Where Has the Time Gone?

[saerwen]

The crash of the waves on the shore was much softer than usual. The breeze was blowing sweetly through the trees, just enough to provide some relief from the heat of the summer sun but not enough to stir the waves to anger. The leaves of the trees behind Jaedon flapped gently. With eyes closed, one could still make out the scenery around them. There was the sound of laughter on the air, mixed with the cry of sea gulls. A warm sun beat down on the world, heating it up, but not unbearably. It balanced perfectly with the wind. The soft sand of the beach felt like powder to the touched, plush and fine. The smell of the salt water filled your nose to the point that you could smell no other scent.

Jaedon was laying out on the sand, a fluffy quilt under her, protecting her from getting sand all over herself. Her hair was pulled back into a tight french braid, now back to its long and streaming tresses instead of her shorter look. She donned a pair of mid-thigh, pristine white shorts with little blue flowers crawling up the side and an a halter top blue shirt to match the designs. Dark sunglasses with roses and vines on the rims covered her emerald eyes from the sun, even though they were closed. It was obvious she was thoroughly enjoying laying out in the sun, being warm, and having some quiet time to herself. Yes, quiet... that was something that she had not experienced in a long time. Ever since that day when Neron proposed to her, her life was never the same again, literally. She usually marked that day as the beginning of the change, but it really was quite gradual when she thought about it carefully. Where had that time gone? She was starting to feel like time had somehow cheated her and taken away days from her life without her knowing. In reality, she had just become so busy that lift flew by before she could stop and smell the roses.

After Jaedon had recovered from her wounds enough to walk around on her own and stray from Cecily's little hut on her own, Neron had wasted no time. There was no ceremony, just a legal official, a marriage certificate, and a nice honeymoon. A smile crept slowly onto Jaedon's face as she thought about the honeymoon. However, she shook her head and continued with her thoughts. She and Neron had gotten along splendidly well thus far, which came as a shock to them both, although Neron would never had admitted to something like that.

Then came the exciting part of life. Miriel had her babies. Jaedon could have laughed out loud when she remembered the look on Damion's face. Oh yes, they had two, both of them the most adorable little girls in the world. Poor Damion just seemed to attract women, and now he had a disgraceful, embarrassing amount of female beauty to claim as his own. That was when chaos had really begun. Adelahn and Tryss were simply darling, although there was mischief enough to go around, as there always seemed to be with little kids. Adelahn was a little more docile than Tryss now that she was a bit older, but she still had a terrible tendency to break out into temper tantrums and crying fits. It was simply awful when one of her fits showed its ugly face.

Two little bouncing girls made life crazy, and Jaedon had begun to question if she really wanted to have kids. But by the time that she had asked that question, she was beyond all hope of rescuing. Not a week after Miriel gave birth, Jaedon found out she was pregnant. The memories of telling Miriel, then Damion, and lastly, Neron were nothing short of humiliating. Jaedon had been terrified, for no good reason of course, and had almost broken down into tears (although Jaedon blamed that on the crazy outpouring of hormones in her body due to the pregnancy). However, after they had overcome that, and all of the other times where Jaedon had gone on crazy chocolate cravings, random soapbox rants, and whimsical crying fits, they did just fine and Jaedon now had two little sprites of her own. She swore to Neron that if she ever had to go through child birth again, she was going to channel all of her pain onto him so that he would feel it all. That was the only part that she had not liked about having kids. Now that they were out, it was all good. THUD--AHHHHH!!!!! Jaedon flinched as she heard the tell tale sound coming from a little in front of her. So much for peace and quiet. She cracked one eye open and looked towards the crystal blue water where her two munchkins were romping around in the wet sand. One of them had, no doubt, just been bowled over by a wave and freaked out accordingly. She begrudgingly sat up from her reclining position and looked at her kids to make sure they were okay. She saw both little heads at once, still poking around near the water. They weren't drowning, that was the first worry out of the way. She scrutinized the pair for a moment before reassuring herself they were both fine. Her brow then furrowed, where was Neron?

[»Míríel«]

"You seem to be enjoying yourself a little to much." Neron's smiled down at Jaedon before settling beside her. In each hand he held two drinks. Setting them down he handed one to Jaedon. "I thought something to drink maybe nice. I got juice for the little rascals. How are our little spawns doing?" He had a slight teasing smirk on his face. It was strange now being a father, Neron felt so much older, but still the same. He wouldn't go back to how life was though. Those little kids out there had taken a hold of his heart, a much larger one than he would admit. HE couldn't imagine how he survived without them or Jaedon. Looking out at the two children at the waters edge he shook his head. "Don't look now but I believe Miya has shifted..."

Miya their little girl took after Jaedon. Her raven hair curled about her shoulders in the most innocent fashion as her large green eyes, perfectly framed with long lashes, looked so curious. She was a little scattered at times, well actually most the time but Neron was sure she would mellow out with age. Right now, she was in her true form, a panther cub with longer than usual fur that stuck out in every witch way making her look more like a fluffball than anything else. "Don't tell me you looked like that when you were a cub." Neron glanced at Jaedon.

Miya had stood at the waters edge with her back to the water and glared at her brother. "I'm not to close!!" Her little voice squealed as she bounced closer to the water. "See I won't get wet!" It was then she was bowled over by the wave causing her to screech. When she had come out of the shock of the sudden shock she reverted into shifting back to her true form. "Stupid human form. Mommy is silly to make me keep using it. This one is so much better. The waves will never catch me now!" She lowered herself to the ground in a stalking like motion as her cat eyes eyed her brother. "Plus... It's so much cuter" She purred. Just as she was about to pounce on him something caught her attention. "OH! A SHELL!" Turning around, she eyed the little shell. IT was a funny little thing with arms and legs. Immediately she was distracted. Eyes wide she bent down to stiff it. One of the arms snapped at her, causing her to leap back with a little MREOWR of shock. The shell, a crab, started to scuttle away. "Oh no you don't! I'm gonna get you!" Miya's little chubby paws carried her, scampering after the crab, which was heading straight for the water. Just as she was drawing close, something else distracted her. A wave heading straight for her. Due to her small stature, for she was smaller than most cubs and still rather young, the wave looked much bigger than it really was. A little whimper came out of her mouth as she slammed on her brakes, her ears pulled back and her mouth open. Another thud was heard as the wave carried her backwards, filling her fur with sand.

