Birds [1762 RWH], by Amy Chandler
Duskwater suddenly sat up, clutching his sleeping furs to his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Frantically, his eyes searched the darkened den. He breathed a soft sigh of relief at the sight of Clover sprawled out nearby, soundly sleeping, and Firemoss lying beside him rubbing her eyes blearily. Both were where they should be. Slowly, he leaned back and turned face to face with his lifemate.
**What troubles you?** Firemoss sent to him.
**Just a bad dream,** he replied. At her curious look, he continued. **That giant bird Dreamberry said she saw… I dreamt that it came to the Holt. It shredded my son and my friends with one swipe of those huge claws. Then it snatched both you and Clover and flew way, leaving me with the grisly remains of the tribe.**
She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"It was scary!" He whispered defensively. "Dreamberry tells a story entirely too well sometimes."
**Maybe you should not eat so many berries right before bedtime. Or ask Dreamberry to take it easy on an old elf.** She gave him a teasing smile and slid her arm over his chest, snuggling into his side. Reaching up with his free hand, Duskwater gently stroked her arm with his fingertips as she drifted back into slumber. He stared up at the curved ceiling of their den, listening to the soft sound of Firemoss breathing, but sleep eluded him.
Daredevil [1013 RWH], by Amy Chandler
Duskwater stared up at the nighttime sky, contemplating the full moons as he relaxed on the bank of one of the tribe’s favourite swimming spots. The earth was so warm under his bare back it made him feel boneless...content. The night air was cool but the day had been a scorcher, so hot it had been impossible for anyone to sleep through the heat inside the stifling, seemingly airless dens. As soon as dusk had fallen, Chillwind had pushed her both sweaty lifemate and grumpy cub out of the den. Her frazzled and worn expression had told Duskwater just how desperate she was for some time to herself, free from both of their whining. So father and son had joined the rather large group of elves heading for the water.
Listening to the playful shrieks and splashing, Duskwater smiled. He treasured moments like these: laughter, the sharp scent of sun warmed plants and river water so warm he thought he would melt. He closed his eyes with a sigh, knowing that the others would look after his cub for a few moments. Then he heard something that froze his breath in his chest and set his heart to racing. The sound he feared most.
"Father! Watch me!"
His eyes snapped open and flicked around the pool, searching for his cub and hoping Briar wasn’t were he thought he was. Failing to spot his cub among those in the water, his gaze slowly slid up the cliff face to the best diving rock. Sure enough, there stood Briar grinning and waving his arms excitedly. Having captured Duskwater’s attention, the cub sprinted the few steps to the edge of the rock and leapt off. Briar plummeted toward the water holding his spindly legs against his thin chest.
Time seemed to slow down. Duskwater had just enough time to stand up and think of several different ways Briar could hurt himself before the cub landed safely, with a huge splash, in the water. Pasting a grin on his face, he waded out into the pool to fish his son out of the water just as the cub surfaced near him.
Shaking water out of his hair, Briar said, "Did you see? Did you see me jump?"
Duskwater pulled his son into a congratulatory hug carefully hiding his relief. "I saw. The water splashed up taller than me!" The older elf ruffled Briar’s short brown hair and then, at the cub's urging, tossed him further out in the water. He came up giggling and swam over to where the other elves were relaxing so he could splash them playfully.
Running a hand over his face, Duskwater turned and made his way back to shore. He willed his heartbeat to slow down and took a few deep breaths. The cub hadn’t hurt himself. Everything was all right. He tried not to over-react whenever Briar pulled one of his stunts or death defying feats since, having lost his firstborn cub, he realized he was much more protective of his second but it was hard not to, especially when the cub seemed to have no fear at all. All the heart-stopping moments were beginning to show though. Duskwater found himself getting as jittery as a newborn click deer every time he and Briar were alone together. Worry for his son was starting to cloud his reason and even minor things were taking on enormous proportions. It just could not continue this way.
"Maybe he just needs a distraction," Duskwater muttered to himself. Learning the proper ways to hunt and track should help. Hunting would channel Briar's boundless energy and keep him for coming up with new methods of entertainment or excitement. That was just what the cub needed. Planning to discuss it with Chillwind before going to bed that night, Duskwater allowed himself to relax. Everything would be all right.