Orhan

Indira.

Without taking his eyes off his daughter, Orhan mentally rehearsed her name. Indira. It was soft and sweet: perfect for such an endearing little filly. It did not even cross his mind to note that Arcana had chosen her name without any consultation from him. Of the few children he'd had, the only one for which he'd had any input was Koray, but that had been an unexpected treat. It was the mares who had to go through the ordeal of carrying and birthing their foals; the least they deserved was to choose the name of the child they had produced.

Then Indira yawned, and it was as if whatever spell had fallen over Orhan was broken. His mouth spread in a wide smile and he chuckled. "Being born must be so tiring, eh?" And, suddenly aware that he had hardly given Arcana a second glance, the stallion lifted his head and offered the mare an affectionate smile. "She's beautiful," he told her, and his eyes danced momentarily back to his daughter. "Aren't you?" he murmured, head tilted and face bright with elation. His snout lowered to gently bump the filly's tiny nose with his own.

After a few moments, he returned his attention to Arcana and took a few closer to her. Still he trembled, but much of the shock had passed; now he practically glowed with bliss. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, touching her neck and pulling away to search her face for any sign of pain or exhaustion. He stood with his legs stiff and tail flagged, as if ready to dash away at any moment and return with whatever Arcana's heart desired.