Bookwyrm Writes in Darknes

Joth has been kneeling for hours, carefully checking and plucking every ripe strawberry available in the field since an hour after sunrise. He'd been up since before the sun had peeked it's head up from the eastern edge of Terra's horizon, as he only needed four hours of sleep. He had already fed and watered the animals, collected the eggs that had been laid by the chickens, ducks and geese, milked the cows and goats and made sure that the horses could leave the barn if they wanted to in order to graze in the pasture with fresh water in their troughs. 

The trio of youngsters who had been sent as a bonded triad to your farm to get used to baselines and the more peaceful life that they could get here on Ancient Terra if they behaved themselves were tending to the field of lavender, the soft purple stalks of flowers waved in the warm breeze, tending to them, before checking on the blueberry bushes and picking the beginning of the blueberry harvest. The three of them had been initially hesitant to get their hands in the dirt, tending to the plants and caring for the animals.

But time and patience were key to getting them to let go of their pride - especially when the fruits of their labor could be tasted on the dinner table, and in the gratitude you gave them - and him - after toiling in the fields. There were a handful of mortal farm workers as well, though they had retired for the day, as it was uncomfortably warm for them. Joth had dealt with scorching death worlds where any exposed flesh would blister and boil under the harsh radioactive waves of the hateful star the world was tidally locked with. A little bit of summer heat was nothing to him, especially in his void-rated armor.

"Joth! Athras! Miko, Tavail, it's time to come inside for dinner!" His beloved bonded called out from the front porch, their hands cupped around their mouth, to allow the sound to carry further. Tomorrow he would show them how to properly process the bountiful fruits and herbs that they'd collected today - in particular the bottled lavender oil sold quite well in the farmer's markets, and the first batch of strawberry wine should be ready soon. The eggs needed washing, a second inspection and placing into their cartons, and both the blueberries and strawberries needed to be washed, placed into cartons, or processed into the beginning stages for wine production. 

Truly, there were an endless list of tasks to do, but Joth knew that there was a time for work, and a time for rest. His bonded had taught him that rest was just as important as work. He stood up with a near silent groan, stretching out his lower back before gathering the baskets of strawberries and carefully walking  home, removing his boots at the door and walking into the kitchen, where he set the baskets of strawberries down.

He pretended not to notice as Miko - either a raven guard or a night lord from his pale features and night black eyes - stole a handful of berries before washing his hands - making his way over to where his bonded was sitting. They'd made a delicious spread of grilled meats and veggies, something called a pasta salad, and two fresh berry cobblers served alongside ice cream that had been made from some of the milk that he'd made from either the goats or the cows. It all looked and smelled incredible. 

"Thank you." Joth murmured, sitting down close to his bonded, a happy purr rumbling in his chest. 

The younger three marines gave his bonded the thanks they were owed, and were doing a lot better about passing the food around the table after putting a portion onto their plates, rather than trying to ravenously consume whatever they could get their hands on that was closest to them. 

"Thank you for the meal." Miko murmured first, eyes darting over to the baseline and nodding a little before starting to devour one of the grilled sausages on his plate.

Tavail - a White Scar descendant murmured "You are a generous host, may many blessings come to you." Before trying some of the pasta salad. 

Athras shifted a little, clasping his hands together as he murmured a prayer in what was probably Colchisian, the young Word Bearer's eyes fully closing for several minutes before he opened them again and eagerly began to dig into the meal, trying the grilled asparagus "Thank you, oh gracious host, for this food you have worked to share."

Dinner was a mostly silent affair, as Joth could tell that the younger marines had been worn out by the heat and the many hours of work. The four astartes worked together to put away the remnants of dinner when it was over, washing the dishes and carefully putting them in the drying rack, with Joth reminding his bonded that "You cooked. We clean. Is part of deal." 

They sigh and shake their head with a fond smile "If you say so. When you're done, why don't you come lie down with me?"

Joth nods enthusiastically "Yes! Will come and hold you once done with cleaning."  He loves being able to hold his bonded close and cuddle them, though he had worried that tonight might be too warm to do so. It was cooler in the house than it was outside, but he wasn't sure if it was enough for them. Astartes did run hotter than baselines, after all. 

