Reunion

[»Míríel«]

A cool pool on a warm day was just what Neron had needed. As much as he loved his children and wife, he still needed time to himself. Jaedon had her running, he had his flying. Today though called for something different. There was something peaceful about the Angelai Falls. The sound of the waterfall drowned out the world about you, and when you closed your eyes it seemed like you were transported into a different world. The cool water caused you to pause and enjoy being refreshed, while the warm sun relaxed away any worries.

Jaedon and Neron had arranged with Miriel and Damion to get together for a reunion of sorts and let the children play together as they could chat about things. So many things had changed in the past years. Everything had happened so fast. It seemed as soon as Miriel and Damion, and Jaedon and he got married life got put on fast forward. Then when they thought things couldn't get faster children came along and three years had passed in a blink of an eye. It would be nice to catch up with their old friends and see how everyone was doing. Perhaps now that the children were old enough, the adults would be able to converse with less distraction. Somehow he didn't believe it would happen. Not between his two kids. Between Miya and Byren, some mischief would happen.

Diving down deeper into the water Neron let the feeling of submersion slid over him. There was the droning, muffled, sound of the waterfall in his ears, and as he opened his eyes he could see little fish darting about, eying him curiously. He was a stranger to this world below the ground, and he didn't mind it. Playfully chasing after some fish for a while, the familiar tightness in his chest signaled a need for oxygen. surfacing he took a deep breath before pushing his hair out of his eyes. He could tell by the light it was time to get out and dry off a bit. It wouldn't be long before the rest of his family and Damion's started to show up.

Neron pulled himself onto the warm grass beside his discarded shirt, and stretched out in the sun. It was rare for NEron to have his shirt off, the scars that etched themselves into his skin always made him self-conscious. He had one that ran from under his left arm, curling to around his belly button, then two almost matching four lines striped on either side from where Ares had attacked, then there was the one on his shoulder from Jaedon's magic. Those were the main ones, but were enough to mottle his torso. If he didn't keep exercising and stretching he could feel them grow tense and sore. If it weren't for his immortality he would have been feeling them long ago. Even in his "youthful"condition they still made him stiff occasionally.

Almost as rare as Neron without a shirt was, him laying out in the sun. Due to his scars, the tanner he got on his torso, the more they stood out. It seemed like the rest of his skin grew a nice gold, but his scars only grew more and more white. Today was an exception though. It was a day of relaxation, of letting go. Letting his thoughts turn to the good times in life, a smile came to his face and he lost track of time.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Before Neron could respond to the voice a little puffball tackled his laid out form. With a laugh Neron grabbed his little girl stood up and twirled her around. "Miya, how did you get here so fast?"

"I beat them! I beat Mommy and Byren!" Miya giggled before whispering. "I sorta cheated. We weren't sup[posed to change forms but I can't walk in a straight line in my other form. Byren had an unfair advantage. So." Her ears flicked forward as a look of mischief came to her face. "HERE I AM!" Then the look faded and she glanced behind her. "Don't tell mommy though, she said I had to be in my human for for Mrs.Miriel."

Neron shook his head at Miya. "Well then you had better turn back little one before Mommy sees you. She will skin me if she finds me with you." It must have ben a strange sight seeing the two together. Neron's scarred body, dark hair, strong, and serious presence next to a little, fluffy, black, energetic, kitten with big green eyes. He could crush her if he so wanted, but instead to see such powerful arms cradling such a frail small creature was adorable. The way Neron looked at his daughter could melt a heart of stone. The two shared a streak of mischief, which only made them a dangerous team.

"Aw Daddy, do I haave to?" Miya's eyes grew larger as her ears pulled back, as her cutest face was revealed.

It was obvious that Neron was having trouble keeping his serious face. Miya knew how to tug his heart strings. "..I..." He frowned. "suppose you can keep it for a while longer until Mrs. Miriel and Mr. Damion come. Deal?"

Miya's face light up immediatly. "DEAL!!!" She bounced up. "Thanks Daddy!" Then she smiled at him. "Oh by the way, nice tattoo's"

Neron's expression went from smiling to confusion. What tattoo's? He looked down only to notice the absence of his shirt. Immediately he turned away and reached for his shirt. "Those aren't tattoo's Miya. Those are scars." Quickly he shrugged into his shirt, covering his war wounds.

"Oh..." Miya grew contemplative as she processed this new information. Then shaking her head she looked back up to him. "How did you get them?"

[saerwen]

The sun was shining, there was a breeze in the trees, and the grass was bright green. Jaedon could have gotten high off of the smell of the woods. It was like a drug to her. The smell of wood, leaves, dirt, and rotting trees mixed together with the savory scent of live animals to create a simply divine aroma that caused Jaedon to get the warm fuzzies. Her place would always be roaming aobut in the wild woods, no matter how old she was, no matter how many kids she had, that was her real home. She wanted to make sure that she died and was buried in the woods, under the shade of a beautiful tree where flowers could grow over her body and birds could perch and sing above her. But there would be time enough to arrange for all of those things later in life. Right now she had to focus on the current issues. Miya had gone darting ahead. Jaedon could almost feel the anger rising within her as she recalled the sight of her little girls black form disappearing through the trees. Miya knew how to peeve Jaedon really well, almost as well as Neron did. A cross expression flitted across her face as she tried to think of a fitting punishment, but she was distracted soon enough by her surroundings.

With Byren beside her, they had now come up to the falls. The woods were pleasant and Jaedon would have been content to stay in them, but the target meeting spot was the falls. When Byren caught sight of his father and Miya, he looked up expectantly at his mother. She sighed before nodding. He took off in a run and was soon upon the two happy campers.

As Jaedon walked up, she overheard Neron and Miya's conversation. She had seen Neron without his shirt enough now to where the scars held no real shock for her. In fact, she had gotten to the point where she no longer see the scars, just his toned body and strong arms. As she saw him now, a slightly crooked smile sneaked across her face, but she said nothing. It appeared that Neron already had some tough questions to deal with, she didn't want to add anymore.

Jaedon decided to try and distract her daughter from Neron's scars by giving Miya something else to focus on. "Tattoo's are generally black or some other dark color, Miya, like the one on Momma's shoulder." It was true, Jaedon had a few tattoos. Most of them were from the Underground, but a few had been by her desire, namely the one on the back of her shoulder. She didn't mind her kids knowing about the one on her shoulder, which was nothing more than a black rose. Jaedon hoped that Miya might start asking her questions because Jaedon's would be much less painful to answer than the ones she currently posed to Neron.

Byren had slowed as he got closer to the pair and regained his refined composure. He looked at Miya and then at Neron as he pulled his shirt on. He was curious along with his sister, but when he heard his mother's comment, he knew that the answer wouldn't come out easy. He looked at Neron and asked in a bored fashion that might have made one think he really wasn't interested, if they hadn't known him better, "Did you enjoy your swim, Father?" Byren liked swimming when there wasn't a current to fight, or when his parents were there to make sure nothing happened. Before Neron would have been able to answer, Byren got up on his feet and took a few steps over to the water and peered down. His eyes got big and he looked at the water. It might have seemed as though he were staring at his own reflection(which he had taken time to check), but he was really staring at the fish that swam beneath the water's surface. His eyes, and soon his head were following them back and forth. He wanted to change forms and catch some, but he knew his mother would be displeased.

Jaedon then remembered that she had been cross with Miya a few moments ago and gave the child a sharp look, "Miya, I would appreciate it if you switched forms and kept it like I told you before we left the house." Her voice held a slight undertone of displeasure, but she didn't sound terrifying or angry yet. She then walked towards Neron and pulled a towel out of her medium, black and red stripped bag and dropped it in a wad on his head. In his mind she said, That's for condoning her disobedience.

[»Míríel«]

Neron was standing there looking at his daughter, trying to figure out what to say. How did he get them? That tale would take long enough in itself, not to mention all the disturbing details. Miya was having trouble enough with nightmares, the last thing he wanted was her to have some because of him talking about his history. Still he didn't want to brush past it like it was nothing, it was something that was an important part of who he was now, and how he had turned out. To make his children feel like he was hiding something from them, no matter how true that could be, could distance them and make them not want to share their own troubles with him. Just as he was about to have to say something Jaedon's voice saved him.

Miya turned to her mother, completely forgetting that she was in a form that her mother wouldn't like at the moment. Her eyes got big as a little "Ohhhhhh" Came from her mouth. Bouncing towards her mother she stood proudly before her, pulling herself as tall as she could. "I want some just like yours! Maybe they would help me be more like you! I could sneak around and no one would ever see me!" Miya crouched into a stalking position and crawled forward, her bottom waved back and forth comically, tail sticking straight up. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her feet coordinated, which is probably why she bounced around a lot. It was easier to control two feet than all four. Heading toward Neron she suddenly pounced on his foot, and nibbled his big toe. This resulted an quiet, "Ahh.." from her father. Reaching down he picked her up from the scruff of the neck like Jaedon had showed him when the children were born, and set her down away from him foot.

