Star Side

Chapter 70

A steady routine fell into place for Gilrack and his mate, one that he found himself growing accustomed to. Even his anxieties about becoming chief slowly eased as his body recovered from his adventure in the heavens and steadily worked back to the strength it once had. Old friends, from before he fled the royal nest, found their way back to him and he found himself wondering glad he'd lost the independence he'd craved on the fringes of the caverns, because he knew what it was like to live utterly alone among a strange people. They thought him strange for how often he seemed to appreciate that they understood his most basic biological means simply because they were of the same species. But when he explained to them the strangeness of the divine beings, being unable to speak their language or commune with their quiet instincts, they were both awed and horrified with him.

They longed to meet his legendary mate, to behold a mythical divine being for themselves, but they knew better than to ask, for which he was grateful for. The anticipation of everyone around him to catch even a glimpse of Jolene grated on every one of his instincts to hide, protect, intimidate, and kill, and only the help of his father and his fellow mates helped him not return to the state he'd been back in the heaven's, denying his instincts to the point of madness. But, then, they would understand that. They had those instincts too.

He worried about Jolene feeling like him among his people; misunderstood, alone, and starving with unmet needs no one else had. It was perhaps his biggest stress. But, for once, he found her struggle to hide her mindwaves useful, as he could feel her contentment and happiness. Yes, there was plenty of apprehension when it came to her babies, which he was relieved he, his mother, and his father could understand well enough. No one wanted their babies to be born as strange mutants, to be ogled and ostracized. And the newness of parenthood was apprehensive to him too. Would he be a good father? Would their babies be okay and healthy? Jolene also seemed happy with her new routine of leaving the nest for a short time everyday to exercise, which he was relieved by. He had been worried she was hiding in the nest, not out of instinct (remembering that divine beings had dulled instincts), but out of fear of his people, especially since he had felt the sheer discomfort and even panic when he had introduced her to his family. Despite their reassurances of her beauty, she was hyper-aware of her differences. It made him all the more impatient with those who wished to catch a glimpse of her to satisfy their own selfish curiosity. But his father and his fellow mates used their influence and power to safeguard her well when taking her for training. Yet another first came to Gilrack when he found himself appreciating his mother's choice in mates, in even having more than one. He didn't know how well his father would have been able to protect and control others of the palace without their help. He would never say that out loud, though.

Gilrack's favorite time of the day, though, was always when he got to curl up in the nest with Jolene and their eggs and talk late into the night. There was never a lack of things to learn from Jolene, nor did her intelligent mind ever have a lack of thoughts. He got to witness the genius inventiveness of the divine beings on occasion when he returned home to find Jolene had created some miraculous painting or covered a wall with her numbers depicting the exact measurements of, not only their nest, but the royal room, as well as the exact altitude of where the dirty air began based on the measure of his steps.

It was mind boggling. But he was able to tell his brother, on his tunnel duty, of this, which gave him insight to how far exactly one could let young ones wander. And since younglings were notoriously difficult to contain once their climbing claws grew in and their curiosity became all consuming, he was able to give some relief to young mothers high up in their birthing nests. A few weeks after the news spread about, he came to Jolene to tell her, with excitement, how the caverns had become crawling with tiny younglings and their excited chirpings. At first, Jolene was alarmed. She had never been intending her measurements to actually be used. She had just been scratching the itch to use her mind. And what if she had been wrong and younglings had died on mass because of her?