Spitting salt water out she sat there baffled at what had just happened. Her fur stood spiked in every which way gave her a comical appearance. Miya, not knowing what else to do in her state just started to cry.

[saerwen]

Jaedon's head whipped around to look at Neron. Then she saw the drinks he had in hand and smiled. Neron had figured out very soon in their marriage that Jaedon had a certain attraction to whiskey and beer. She could drink the other stuff, but those two provided her the most pleasure. It had gotten so bad, like the chocolate, that he had been forced to ban her from them on occasions when she wanted it a little too much. Even now, they were more of a treat to her than anything. For the purpose of the moment though, she was content with something cold and wet.

"It's the beach, Neron, how could I not enjoy myself?" she paused as she took a few long sips from the cup. When he asked how the kids were doing, Jaedon just shook her head and sighed. She leaned back on her elbows after placing her drink aside and said, "Congratulations, Neron. You and I together have managed to make two of the strangest children I have ever seen in my life. Although which one is more abnormal, I can't tell." She looked at Byren who was sitting contentedly in the sand, fashioning a strange sort of structure with a conglomeration of shells that he had spent a good half hour collecting. She was appalled whilst watching him at how meticulous he was. He had spread all of the shells out on the ground, right-side up, in perfect rows, separated by size and color variation. He had then made the foundations for his structure with sand and water, then begun to place the shells. He would place one shell then pull his head back, stare at it for a moment and then make the required adjustment as he saw fit and then place the next once and repeat the process. A shiver ran down her spine as watched him. That was just weird. But then her eyes turned to her daughter and she was puzzled yet again. She was the most ADD, unfocused, and lively little pudgy-pawed panther cub she had ever seen. She wasn't sleek and graceful like Jaedon, or even like Byren. She was like Neron in that respect, falling all over herself, literally. She was the kind of cub to trip over her own tail even though it was behind her.

Neron caught Jaedon's attention when he mentioned Miya changing. Her eyes shot to the little girl and saw that Neron was right. Jaedon let out an annoyed, "UGH! You have got to be kidding me?" She looked at Neron and asked, "Is it even worth me telling her to change back?" It wasn't that she minded her kids being in their true form, she just wanted them to learn at an early age how to change and keep their skin. It had been so much easier for her that way than it would have been. Jaedon gave Neron a look and said, "Absolutely not. My hair wasn't nearly as long, and I actually took time to groom myself. I am starting to think she is a lost cause there as well."

Byren sat in the sand, huddled around his little shell fortress. The idea had initially been to build a castle completely out of shells, but as Byren had begun his work, he found it much more fulfilling to push the shells into the sand walls of an already fashioned castle. He liked the way t looked. By shoving the shells in just the right way, it looked like the walls of the castle were covered in dragon's scales. In his meticulous detailing, Byren had kept all of the shell of the same color together. It made the puzzle a little more complex, but not so hard that it was impossible. In his peripheral vision he could see his sister bumbling around near the water, always getting closer before being bowled over by a wave and retreating. She simply shook his head and ignored her. It hadn't taken long for her to loose her human skin and Byren just looked at her when she did.

"Mother wants you to use your human for so that you will get used to it. If you can't do it when you are little, you will have no hope of perfecting it when you are older. Even Mother and Father like their true forms the best, but they still stay in their human form most of the time because they know they have to. You are just going to have to stay locked up in the house if you can't perfect that form," he spoke in such a droll manner that one might have thought he was dozing off as he spoke, but his reasoning was quite sound. When she mentioned it being cuter he left out a huff and mumbled under his breath, "Cute is relative."

Byren went back to focusing on his castle, but it wasn't long before he heard his little sister break out crying. Figures. She was such a wimp sometimes, but Byren considered her stupidity the cause of it. He supposed that if she were to become smart one day, she might be able to overcome her natural clumsiness and lack of grace. She might have looked like their mother, but she acted nothing like her.

"Mother, the Fluffy One has fallen," he announced in the direction of his parents before going back to his project.

When Miya started crying Jaedon shook her head before dragging herself to her feet and walking over to the little fluff ball. She bent down and picked Miya up, setting her upright on her paws. "Calm down, Miya, it's just a little bit of water. Spit it out and go back to playing." She gave Miya's back a pat to ease any more coughs that might come out due to the water. Sometimes Jaedon wondered if she was too harsh on her children. She wasn't the kind of mother to pick up her child after they had fallen and hold them for an hour. She just put them back on their feet and expected them to carry on. Part of her said that she should have been more gentle with them, but she really couldn't stand the thought of babying her children. They needed to learn to pick themselves up and stand on their own two feet, or paws, whichever was applicable. She backed away from the girl to wait and see if she would keep crying or go back to playing.

[»Míríel«]

Neron nodded to JAedon. "That is true." He took a sip from the glass and reclined back slightly. "On both accounts. The beach is delightful and our kids." He shook his head before casting a glance in Jaedon's direction. "I blame you." He chuckled slightly before following her gaze to Byren and then flicked his eyes to Miya and then back to Byren. IT was strange how you could love your children differently, for different reasons, but still love them the same amount. Both were, as JAedon had mentioned, strange. Byren was a promising child, he was meticulous, strong minded, and a deep thinker. IT was almost scary, the kid was well beyond his age. Then there was little Miya. Neron shook his head. That little girl was a trip, she was so playful she reminded him of a firefly, flitting around at night with random flicks of light here and there in different directions.

"I wouldn't try it, let her be free a little while she will learn soon enough. I don't think she has even wrapped her mind around her true body yet, she needs time I think. What can I say she has my grace." He smiled, "Poor soul." When Jaedon talked about her hair Neron raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" A smile played on his lips, "I can see you all fur with two big eyes poking out. All cute...and..." He frowned. "Well... maybe not." He shifted away, trying to dodge any slaps that may be coming his way.

