The blood of my blood is my flower

The moon was dipping as the sun was starting to rise when Taneth traipsed from her Little Cottage and into the back half of her garden. Her skin was bare, free from the confines of clothing, and aglow from the feeling of the cool dawn in the air. She did not go into the Misty Forest because, for this, she needed to only head deeper into her garden. This part of her garden few had ever walked, most simply would see the path leading to the forest and be drawn to its allure. No, this path was hidden and covered with the lush green of leaves, vines, and flowers.

The flowers lifted as she walked as if they were a pet seeking the loving touch of its owner. The fingers of her right hand reached to brush along delicate petals in a loving caress, while the left side received the brush of knuckles since her that particular hand held a sheathed dagger. She walked with a slow purpose, and she was in no desperate rush, since this had become her routine as of late. She walked until she reached a covering of beautiful vined morning glories that climbed a wooden, handmade trellis and covered along the nearby area of earth.

Taneth gazed at the morning glories and smiled. Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply then exhaled with a slow, easing breath. She did not particularly care for this part of the routine, but it was necessary to keep the promise she had made so long ago. Taneth stood back from the morning glories, not yet wanting to enter their space before she completed the task at hand. The blonde did not lift her eyes from the morning glories as she withdraw the dagger from the sheath and tossed the covering away. She sucked into another breath of air then sliced lengthwise from the top of her d?colletage to her belly button, each side, back and lengthwise down each arm. Soon after the final cut was made and the blood began to seep her from her veins, Taneth drifted in amongst the morning glories and laid down. Her eyes stared up at the dawn and slowly began to lose focus and her body limp.

The woman laid amongst the morning glories as the blood leaked from her body and into the soil and vines belonging to the morning glories. Some of the vines shifted and moved, not to bind but to cover and almost protect their mistress in her time of weakness. Nevertheless, she continued to lay and give to the morning glories the blood of her body and soul. She was giving them her life to keep a promise she had made so long ago.

Benjamin?s Glory

The days of her ?feeding? her morning glories with every ounce of her blood continued and he ?recovery? of such an extreme measure was becoming more and more difficult for the blonde to bear. Some might say she was acquiring multiple personalities, but in reality she was simply suffering from extreme emotional and physical distress. She never had acquired a full grasp on how to handle and understand her emotions to the deepest part of her. All she really knew how to do was bury her feelings deep inside, but since the first time she went to ground she had come back revived and stronger. She understood more of her emotional afflictions and how to contain, or at least hide, the more negative of her feelings. This time, though, she was struggling and she did not see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Taneth knew she had to keep her promise and she knew she had to help Glory return safely and in good health. She wanted this not just for her promise, but for herself as if she had to prove she could do it. Maybe she felt the need to make some deep seeded amends or maybe she simply wanted to know that she could be strong and brave enough to see this to the end rather than give up. In any case, she was moving forward with her plan. The season was right and she had secured enough connections to strong, good people (whether they wanted to admit it to themselves or not) that she could entrust something so precious to her heart as Glory to.

She had arranged to have breakfast with Benjamin at his home. He was so loving, kind, and had an inner strength that would serve this all well. Sure, he might be upset during some point of Taneth?s plan but he would keep his word to the best of his ability. She had yet to speak with Jack Scot, the rogue, but she knew she would be able to convince her ?brother? and receive his aide in his endeavor because Jack would refuse his little Taneth nothing.

The morning she was scheduled to meet with Benjamin, she dressed simply and carried a pot out to her morning glories. She then proceeded to dig up some of the soil that was rich with her blood. The deepest part of the soil might even be stained red from the consistent bloodletting. She filled the pot to nearly the brim then touched a vine of morning glories. Taneth crawled along the soil as she followed the vine with her eyes and fingers until she reached the trellis that some dear soul had made for her and found the morning glory she sought just hidden at the base of the trellis, not yet ready to climb and truly an infant in her bloomhood. She was more leaf and vine than anything else at the point. Ever so carefully, Taneth removed her sweet, baby morning glory from her resting place and crawled back to the pot. She tucked the vine and leaf into the soil deep and cut her hand once to allow more of her blood to flow into the soil. This would continue the bond they shared and make the morning glory grow stronger during this transition to a new location. Then Taneth picked up her pot and went on her way to Benjamin?s home.