As soon as Her feet touched the ground Miya bounced into a playful position. "Got you Daddy!"

Neron sighed, "That you did little shark." He looked down and saw a little pinprick of blood forming on his toe from her sharp teeth. Turning to Byren he nodded. "Yes, I did. Perhaps sometime you and I will have to come swimming."

"Me too?!" Miya squealed.

Neron's face grew serious as he shook his head. "No, men only." HE cast a playful glance at Byren before turning back to Miya with a serious one. "You stay home with mother."

Miya's ears drooped as she thought of having to stay at home without Daddy and Byren. Then she realized she would have Jaedon all to herself. Immediately a change came over her and she ran over to her mother, some trips included. "Mommy! Then we could do anything we wanted! Perhaps I could get a tattoo just like yours!" Her face was beaming as she smiled up at her mother.

Neron shook his head at Miya and sent a glance, coupled with a smirk, at Jaedon that seemed to say, "She's all yours." Once Jaedon had plopped the towel on his head he just smirked again and ruffled his hair with it, to dry it further. "You are welcome my beautiful witch, I knew you wouldn't mind." He let the towel slip off his head, revealing spiked hair worthy of being Miya's on a bad day.

Miya, who had opened her mouth to argue with her mother, giggled instead. "Daddy your hair." She had switched forms and her little, chubby, hand covered her mouth. Her raven hair tumbled about her shoulders in a mess of curls.

Neron just smiled and headed over to Byren, who was staring into the water. Looking into the water's surface he saw his hair and just sighed. Raising a hand he brushed his fingers through it until it fell back into it's place. Turning his attention to his son he observed what he was doing. He had to admit that at first he thought Byren was just looking at his own reflection. Neron wouldn't put it past his son, who was constantly checking his appearance. After he noticed that the boy was following the movement of the fish a sense of satisfaction flooded Neron. "Watch." Stricking out in the water with a hand, now scaled and dragon like, he pulled out a fish, unharmed in his hand. The poor thing was petrified, not knowing what had just happened. Letting the fish fall back into the water he showed his hand to Byren. "If you practice enough you can localize your true form to certain parts of your body." The scales began to get lighter and fade, while the talons began to return to a more human fingers. It didn't take long to look normal again, Neron had slowed the process to let Byren see the steps. "Try it."

Miriel moved her way through the forest towards the meeting place. A sense of excitement filled her as she enjoyed the scenery about her. Every time she came to this place all she could think of was her engagement to Damion. A smile came to her lips as she remembered the event. It was her first time walking on ice, and trusting someone to save her from her biggest fear. She had gotten better and had even gotten in water recently. She never stayed in long, or got very deep, but she was making progress.

Today Miriel was sporting blue jeans coupled with a white shirt with green flowers curling about it. IT was a breezy shirt, short sleeves cut at the shoulder in order to lay in folds around her arms. It seemed to match her carefree spirit and gentle personality.At her side followed her little girl Tryss. The girl had straight white hair that hung at her midback. Pale skin and bright blue eyes attested to favoring her father's looks, though she had more of Miriel's features. She was tall for her age, and slender, being mostly legs. Her hair was french braided and fell over her shoulder onto her chest. Even though her personality seemed pleasant, it wasn't as carefree and joyful as Miriel's. There was something more serious in those blue depths that made up her eyes. Her movements were graceful, like her parents, though it carried some power behind the.

It wasn't long before they both reached the clearing. "Jaedon!" Miriel ran over to her friend and wrapped her in a big hug. "It has been to long! How are you?!" Looking down she saw Jaedon's little girl hiding behind her mother with hands clutching her mom's pants. Big green eyes much like Miriel's best friend stared up at her with curiosity and shyness. Releasing her friend of her hold she squatted down she gave Miya a bright smile, "Why hello Miya! Do you remember me?"

Miya nodded, still clutching on her mother's pants. "Hello Mrs. Miriel."

Miriel gave a mock upset look. "Now that is no way to greet me come here!" She opened her arms wide.

Miya smiled and suddenly ran into Miriel's arms wrapping her in a big hug. "Momma made me change into this human form for you. I don't like it..." The chatter box had started. "It's so clumsy and I don't understand walking on two legs. How do you do it?" Without waiting for an answer, like usual, she continued, "You look a lot like Mommy, did you know that? I bet you guys could be twins. Though you hair isn't as curly as hers." She paused and smiled brightly, "Or mine! I got momma's hair! Isn't it pretty?" Once again she only allowed Miriel to nod before resuming the one-sided conversation. "Where's Tryss?"

"Right here" Tryss gave a smile, just like her mothers, bright and shining. "Hi Miya!"

Miya tumbled out of Miriel's arms and over to Tryss. "Woah, you are huge! How come I am always the smallest?" Poking her head out to the side so she could see around Tryss she asked, "Where is your sister?"

Tryss smiled, "I was about to ask where your brother was."

[saerwen]

As Jaedon listened to Miya rattle on she just shook her head and smiled. "Miya, you know that tattoo's won't make you any better at sneaking around. Practice is the only thing that helps with that." Jaedon cast a glance over at Byren as Neron spoke of taking him swimming. She was so glad that she had Neron to help her. Sometimes, she just didn't understand her children. Byren made no sense to her. He was a wonderful child to have because he was always obedient, always careful, and generally a quiet companion, but he was so unlike most of the children that she had seen it made her worried sometimes. Most children were more like Miya, verbal and clumsy, but Byren...He was neither of the two.

"Maybe when you are older, you can get a tattoo. I didn't get mine until I was quite some years older than you are now." That was partially true and partially not. She hadn't gotten the rose until she was in her late teens, but the others had come during her younger years in the Underground, some of them as a sort of branding to initiate her into the system. Still she had been older than Miya was currently. However, she would never allow Miya to get one at the age that she had.

Jaedon just scoffed at Neron's cocky reply and set her bag down before straightening her clothing out. She was wearing a bright red tank top with a lace overlay with spaghetti straps. Black skinny jeans reached a little below her ankles where bright red flats with a ruched look to them took over. She looked over at Neron and giggled with Miya as she saw his hair sticking out in all directions. She muttered under her breath, "And he says she gets it from me..."

Byren looked at his father in fascination as he watched him pull out the little fish. How had he done that? He watched as Neron slowly turned his hand back. It was an easy enough concept, but Byren knew that he would have to practice it before he could really do it flawlessly. While he was a fast learner, he wasn't the kind of person that could perfect things right off the bat. He preferred it that way as well, because it meant that he could take his time and perfect it until there was nothing left to change. He looked down at his hand and cocked his head to the side, then a thought came to his head. He looked at Neron with a serious face and said, "Mother will get angry if I change forms on accident. Maybe I should try it later." Unless his father was willing to take the brunt of his mother's wrath, Byren wasn't even going to attempt it. He liked the fact that he had a relatively clean slate with both of his parents, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Jaedon almost jumped out of her skin when Miriel came over and nearly tackled her in a hug. She smiled at Miriel and replied, "It has been too long. I am doing well, how about yourself?" She then noticed that Miya was hiding behind her. A sigh almost slipped from Jaedon's lips as she pulled her leg away from Miya and used it to nudge her child forward. That girl was never shy around anyone else, so there was certainly no reason for her to start now. And then, the onslaught began. Miya rattled on and on, hardly stopping to breathe. When she finally filtered off to Tryss, Jaedon took a deep breath and looked at Miriel, "She is so hyper. I don't know where she gets it from."

Damion had gotten a little behind Miriel. Adelahn wasn't quite as tall as Tryss yet and so she walked a little slower. Damion hadn't wanted to leave her behind. He looked down at the girl who was walking very contentedly beside him. Somehow, both of his girls had managed to get his brilliantly white hair, although Adelahns looked as though it might turn blonde someday. Her bright green eyes stared ahead to where they could now see a little gathering by the falls. Damion smiled as he looked up at the water. Once upon a time, he had spent one of the happiest days of his life at this very place. His children had yet to hear the story, so neither of them knew the reason this place was so special for their parents.

He soon picked Miriel and Jaedon out from the crowd, along with Tryss, whose white hair was shining in the sun like snow. When he was finally close enough, he saw Miya talking animatedly to Miriel and then hopping over to Tryss. Damion had to give a small chuckle as he watched the girl dash too and fro. She was so unlike Jaedon and Neron, it was almost confusing. Where had all of that energy come from?

Adelahn walked up next to her sister and Miya, a small smile on her face, "Hello Miya!" she said in a quiet, but happy tone. "You wanna play?"

Damion walked over to Jaedon and gave her a hug, "I see the little tikes are keeping you busy." He smiled as he pulled away.

"You have no idea."

"It can't be all that bad. At least you have Neron to help you," Damion paused for a moment and then gave Neron a joking sideways glance, "He is helping you right?"

