Welcome to Gaia! ::

Faevan paused mid bite, looking at Shin. Her gaze fluttered to the window, catching the early morning singers gracing her windowsill. For a moment, a flash of mischeif crossed her features, and she pondered telling Shin that birds came from eggs. But reason got the better of her, and she didn't wish to create a new hatred for her nephew. After swallowing a sip of water, she looked at Shin seriously.

"Ask your Papa, he's much smarter than I am." Her lips twitched slightly as she looked over at Dio.

Shin frowned a bit, wondering wht Faevan couldn't tell him. But he took her advice and looked at his Papa with big green eyes.

"Huh? What?" Dio muttered, looking up at Faevan.

"Shin asked you where birds came from." Faevan explained with a chuckle. Dio was obviously in his own world, and she was in too high of spirits to worry about it.

"Oh...from eggs." He explained matter of factly, going back to his breakfast.

"Eggs?!? From eggs?!?" Shin's eyes went wide.

"Dio!" Faevan scowled. "Don't listen to him, Shin. He's a silly old man."

Shin looked relieved, and settled down again. "So where do they really come from?" Shin asked, eager to hear the real answer.

So much for the truth. Faevan sighed inwardly. Ah well, I've never been good at it anways. She settled herself more comfortable in her chair.

"Shin, the birds come from the trees."

"The trees?" Shin made a funny face. "How can trees make birds?"

"Well, once, long ago, before there were any people, there were trees. And the trees shared the earth with all the animals that walked the earth. Now the animals talked with the grass and the rocks and the flowers and the grass, and they kept each other company. However,t he trees were so tall, they couldn't hear the animals, no matter how loud they called to eachother, and eventually the animals stopped trying and ignored them."

"That's not very nice." Shin stated matter of factly, accentuating his statement with a nod of his head, shich set his hair rustling.

"No," Faevan agreed, "it's not. But it wasn't their fault. They couldn't reach that high, so we can't blame them. But the trees were still sad, and they wished and wished for company. And one night, while the oldest of all the trees was dreaming, he dreamt of a little creature that would sit on his shoulder and tell him stories and sing him songs. This creature was small, but it had wings instead of legs, so it could fly up to the tree tops and not be afraid of falling. And suddenly, the old tree was woken by a sweet melody, and lo and behold, the creature he had dreamed of sat right there on his shoulder, asking him to wake and talk to it! And so, to this day, the birds stay close to the trees, singing to them to show their gratitude that they have been given life. And to show their love for their creations, the trees feed and protect the birds and provide food for them."

Shin sat wide eyed for a moment before speaking again. "So the birds will like me too, right Auntie faeFae? Because I'm like a tree?"

"They just might." Faevan smiled. Why don't you go ask them?"

Taking that as a dismissal from breakfast, Shin practically launched himself out of his seat and ran out the door, chasing down the birds loudly outside the window.

"I haven't heard that tale in quite a long time." Dio mused, collecting his empty plates and handing them to Faevan.

"Honestly, I'm suprised I rememeber it at all. That's an old, old tale." She smiled, taking the plates from Dio. "Dio, why don't you go rest. I can watch Shin today. I'll just be tending the farm. He seems to enjoy helping, and he's quite good at it." She smiled, but her eyes showed concern for the elderly rancher.