Parenting Is Never Easy...

[Felidae]

Verae laughed along with her mate, huddling close to him. "I know, I'll regret complaining so much when that happens."

As Ethos' next suggestion, she perked up considerably. Even though it was only reading reports, it would occupy her time and keep her up to date with the happenings in the Tree. In her restricted condition, she needed all the little extra things to keep her position as Queen to the best it has been.

"I think I'd rather have the reports," she said, shifting about to get comfy, "Although, a book from the library would be good too... Perhaps both?" Verae chuckled, closing her eyes as her lack of sleep over worry of the egg caught up with her.

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Ethos gently wrapped a wing around Verae, noticing her struggle to keep herself awake. "You go ahead and sleep, you could use it," he whispered to her, laying his head up against hers. Of course he could use some sleep as well, he'd run himself ragged trying to catch up with everything. But it would probably be more than worth it to spend a few hours here with his mate.

Ethos closed his own eyes and wrapped his wings around Verae in a protective grasp. For one moment, Ethos pushed out his mind all of his worries and just focus on spending a few moments with his mate. Sure, it was the middle of the night, but the two of them needed some shut eye, with everything they have had to manage as both monarch but now also parents-to-be, it was a surprise that they were able to get any sleep, much less get to sleep with each other. More often then now, Ethos ended up sleeping in his office hollow, to exhausted to fly back and sleep with Verae.

[Felidae]

Verae churred softly as she felt Ethos' embrace grow tighter around her. She enjoyed the time spent with him, which was becoming less and less due to his increased duties and her decreased duties. She would sometimes try and visit him in his office, but the King would either be asleep or shoo her out of the room and back to her nest, which she coudln't protest about as she knew she shouldn't have left her post anyway. But if he came to visit her, she would be asleep or he would have to rush off again quickly for a meeting with Parliament or checking new reports that have just come in.

As her thoughts continued to drift, Verae cuddled closer to her mate and slowly succumbed to sleep, worries about her family's future vanishing for now.

[Deleted]

Ethos awoke suddenly about two hours later, startled by some dream that now escaped him. Noticing Verae still asleep, he gently pulled his wings away and stepped out of the nest, trying not to awaken her. She deserved the chance to sleep, even if he couldn't be there with her. He quietly snuck out of the hollow and took flight into the night. He flew around the tree for a few minutes, clearing his head for a bit before he went down to the hollow that held the library.

He found it quite empty, which was nice. Too often he was interrupted by some owl that wanted a moment of his time, something he didn't have a lot of. He wanted to find something to give Verae to read, he couldn't imagine having to spend on night sitting on that egg, with nothing else to do.

He knew Verae never found many of the technical books to interest, so he turned his search at the various books of legends that were held in the library. He found one that he thought she would find particularly interesting and one he was a little surprised to find here. It was a small book that was written by an owl named Flinn, a name he was familiar with. Flinn had been a kraal many, many years ago who was still highly respected by the modern kraals. He had supposedly been invited to live at the tree and had seemingly written a book about kraal culture.

Ethos actually never talked a lot about his past in the kraals with Verae, mostly because he had so many conflicting feelings about it. While he was fairly ashamed at some of he things he had been involved with, at the same time he found it difficult to separate himself from the culture he had grown up with. The very fact he still felt compelled to paint his feathers was proof of that. His family had been kraals for many generations and there was still a sense of pride in him for that.

[Felidae]

Verae did not wake when her mate left her nest, and she continued to sleep. Although, her sleep was not peaceful for long as very soon after Ethos left, nightmares began to appear. She had thought they'd leave after a couple of nights, dismissing them as worries of being a first time parent. But they had stayed and looked like they weren't going to leave any time soon. She was too afraid to talk to Ethos about it, he already had enough to deal with, her being temporarily out of her position as Queen, and didn't want him to worry even more.

The nightmares were always the same. Verae had left Ethos and their newly hatched owlet in their hollow at the Tree whilst she went to take care of a meeting. When she returned, they were no where to be seen. That is, until she went further into the hollow and found the lifeless bodies of her mate and owlet, white feathers stained scarlet, slumped against the back wall in a pool of their own blood. Verae would then turn around and, staring her in the face, would be a group of Pure Ones, eyes glowing red with their beaks and talons stained with the blood of her loved ones. Before she would even be able to react, they would all surge forward, piling on top of her and ripping at her head, neck and chest... Anywhere they could get their talons. The nightmare would always end before she could die, but she never forgot the excruciating pain that she felt, even if it wasn't real.

This is why she was so tired all of the time. She was afraid of sleep. Afraid of the future. Afraid of the darkness.

[Deleted]

After spending a few minutes flipping through the book, he shut it and put it under his wing. He went a looked through a few more, eventually settling on a book about the legends of Hoole to take to Verae. He took them into his talons and few off outside and headed back up to where his and Verae's hollow was located.

It was still relatively dark outside, but it first stray beams of light were first emerging from the horizon. At this point most of the chaws would be wrapping up their lessons and the final meals would be consumed before going to sleep. But it was doubtful Ethos would get to enjoy that, not with everything he still had to do. Between everything he was pushing himself to do and the fact that Verae was preoccupied with their egg, they were spending less and less time together.

Ethos landed at the entrance of the hollow and carefully stepped inside, making sure to remain silent just in case Verae was still fast asleep. He carefully placed the two books down near her nest and gently rubbed her on the side of the head with his beak, a small sign to affection of love that he didn't do as often as he knew he should.

[Felidae]

The smells and sounds of the waking world drifted into Verae's nightmares, disrupting her torture... For now. She could sense Ethos in the hollow with her, but didn't open her eyes, knowing that he would have other duties to attend to. Instead, she stayed still, waiting until she felt him leave the hollow before opening her eyes and seeing the book he'd left her this time.

It was about the legends of Hoole, and she couldn't help but churr happily. This was one of her favourites and, even though she'd read it multiple times, she felt like she was reading a new book every time she picked it off the shelf.

Shifting on the nest a little, she made sure she was comfy again before opening the book in front of her. Quickly glancing up, she could see the first few rays of dawn entering the hollow and sighed. Her sleeping pattern had been off ever since she'd laid their egg and she knew it wasn't good for her. Deciding she'd read a few chapters and then try and sleep again, she turned to the first page and focused on the words, absorbing herself into the book.

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As much as Ethos wanted to stay and be with Verae, he knew he still had a lot of work he still needed to finish. So, reluctantly, Ethos left their hollow and return to his office. It was times like these that he often wondered if this is how the captain of the kralls spent his time. He never knew the previous captain personally, and he was rarely an active participant in raids, so he couldn't help but wonder if he too had been burdened by so much menial work.

To be fair, one could argue that the tree only operated so well because there was oversight on how things were done. But he couldn't help but wonder if there were ways to streamline the whole process. Did he really need to approve of every little change in procedure that a ryb or parliament member want to implement? He trusted the rybs and parliament members to act with the best interests of the tree and Guardians in mind, so he felt it was a waste of time for both him and the ryb to write up proposals and submit them for his approval. Most of these procedures had been established years ago, by one of the now-deceased kings who had been very insistent that he micromanage every aspect of the Guardians' operations. Any changes that went out of the established procedures had to be submitted for approval, but that king had no mate at the time, so he had devoted all his waking hours to it. It was different now, he had a mate and a child on the way, he didn't have time to review everything that was going on in the tree. Maybe it was time to review these policies... and make some changes that could lighten the burdens on everyone.