Wapun Meadow do we stand a chance to rise above it all

Laurel scoffed at Marten's comment that she was not supposed to know all that stuff. Of course she was; how else could she protect her children against the horrors of the world? But she didn't expect him to know anything about what her life had been like and what she tried to protect her children from (ironically, because he had faced many of the same pain that she had in regards to his parents). She felt her heart warm a little when Marten called her a good mama. She just needed someone to tell her that she was doing good because she was trying her best, even if she was failing miserably.

Thank you, Marten, she muttered, a little under her breath, not as audible but clearly a rare Laurel thank-you nonetheless. He was a sweet boy, even though he wasn't really family; the only thing that made him so was Indra's soft heart, bless her.

But she didn't like his comment about them not being babies. She didn't mean it like that, obviously -- she just meant that he was her baby, her little boy, because he was her son. I didn't mean it like that, she said, her tone snippy and the ice around her heart freezing up a little again now that the tears were gone. When she spoke next her tone remained cold: But I wouldn't expect you to understand. Because it wasn't like he had any children, so he couldn't understand like Laurel or Indra would such things.