your faith was strong but you needed proof

This feeling that welled inside her was so incredibly odd. Even betwixt all the other emotions that flooded her, for once love was the one sailing above the others. There was no pain, no anguish, no distress... just a pure adulterated love. A kind of love Elsa didn't even know existed. She had always dreamed of what this would be like- a fairy tale told time and time again to her whilst in foal hood. But the days of princes and true love came to a shattering halt as soon as she moved into Helovia. Yet, here Darwin stood, proving to her that not everyone was always out to hurt you.

A smile crossed her face, so genuine and bright. Even Elsa was surprised when her face burned with a cross between embarrassment and smiling so much. She dipped like a needy lover, falling calmly into his embrace and trying her hardest not to cry. He was her family- the one that cared enough to make sure she was okay. Everyone else had left. Her children. Her "lovers". All family she had ever grasped was as far away from her as they could possibly get. Her children resented her, Tembovu hated her, Oxy betrayed her. So why did Darwin feel so different? Elsa paused for a few moments, her heart aching with words and wants she wasn't quite sure how to articulate. Everything felt right- except for one thing. She had always wanted to be a mother, and she never got the chance. Sure she had pushed out three babies, but she never got to be a mother. Each one had been ripped away from her. Each father leaving a path of destruction in her wake.

"Darwin- I-." She closed her eyes for a moment, and inhaled deeply. Remembering his scent, the way he felt. Why was she so nervous about bringing this up when there was no one better to do it with? The inevitable pit churned in her stomach, her brain whispering from the back of the wicked outcomes that had resulted in children before. With all her might she pushed the words to the back of her head, ever so slowly and carefully moved from underneath Darwin's embrace. For the first time in pretty much this whole conversation, she looked him in the eyes. "Darwin... I want a family. With you." Her smile had faded and in its place a tense, scared look. She felt so vulnerable before him now, she was standing before him, presenting him her heart, and all it would take is one quick shut down for this magical moment to be lost.

From the tree, Edgar was becoming more and more anxious as his bonded's stress rose. In response, he tried curling even closer to Antaa, her heat wrapping him up like a comforting blanket. Sure, at first she had been a firecracker much to hot to get close to, but now he welcomed the heat. It made him feel alive. His own body reacted, stiffening as he felt Elsa's sudden urge of terror. He peeked in, just a bit, to understand what was going on- she was asking for a family. Confused, his beady eyes turned to Antaa, cocked in confusion for a moment. Never before had she asked to have a family, Hawezi, Auriel, Shida... they had all been what one would so lovingly call "happy accidents". Elsa had never felt this ready to be a mom, before she was thrust into it terrifying unable to cope with her own problems, much less that of three demanding children. He could tell they needed to be alone, so he nudge Antaa gently. "Maybe we should go fly to the forest in the center of the Edge for a bit?" Hopefully she picked up on the tender solitary moment their bondeds needed. "We can look for some nesting materials, too make this our home?" Maybe it was a bit too assuming, but the cocky bird offered a beaky grin of satisfaction. "We can make it our nest." He said finally, puffing up like the suave, confident bird he was. Taking off, he waited on a nearby branch for his lover to follow.

the icebound