Hey guys I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever its been a rough year. I'm planning out my marriage ceremony, double majoring in college, and working 40 hours a week on top of it. Ive had almost no time to do anything that I enjoy. So it's nice to be sitting down typing this even if It is 4:42 in the morning while doing laundry.

I'll be slowly working on a new chapter for all the stories on my account so don't worry. If you're a fan of my other stuff you'll be getting it soon!

I don't know how many of you are though given I'm writing a chapter for ben 10, which is a new fandom of mine. I've been on fanfiction. net since 2011 though so I'm not new to the site at all.

Anyway, enjoy the second chapter!

Also bless whoever made the wiki fan page. Your info was super freaking helpful.

-10-

"Where are you to bring me?" Rook growled as he was pushed along by the general's lackey. "What is your birth name?"

"I am Everfrost and I am taking you to the nursery"

Rook blinked, keeping pace with his captor. If he remembered right the nursery is where all the children stayed after their long journey home till they regained their strength.

But the thing was that he and Ben had arrived early. Weeks early. None of the Necrofriggian children should of arrived yet. Why was he going there?

The guard seemed to read the Revonnahgander's mind.

"Some unclaimed arrived yesterday. All our nestmakers are busy, the general wishes you to step in for the nestmaker who is caring for them now. So the nestmaker has enough time to prep for their own younglings arrival." Everfrost explained. His overly loud voice boomed and ripped through the ice cavern they were walking through, but that didn't seem to bother the warrior one bit.

Rook was not happy to hear that he was being reduced to an over glorified babysitter. He simply didn't understand why they thought of him as a nestmaker. He had helped save the galaxy plenty of times. He had even rescued BEN, he RESCUED the universes most legendary hero on many occasions. If anything he should be with his partner right now! Not wasting his time doing this.

Rooks inner grumbling came to a halt when he collided with something hard and cold. His fur bristled as he swung his arms out in attempt to not slip on the icy floor. He was suddenly firmly grasped by the shoulder and helped up right. Everfrost was wheezing, which was his species equivalent of a laugh.

"I think old Effect was right to put you here, you walked into a damn door" he cackled as he scratched a symbol into the ice. All of Rook's embarrassment quickly vanished as he watched the Icey wall light up a dull red. Swirling with different symbols as the door in front of them opened.

A purple colored Necrofriggin was standing in the entrance.

"Great nurturer," Everfrost said as he pushed rook in her direction. "This one is here to take care of the unclaimed."

She gazed at rook, eyes shifting over his body in a judgmental way. Rook felt highly uncomfortable. As far as he had been aware no plumber had ever met the great nurturer before. she—Well the nurturer had no gender but it was easier to refer to it as she, rook was sure he was going to end up calling all of the nestmakers she anyway, hopefully that wasn't offensive— she was a mystery. All the plumbers knew of her was that she was the nestmakers leader. She oversaw the nursery itself.

"I suppose this one will do" She hummed in approval. Rook was taken back by how soft her voice sounded compared to all the warriors he had met so far.

"Come outsider, follow me" she called over her shoulder as she disappeared from the entrance. Rook stumbled in after her, jaw dropping open as he took in his surroundings. The nursery was large, full of metal pods that were cased in swirling ice designs that would give any ice carver back on earth a run for their money.

The floor of the nursery was carpeted and it felt slightly warmer than the other rooms he had been in. the ice designs around the great nurture glowed a bright purple as she passed them. She stopped at a ice flank. It looked like a barren cliff. It was pure ice, the carpet stopped just where the ledge began.

There sat 3 younglings, and one nestmaker. The nestmaker seemed to be overly bitter. She was trying to shove food into one of the youngling's mouths, but the poor thing was too cold. It along with it's siblings were curled up in a ball, wings tucked tightly against their body as they shivered violently.

The nestmaker raised a hand and slapped the child. Rook winced.

"Kariri," the great nurture growled.

The nestmaker jumped and spun around, terror present in her eyes.

