©2002- 2024 Rochelle Simpson
Published on stormrise.com on January 13, 2002.
Part 1

A cry echoed throughout the surrounding woods as a child was born. It was no silent child, declaring its disapproval of the cold outside world for the whole Hurst to enjoy at some unspoken of hour of the night.

In the den the healer cleaned and wrapped the child to hand to its mother. Dusk, a dark haired huntress, smiled as she held the child. **Hush little one… you'll wake half the holt.**

**Too late.** Her son covered his ears with his hands. A thin and gothic looking boy with the dark hair shared between his parents.

"Destiny…" His father sighed with a roll of the eyes as he crouched down next to his life mate. "She is lovely… I see your fire in her eyes…" He assured her with a smile. Destiny frowned.

"And what did you see in my eyes?" He asked, a little put out by his father's admiration to the infant girl.

"My boy, I'm sorry to say you share my gentle nature." His father chuckled as Destiny flushed crimson with embarrassment but said nothing more to the fact. He couldn't argue that he was a push over at times, and he had NEVER learned how to properly talk to a girl. Half the time the girls he spoke to thought he was either hitting on them, or rude.

"Shallowshade my love… what shall we name her?" Dusk asked her life mate to bring him back to the topic of the somewhat calming infant.

"Hm… something to describe the pride in her eyes… the fire she gets from you…" He looked closer at the child's large blue spheres as it starred back at him, now calm. She almost looked like she was waiting for a drum roll to accompany her name's pronouncement. "Dawn." He smiled to his wife.

"Dawn? I like it… it would be nice to have a fire sounding name… perhaps she'll share your talent for fire Destiny." She smiled to her son, who shrugged impishly.

"As long as she doesn't have a talent for nagging me, sure." He decided.

"We should have named you 'Easy Going'." His mother laughed.

***

"I wan!" The two year old reached for Destiny's paints again, knocking over his paintbrushes.

"Stop it!" He growled at her for the fifth time in less than five minutes.

"But… but… MOMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She cried at the top of her lungs. It was Dawn's fall back plan. If she couldn't get something she wanted out of Destiny she hollered for the nearest parent to make it all better. Destiny found that it was one of her most annoying traits.

Predictably Dusk came to her child's wails. "What is it honey?" She tried to ally herself with the screaming two year old; even though Destiny saw her eyes scan over the spilled brushes and paints. "Were you trying to take his paints again?" She asked.

"H-he won g-g-gimme!!" She explained like it was a crime for him to want to keep all of his paints in one place and not scattered across the ground.

His mother looked up and met his eyes. The message was clear. Destiny's eyes begged her not to side with the wailing ball of HIS misery, while her eyes told him that she was a little at a loss for what to do about it that would still keep Dawn quiet. However help came for them both.

"Is that a cryin' little one I hear!?" Shallowshade ran up behind Dawn, snatching her into the air and playing their favorite game. Dawn called it Sky Riding. He would toss her into the air, or run around with her in his arms, and she would pretend she was a flying elf (as in those with levitation). She loved the game more than anything, and by her immediate switch to laughter it was obvious she loved it more than messing with Destiny's paints.

Both mother and son watched them go with a smile. "Maybe she'll be a bird for all her love of flying. Though her temper might still place her as a fire shaper like you." She looked to her son.

"I dunno. I usually don't try to read peoples futures. Though… if I did I'd say she'll be a pain in my rump." He chuckled. His mother joining in as she watched her husband and daughter play about.

**Dusk we go to hunt, care to join us?** Came a hunters send. She smiled. Dusk was a hunter at heart, as much as she enjoyed her part time tanning.

**Always, on my way.** With that she gave her son a kiss and ran into her den to gather her weapons and things.