"No," Jaedon shot back, "he's undermining my authority." She gave him a testy glare. But if he looked carefully, he would see that it was more to continue the joke that was going between them currently than anything.

Byren cringed as he heard all of the new voices added to the mix. While he wasn't a complete hermit, and he didn't want to be, he really wasn't a people person. What made it worse...his chosen playmates for today were all female. He didn't mind Tryss and Adelahn on their own, when they were with Miya, there was a completely different vibe spread throughout the entire group. His sister seemed to electrify everything that she was around or touched. Perhaps this time would be different, but he doubted it. He would much rather have stuck with Neron and Damion, but he knew that those two would be around the older women and that he would soon be shooed away to the girl's company. So, he decided to suck it up and go.

Walking over to the girls, Byren decided to go for a cocky personality for today as he walked up to the females. "Hey Tryss, Adelahn." He had the same expression on his face as usual, bu his tone was more confident than usual.

[»Míríel«]

"Maybe." Miya frowned for a moment before it broke into a smile. "Maybe it could make me focus though! Plus every time I saw it I would remember you." When Jaedon talked of not letting her get a tattoo at her age Miya's ears drooped. "But Momma..."

Neron looked at his son, who was afraid of angering his mother. It was a very respectful thing to do, still the boy needed to loosen up sometimes. He seemed to perfect, and was constantly worried about appearing anything but so. Neron smirked at the boy, "Don't worry I will shoulder the blame. Perhaps I can deflect it due to this being a training session." Sitting back he sighed, "I guess I should make it seem more like one then a sort of experiment." Turning his attention to Byren he frowned, concentrating. "Now if you are going to attempt it you must focus deeply on the part you want to shift. Create an image in your head and work off of that. It's a tricky balance between over thinking and under thinking. Lean to far to one side and you will shift completely one way or the other. It takes a lot of practice to refine." HE smiled slightly and nodded for Byren to try.

Miriel stood up after Miya had bounced onto her next victim. She laughed heartily. "I'm doing very well." As Jaedon commented on her child's hyperness Miriel just nodded. "You could say that. I think it is charming, she is so full of life. I'm sure it comes from both of you. Somewhere. way. Down. Deep." She smiled brightly at her friend. She waved at her girls. "Look at my girls, both Got Damion's hair and eyes."

Miya smiled brightly at Adelahn, "Hi! Oh boy, do I ever!!" She giggled quietly. "What should we play?" A thoughtful look came over her face as she tried to think of something.

Miriel smiled at Jaedon. "That sounds like him." Even though she knew that JAedon was more than likely exaggerating in playfulness, but she hoped this wasn't a problem in their relation ship. Miriel could see where Jaedon would be unwilling to give up any power. She had been in control of her life for, well her whole life almost. To now be having to work together with someone would be hard, especially with someone like Neron. Even if this was a problem, Miriel had been so happy to see these two start a life together. Them being together could never have been better.

Neron, turning at the sound of another voice saw Jaedon giving him a glare, and the new people in their group. It seemed like he was needed to defend himself. Looking at Byren he frowned apologetically, "We will have to continue this later." He patted the boy on the back before standing up and heading over to his friends. Slapping Damion on the Shoulder Neron smiled, "Damion how are you? I believe your hair has grown whiter than when I last saw you." It was obvious he was joking and it was even more apparent when his smile grew even larger. "Good to see you! How are things going? " He looked to Miriel, "Your daughters have grown so much!"

"I have to say I feel old. Look at us, standing together in a circle with children. Doesn't it feel strange. I;'m not sure I am ever going to get used to being called Mrs. Miriel." Miriel looked over at Miya, "Perhaps I could get used to it." She turned back to Neron, "Jaedon and I were just discussing how sweet and bright Miya is. She is a lovely daughter. How is Byren doing?" She looked at Jaedon.

Tryss Shrugged, " I don't know, what do you want to do Miya?" It was then that Byren sauntered over. "Hello Byren. Nice to see you today." There was something about Byren Tryss wasn't sure about. She liked Miya enough, who couldn't, but Byren. Her mind raced for a reason. HE seemed to perfect. That was it. Still there was something different about him. He was so smooth already, only around three. How was he so collected at that age. IT was like he had everything figured out."How are things going?"

Miya looked to her brother and immediately a big smile came to her face. "Byren! Byren!" She stumbled over to him. "We are trying to figure out what to do! Have any suggestions?" It was obvious that she was growing excited. Her green eyes were wide as she looked up at her brother. It was obvious she adored and admired her brother. Turning away from him she frowned, again concentrating. "Oh! Oh! What about tag? I like tag! I'm good at it too!" She breamed before realizing what form she was in. "Oh... well not in this form, but in this one," She lost her skin. Squatting down into a pouncing position she purred, "I can take you all down!"

[saerwen]

Byren listened to his father attentively, watching him as he spoke. Now sure that his father would take the blame, Byren scrunched his eyebrows together and looked hard at his hand. His bright green eyes seemed like they were going to cross at any moment, he was focusing so hard. He then closed his eyes tightly and let out a small breath. When he opened his eyes he saw that he had accomplished his goal by getting just his hand to change forms. His eyes got wide, but in his excitement, his imagery and focus were lost and it wasn't long before his entire form exploded in a small flame before leaving him winged and scaled. He gave a frustrated sigh and shook his head, mad that he had let himself get so excited that he lost his concentration.

He turned away from the water and closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath. His form then went right back to his human one. It was a smooth transition, of that he was glad. At least he could do that perfectly. Turning to Neron, a small smile came to his face to show his appreciation for Neron taking the time to teach him. Byren then turned around with a dark, brooding look on his face and walked off towards the "little women".

Jaedon almost jumped out of her pants when Byren changed forms. It always startled her when one of her children did that. She sent a glare in his direction a reprimand ready on her tongue, but she saw Neron with him and a frustrated look on the boys face. Her gaze went back to her friends, but when Neron had joined them, she cast her gaze in his direction, Training?

Jaedon slapped Miriel playfully on the arm, "Hey now! That was uncalled for. Neron and I have gotten much better, although he could still use some more refining." She gave him a playful smirk, before being recalled by Miriel's comment about her girls. "Well, Adelahn is kind of half and half. I really like how she seems to be a perfect balance of both you and Damion."

Damion stumbled forward slightly as Neron slapped him on the back. He hadn't really been expecting it. He chuckled and pulled himself back up right, offering his hand to Neron as soon as he was steady again. "I am very well, Neron. It seems you are the same. I have to say, children have really been good teacher for you and Jaedon." Damion looked up when Neron mentioned his hair then shrugged, smiling broadly, "The only place to go from here is silver, so I guess it just gets more valuable with age. Yours, however, will never get there. You have years of coal to look forward to." Damion looked at his girls, now wrapped up with Jaedon and Neron's children. A slightly amused smile came to his face he watched Miya switch forms. She looked like Jaedon. They were all growing up quickly. It was so strange now, to be watching his own children growing up. He had seen others come and go, but never his own. It was slightly unnerving and comforting at the same time.

Jaedon looked at Miriel with a grin on her face, "I could have them call you Mrs. Cervantess if you prefer that." A thoughtful look then came to her face, "Although, I do have to admit, Mrs. Jaedon sounds utterly terrifying." When Miriel asked about Byren, a look of confusion, delight, and wonder came to Jaedon's face all at once. She shook her head and replied, "The only thing I can say is that he is definitely our son. Between my perfectionism, Neron's egoism, and our combined pride, he has become quite the impish little meister." Jaedon cast a glance in their direction, her eyes widening when she saw Miya, but she forced herself to turn away and look back at the group of her friends. "He is the total opposite of Miya." Neron probably would have been able to see she had the strong urge to go and grab Miya out of the group of little ones as punishment, but she was using every fiber of patience she had to keep herself from doing so.

Byren barely acknowledged Tryss, giving her a simple, "Alright." He then looked at Miya with a raised eyebrow.

Adelahn smiled at Byren, "Hello, Byren." She liked Byren well enough, but she was with Tryss. He was so distant, so far from the way Miya was that it was like he wasn't even a real person. She knew it had to be fake, but she was still intimidated by it. His confidence, whether real or fake, was scary. Her eyes shot to Miya when she suggested tag. A smile lit up her face, "OOOH! I like tag!" She clapped her tiny hands with glee.

Byren rolled his eyes at the two girls. Tag...what was the purpose of the game anyway? Chase each other around over and over again? Pointless. He sighed and sat down Indian style in the grass.

"Play tag if you want to, but mom is going to bet mad at you Miya. You weren't supposed to switch forms." He sounded utterly disgusted with the situation.

Adelahn narrowed her eyes at Byren and put her little balled up hands on her hips. "What do you suggest then, smarty pants?" Adelahn always got testy when someone was being mean to others and throwing their ideas away like garbage.