"There's always hope! That's what Daddy says. Don't be so...narsa...narsas...narsysissa..ssiss...tic?" Miya's brow furrowed as her expression was between a pout and a frown. Was that the right word Mom had used before? She shook her head and sniffed, "Don't be so mean. " Her ear flicked back towards him as he talked about cuteness. "Yes, relative to me!" She sang back. "I'm so cute.. so cute... and fluffy!" She did a little dance as she sang. "Daddy told me so!"

Miya did not stop crying until Jaedon picked her up and put her on her paws. She knew that she wasn't going to get any pity from her mother, and so she sniffed and tried blinking her tears away. Giving a cough or two, trying to clear her mouth of the taste she satisfied herself with sticking her little pink tongue out of her mouth. "It's nasty water Momma." Her words were muffled as she tried to talk with her tongue sticking out.

Neron sighed at the cry of his child. Standing up he picked up the juice and headed after Jaedon. Looking at his poor little girl with her hair sticking out like she had fallen asleep with gel in her hair and woken up with a terrible bed head, he had to hold back his laughter. Jaedon would have been able to tell by the way his lips were trying to stay straight and his eyes were dancing with laughter. Clearing his throat he held out the drink. "Here take a swig, it'll clear the taste." Then remembering she was in cub form he held it down for her to lap up.

Miya stuck her tongue in and held it there for a moment before actually taking a couple licks. Then with the taste no longer being on the front of her mind her eyes shot up and looked up at her parents. "Daddy, Mommy, did you see me?! O saw this HUGE shell" With the word huge she leaped up on all four paws as he fur seemed to stick out even more. " And when I went to touch it it MOOVED!" Her eyes grew wide. "It went this way and that and I chased after it!" She did a little demonstration by running around their feet. She paused for a second and looked up at JAedon. "I tried to remember what you had taught me momma, and I almost had it, really I did. But then this HUUUGE wave. came out of no where and hit me causing the little shell to escape and it carried me over here.... Like this!" She rolled in the sand, only adding to the particles in her fur. "I thought I had died." She closed her eyes and acted dead for a moment. Looking up at them from her upside down position she smiled, "But then you picked me up Momma and I knew I would be ok!" She rolled onto her feet and stood up. "Pretty cool huh?" She shook her fur out sending sand everywhere. She stood still for a moment and cocked her head. She thought she heard something very distant and her eyes searched around before landing on her father, sending another thought in her mind. "Oh Daddy look!!" Without another word she launched herself in the air, spread her little wings and hovered an inch above the ground. Her flight only lasted a second before she tumbled down. "I've gotten better!"

NEron just shook his head at all of the babble that sprang for from the little kid. She did not get that from him. "Very good, though you still have a long way to go little one. Here." He picked her up. "Spread your wings, let's practice gliding." He waited until she complied, then giving her a little boost in the air he let go. Miya flapped once or twice, but managed to hold the gliding a position for a little while.

"Look Daddy!" She called out and turned her head to look back . This verbal announcement and movement of her head caused her to loose control. She found herself heading straight for Byren's little castle and it didn't take long before she had a crash landing in it.

[saerwen]

Jaedon gave Neron a slight shove in retaliation to his comment, "Oh, as though I am the only strange one in this relationship, eh?"

Jaedon gave a small scoff, "Your lack thereof, you mean. But at least you have some grace in your true form. She's just as bad in either one." Jaedon glared at Neron when he mentioned being able to picture her as a big puff ball with eyes, and but she didn't get truly mad until he took it back. She grabbed her cup and threatened to throw it at him, saying what could save him if he agreed to it, "You mean I'm just too gorgeous for you to picture me like such an uncouth little fluff muffin." Jaedon held her cup ready to strike should he give her some sort of sass.

Byren's cool demeanor almost cracked when his sister tried to pronounce the word narcissistic. If she couldn't pronounce it, she couldn't possibly have known what it meant. She quickly revised her statement to easier words. "You mean narcissistic," Byren corrected her, hoping that she would buy into his game and start trying to pronounce it correctly. He could amuse himself for hours if she would keep doing it. As she did her little drunken dance, Byren just glared at her apathetically, "Relative to the eyes of the beholder, Puff, to the eyes of the one looking. Father is just smitten with you because he can imagine you being what Mother looked like when she was little." Byren knew that was not the whole truth but he did know that his fahter often drew an almost synonymous connection between Jaedon and Miya. They really did look a lot alike and it left Neron with ample things to tease Jaedon about since Miya was so completely different from Jaedon in personality.

Jaedon couldn't help but giggle as she listened to her child talk through her tongue. As much as Jaedon hated to admit it, Miya's dorky side was one of her most lovable attributes. She was so different from the rest of the family because she was actually bright and happy. Her personality was so outgoing, Jaedon wondered sometimes if she and Miriel had gotten their children mixed up at one point or another.

"Darling, if you keep talking with your tongue out you are going to bite it, and it won't feel good," Jaedon advised. "Of course it's nasty water, it's sea water. Sea water is always salty." She watched as Neron gave Miya a sip of the juice he had brought. Neron was so much better with them than she was. She could see the laughter tugging at Neron's lips, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. Her fur was simply a catastrophe. Jaedon dreaded the thought of trying to bathe her later. As much as Miya might have liked the water, she was simply repulsed by the thought of any kind of bathing, whether by her mothers tongue or in an actual bath tub. Jaedon reached down and brushed some of Miya's fur while she drank, murmuring, "You are such a mess."

Laughter erupted from Jaedon as Miya ran around talking and recounting the tale of her just passed experience. She eventually grabbed her stomach because she was laughing so hard at her child. How the girl had become so dramatic, Jaedon didn't know, but she could have been in a movie and no one would have been able to tell otherwise. Jaedon nodded sympathetically when she mentioned her quarry getting away.

