Ten years elapsed.

The family found themselves at the little hill overlooking the sea, deeming it an important spot for years to come.

Around this time of the day, after the green Underworld sun had set and the Will-o-Wisps had started to come out, everything seemed so serene and peaceful. But Naveen wasn't focused on watching the many colors of the glowing spirits frolicking in the night sky, nor did she pay attention to the gentle calls of the nightly winds blowing through the mangroves and cattails. Tonight was a different night; a time to watch the slime green waters for any ships on the horizon.

Her children were nearby, frolicking through the muck and trying to snap at the rodent-sized dragonflies that darted about just above their grasps. In the span of ten years, the boys were starting to show signs of their individual personalities as well as their birthsign.

Alder was a highly curious little Flathead, finding entertainment in the simplest of things; he was quick to react and last to catch onto something, but at this age it wasn't abnormal. Still, it was hard not to love his highly affectionate personality and eagerness to discover new things.

Dash on the other hand was a bit more fussy; he disliked a lot of things that his brother did and had the nasty habit of biting at him with his small milk teeth (Murdok encouraged the toughness but Naveen was always the one slapping at his tiny wrists to stop it). He was a stubborn little Bluntsnout, finicky and quiet a majority of the time; it did worry his mother but Byron soothed her many times by claiming that it was just reactions to his brother; in time he will become wiser and grow out of it.

The polar opposites of their personalities was especially strong tonight, since Dash wasn't too fond of Alder's loud squawking at the elusive dragonflies, and in turn Alder was shoving his brother's face into the mud countless times.

Naveen turned around, irritated. "Hraler eh Dras!" She hissed in Dicephalai; it was the ancient language of the breed, untouched by modifications for thousands of years; it was composed of mainly hisses, clicks and growls, and was the first language chicks learned before they were educated in Basic, which was the English of the Underworld.

The toddlers paused; Alder ducked his head in shame, silencing instantly while Dash cringed, wailing loudly; he was the more sensitive brother at this age. Their mother sighed, picking them up and returned to looking at the sea; there was still no sign of her lover's ship. The chicks soon settled down, watching for a few brief moments before their attention was focused on the bright Wisps drifting about lazily.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked her children when they started squirming, only to start fighting when Alder was pining to chase them instead although Dash wanted to remain in his mother's warm embrace. He was snapping his baby fangs together, sporting the slight underbite he wore while Alder was flicking one of his ears, shrieking loudly at his sibling. It made Naveen wonder how different things would be if they were born under a more forgiving sign…

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Murdok arrived much later in the night, carrying a package under his arm. "New tools." He said excitedly, sitting across from his lover and fiddling with the wrappings; Naveen ceased her grooming of the children, bringing her rough tongue into her mouth; it was a relief since once again Dash was fussing over having his hair messed with. Murdok laughed, ruffling the small cap of peach fuzz on his son before going back to his enjoyment, withdrawing a few shiny new tools and a couple of coins.

Alder immediately picked one up and started to gnaw on the golden piece.

"Hey there!" Murdok snatched it from him with a chuckle. "Wanna see…a magic trick!" He had found out recently that his youngest boy was very intrigued with magic tricks, which scored points with Murdok since he worked in a city where stage magic was one of the staples of entertainment.

Holding the coin in front of the child, he snapped his tentacle fingers; Alder gave a cute gasp when he saw the money disappear. With a small chuckle, Murdok stroked his boy's ear, before letting the coin drop from his sleeve back into his hand. "Wow son! You got money growing in your ears!"

Alder squirmed happily, while Dash cocked his head to the side, looking up at his mother and giving a small chitter; he was envious of not getting current attention. Naveen didn't mind, more than happy to sing a lullaby for her eldest child since she loved the fact that he was very fond of any type of music that touched his ears. While she hummed a few notes, Murdok continued to rummage through his new things.

"Good; I needed a new pair of goggles- hey, I didn't ask for two though." He lifted out the spare pair, looking at the dark purple tinted lenses and the hide leather strap. Slowly he looked up, noticing Alder looking at the shiny new object. "You wanna be an engineer just like daddy?" He smiled, patting the chick's head. Alder made a grabby hand at the goggles, gnawing on the metal parts happily when they were handed to him. Murdok smiled. "Alright, you can have them, son." He looked up at his sweetheart, swelling with pride; it was nice to see Alder inheriting some sort of heirloom that he enjoyed, since Naveen had given Dash her old black ribbon since he was fond of it's silky texture.

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Unfortunately, this was the year where everything had changed; the current king of the Underworld had been slain in the civil war regarding a southern section called Nocturne, where traditional zombies were facing a rebellion from kin that decided on using other monster parts to make up their bodies; it was considered to be a betrayal of honor to oneself and the species. The use of water with mysterious properties had been used in part of the ghost king's death, so his son took the throne this morning while the origin of the liquid would be investigated.

As with every new king, the monster population was currently on pins and needles, nervous as to what the fate of their homes and lives would be; the young green ruler seemed to be the type that new leadership and what was best for his land, but only time would tell…it just mattered on how the dice was rolled.

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Sorry for not updating sooner, but here you go!

Note: "Hraler eh Dras" is "Alder and Dash" in Dicephalai.