Kiraz leaves the golden Akhal Teke on the Common’s beach with some regret. He was so familiar, like a family member she’d never met, and his gleaming face lingers in her mind for the first few minutes of their trek along the white sands. Her body moves in a lopsided fashion as she limps alongside the shire stallion, his own coat a different shade of gleaming gold, slashed through with midnight blue. In the tug of war between familiarity of blood and the actions of her unfamiliar savior, eventually the latter won in her mind and the other ‘Teke was set aside in her memories for later. She hobbles behind the two-toned stallion, her pain easier to ignore with the guilt she feels at undoubtedly slowing him down. She is small, already slower than him due to their size difference, but slower still for her injuries and soreness while he moves with ease. At least he is protective, and as he had been when they were joined by the ‘Teke stallion, he continues to seem reluctant to leave her alone, and for that she is grateful.

Eventually the beach seems to split off into the sea, carving out a lake of seawater that nestles deep into the land. Surrounding this lake is a dense forest, and into that dense forest Kiraz is lead.

The air is heavy and humid, and the scent of ocean water is strong. The ground is sandy and soft, and both Kiraz and her companion’s footfalls are muted. They weave quietly into the warmth of the Lagoon; the only sound to announce their arrival is the sudden hush of insects close by, but their drone throughout the verdant green is loud enough that Kiraz is doubtful of anyone noticing this particular bubble of quiet.

”What is this place?” she asks, sidling up to the shire’s glimmering gold side. This soft ground is easier on her tired, hurting body, and she does not fall behind so easily now. At one point, she summons the energy to catch up all the way, and presses against the comforting side of the one who saved her. His heat is intoxicating, and it might have just been her delirium, but she cannot seem to get close enough.

”I didn’t catch your name,” she says, breathless from exertion and a strange mix of anxiety and excitement from the newness of this situation and of the shire stallion. Surely, she had swallowed too much seawater and had experienced too much terror over the night that any amount of kindness shown by a stranger is almost too much to bear; Kiraz knows this, but doesn’t care. She is overwhelmed, caring only that she feels safe in the protective shire’s presence, not having the capacity to think of anything else.