"Very cool, dear," Jaedon agreed. She was about to suggest that Miya go back to playing when she noticed that her child had actually paused. Was it possible? The girl had stopped long enough for Jaedon to think about talking? THat was rare. What had caused it, Jaedon wondered, but before she could ask, Miya had started again. Jaedon just shook her head and watched at she tried to fly, but ended up tumbling to the ground. However, Jaedon could almost see what was fixing to happen before it even took place, as soon as she distracted herself from her flying, she went plummeting down into Byren's castle. Jaedon flinched and then sighed, looking at Neron. "She has the attention span of a mouse. Maybe it's a good thing she didn't develop any telepathy skills." She then stepped over to where the crash had occured and where a miniature war was no doubt fixing to start.

Byren just stared at his sister, piled in a heap on top of the remains of his little fortress. His eyes were as big as her when she was begging for something, but he wasn't begging for anything. He was mad. How could she had been so careless? All f his shells...they had been so perfectly separated out and now they lay in a scattered mess all over the ground. It was slowly driving him crazy as he looked at the once perfectly scattered members of his castle all over the ground. Within a few seconds his skin had vanished and Byren was on his paws, giving his sister a menacing growl. Fire started to spread from his feet to his sisters location.

Jaedon felt a low growl come from her own throat as Byren's fire appeared. No matter how much she loved Neron and Byren, she simply could never get used to their fire magic. It made her skin crawl. Jaedon swooped down and picked Miya up to get her out of Byren's way.

"Byren, that's enough. It was an accident," Jaedon said forcefully. She wasn't going to take any slack. She looked at Miya and demanded, "Say you're sorry, Miya."

Byren let out a growl as his mother intervened. The flames smoldered to the little shells and caused them to shatter to pieces. He didn't even want to look at them any more. He sobered up slightly and mumbled, "Forget it. She's a hopeless klutz anyway." He then started to marched off down the beach and look for something new to keep his mind occupied. He just prayed that Miya didn't follow him.

[»Míríel«]

"Well I didn't want to say it..." Neron smiled at Jaedon. Once Jaedon threatened to through her drink Neron held up his hands. "Yes, of course. " He got up and stretched. "Though you are rather uncouth sometimes." He smiled impishly at her.

As Byren called after Miya telling her that Neron only called her cute because she looked like Jaedon, Miya just turned her head his direction and stuck out her tongue, "Not true!" And then scampered on.

When Jaedon talked about biting her tongue Miya immediately brought it back into her mouth as her eyes widened. Pain was something she was not a huge fan of. Though Miya could handle good deal tougher than many may think, she just chose not to be. Tilting her head to the side she looked at her mother. "How can the fishes stand it?" Before Jaedon could really answer Miya continued, "I wonder what it would be like to be a fish. Swimming through the sea," She frowned, "In nasty nasty water..." A look of mishief came to her face when she was called a mess. "I know!" Miya sat up straight and looked proud of that fact. "Isn't it great?"

Neron couldn't help but smile at Jaedon's laughter. Ever since the children had been born Jaedon had laughed more than he had ever seen her laugh. IT seemed like Little Miya was a blessing in that way, bringing laughter to the sorrowful. To be honest Neron hadn't had any depression episodes ever since his marriage to Jaedon. He wondered how long this peace would continue to last. His deep laughter rang out as the girl seemed proud of her state of appearance. Reaching down he ruffled the fur on her head a bit more. Stepping back and eying her sceptically for a moment he than nodded, "Perfect." Which merited a little giggle from the girl. Neron was impressed by how much Miya had learned how to fly. She had improved a lot. As he saw his little little puffball heading straight for Byren's creation Neron sighed. "Great." He looked at Jaedon and shrugged, "She has gotten better though."

Miya groaned before poking her head up from the remains of the castle. "Nice castle! The shells are a bit sharp but-" She stopped her chatter as a low growl emitted from her brothers mouth. Miya's eyes grew large as she realized he had lost his skin. "Oops..." Fire started to race toward her causing her to stumble backwards, the stumble soon turning into a tumble. Just as the fire began to reach her she felt herself being lifted off the ground by Jaedon.

Neron walked over to the new site of action. It was never a dull moment in their family.

Miya's ears folded back at the thought of apologizing. "Aww, Momma..." She turned to see her brother and was immediately sorry. "I'm sorry." She bowed her head as her brothers harsh words lashed out at her. What he said was true, she was a hopeless klutz with no powers. Before that mindset started to set in it shifted gears and she struggled in her mom's arms. "Wait! Byren!" She somehow managed to flop out and plopped to the ground. "Wait!" She ran after her brother. "I'm Sorry!! I didn't mean to! I -" Her feet got twisted under her and she tumbled down. "Oof" Miya shook her head and observed her lost ground with a sigh. Picking herself up she continued after her brother. "Wait, wait!" She muttered under her breath about how she hated being so small. "Byren!" Catching up she tried to stop suddenly, only resulting in skidding in front of him and falling over. "I'm sorry!!" She picked herself up once again. Large green eyes stared at him, as she shifted her feet, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to, I'll help you get more shells if you would like." She ducked her head and muttered, "I really am sorry...."

Neron had frowned at Byren's words. It seemed that Miya got all of the happiness between him in Jaedon, which could explain her small size, and Byren got all the moodiness. He would usually have said something, but this time Neron thought it would be better to let the little tantrum run itself out before talking to the kid. Looking at Jaedon he shook his head. "What are we going to do with those two?"

[saerwen]

Jaedon relaxed when he agreed with her revision and took another sip before giving him and angry glare. She was tempted to throw the drink on him anyways, but his little impish smile dissuaded her. It was hard to be mad at him when he looked like that. She readjusted her sunglasses as she replied, "Me, uncouth? At least I don't trip over imaginary rocks." She gave him a sideways glance before admitting, "Although you have definitely been getting better about it."

As Miya chattered on, Jaedon just smiled. However, when Miya became triumphant about her state of appearance, Jaedon scowled. Her scowl turned into a glare directed at Neron as he played along. Though it was cute to see them interact, Jaedon had no intention of letting the little girl get away with her joy at being dirty. "It isn't going to be so great tonight when you have to take a bath and you hair is all tangled and dirty." She then addressed Neron sourly, "How about you give her a bath tonight?"

