[Dwarf Planet: Southern Fort] While the majority of the Granians indulged in making room to dock their ships, build their workshops, and prepare their temporary bases for work, their higherups finally arrived and met at the Southern Fort where they sat down to discuss the next way forward in the War. Having succeeded in raiding the planet, Lord Gravax was welcomed with praises and admiration from his fellow tribal leaders, Council Members, and most importantly Lord Grania. Grim, on the other hand, had excluded himself from the meeting for one reason only. He didn’t care much about the War anymore and all he had left that mattered to him was his mate and unborn child. The black-scaled Granian waited in his quarters patiently while pacing back and forth. As he did so, his mind raced with many fears, worries, expectations, and questions that would come from his people, the Black Claws. Because he was the only one among the Green Claws, Grim held a high position amongst his people who saw him as one of their greatest accomplishments. For years, the Black Claws were secluded from many things simply because of their capabilities. Unlike the other Granians, they possessed something that made them stand out and that was poisonous blood. This blood, sickening to the Blood Mutants, is what made the Black Claws boast and feel proud. It also gave them far more strength than the other tribes. A clear example would be a fifteen-year-old Black Claw having the same strength, or even stronger, as a twenty-five-year-old Green Claw soldier. It was that difference that made the other tribes keep their distance from the Black Claws. Now Grim, being one of the few to mingle with the Green Claws, had nearly tried breaking that tension between the two. Using his position in power, he fought so desperately to help his people but only got so far in the end. And now, since he wasn’t a Lord anymore, he feared what would be said of him and what his fellow Black Claws would do. "My lord," the doors in Grim’s quarters opened, followed by the voice of the Granian he longed to hear from. Looking ahead, Grim’s blackened eyes looked into the shiny emeralds of his mate, Helda also known as Huntress. He looked down at her midsection and took note of the large bump that had developed. With great joy, Grim put on a genuine smile, one that wasn’t fueled by sarcasm, or anger, or pride. Just a genuine smile showing how pleased he was to be united with his mate again after the time they spent apart. "Helda," he muttered while rushing to her side. Holding her in his arms, the Granian embraced his mate and carried her in the air while laughing and cheering. The two smiled, laughed, and cheered, followed by Helda weeping a little. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "What’s the matter?" Grim asked, again this time showing genuine concern and emotion. His mate wasn’t used to this side of him and so she started to cry even more. "What’s making you weep? Who’s making you weep?" "You are," Helda answered and then wept again. Her face changed from sadness to confusion and then anger, only to fall back into sadness. "Forgive me but my body. The things that happen when I’m with child." "Why did you say I made you weep?" Grim asked and then sat with Helda on his bedpost. "Is it my appearance? Something I said?" Helda, wiping the tears from her eyes, looked at her mate and then tilted her head in disbelief. She wondered why her mate had suddenly changed in terms of his behavior. Knowing Grim, Helda expected to find him lashing out or acting all glum or gloomy because of his demotion yet surprisingly, he was showing emotion and being sympathetic. "I...you’ve even called me by my name and I’m crying a lot," Helda chuckled in tears. "I don’t know if it’s because of this child or the fact that you’ve become more sympathetic. I thought that you’d be more angry because of...you know. Gravax taking your position." Grim stared blankly for a few seconds and then sighed. Turning away from Helda, he hung his hand with his fingers intertwined and then answered her saying, "Normally, that would have angered beyond anything else but I came to learn that I deserved it." Helda gasped, completely surprised by Grim’s change in attitude. At first, the female Granian was surprised and happy to a certain extent but then she started to feel indifferent. The Grim seated next to her wasn’t the fearless, hard-scaled, stone-faced/stone-cold Granian she came to know and admire. This was one was more empathetic, more caring, more calm and understanding. More...human. "You’ve been spending too much time with those humans and relating with them, haven’t you?" she got up from the bedpost and took a few steps back. Staring long and hard at the Granian, Helda started to have second thoughts and moved further away from him. "Show me your energy, Grim," she asked while referring to his name instead of My Lord as she usually did. "Your Eneraflux. I usually feel it before I enter a room. Show me." "What...are you talking about?" Grim asked while wearing a confused look on his face. "It’s me. The same Grim. Nothing about me has changed, Helda. You know, sometimes one’s mentality can harm them physically. I wouldn’t wish for that to happen to our child." While speaking, Grim tried to lay his hands on Helda’s bump to feel his unborn child. However, as he tried to get closer, Helda smacked it away and took another step back, this time her back touched the door. Disgusted, the Granian looked at her mate completely turned off by his "new" behavior. Not wanting to say anything else out of respect and honor for him, Helda spoke one last time before leaving saying; "I came to console you over your demotion and raise your spirit but you’re not the Granian I came to adore. Get your spark back, Grim. I wouldn’t want to bring another Black Claw with a weakling for a father."