Otter Creek it was alright just to be alive

he smiles at her gently, unaware of the brief bitterness in her thoughts. she looks tired; he thinks maybe he shouldn't have offered to keep her up still, but she encourages him. "i think you were asleep then," okeanos says softly, trying to remember if ibis were there at all with them, or in the den with their mother. shyly, he adds, "i don't remember what dad told me, but i've asked mama olive for some stories." those he can share freely.

he takes a second to look up to the sky, orienting himself to the twinkling stars above. right. "um, so, oh -- you can see gemini," he says, gesturing with his snout to where the constellation glitters. "gemini is the twins constellation - they were both born to a wolf named leda, but had different fathers - one god, one mortal. they grew up inseperable and did everything together, but when they grew up, they got into a fight and the mortal one died. his brother was so distraught he asked his father if they could be immortal together as stars..." he trails off. okeanos doesn't think he's a gifted storyteller, but still, the gemini twins fill him with a sort of sentimental longing. he understands, he thinks, what it's like, to love someone so much you'd rather live forever in the stars than be stuck here, alone without them.