Bonds never break, even during times of Tension


 * Note: This story takes places years after the events pf the original film, and through a freak cosmic phenomenon, Jen and Kira find more Gelflings in hiding, and after explaining the events that took place, they restore order and the Gelflings flourish in numbers once again. Due to me flushing the Big book o' Logic down the toilet, there are mentions of technology such as phones, smart watches, the occasional TV, and cassette tapes being used (although the tape in the cassette is completely useless, and the rotations it makes while being used doesn't do anything either, as this is a digital tape, which acts more like a flash drive where you can download stuff onto it). Despite the use of technology, magic, the ways of doing everyday things, dreamfasting, and Gelflings' connections to nature remain unaffected.

(AKA "Third Gruenak Timeline)

Language note: "Aminya" means "Angel" in Podling Language. It is Jen and Kira's affectionate nickname for Liara.

Gelfling fact: Infant gelflings gain verbal abilities at only 3 months old, but don't become fully verbal until 6-7 months, but each one developes at their own pace. Anya's sister is 2 months old, but is starting to talk, but only one word, and not very much. If a Gelfling is raised with a family who speaks multiple languages, they may speak a foreign language first before switching to English/Gelfling language, as they grow older.
 * note: with Gelfling names, it's not easy to think of a good one. Girl names take time, but eventually I get ideas. Boys? Hard.*

Summary
Jen and Kira, which visiting some neighboring Podlings, and other Gelfling tribes witness a magician make a mistake on a spell which causes a storm that ends up demolishing several homes. and some of the Gelflings have to move in as a result while houses are being rebuilt. The stress, along with a feud between two Podlings causes a heated argument between the couple, which their two daughters, 16 year old Liara (nicknamed Lia) and 2 year old Calia (AKA Cali) and Lia's friend Anya eavesdrop on) This leaves the three girls thinking they themselves were the ones who caused the argument. Tensions rise between the gelflings, which also affect Lia, Cali, and Anya causing them to fight, and Jen and Kira have to break it up. The couple explain that these arguments are bound to happen more than once, and that sometimes it’s not anybody’s fault that it happened, but in order to restore balance among their tribe, they must all settle their differences, help each other, and their family and friends.

Liara's POV
"Lia! Wake up!" my little sister Calia shouts happily as she jumps at the end of my bed. "Mommy has people coming over."

"Cali...maybe you should chill on the jumping. I've only just woken up." I blearily look at my watch. 7:15. Maybe a little early for me, but I can manage. I swing my legs over the bed and place my glasses on my face, adjusting them slightly. I trudge down the hallway to the kitchen, Cali scampering behind me.

"Hello Liara." mom says warmly, gently kissing my forehead.

"Mama?" I say quietly. "I didn't know people were coming over. Cali was the first one to tell me."

"Oh, I'm sorry if we didn't tell you sooner, aminya." dad says, hugging me. "They are just friends of ours. I think they're bringing young ones. Also I think your friend Anya is coming with them and bringing her baby sister, and several Podling neighbors will be here."

Having my friend over is fun, but I wonder what's gonna happen between my parents and the guests arriving here. Also I hope Cali likes meeting Anya's baby sister, since she was only born just recently.

I want to know more. I've always been a lover of knowledge ever since I could speak.

I am about to sit down to eat when I hear knocking. It must be them. I think to myself as I hastily eat my porridge, only to be interrupted.

"Lia, maybe you should slow down. Every time someone comes over, you act like you're in such a hurry." Dad says, chuckling softly.

"Oh. Sorry." I say, resuming my eating, but slower this time. He lets each one of the guests in.

"Hey Lia. I haven't seen you in a while." my friend says, joining me. Mom spoons her a bowl of porridge. "Fala vam." she replies in response.

"I got news that some neighboring Gelflings' homes accidentally got destroyed." Anya says. "That's why your dad has people over."

"Accidentally." I say with a touch of snark. "Tell that to the Podlings squabbling over who's to blame for that. Anyway, I heard you have a baby sister now. How's it feel being the older one in the family?"

"Well, sometimes mom is busy, but I sometimes help her. The bonus is you get to cuddle this little thing all day!" she replies as her mom hands her the little gelfling.

"I still do that with my sister." I say, scooping Cali up and cradling her in both arms. "Awww you're such a lil cutie even though you're two. You're still small enough to be held."

Cali tries to wiggle out of my grasp, but eventually settles.

"You say you don't like this, but I can see it in your face." I say. "You can't help it. Hugs are awesome."

"But I'm two!" she half-protests, but her actions show the opposite of not liking this. "Why does this feel good?"

"Because you're small." I say.

"I'm not small!" she says. "But I don't want to let go of you."

"You don't have to for now." I say. "Two years old or not, you're still my baby sis."

"Do you want to see mine?" Anya says.