It made his bonded extra cuddly in the fall and winter months, when it was cold and often damp... But in the late spring and during much of the summer, they preferred to have a bit more space to keep cool, as baselines did not tolerate the same range of temperatures that even unarmored corpse worshipping astartes could. 

Sev’al had been stalking prey for his Warband leader. His silent stalking and glowing eyes made him difficult to notice, despite his massive size. As he hunts after the unwary prey, he feels the Warp twist around him and he blinks. From the shadows and metal of a hive city. 

He blinks and hisses- as his automatic sun shielding in his armor activates to protect his sensitive eyes- to a meadow bright with trees- not native to the area he was once in. He looks around and snuffles a little bit.

He notices clouds and feels the wind against his armored frame. He lets out a chuff as he heads into the shade of the trees. Sev’al will see where he is. And he is curious as to why the Warp had moved him. 

He will learn in time- why he is here. The Raptor scales one of the trees and starts to leap- flying from tree to tree mostly silent as he sniffs once more. He smells… he smells prey things. Of Beast and baseline alike.

Perhaps he shall hunt one down and get answers out of them. The Warp-mutated Night Lord continues to move eerily silent for a being as massive as he is. He slows down the closer he gets to one of the settlements and hunkers down to watch.

The rain- a fine, light mist of rain- starts to fall. It bothers him not at all, but those smaller, weaker baseline humans- those that can get inside do so fast. Not wanting to get wet. He shakes his head and snorts.

‘Not made of sugar,’ He thinks derisively, ‘it’s just a bit of non-acid rain.’

He continues to move- and smells- something- someone. Ah- perhaps there is baseline human- or at least one nearby. A prey thing he can hunt and chase and play with. To seek answers out of.

As he stalks over towards him- he feels a tug- a twist- a … a something of the Warp curling around him in wisps of chains and light, of shadow and- something other he can barely see coil deep in his soul to entwine with the soul of the oblivious baseline.

He pauses in his movements and tilts his head, confused. How strange. How curious. How odd. The tug at his soul has him silently stalking closer to this baseline. 

‘The warp provides.’ He thinks to himself, ‘but what I am uncertain. Why this little fragile mortal creature?’

Lion El'Jonson Lion is kind of stoic about it. He was not raised by Luther from infancy, so he does not know how one behaves during these tender years. If your child is a toddler, or even older, he still takes it with all the grace he can manage and vows to be in the child's future from this moment on.

Fulgrim Fulgrim is devastated. What do you mean he missed all those precious moments? Your pregnancy, the childbirth, the infancy, your child's developmental milestones? He is in ruin. He still loves the child, of course, that is not even a question, but he dearly wants another one so he can experience these moments firsthand.

Perturabo The only concern Perturabo has is whether you and the serfs have messed up the child's development in some way. So he inspects the child the way one might inspect a contraption, which probably does not earn him much love from you or the child, but he does find them satisfactory, and so he begins to plan how to raise them in order for them to reach his standards.

Jaghatai Khan Honestly, with how often Jaghatai is away, it was bound to happen. He is not happy it happened, but he is probably the most prepared of all. As long as your child is healthy and happy, he is content. If you are angry at him for missing those moments, well, he can always give you another one, and this time take you with him.

Leman Russ Leman is of two minds. On one hand, he absolutely trusts you with raising the child the way he would want them to be raised. On the other, he is still a bit miffed he missed their puppy days. The only solution here is to be present in the days of their adolescence and then, maybe then, have another one with you.

Rogal Dorn Dorn expects you to be understanding. His duty as the Praetor of Terra takes him away from home for the longest time. Finding out he is a father is a surprise, but he mostly inspects your reaction. If you show grace, he will show humility. If you show disagreement, he will remind you of what the arrangement was from the start. Nevertheless, even if you have a fight, you will reach a consensus and he will finally get to hold his child. And in that moment, he melts.

