The sun had not yet risen when the first pains of birth begun, but hovered quietly below the horizon, painting the sky in a neutral gray. Mindful of how easy it was to get swept into fear and panic, the scarred mare turned her attention to menial tasks that would keep her busy throughout the day. It was strange to be on this side of the experience, and Sidika marveled at each new contraction as she had at each new stage of her pregnancy. In all of her years, Sidika had not imagined herself having either the courage to ask or a stallion that would see her in such a fashion. One that would trust in her capabilities as a parent, and who would not mind being with her in such a way.

The affection she had for Maslakhat was no fairytale romance. She did not pine away her days staring out at his impressive silhouette with dreams of winning his love. No, her feelings were but a small, controlled burn, kept carefully in check by reason and doubt. He had ignited them with his casual caress upon their first meeting, but she knew better than to let the flames lick too high or far beyond her station on the outskirts of the Dunes herd. As much as she had enjoyed her time with the golden bay stallion, Sid would not place demands upon his time. She'd spotted the fair and beautiful mare Merwerit from afar, similarly swollen with child and knew that she was not the only one that Mas had spent time with in the fall. The girl was bred for the desert, her youth and beauty a beacon for any stallion, let alone one such as Maslakhat. It reassured her, in a way, to know that her stallion did not only have her for company. Sidika knew that she was not exactly the most sociable, and while the Sons and their growing herd occupied the Dunes with them, but they functioned almost as a separate entity. It seemed to suit all parties and left the sooty palomino mare with plenty of alone time.

As her contractions grew in strength and dusk fell over the land, Sid abandoned her physical tasks and instead relied on counting her breaths until each pain passed. By the time her child slipped from her body, Sidika was well and truly sorry for each mare she'd ever coached through the process. Her aloof nature and distant tones came from a caregiver's place, but not one of empathy. Birth was gritty and painful and personal. Even knowing the things that she did, panic had welled in her heart and commiserated with terror until at last it was over. She was infinitely thankful that while this was her first child, it was not the first birth she'd ever witnessed. She'd seen more than her fair share of first-time mothers panicked by each stage of the process simply because they'd had no idea what to expect.

Eager to make sure her son was alright, Sid quickly rolled onto her chest, neatly blocking out her pain. She had known, since the first quick little movement, that the bebek in her womb was a boy, as she had hoped. Sidika would love it either way, but the thought of raising a girl to live amongst these strangers, so far from other of their kind terrified her. A son would be a strong addition for Maslakhat, someone he could teach the ways of live that not even Sidika fully understood. The small dark figure at her hocks struggled against the sack that encapsulated him until he managed to rupture it and take his first breath of the still night air. Her heart swelled in that moment and she rose to her hooves, still feeling very much like a beached whale. Her son, shades darker than the budding night sky above, was fighting against his cocoon with a series of small snorts and much headshaking.

Uncharacteristic tears spilled unbidden from her lids and she quickly bent to clean him, echoing his tiny snorts with long inhales of his newborn scent. He did not belong to another mare. She did not have to give him back or part with him once his spindly legs orchestrated themselves into some kind of order. He was her own tiny, beautiful miracle. Coaxed by his mother's gentle ministrations, the inky black colt rose unsteadily onto his dark hooves after a few unsuccessful attempts and nursed. For a long moment, Sid simply rested her muzzle on the swaying swell of his haunches to steady him and drank in the comforting scent of her newborn son. Maslakhat would never know how deep her appreciation was that he had gifted her with such a miracle.

As her gangly son napped, she even went so far as to bury the remains of the birth beneath the clear desert sky, giving up a silent prayer to the gods that he would grow strong and tall as his father. It was a rare bit of superstition from her, and one that she had never actively encouraged in any of the mares that she cared for, but she felt that she finally understood the powerful motivations that drove mothers to pray for their children. Sidika did not believe in the gods, but if they did exist, she wanted their blessing for her child. She wanted every blessing for him.

Like most newborns, Geçersiz did not sleep for long at first, and was quickly stumbling back to his feet to nurse yet again. Fondly, the golden mare ruffled the silky strands of his mane with her lips, before gently coaxing the small colt to the top of their nearest Dune and calling out for the boy's father. It was time that Geçersiz be introduced.