"Sure." I reply, setting Cali down.

"I wish I could hold her too, but she's sleeping." Anya says. "But my mom says we can still look at her.

Her mom enters and places a small bassinet holding a tiny infant gelfling on the couch where Anya and I sit.

"She's adorable." I whisper. She looks similar to Anya, with short dark red/auburn hair tied into a very small braid, and is gently wrapped in a soft blanket. Her tiny chest rises and falls with each slow breath. I place my hand close to her, and her tiny fist grabs at my finger.

"I remember when Cali used to do that." Anya whispers. "She was so cute. She still is now, but she's old enough for us to play with her. I can't wait until my sister grows old enough for me to do the same.

Suddenly, the child's eyes flutter open, but she doesn't cry. She blinks and looks up at me.

"Hello, little one." I say softly. "What's your name?"

"Apada Tara." she replies slowly in Podling language.

"Hello Tara." I say softly. "You're so pretty."

"I...like." she points to me.

"You...like me?" I say. "Fala vam...Thank you."

"Isn't she sweet." Anya says, cradling Tara close to her chest through a pouch sewn into her shirt.

Suddenly I hear the din of several young Gelflings joking and laughing as five of them, two boys and three girls, all three years old, stampede through the living room.

"Goodness gracious, those five. Hey! You five keep it down!" One of the women hollers.

"I'll take care of them." I say. "All of you, Riysha, Anna, Rohn, Ushe, Kerlen, outside."

The five of them excitedly hurry into the meadow located outside our hut.

”So do you want to join me?” Anya asks, placing Tara back into the bassinet next to her mother as she leads me onto the veranda and plops herself into a hammock.

”Sure.” I reply. “Wait...where’s Cali?”

”Over here.” She says as she crawls into my hammock.

”Baby, I’m glad you’re back.” I say softly, cradling her in both arms and gently kissing her forehead.

Suddenly I see mom and dad through part of the vine covered fence.

”What are mommy and daddy doing?” Cali asks.

”I don’t know, girlie.” I say, putting her down and getting up from the hammock.

“We’re gonna find out.” I whisper.

We peer through the fence. It looks like they’re talking about what happened with the storm that caused several homes to crumble.

Kira's POV
"Oh Jen, what are we going to do with all these guests at our house? I know some of them have no where else to go because their homes have crumbled!" I say, exasperated.

"Well...couldn't they also ask some Podlings if they could crash at their place...or maybe apartments or something?" he says.

"That's not my point. It's just that the hut's only big enough to house so many people. Also Podlings? Are you completely sure they would let a family, let alone several of them, one with a baby, into their huts?" I shoot back.

"Maybe your mom would be nice enough to let some of them stay." he says.

"Yeah, but how are we going to rebuild all their homes?" I say. "If we had been prepared for this, it wouldn't have happened."

"Kira, sometimes things are inevitable." Jen says, his voice rising slightly.

"If that magician could've learned that spell correctly, then--' he cuts me off.

"Kira listen. People are bound to flub things once in a while. I'm sure he knew what he did was inadvertent."

"Yeah but---urghhhhh well if we stopped him or redirected him or--"

"If you're not going to listen, then reasoning with you about this is completely pointless!" he shouts angrily.

"Fine! Then I'm going to have to do everything else since you're not helping me here!" I reply.

"Suit yourself." he says, walking off. "I'm getting tired or arguing."

Liara's POV
''Uh oh. Things just got heated between mom and dad.''

"What were mommy and daddy so angry about?" Cali whispers.

"They were arguing about what to do with all the people at our house." I say. "Mom kept saying that if they had stopped the magician or helped him, this wouldn't have happened. Dad told her that it was inevitable. That's when things got heated but...Cali?"

"Yea Lia?" she replies.

"Ohhh but what if this was partly our fault?!" I say nervously. "If they find out we heard them arguing, they're gonna be mad at us."

"Are you sure?!" she says.

"I mean, it's really stupid, but what if?!"

"What happened?" Anya asks, joining me.

"Mom and dad were arguing, ughhhh I hope it's not our fault." I say anxiously.

"Lia, you have to stop jumping to conclusions. These things happen. she says.

"ME?! Jumping to conclusions?! Where'd that come from?!"

"Lia, this has happened to me. I've blamed myself, but in the end it's not my fault. It's not anyone's fault. "

"  'Not anyone's fault.' Like that's ever gonna come true."

"Lia, get your head out of the swamp and listen."

"If that magician could learn that spell properly... or--" she cuts me off.

"Look, if you're gonna keep being like a broken record, then it's no use reasoning with you!"

"FORGET I EVEN SAID ANYTHING!" I shout. "I don't even care anyway."

"I'M GOING!" she shouts back.

"FINE! This is all just stupid."

"Girls, what's going on?" dad's voice carries on through the bushes as he and mom walk toward us.

