Hatchling

Reunion

Fundy's uncle, who he had last seen supporting serious injuries and was concerningly jumpy, was right in front of him. He hadn't even changed that much. He had the same red wings that flared out slightly behind him and he still stood just a little taller than the doorframe. That explained his familiar hunched-over stance. His face was the same mildly affectionate expression as his uncle looked at him and the Crow's words from before crept into his mind once more.

However, her face was softer, more rounded, and her eyelashes were noticeably longer. They closed for a split second over her coral blue eyes, which seemed to be a different shape, and her hair reached her shoulders and was tied in a messy, and slightly damp, ponytail.

Here he was, except he wasn't a he anymore. He was a she.

The silence was interrupted by Bella coughing awkwardly. "So... How do you know each other?"

"Eh, well-" A strange look passed over her face as she scrunched her nose slightly and her eyes became slits. She looked over at Fundy before returning her gaze to Bella. "That happens to be the nephew I told you about-"

"Wait- what?" Bella sputtered, her words tumbling out her mouth in a torrent of jumbled words. "But- then- I -"

The woman massaged the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes tightly, the infant in her arms merely watched the scene with an amused expression, her watery blue eyes twinkling in a spitting image of her mother's when she decided she would cause problems on purpose.

"Later," The woman sighed. "I can tell Fundy has questions so you might as well ask them, kiddo,"

"How did you end up female?" he shot immediately in a demanding tone.

"Well," She seemed to expect the question and shrugged nonchalantly. "I found this weird as- weird ruby- gemstone- whatever- and I touched it,"

She made a wild hand gesture that said 'as you do' almost smacking a younger dark-haired boy in the face. She ruffled his hair affectionately and muttering a quick apology to the child she continued. "I black out and next thing I know, there's a new weight on my chest, which it isn't mental, and my abdomen hurts like a  bi- kick to the liver,"

"Couldn't you just touch it again to change back?" Bella interrupts, looking at her curiously.

"I did but it didn't do shi- anything," The older woman said thoughtfully. "I didn't dwell on it though, I didn't really mind and if anyone came looking for me - which they didn't, thank Prime - they wouldn't recognise me immediately,"

"Oh," Bella said quietly, realising the weight of the blonde's words. No one cared enough to come looking.

"Where is this rock you speak of?" the boy asked, subtly fiddling with the hand armour.

"Oh, Fundy," She laughed lightly and walked forward, behind her, the black-haired child scurried forward with an annoyed look on his face. She cupped his face gently, she rubbed a thumb over his cheek and he almost missed the tenderness in her voice. It reminded him of how a mother would act with her children. "I only kept it because you might've wanted it and I was right, you did,"

He almost choked. She had left a solid three years ago and she hadn't forgotten about him.

Stepping away, he furiously swiped at his eyes and fixed his cap over his ears, which were now pressed tightly to his head. He hated how his voice broke at his next words. "Why did you leave?"

"I'm guessing you have a rough idea?" He nodded still wiping his tears away as Bella rubbed his back comfortingly. The blonde closed her eyes momentarily and exhaled slowly through her nose.

"Okay- so, I died in prison and- and He revived me, you know that part," A pained expression passed over her face and they could only imagine the raw emotion that swirled beneath her eyes. "He said that he'd revive Wilbur but - Prime - he was so messed up when I saw him in Limbo,"

She shivered and she barely registered the infant in her arms wrapping her arms around her neck and holding onto her tightly. She leaned her cheek on top of her head and the baby crooned in contentment as she nuzzled into her neck. The taller blond only smiled into the child's blonde hair, gently running a hand through the black-haired boy's hair.

"There was also the issue of the Egg," she sighed stilling her hands, while the younger boy whined in annoyance. "It didn't sit right with me and I decided to leave before things went to shi- the boiler room of Hell."

"Yeah, I got that vibe too," Bella said and Fundy nodded in agreement. Bella smirked slightly, her mouth quirking up almost imperceptibly. "My plant hormones told me so,"

"Shut up," The boy deadpanned as the pink-haired girl cackled with a wicked look in her eyes, "I will force-feed you every single type of vinegar - so help me-"

"Alright then-" The two cousins continued bickering, ignoring the half-bemused half-exasperated woman who was massaging her temple. "Okay! Next question,"

Fundy looked back at her and glanced at the young boy, who had only looked at him with an irritated look in his eyes from the moment he saw him in his house. Two of his hands were clenched tightly onto the cloth of his mother's white turtleneck sweater, another pair were clenched tightly at his sides and the final two were clasped behind his back, essentially out of sight save for where the appendages attached to his torso.

"Where did the children come from?"

The young boy pursed his lips and shot the ginger a scathing look. "I have a name."

Fundy gaped at the child in shock as Terry ran her fingers through the boy's hair and the hardened look on his face crumbled slightly at the mild disappointment on her face. He glared weakly at the older boy, gritted his teeth and hissed in a spider-like manner. "My name's Shroud, Shroud Simon Innes,"

Bella shoots him a confused look. Shroud only looks back at her warningly, 'don't question me' the look says and she lets him continue. "And my sister's name is Bailey Clarissa Innes, treat her with respect,"

"Where did you even find such an aggressive spider child and an avian baby with way too much situational awareness?" Bella asked looking at both of the children, her head tilting to the side with dark purple petals falling to the polished wooden floors. Shroud glared at her playfully and turned to his mother for ratification. Fundy's ear flicked as he registered the blatant bias.

"I'm adopted" The short child mused, he looked up to stare into her eyes, dark purple meeting bright red, and shrugged nonchalantly. "If Mama hadn't found me, I would be dead."

 Terry put a hand to her cheek, smiled at the boy fondly and he returned it with a wide toothy grin. "The best decision I've made with my history of bad decisions,"

"What about Bailey?" Fundy asked, pointing an armoured pinky at the winged child, whose fluffy pink down feathers flapped excitedly at the mention of her name, whipped her head round to face the ginger and chirped in interest at him, tilting her head.

An awkward look passed over her face as she carefully avoided their curious eyes. "She's my biological daughter."