Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?

Her sides had begun to truly swell, beginning to show signs of the life growing inside her to the outside world. Her strength had been regained with this growth, reminding her more and more every day of the obligations she had. She was a mother and there was no denying that she could never truly move past the pain of losing a child, but she was also the wife of a god and far too powerful too let her pain show for long.



It would be her first journey outside Olympus since before the epidemic and the wolfess was both thrilled and nervous. Her raven flew quietly above her, but she did not need his eyes today. Since her lesson with Gaia, Natalya was more inclined to use her skill. She clicked her tongue every so often, testing her surroundings without missing a beat, but she remained at a leisurely pace. Today, for once, there was no reason to rush. This would be her mini-vacation, one day where she would put her duties for Olympus aside and keep time to herself.



By the echoes that reached her ears, she knew that she was surrounded by what seemed to be trees and that the ground was thinner up ahead. In the waning days of winter, she assumed it would be safest to avoid that area in case it was a flimsy layer of ice just waiting to be broken. The area was quiet, but she heard the flap of Poe's wings as he came closer to rest in a tree nearby. Perhaps this would have been a good place to stop for her as well, but the presence of another wolf gave her pause. Natalya stopped a few feet away from the being and sat quietly back on her haunches, only uttering one word in greeting.



"Hello."