Beyond the Roselands

Chapter 2

As I soared through the village, I suddenly heard a voice call my name.

"Zeek! Can I get your help for a moment?"

I pulled up and looked up at one of the largest nests in the village. It was my grandmother's nest. She stood on the porch, holding a small box. I flew up there and landed in front of her.

She gestured me inside and then over to a corner in the ancient nest. Sitting there was a specially made cradle that could be held from the ceiling. It would cradle a baby as if they were in their own mini bedroom. She unhooked it from the ceiling hook and handed it to me. "Your parents already had one, but I want you to have this one. I had to retie some of the strings and so this one is reliable again. It was the cradle I used when your father as a baby."

I held it fondly in my hands, trying to imagine my father as a harmless infant. I couldn't. "Thanks grandma. I'm sure that Sprite will love it as much as I do."

She smiled fondly at me before reaching forward and fondly stroking my collar bone like she always did when I was around her. "I always see so much of Saddil in you. I hope you end as good of a father as he was. Did your father ever tell you how Saddil taught him how to fly?"

I shook my head and she chuckled. "Since Saddil couldn't fly, he had to come up with a way to watch Thyte as he learned. So he strung a huge net of stretchy material between the four largest trees in the village. He had a chair carved into the largest tree so he could perch and watch Thyte safely. He would have Thyte roll out into the center of the trampoline and start bouncing. He'd coach him on how to flap from the side and once Thyte could hold himself in he air, Saddil would make him fly laps around the edges of the trampoline just to be safe. It's now used s a toy for the children even if they can't fly yet. Now, I'm holding you up. Get on home now. That's all I needed."

I nodded respectively before diving out the door and racing off toward a the hybrid lands. Sprite didn't want to leave our friends and her father behind in the hybrid valley and so I'd agreed to let us live there as long as we got a tree house along the rim. She'd agreed with gusto, loving the idea of having our own nest close to what she called home.

I dove down from the sky as I approached the valley before I lighted onto our porch which jutted out from the tree a bit. I carried the cradle inside and placed it on the small vouch to the side. I went into the bedroom in the back to see if Sprite was there, but, as usual, she wasn't even in the nest. I chuckled and went back outside, gliding down towards Leer's cave.

I gazed down at the ledges all along the valley, studying the happy hybrids and their playful antics. The hybrid population had gone down by at least a half as parents reclaimed their children and some even took a few more home. I landed outside of the Drago hybrid's cave and I entered slowly. Leer sat across his throne, his lovely wife cuddling with him as she carefully cradled her swollen stomach. "Leer have you seen Sprite?"

The huge Drago glanced at me and smiled, nodding thoughtfully. "Yes as a matter of fact. She was hanging out with Jeepa and Blossom a little while ago down in the lowest parlor."

"Thanks. How's the pregnancy coming?"

His wife, Kisimil, giggled joyfully. "Wonderfully. I hope its a boy."

I laughed. "I know how you feel."

Letting them have their privacy, I dove off the edge and soared downwards to the lowest parlor. I got close and saw a glimpse of Sprite's red hair in the cave, along with Blossom's long blonde locks. I landed gently and was welcomed by something small crashing into my legs. I looked down and met Ginger's bright eyes. "Zeek!"

I smiled and knelt down, hugging her. "Hey Ginger! How long are you visiting?"

She giggled. "Only for a day or two. Daddy likes to bring me for visits but it takes a while to get here."

I nodded and kissed her head before rushing over to the breakfast nook where everyone was sitting. Sprite gave me a bright smile and Jeepa gave me a hearty purr. I glanced over at Blossom who was nuzzling her tiny baby. Her and Zazil had conceived quite early and so they were the only couple so far who had actually given birth to a baby. The little Marhet Beerth hybrid was a tiny male who they named Zossom. Zazil had followed the Beerth custom of merging the parent names for their child's name.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late. Grandma had a gift for me."

Sprite took my hand and squeezed it as she pushed her unfinished plate towards me. "What kind of gift?"

"I'll show you once we get home."

She smiled and kissed my cheek softly. The place where her lips touched began to warm up and it almost felt tingly. Her magical lineage always intrigued me, but after her father had given me a chilly message about how all happy times were going to end, it just give me chills.

Despite my eerie feelings about her faery touch, I smiled and nuzzled her cheek anyway. Our wedding was in two months and nothing could diminish my spirits about her.