Relkir felt oddly wobbly as Elkay pulled them and their kid through a shadow, and the three of them appeared underneath a familiar tree. In front of them was that adorable little orange-painted half-house, and waiting for them were three happy faces.
Elkay stepped back a little bit, allowing the colossal Rethan to plod over and immediately wrap their arms around both Relkir and Litvir.
“You are here!” Gath beamed with joy. “You are here and you are safe!”
Relkir hugged Gath back. “I am here, yes. Sleepy, but here.”
“I was scared! I… you… you were at…” Gath struggled with their words briefly. “I heard you were at the big library… and you went Defensive Stance again. And things were scary and bad…”
“Don’t worry, General Gath!” Elkay interjected, not wanting things to get too out of hand. “Relkir just did what Relkir always does when they go Defensive Stance. They protected the defenceless. Got people to safety then quickly calmed down. And, of course, little Litvir did the same and protected everyone, including me. Both your partner and your kid are completely fine. Aren’t you, Relkir?”
Relkir nodded weakly. “I am fine. Confused, tired, sleepy and a bit wobbly, but fine.”
Gath released their grip on their family, then turned to Litvir. “Are you alright, kid?”
“I am fine!” Litvir also nodded. “But I am also a little sleepy. But I did not go Defensive Stance… nearly did but I am good at not doing that.”
“Like I said, they’re both fine!” Elkay grinned. “Anyway, I’ve gotta head off. I have work to do.”
“You do not want to stay for cookies?” Gath asked.
“I wish I could, but I got a LOT to do. Litvir though has today off because they are a good boy. It was good seeing you again, General Gath. Litvir, be a good kid for your parents, and I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow, alright?”
“Yes, old mama Elkay. I will always be a good boy!” Litvir gave Gath and Relkir a little hug. “You stay safe too.”
Elkay waved farewell, then disappeared off into a shadow. Once the nice Skyavok was gone, Gath turned back to Relkir and Litvir.
“You are both fine, yes?”
“Do you not believe old mama Elkay?” Litvir blinked.
“You seem fine, kid, but Relkir, my little angel, you seem like a mess.”
Relkir sighed. “I am a bit of a mess, but that is because I went Defensive Stance and met some weird beings. I think I saw the Lady of Light up close, and I saw this really nice Rethan who helped me out and I did not catch their name or their contact details… I am a little all over the place…” Relkir trailed off, then changed their tone. “But that is not important! There is something much more important that we need to do right now.”
“Oh?” Gath was pretty sure they knew what Relkir wanted. They glanced back at their parents, Lesii and Kazim, who were standing at the door, then smiled. “You want to go to the nursery?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“Dada, Kyr Syksis said you needed to rest though…” Litvir muttered.
Gath patted Litvir on the head. “It is fine, kiddo! I will look after Relkir and we will have a quick walk. We will not be long. Litvir, can you stay with your grandparents and help mum make some pizza?”
Litvir hesitated briefly, but quickly relented. They were quite hungry, after all, and some stolen cheese from a pizza sounded rather alluring. “Yes, mama.”
Relkir and Gath watched Litvir head inside with Kazim and Lesii. Once the door closed, Gath put an arm around their tiny partner and they started walking down the street. With each step, Relkir seemed more and more nervous. It didn’t help that the sun was a little low and the wind was a little chilly. But at the end of the road, just around the corner, there was a building that didn’t match. A building that was both sweet, cosy and well fortified. And, also, oddly, open all the time.
Someone inside had spotted Gath approaching. They clearly knew Gath was coming, but then again, Gath was a very recognisable Rethan considering how huge they were.
“Hello, Viki!” Gath waved as they got closer.
“Hello, General Gath!” the grey and black Rethan nursery carer smiled. “You are not alone today! General Relkir, it is a pleasure to meet you. General Gath mentions you all the time.”
“They… they do?” Relkir was struggling a bit.
“Of course!”
“Ah… Well… Hello, my name is Relkir, pleasure to meet you. Are you the head nurse here?”
“I am, yes! I am captain Viki, 502nd Legion, Legion of Youngling Care. I am in charge here. I take it you want to see your unhatched kid?”
Relkir swallowed nervously, then nodded. “I would, yes.”
“Very well, this way, please!”
Gath took Relkir’s hand and they followed Viki down into a large room that was divided into sections with privacy curtains. Each little area had a sturdy plastic box in it, a standard incubating device to keep the eggs safe, and there were also small stools to sit on. Viki led them to the very end of the room, to a secluded area in the corner. They pulled a privacy curtain to one side then stepped back.
Gath didn’t enter first. They also stood to one side, and let Relkir approach the incubator. Inside the box, which had a loose, hinged lid on it, was a large red cushion. And on that cushion was an egg. A perfect, round, white egg.
Relkir looked back at Gath, then took a deep breath and made their way towards the incubator. They didn’t dare touch it though. There was no need to.
“What do you think?” Gath asked.
“We… we made that…” Relkir stuttered. “We made that. And soon… it will hatch. And we… we will have a tiny baby.”
“We will, yes.”
“Have… have you thought of a name?” Relkir asked.
“Indeed…”
Gath put their arms around Relkir, then whispered gently in their ear. As they did so, the smile on Gath’s face spread to Relkir.
“That… that is a very good name…” Relkir grinned.
“So, we are in agreement?”
“We are, yes…” Relkir turned their attention back to the egg. “You are going to be a big, strong Rethan. Strong and kind. Just like your mum.”
“You believe so?”
Relkir rubbed their eyes, hiding both a stray tear and a brief red and blue glow. “I know so.”