Where Has the Time Gone?

[»Míríel«]

Neron nodded. "She will turn into whatever she thinks she should be. It's our job to help her see the right direction to grow. They turn out just fine." He smirked, "I don't think they could be any worse than us." When she spoke of Italy Neron's smirk deepened, "But so much more fun. Though perhaps when they can fly on their own. Then we wouldn't have to ride in a plane." He shook his head. Flying in a plain was absolutely pointless to him and was almost like taking a bite out of his pride. A dragon flying on a plane. That's like a fish riding a boat to get to the other side of the stream.

Neron shifted his eyes when he heard a squeak from Jaedon. A chuckle rumbled in his throat as he saw the wave rush past her. He really had to room to chuckle, considering his shirt was soaked all the way through, except to the shoulders, where Byren was. Nodding to Jaedon's request, he answered, "Go ahead."

Looking back at the boy Neron saw the lifeless eyes that were staring back at him. Neron's own betrayed no emotion, but he was a bit confused by the kid. Perhaps he was just tired, after all the poor boy was shaking. He decided to hold him for a little while more while Jaedon got the cups. As he waited he began to think of his own past. Memories drifted through his thoughts, him, in green dragon form, fighting against people, the faces of those he killed and how they had died came to his mind. It was in those days that he was still green, it wasn't long after that he, and his heart, had turned black.

Miya began to move in Jaedon's arms, and whimper. A frightening dream was coming to her mind, it was blurred and confused, but she could hear the sounds of people fighting, of men dying. She nuzzled closer to her mother and breathed in her scent. Even in her sleep a sense of security came over her, but even that didn't keep her from wincing and twitching now and again. If she had not been so tired she probably would have woken up screaming. Nightmares were becoming to be a usual thing now. It was strange for such a happy character to be haunted at night. Still, it was always put off as childish imagination. Miya never told her parents what she dreamed about, she just came running into their room to cannonball in between them.

Neron shook his head and turned his thoughts to the blanket, not noticing that when his mind shifted Miya started to relax in her dream once more. "Stay here." Neron set Byren down and looked the boy over before he grabbed the blanket and quickly folded it. As he was he noticed how soaked he was from getting into the water. A change of clothing would be wonderful right now. Lifting his eyes he could see the house, it wasn't far. Still he wanted out, the clothes were to restricting. Neron was still shy about his scars, he didn't show them to anyone really. Most guys would have had their shirt off at the beach strutting their stuff. It wasn't that Neron was out of shape, anything but, he just couldn't stand the stares and the questions he received. It was to public here. Maybe in the early morning he would go for a swim, but never when he thought people were going to be about.

Going back to Byren he lowered himself to around Byren's level, "Carry or walk?"

[saerwen]

Jaedon couldn't agree more with Neron when he said that their children couldn't turn out any worse than they had. Sometimes Jaedon prayed that her previous life wouldn't come back and revisit her in any way, or the lives of her children. It was slightly worisome that Miya looked so much like herself. IF people saw Miya and had known Jaedon before, only demons could understand the hateful things that might occur. Jaedon's greatest fear was that her children would either wind up mixed in with those kind of people or else in their line of fire. As long as she lived, Jaedon would never allow it. Sometimes, she dreaded even going near the city simply for that one reason.

Jaedon leaned down and picked up the cups, glad that their contents were no longer there. She tried very carefully to ensure that Miya didn't wake up. When the girl started to squirm and whimper in Jaedon's arms, a worried look came over Jaedon's face. Was she dreaming about her recent experience in the waves? Jaedon decided that it was probably just the child's weariness that caused her to dream. She began to hum a soft, relaxing tune, hoping that it might help to ease the little cubs suffering. Ever since Miya had started having nightmares, Jaedon had become more suspicious of something being really, truly wrong. She was such a bright ray of sun during the day that it seemed hardly possible for her to have any truly terrifying nightmares, but Jaedon knew that Miya wouldn't take fright at anything that wasn't at least a little terrifying. Perhaps it was just her motherly over-protection speaking to her, but Jaedon had often found that her intuition was much more reliable than her brain in situations regarding her children.

Jaedon looked up as she walked. The house was close enough, and she was glad of it. Her shoulder was acting up as she carried Miya. Ever since the accident a few years ago, right before Neron had proposed, Jaedon had had trouble with her arm functioning like it used to. She had been shot in almost the exact same place before, and with the second time through, her body just decided that it was a lost cause. Jaedon and Cecily had done all that they could to get it to heal up completely, but it was no use. It would always hurt if Jaedon worked it too much. She was just glad that she was still able to use it.