Byren mathced her stare with a similarly angry glare and then relaxed. "I suggest hide and seek. That way, mom can't see that we have changed forms, and we aren't mindlessly chasing each other around for no good reason." He stood up and walked towards the woods. He paused for a moment and looked back at the girls, a charming smile worthy of the Devil himself on his face, "You coming?"

[»Míríel«]

Neron just smirked at Jaedon when she glared at him. Of course he was training the little one. There had been nothing else to do. Byren had done well. He was a fast learner, and always had been. The fact that he had shifted just his arm in the first time was impressive. Sure he didn't hold it, but he had still done well. When she mentioned him needing refining Neron just shrugged. He didn't feel a need for banter in this particular area.

Miriel smiled. "Yes she does seem to be. I think it will be amazing to see our children to grow. Imagine what they will become." Her eyes glittered with excitement. To think that they would grow up and become their own person. There was always the side of her that wondered if they would turn out badly, but the larger side knew that no matter what, they would come through it in the end. She would always love them, no matter what they did.

Neron shook Damion's hand and nodded. "That they have. " He ran his fingers through his hair. "Yes it does, and for that I am thankful." He followed Damion's gaze at Miya. The little sprite brought a smile to his own face. "Looks like Jaedon' doesn't she?" He didn't need an answer, he could see it in Damion's face. Miya, what a blessing and cooling balm she was. Bren was cooling, but in a different way.

Miriel shook her head violently, "No I think that's much worse!" She frowned and wagged a finger at Jaedon, "If they call me that I will tell my children to call you Mrs. Villarreal." A smile broke through.

It was then that he got called back to the present by the mention of Byren. Neron noticed Jaedon's tenseness at Miya switching forms. Why his wife got so upset about it was beyond him. Sure the kids needed to practice their human forms, but they were only three. From his perspective, being immortal, it was only a drop in the bucket. Putting his arm around her shoulder and bringing her close his characteristic smirk rose to his face. "Yep, little Miya got left with my clumsiness. " His face grew playfully solemn, "Poor girl."

Miya stuck her tongue out at Byren as her tail whipped around her. "She'll have to catch me before she can punish me." Her eyes had a mischievous glint to them. They both knew that catching Miya wouldn't be to much of a problem for their mother. Sure Miya was fast, but her mother was faster. After all Miya was pretty small.

Tryss frowned at Byren. What a rude little child. In her six year old eyes that is exactly what Byren was. "Ah, a sneaky way of getting around rules. Break the rules only when the parents wouldn't notice. Perfect." She was slightly sarcastic. She sighed when he asked if they were coming. Her true for was pure white, not a wonderful thing to hide with, even her human form was pretty pale. "Let me guess a game of advantage for you? Are you to slow for tag? I mean really hide and go seek is just a modified version of tag, it just has sitting around more." She sighed.

Miya bounced up at the mention of hide and go seek. When Tryss talked went on about it being a modified version of whatever Miya couldn't stand still. "Aww come on Tryss pleaseee! " Her eyes widened.

Tryss sighed. "Fine."

Miya squealed and barreled off to Byren. Bouncing on him she giggled, "You are it first!! We hide!" Then racing off she yelled behind her, "Adelahan you hide with me!!"

[saerwen]

Jaedon put her hand up to her face and began to rub her forehead with her thumb and pointer finger. "I do think about what they will become. It is not nearly as terrifying for you as it is for me." She pulled her hand away from her face and looked over at the little ones. Byren was trying to lead them off into the woods. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, wondering what his mind was thinking, but she discarded it as nothing more than wanting new scenery for a game.

Jaedon had always feared that her actions of past days would come back to haunt her. Fishce's words still ran through her mind over and over again, telling her how it was impossible to leave the Underground. What if that came back to bite her one day? What if it came to haunt her children and they couldn't take care of themselves? Would her own past sins become her children's punishment? She feared that more than anything else in the world. There had been too much callous hatred and sinful anger in her past to have gotten off so easily. She had a wonderful husband, two darling children, and a group of caring friends...how could this be what she got in return for all those years? Something was bound to happen, she was sure of it.

Damion simply nodded to Neron's question. Miya was unquestioningly the spitting image of Jaedon. In human and true form, she seemed to be the Jaedon that always should have been. Damion could have seen Jaedon like Miya was now, if she had had a different life, a different family. He could have seen her just as bouncing and bright as the little girl in front of them, but that had not been Jaedon's path to walk. And perhaps that is why Miya had such an interesting path now. To think that all of those horrible moments had led up all to one purpose, to Damion meeting Miriel and Jaedon meeting Neron, it was awe-inspiring.

Damion had been drawn in by Jaedon and Miriel's conversation. He chuckled at Miriel when she made her exclamation. It was a little weird hearing Miriel called by any other name than simply Miriel. But he had been around enough people to have gotten used to honorific names. Sir, Mr., Master, they all gave him the creeps, but he knew that they were societies traps, so he would never have cringed in public at them. But, Damion found this the perfect opportunity to tease.

He wrapped his arm around Miriel's waist and said in a hurt voice, "What's wrong with my name, darling? Don't you like it?" He then looked at Jaedon whose response to Miriel's proposition had been a rather nasty facial expression. Sometimes Damion was amazed at how quickly Jaedon's gorgeous features could contort into a simply terrifying or disgusting face in an instant. Giving her a similarly hurt expression, he turned toward Neron, "I can't believe these two. So critical of their own names." He looked down at Miriel, "That really hurts, sweetheart."

Jaedon just gave a huff at Damion. It wasn't a matter of liking it or not, it was her name now. She just didn't want to be addressed by it. It was way too formal for her. As she was about to open her mouth to make a defense for it, something caught her eye. A bright ray of sunlight was reflecting off of something high in the sky. It was too high to be something just floating in the wind. Perhaps it was a bird. But what bird had feathers that were reflective? Her brow creased as she tried to discern what it was and where it was going. It might have just been a figure of her imagination, or else her eyes were telling her that they were tired of being in the sunlight for so long. But it looked like it was coming closer to them. She let out an agitated breath, sure that her eyes were just tricking her. She turned around and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on.

Neron's arm around her shoulder almost surprised her. If she hadn't turned in Neron's direction right then, she wouldn't have noticed him wrapping his arm around her until it was already done. Her tenseness only rose from this action. She looked crossly at Neron before returning him a similarly solemn expression, "Yeah, she can blame you for the lack of things left in the gene pool. At least she got my looks, or else she would have been doomed."

Byren simply rolled his eyes at his little sister. She could say some of the most foolish things sometimes. Byren then turned to Tryss, throwing her sarcasm off instantly. His smirk mirrored Neron's to a tee as he spoke confidently, "Of course it's perfect. I came up with it." However, he didn't take her snide remarks about his speed so smoothly. He whirled around and glared at her with fiery eyes, "Not at all. I could out run any of you if I wanted to. I simply don't see the point of running around in circles, chasing after someone simply to tag them and then turn right back around and run away. It is similar to chasing your own tail and embarrassing." He then cooled off and went back to his smooth self, "It is obvious that the point of hide and seek is lost on someone like you. It is a practice in stealth, in cunning, and more importantly, in silence. It happily unites speed and stealth to form the perfect game. Mother prefers Sardines, but that would be hard in such an open place." He turned back around and walked on towards the woods, "You are welcome to stay here and pout about your lack of skill if you wish, but all of the fun will be inside the trees."

Adelahn sat there, staring wide-eyed at Byren. It was official. He was just plain weird. But not only that, he was not very nice. It was true that Tryss was being a bit of a pain, but Byren was just plain out snappy. Adelahns nose twitched slightly and she stared bullets into Byren's head. Before she could say anything though, Miya trampled off into the woods, declaring that Byren was to be it first. At least he would lose the pleasure of hiding. Adelahn smiled and then ran off after Miya. It was true that she was not as fast as she could have been in her true form, but she didn't really feel like changing quite yet. Her form, like Tryss', wasn't the best for stealth, and the little blue denim jumper she was wearing was plenty dark to give her some cover.

Byren cringed as Miya declared him it first. Of course she would do something like that. He shook his head and then ran his hand through his hair, a habit he had picked up from his father. "Fine," he muttered, sour at first, but then he realized this wound give him a chance to practice his hunting skills. He then announced, "I'm counting to 25." Placing his foot on top of a nearby rock he continued, "Past this is the safety zone." He then began counting, and not very slowly.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel laughed at Damion's hurt voice. As he wrapped his arm about her waist, she willingly drew closer to him. Looking up at him she tried to remain solemn, but she was failing at it. "Nothings wrong with it. Perhaps you are right Mr. Cervantess. I should be proud of my name, I just don't like being reminded of my age. Are you happy now?" Her voice was playful, as were her eyes as she said those words.

Miriel never grew tired of being in Damion's arms. Even after almost seven years of marriage, the two were like lovebirds. Sure, they had fights every now and again, but those were rare and always resolved with both of them asking forgiveness. There couldn't have been a more perfect person for Miriel.

