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Listening to the rain hit their pod, Neteyam bounced Esne against his chest as he folded glider fish into leaves. The fire was warm for her, and he had to appreciate it himself, being less familiar with the chill the sea occasionally created. Thankfully he also had a bunch of Omatikaya blankets warming beside them to snuggle back beneath after they ate.
Aonung suddenly walked through the beads he’d used to create their door, a homage to how he’d grown up. It didn’t matter how often they went back, his heart would always lay with the forest. Maybe one day his mate would find a successor and they could move there. Both of them had expressed that desire before when waiting there for Esne to be born.
“Hey,” Neteyam greeted Aonung, smiling as he shook the water off his body. “Come by the fire.”
“How are my little forest dwellers?” Aonung asked with a grin.
“She won’t sleep,” Neteyam told him, ignoring the tease in favor of his concern. “I think it is the cold.”
“Why are you not under the blankets then?” Aonung frowned, crouching by the fire to dry himself.
“Well, if she won’t sleep I could at least go ahead and put on something to eat,” Neteyam shrugged. “You’ve spent all day hunting. She hasn’t eaten since early morning…”
“Ah, our babe is hungry then,” Aonung tsked.
“If she was hungry, she’d be crying,” Neteyam pointed out, grinning smugly for knowing her when she cooed and faced Aonung. “She is far too happy.”
Aonung huffed, smiling at them. Neteyam loved seeing his mate so bright, despite the dark skies outside. He was inclined to say he’d changed a lot since first meeting him, but in reality he’d just finally let them get to know him. The old version of Aonung that he’d known, would have called him crazy just for thinking they might mate one day. Let alone have a child.
“Let me get warmer for you little one, then Father will hold you,” Aonung told her, letting her hold his finger that he let her have when she reached one of her arms out of her sling.
Neteyam winced when Esne grabbed at his braids with her other hand. She was cooing and giggling happily now and he slowed bouncing her so she wouldn’t get too excited. He was still trying to fix dinner after all, but couldn’t be held by her Father until he was dry. Aonung chuckled at his pain, however revenge was served when their daughter reached up to pull on his loose hair when he leaned over to kiss him with sympathy.
Yelping, Aonung grabbed his hair and fell onto his backside. Neteyam burst out laughing in response, causing Esne to huff unhappily from being jostled. Although, perhaps due to the other man falling over too. Either way he was content to rub her back with one hand, offering the other to his mate who just glared at him playfully in return.