By the time she reached dear, loving Benjamin her hand was healed and the morning glory was already growing a bit more as the leaves took in the sunshine and the cool air. The morning glory was still not ready to fully bloom, but she would soon enough under the gentle loving care of one Benjamin Piers. A light knock to Benjamin?s door was not wholly unusual for Taneth, but not entirely typical as she often breezed in and out of his home to raid his closet and play with his animals. Taneth waited until the door swung open and was met with Elsa, the big otterhound who woofed and backed up, tail wagging. Benjamin was shuffling through the house, making breakfast in the kitchen. A robe and pajama pants worn, the house already smelled of pancakes and bacon and coffee. He leaned back when he heard the woofs.

"Come in, Princess. Do you want scrambled eggs or poached?" Benjamin asked with a warm and welcoming smile.

Taneth wandered into Benjamin?s home looking a smidge worn and stiff, but otherwise okay. She smiled and leaned to kiss Elsa's head before continuing to the kitchen. "What is easiest for you, Benji?" She asked as she shuffled over to set the pot with the morning glory onto the table with a soft thunk. Her arms felt like lead and she did not feel capable of holding the potted flower any longer. She turned to Benjamin with a smile to try and lift her somewhat weakened spirit. "It smells very lovely in here."

"Breakfast always smells lovely,? he agreed with a smile. He picked up a bowl and detoured from the counter to loop an arm around her and kiss her brow. "Oh, I love morning glories. It's been too cold to plant them yet, though." Curiously eying the potted flower before he picked eggs out of the basket and set about scrambling them up.

Taneth smiled at Benjamin?s words and his curious look. She knew she had chosen right for her task. He was perfect and so dear to her heart. "This is one is special, Benji." Her fingers grazed a leaf o the morning glory before she tried hard to focus on the moment, on Benjamin and on the smells of the kitchen otherwise she might simply crumble and expose all. So Taneth moved to watch Benjamin scramble the eggs. She always liked watching the process of cooking. "When you are done we will talk about it. Where is Pearl and Bob?"

"Bob's outside, probably squawking because the hens don't listen to him and come out into the hen yard even though it's cold, and the chicks follow right after. Pearl's..." Benjamin reached up and plucked the young albino crowling out of the china dish she was stashing buttons in, and handed her over to Taneth. Pearl's outraged caw turned to coos and chuckles the moment she saw Taneth. "Hello Taneth,? she said - in Benjamin's voice. Benjamin grinned, and returned to getting breakfast finished up.

She cuddled Pearl close and gave her a loving nuzzle. "Hello, Pearlie. We are going to have breakfast." Taneth shuffled around the kitchen, lost for a moment and her body just feeling so tired and heavy. Soon the blonde found a spot on the floor to sit by Elsa as she cuddled Pearl. "I will ask a favor of you, Benji." The time had come.

"Anything,? he smiled, turning the heat off the eggs to let them dry and fluff. While that was going on, he started dishing up pancakes and bacon, then the scrambled eggs. Benjamin brought the plate and silverware to Taneth, and set a bowl of the eggs, pancakes, and bacon beside her for Pearl. A glass of juice, coffee, and then he sat beside her with his own plate. Head tilted before he started to eat. Pearl knew her bowl and craned over to get into it without actually having to not be cuddled.

A giggle escaped Taneth as she watched Pearl eat without losing any moment of the warm cuddles. Since Taneth had mentioned breakfast to Benjamin, she shifted to cuddle Pearl in one arm so she could take a bite of her own pancake. Yum, she did not realize how famished she actually was until she ate food. "I need you to take care of this morning glory for me, Benji." Her request sounded so simple.

"Oh, sure. Should I put it into the green house or is it okay in the kitchen?" Benjamin asked, glancing up to the potted plant with a smile. He made a weird sort of burrito of the pancake, wrapping it around eggs and bacon and maple syrup. Don't judge. It's good.

Taneth tilted her head as she watched Benjamin make his breakfast burrito. The morning glory could almost seem like it was tilting to look too. "Where will she be the most safest for now?? She asked as she took a small bite of bacon. Just from her few bites of food, she was already feeling full and her tummy mildly started to churn. Perhaps it was from nerves.

"Safe?" He glanced up at the plant again, then his kitchen windows. It had windows south and east, it was bright in the morning, and usually warm. The greenhouse was more humid, though. "Well, as long as you told Pearl, Link, and Zelda to leave it be, I think it'd be alright in the kitchen here, or maybe in the bathroom, it gets the afternoon light. Are you going somewhere....?"

