Ref sheet for my main horse character, Perses (birth name Astraeus), done by a Polish artist named Marta (Marcianek).... I don't think she's really active on here, but if I remember her screen name here I'll add it here.

I am really happy with how it turned out. ^^

Perses' world is a fictional setting resembling the Greco-Roman time period, and he was a former champion in the Colosseum competitions as a chariot steed.

In this world, anthro horses are a slave race (big cats are the aristocracy, and lions are the ruling class), and in Colosseum sports (where slaves were often used), horses are not entrusted with weapons. However, they are responsible both for pulling the chariot and protecting their riders from harm; so they are given some basic pieces of armor (arm & leg guards) and a shield.

The name “Perses” is a reference to the Titan of Destruction from Greek mythology. This is not his birth name, but a "stage name" given to him by his owner/sponsor in the Colosseum. At this time setting, draft horses are not very common (he's an Ardennais, which is one of the oldest draft horse breeds dating back to Ancient Rome), so his giant stature is a spectacle on its own; he’s so heavy and robustly built that when he and a rival chariot’s steeds ram into each other, he can completely shatter the rival’s shields (hence the name Perses).

But at some point he gets injured during a competition and was retired from the sports, and delegated to lowly duty as a stable keeper for other horses. This is the state in which  balaa's character meets him. Her character is the ruler of an empire resembling Sumer, but she left her seat of power to embark on a journey for personal meaning. She purchases Perses from his previous owner initially as a pack horse to carry her belongings, and at first he doesn't know who she is. They gradually discover each other's story.