughter.

"Indira, come here," Orhan called out without taking his eyes off the stranger, his voice sharp. On any other day, he might have recognized the stallion's scent and known him to be Gabbar, his neighbor and potential ally. But Orhan was tired and hurt, and his mind was muddled with emotion. All he knew in that moment was that he had found his daughter alone with this man, and that he could not relax until he knew his intentions.

His heart thumping hard in his chest, Orhan finally addressed the stranger with a simple question. "Who are you?"