Another bite of bacon was taken as Taneth delayed answering Benjamin?s question. She even slipped Elsa some bacon as if that might cause a distraction, plus she loved to share with Elsa. Benjamin did not know how truly difficult his question was for her to answer because she did not know what was going to happen. "No, but I need help with the care of her. And your care is most special and loving." She smiled at Benjamin and reached to touch his face gently. Even if she happened to lose herself and go into a deep sleep, she would not have gone anywhere physically because she would still be in the Little Cottage or the Misty Forest, so she was not truly being false with the poor actor.

Benjamin chuckled softly and leaned into the touch as he kissed her fingers lightly. "Her? Or are all flowers her? Is there anything I should do special? Besides water and ... fertilize? I've got lots of fertilizer." Amused.

Taneth giggled again as Benjamin always seemed to know how to bring her delight and amusement. "Oh, silly. Not all flowers are girls, but this one is. She is still small." She leaned to kiss his cheek. "You must talk to her and make sure she knows she is loved. Flowers like that. And sun." She finally scooped up several eggs and ate slowly, but she ate. Her stomach was not in total agreement with this sudden intake of food, but she did feel like she needed to eat.

"They get pretty big, I always loved seeing the morning glory around the little old cottage. All the garden gone wild out there. Where Gramma and Grampa lived." He murmured, head tilting. "What is her name?" Another glance to the plant, likely considering if it would like the window over the sink or over the table better. And if there was enough things to grab onto and grow over.

"She may eventually need a bigger space as she gets bigger."Taneth commented softly as she gazed for a long moment up to the potted flower. "I call her Glory. And I know you will choose what is best for her." Her arms were tired and so she set Pearl into her hair to pick amongst the ribbons. She leaned to touch Benjamin again. "I trust you." She meant the words as she said them. She meant them in her heart. And she meant them until the end of all days. She wanted him to know the weight of what she said.

"How long is she staying?" He chuckled then paused faintly to turn to look into Taneth's eyes. "You do? You trust me?" Quietly, a smile flicked at Benjamin?s lips and threatened a grin with dimples and all. That meant more to him that just about anything.

"Of course. I would not give Glory to just anyone." She scooted closer to Benjamin to cuddle him. "I do not know how long, but you must show and teach her about care and love. You know how to do that best of all." He cared and loved so freely. He gave his whole heart to the care and love. Glory needed to feel that enormous amount of care and love. Taneth needed to feel it as well, but she was not in an emotional state to fully recognize it at the moment, but knowing that Benjamin could give it to Glory would give her the strength she needed to not want her own end.

"Who is she?" He asked, because though he saw a plant, there seemed to be more there. Benjamin finished off the pancake-burrito and licked his fingers before he wrapped an arm around Taneth in turn, pulling her closer. "I'll do my best. Will you be coming in to help?" A quirky little smile. Though he tended to put everything behind him, he still remembered. And knew that Taneth avoided like hellfire some questions.

"Some days I will and some days I will not." Taneth smiled when Benjamin held her close. Some of the days she helped, he would not be home and she would be letting little droplets of her blood seep into the soil so the morning glory would retain some of Taneth?s life with her. Many of the others days, however, the morning glory would simply grow and eventually bloom to show her loveliness to Benjamin. "She is from my garden and my friend, of course." There probably is more to it than that, but he may only get that particular answer at the moment. "As you know, some days I do not always feel so good and I cannot give her enough care to grow stronger and full, so I thought maybe you could help me." That was a definite truth and as close to the entire story as she could get for all her difficult for answering in a straight line.

"That's fine,? Benjamin chuckled softly and ruffled her hair. "You can stay here as long as you like. Until you're feeling strong again. Or call me if you need help." He smiled faintly to himself, brows quirked a bit. "Why don't you feel so good some days...?"

?Everyone has days when they do not feel good, do they not?" Eyebrows raised as she peered up to his face. "Do you not have those days?" Her days were simply do to her self-inflicted wounds, which led to further complications and eventual weariness. All due to a promise she had to keep.

"Sometimes,? he nodded a bit. "Sometimes, the world feels too heavy on my shoulders, and I need to get away from it all. I need to go run in the rain or swim in the lake or walk to the top of the old mountain. Sit at my sacred fire and pray. Or watch the telly in my pajamas while eating ice cream." Humor tugged at his smile, green eyes warm. "Then I feel better and can face everything with a smile."