Neron just smirked at her, "Yeah, if she had gotten anything else of yours, she would have been in a worse position and if she had my looks she would be totally irresistible. WE couldn't have boys falling over her too much. " He looked in the direction of the children. Then something caught his eyes. It was something in the sky. Squinting at it and lifting his hand he murmured. "What is that?" Blinking his eyes turned to dragon eyes as he tried to get a better look.

When Byren gave Tryss a fiery gaze, she just returned him and equally fiery one. Looking him up and down she raised an eyebrow. "You?" She sighed at his analogy at chasing tails, "It makes you think ahead, unlike chasing your own tail, you don't know where the person ahead of you is going, or what they will do next. It builds endurance, and speed. Though, I suppose you have had to many unhappy experiences chasing your tail to understand." When he spoke of The advantages of hide-and-go-seek. Tryss narrowed her eyes. "Silence is something you need to work on. You're right this is a good time for you to practice it." Her body temperature was already rising, it was taking all that she could to remain in her skin.

She had to calm down. Shaking her head she thought, "Don't fall into the trap of anger, it is deadly and destroys everything. It will burn until you have nothing left." IT was something her mom had to tell her sometimes. Due to having fire as her element it was easier to flare up at the slightest thing. Mom understood it more than her dad. Tryss was in awe of how her mom was always so calm, gentle, and happy. Perhaps love was the answer to everything. After all, Tryss has no way of knowing what her mother was like before she had met Damion. She sighed deeply and then looked at him. "Perhaps we can both learn something from this game." A smile that stated she was sorry came to her lips. "We shall see if I lack any skill." She laughed and took off into the woods in a fast, but easy gait. It wasn't long before her tall form was lost in the forest.

Miya was waiting in the forest. "What took so long Adelahn?" She looked around her and continued, characteristically, not wait for an answer, "Where should we hide" She bounced off in one way. "Ohh! Under that bush? Or... In a tree... or..." She launched herself at a tree and dug her claws in. "I could stay like this!" She looked like some odd fungus, or a sea urchin stuck to a tree. A giggle past her lips.

Tryss found them and gave them a warning wisper, "Shush, and be quiet! He is almost done counting now! " Then she continued onward. It had been hard so far and nothing she found suited her. IT was to clear in this forest, though there were some promising bushes and so forth, but that would be to easy. Running a little farther she found where a tree's roots were going over the edge of a sort of dip. IT was dark in there, and with a little touches it would be easy to conceal. Pulling some branches she hopped into the hole and placed the branches about her, making it look like a bush was growing around the roots.

Miya gasped at the news. Where to hid?! Looking up to the tree she scampered up it and tried to hid in the foliage. It hid her pretty well, due to the tree having a thick layer of leaves. In fact it could have hid her rather well, you would have to look closely to find her. Flattening herself against the branch she held her breath. Unknowingly, her tail fell off the side of the branches and poked through the foliage. If anyone looked up they would have seen a fluffy tail hanging from a tree. A dead give away.

Miya had never been one for details, so it seemed. She was constantly making mistakes and bumbling around. Her poor mother probably thought her a freak child. Her mind was constantly diverted and flipping around to different channels. It wasn't necessarily that she was stupid, in fact she could learn very fast, if she could focus, she just didn't see a point in being careful. Even now she let out a giggle of excitement.

[saerwen]

"Reminded of your age? Miriel, you're immortal. Think about what you just said for a few minutes," Jaedon smirked at her friend. Jaedon was kinda glad that she would never have that problem. She wouldn't live forever, and there was a part of her that said it was okay. Even though it would probably mean leaving Neron alone, Jaedon knew that one day, she would be ready for death, and when it came, she would welcome it with open arms. Perhaps she was being selfish, to leave Neron alone and be content with it, but when that's the way things were there was no sense in dreaming for it to change.

Damion looked at his wife with a smile, "I am always happy with you. You're just too fun to tease."

Jaedon scoffed at Neron's cheek. "You're kidding me, right? If she had your looks the entire planet would hide in fear. And you yourself know that with my looks you are already gonna have trouble with boys coming around," Jaedon said the last lines with glee. Unlike most mothers, she looked forward to the days when her daughter would bring guys home. She couldn't wait for the amusement that would bring. She trusted herself to communicate to Miya clearly that if she slept with any of them before marriage, she would die a terrifyingly quick death after witnessing the death of her lover. Same went for Byren. Don't do it, or death: that's it.

"What's what?" Damion asked as he turned to look in the direction Neron was gazing. It took him a moment to find it, but when he did, he almost gasped.

Jaedon looked at Neron and followed his line of sight. Even with her glasses on, she could still see the shining beam in the sky. "Glad to know I'm not losing my mind," she muttered under her breath. Right after she said it, she hoped silently that Neron hadn't heard that comment.

Damion took in a sharp breath, and looked rather darkly in the direction of the object, which could now be clearly identified as a bird. It was fairly large for a bird. Stepping away from Miriel, Damion looked towards the bird which was now circling above the huddle of adults. He raised on arm sideways into the sky and immediately the bird darted towards him. Only a few minutes later, a pure, snow-white owl was perched on his arm, offering Damion a piece of paper, which was clasped tightly in its beak. After Damion took it, the bird began to flap its wings and took off, soon to disappear from sight.

"Care to explain what just happened?" Jaedon asked as Damion glared at the piece of paper in his hand. It was folded up and sealed with a strange mark. There were two names on it, but neither of them said Damion.

Damion stayed silent for a moment as he glared at the note, like he could burn a hole through it just by staring. Then as if awoken from a dream, he looked at Jaedon and said, "Messenger birds. Pretty popular in the mountains. Even more popular in my homeland."

Byren's blood was boiling at Tryss. "Tag is the worst test of thinking on your feet possible. And it is illogical too. The second you tag someone, they turn right around and tag you back. It puts the person that was just it at an unfair disadvantage, and supplies them with no reason to cast off their power when it will just be taken and thrown back at them. Might as well just stay 'it' the entire game and watch the other players scamper about in fear." He spoke with a strange sort of power hungry gleam in his eye. It was true for Byren. While most people saw being 'it' as a bad thing, he liked it because he could taunt the other players. He would act like he was going after them and enjoy watching them run away like rabbits, before turning to someone else. It was a total perversion of the game, but he rationalized it as finding the bright side of the trial.

"Silence is only good when it is required. The question is, can you tell the difference between the time to use it or not?" Byren retorted.

As Tryss walked off, Byren's face fixed in a confused expression. Did she seriously just attempt to apologize to him for snapping? What kind of girl was she? "Spineless," Byren muttered to himself.

Adelahn looked at Miya and with a sweet smile on her face said, "You're just too fast for me!" If Adelahn had been able to fly, she would have been very fast, but she didn't feel like it. The little girl laughed at Miya clinging to the tree. She looked ridiculous.

Surveying the scenery around her, Adelahn saw no really good hiding spots. She was running out of time. After a few seconds, Adelahn sighed and strolled calmly off towards a bush, reserved to being found first. That's what always happened. However, behind the bush, Adelahn found a large hole. It looked like a miniature cave in the ground right behind the bush. From what she could tell, it would be just tall enough to hide her entire frame. Sure it would be hard to escape, but at least Bren wouldn't find her as quickly. A soft thud was heard as she jumped down the hole. Her feet landed and she gazed up towards the sky to see Miya's fluffy tail sticking out of the foliage. She chuckled softly before calling to her friend, "Miya, your tail is sticking out!" Her words cut off sharply as she saw Byren come towards the woods. Her eyes could just peek over the top of her burrow to see his feet come towards them.

Byren had heard Adelahns warning as he had enter the woods. Looking around on the ground he, searched for Miya's tail, and then looked up. There is was. A smirk creeped over his face, but he didn't want the game to end so quickly. Often times, Byren would lose the games he played simply because he liked to draw them out. He hated for the pursuit to be over so easily. It was like a hunting trip during deer season. They were everywhere, so you couldn't miss. The only way it was fun was if you pursued the prey for a long time and then caught it after it had become accustomed to your presence. He continued on to find Adelahn. She was somewhere nearby because she could see Miya's tail, and was probably on the ground, but Byren couldn't be sure. He walked around, searching for the little fair head.

