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Aella had fallen in love with Chanterelle almost effortlessly. Loving her was just that easy. Deciding to have children was even easier. Why would they not want to share their love with children?

She remembered that dark night when they had wished for children on falling stars, praying and hoping to anyone listening. Then they had come in their small, perfect baskets--three of them.

Chanterelle had gone to her family taking two of the baskets with her while Aella had stayed behind. They agreed to meet in the glade where they had first admitted their love for each other in one week. But the fires had come then. Aella and the basket remained safe, but a growing sense of unease filled her as she the fires raged and warred. What if?

No, she could not think like that. She could not, she would not.

Over the next few days, she breathed in the ashes and soot of the great fire as she carried the basket to the meeting place. But as the hours fled into days, she realized that Chanterelle was late.

She had never expected to do this alone. Chanterelle had been her constant, her always and forever. But always and forever was shorter these days, a mere few months or a year, that's all they'd had before this.

The basket wiggled at her feet and she could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She couldn't do this alone, her heart was breaking. What was she going to do? It didn't make sense, nothing did anymore.

Forever.

She screwed up her eyes to hold back the tears, willing herself not to cry. Be strong Aella, you can do this. Be strong. But words were easy and actions were harder.

Finally the little basket moved violently and the wicker made a popping sound as a small head emerged then gangly feet. Hair of shades of blue, purple and red, and the most lovely blue eyes exactly like Chanterelle's. It was like she had gained back in some small part what she had lost.

His skin was a perfect mixture of sand and night, like Chanterelle's and her skin tones had been splashed across his body. His hooves were red like hers and on his back was a little stone cross with a flickering shadow.

She had not realized that she could ever love anything this much or so differently than she had loved before. Her sadness did not leave her, but she was able to push it away as she looked into his eyes.

He was perfect in every way and she knew out of all he names they'd discussed, which one was meant to be his. "Epitaph," she said her voice cracking as he pushed his nose against her skin. He loved her already.

Aella's throat constricted at his words, his casual use of "mom" and what he had said. It was something she'd told Chanterelle a thousand times over, about how she would know her heart anywhere. It seemed that those words were a larger part of their story, that somehow he knew it from having listened to them.

Love was always and forever then, but sometimes in different forms. Chanterelle was gone...but her love lived on, some small part in their son. She nuzzled his face gently. "Because I am so happy to have you here, how long we dreamed of you, how long we wanted you...You're finally here."

Aella's heart lurched in her chest as Epitaph called for his other mother. What was she supposed to say to him? He was a baby, how could he understand that she was probably dead? How would you explain that to him?

"Come here love," she called to the spindly legged little foal. She knew when he turned that it would be like she was looking into Chanterelle's eyes again.

He came to her quickly, his little heart on his face. His smile was so much Chanterelle's. She nuzzled him close to her and rubbed her face in his hair.

How am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to tell him?

She backed a little away and looked into his eyes. "Sometimes," she began. "Sometimes you love someone so much that you would do anything for them if you could. Your other mother, Chanterelle wanted to be here so badly, wanted to meet you. If it were under her power, she would be here now. If love was enough."

Her heart ached in her, and she decided to not speak of his siblings yet--of that loss. It would come later when he was older, when it would not be so hard for him and her grief not so fresh. "But love though powerful cannot change some things. She is gone, I think. There was a fire and she and she is dead. She is in a better place and one day we will see her again. She cannot be here now, she is so very sorry. But she is out there waiting for us when it is our time to go on. Love doesn't die, it goes on and on. Forever, Epitaph. Both your mother's love will go on forever."

Aella watched her son's eyes screw up and saw the tears start to flow. He asked so many questions and she did not know how to explain--to let him understand it. But she would try her best.

Her own voice was hoarse, "Death comes when it is time and it does not stop fo anyone. Your mother, she would not have had a choice. If she could have, she'd be here now. Where she has gone, we cannot go--not for many, many long years I hope. We cannot follow her now, but she will be there waiting when it is time."

She took a deep breath, "She loves you so much. You must always remember that." She touched her nose to his chest where his heart was. "She lives on in your heart and in mine. Death took her body, but it cannot take the soul--the love that she felt for us. That stays with us as long as we remember her. Death can't ever stop love, it can change it--but that's all. Do you understand?"