She knew her time was close, but Kiraz felt full to bursting a good week before her first real contraction. This last month or so of pregnancy she had felt huge and awkward, unable to walk but rather waddle wherever she wanted to go. Luckily she didn’t have many places to go; the Lagoon was fairly large, but it was still a finite space and she did not have much interest in exploring most of it. Mostly the red mare lingered where Tyr had brought her, comfortable enough with the additional life in her belly bringing her warmth to make up for her insubstantial winter coat.

When her contractions finally began, Kiraz fretted as she looked for a comfortable spot to welcome this huge foal into the world. What if she couldn’t get him out? She still felt so weak from her fight with the ocean, and her belly was huge. What if she hurt herself? Or worse, the foal? Anxiety gripped her as her contractions became more demanding. She found herself a sheltered spot tucked into a cluster of trees and circled a few times. She had barely found it in time; this baby was impatient, apparently, and Kiraz almost had no time for the anxiety before she had to push and dispel thought altogether.

Soon enough, a pale, wet bundle lay at her feet. Kiraz turned to it, panting and dark with sweat, her eyes wide with wonder as her delicate muzzle lowered to examine the tangle of legs. She cleaned him as he struggled to stand, the storm of hormones immediately washing away her fears. She stood for a long time just watching him, encouraging him as he went to nurse and continuing to groom his slender golden back. After what felt like only a few precious seconds but was probably several minutes, Kiraz lifted her head and called out for the boy’s father.