Amaris hadn’t held back the chuckle that whispered past his lips as he dipped his chin into a shallow nod. Or a large and endless lake, he chirped alongside her list. Not that she would understand his meaning, he thought after the fact, as his own brain recalled the images of many faces falling headfirst into the lake that sat in the center of his home.

Yet before he found the urge to explain himself, the mention of Houtu had his ears perking and his smile deepening. She is our great all-mother, he added easily as his own tail settled into a casual wave. The Goddess who watches over and guides us. However, her next question led to a sheepish smile that gradually spread a lingering heat to the tips of his ears. I hadn’t thought about it like that, but I guess she did, he finished with a nod.

One would think Amaris knew better than to lead with the odd story of his birth, but he did not. And so when Lyra’s excitement and intrigue were shared with the rising of his voice, he found himself laughing alongside the energy. Technically, he nodded, Though do not ask me how it works, that I do not know. Just that my mothers wanted children, and through a tree, my siblings and I were born.

It was odd in theory. Fantastical for most to believe. And if Amaris thought a little longer on it, he too would probably question the intricacies of how…he came to be. Instead, however, he merely let the fact be a fact.

Why question it?

I believe they found us at the base of the tree, He answered her first question. I’m not sure, a response to her next. And to her last, he shook his head. I believe it’s only one specific tree, somewhere within the southwest. He, himself, had never visited it before—not since his birth, that is.

He shrugged, Beyond tree births, though, this world is just as real as any other. He added, So whatever may have happened in your previous life, you have now been given a second chance.