Set before the flood

Gaia slowly made her way to the entrance of Glacier and Anaias's den, she'd been attempting this for the last few days now. Finally she had come to about two feet outside. Still she shuffled her feet. Gaia was more than happy for the new parents, she knew the incredible joy you felt after their birth. Those feelings were the reason meeting them was so hard. She wanted to hold her babies, to smell their fur and hear their voices again. She hurt from her loss, and struggled with being reminded of that as she stood outside. At this point Freewing was getting tired of her antics. He'd begun to show her some tough love. Bothering her when she'd wallowed for too long among other things to get her up and moving. He'd sing to her during the day, and had taken to sleeping between her paws. Now he would fly to the entrance and start chirping to get the occupant's attention, soft enough he wouldn't disturb the babies but loud enough that Glacier would hear him. Gaia's ears would fall to her head as she realized she'd been found out. It really was time to meet them wasn't it? ""

Art by Evelyn

Anais was out relieving herself and he had jokingly told his love to take a bath and relax and eat some food through he wasn't certain if she would take his advice - it was hard for either of them to be gone from their little ones for very long. He was curled protectively about the tiny forms of his new born children. They where strange little jelly beans with closed eyes and their whole bodies seemed to shift with each breath. He loved them so much his entire chest ached if he dared to think on it and he feared for them so fiercely he thought sometimes his heart might burst. The gravely beast wasn't use to the swell of emotion inside of himself and yet, he couldn't find himself minding in the least. These little fluffy jelly beans of doom where his, and if any dear touched or teased or even looked at them funny he would tear them into meat to feed his young.
It could quite possibly be said his need to protect had switched into overdrive.

When a bird screeched softly by his den entrance his paws twitched, alert, before he recognized the caller. He unwound himself from his children and moved quietly until his head poked outside. "Gaia?" He asked softly "are you alright?" He wasn't certain why she had come and was afraid it was because she missed her own children. He would not deprive her a moment with his own he did worry about her heart if she did so however.

With her sightless gaze set somewhere beyond the horizon she would hear the sudden appearance of Glacier at the entrance. She knew his eyes were on her as he said her name, obviously concerned. She never came to him on her own. She'd try to smile for him but its forced nature would be too obvious as she practically whispered, "I'm okay." Which wasn't really a lie she was okay, she was standing wasn't she? "I thought I'd come meet my nieces and nephews." She'd try the smile thing again, this time the part of her that was incredibly happy for Glacier would shine through the sadness she held on to. She didn't need to see them to know they were amazing. Freewing would find his place back on her shoulder as her features came to rest on Glacier's form. She'd steel herself for what she might find in there, not afraid of the pups, but of the emotions that would grip her. ""

Art by Evelyn

Her forced smile tore at his heart strings and he wanted to go to her side and tell her it would be OK - only he couldn't bring himself to lie. He knew as much about the fate if her children as she did and it still worried him every day that they would never see illume again. He did find it in him to smile when he mentioned his children and the part where she called them family only strengthen it. It did him good to hear her so easily announcing herself as one of them - something he has seen her as right from the start.

As freewing settled on Gaia's shoulder he backed up before turning around and entering the den once more, expecting them to follow after. He scooped up the tiny forms, his silver baby's lips falling open in a soft cry of protest as he disturbed them. Just as quickly, she was asleep again and Gaia would get a chance to sit beside them, having just moved the babies into a position where both of the adults could look down upon them. "You can see the elementas in them" and his soft voice was proud.