Unexpected gifts

Chrail and Öreis were taking the moment of no snow to head out. The snow barely covered the ground. It was at maximum a few centimeters above the ground. There were still patches of old grass peeking up, refusing to give in to the white blanket. Both Öreis and Chrail stood out in the now cold and white world. They had experienced the snowy landscape outside of the facility before. When they broke free of it the first time. The world had shifted from summer to winter before their eyes and they had seen the green turn yellow and eventually turn grey. They had noticed the shifting of the warmth to cold. They got to experience everything that it included. This year the snow and cold was no surprise for them. They knew what it meant now. They made sure to pack their room extra with every soft thing they could get their claws on. From fur to feathers. If it was soft and warm it went into their little cabin. Now it was as comfortable as they could make it. And in the middle of all the softness of their nest was a pile of four, in their eyes, shimmering eggs. They weren’t near hatching yet. But they were protected in the cabin. And either Chrail or Öreis never left the cabin's front door unseen. It was good for them to take breaks. They rarely took breaks together but this was one of those days. They were both stretching as much as they could before Chrail spoke.
“I am going to head out into the forest.” Öreis looked a bit unsure when he said this but he gave him a comforting nod with his head and stroked it on Öreis' yellow head to give him a physical sense of comfort as well.
“As long as you’re back before the darkness.” Öreis said. It was clear that he still had some reservations about it. He didn’t want Chrail to leave. Something about having four precious eggs inside of the nest made him feel as if they should never ever leave the cabin. What if something happened? But Chrail promised him that he would be close by.
“I will be so close that I can hear if anything happens. I promise.” He practically shone as he headed into the forest. Öreis watched as the green raptor slowly got engulfed by the frosty forest. Of course he knew he would be back. But he didn’t like it. He took a deep breath of the cold air and ruffled his feathers before he slowly pushed the door open and entered the cabin again. He would have taken a couple of minutes more before he entered it again but without his partner on the outside he felt weird about it. He made sure that the door closed tightly behind him as he made it into the old bedroom. The air was still in the room and it was warm as he laid down beside the eggs. Making sure not to disturb them. He didn’t know how long they still had left. What they would look like when they hatched. He could dream about it. He could picture them in his head. Many of them. Many more than four. He closed his eyes as he laid his feathered tail around the nest, forming an almost perfect, protective circle around them. 

He was awakened by the door opening. He listened for the footsteps. There were only two of them. And the scraping of heavy claws. They sounded like the green raptor he knew so well for sure. He watched the door intently still. Prepared to be wrong. But the other raptor didn’t enter.
“Öreis, could you come out here?” He would recognise that voice anywhere. He rose as carefully as he possibly could. Making sure to not disturbed the eggs. “It’s a bit overdue. It’s almost winter and all. But I wanted to do something special. It’s been over a year since we left that place and entered this mostly green place. You’ve given me everything I could ever imagine. More. You’ve been a gift to me since the first day we met. And I wanted to get you something. But I didn’t know what. And then I found this.” He flipped around, grabbed something behind his back and slowly turned back to Öreis. It shimmered in the light that made it through the cracks of the covered window behind him. It was a necklace. Clearly made by those before them. Diamonds, real or not, it was the shimmering that caught Öreis eyes. It was beautiful. They reflected all the light. Distorted it slightly. 
“It’s beautiful.” He said as he moved forward. 
“I had to hide it.” Chrail said proudly. Öreis struck his head on Chrails. “You can even wear it. Like this.”He carefully placed it över Öreis' head. It was extended as much as it could but it fit around his neck. Öreis looked down on the necklace. It was partially hidden in his feathers but as he turned to face the light it shimmered.
“Maybe not have it on when we hunt.” Chrail chuckled at his own joke. Öreis looked down on the floor.
“I don’t have anything for you.” His voice was slightly sad. He hadn’t even thought about getting something fancy for Chrail. He had been so absolutely concentrated on the eggs. He didn’t know what to do. He felt quite stupid.
“You have given me everything,” Chrail repeated. “You and all of this. What’s in that room over there.” He stepped closer, embracing Öreis in a hug. “That’s more than any gift I can give you. This is a small token compared to the gift that is spending time with you. Living this life with you.”
They hugged tightly. Öreis didn’t know what to say. He had never thought about it quite like that before.
“Now, how about I take over and watch the eggs for a while. So you can do something else for a change?” Öreis smiled at him and he smiled back.
“How about we both watch the eggs for a while. Together?”
Chrail nodded.