Inlet

Ameyuki did her best not to flinch as her father reached down to greet her. Her little frame was probably stiff to his touch. She wasn’t afraid of him, she was just really nervous. She was naturally dispositioned to being anxious and over-thinking things. She knew that her father loved her regardless but she wanted to be his perfect little girl. He then welcomed her to the family and announced her full name. The little filly mouthed it silently a few times before she repeated it in a quiet voice, “Ameyuki de Nicodemus.” She looked from her father to her mother to check that she had said it correctly. She could clearly see that her mother was very happy.

She was then told that she had a half sister that was the same age, Talei. Ameyuki smiled with excitement. Mizuki had told her that her father had sired older children so she had resigned herself to not having anyone close in age to play with. This changes everything! She looked expectantly towards her mother who was already nodding her head in approval. Ameyuki suspected that they wanted some alone time, and she wanted to play. With a respectful bow to both her parents Ameyuki trotted off towards the rest of the herd. Her tail, pure white apart from the end that looked like a paintbrush dipped in black ink, waved behind her.

Mizuki snatched this moment to snuggle into her lover once again. Oh, how she missed this. Inside she was berating herself for letting so much time pass. How many cuddles had they missed? How many long nights of talking were gone forever? She vowed that she would never separate from him for that long ever again. At least on the outside her face beamed with elation so he would not see the turmoil of emotions on the inside. Her heart swelled with so much love that she thought it was going to burst. She wished she could take this moment and freeze it in time to be cherished forever.

Nicodemus had accepted their daughter without reservations and had given Ameyuki her full name. He was a good father and he would be a good father to their future sons and daughters. The only thing Mizuki was slightly concerned about was whether her children would be used as political pawns. Would Nicodemus ship them off to strengthen his alliances with other herds or, knowing Mizuki’s history; would he leave their destinies in their own hooves. It was far too early to worry about Ameyuki’s future and the doting mother didn’t wish to sour the mood and ruin the moment by bringing up difficult and hypothetical situations right now. “Ame, in my language means rain. And Yuki means snow,” she quietly explained the meaning behind their daughter's name, half her face still buried in the softness of his painted coat. “The sky was doing both when she was born, so I thought it best to use both.” She takes a breath before asking, “The ‘de’ does this mean ‘of’? Or ‘from’?” It was a curious question and not a criticism. Part of her does feel bad that she didn’t seek his opinion on what they should call their child.