Byren found that he got a sadistic kind of joy from watching his sister tumble and bumble all over herself in fear of his flames. The had licked and lapped at her with all of his fury. Byren loved his sister, but as her brother, he considered it his duty to make her life terrible and he enjoyed seeing her squirm under his powers or his master minding. He knew that he had said a truly cruel thing to her, but somehow his mind reasoned that she deserved it for destroying all of his work. Miya wasn't just a hopeless klutz, she was a powerless one as well. That made her a prime and perfect punching bag for Byren whose powers had come on quick and strong. He had his fire magic and he was slightly telepathic, getting better as his mother helped him along. He was able to keep control of his skin pretty well, and he could function well in it. It seemed that Byren had taken all of skills from the gene pool and simply left Miya with Jaedon's looks, Neron's luck, and Neron's poise. This caused Byren to feel sorry for Miya and slightly responsible for her, but he would never let her know.

As Miya squirmed in Jaedon's arms, she smiled. Her little girl, for all that she might be, she was definitely thoughtful and affectionate, a trait that Jaedon was glad that little thing had. As Miya scampered after Byren struggling to catch up as she fought with her poise problems, Jaedon turned to Neron and answered his question, "Memorize the number for the psyc ward and love them as much as we can. That is about all we can do."

As Miya came to a skidding and ungraceful halt in front of Byren, he just sat down, his tail folding over his paws and looked down at her, his eyes as unemotional as a pair of rocks. After a moment, he let out a sigh and said, "Forget about it. Doesn't matter anymore." He knew that she would still be miserable after that, and since he really couldn't stand to see her so guilty, he decided to try and lighten the mood. He looked aside and then quickly batted at her ear with his paw, his claws still sheathed. He then batted at her again before leaping over her and dashing off down the beach. "Dare you to try and catch me," he said over his shoulder as he ran. His sleek, scaled body was able to dun over the sand much faster and smoother than her pudgy, fluffy could, and he knew it, but he also knew that if Miya really wanted to, she could give him a run for his money. Byren directed his paws closer to the water so that the ground would be harder and easier to run in. He was careful to avoid the waves, but he also made sure that he ran close enough so that if Miya made just a few sideways steps, she could easily be smacked down by the waves. He looked back occasionally to see how she was faring.

[»Míríel«]

Neron smiled slightly at what Jaedon had said. "That I have. That I have. Perhaps there is hope for Miya."

Miya looked up at Jaedon with big eyes of horror. "Aww Momma!" She paused for a moment. "It's not going to be nasty water like this is it?" Her nose scrunched up in disgust at the thought.

Neron looked at Jaedon. "Oh I couldn't rob you of the pleasure." Then squatting down he looked at his little girl. "No the water will be nice and warm. I may have been informed that there are bubbles. You would like that wouldn't you?"

Miya's ears immediately pricked forward at the word bubbles. "Ever so much Daddy! I loove bubbles!They are so fluffy and puffy! Just like me!" She frowned, "Only...white and...dead."

Neron laughed and patted her on the head, "Now be good or no bubbles." Miya nodded fiercely. She would try.

Neron laughed and pulled Jaedon close to him in a sort of hug. "Good one. As soon as we get back I'll look up the number. You can do the loving, you know that is to mushy for a man like me." His lip twitched upward as he said it. It was so obvious that what he said wasn't true. Neron loved his children immensely and had done better with them than one could have thought. He had always wanted a family, having never really had one. " I wonder how long the ward would be able to hold them before they escaped. " He could just imagine Byren sitting in a room still plotting an elaborate escape as little puff bounced around the walls, or climbed up the padding, perhaps even ripping it open to play with the stuffing. He shook his head, only their kids. "I wonder how Miriel and Damion's kids are getting along." It had been harder to get together when both families were busy with life. Sure they still got to see each other and let the children play, but it was different than before when everyone had been single. Those days seemed like so long ago.

Miya's ears were still pulled back as guilt still filled her heart, it was a pitiful sight. When he suddenly batted her ear she blinked, stunned. Then a impish grin, very like her father's, crawled to her lips. The next bat she reared up on her back paws and batted back. When he took off it didn't take long for her to follow. "You're on!" She squealed as she set off after him. If Miya put her mind to it she could run very fast and very smoothly, she just had to focus her mind, which almost never happened. In the looser sand Miya had trouble keeping her feet under her, she was almost constantly tripping and getting them twisted under her feet. Somehow she managed to stay upright. A determined look came to her face as the ground got firmer miya found it easier. Still it took her a while to get the rhythm and coordination down, Byren was still a good distance in front of her. A smirk came to her face. Bouncing upward she flared out her wings, trying to take flight. After a couple bounces she managed to get herself into the air. Even though she tried to flap them, she ended up more gliding, bouncing, gliding, and bouncing, still the occasional flaps forced her forward. Somehow the tactic worked and she started gaining on him. Though with wings tiring she found herself heading towards the ground, well, the water to be more exact. "Uh, oh..."

Neron watched as the two dark forms started racing off. Sighing he started in their direction. "We should probably make sure they don't get into any mischief. "

[saerwen]

"There would be no sense in bathing you in dirty water, Miya. A bath is to get you clean, not dirty again," Jaedon shook her head. "Really, sometimes I wonder why you are so bent against being clean. There is no problem with getting dirty so long as you get clean afterwards." She listened as Neron bribed the little girl with the idea of bubbles. Of course he would pull something like that out. Why hadn't she thought of that? Jaedon wondered. Jaedon was one of those people that simply expected the child to obey her, and if she didn't, consequences came later. That was why she never thought of bribing the kids. She was more willing to threaten than to bribe. Perhaps that was one reason why Neron was so much better with the kids. He was much softer and not as quick to condemn. At least they balanced each other out.

Jaedon smirked as Neron pulled her close. She narrowed her eyes at him at then started to chuckle. "Yeah, right Mr. Bubbles." Jaedon grinned before reaching up and planting a quick kiss on his lips. "It always astonishes me how you are never too manly for a kiss."

