KORAY
The dry season was waning in the desert. The days were slowly but surely becoming shorter, with the sun setting a little earlier each evening, and while the winter rains were still far off, the heat was not quite so blistering anymore. Even still, it was more than enough for Koray to contend with. The banks of the oasis were fast receding, and though it was normal for this time of year, Koray found himself stressing about it all the same. Every warm, cloudless day the water crept back further and further, and Koray watched it with a growing anxiety in his gut. Recent events had left him high-strung and overwhelmed by every small thing, and his depleting water source was promising to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
The only thing that freed him from the grip of his anxiety was sleep. And so Koray took to sleeping in small, frequent snatches throughout the day. There was nothing else for him to do, after all. He had already satisfied his urge to breed with Vita Nova. Evren had disappeared, but Koray frankly cared less for the well-being of his sister than that of mares whom he could actually procreate with. There was A'idah, but she was his father's, and Koray did not desire her so much that he was willing to fight for her. Finally, with Orhan back, and with his own position as ruler of the desert in jeopardy, Koray felt he could get away with slacking a little and not being so viligant about watching their surroundings.
He was dozing along the water's shady edge, leaning his shoulder against the bark of a palm, when a voice broke the stillness and pulled him from his reverie. He looked across the water to see a buckskin mare mare marked with white. He almost didn't recognize her, matured as she was physically, but her resemblance to their father was unmistakable and Koray did not hesitate to leap into action when he spotted a dark figure approaching her from behind. It was no matter that he cared little for Indira or the fact they happened to share blood; in his mind, the desert was still his, and no stallion save Orhan was welcome in it, especially one who was foolish enough to try to steal his herd members away.
Koray rushed from the shade of his hiding spot with a sharp neigh and arced around the edge of the oasis, cantering with head low and ears pinned. He made his way straight toward the strange stallion, sliding to a halt and kicking up sand when he was just out of striking range. He lifted one forehead and stomped it. "You are not welcome here," he snarled, bloodshot green eyes flashing with anger. "Fuck off!"
MUTT; 16HH; PERLINO; FIVE
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