Konrad Curze Konrad refuses to believe that they are his, despite the obvious familiarity, and certainty of your own faithfulness to him. His brain simply cannot comprehend that he is now a father. It will take him a couple of days, but then you will find him looking at your sleeping child and humming something suspiciously like a lullaby.

Sanguinius Sanguinius is crestfallen. He suspects that pregnancy may not have been easy on you, and not being there to offer you his support pains him. But you are healthy and so is the child. And so he will forego all the previous worry for the happiness that the future may hold, but for now, allow him to hold both you and the child. This is all he ever needs in this moment.

Ferrus Manus Ferrus is shocked. He is not one to miss much, so the realization that he was absent for all of this lands hard. He does not speak of regret easily, but he feels it. He will look at the child with a careful, practical sort of awe, then at you with something quieter and far more serious. If you let him, he will make up for the lost time with action, provision, and absolute reliability.

Angron Angron is angry, but not at you, and not at the child. He is angry at the fact that he was torn from his family at such a vulnerable moment. Yes, you managed splendidly, and the child is looking at him with that curiosity he long forgot existed in this world, but he is still pained that he was not allowed to hold his family when it mattered most.

Roboute Guilliman Roboute is surprised. He keeps meticulous tabs on your health, so for pregnancy to come as a surprise means that it probably happened during the night before his departure. Yes, that must have happened on that very joyful night because he was out of contact with you afterward. Warp travel does things to you. Well now, if you allow him to officially meet his heir, he is going to make sure that they are properly cared for for the rest of their life.

Mortarion Mortarion is uneasy. He does not like surprises, and he likes them even less when they involve a child he did not know was coming. Still, once the shock passes, he becomes oddly careful, almost awkwardly protective. He will not be tender in an obvious way, but he will be present, and for Mortarion, that is a promise.

Magnus the Red Magnus is surprised beyond measure. He keeps tabs on your soul, so he should have felt the moment when there was a new one born from you and, well, his, yet he was completely in the dark. Was it the warp? Or was his child so gifted in sorcery that they managed to hide themselves from their illustrious father from the moment of conception? Nonetheless, the years lost are lost, but he is here for all that is going to come forward.

Horus Lupercal Horus is pissed. Pissed. What do you mean he missed the sight of you growing rounder and rounder with his child, your breasts getting heavier, and you being so adorably tired that you can barely move sometimes? Oh, this is a huge blow to him. He wanted to see it. He wanted to see it all. He wanted to feel you, to hold you, to be there for your late-night cravings, to chuckle when you cry over something so simple as an injured baby bird. No matter. He will just have to make another one and keep you by his side at all times.

Lorgar Aurelian Lorgar is inconsolable. What do you mean he missed the miracle of seeing you growing full with his child? This divine blessing, this declaration of love between you and what he was doing? Subjugating in the name of the Father. Yes, it is important, but not so important as you are. Oh dearest one, can you forgive him? Will his own blood accept him? And will he ever be worthy of such a gift that you have bestowed upon him?

Vulkan Vulkan is ecstatic. He left the hoard only to return and find that it had grown ever more precious. He will hold you first and then the children. He is, at this moment, the happiest and proudest papa of all. His little drakes are out of their mother's belly and here is here to take on the burden of child-rearing for the foreseeable future.

Corvus Corax You know what? That is his own fault. He keeps things secret from you. He keeps you in the dark. So it is only fair that fate has gifted him the most secret one of all. Alas, he is here and he is eager to meet his hatchling. And he promised that he will no longer hide from you or them.

Alpharius Omegon Alpharius and Omegon are surprised, but it is a good kind of surprise. Looks like you grew even more adept at keeping secrets than they are. So they commend you on that. And then they get to the children. They are going to learn a lot of things from their illustrious papas.

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Hey! I now have more here! (and here)

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Sev’al had been stalking prey for his Warband leader. His silent stalking and glowing eyes made him difficult to notice, despite his massive size. As he hunts after the unwary prey, he feels the Warp twist around him and he blinks. From the shadows and metal of a hive city. 