"Oh, maybe you can show Glory the movies like you show me." A grin as she imagined Benjamin toting the morning glory everywhere. "You two will have great fun together." Taneth?s hope was that Benjamin would form some sort of bond with the morning glory and the morning glory would respond to him as she often did with Taneth, but bonds do take time.

Benjamin eyed her for a moment, humorously suspicious. "You mean for me to lug that pot about with me while I'm home, don't you?"

Delighted, oh so delighted giggling. "And anywhere else you might want to show her." Taneth loved this suspicious look of Benjamin?s and she could not hide the bit of impishness that drifted through her thoughts of Benjamin carrying a potted morning glory around and having to explain. Yes, such delighted mischievous glee shined in her eyes up at her friend.

"I'd be afraid I'd drop her, or some nit wit would put a cigarette out in the pot or pour beer into it or something,? he laughed, amused.

?You can always find a smaller pot while she is still small." Another giggle as she thought of Benjamin carrying a baby potted flower like one would carry a human baby. "She is not weak, but just little." Taneth felt that needed to be made clear to Benjamin.

"I think it'd be safer here, I work with a lot of klutzes, and crazy happens at the inn all the time. Maybe we'll take her to the drive in." His car was certainly big enough for a potted plant! He glanced up at the plant once more to see that the morning glory was not quite ready to bloom, but the flower would be soon.

"Maybe Scottie will even give her a pretty ribbon so she can know him. I am sure she will love you, Benji." She hugged her friend tight and almost did not want to let go as sudden apprehension or fear overtook her. She did not want to lose Benjamin Piers.

Benjamin chuckled and squeezed Taneth in return. "I'm sure I'll love her." A kiss was placed to Taneth's brow as he nuzzled her a bit then grinned. "Scottie will tell me I'm quite mad and a plant doesn't need a ribbon. You'll have to wheedle it from him."

"I shall, but I do want him to meet Glory." Taneth closed her eyes a moment. "With you and Scottie helping then I will have some more time to rest." She needed the rest and the time to just heal and revive herself.

"He will,? Benjamin murmured, brows quirked slightly. "Why have you been so tired, my princess? I've been so worried about you. I've been so afraid that you'll sleep forever." He couldn't quite get the words to his lips, but he tried.

"Does anyone really sleep forever, Benji?" Her eyes stay closed as if she was resting, but she was merely content for now. "I have been tending to my garden a bit much, perhaps." That's one way generic to put it. "And sometimes this land wearies me."

"I don't know. There are stories of people who slept so long, they became mountains," he murmured, a thread of humor to his voice, "Mount Taneth would be lovely, but I like to have Taneth in my arms like this." A squeeze to make the point. "I know what you mean. I'll do what I can. Look after Glory. Carry you when you sleep. Make you brekky."

"Brekky?" Taneth?s heavy lidded eyes blinked slowly at him. "What does that mean?"

"Breakfast." Benjamin replied with a wink. "It's slang. Scottie ate a lot last night, too. I think he's starting to warm for spring."

"Do you think they will come from Faerie soon and stay here?" A sudden violent shiver overtook Taneth at the moment. Her body simply had enough.

"I hope so. I miss them,? he murmured, cheek resting to Taneth's head. "I know I can just call for them, and they'll be here, but... It's not the same as finding them here already. I miss Gem, too. I hope she comes back before the baby is born." Benjamin squeezed arms around her once more. "Are you cold?"

Taneth shook her head. "No, I am not cold." She did feel a little more chilled than just moments before. "It is not the same. Why did Gem leave?"

"Scottie said she was embarrassed to be pregnant, but... Probably she has to lay down through it, she was having every problem you could ever think of." A wry grimace.

"Problem? What kind of problems?" Another shiver. The shivers were unsettling for her and she groaned.

"Well, sometimes, when a woman gets pregnant, her body does all sorts of awful things. Making her feel sick to her stomach, sometimes, retaining a lot of water, or even losing teeth." Benjamin grimaced again. "Mum never had those problems, really. But every woman is different...? his brows knit, and he shifted to pull her into his lap, legs crossed under her and rubbed her back gently. "But she'll be all right, the baby will be all right. There's a lot of people who are very skilled with those things around her."

