Falling

Meet Athena and Artemis

They did not fall from the heavens, although their names might suggest they had.

Athena, named for the Greek goddess of wisdom and courage, and her tiny, black-as-black daughter Artemis, namesake of the goddess of wild animals and their protection, have instead fallen through the cracks of a world that too often fails to protect those most in need.

At around six years old, Athena has known enough of that world to fear almost everything. And little Artemis, barely two weeks old when she arrived at sanctuary, is learning her lessons from the one being she trusts completely.

Her mumma.

Crowned by sweeping horns that curve like ancient crescents, Athena raises her head ever so slightly, her watchful eyes revealing the fierce devotion of a mother who places herself between her precious daughter and a world she has every reason to question.

And there, beside her, stands little Artemis, glossy as midnight save for that tiny splash of white, finding in her mother’s presence the one certainty an uncertain world has afforded her.

Their trust will be hard won.

For fear does not simply fall away because circumstances change, nor can kindness demand what only patience can earn.

Yet already, something rather wonderful has happened.

We have fallen in love.

Not with the idea of who these two might become, but with who they are, fearful hearts and all.

And perhaps, in time, Athena will discover that not every approaching human brings harm, and Artemis that courage need not always mean hiding behind her mumma.

For second chances are not about asking someone to forget the world that failed them, but giving them reason to believe in a kinder one.

They may have fallen through the cracks of human compassion, but here, at last, they have found hearts that will never let them fall.