Adelahn held her breath as Byren came walking closer and closer to her hiding place. Unknowingly, she crouched down lower in her hole. It was as she began to squat down that she felt something strange land on her shoulder. It was cold, and slightly slimy. Turning her head slowly, Adelahn stifled a squeal when she came face to face with the head of a large snake. Her entire body tensed up and her heart began to pound inside of her. Adelahn was fine with bugs, even spiders, but snakes... The poor little girl felt like she was having a heart attack. Her skin became colder and colder as her fear became stronger and stronger. The snake however, didn't seem to care that it was scaring the little girl half to death. It continued to use her as a tree and slowly wrapped it tail around her little waist and her shoulder, its head still obnoxiously close her she own. As much as she didn't want to lose the game, Adelahn was about to scream. The air in forest was slowly becoming colder.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel scrunched up her nose at Jaedon. "That doesn't make a difference. Being over three hundred years still makes you feel old, no matter how long you have left to live." Miriel saw that Neron looked away towards the waterfall, which was behind her now. Even though his face hadn't changed, she knew what he was thinking about. Jaedon was the only one in the group that wasn't immortal. It was a subject that was hard for everyone, especially Neron. All of the immortal had friends that had passed, even though one would think you would get used to it, every death was a blow. That was one reason getting in a serious relationship with a non-immortal was looked down upon by many. Many had gone crazy after their mate died, even immortal couples. It also became a subject of discussion, being seen as someone who liked to have many wives, even though they could be centuries apart. Once you pledged yourself to someone it was greatly looked down upon to gain another one. It was time to shift the conversation. She smiled up at Damion. "Well that is good to know. Though I'm not sure about the teasing part."

Neron was glad for the rebuttal from Jaedon, it got his mind off the thoughts that had begun swirling around his head. "Well then with my face I will be able to send those boys packing." He narrowed his eyes, "If one even tries to lay a hand on her.." He didn't even have to finish. It was obvious that if one got one boy got near his little girl and tried to do anything stupid they would have his dark side to deal with.

Looking up to the sky with the others Neron was fortunate enough to hear Jaedon's little comment. "Don't worry my dear, you lost that a long time ago." The only times Neron used the word dear was when it was laden with sarcasm, this time was not an exception.

Miriel 's face clouded as she stepped away from Damion when he got the message. "In your country? What... does this mean?" She didn't like how Damion stiffened, nor how he was looking at the message. Something was not right. "Damion?"

"Well then perhaps we should play so we can all run away from you and finally be rid of your annoying presence." Tryss, though she was immensely angry, only smiled and turned. She smirked back at him, "Oh yes. Sadly you do not. If you say anything else I fear that it would only prove my point. "

After she had apologized and had begun to walk away she heard the faintest word that sent anger boiling in her heart. Spineless "That vile little worm! If he ever go the nerve to say that to my face... I'd... " She sighed. It was so easy to forget what her mother had said. She had to calm down. Luckily by the time she had finished constructing her little hideout she had cooled down. Hard labor always seemed to straighten out her temper. The only other thing that helped was to go on a long flights. Tryss was an excellent flyer now, spending any spare moment she had flying about.

Settling down in her little cave she shallowed her breathing, ears alert to any sound. Byren would be a great opponent.

Miya let out a little gasp of horror at Adelahn's warning. Her tail? Poking her head below the limb and turning it towards her rump she saw her tail. "Oops! Now get back you scoundrel. Get back!" She hissed at her tail. It only twitched in response. "So that's how it is?!" She narrowed her eyes and lashed out her her tail with her claws. All of her words had been nothing more than a whisper, some part of her brain still insisted on her being quite, though she had pretty much forgotten about the game by now. Her tail twitched again She eyed it again before lunging at it, causing her to loose her secure footing on the branch and start her decent down. With a little squeal she hit the branch directly below her then tumbled to the next one. Lashing out with her claws she caught hold of the branch, barely hanging on. Kicking with her back legs, trying to lift them up, as well as flapping her wings loudly somehow she managed to make it on the branch. "Phew."She sighed before looking down and seeing Byren. "OH!" Miya remembered what they had been playing before she had her tussle with her tail. Flattening herself to the branch she peeked over the edge and hissed at her brother, "You saw nothing."

[saerwen]

Jaedon put a hand to her face and covered half of it as she shook her head, "Our poor girl is never going to get married." She knew that eventually, one day, Miya would find some guy that might actually be worthy of consideration, but until that fateful day, her boyfriends were doomed to die of fright. The image of a father holding a shotgun wasn't even half way scary enough for what Neron would do, not to mention Jaedon for that matter.

She turned and swiped at Neron with fury as he took up her comment. She wasn't gentle either. With a sour expression she retorted, "Well if I have, it's your fault." Jaedon always used Neron as her punching bag and blamed him for everything. She didn't really mean it, but it was the only way to keep her pride somewhat in tact.

At Miriel's worried voice, Damion realized he was being too mysterious about it. He didn't want his wife to worry. He turned away from the letter and walked back to Miriel, a reassuring smile on his face, "Nothing to worry about, love." He made quick work of the wax seal and opened the letter. After quickly skimming the contents, his face unable to keep from darkening, he folded it back up and handed it to Miriel. "Simply an announcement," he summarized. "You better prepare for a guest, Miriel. My father is coming to stay with us for a few days." If Miriel had looked at the names on the letter one would have said "Thalion" and the other "Imrathiel".

Jaedon stared at Damion, slightly dumbfounded. After a few moments she recovered. "Wait a minute, you mean your old man, who hasn't spoken to you in years, just sent you a message by bird announcing that he is coming for a visit, uninvited? What a jerk. No consideration for the stress that will put you and Miriel under, for sure." Damion didn't mention his father often to anyone and that was probably because they didn't get along well. Apparently, Damion had left home under less than perfect circumstances and hadn't looked back and his father had been furious about it. That was all Jaedon knew, and personally, that was all she wanted to know.

"Yes, that is correct. My father isn't generally one to stand on ceremony. He is head of the clan, so usually if he goes to visit someone, they consider it a privilege to host home and bend over backwards to make him comfortable. From his point of view, he doesn't need an invite," Damion spoke with a strange sort of bitterness. It wasn't as hard or startling as some of them had seen from Damion before, but it was not a very friendly sight. "I don't mind that he is coming, so long as he isn't coming intent on making enemies."

Tryss' last comments pushed Byren to the edge of walking back to the adults. He wasn't going to stick around and play with some stuck up, skinny girl. The only reason that he had come over there was purely out of grace, in order to play with them. He hadn't wanted to, and he saw no reason to stick around. After this round was over, he was done. No more games with these silly women. They were all air-heads anyway.

As Byren searched for Adelahn, he heard a few thunderous crashes and looked to see Miya squirming in the tree, trying to stay up. His first instinct was to run over to her and make sure that if she fell, she landed on him, but then she finally got her grip back. He gave her a sneaky smile and winked at her in understanding before turning around and beginning to search again. Chasing Miya would be no fun, so he would indulge her. After all, it would be weakness for him to go after the little fluff muff. She was too easy.

Byren soon became tired of searching for Adelahn. He wanted some revenge on Tryss. He turned around , keeping the spot where he had been searching marked in his head. He started off for other area's of the woods. When he was barely out of Miya's sights, he switched forms. His dark black scales were a perfect match for the forest. While he did stick out sorely in the light, if he avoided the small pockets, he blended in rather well with things. Wings drawn in and ears pulled back, Byren got low to the ground and began to sniff. He stuck his tongue out, taking in the scents around him. Thanks to the mix of his parents, he had not only a panthers wonderful sense of smell, he had a dragons as well. The two mixed together made hunting a piece of cake. He only vaguely remembered Tryss' scent, but he was able to catch on to it after a little while. He crawled forward slowly, stopping every now and again to regain his scent trail. He soon came to the tree that Tryss was hinding behind. His nose told him she was there, but he couldn't see her. He turned around and began to look for possible hiding places in the near vicinity. Then he began to check for double trails. Was she leading him around in circles? The thought made him stop for a moment. Base. He had left the safety zone unprotected. A low growl came from his throat as he tried to decide what to do. Tryss was around here somewhere, but the other two were definitely open to the safety zone. What to do?

Adelahn had completely forgotten the game. Her panic at the moment was bit too much. She didn't know what to do. If she screamed, the snake would probably be startled. If she tried to move, it would bite her. Adelahn couldn't identify if it was poisonous or not, and she didn't want to risk it. Even though she was a phoenix and could heal herself, she still didn't want to experience that. Her eyes darted around looking for something to help her with, but her options became more and more limited as the snake began to coil around her arms. It was long enough to go down to her legs if it had wanted to.

Without any other options, Adelahn called as quietly as she could and yet still be heard to her friend, "Miya! I need help. Go run and get my dad. I can't move." She was on the verge of crying. The air around her was now completely frigid. If things continued on, everything would start to freeze. Adelahn didn't have great control over her ice yet. As her father had put it, Your heart is still to tender to control ice and bend it to your will, but you will learn some day. But when she was scared or angry, everything within sight froze over.

[»Míríel«]

"My point exactly." Neron knew that someday his girl would find the man of her dreams, but that seemed so distant. Even though he said that he would be a hard dad, he also knew that he wouldn't be unreasonable. Plus, with Miya knowing exactly how to play on his heartstrings, he doubted he would be able to keep her from getting in a relationship, unless something was very wrong with the guy she liked.