She paused for a moment and thought. She then replied, "I would give it less than a few days. Either Byren would find a way to pick the locks and escape or Miya would drive them crazy from bouncing around and chattering so much. They would be giving them back within a few days." A strange looked crossed Jaedon's face when Neron mentioned Damion and Miriel's kids. They hadn't seen them for a while, but the last time that they had, Adelahn and Tryss had been quite the cute little girls. Adelahn was a cry baby and Tryss was a tough kid with a bit of fire in her. Damion adored his little girls. They both had light hair, like he did. It was so cute, seeing them together. "I am sure that they are doing fine. With Damion and Miriel, how could they not be?" she reasoned.

Byren shook his haed after Miya's counterstrike. He hadn't really expected her to hit back so quickly. He was almost offended, but decided that it wasn't worht it. As he ran, he laughed inwardly at her. She was so terrible and stealth. She always announced that she was coming after him when she was hunting for him, always gave away her position, or at least, from the way that he saw it. Sometimes he wasn't sure if what he thought was the actual truth since he told so many lies on so many occasions. It was hard for him to differentiate between the truth and lies. That was the trait where he was most like Jaedon he was a proficient and prolific liar. The worst part of it was that most of his lies, when discovered, were easy enough to push on Miya because she was so gullible, that Byren hardly ever got in trouble for them. Miya would take all of the blame and he would go free. That was another reason why he felt like he had to watch her back.

When he looked back he saw Miya jumping, flying and then falling and repeating the cycle. She was so terrible. He shook his head and kept running, but looked back quickly as he realized that she was catching up, and getting closer to the water at the same time. He cackled at her as he heard a little squeaky of "uh-oh" come out of her mouth. She was going to crash again. He paused and waited to make sure that nothing bad happened to her when she fell, but was fully prepared to fall over laughing at her when she popped her head back up.

"Watch out Fluffy One!" he taunted.

Jaedon watched as Neron started to walk off. She had the sudden impulse to have some childish fun. Watching her children had inspired her. She then dashed off, running past Neron in a flash. She called over her shoulder, "I'm gonna get there first, old man."

[»Míríel«]

Neron nudged Jaedon slightly and smiled down at her. "I don't think she minds being clean, she just doesn't mind being dirty either." He chuckled. " I never would have expected out son to be so worried about his appearance and our girl to enjoy the dirt." When Jaedon kissed him a smile came to his lips. "Well that, my enchantress, is a different matter. " He brought her closer and planted a kiss on her lips. Pulling away he chuckled, "You get more beautiful the longer I know you." He winked at her, "Don't tell anyone I said it, like I said before. I have an image to uphold."Truthfully, after the children it was like Neron had grown softer and more gentle in a way. It was like some of his rough edges had been smoothed out.

Looking back at his children as Jaedon spoke of them he just nodded. "Well I guess we could slip in a little vacation while they were gone. Go back to Italy, relive our honeymoon." His impish smile came over his lips again. Soon it was stifled as he resumed with a serious tone, "then be back again to claim our little rascals, of course." Neron looked back at Jaedon. "Oh I am sure they are doing well. Sometimes I wonder why we got the crazy children. Then I remember who the parents are."

A little splash sounded as Miya was greeted by the water. Once again her little form was drenched for the third time that day. IT seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she was always running, tripping, and tumbling into things. Just her luck. Still she didn't mind to much, usually after she crashed into something it didn't take long for her mind to skip to something else, completely forgetting about what had just happened. This time, Miya had landed in water that was a little deeper than she had expected. "I... I can't touch the bottom!" She squealed as she started to panic. Somehow she was managing to stay afloat, but her wild lashing out was draining her energy rather fast. A wave arched over her head, pushing her towards the shore, but before she could regain a grip on the ground it sucked her out a bit farther than she had been before. "Byren!"

Neron was shocked to see his wife dash past him like a little cub herself. A smirk crawled to his lips at her words. "Hey now, don't you know elders first?" HE laughed as he took off himself. He had to admit, Jaedon was fast, but he was fast as well. They were matched well. Still Neron had to push himself harder to catch up. It was hard, but due to his strength he managed to at least mostly even up with her. Looking ahead he noticed that there was only one dark cub on the sand. A confused expression came to his face. Unconsciously his pace quickened, even though he hadn't thought going faster was possible.

[saerwen]

Jaedon shook her head at Neron's words, "It is so wrong. I think I wouldn't mind so much if it were the other way around. Little boys are supposed to like being dirty, not the opposite. But Miya..." She left off, sure that Neron knew what she meant with just that explanation. He might not have been a telepath but he knew Jaedon well enough to know how much it vexed her that their cute little girl spent more of her life in a tangled mess than in a prim and proper state.

Jaedon felt a bright pink blush light her cheeks up after Neron kissed her. She was so completely enthralled with Neron, it had to be wrong. She knew that if he ever left her, or if anything ever happened to him, she would lose her mind. He spoke of her as the enchantress, but if she had cast a spell she was just as much subject to it as he. She grinned and replied, "My lips are sealed so long as you continue to say it to me."

Jaedon gave him a sideways glance as he spoke of reliving the honeymoon. She wouldn't mind that. It seemed like such a long time since they had been alone. They always had the munchkins with them now. While nodding Jaedon said in a slightly seductive voice, "Sounds nice. When do we leave?" She then smiled and cast her seductive mood off for her previously carefree mood.

Byren watched as Miya crashed into the water and laughed for a moment before hearing her cries for help. His heart stopped and he searched the waves for her head. He saw her struggling to stay above the waters surface. Panicking, he switched forms back into his human skin and dashed towards the water. He struck out desperately into the water, trying his best to swim to his sister like Jaedon had taught him to swim, but it was much harder than he had thought. While Byren was pretty strong, he wasn't quite as formidable as the waves. Still he kept going. When he finally reached his sister, he grabbed her scruff and pushed her up out of the water as best he could. "Kick your back feet, Miya! Move your front paws like mom said. Stop panicking!" he spoke through water choked words. As he struggled to keep Miya above the water, he was sinking lower.