"And she was having such problems?? Taneth laid her head back against him when he cuddled her onto his lap. "Does Scottie even get to see her?" She probably needed the distraction of the conversation as much as Benjamin did at this point.

"Yes,? he nodded and gently stroked his cheek to the top of her head, "I don't know, I think so. Or she sends him messages. Me, I just love babies. It'll be lovely to have a little one around to spoil. My housekeeper yells at me all the time for spoiling hers."

Taneth did giggle, but it pained her. "Well, Glory is kind of your baby now. For a little while."

"A little green baby in a pot of dirt,? Benjamin chuckled, "To go with all my other furry and feathery babies." He nodded to Pearl as she preened after eating, sitting pretty between Elsa's paws. The dog finished off what Pearl had left in the bowl. "I spoil them, I'm not so sure what sort of a Da I'd be."

"I think you would be a good one because you will care." Her words were soft as her fingers tightened on Benjamin?s pajamas. She is definitely cold now.

"I always care,? he smiled, shifted and slowly rose to his feet as he carried her along with him, "You're cold again. Let's wrap you up in a blanket and sit by the fire."

"Bring Glory." She requested absently. Taneth would definitely be making Benjamin take the plant everywhere. Poor Benjamin will need a baby plant body sling at the rate of Taneth?s demands.

"Okay, just a moment,? he agreed, amused. Benjamin settled Taneth by the fire, in the pile of blankets and pillows he kept there for her, then padded back to the kitchen, dutifully carrying the plant out as well. He checked to make sure it was watered, then set it onto the coffee table in a patch of sun. Zelda hopped up to inspect it, and he eyed her. "No picking at it. You lot have the creeping Charley and ferns in the bathroom to pick at."

"Zelda will be nice to Glory. Huh, Zelda?" Taneth buried herself under the blankets but she was still visibly shivering.

Zelda cawed, then fluttered over to her nest - one of Benjamin's slippers - preening. Benjamin frowned and sat down as he pulled Taneth back into his arms and wrapped around her with the blankets. He radiated warmth, he was always warm.

"Did you name the baby Pearl because she is white?" She asked softly as she needed the distraction from the cold that was settling on her. The shivering did eventually stop, but she was still so cold.

"Gem named her,? he chuckled softly, "Because she was small, and precious and ... pink. She didn't have much more than some downy fluff when Gem gave her the name. She was worried, Gem was, that Pearl would never be able to fly wild and be free. Because she's albino. Predators can see her easily. She's different. Even her own flock might not want her. So I promised her that Pearl would be as free as she could be, I would teach her flock to accept her and I would keep her safe here, too."

Taneth nodded. "And can she fly yet?" Her eyes are closed as she talked quietly to Benjamin. She was trying to concentrate on his warmth more and less on the freeze she was feeling.

"She flies well enough for her age. I take her out on fine days to practice, and watch over her. Her flock is okay with her. I make sure they all get good treats when she's out. Soon, I will learn, too." He murmured as his hands rubbed over her arms. Benjamin shifted to push his robe off to wrap around Taneth, and also so he could open his wings and bring them into view. He shifted and flexed them around to form a tent around them, and raise the temperature more.

"Are you happy to have your wings now?" Taneth?s eyes roamed over the wings to look at the cocoon they made about the pair. She had always wanted to be able to fly with wings, but she never had her own and was dependent on others to decide to take her for a flight in the sky and clouds.

"I am," Benjamin whispered, eyelids lowered. "I was afraid of them for a long while. Wouldn't, couldn't see them. But then when I saw them open... I felt them. I touched them. Moved them... It was amazing. Like the day I realized that I wasn't in a coma any more. I was awake. I was aware. I could feel. I was in life again."

She smiled when she heard his words and felt the emotion behind them. "I am happy for you." Her fingers snuck out to touch a feather. "How did you finally be able to see them?"

"Just over time. Like when anything frightens me, I look at it, and then look away. Each time, I can look at it a little bit longer, and I'm less afraid. I could feel Lirenel touching them, I could see Scottie preening them. I could see the feathers all over the house...? he laughed once, ironic. "But... when I was ready, I felt them. Let them open. And saw them." A soft smile and shrug. The feathers were warm and soft.

"And are they always visible now?" She was curious about Benjamin?s wings and how he would live with something he did not notice before. Her fingers lovingly stroked the feathers.

