Bound for trouble from the start
I've been walking through this old world in the dark
In the days that have followed from Ellyse’s good news, his life in general had greatly improved. He was going to be a father and that alone brightened his aura. Even the bear was less grumbly, he would willingly shift and roll in the snow, letting it sparkle and dampen his long snowy coat. His hard work (really busy work, distracting him from the unpleasant business of the past year) had paid off, he had been promoted. For the first time he was an actual functioning part of a kingdom, no longer just a lurker that stood on the sidelines. He had watched Magnus long enough to have the importance of doing a job well done rubbed off on him, he was loathe to let any of them down. Most importantly, her.
Every day the soft curve of her barrel extended a little more, showing the signs of life within her. He had kept his promise, sticking closer to her as much as he was able to. Knowing she was fully capable of taking care of herself but unable to release the fierce protection he feels for them. Needing to know that mother and child were ok. His mind was quieter, sleep came easy when he was curled against her with his head resting on her swollen belly. Feeling the movement of their child within. The nightmares unable to cross into the threshold of his happiness. The most startling change though was his appearance. In Tephra, the winter was never so harsh as it was elsewhere. Grass remained, easy to seek. The skeletal man had almost disappeared, fat having filled out the hollows of his bones and lean muscle rippling beneath the scarred chestnut fur.
He was happy. It still doesn’t feel real, that this was his life.
That he deserved this.
He is in his bear form today, all claws and long snout on the sands of the beach, just out of reach of the waves. Shifting for her amusement as he falls back on his haunches in a comical sitting position, grasping at a large conch shell before him with his claws. ”What should we call him? Her? What do you think we are having?” A broad grin breaking along his lips, pulling back to expose sharp teeth as he looks down at the shell, rolling it over in his paws. ”Something original I think, nothing so generic as Shell or Ash or…Something.”
Ledger