inspired by a plot with @mechaborn
Domin heard the giggles as he came around the large tree that marked the start of the path that lead to the large house Domin had built for him and his family. The girls were on the porch, chasing one another and shouting out mathematical problems that had to be solved before the one that was chosen as “it” reached them to tag them. Raven had started this strange game of tag when she was teaching their eldest daughter, Finnly, named from the man who saved Raven’s life, the basics. When Goda, named for the woman who’d saved Domins, joined them two years later, they kept it up, running around the yard shouting the results of the problems before their Mother could tag them. Now with the smallest one, Clair, named for Raven’s adopted Father, running through their little house, the girls could now go without their Mother watching, though Raven still participated or corrected them.
Being the dutiful Father, Domin hardly left the girl unattended, rarely and not for long. But for a moment, he stopped to watch the mob of wild girls run around the porch shouting numbers and details as they tried to avoid being tagged. Clair ducked under Goda’s arm and shouted the answer to the math problems while Finnly laughed and used one of the beams over Goda’s head to swing over to Clairs aide. If happiness could be captured in a moment, this would be it. Domin was looking at happiness.
Raven stepped out of the house, carrying a bowl of fruit and paper with probably fresh math problems or plans for a new building for the valley as she shouted at the girls to make way for her. Raven walked off the porch and took a seat at the table he’d made by the fire pit, sitting on the ground as she started to work on the papers in front of her, muttering to herself as she focused.
Ah yes, this was happiness. The picture was almost complete now. Domin made a roaring sound like a bear as he stepped around the tree, all four of the women looking up to him as he stomped up the stone path that he’d laid down himself the pay he’d learned Raven was with his child. Each stone lead to the porch that he hadn’t built yet, the house full of Ravens tools, Domins weapons, the girls toys, drawings and endless evidence of a family that plaid and learned in that tiny house.
The girls all shouted “Daddy! Dad’s home!” before running off the porch to tackle him, climb him, any attempt to bring him to the ground. Raven smiled as she watched them attempt to over power him. Though they had yet to do it, he admired their desire to do so and until they could over power him, he never had to clean a fish. He handed the fish to the girls and they took it to the table near the pit to clean them while he built their fire for the evening. As the girls cleaned the fish, Raven read, Domin watched the fire roar to life, filling the air with smoke as he got it to the perfect cooking level, the image of happiness was complete.
Once the fish was cooked, papers of work long forgotten, the family of five sat around the large fire pit, Raven humming some lullaby to little Clair while Goda and Finnly slept soundly strung out between Domin and Ravens lap, Clair snuggled up between them. The little cubs, slept sounding while Raven rested her head on Domin’s shoulder.
Yes, this was happiness. Anyone looking in on them would see it. This was what happiness was meant to look like. This was Domins happiness. Finally. Finally in his grasp, in his lap, on his shoulder, this was his happiness. Long desired, greatly sacrificed for, this happiness was his. For a moment, he could feel eyes upon them, and when his eyes went up, he could almost see those he and she had lost standing by the tree that marked their den was close.
Shadows of three men, standing with arms around one another, beaming. One was Jad, dark eyes full of joy and hope as he looked upon Domins little family. Another was seen in pictures Clarke had drawn. Finn smiled at Raven and her girls, giving Domin a thumbs up while Sinclair clasped Finn on the shoulder, beaming approvingly at Domin. Goda’s eyes were shinning with joyful tears as she saw the girls in Domins lap, beaming from them to Raven and him repeatedly as if she could not keep her eyes from the scene. They all knew that this happiness was well deserved by both Raven and Domin. They knew it had seemed impossible several times, yet here it was. The bear and the raven with their little family, in their little den, in their little valley, with their little scene of pure happiness.