Suddenly, the stress causes me to fall to pieces. Honestly, why can't I just shut up?

"Dad...I -- we heard you and mom arguing about who caused all the homes to crumble and I thought what if the argument is my fault?"

"Lia..." he crouches down and pulls one arm around me. "Just because we argue doesn't mean it's anyone's fault. These arguments are bound to happen more than once, so don't be so hard on yourself. I promise everything will get back to normal once we fix things."

"So there is hope." I say.

"Yes there is, aminya." he hugs me gently.

The three suns start to set a few hours later, and the energy from the guests starts to die down. My parents and I have finished washing dishes from the evening meal.

”Hey Lia. I just got news.” Anya says, as we flop down on the couch.

”What is it?”

”The magician and some Gelflings from another tribe are rebuilding the homes he accidentally destroyed. He felt bad for the inadvertent damage he caused.”

”That’s good. That means that dad’s friends will be able to move back in soon.”

”Although it’s gonna take a couple of weeks to a few months.” She says

”Oof...,Gonna be exhausting.” I say.

Suddenly, one of the young ones runs up to me.

”Oh! What is it?” I say.

”Can you sing for us?” She says.

”...sure.” Anya says. I pull out my firca, a Y shaped flutelike instrument my dad carved for me on my 8th birthday after I told him I wanted to learn how to play after hearing him.

”What song should we play?” Anya asks.

I look at mom, then at dad for an answer.

”Dad...how about that song you and mom did where she sang and you played your firca while you guys rode a canoe across the swamp?” I say. “At least that’s how I remember the melody because of the story you told me.” I say.

”Perfect.” He replies, pulling out his own firca. Mom sits next to him on the couch. I put the flute to my lips and begin to play. Dad joins in with his and mom's voice harmonizes with us, along with Anya's.

"Wow you sing so good!" Riysha says.

"How did you get your flute?" Another one asks.

"Well," I say. "When I was not much younger than you are now, I watched my mom sing, and my dad play his firca, and one day I told him I wanted to learn to play, so on my 8th birthday he carved me my own flute out of wood. He taught me to play, and mom taught me to sing."

"That's so awesome!!" all five of them say in unison.

"Thank you." I say softly. The energy of the room goes up again with people enjoying themselves. Young ones playing with each other, laughing loudly. Suddenly, all the sound crowds into my mind, overloading my senses. Light gets too bright. I wrap myself in a blanket, my hands covering both ears, eyes closed.

"Are you okay my love?" mom says.

"Too much energy..." I whisper. "Everything...is too loud....It's exhausting."

The young ones pause their game. Anna and Cali run up to me.

"Is Lia okay?" Anna says, concern in her voice.

"She is." Jen says. "She just gets overwhelmed sometimes."

"I have sensory issues." I say. "Normally all six senses work in harmony, but the case with me is sometimes I recieve too much information from one sense, and not enough from another. Sometimes my mind gets bombarded with information from multiple senses all at once, and it clashes, causing overload."

"So that's why you covered your ears and hid yourself in a blanket." Anna says.

"It's also why I don't like crowds." I say. "If I can't find mama, or dad, or even Anya then I panic because all the noise from the crowds of people scrambles my mind. It confuses and frightens me. It's why I never let go of anyone's hand, even though I'm old enough to walk by myself."

"Wow...it must be hard." Gyr, a 13 year old gelfling boy says.

"Sometimes it is." I say. "But I do this therapy that helps my senses work together. Most of my sessions are either outside or in my room. Two of my greatest sanctuaries. Anya and her mom help me. Her mom has done this before."

"What makes you feel good?" he says.

"Playing my firca. The sound calms me. I also enjoy motion. I used to get rocked as a baby, and when I got too big to fit in my parents' arms, I missed that feeling. It wasn't until they put a hammock in my room and in the backyard that I got to be rocked again."

Suddenly, the sounds of everyone around me increase to an almost-roar, and I hide myself in my blanket. My body goes heavy. I am exhausted.

"Dad..." I say. "Help me." He helps me up.

"I just want to rest...." I say. "No...energy."

He guides me down the halls to my bedroom, and tucks me into the hammock, gently rocking me. The movement calms me, my mind settles once again.

After several minutes, I change into nightclothes and he settles me into bed, tucking me in with soft wool blankets.

Mom enters, and gently kisses my forehead, with dad kissing my cheek.

”Sweet dreams my Angel.” He says softly.

”Goodnight mommy...” I reply sleepily. “Goodnight daddy...”

”We love you Lia.” They say in unison.”

She gently strokes my cheek. After several minutes, I drift off to sleep. I sense the presence of Anya joining me, mom tucking her in. The warmth and weight of both our bodies together is comforting.

”Goodnight Lia.” She says, kissing me on the cheek.

Deep inside, I know tomorrow is a new day.