Megara had to keep reminding herself to walk slowly. It felt strange to walk everywhere, to not take wing in the morning to go and patrol the borders. It felt strange to wait, and rest and watch and care, for all her waking hours, for one tiny little creature. Gwaihir had been so much more mobile, even from the start, and with the young eagle Meg had never felt restricted in her day-to-day life. She had been a caregiver for the chick, a protector and a friend, but until Mordecai she had not been a mother.

Most mothers had months to prepare themselves, time to come to grips with the changes in store, but Meg had had no such warning. It had been natural to intervene, to protect an unknown child from a physical threat, but the mantle of motherhood (so unnatural to the warrior) had been placed upon her in a matter of seconds by the God of the Earth. It only been two days since she had returned from the God’s shrine, but the stretch of hours since then had been some of the most difficult but precious hours of her life. Though was still terrified of the prospect, Meg knew there was no other course for her than to accept, and Mordecai made that easy. The bright heart of the warrior was already lost to the little girl. She had kept herself and the little filly tucked away in the thick of the oasis and had managed to avoid everyone but Einarr for that time, but Meg knew she could not shelter the girl like that forever and so they emerged for a first excursion together.

Meg moved much slower that she normally would have, she had marched the girl all the way from the Heart only hours after her birth and was not intending to repeat the exertion for Mordecai. She murmured encouragements and nervously trying to keep the girl in her sights as she moved. Upon her shoulder, Gwaihir (now quite large but still sprouting tufts of fluffy down amongst the glossy dark brown feathers) rode, eyeing the filly with a critical golden gaze. He still hadn’t adjusted to the idea of sharing his Meg with someone else.

Meg hesitated when the spied the small group gathered. Normally she would have approached at once, but now with Mordecai in tow she wasn’t so confident. She looked down to smile at the precious girl, trying to bolster herself just as much, “There’s my strong girl! Ready for a few new faces?” She moved toward s the group, calling as they neared. “Cera! Well met, my friend.” She greeted him warmly and sent a nod to the other two she came to a stop. “Ampere, Bucephalus. Good to see you both as well.”