[open] Better | Birthing

[Rhysand]

He shook his head in a simple no, so far he felt fine. So far he only felt afraid, and not by his guest. 

Rhysand did not fear the stallion before him, nor did he move away when he stretched forward, quietly pressing him to try again. The boy did as he was told, finally forcing his splotchy hide to stand tall. As he did so, another approached. A mare who he had seen leaving only moments before.

She let out a simple greeting, a wicker to which he replied with a small version of his own,

"Hi."

He whispered, finding himself quietly overwhelmed by it all. New smells, new sights, new horses were all filling into his head at once, and he rushed to keep up with the jumbled mess of it all.

Had the stallion spoken again? Rhysand rallied to remember what it was he had said to him.... 

The stallion had called himself Orion, but the mare had not offered up a name. 

"My name is Rhysand."

He stuttered, the name was said 'rhee-sand' though the boy struggled with this and it came out 'rhis-and'.

"Are you my dad?"

He inquired, almost nervous to ask the lumbering gray stallion. He had a dreadful feeling that he was not. A feeling that sunk his heart to the lowest place in his chest. But the boy had hope held higher than anything, so he let the question hang.