"No. I learned how to hide them when I don't need them, or they'd be in the way." He chuckled softly as his brows lifted with a haughty look to his face. "Sterling cannot just suddenly have fluffy owl wings, you know." So snooty before he grinned. "But they're not quite strong enough yet for me to fly."

"Why not? How will you know when you can fly with them?" She was still cold, but she was not shivering like before.

"Well, it wouldn't make sense in the story, and I think he'd be more the bat wing or dragon or raven winged sort,? humorously, "I don't know. I'll probably crash a lot." As the morning went, Benjamin and Taneth talked quietly tucked away and hidden in his warm wings until she eventually regained some of her body heat and drifted off to sleep.

(Adapted from live play with Benjamin Piers)

"And you are teaching lessons to the plant?" Jack asked Benjamin ? amused, but also knowing that the good natured actor certainly would teach a plant all about being a person. Anyone else might just say they would, and then leave the plant to sit in a nice sunny spot, but Benjamin? He dragged the damn thing around and talked to it.

"Sure, why not?" Benjamin chuckled, shrugging, as he reached for the potted Morning Glory.

"Why not, indeed," Lirenel agreed with an arch of brow, as he watched the young man. It was simply another proof of Benjamin's worth, of his heart, his kindness, though the elf had his reservations.

"What is today's lesson, my heart?" Lirenel inquired a moment later, glancing to Jack as the fae grumbled and growsed. He idly danced fingers through the knots and braids and tangles of the crow's hair, soothing.

"You can't always get what you want," ?Benjamin answered, setting the plant to the middle of the kitchen table, carefully centering it on a large white china plate. ?He and Lirenel turned their gazes to Jack.?
?
The King of Ghosts and Shadows tossed his head and pushed his chair back. He eyed the flower with an arrogant smirk and said, "But if you try sometimes you get what you need?" ?

"Oh baby," Lirenel added solemnly.

"We won't be scrounging about for quaaludes or uppers, however," Benjamin grinned, "You will find that there are people, things, places, which no matter how much you want them, you simply cannot have."

Jack flinched and muttered, today's lesson hitting a bit too close to heart for him.

"Yet you cannot ignore or forget what you do have," Lirenel put in, eying Jack sidelong as he petted the man's black hair.

"That's something a lot of people do, but it really hurts when you get turned away," Benjamin put in, turning to the sink. He picked up a little long spouted watering can and filled it.

"I do not think you have even once been dumped, Ben. Jammin." Jack challenged the youth. Lirenel turned his gaze, curious, to Benjamin. The young thunderbird turned an utterly melting and sweet gaze to both men.

"I've never been dumped because I've never been in a relationship deeply enough that I would be dumped. I've never trusted anyone that far, until now," Benjamin shrugged, walking to the kitchen table. He carefully tucked the spout into the dirt around the morning glory and poured water.

"Until now," Lirenel echoed with a warm smile, looking from the beautiful blossoms of the plant to Benjamin, pleased to see a flush coloring the tanned skin.

A peculiarly familiar aroma stopped Lirenel. He glanced to Jack to see the man had perked up from his sullen slouch, brows knit, nostrils flaring. They both smelled it. Had been, Lirenel realized, since they'd walked into Benjamin's kitchen. But now it was far more noticeable. Freshened.

Benjamin's shy and blushing grin fell flat. His green eyes opened wide. As he poured the water into the plant, excess water ran out onto the dish. Red. Blood red, watery, suffused with dirt.

Horrified, he looked to Lirenel and Jack.

The first breath

The moment when Taneth took her last breath and was buried in the ground was when Morning Glory was no longer the flower she had once been, but the young lady she was meant to be. This has been the unspoken promise made from the Gardener to the Divine. A time would come when Morning Glory would be revived, but through a great sacrifice of the Gardener because she had the fortitude to make it happen. She was created to build and sustain life, to revive if needed, and the Gardener had seen it done.

The morning glory flower still bloomed in Benjamin?s home, but the brightest and most animated of the flowers had simply lost its shine and character and became like the others. Just a flower. Morning Glory, however, had taken her first breath and made her first movements. Her blonde hair was damp from the watering Benjamin had given her before and she was blinking her eyes awake.

She knew she was in Benjamin?s house. She knew the otterhound laying nearby was Elsa and the little albino crow was Pearl. She knew something had happened, but she did not know what for sure. She did know that she had a painful heartache in her chest and she needed to know why.