Chronicles of Gaia Chapter 3: Rise of the Rethi

If I had been partially Avealed I would've puffed up in happiness at the good news. The harsh noonday sun was shining down on Native Lakes and I was seated on the edge of my bed with Frank. The lady giving us the good news stood in front of the window.

"You can speak at any time, Buteo." The lady said with a small grin. "I know you and your husband have waited a long time, but you do need to make some sounds before everything is finalized."

It had been two weeks since I had brought the Rethi to Native Lakes. Two weeks of nothing out of the ordinary. Two weeks for fellow Drethiveal to finally stop questioning me as much. And now I had the best news I could ever get: the start of a family with the love of my life.

I grasped his hands and he squeezed mine. I took comfort in his closeness and found the strength to make a reply to the lady.

"So he won't be here for another month?" I asked, it was hard getting words out of my mouth in my happy state.

"His parents are too heavily injured from a recent battle to take care of him." The lady replied. "They both grew up in Native Lakes and wanted him sent here."

I know I should be sad about the parents' situation, but I wasn't. All that was on my mind was finally raising a family with Frank. I wasn't thinking about how sometimes injuries from parents would make them decide that it would be better for the child to be adopted so that they could grow up with non-disabled parents.

"What made you decide on us?" Frank asked, joy barely contained in his voice.

"You've been waiting for a child for such a long time." The lady replied as she took some papers out of a folder on a chair that had been moved up here for the meeting. "Besides that, the child is used to warrior parents. Buteo partially fulfills that bit of normalcy for the child. Though the exact nature of his work doesn't match completely."

"Has the child Avealed yet?"

"No, he hasn't. Though he probably will within two to three years."

Frank smiled a little and I nodded at him. We were still very much hoping that he wouldn't Aveal into a seagull. We would accept our son if he Avealed into a seagull, of course, but we could always dream. That's all any of us could do at times.

"Is that a problem?" The lady asked, probably noticing our silence.

"No, of course not." Frank replied. "Just that it'll be hard waiting a month to finally get to see him."

"I understand your impatience." She said with a smile. "Everything will be done to make sure that your son arrives here safely. Do any of you have experience in dealing with a child separated from their parents?"

"Some of my students have had that issue." I replied.

"How have you dealt with it?"

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