The Nature of the Beast (celestial fight training)

He was giddy inside, filled with wonder at the new lives that were his and Solveiga’s children. They were a wonder in their own right, and not merely because he was on a baby high. They shimmered, Aurielle especially, under every stray ray of light that made it to the alcove, and the snow that had made it through the gap in the roof of the ravine added to that light.

Aramis was an inky black, yet the light revealed his coat to have a shimmering series of blues in his coat, brightest when under the direct light. Aurielle was the opposite, a white gem against her brother. Her fur shimmered a series of shades under the light, and every move seemed to bring out more. He wondered at both of them, but if he cast his mind back far enough, he remembered that his grandmother always seemed to have a faint silvery shimmer to her own coat, even though she was a vibrant snow white in her base color.

He was pondering this, watching them sleep against their mother, when Gwenevere’s howl reached his ears and he grinned. That was what he liked to hear. He rose quietly, slipping from the alcove and out of the den caves. It didn’t take him long to reach the already growing group, and he was pleased to see that there was actually attendance.

He spotted three rainbow backs as he sat among the group beside his siblings, scanning the rest before he gave Gwen a nod, both of greeting and thanks. He’d noticed the stronger scents along the borders since the raid, certainly, and hers had been prominent.