Salt spray speckled her cheeks and the wind flowed along her body as she moved flying low over the ever changing landscape of waves. Above the sky was a canvas of colors orange, red, yellow, purple. She spun loops and turned to her side letting a hand trail along the water. There was no greater peace then to be between the sea and sky….

Aspen opened her eyes and looked over at Avalon. She was sleeping soundly her tail twitching in dreams. "At least that was a nice one kiddo" she murmured as she got up and made her way downstairs. Today was the day and she wanted to at least try with this entire birthday business.

First she started preparing eggs as usual. She wasn't going to start this daughter of hers off with a sugar rush. Not today. By the time she was finished Avalon was already back in the beanbag chair looking content as she waited for her breakfast. At least she was used to this by now.

"Good morning Avalon. How did you sleep?"

"Good!"

"I'm glad. It looked like you were dreaming was it nice?"

" it was! I was flying.. and it was.. summer… yes warm time? And there was someone else there flying with me" Avalon held her feet as she spoke

"oh? Was it me?" Aspen served the eggs up into their respective bowls and moved over to the couch. Merlin joined her taking his food.

"no…" she moved over taking a spot on the floor across from Aspen "it.. was another one.. like me. Are.. there others like me?"

Aspen closed her eyes and sighed "I'm afraid not.. you are the only one"

"But.. I saw another"

"In your dreams kiddo. Dreams aren't real. Sometimes they involve real things. But they aren't really happening.." Aspen smiled sadly at her.

"Oh…" she looked down into her bowl and started picking at her food "was there… ever others... like me?"

"There was.. once… just one other, he died before you were born."

" How?"

"His power.. it collapsed in on itself on the island where he was born leaving a permanent storm in its place. Most people only even know about him from the people that escaped after he had tricked them there. But he's gone by all accounts. I'm sorry kiddo."

Avalon nodded and continued to pick at her food in silence. Not having anything great to say after that Aspen did the same.

"hey… its not all bad… you aren't alone. You have us. We can look after you and teach you all you need. From what I understand he never even had that." she set her bowl down and got up picking up a blanket from the couch, coming over to drape it over Avalon's shoulders.

She nodded "I understand.. thank you" she purred softly and having such a fluffy blanket set around her.

After a moments hesitation Aspen bent down and hugged Avalon around the shoulders careful of the second spine.

Avalon froze for a few beats, her creator freezing with her wondering if she had just made a terrible mistake. Yet her daughter relaxed finally and sighed hunching her shoulders a bit before Aspen let go.

"Sorry, you looked like you needed it."

"needed what?"

"its called a hug... you do it to someone who needs comfort. Its supposed to calm you"

"I was.. surprised.. but was nice"

"good, now.. come on I have some cake and candles and an odd human tradition I need to teach you about"

"Cake?" she got up carefully stalking after Aspen keeping the blanket around her shoulders.

"yes, you will love it trust me"

Aspen set about pulling the small cake from the fridge. It was plain white with berries artfully tucked around the bottom. She pulled down some plates and candles and took the whole set up into the living room and set it down on the table after scooting the other plates aside. Avalon followed her sniffing at it ears forward in keen interest.

Sitting down she rested her hands on her knees "now… it is technically your birthday Avalon.."

"Birthday?"

Merlin scooted over to Aspens elbow not one to miss out on sweets.

"Yes! Its something humans do to celebrate the passing of another year. The day each year we were born. And six years ago today you were.. well.. you weren't born like everyone else but its as close to it as we can get.. since you came out of the tube fully grown..."

" I remember…." she settled on the floor across from Aspen her ears laid back flat.

"I know… most don't remember, but we mark the passing anyway… look.. I know you are probably confused why I want you to celebrate something that.. hurt.. but look at it like." she shrugged "Its another year you made it. Against all odds you made it" Aspen gives her a sad smile. "its also how we count our age… Like I'm thirty eight years old right now… I was thirty two when you were born... and I was only twenty eight when I started on your project…" Aspen fell silent a couple beats letting that all sink in "You know what lets not worry about this right now"

She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed fussing with the candles.

Should I put six because its been six years since she escaped? Or do I add the five years she was developing in the tube? Making her eleven? How DO I measure her age at this point? Those development years gave her an adult body in record time but she had no experiences… has anyone EVER had to ask these questions? The original was maybe two when he tricked all those trainers after building a frikin castle … hell.

After a long session of internal debate she picked out six candles and put them into the cake, lighting them with a match. Avalon leaned back at the sudden sulfur smell but watched intently.

"Now normally we sing but I have no singing voice and Merlin can only scream so... Happy Birthday Avalon. Now you make a wish… and then blow out the candles."

"wish?"

"yes… think of something you want… and don't tell me or Merlin or anyone. Keep the wish in your heart." Aspen tapped her own sternum.

The big cat blinked looking at the candles "just.. any wish?"

"Anything you like! Once you decide blow out the flames..." she blew across her palm to demonstrate "...like that!"

She nodded staring at the candles a few moments before with a solid puff of air all six candles sputtered out. Aspen clapped for her smiling and Avalon smiled back as her mother cut into the cake.

Salt spray speckled his cheeks and the wind flowed along his body as he moved flying low over the ever changing landscape of waves. Above the sky was a canvas of colors orange, red, yellow, purple. There was no greater peace then to be between the sea and sky….

Somewhere far away, the sound of wind howling and waves beating against stone, another being woke from a dream, the sweetest dream he had ever had. Flying dreams were always nice, but this time he was joined by another like himself. Sitting up in the tangled blankets of his nest he stared down at his hands frowning. Hands like these? Deformed and twisted? But the being he saw didn't seem twisted as they gracefully swooped in the air beside him. Even in dreams his existence taunted him. To show him such a vision only to wake to bitter truth by daylight. He let out a short chuckle and sighed dragging himself from the nest to go about his day to day. There were others here to look after, that counted on him, he did not have time to dwell on his minds longing misfires.