it takes courage to grow up and
become who you really are

"Where's father?" I observed my daughter. She looked so sad, and I immediately regretted scolding her. I looked down and cleared my throat. "Your father is hopefully in the Dragon's Throat now and solving some problems with the Sultana. He'll come back... I promise." I watched my daughter as she said hi to my little colt, and a smile decorated my face. Destry accepted her new brother rather fast, but that was only positive.
She looked at me, and I almost bursted into tears when she said that she had missed me. Smiling, I embraced her in a hug that I had longed after for so long. I had longed to feel my daughter's warmth against my chest, longed to take in her scent in my nostrils and hear her voice.
I had longed so, and now she was here.
"Oh, Destry. I've missed you so. How... How has the Basin been treating you? You know that I would not back down on going there if they treated you badly in any way... And is the Frostheart and the DarkEmpress still there?" I did not dare to say the names of the leaders that I had grown to despise since I was banned and only spoke out their titles that I had learned in my time there.

Dezba roared and came forth again, looking up at Destry. Her aura was questioning, wondering. I tore my body from my daughter to look at her, smiling at her beauty. "Dezba wants to say hello to you." I smiled and felt a tear of happiness roll down my cheek. But Dezba's aura was not the only one I felt.
I felt an aura that I recognized and loved, that I had felt back in the Veins of the Gods a time before Azarel when I had been alone with Dezba. An aura that made more tears roll down my cheeks. Suddenly I wondered if my daughter felt it too, as it was her grandmother that had come to say hello. I turned my head, looking at the setting sun behind me. The shape of a small unicorn had appeared out of nowhere, a white glow that soon darkened to the black starry mare that was my mother.

"And someone else is appearently here as well to say hello." My voice was only a soft whisper broken by the beginning of a cry in my throat, and I stood still when my mother appeared for us. Her shape became more visible and soon she was - or looked - as real as any of us. She was smiling, a reflection of me. Dezba meowed loudly and stood between my foals and my mother. I sent her a calming thought that made her stop growling, but she waved her tail back and forth.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before I decided to speak.
"My foals... This is your grandmother, Greyskie. Mother, why are you here? I didn't call for you..." Or had I? Had I unconsciously called my mother here? And did my foals see her?
"Do you see her?" I turned my head to my foals and found to my surprise that Azarel had moved to stand next to his sister. The siblings were so different in height, Destry was tall on dangly yet steady legs while Azarel had still to grow bigger.

Dezba definitely saw her, because her tail was still swishing from side to side. She had seen her back in the Veins too. She was afraid, but mostly protective of my two offspring.
I smiled vaguely at my companion, but turned my head to my mother again. Though I jumped slightly as she had moved to my side, looking at my two foals.
"They're beautiful, Delinne. Your daughter wears your color, and your son has the same glow in his eyes as you had when you were a foal." I took a deep shaky breath and smiled a bit wider. She was right. At least about Destry. I thought Azarel was looking more like his father than me, but I didn't know about the curious glow in his eyes.
Had I been the same?
"Destry, Azarel, can you see your grandmother?" I asked, whispering as I couldn't speak too loud without starting to cry.

"Talking."

ooc: <3
word count: 716