Forest Walk

I sang softly as I tenderly bathed Zephyr in the sink, at only a week old he was still so small compared to my 6'5".  I would probably think him small for quite a while.  I had him supported in one arm, minding his head and neck as I washed his delicate pale red skin.  His skin coloring followed my family line, his sister's was starting to show silver like her mother's.  I forwent the shirt when Jessalyn kicked the water excitedly and got me soaked.  So here I was in the kitchen, learning to give my newborn twins a bath, shirtless.  I felt more like Jaden then myself in that moment, especially since I could not stop smiling at the tender round face as I rinsed the soap off of him.  Mystic was near watching me work.  My big sister helped raise many babies, including myself, so she was able to give me the gentle direction I needed to learn things like proper bathing techniques.

Sylph, my mate, rested in our room for an afternoon nap.  Carrying and birthing twins had left her tired so I nudged her to sleep as much as she needed.  Too bad she was just as excited and in love with our babies as I am and wanted to spend all the time that she could with them.  These two were our first, and maybe only, babies.  It was a miracle Sylph got pregnant to begin with, she was supposed to be barren, yet here our little boy and girl were.  I couldn't be happier or prouder.  My daughter resting and cooing in her Aunt's loving arms and my son splashing me in the face while he flailed his arms and legs.  The deep rumbling chuckle told me my soon to be brother in law, and already older brother had just entered the kitchen and was watching me get splashed.

The deep purr told me he noticed his mate tenderly holding a baby in her arms.  Rylen was practically howling on the inside to be a father, and it got louder the rounder Mystic's belly got.  He kept himself calm but he truly was impatient to hold his baby boy, he just did not want Mystic to feel rushed.  What he didn't know was she was worried about having a baby.  It was just her hormones having her worry meter off the charts, when it was already near the top of the chart when she wasn't pregnant.

Empathy.  I knew most everyone's emotions at almost all times.  Lucky knew how to hide her's, growing up with a family of empaths.  Yet…she wasn't doing it so much anymore.  Not since she met the 6'11", muscle man that was standing by her side at current.

I handed Rylen the bundle of towel with my baby boy in it.  "Thank you again both of you for watching the babies for us."

"No problem," The deep timber of Rylen's voice was tenderly soft as he smiled to the blue haired baby in his arms.  Huge but extremely gentle hands drying my little one, Mystic was practically melting seeing the softness on Rylen's face.  I chuckled and headed from the room.  Yeah…love looked good on my big sister.  

I took the stairs three at a time to get to my napping mate, time to get her up and moving.  I had a surprise for her.  With tender kisses I roused my silver elf and urged her to shower and dress.  Jaden, the tailor and fashion designer of our house, made her the softest pale blue dress to wear today, which I snuck into the bathroom while she was showering.  Her excited squee, and the huge burst of happiness, told me she liked it.  She would pounce him later, for that I was sure.

With her dressed, I led my mate from the cabin we called home with our huge family.  We practically had a community under one roof, and everyone loved it.  The babies always had an adult, didn't matter if it was their parent or an "Aunt" or "Uncle" to run too.  There was always laughter, light, and love.  Food was easy to find as most of the family cooked, and there was always hugs and purrs to be shared about.  It made for a safe and loving environment.

  She smiled as we walked the forest.  Tree elves love their trees.  I watched her as she skipped along her way, the first time we had spent more than a moment outside since before our babies were born.  I watched her dance her way around the trees and climb up some.  All the while I followed behind and smiled, gently directing us without her knowing it.  

Soon I scooped Sylph into my arms and wrapped my wings around her to keep her from peeking at where I was taking her.  She wiggled around and giggled, pretending to try and escape, just too excited.  The wiggling was also to test to see if she could escape, I left my arms and wings loose enough for her if she had a panic attack and needed to run.  She was okay once she knew I would not confine her, she was slowly learning to trust me and I was willing to wait for her.

When I spread my wings back out and let her look I heard a little gasp.  In front of us was what would someday be part of our forest home, but for now it was nothing but little saplings.  Not much more than a sprout to be seen.

Sylph had been crippled in her youth by her mother's husband, she looked like the man who raped her mother too much for him not to feel hatred for the "deformed" child…had I the chance I would rip his throat out.  He often beat her and told her she was not good enough to sing to the trees as forest elves love to do.

I promised I would plant her a forest to sing to whenever she pleased.

My Sylph practically jumped from my arms and rushed about the little trees.  Her brow going up as she took notice of the blue and silver ribbon that swirled and made almost a path from tree to tree.  She followed the labyrinth that seemed to go nowhere and huffed.  It had led to nowhere.  I smiled and took her into my arms once more, kissing her deeply as the leather like dragon wings once more spread out from my back.  I took us to the air and kept going higher and higher until we were at just the right height.  Kissing her I slid one hand into my pocket, the other keeping her small frame to my chest gently but securely.

"Look down."

She gasped and I was nearly rocked with the wave of emotion coming from her, but I had expected her feel in such a way.  She looked back at me with big tear filled midnight eyes at what she had saw below us. I opened the ring box I had pulled from my pocket.  The largest of the stones was a dark sapphire held in place by silver and gold leaves.  The band was made of silver and gold vines with little almost black rubies.  I had spent days designing this ring to be perfect for her.

I smiled as she looked back up to me from the ring.

The ribbon labyrinth didn't look like much on the ground, but from the sky the ribbons read, "Sylph Windrider, Will You Marry Me?"