Summary

There was no time to prepare for the couple's first mothkitten. They had not expected to have a kitten so soon into their relationship, which had only started months prior. Were they even sure they were going to stay together? After all, their relationship was rocky as is, with one of them being an aquatic mothcat and the other a land mothcat of no special subbreed. They didn't see each other often, as the aquatic mothcat had an important position deep under the ocean, and the land mothcat the same back in his own village. But they would make it work. They had to, for the sake of their mothkitten.

They both took leave from their job to care for their mothkitten while it was in a cocoon. They lived along the beach for the time that the cocoon incubated, as they didn't know if the mothkitten would be an aquatic or not. They spent every moment with the cocoon, but the conversations they would have often led to arguments. When would the other parent get to spend time with the child? Should they move in together here, at the beach? But that would mean abandoning their jobs. There was never a resolution with their arguments, and they only kept going up to the time that the cocoon opened.

Out of the cocoon was an aquatic mothkitten. He was dark-colored, but his wings and the small blue markings on his cheeks glowed faintly. He looked like the definition of a mothkitten--grumpy. The aquatic parent was pleased and instantly prepared to bring him home deep in the ocean. The other parent disagreed, saying the mothkitten should get to know his land-blood as well. This continued for a while, and the mothkitten, quickly getting tired of his parents' arguing, made his own choice; he got up from where he hatched, shook out his still-wet fur, and waddled straight towards the ocean, where he proceeded to disappear into the water. Triumphant in their child's decision, the aquatic mothcat followed, ignoring the calls of their partner.

His parent named his Svelte, though having a bit of a difficult time saying the name, others simply called him Svel. It was quickly learned that Svel didn't talk. No one was sure if he just chose not to speak or if something was preventing him from talking, but no one complained about it. Although his parent would try to convince him to go up to land and see his other parent, Svel never bothered. He seemed to dislike going up towards the land, and whenever it's even mentioned, he just goes deeper into the ocean. His aquatic mothcat only shrugged about it, not minding that Svel clearly didn't care to go. They weren't sure they wanted to see their other half either.

Years passed, and Svel has grown up well. His kitten fur shed to reveal a shark-like tail and a lean body. When his eyes opened, a smoky effect spilled out of them. Suddenly, he looked a lot more terrifying than he was when he was cute and cuddly. Still, he refused to go up to the land, finding himself a well-paying job deep in Alconyia. He hadn't even noticed that his parent had begun disappearing. Or maybe he did and he didn't mind. He didn't really converse with his parent very often as is.

And he continued to not care until one day his parent came home and announced he'd be having a little sibling. Svel was baffled; they were seeing someone? Turns out they had begun to go up to land and see their land partner again, despite their many disagreements and clear dislike for each other. Svel didn't understand it. And he wasn't sure how to feel about the idea that he may have a sibling that would have to live on land, where he may never see them.

Thankfully, when his sibling hatched from the cocoon, they, too, were aquatic. Of course, their land parent was beyond upset, knowing that the same thing would happen with this mothkitten as Svel did. Except, it didn't. The mothkitten, who was named Nanyo, visited their other parent quite often. In fact, despite being an aquatic mothcat, they seemed to go up and stay on land more than in the water. Svel couldn't make sense of any of it. He hated the land and his fur being dry, and he thought it was the same for every other aquatic mothcat. Turns out, that wasn't the case. This was the time that Svel began to dislike his sibling and even his parent, thinking they weren't appreciating what they had deep in the ocean.

While his parents and sibling were enjoying themselves up on land, Svel had landed himself a well-off job. He was scouted by a wealthy, well-known aquatic mothcat. The mothcat knew he was a menace, both in appearance and personality, and wanted him as a bodyguard. But not for himself; rather, he wanted Svel to protect his daughter. Unfazed, Svel agreed. What he wouldn't expect was for the daughter to be so... pretty. Bloom was a mothcat that Svel had never expected to come face-to-face with before. He always thought his life would be surrounded by land-loving aquatics or gruff-looking gold-chasers. Her soft looks and sweet personality was a new light in his life.

Of course, he wasn't alone in these thoughts. Bloom had another bodyguard by the name of Jinn. Jinn was quite the beauty-getter himself, and clearly he was looking at Bloom in a similar way that Svel was. But Svel, also, didn't want to make his job awkward. So he decided to keep his relationship with Bloom strictly work-related, while Jinn continued to attempt advances. It made the job awkward, especially when Svel and Jinn would be at each other's necks for no apparent reason.

And finally, after too many years of avoiding it, Svel finally went up to the land. The moment he left the water, he hated it. His fur, which was normally slick from the water, was sticking out. And, for some reason, his markings had stopped glowing. He had never noticed that they could stop glowing, but over time, he figured out they only glow when he's in the water. He was up there for only one reason, and that was to see his family. He was surprised to see how much Nanyo had grown, but also at the partner that Nanyo had introduced to him. The partner was a land mothcat. Their name was Kellin--or Kelli, Svel wasn't good with the switch--and seemed quite nice. But Svel couldn't understand. Why was his family so keen on staying on land and falling in love with land mothcats? Wasn't the ocean enough for them? There were plenty of aquatic mothcats there to fall in love with and start a family! Stricken with confusion, grief, and anger, Svel left, not wanting to see his family continue to fall apart over this decision.

When he returned to the ocean, he delved himself into his work. Where Jinn would take breaks or go off duty, Svel stuck to Bloom's side and often stayed up way past the hours of the night on lookout. It seemed as if he was about to work himself to death until Bloom stepped in and managed to help Svel. It was Bloom that helped him come to terms with Nanyo and his family's decisions, although he still didn't like it. The two would spend the sleepless nights in one-sided conversations--as in, Bloom would talk and Svel would nod. These nights slowly became more and more frequent, and Svel didn't even notice that his strict work relationship with her was fading. It wasn't long until Bloom admitted she liked Svel, declaring to her father that Svel was more than a bodyguard to her. With her father's blessing, the two became a couple, although Svel continues to serve her as a bodyguard to this day, as well.

Everything seemed to be going well until Nanyo sent him a letter. The letter stated that they were a parent now to two mothkittens, and that Svel should come and meet his new family members. Svel was worried about doing so; although he will never not show his dislike towards land mothcats, he didn't want to seem rude around mothkittens. He confided in Bloom about the situation, who came back and said she'd come with him to the land and meet his family, all the while keeping him in check. Reluctantly, Svel agreed, and the two made their way up to land once again.

The entire swim--and walk--to Nanyo's home was stressful for Svel. What will he do if the mothkittens are land-dwelling? It wouldn't be their faults; it's not their fault that their other parent is more a bird than any cat. So when he met the two, he was almost struck unconscious by his relief. They were both aquatic! He thought it was ironic, as he almost saw his and Nanyo's parents and them in the two. It was the same situation, just this time, it was clear Nanyo and Kellin were getting along well and would most likely keep the family together. The mothkittens, Hatchet and Paz, would be raised on land with the occasional visit underwater. Although Svel wished they would have more time in their natural habitats, he didn't argue with Nanyo and Kellin's decision. He should be glad enough that they weren't non-aquatic.

Svel now goes up to land more often to see Hatchet and Paz, tolerating Kellin and Nanyo enough to visit them. He no longer needs Bloom's accompaniment, though she often still goes with him. As for those two, they're still as close as ever, still staying up late in the night to share about their days and overall enjoy their love and company. Jinn still works together with him, although their relationship has soured since Svel and Bloom got together. Svel feels like his life is finally coming together, though that may not be easily seen in his resting frown. It's okay, though. He's finally happy.