Tales of the Past
Fenris sat outside his rarely used home as the Viera healers readied the space to deliver his child, holding Fran in his lap. The Hellhounds had elected to stay with them, the whole pack laying in a loose half circle around them. The female that had carried Fran was the only member of the pack that dared to lay right next to the expecting parents; she had refused to stray more than a few feet from Fran once Fenris had helped her down from the animal's back. Fran had decided to scratch the Hellhound's massive head as she lay in her mate's lap, breaking their comfortable quiet to learn more about the father of her child now that they were not so preoccupied with hunting and mating.
"Would you tell me more about the olden days of the Wood? You said on the way here that you were Her firstborn," she said.
"Aye, I am Her first born. I can still remember when the trees were not so tall or thick, when the sunlight was still bright upon the earth.
"An old, white wolf had strayed into Her shaded hollow in search of a peaceful place to die. She spoke with it as it lay awaiting its final breath, having taken pity on it. The old wolf did not know that Her words were changing him, that the Mist around her was transforming him into something new. After a few days, the old wolf felt incredibly tired. He closed his eyes and expected not to open them again. You can imagine his surprise when he did open his eyes again, and found himself in a strange new body, though his mind had changed little.
"The Wood spoke to him again, having sensed his panic from his new situation. She told him that he no longer need fear the cruelty of aging and withering away, that he could stay with her forever and live in peace. He asked her how he would eat, if indeed he still could. She reassured him, telling him that he was free to hunt anything he pleased beneath her green canopy. The changed wolf stayed with Her for many years, content to do little else but hunt and sleep. The Wood whispered to him constantly, ensuring that he never felt alone," he said, pausing and gazing into the distance as though lost in a dream before he continued.
"After a time, Her whispers no longer filled him as they once had. He began to realize he yearned for the warmth of another, of a companion or mate. He spoke with the Wood of the matter as he lay down to sleep, to which she replied she would try. He awoke the following morning to see a beautiful woman that resembled him a great deal. The exception being the ears and tail of a rabbit that graced her. As he watched her study herself, he realized that she must have undergone a change just as he had," he paused again, his face growing sad.
"She fled when she noticed him, though he gave chase quickly. He finally caught up with her at the edge of the Wood, ignoring Her voice in his ear, warning him to have more caution. The woman went still when he grabbed her by the arms, her eyes opening wider than he would have thought possible. He wondered at the strange way she was breathing; short, choked breaths in rapid succession. She died of fear before he could form a coherent thought," he said, his voice cracking as he finished.
"What happened next?" Fran asked him in a soothing tone, rubbing his cheek with the hand not scratching the Hellhound.
"He pleaded with the Wood for Her forgiveness, though she insisted she did not hold his actions against him and therefore there was nothing to forgive. He begged her not to let such a beautiful creation remain absent from the world, that he would leave them be and only ever watch from afar. The Wood told him that she would make more, but that he did not need to distance himself from them, only give them time to realize he was not a threat," he stopped to take a shaky breath before continuing.
"The Wood granted his request, and ever since he has watched the Viera from afar, never daring to get close to them for fear of history repeating itself. All of that changed when I saw you facing the Wyrm that day. You are the first Viera I have ever interacted with directly since the first of your people was born," he concluded, looking down at her beautiful face and cupping her cheek in his hand.
"I am both glad and honored that you did," Fran answered, her eyes brimming with tears. She leaned up and kissed him tenderly, letting her touch convey her gratitude and love.
Fran cried out as she suddenly felt an intense pain in her belly. The time had come for their child to be born.