He blinks and hisses- as his automatic sun shielding in his armor activates to protect his sensitive eyes- to a meadow bright with trees- not native to the area he was once in. He looks around and snuffles a little bit.

He notices clouds and feels the wind against his armored frame. He lets out a chuff as he heads into the shade of the trees. Sev’al will see where he is. And he is curious as to why the Warp had moved him. 

He will learn in time- why he is here. The Raptor scales one of the trees and starts to leap- flying from tree to tree mostly silent as he sniffs once more. He smells… he smells prey things. Of Beast and baseline alike.

Perhaps he shall hunt one down and get answers out of them. The Warp-mutated Night Lord continues to move eerily silent for a being as massive as he is. He slows down the closer he gets to one of the settlements and hunkers down to watch.

The rain- a fine, light mist of rain- starts to fall. It bothers him not at all, but those smaller, weaker baseline humans- those that can get inside do so fast. Not wanting to get wet. He shakes his head and snorts.

‘Not made of sugar,’ He thinks derisively, ‘it’s just a bit of non-acid rain.’

He continues to move- and smells- something- someone. Ah- perhaps there is baseline human- or at least one nearby. A prey thing he can hunt and chase and play with. To seek answers out of.

As he stalks over towards him- he feels a tug- a twist- a … a something of the Warp curling around him in wisps of chains and light, of shadow and- something other he can barely see coil deep in his soul to entwine with the soul of the oblivious baseline.

He pauses in his movements and tilts his head, confused. How strange. How curious. How odd. The tug at his soul has him silently stalking closer to this baseline. 

‘The warp provides.’ He thinks to himself, ‘but what I am uncertain. Why this little fragile mortal creature?’

"How is physical therapy going?" Opal asks, sitting next to her bonded as the two of them lean into one another a little.

Ash'val huffs a little and answers "It is going much slower than I would like, but I do feel as if I am progressing in a positive direction." As far as he knows, the source of the communicable curse had not been found, though all of his possessions, work stations, office and desk has been thoroughly investigated and checked over. Including things in the home that he shared with Opal. He also hadn't been told if anyone else had come down with the curse... Not that he was surprised, as they wanted him to focus on recovery and healing.

... Besides, he was not at all versed in psychic investigations. All he could do was struggle through physical therapy and do the paperwork that they would let him as he rested his body. Ash'val did his best to be a model patient, as he had been put with a small group of other astartes who were also recovering from various kinds of physical injury and most of them were younger than he was. Many of them had tried to push their bodies farther than they could take on their own. So he tried showing them how to allow themselves to rest and recover, despite the urge to push further and further.

He also participated in the group therapy sessions with the chaplain that visited them three times a week, gently encouraging the others to speak up as well about their fears and frustrations. This too, was it's own kind of difficulty, but he knew that healing one's mind was just as important as healing the body. "... The group therapy sessions are going better. More of the group are speaking to what plagues their nightmares, and how they are processing going through the physical aspects of longer-term healing." He fidgeted with something in his hands, as he used it to help ground and center himself. 

Opal smiles at that and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek, saying "I am glad to hear that, my love." She tilted her head a little, looking at his hands and asks "What do you have in your hands?"

"One of the first gifts you gave to me, actually." Ash'val answers, revealing to her the small three-legged terrestrial animal that he still could not fully identify. It was made out of clay and he had to be very careful with it, lest it shatter into dust between his fingers. It was blobby and when it was set down on a flat surface, leaned to one side, one leg fully off the surface. He adored the little gift. 

"... You kept this?" Opal asked, her eyes widening a little in surprise "I've made much better things, as I've gotten better at shaping clay."

"I know, and I treasure those gifts as well, my love. But I am also very grateful for this gift too. This was your first attempt at making something with your hands for me, and it is a treasure I hold close to my heart." Ash'val answers, an adoring smile appearing on his face as he lets her pick up the small clay animal figurine. 

"I didn't even paint this one... But I'm glad that it's able to bring you comfort." Opal murmurs, carefully turning the little figuring over in her hands a couple of times before gently placing it back into his hands.