"this outsider will be relieving you of your duties. Follow me."

"You are going to leave them with an outsider? Why are you spending more time on them? They are weak! The deserve to die! I should not be reprimanded for punishing an unclaimed that won't live for much longer!"

"follow now" the nurturer repeated, this time with an edge in her voice that sent chills down Rook's spine.

The nestmaker froze, before walking closer to the great nurturer. Together they left rook standing on the barren Ice cliff with the five kids.

The kids huddled closer together as he stepped forward. Their stunningly emerald green eyes observing him with caution.

Their eyes caught rook off guard. He had seen eyes like theirs before but could not seem to think of where.

He took another step closer and the younglings scrambled back. They were still shivering and breathing heavily.

It was obvious that they were just as frightened as they were cold. This was not a surprise to Rook. Unclaimed children were normally treated horribly. Typically they would be submitted to a test of strengths. If they survived they would be taken in by a new family. Till that point though the children were treated as second hand citizens.

Wind swept through rook and he shivered. Perhaps the first course of action would be to set up a tent for the night.

Rook detached the cube that had been hanging off his belt and threw it to the ground. It instantly started to construct itself.

The tent was shaped like a large orange cube, it was made of self-heating and insulated fabric. Rook could feel the heat radiating off from it, and so could the 3 children.

Rook unzipped the entrance to the tent as he watched them inch closer, he then backed away giving enough distance between him and the entrance that the children would feel comfortable getting closer to it.

It wasn't long before they were inside, Heaped in one corner of the tent purring happily. Rook took this time to slowly enter the tent and zip it closed. Sighing in relief as he felt his skin begin to gain warmth again. He sat down in the corner parallel to the children.

Their purring had turned to nervous wines.

Finally, one of them spoke.

"Are you going to hurt us?"

Rook regarded the young Necrofriggian with a serious look.

"No, never."

"thank you, and thank you for making warmth." Another one of the children squeaked out. This one's voice was much higher than the first one who spoke.

"You are very welcome young one, tell me, what part of the galaxy were you born in?" Rook asked, curious as to how the kids spoke fluent English. "Was it earth?"

The first child spoke again.

"Yes, we traveled from there. Some of our nest siblings didn't make it here with us. And then we arrive here only to find that our nestmaker didn't want us."

Rook watched the young child's eyes fill with tears. He felt awful for them. He could not imagine what they had been through and at such a young age too.

"I am truly and deeply sorry to hear of all of this." Rook said solemnly as he dug through his back pack. He retrieved an orange. It was one of his favorite earth foods. He liked the way the juice filled your mouth when you ate a piece of it. It reminded him of some of his food back on his home planet. He peeled it and spit it evenly in 3 and offered it to the young ones.

"Here, you must be hungry." Rook said softly as he offered the children each a bit of the orange. Which they scarfed down greedily.

"You know," He continued as he watched them eat. "You did arrive very early. There is always the chance that your nestmaker simply just didn't make it here yet."

This seemed to perk the children up.

"You really think so?" what rook now assumed to be the leader of the group asked. He could see the new-found hope in the child's eyes.

"I would say it is very likely." Rook was cut off by his plumber badge beeping. The children jumped at the noise and huddled together once again as rook answered it.

Ben's Necrofriggin form appeared on the screen.

"Rook!" Ben said with a smile "how are you holding up? Sorry it took me so long to contact you, the general wouldn't leave me alone and I didn't think it'd be okay to call you till I was alone. They gave me my own room to stay in for the time being."

"I set up my tent inside the nursery. They had me escorted here after I was separated from you. I was tasked with talking care of some unclaimed children for the time being." Rook stopped talking when he saw his partner visibly pale.

"Unclaimed?" Ben repeated, rook could tell he was trying his best to mask whatever emotion was trying to take his human body over. If Rook did not know any better he would of said Ben seemed incredibly nervous.

-BEN10-

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a review and tell me what you think!