28th October 2013 Monday

Day 301

I'm in the stage between finishing uni and starting exams, so my plan for today was to quickly write the DHAE chapters in advance for exam days, and finish the revision quizzes before heading in to the hard stuff. You know what I did; I was writing fanfiction…for a different fandom…FOR A STORY I HAVEN'T EVEN PUBLISHED YET WHEN I'VE GOT SO MANY OTHER UNFINISHED ONES! So in conclusion, I'm going to try harder tomorrow.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show; just add it to the list.

"She'll be ok in here, right?" Jane questioned nervously as she stepped in through the enclosure. Dex allowed the glass to close before following his wife inside, smirking in amusement.

"Of course she will," he replied with confidence, but not without a nervous sideways glance towards one of the many splayed out piles of leaves. "Just…keep her away from crawling in to the feeding zones."

Jane placed her teeth on her lips and released a sharp, familiar whistle. Within seconds, a small orchestra of crickets emerged from the trees and advanced towards the mother and her child.

"Sammy, these are the crickets; a species very close to our family," the parent informed the dazed child as it reached out its tiny hand and patted its hard exoskeleton head. "You're named after a great cricket of ours, a brave leader who brought your daddy and I together."

The child laughed in her mother's arms as the cricket's antennae began to tickle her. Dex watched on with a smile, but turned around at the sound of the door opening.

"Mommy, what are you doing?" Winston cried as he ran in to the pavilion. "Daddy said I'm the one who had to show Sammy around the enclosures."

Jane locked her gaze with her husband, grinning along with him. She placed her infant daughter on a small blanket on the ground, right next to her son. "Go ahead."

Junior stared at the baby for a moment, analysing the way it sat with large eyes and chubby cheeks. Sammy smiled brightly at her brother, awaiting his tutorial.

"Ah, little sis," he began, placing his hand on her shoulder. She giggled; her golden curled pigtails bouncing on either side of her head. "These are the crickets. Mommy and Daddy said they're very important to both of us."

The Hamilton parents moved forward to their two children; Jane placing Sammy in her lap and Dex taking Winston in to his. The father pulled a pile of leaves off the ground and handed them to Junior. The child took them in to his hold and held them up to the crickets, laughing as a particularly large one began eating out of his hand. Sammy turned her head away, squealing a little in fright at the sight of the cricket.

"Don't be scared, Sammy," her brother calmed, showing her his empty hands. "They don't hurt if you know how to feed them, and if everyone knew how to care for them, then all alien insects could live peacefully with humans."

The daughter watched on in amazement as the father-son duo continued to feed the cricket. Glancing down, Sammy grasped a small handful of leaves and held them out to the cricket in front of her. With the help of her mother, she splayed out her hand and smiled as a smaller cricket began to eat out of her pile. It slurped up the leaves like spaghetti, causing the little girl to laugh hysterically.

"I want mine to do that," Winston challenged, grabbing more leaves from the ground. The children continued their feeding session, laughing and smiling as the crickets ate from their hands. Dex moved his hand to his wife's waist, sharing a smile with her.

It really was the crickets that brought this family together.

R&R! So cute. Hopefully those written-in-advance chapters will be done tomorrow.