All they could hear was the sound of birds tweeting around them, the rustle of the wind in the leaves, and children's laughter. Dev found himself smiling and completely at peace, if only for a little while, as they climbed hand in hand to the top of that hill.
The quiet was shattered when they came into sight of the children outside the tower.
"Umreese!"
Micah's yell was almost eclipsed by Ana's similar declaration as the two children came barreling toward the couple at speed. Laughing, Amaris released Dev's hand to crouch and catch the pair before they overshot entirely.
"Look at you guys! Having fun?"
Dev smiled as the pair of children rushed into Amaris' arms. It was clear to see how fond they were of her and how much they trusted her. Whatever other people thought of Lycans, they were wrong - she was a living testament to that.
"Lots of fun!" Ana confirmed, beaming a smile up at Amaris. "We always have fun when we come here. It's better than camping!"
"Better than camping, huh' Hmm, maybe me and Dev should test that sometime," Amaris said teasingly, letting the two children clamber onto her until she could stand up with them both secure on her back and in her arms. "This is Dev - say hi."
Micah beamed at Dev, clearly remembering him from the scariest day of his young life, and wriggled his fingers. "'lo, mister."
Dev chuckled as both children climbed aboard the Maris Train. "Hello, Micah. Remember me?" he asked the boy with a grin.
"I 'member!" Ana interjected. "I saw you at the daycare place. Papa said you helped Maris save Micah from the bad people."
Micah nodded excitedly. "He go boom an' the bad man runned away," he told his sister. "An' Umreese was there."
Amaris chuckled at their chatter. "You guys being good for your parents?"
"Mmhm," Ana replied with a slightly mischievous smile, the kind of smile children wore when they were pretending to be good but were really into mischief. "Papa said if we're good, we can stay up late to see the stars."
"That must be some sight here," Dev remarked, knowing how few stars could be seen in the night sky back home, due to all the light pollution.
"Oh, wow, what a treat," Amaris enthused cheerfully, still walking toward the tower, showing no sign that the children weighed anything much. "And the moon's still bright, so it'll be really pretty."
"Hey!" A man's voice was heard greeting them just as Rhys came into view, waving from a short distance ahead where he was strolling down the path to meet them. "Ready for an afternoon snack?" he asked, the question mostly meant for the children.
"Papa!" Ana called back, wiggling out of Amaris' embrace to run and meet her father.
The transition from being carried to running toward their father was almost seamless thanks to the seasoned child carer holding the little pair. Amaris lunged down onto one knee so neither child hit the ground hard, standing up with another warm laugh as Rhys was presented with both his overexcited little ones rushing toward him at speed.
It wasn't as if they hadn't seen their father just a few minutes ago, but the love the little family shared was clear to see. The children clearly adored their father and vice versa. Dev watched as Rhys crouched down to scoop both children up, one in each arm, before effortlessly moving to his feet.
"If you two get any bigger, I'm gonna need bigger arms!" he teased.
"Wait until you have three to juggle," a female voice said, and Natalya came into view, holding a tray laden with a jug and cups, and a plate of what looked suspiciously like chocolate chip cookies. "Or five, when your sister's children join in." She offered Amaris and Dev a welcoming smile. "Come and make yourselves comfortable, there is enough for everyone."
"The more the merrier!" Rhys said, a happy grin on his face. He had few reasons to frown these days, and now that this latest conflict with the rogue vampires and wolves was over, he had good reason to feel both happy and relieved. The safety of his family was first and foremost always.
"Cookies?" Dev asked, chuckling as he peeked at the plate. "How'd you manage that?"
Natalya chuckled as she set the tray down on a smooth table that seemed to have been created out of a lengthwise section of a tree trunk. "My darling husband has a bad habit of smuggling modern treats onto the Isle," she explained. "But the tea was made here. His sister always makes far too much for her family, so we have a steady supply when we visit."
Micah was already climbing up onto one of the two benches laid beside the table, eyeing the cookies hopefully.
Dev shook his head, a little confused. How did they manage it all, given the fact that they lived on an island with no access to the rest of the world? Rhys noticed the look on the man's face and chuckled, even as his children scooted down from their father's embrace to feast on chocolate chip cookies.
"Don't try to figure it out," he told the man, slapping him on the back. "It'll just make your brain hurt."
"For reference, my brain already hurts," Amaris volunteered. She'd automatically fallen in to helping Nat corral the children with drinks and cookies, and was being urged to sit down between Ana and Micah for it.
"It can take you that way," Nat agreed. "I was a mess when I first learned about this place."
"She's known longer than I have," Rhys explained, as he poured them each a glass of iced tea. "It's only because of Nat that I'm welcome here," he said, though that was not entirely true. What was true was that if he hadn't met Nat, he might never have ended up here.
