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Today is her 10th birthday, and she still can't believe she's celebrating without Mom and Pops.
Aodhán and Halsin are great and all that, but they simply can't replace her real parents, and so, while Yenna and her adoptive fathers are busy preparing for the party, she'd snuck away, changing into her tiger form and climbing the big oak tree that Aodhán and Halsin had grown during Highharvestide one-and-a-half years ago.
That tree had 'birthed' her little brother Solasán. And even though Arabella doesn't quite understand how that came about, she's glad he's with them. He's cute, even if he's still trying to figure out how walking works.
The day had started well enough; she'd woken up, Halsin had made her favorites for breakfast, and then Aodhán had gone with her for a run, letting her set the pace as she'd explored their garden and the fields beyond.
But the closer to the party it gets, the sadder Arabella feels.
Her parents should be here.
Her grandparents should be here.
The friends she had in Elturel should be here.
But they aren't.
It's not that she's lost every friend she ever had. Mattis, Ide, Meli, Silfy, Umi, Mirkon, and Mol have survived and are coming to the party.
And she'd made new friends too. Fevrokis, for example, had quickly become her best friend once she played more often with the kids at the orphanage.
And then he'd gotten adopted by Shadowheart and Karlach, and due to their adoptive parents being friends, they'd grown even closer.
Arabella's tail flicks as she stretches on the branch she's on. She's not as agile as Aodhán, but still small enough to easily climb trees in her tiger form. She looks at the trunk and up at the branches overhead, trying to figure out how to jump to climb even higher—distracting herself with exploration.
It doesn't work for long, though, and as she climbs the trunk, her thoughts drift back to last year.
They didn't have a party for her 9th birthday. Not because Aodhán and Halsin wouldn't have thrown her one, no. They'd asked her if she wanted to celebrate big or small or even at all.
And Arabella hadn't been up to it—not without Mom and Pops.
So they'd only had a little family celebration. Cake, presents, and Arabella got to pick an activity to do.
Her first idea had been climbing one of the chasms that kept shifting with the earthquakes, but Aodhán had explained to her that that was too dangerous, and so they'd gone rock climbing up a mountain a bit away from Reithwin instead.
It had been a good birthday.
And now, one year later, she'd felt ready to have a big party with all of her friends.
Until now, of course.
Now she's sad again, missing her parents, her friends, her old home, everything, really.
She nestles on the new branch and looks over the clearing. She can barely see it from here, the branches and leaves of the oak tree impairing her vision.
But she can see the forest beyond, the trees swaying gently in the wind as she lies down on the branch.
The same wind now ruffles her fur, and she purrs softly, enjoying the caress of nature, her thoughts drifting again.
She's thankful for Aodhán and Halsin, truly. The two of them take great care of her, and Aodhán taught her how to control the tiger spirit in her mind. Now the two of them are friends instead of arguing about who gets to come out and play.
The tiger purrs inside of her, then. It, too, misses her parents, but it also urges her to move on. To celebrate the life they still have, to celebrate the fact that they survived and are thriving.
It urges her not to be stingy with her love, for fear of loss. And somehow that thought is both comforting and terrifying all at once.
Arabella's brooding is interrupted when she hears a branch beneath her creak with the weight of a much bigger predator, and her instincts flare up to either hide or attack. But the second she spots golden fur with dark rosettes, she relaxes and climbs down onto a branch that will be able to support Aodhán's weight, and not just that of a small tiger cub.
Once she reaches him, she nuzzles into his bigger body, purring again as he runs his rough tongue over her head in greeting. He's purring too, and the sound is soothing some of the sadness inside of her.
When she feels ready to talk, she shifts back to her tiefling self, pushing her face into his fur and staying there for a while.
Hugging Aodhán when he's a leopard feels nice.
Once she pulls back, he, too, changes back into his humanoid form, wrapping an arm around her as they sit on the branch. His grip is gentle, not restrictive at all; instead, it's careful, a hold to keep her stable as they sit in the tree together.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asks, his voice as gentle as it always is, giving her the choice to open up or brood about it a little longer.
Arabella thinks for a moment and then leans into him further. "I miss them", she admits.
"I know a leanbh beag", Aodhán whispers and gently strokes a strand of her hair behind her ear. "We don't have to have that big celebration if you changed your mind, you know?"
Arabella pulls back slightly, looking up at her adoptive father with a frown. "But… everyone's coming, and you and Halsin and Yenna worked so hard on the cake and the snacks and everything."
"So?" Aodhán smiles. "You're the birthday girl today", he reminds her. "If you're not happy, then something went wrong with the celebration."
Arabella sighs softly, leaning into him once more and thinking about his words. She does look forward to playing with everyone. It's just the absence of her parents that's hurting.
Like a thorn, she once got stuck in her paw and couldn't get out on her own.
Aodhán allows for a few moments of silence, giving her time to think before he speaks again.
"How about we go visit them, hmm?" he suggests.
Arabella looks up again, a smile kicking up the corners of her mouth.