Byren watched as his mother walked off with his sister in hand. Ever since Neron had put him on the ground, Byren hadn't moved from his position. He was watching the sun go down across the water. The waves were growing higher now that it was getting dark. Across the waves he could see a light, coming from a boat no doubt, somewhere far out at sea, catching fish or carrying passengers somewhere.

His eyes glared moodily at the light, the waves, the sky. Something was bothering him. His experience in the water and just then speaking to Neron had caused him to meditate on something that plagued his mind on more than one occasion. Byren had always found it easier to connect with Jaedon's mind then with Neron's, and he had always figured that it was due to Jaedon practicing telepathy with him. However, when he was able to see little snippets of Neron's mind, it always weighed him down. Everything was so dark and scary. He knew a lot about his parents and that they loved each other very much(whatever that meant to a child's mind), but what was the real story behind all of those dark thoughts, and how was it that they came from his father, a joking, sarcastic, and now light-hearted individual. It confused him. And Jaedon's mind made him angry. He knew that she was blocking things off from him on purpose. Her mind always looked bright and sunny, and she made it that way so that he could practice, but it annoyed him to no end.

He wanted them to trust him, to know that he could handle it, whatever they needed him to do. Byren wanted to be dependable for his parents and for his sister. Yet, after all of the work that he did, they still hid things from him. Perhaps it was just a parents way, to shield their child from things that they thought were too tough for them, but Byren didn't like it. As he looked at Neron, it made him mad to think that his father had two sides to him, one that he never saw. That was why he always distanced himself when his thoughts came back together after crumpling to pieces in their arms. He always changed his emotions and hid them, striving to show a tough face to his parents. He realized that this was hypocrisy at it's best, since he was, himself, being double faced, but he judged that his motives were good enough to justify it.

When Neron came over to him and asked if he would walk or if he wanted Neron to carry him, Byren continued to stare at the waves and said in a monotone voice, "I'll walk." He then turned his thin, little frame around and started to march back to the house, his eyes just as moody as before.

[»Míríel«]

As jaedon's humming drifted over Miya's ears she felt herself relaxing even more. A small smile crawled on her lips as a purr vibrated her little form. Jaedon's singing or humming always soothed Miya. It was like a healing balm on her. Nothing else could foot the bill quite like Mommy. Miya was a puzzle in many ways, how she had come from her parents was one. She seemed to fit into the saying "Two lefts make a right" though in this case it seemed to be "Two darks make a light". She never knew what her parents thought of her nightmares, usually when she woke up in the morning, she just bounced on like nothing happened. It could be safe to say that both found the nightmares disconcerting. Neron himself found seeing the happiest child fall into discomfort depressing. If a child like her was having nightmares, or was afraid, what did that mean for him. If the best fell, what hope was there for the weak? These thoughts were banished from his mind though. He knew what he could lead to and he wasn't sure he could let his children see that side of him. It would rip him to pieces.

Neron watched his son's gaze turn moody. It seemed the little guy had finally come back to his senses, as strange as it was. Why was the boy so serious? Why did he feel like he had to carry so much on his shoulders? The kid was only three, he should be romping around and having fun, like Miya. Instead he spent his time sorting and thinking, dangerous things. Only Miya seemed to be able to pull him out of his thoughts. It bothered Neron, to see the mask of a stoic fall on his son. Neron had worn that mask many times, and still did to a degree.

Neron had to talk to his son, he knew that one day he was going to have to bit the bullet and share his history with his kids, but not yet, surely not yet. It was still to soon, everything was still to fresh. To be honest, he didn't know if he could share it for fear of awakening and stirring the beast within. HE would wait when the children were older. Perhaps when Miya could keep a single thread of thought, if that ever happened.

Once Byren turned and informed Neron he would be walking Neron stared at the boy for a moment. Where had the shaking boy gone? The mask was slipping on more easily for the boy as he tried to hide beneath it's smooth surface. Outwardly Neron just nodded and headed up to the house, not far behind Byren. Inwardly he wished he could see into the boys thoughts like Jaedon could. Perhaps they could begin to make a little more sense, another part told him that it wouldn't help the situation any more. If he had learned anything from his own past, he had learned not to press people to talk unless some dire situation arose. Neron rarely ever asked the same question twice. If you wanted to answer you couldn't play games and beat around the bush, he more than likely wouldn't ask again. He respected the person's words, and he had found that sometimes silence pried open the mouth more than prodding would.

The house was closer now. It would be nice to change out of his wet clothes and relax for a bit. More than likely both kids would go and take a nap, perhaps Jaedon and he would do the same, or just talk about what had happened in their own room.

THE END"