"I would not say it is only because of me," his wife objected, helping Micah tip his cup so he could drink. "You came here because of me, certainly. I wasn't about to let you out of my sight again."
The quiet was shattered when they came into sight of the children outside the tower.
"Umreese!"
Micah's yell was almost eclipsed by Ana's similar declaration as the two children came barreling toward the couple at speed. Laughing, Amaris released Dev's hand to crouch and catch the pair before they overshot entirely.
"Look at you guys! Having fun?"
Dev smiled as the pair of children rushed into Amaris' arms. It was clear to see how fond they were of her and how much they trusted her. Whatever other people thought of Lycans, they were wrong - she was a living testament to that.
"Lots of fun!" Ana confirmed, beaming a smile up at Amaris. "We always have fun when we come here. It's better than camping!"
"Better than camping, huh' Hmm, maybe me and Dev should test that sometime," Amaris said teasingly, letting the two children clamber onto her until she could stand up with them both secure on her back and in her arms. "This is Dev - say hi."
Micah beamed at Dev, clearly remembering him from the scariest day of his young life, and wriggled his fingers. "'lo, mister."
Dev chuckled as both children climbed aboard the Maris Train. "Hello, Micah. Remember me?" he asked the boy with a grin.
"I 'member!" Ana interjected. "I saw you at the daycare place. Papa said you helped Maris save Micah from the bad people."
Micah nodded excitedly. "He go boom an' the bad man runned away," he told his sister. "An' Umreese was there."
Amaris chuckled at their chatter. "You guys being good for your parents?"
"Mmhm," Ana replied with a slightly mischievous smile, the kind of smile children wore when they were pretending to be good but were really into mischief. "Papa said if we're good, we can stay up late to see the stars."
"That must be some sight here," Dev remarked, knowing how few stars could be seen in the night sky back home, due to all the light pollution.
"Oh, wow, what a treat," Amaris enthused cheerfully, still walking toward the tower, showing no sign that the children weighed anything much. "And the moon's still bright, so it'll be really pretty."
"Hey!" A man's voice was heard greeting them just as Rhys came into view, waving from a short distance ahead where he was strolling down the path to meet them. "Ready for an afternoon snack?" he asked, the question mostly meant for the children.
"Papa!" Ana called back, wiggling out of Amaris' embrace to run and meet her father.
The transition from being carried to running toward their father was almost seamless thanks to the seasoned child carer holding the little pair. Amaris lunged down onto one knee so neither child hit the ground hard, standing up with another warm laugh as Rhys was presented with both his overexcited little ones rushing toward him at speed.
It wasn't as if they hadn't seen their father just a few minutes ago, but the love the little family shared was clear to see. The children clearly adored their father and vice versa. Dev watched as Rhys crouched down to scoop both children up, one in each arm, before effortlessly moving to his feet.
"If you two get any bigger, I'm gonna need bigger arms!" he teased.
"Wait until you have three to juggle," a female voice said, and Natalya came into view, holding a tray laden with a jug and cups, and a plate of what looked suspiciously like chocolate chip cookies. "Or five, when your sister's children join in." She offered Amaris and Dev a welcoming smile. "Come and make yourselves comfortable, there is enough for everyone."
"The more the merrier!" Rhys said, a happy grin on his face. He had few reasons to frown these days, and now that this latest conflict with the rogue vampires and wolves was over, he had good reason to feel both happy and relieved. The safety of his family was first and foremost always.
"Cookies?" Dev asked, chuckling as he peeked at the plate. "How'd you manage that?"
Natalya chuckled as she set the tray down on a smooth table that seemed to have been created out of a lengthwise section of a tree trunk. "My darling husband has a bad habit of smuggling modern treats onto the Isle," she explained. "But the tea was made here. His sister always makes far too much for her family, so we have a steady supply when we visit."
Micah was already climbing up onto one of the two benches laid beside the table, eyeing the cookies hopefully.
Dev shook his head, a little confused. How did they manage it all, given the fact that they lived on an island with no access to the rest of the world? Rhys noticed the look on the man's face and chuckled, even as his children scooted down from their father's embrace to feast on chocolate chip cookies.
"Don't try to figure it out," he told the man, slapping him on the back. "It'll just make your brain hurt."
"For reference, my brain already hurts," Amaris volunteered. She'd automatically fallen in to helping Nat corral the children with drinks and cookies, and was being urged to sit down between Ana and Micah for it.
"It can take you that way," Nat agreed. "I was a mess when I first learned about this place."
"She's known longer than I have," Rhys explained, as he poured them each a glass of iced tea. "It's only because of Nat that I'm welcome here," he said, though that was not entirely true. What was true was that if he hadn't met Nat, he might never have ended up here.
"I would not say it is only because of me," his wife objected, helping Micah tip his cup so he could drink. "You came here because of me, certainly. I wasn't about to let you out of my sight again."