When Jaedon swiped at him he didn't even twitch. Instead he looked down at her with a slight smile, "I think I did a good job of it didn't I? You haven't been the same since you met me." For some reason his smile looked almost boyish, being so full of impish delight. Although His arm felt a bit bruised from where she had hit him, it didn't take a shred away from his fun, nor would he ever let her realize that it had caused him any amount of pain. He couldn't let her ego get to big now could he?

Miriel wasn't reassured at Damion's attempt to calm her. He was trying to make light of something. She focused her emerald eyes on his pale face, watching every movement of his features. Miriel didn't like what she saw. His face had darkened, never a good sign. Once he made his announcement of what was contained within the letters, her own face darkened. Damion's father was always a sour subject with him, and even she hadn't pressed him about it at all. All she knew is that he was a stickler with many things, and she doubted he would be happy knowing that Damion had married a phoenix. Once she glanced down at the letter she saw the two names, but they meant nothing to her. Raising up her face to his she questioned, "Just your father?" She was referencing the two names, but didn't want to be straight forward in case she touched a nerve.

Neron looked from one face to another, not understanding why this was such a problem. "Well, your father sounds charming." He caught a glare directed at him from Miriel. He just shrugged in a mildly apologetic way. "I'm sure he will have a hard time making enemies with your family, considering the temperament between you and Miriel. Even your offspring look like bloody angels. Now, why do you guys look like the devil himself is coming?"

Miya giggled at her brothers sneaky smile and wink. Although many people say Byren as being stuck up and proud, even a bit strange, she saw straight through to his heart. There was a special bond between the two of them, probably coming from being from the same litter. Essentially they were twins. She loved her brother dearly and would do just about anything for him, after all he had to put up with her bumbling self all the time.

Rising up from her crouched position she begun licking her fluffy pelt. It may seem, to people that didn't know her, that she was grooming herself, or attempting to, but really it was only because she had fallen on that side and it was hurting. Although she never bathed herself, it was obvious that she could do a good job if she put her mind to it. Soon that little patch was laying back smooth and when the light hit it the hairs seemed to lightly glow. Her fur was more of a matte texture instead of being glossy. Although she didn't realize it this would help her if she ever wanted to hide.

Just as she was finishing the little patched she heard her name called from below. Pricking her ears she looked down at the tree. The tree just talked! She hadn't seen where Adelahn had hidden, so this whole voice thing was beginning to give rise to curiosity. Still, the voice sounded urgent. " I will do my best, oh, talking tree!" Launching herself off the branch she kicked her legs, in a vain attempt to flap her wings. "oops..." She muttered before just settling to a smooth glide. Even still she was a sight to see. Once her feet touched the ground she was off like a black streak. Even though she didn't know who the tree's father was, she was going to tell her parents, perhaps they would know.

Her black form burst from the trees as her little voice called out, "DAD! DAD! MOM! Mr. and Mrs. Cervantress!" She slide to a stop at their feet, panting for breath. Her little frame looked even stranger now, with her hair spiking around her in the usual bedhead manner, but now one spot was nice and groomed while the rest was adorned with leaves and sticks from her fall.

Finally having caught her breath she looked up at the parents with wide eyes. "A tree talked to me! I was playing hide-and-go seek and was up in a tree and I fell down onto a lower branch when I heard a voice! It sounded urgent! It said, "Go get dad, I can't move."" She cocked her head and looked at her mom, "But Momma, trees can't move anyways can they?" Then blinking she furrowed her brow and looked at the ground. "But it got awful cold all of a sudden... Now that I think about it the voice kinda sounded like Adelahn..." Her eyes got big. "OH! Mr. Cervantress She meant you!" Her fur spiked out as Miya realized her friend must be in danger. "Adelahn needs help!! Follow me!" Without seeing if they followed she burst off into the direction which she had come. It didn't take long to come to the tree and she hopped around it calling out. "Adelahn!! They are coming!"

Tryss peered from beneath the branches. She could see that Byren knew that she was here somewhere, but wasn't exactly sure where. It was hard not to make a sound with a little cat/dragon creature with their tongue hanging out walking around. For some reason it reminded her of a dog. Soon he passed out of sight. It wouldn't take him long to find her if he was sniffing her out, no matter how ridiculous he looked. She heard him growl not far off, but far enough that she might be able to outrun him, if she was quick. Shifting forms silently she launched herself into the air.

Her scales were like pearls, being a beautiful, pure, white. They also had a slight quality of diamonds, for when the light hit them just right it seemed like fractures of colors reflected off her scales. It seemed that wherever she went light seemed to follow, and the area around her was brightened by a glow of reflected light. Her wings, instead of being like bats, were more like eagles, being covered with a strange sort of feather. If Tryss was angered, a white flame with red or blue tips would start licking up and down them. Beating her wings she was soon heading at a rapid speed toward the safety zone.

[saerwen]

Jaedon looked at her husbands boyish smile and couldn't keep a frown on her face. With a small smile on her face, she nodded her head, "I suppose that I can give you that." It was true. Neron had changed Jaedon's life forever, and she would never go back.

When Miriel asked if it was just his father, Damion looked at her with confusion for a moment and then he realized something. He had never told Miriel, so of course she would be confused. He nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, just my father. The other name on there is my name in the dragon's tongue. Generally, dragon names are a bit strange sounding so we pick new names for when we change forms or if we abandon our clan. Both of which I have done before. Father is a bit of a traditionalist. He would never address me with any name other than the one he gave me." Damion spoke in a softer tone until the end when he became slightly annoyed.

Damion gave a slight chuckle at Neron's words. He nodded in thanks for the compliment given to his family before sobering up and answering Neron's last question.

"Because the last time I saw my father, I was barely 30 years old. I left home and never looked back. Father was furious with me, always has been, so it seems. He has sent me multiple messages over the years trying to persuade me to come back home, even sent some of my younger siblings to visit me, but there is no way I am going back. My only guess for his sudden desire to visit is either to try and persuade me to come back to the clan himself, or to try and get me to leave Miriel. Either way the answer is going to be no and he is going to get mad. I had simply been hoping that word of our marriage wouldn't spread so quickly, but ice dragons aren't known for being good secret savers."

Jaedon looked at Damion with a puzzled expression, "Do you think he will want you to leave Miriel when he finds out you guys have kids?"

Damion's eyes hardened like ice crystal in the arctic, "He probably won't even view them as his grandchildren. He won't accept Tryss and Adelahn would have a slim chance as well." He shook his head, "If he wants to think those things, fine. But the second he voices something like that, he's leaving, by force if it comes to it."

Poor Adelahn, her body was shaking and tears were falling down her cheeks. The snake was now coiled all the way around her left leg, around her waist, and up her right arm, it's head was starting to wind around her neck over to her left shoulder. When Miya called her a talking tree, she could hardly take it. Sometimes her friend could joke at the worst times. This was no laughing matter, and relief for her anger at Miya came only when she heard the little cub flop from the tree. Help would come back for her soon. She just had to be patient and pray that the snake didn't decide to eat her or something like that in the mean time.

Damion had just finished his explanation of his father when Miya came dashing out of the trees. An amused and slightly confused look crossed his face as the little ball came running towards them, shouting the whole way. He was expecting something exciting to come out of her mouth. Perhaps she had won their game(probably for the first time in her life), or perhaps she had discovered some strange bug of caught a mouse, but a talking tree? Damions frame shook with laughter, he had to try hard to hold it in. However, her words didn't go past his hearing without pause. Urgent voice asking for it's father. Byren wouldn't have said something like that to Miya unless he was being exceptionally proud, so the only two that were left in the equation were both his. Unfortunately, Miya kept rambling on so fast, he couldn't ask her where the location was. He simply had to wait for her to stop and realize what was going on. It was amusing to be sure, but hearing his child was in danger took all humor from Damion's mind.

Jaedon looked at her child with skeptical eyes. A talking tree? Well now she had heard it all. Placing hands on her hips, Jaedon waited for the child to stop talking. When Miya was finally done, Jaedon gave an exasperated sigh and looked at Neron, "Of course the fact that it was Adelahn hadn't occurred to her before she spent half an hour rambling on."

Adelahn's eyes opened wide in fear as Miya began bouncing around the tree and shouting at the top of her lungs. All kinds of curses flew through her mind as she felt the snake tighten its grip around her and look up at Miya with suspicious eyes.

Calling as softly yet forcefully as she could, Adelahn practically growled, "Shut up, Miya! It can hear you."

When Miya took off, Damion wasn't far behind, his strides were much larger than Miya's so he caught up to her in no time. However, all he saw was Miya's frantically jumping around the tree. Where was Adelahn? She was hiding for the game, and apparently she had done a pretty good job. He couldn't even find her until he heard her sharp voice snap at Miya to be quiet. It can hear you. What was it? Walking closer to where he voice came from, Damion soon realized why he couldn't see her. She was below him. All it took was him seeing her to realize why she was so panicked. His own heart skipped a few beats. A rather large brown and black spotted python was wrapped around Adelahn from head to foot. It was currently glaring at him as though trying to say, "Don't you dare think about touching my meal." Damion simply glared back and thought about what to do.

