Emberwood the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east

dated for 6/26

‘I have been so stagnant, Cort’ she had said to her brother one day while they were lounging about the willows. 'I simply must get out of here.' and with those simple statements, the two siblings found themselves far and away from the safety of their sanctuary. They had been assigned to deliver gifts and, with such tasks now completed, they turned to head back towards Elysium.  Olive was gravid but not so unwieldily that she could not travel, albeit slowly. She was nearly at the end of her pregnancy, but felt confident that fresh air and the ability to stretch her legs would do her some good. If moving about was what her body craved, then there must be a reason for it, right? Well, she wanted to indulge — but not while alone, and she knew the time with @Cortez would be well spent. 

They walked far, lost in conversations that spanned the entirety of their lives, back to when they were cubs themselves. They gossiped about mother and father, and mused upon their common brother and wondered what it would be like if he were here. The two marveled at the animals and the birds, and the druid listened contently as Cortez wove his stories and vice-versa when Olive dove into song. Whenever she felt the cubs within her womb kick and roll, which they did often, she would stop and place her side against his so that he might glean something from the sensation as well. Ariel loved it when she did that, so why wouldn't Cortez? Together they fished as the big spring trout ran upstream, and made many promises of stargazing every night, but by the time the stars revealed themselves they were both tired and slept soundly, safely nestled next to one another. Before long, they had made it all the way to the emberwood.

The sun was strong and growing strong, and the canopy of the wood provided a nice shelter for them midday. Olive paused, lifting her chin to look at the stitching of leaves and branches above them. It reminded her of the hushed willows, but without those burdensome boughs of branches that swayed in the ever-dulcet breeze, there was so much more room to move. It felt quite expansive. Olive hauled in breath, then exhaled fully. Open.

Then she blinked against the lessened sunlight and looked for Cortez, who stood only a few paces away from her. The woman trotted over, surprisingly light on her feet for a woman so heavy with child, and rested her forehead on his shoulder. Perhaps they could take a break here, refresh themselves within the nearby stream; but they would soon have to turn around and return home. As nice as this all was, the gravid woman did not like pushing her luck. She was thankful to Cortez for taking his time to shepherd his pregnant sister through the world as they knew it, and for not shying away from the task as she figured most of the Seraphim might.

Awakened, the lives within her womb began to stir once more. They did this so often now that it was nearly constant, and as far as Olive was concerned, they were already earthside and fully conscious — but never again in their lives would her children be this close, so she relished the feeling of them inside her. It was divine; a thing blessed by the gods. Her cubs moved and they moved more, and they did not stop moving so Olive decided to give them the attention they were so unceremoniously demanding. She smiled at Cortez as her tummy churned. “Can we sit for a spell?” she questioned, not waiting for an answer before she sat her hips down and cradled her heavy belly upon the earth for a moment’s respite.