Redhawk Caldera WSS: Prologue

Her laughter caused him to cringe slightly. Perhaps that was why he hadn't admitted to many that he'd left at least in part because he needed an excuse to get him away from Niamh. He knew Fennec had gone up against his mother before, and that she knew a bit about how he felt about Niamh as well, but it was different, admitting their rift to his younger siblings. But when her next question came, he jerked his head back in surprise. "Oh, fuck." He sighed. So Niamh hadn't been easier on her next batch of kids. How many of her childrens' lives would she ruin? With Alyx now also spiteful of their mother, that made three of them- three out of six. 

He hadn't been around to see how Niamh interacted with the others for long enough- nor had he been back often enough to catch them together. He'd spent more time trying to find his siblings, and simultaneously avoiding his mother, so naturally, he'd had no idea that she might have been choosing favourites and treating her children unfairly. He felt certain that it had something to do with their personalities; Primrose was a fair and gentle child, always eager to please; probably the easiest for Niamh to handle because he'd do what she wanted him to do. Quetzal was boisterous, but playful and could still be directed with the right sort of encouragement. Alyx was strong-willed, intelligent and confident- and when she felt things were unfair, it was likely because they were. 

The issue about her going to Rusalka sounded like it might have been more complex than what he was being told, but he thought he understood enough of it to figure that Alyx was likely still being somewhat punished for having gotten lost (which hadn't exactly been her fault), and discouraged from becoming an ambassador because of a grudge held by their mother. "It sounds like things have been pretty unfair," He said. Niamh obviously hadn't put in a good effort in fixing things with Alyx, either, if she'd been calling her names. "Listen. What do you wanna do?" He asked. "Like- if Mom couldn't have a say in what you did, what would you do?" He asked.