As he had promised the tiny bundle nestled at his side, Apollo had remained upon the floating Insula, finding no true reason as to why he should leave the peaceful heaven just yet. The stallion's internal clock told him that the world below was, or was soon to be in the midst of winter. The overo's ebony splotched hide was thick with downy fur, his winter coat growing in to help fight off Frostfall's dangerous chill, but up in here in the Insula, having a winter coat was a moot point. It seemed this was the only place free of the wintry freeze, and for Apollo, that was a-okay.

"I wonder what you are, little one," Apollo murmured towards the small egg at his side, still just as patient for the day that it would hatch as he had been upon receiving the gift from Father Earth, "What marvelous creature will you be?" Would it be a bear, like Eytan or Aoduan? A canine like Loretta? Or, perhaps, something mythical, like precious Fina? A dragon, like Tinek? It was all so very exciting, that Apollo honestly didn't mind what was in the egg, so long as it remained happy and healthy in his care. Already he felt a precious, intimate bond with whatever lay inside the egg's protective outer shell, and he could only imagine how much that bond would grow upon the creature's hatching.

"Then I'll have to decide what to name you..." The previously joyful expression seemed to slip into one of blatant nervousness. Goodness, he had never been responsible for naming anything before. What if his companion didn't like it's name? What if he named it something ridiculous? Foolish? What if others laughed at his or her name? Apollo's chest puffed out as he huffed a breath. No one better laugh! Honey-brown oculars narrowed in thought as he pondered the names that he knew of, vacantly scanning his surroundings as though searching for clues from the earth itself.

He had always been drawn to the Earth, but naming something 'Rock', 'Grass', or 'Berry' didn't seem to fit very well. Maybe after a color? Blue was a nice color. "Blue the Companion..." It wasn't that bad sounding, was it? Red was also a nice color, though. Like Ktulu's eyes. A wistful sigh crossed the Merciful's dark lips. Goodness, she would probably smack him atop the head with a hoof if she heard him now. Eytan was a clever name, as was Aoduan. Sheesh, how did Lakota and Ktulu come up with their names?

Groaning almost childishly, Apollo turned his head and nuzzled the shell of the egg at his side. "We'll decide something, I promise. Something cool and clever. I'm sure between you and I, my ball of earth, we'll figure something out."

@[Random Event]

ooc: Zola's hatching thread! :D Open for anyone to join! Even though it's been two weeks RL-time since Apollo received his egg, timeline-wise, this is set early. @[Sevin]