Jaedon heard Neron call after her and his footfalls on the sand as he ran to catch up with her. She smirked inwardly at how hard he was having to try. Jaedon went for a run every other morning, consistently, for five miles. Even though she was no longer in the business of being an assassin, she still wanted to stay fit and ready for anything that might pop up. Plus her running was time where she could think and coll off after a stressful day with the kids or even with Neron.

The spirit of competition had gotten Jaedon moving, but as she looked towards her children, she realized that something was wrong. She felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach like it always did when one of the babies got hurt. Then she saw Byren change forms and go on a mad dash towards the water. Jaedon's heart stopped. "Neron, Miya's in the water!" she said in a voice that betrayed her fear. That little fluff ball couldn't swim yet and Byren wasn't great either. Even though the waves weren't that powerful, it was dangerous enough for the two little ones. Jaedon's legs went faster than she thought possible, speeding her across the ground quickly, but she veered off towards the water, taking the fastest route to her children. They were only waist deep water for Jaedon, but she knew it was enough. It was much harder to fight against the water than the sand, but Jaedon made her way over to the two. Reaching out she grabbed Miya and pulled her away from Byren who was clinging to her like a bur. He was half way underwater whilst trying to keep his sister above the waves.

[»Míríel«]

Neron shook his head. "We just have a little tomboy on our hands, that's all. I'm sure she will grow out of it. If she doesn't then we have a strong girl." He looked thoughtful. There was something different in Miya, perhaps it was because he didn't have much experience in children. Still he hoped the best for his little girl, she didn't have any powers it seemed, perhaps that was a good thing.

Neron's eyes light up at Jaedon's words. "Well, I suppose we can agree to that." Neron, when he said something complimentary, meant it. Anyone who knew him knew that he wasn't a man of endless and meaningless compliments. Usually teasing was his twisted way of complimenting, but once again, only if you knew him well would you realize and be able to tell when he was criticizing you and when he was complimenting. Jaedon was probably the only person who could draw the nicest unprompted words. He had come a long way, especially after Jaedon's accident and the kids being born. Becoming a father had softened him, though he would never admit it.

"We could leave right now." He spoke with a deeper tone, making it seem velvety and smooth. He then smiled and looked at the waves. "Though I think the little ones would miss us. Maybe we should make a family trip sometime." He chuckled, "I can just imagine Miya bouncing around the coliseum. "

Panic was already settling firmly on Miya as her head started to sink below the waves. She could feel her legs become tired. Her mind started to race and something started to happen. A feeling of worry came to her senses, it seemed to be coming from somewhere nearby. Byren? Just as she was going to give up she was pulled up. A gasp burst form her mouth as air filled her oxygen deprived system. "I'm... trying." She tried to kick out but she was having trouble controlling her limbs in a constructive manner. With Byren there she could feel her head starting to clear, Byren always made things right, one way or the other. Even though she got blamed for everything he did, she loved her brother dearly. To be honest she looked up to him, he was so strong and collected, he had powers and got special time training with Mother. Miya wappy for him, but she was a little jealous down in her heart. With panic out of her mind tiredness was the main problem. Her little frame was to weak for the endurance that was required. Just as she was beginning to wonder if she could make it she felt herself scooped up. "Momma?"

Neron was following close to Jaedon's heels when he noticed that the cubs were in the water. At first his stomach dropped to his feet, but then a calm and collected manner set in. He had to keep his head, and he had to protect himself from what could happen. Immediately a wall went up around his heart. He saw Jaedon pull Miya out of the water, one was safe. What about Byren? He was at the site before it could be answered. Seeing the boy struggling in the water Neron reached in and pulled him out, forgetting that usually cats, when frightened, used their claws to cling onto anything that could save them. Still, his own safety was the last thing on his mind. "Byren are you ok? Jaedon, is Miya Ok?" He drew closer to Jaedon to see for himself.

Miya reached out with her soaking pudgy paw and touched Byren. "Got you." Those were the only words she got out before she started coughing water. Once the coughing subsided she blinked up at her mom. "Does this mean I still have to take a bath?"

[saerwen]

Jaedon shook her head at the thought. She didn't want Miya to grow up weak and helpless, but she didn't want her to grow up so tough and proud like she had. Jaedon knew that there were good things about growing up in a tough environment, but the good thins were far outweighed by the bad. "I would prefer a young lady with some spice, but if we have to have a tough cookie, I suppose that is just how it will be." Her voice was slightly wishy-washy, as though she were dreaming about something.

Jaedon's eyes went wide at the thought. Her children in Italy? That was simply a recipe for disaster. But then again, her children anywhere but home was a recipe for disaster. With Miya it was like bringing an elephant into a china shop and hoping that nothing would get broken, and Byren was too mischievous to be left in a foreign country for long. "Family trip would be fine, but Italy..." Jaedon bowed her head as she hid a smile, "I think we should choose somewhere a little less... refined. Wait till they are older to take them to Italy. They will appreciate it more then."

Byren was choking on the salt water. He was now agreeing with Miya, it was nasty water. The salty tang had driven his tongue numb already. He could feel his sister trying to correct her strides in the water, but it was a hopeless effort. She wasn't strong enough to swim her way back to the shore and at this rate, they would keep drifting. He hoped that his parents would come, that they would be there soon. He knew that their mother always kept a close watch on them with her powers. It was like she had a bond with them that sensed when there was trouble. He had asked her one time about it and she had told him it felt like her stomach was churning inside her and her heart dropped into the messy soup because she knew that something bad had happened. He wondered what it felt like in reality sometimes, but no matter the technicalities, he was always glad that it worked every time.