In an attempt to calm his child slightly, Damion spoke softly, "Don't worry, Adelahn. We'll get you out of there."

Jaedon hadn't taken off quite as fast as Damion had, but she had caught up a few minutes later. When she saw the snake her features became nothing but pure disgust. Nasty, slimy, serpent. Sure, she had married a dragon, but that was different. They were more like lizards than snakes. What was most alarming was how far it had wrapped around Adelahn. Damion was going to have to do something special to get the thing off.

Meanwhile, Byren was completely unaware of what was going on with the other girls. He had decided to simply guard Tryss' location and find her. She couldn't be too far away. When she flew, Byren almost let out a curse. He had picked up that bad habit from his mother. Byren pelted after her at break neck speed. She was a fast flier, but Byren was a fast runner. Sure, he could have flown after her, but that was not his favorite thing to do. He liked running better. As they went speeding towards base, Byren caught a glimpse of the dramatic scene below the tree out of the corner of his eye. His paws slowed in the midst of his pursuit, against what his better thoughts told him and he turned towards where Damion and his mother were looking down. His interesting Tryss was gone.

He peeked between his mother's legs and looked at what was going on. He was tempted to laugh at first, bet then he saw that the snake was in the perfect position to kill Adelahn if it so desired. With a thoughtful look on his face he asked, "Can't you just freeze the snake, Mr. Cervantess?"

Damion looked at Byren, "I could, but that won't solve the problem completely. When the ice is gone, the snake will still be wrapped around her, and unfortunately alive even if I froze it. Snakes are cold blooded creatures. But that is all that can be done for now." Damion would have to be very careful, because if he didn't act fast enough, the snake would start to squeeze Adelahn, and his ice would lock her in that state. She would suffocate.

[»Míríel«]

Neron looked down as Damion talked of choosing another name. His true name seemed like nothing bu a distant memory. The last person to ever let his name pass their lips was his mother, in her dying breath. Neron's face seemed to have turned as smooth as the surface of a stagnant pond. His green eyes, usually so stormy and alive, seemed empty. Anger lashed within him as he stood there, in a sort of trance. Memories could be so powerful, so captivating to the mind that the world around fades into a blur. Sounds and movements dim, all that one is aware of is what is being played within the mind. It is a trap that easily becomes addicting.

Although Neron heard Damion respond, he stored what was said in the back of his mind. He would replay it later, but now, more important things were going through his head.

Miriel placed an hand on Damion's arm. "Surely it won't come to that." To have to ask a part of Damion's family to leave was to much to even think to Miriel. She knew that he wasn't proud of his father, but frustrated by him. It was already decided that she would try her best to make the situation better. Even if it meant slaving over the kitchen day and night and acting like a maid to clean up after their guest, she would do it. Damion deserved it. There was a knot that was beginning to form in her stomach, despite her resolve. It was obvious that it wouldn't go away until the guest left, or the situation took a turn for the better. This whole visit seemed like a dark cloud on the horizon. Hopefully they could weather the storm and make it out in one piece.

Neron snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Miya's voice calling out his name. Neron had extraordinary patience sometimes when it came to his children. Sometimes he had sat for thirty minutes just listening to Miya babbling about her day or even about a rock she had seen that was pretty. Usually he would have already walked out the door by the time the third word was spoken. So he listened attentively and quietly to Miya, keeping his eyes trained on her disarrayed form. He knew she would get to the point eventually, she just had a thing for the dramatic. At first he had just taken this for another one of Miya's grand tales, but as soon as he heard that Adelahn was in trouble he turned toward Miriel and Damion.

Neron shrugged to Jaedon's comment. In one way Neron had always been glad that Miya could ramble on and spread her charm about her without even knowing it. He had never been that way, and put more people off then attracted them. He had been lonely many times due to his quick words and swift judgement. Miya would never be alone, he was determined of that. With her endearing ways she would always have people around her that cared for her. She had the social skills he had always lacked.

Miya scrunched up her nose in Adelahns Direction, not at all deterred by the harshly spoken words. "Trees can't hear silly and there is no one else down there is there?" She inched closer to get a better view, the bush was blocking her view. BY then Damion had arrived and was making a face like he was shocked. Peering in she spotted the snake. "Oh..."

Miriel hadn't been far behind Damion, and when she arrived she was looking a bit paler than usual. During the whole run here her mind had been racing with worries. Where was Adelahn? What was going on? Was she ok? When she arrived to see a snake coiling her daughter it was all she could do to not freak out.

Tryss, having burst from hiding and flying glanced back to see what Byren's reaction had been. The boy was fast, faster than she had put him down for. Still why he was running was beyond her. If she wanted she could remain in the air and perch on a high tree until he lost interest or went after the others. Still he had his reasons, and he knew his strengths, there was no doubt about that. Taking a sharp turn to the left she flew through the trees, heading towards the base, only to look behind her again to see him nowhere in sight. "Hmm." She slowed her flight and perched on a branch, to listen. There wasn't a sound, then she heard in the distance her sisters voice. There was something wrong about this. Even though she hadn't known Byren for long, she could tell that he didn't have the character of his sister. He would pursue until he captured, the only thing that could take him off his course was something big.

Shooting off into the direction of her sister she soon saw what was going on. Her sister stood with snake coiled around her, with Damion, Miriel, and Byren looking on. Mother looked like she was about to have a heart attack. Damion looked contemplative, trying to figure out what to do. She was coming in fast now, and she had already decided what to do.

Slowing and landing behind her father she moved in, shifting forms as she came closer. The whole time she looked at the snake right in the eye. She movements were slow but confident, authoritative, but gentle. She, being a dragon herself, understood snakes better than other species. She knew that if she was frightened or if someone was trying to take something of hers, she would only fight harder and cling onto whatever she was holding, especially if it meant something to her. Her ice blue eyes remained like those of a dragon's. "Adelahn." Her voice was smooth and gentle as she moved closer to them, now just within reaching distance. "Look at me. You will be fine." She had seen her father talking to her mother like this when they were near water. "Now relax. Close your eyes."

Turning her attention to the snake she started to talk to it in a lower, even tone. "What beautiful colors you have. I haven't seen scales so beautiful before. Don't you think so Miya?"

Miya looked from Tryss to the snake before nodding her head vigorously, "Yes! " She then smiled.

"See..." Tryss continued soothingly. "I have never seen a snake more beautiful." Reaching out she gently touched the snake. She had to show it that she meant no harm. Tryss didn't know if this would work, but she had to try something, everyone else was just standing around watching. Although she hadn't lived long she had figured out that adults seemed to think more than act, sometimes it was debilitating.

Neron hurried after Damion and Miriel. By the time he arrived he saw Tryss placing her hand on the snake's scales and begin to stroke gently in attempt to sooth the creature. Coming up from behind Damion he whispered in his ear, not wanting to break the spell Tryss was trying to put on the snake. "I'll unwrap the snake, you stand by to help Adelahn if anything goes wrong." Not waiting for an answer he slowly moved to the back of the snake and placing his hands on the tail he began to slowly attempt to uncoil the snake. IF everything went as planned the snake would be relaxing, thus not fighting against being pulled off its victim. If it went wrong, the snake would react and begin to squeeze tighter.

Neron had dealt with snakes before, and he knew as well as others that you had to treat a snake with respect. If you unwrapped from the head the snake would only grip on tighter, if you started from the back the snake would not be as strong, though there was a chance that in the end the snake would turn to you as prey. Luckily Neron was a much bigger subject to try and constrict, and although the snake was large for the children, it was not big enough for the adults. Plus if the snake did somehow start to coil around NEron, he could easily shift to a dragon, making himself to large for the snake to even wrap around.Hopefully this situation wouldn't get that far.

To help sooth the surroundings Neron began to sing in a chanting fashion. His voice was low and smooth, becoming almost velvety to the ear. His words were in an ancient dragon tongue, though not as refined as Damion's probably was, or as regal, it had a rustic warm tone to it. The song was that of a dragon lullaby. It was one he had heard many times when he mother was trying to sooth him when he was frightened. At first, though he stumbled over the now unfamiliar tongue, but soon as he got into the beat of it the words grew smoother.

Neron was not someone to sing in public, he preferred the violin to communicate his feelings, or beauty. It wasn't that he had a bad voice, he just didn't like singing, and he didn't think he had a great voice. This song held to meany memories, but for some reason it spang to his lips. It had many times when he had been alone, cold, and or wounded. There was something about it that was calming about it. So he found himself singing the slow, rhythmic tune. ¹

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¹ Something roughly based on this (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-dVcj_gYAQ)