"I'd love that!"
Aodhán nods and gently pulls her into his hold. She feels his muscles ripple beneath his clothes as he changes into his hybrid form. Then, he jumps down from the branch, his legs easily catching the fall in a gentle bounce.
"You want to run there on two or four legs?" he asks once he puts her down on her own feet again.
"On two!" Arabella decides. "And can you carry me piggyback?"
"Whatever the birthday girl wishes", he smiles and turns, crouching down so she can climb on.
And once she's secure—hugging his neck with his arms hooked beneath her knees—he breaks into a run too fast for her to follow.
The forest flies past, browns, greens, and the occasional vibrancy of wildflowers blur into a symphony of colors.
Arabella cheers; she loves the speed with which Aodhán can run in his hybrid form. It's only for short bursts at a time, but it's always awesome, and she's already looking forward to when she can run this fast.
But due to Last Light Inn not being all too far away from the oak tree, they reach the spot where her parents are buried sooner rather than later. Aodhán crouches down again, allowing her to hop off his back and walk toward the gravestones.
Arabella plops down in front of their graves, her tail curling around herself as she stares at the names on the stones.
"Hey Mom, hey Pops", she whispers, crossing her legs and holding onto her tail. She remembers how her mother would tell her that she used to do that a lot as a baby. And now it's become somewhat of a comfort measure.
"As you know, it's my birthday and… I miss you", she opens up. Talking to them always helps, even though she's not sure they can hear her wherever they are now.
Aodhán keeps back, allowing Arabella this time alone. But knowing he's there, knowing he'll hug her when she starts to cry? It helps a lot. And she feels less lonely already.
And so, they stay there for a while, and Arabella tells her parents about everything that has happened lately. About how she taught Fevrokis how to swim, about how Silfy helped her with her math homework, about how Yenna keeps baking her favorite treats whenever she's sad.
The more she talks about the good things in her life, the less sad she feels, and when Arabella turns her head to look at Aodhán, there's a smile on her face.
"I think I'm ready for that party now."
"Alright", he smiles and waits for her to get up.
Arabella turns back to her parents' graves one last time, smiling softly.
"I still miss you two. But I think you'd be happy knowing that I'm doing well."
As if in response, the gentle breeze picks up and ruffles her hair like her father used to do, and the wind on her cheeks suddenly feels like her mother's thumbs caressing her face.
Arabella tears up, gives a small sniffle, and closes her eyes. She enjoys the illusion of their touch and decides there and then that it doesn't matter if it is an illusion or not. It feels nice, and who's to say that her parents aren't really watching over her from wherever people go after they die?
When the breeze winds down again, she stands and walks back over to Aodhán, climbing onto his back once more so they can make the trip back to their farmhouse.
Hours later, Arabella's belly is full of the cake Halsin and Yenna prepared for the party, and they're getting ready to play some more games when Fevrokis approaches her with a gift in his hands. He looks shy as ever, but Arabella's used to Yenna's held-back ways, so she's never found it hard to deal with Fevrokis' shyness.
"Hey Fev", she grins. "What's that you got there?"
"Shadowheart helped me make this for you", he says, a blush flaring on his cheeks, painting them an even deeper crimson than usual. He's clearly nervous about whether or not she'll welcome his present.
"I hope you like it, happy birthday, Bella."
"I'm sure I will!" Arabella grins and takes the gift, eagerly unwrapping it. The paper tears as she removes it, but Arabella doesn't mind.
Once the wrapping is all but torn off, Arabella uncovers a self-made picture book of her favorite childhood story.
She remembers the book; it had been the one that her Mom used to read to her when they were still living peacefully in Elturel. She'd loved it so much and had been terribly sad when they had to leave it behind when they fled the city.
It was an old family heirloom, a handcrafted story by her Pop's Grandmother. Irreplaceable, really.
She's told Fev the story countless times whenever they shared stories about their respective parents, mourning together in the way only a fellow orphan understands.
And now she's got it back. However imperfect and wonky Fevrokis' attempts at drawing may be. The story is here, and it's made with a lot of love.
She can't help but tear up and hug her best friend tightly. "That's the best gift ever, Fev!" she tearfully declares.
Fevrokis hugs her back, rubbing her back as his tail tangles with hers, settling into a lazy but contented wag.
"Shadowheart wrote the text for me since I still have trouble with my letters being readable, but I drew the pictures myself", he proudly declares.
"It's perfect!" Arabella tells him again and squeezes him even tighter, her chest rumbling with a happy purr.
Fev mirrors the sound as he continues to hug her until they both pull back and spend the next hour going through the picture book together.
All in all, it was the best birthday Arabella could've asked for. And even though she still misses her parents and the friends she's lost, she's also really grateful for the friends she's gained and for her adoptive fathers who watch over her.
Thanks to Fev, she has even gotten a piece of her past life back.
And she'll treasure it for as long as she lives, make it a family heirloom again.
Some traditions shouldn't die with the people who lived them after all.