As Miya's weight was lifted off of him, Byren felt relief settle within him and weariness as well. He was so tired and scared right now, it was like he couldn't even feel his heart pounding because it was going so fast. But with Miya being alright, worry ceased and he cooled off. He almost started to sink because he had stopped kicking, he was so relaxed. However, Neron rescued him from sinking to the bottom. He found his hands gripped around Neron's neck in no time and his form shaking slightly. He might have acted tough all of the time, but he was just as easily scared as any other kid. His face was buried in Neron's chest as he coughed and coughed, trying to clear his mouth and throat of the "nasty water". When Neron asked if he was okay, he just nodded his head a little before spluttering a bit more.

Jaedon let out a sigh of relief, "Yes, Miya is okay. Just a little water logged." She watched as her little cub poked her brother in a joking manner. She was so much like Neron sometimes it was slightly scary. As she coughed, Jaedon patted her back a bit and rubbed her stomach to ease the coughs and the water out.

Jaedon's eyes blinked at Miya when she asked the question about taking a bath. Her mother's heart had just started to slow down from pounding so desperately against her chest in fear, and her child was joking with her about taking a shower? Jaedon's nerves frazzled for a moment as she just stared at her daughter with a wide-eyed expression. Shaking it off she closed her eyes as though she were trying to calm down and re-opened them with a firm expression on her face. "Yes, you still have to take a bath tonight. You will have sticky salt in your hair if you don't." She then turned her attention to Byren, "How are you doing, little man? Can you breathe alright?" Jaedon always worried about Byren when things like this happened. He would go completely silent and not say a word for the rest of the day. It worried Jaedon to no end when he did that because it was so out of character and that was what he always did if he didn't feel well. "Can you talk to me so that I know you're okay?" she beseeched.

Byren let out a few more coughs before nodding at Jaedon's questions and weakly saying, "I'm fine, Mother." He didn't acknowledge his sister, he just clung to Neron, glad that his father was there to hold him above the waters threatening surface.

[»Míríel«]

Neron nudged Jaedon. "What are you thinking about? It isn't like you to be content with no strong opinion." Neron smirked at JAedon. "Spoil sport, When they ask I will tell them their mother is a party pooper. Though I do have to agree, they would like it better when they are older. The beach will have to do for now. Which, if fine with me."

Byren's little arms wrapped around Neron's neck. Neron could feel the boy start to shake. Wrapping his strong arms around the boy in a supportive and secure manner he used one hand to pat his back, hoping to help the child clear the water from his system. "You'll be alright you two, we're here now." Lowering his voice he whispered to Byren, "I'm proud of you."

Miya seemed to frown, but she was to tired now to argue. All she got out was, "But Momma..." She blinked sleepily. She wasn't necessarily joking about the bath, her mind just skipped from one subject to the next. With surviving no longer on the forefront of her mind, the next important thing jumped to her mind. Her eyelids seemed to get heavier and heavier as the world about her started to swirl. She was so tired, so very tired. A yawn came from her little form, it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep, even though she struggled against it.

Neron sighed and looked to JAedon with a strained expression. He shook his head, trying to shake off the adrenaline that had flooded his system. "Let's go back onto dry land." He turned suddenly and headed to the shore. His pants and shirt was soaked through from running/ swimming through the water to get to his children. It seemed like he reached the shore faster than it had taken him to get out to the spot Miya and Byren were. The secure sand under his feet away from the water that had just threatened his kids life was relieving.He pulled his head back to look at Byren. "You Ok?" Neron didn't mean it lightly, he meant overall, physically, mentally, emotionally. He used the tone of voice telling Byren he was talking guy to guy. Neron wanted an honest answer, it didn't matter if it was in the form of a nodd. Whatever the answer it would be taken as face value and no more questions would be asked.

[saerwen]

Jaedon turned big green eyes that were much like Miya's when she was begging for something. But Neron would have been able to to tell that Jaedon wasn't begging, she was confused. It took her a moment before she regained her lost ground and exclaimed, "Oh nothing!" She shook herself from her thoughts and then continued, "I was just reflecting on the fact that I didn't want Miya to grow up like I did." Jaedon looked at Neron with a small smile, "I don't want to turn her into a tough little soldier." A thoughtful look then came over her face, "But then again, I don't want her to be a wimp either." Eventually, Jaedon mellowed her thought process out and summarized with, "I just want an equal balance of both in her."

"I am not a party pooper, I just want to be practical!" Jaedon defended. "The beach is a perfectly practical place for us to go. Italy is currently impractical."

Byren was glad for Neron's comforting reassurance. After a few more coughs, Byren could tell that all of the water was out of his system. His throat was stinging from the salt substance forcing its way down his throat and then his body forcing it back up. However, it was all worth it when he heard Neron's praise and a warm little wave washed over him as pride swept in. It was rare to receive an atta-boy from Neron, so Byren treasured each one in his heart. He hugged closer to Neron as a small smile spread across his face.

Jaedon cut Miya's thought off quickly, "No 'buts'. That's the end of it." It was slightly comical and worrying at the same time the way Miya fell straight to sleep. She was sleeping like a rock before Jaedon could even start walking back to the shore. It was obvious that the little cub had worn herself out whilst trying to stay afloat, and now she was just giving into the exhaustion. At least she wouldn't be hard to pull away from the beach now. Jaedon followed after Neron with the sleeping Miya in her arms. She went a bit slower so that she wouldn't wake the girl up. However, as soon as she started to walk back, a wave came splashed over her, soaking her shirt halfway up. Jaedon let out a squeak of surprise and stopped mid stride in surprise, her nose scrunched up in distaste. She turned around hastily and gave the ocean a fierce look before continuing back to the shore. Thankfully Miya hadn't gotten wet because Jaedon's body was shielding her from the wave, but Jaedon's back was now thoroughly soaked.

Once back on solid ground, Jaedon walked over to Neron and spoke softly, "Can you set him down when he is calm and grab the blanket? I am going to take her up to the house. I can take some of the cups with me."

Byren looked at Neron with dull eyes. The emotion that had been there before was gone. However, his body was still shaking a little, betraying what his eyes would not. He said in a similarly dull tone, "I just wanna go home. I'm tired." He then laid his head back down on Neron's shoulder, trying to make his body stop shaking. He knew that it would eventually, he just needed a second or two more.