@MadEmperor [Continued from here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27111.msg395017;topicseen#msg395017)]
Returning to the pack was always an affair; the teasing and hugs from her siblings, the worrying and pride from her parents, the pestering and joyful giggling from her nieces and nephews. She had left home and returned to it so many times, and yet each time it is like she is being welcomed back into the loving arms of her family as though she had never gone at all.
This time, in particular, had a flavor to it, an anticipation and excitement. Instead of any of her blood siblings, it was Nora who was the first to greet them as River and Kahroan make their way higher and higher into the mountains. She soared above them in her snowhawk form, giving a sharp cry to alert them to her presence.
River tipped her head back and shaded her eyes, then smiled. She touched her mate's shoulder and pointed, waving to the bird with her other hand.
"They must have got my letter," she chuckled quietly. "They've been keeping an eye out for us."
They had landed in a clearing slightly down slope from the Longfang cabin, deciding there wasn't quite enough room in front of the structure to touch down safely. Besides, a short hike had never bothered the couple one bit.
Kahroan, in his human form, looked up and waved to Nora with a happy smile. "Part of me wishes we hadn't told them about the twins just so we could see how they react. But that's a small, mean voice I prefer to ignore."
River laughed and paused just long enough to tug him down for a quick kiss. "Well...I don't think I actually mentioned twins specifically," she admitted with a slightly sheepish smile. "They know I'm pregnant, but..."
Nora circled them with another hawk's cry, then came in to land a few lengths in front of them, changing to human form once her feet had touched the ground.
"River!"
She launched herself forward, and the shifter caught her in a laughing hug as she began babbling about babies and "a new cousin" and how excited everyone was and--
"And you!"
The mage turned to Kahroan with a beaming smile, hugging him just as tightly. "Come on, come on! Everyone is so excited to see you both!"
"Us, or the much-requested baby?" Kahroan teased jokingly. He gave River a sidelong look of amusement as the smaller woman tried to force him onward. But, he played along and made as if he was being pulled along.
"You and the baby, you ninny," Nora replied with a laugh, finally releasing him only to link one arm through River's and the other through Kahroan's as they made their way into the clearing out in front of the pack's cabin.
Where they were promptly greeted by a veritable tidal wave of wolf shifters, the entirety of the pack swarming out to meet them, passing both Kahroan and River from one wolf to the next to give hugs and kisses and exclaim how excited they were to see them home, how happy they were about the news, how much they'd missed them both.
Kahroan hadn't realized just how much he missed the feeling of being totally accepted by a family until then. He was wearing a happy smile throughout the whole welcome, talking animatedly about their misadventures and about how excited he was to be a father.
"We have an update about the baby, don't we, Riv?" He gave her a sidelong smirk.
She glanced at him, biting at her lip to keep from grinning, and nodded. "Well, it's... I guess pack genes are pretty strong," she chuckled after a moment, looking around at her family as they all pressed in close, waiting. "We're having twins."
Silence.
Then:
"Called it!" Ash whooped, while Elise burst into tears and Storm swept River up into a hug so tight she was left gasping for air. River's father grasped Kahroan's forearm tightly and pulled him into a one-armed hug.
"Congratulations, lad," he chuckled, eyes a little wet. "This is...well. It's amazing, is what it is."
Kah's own eyes got a little wet as he nodded, still getting used to the idea himself. "It is... isn't it?"
"Thanks, everyone. I cou--I couldn't imagine a better fa--a better family to bring a child into." He began to get a little choked up as he spoke, the emotional moment getting to him.
Storm put River own so she could go to her mate and wrap her arms around him, nuzzling into his shoulder.
"We're so happy for you both," Elise said, sniffling, while her own mate wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side, chuckling quietly.
"C'mon, love, let's bring everyone inside. The pups will be so excited to see you," he added to River and Kahroan.
"Akina is watching them," Shadow put in with a meaningful look in Storm's direction.
River's brother groaned and rolled his eyes as the pack started piling inside. "Oh, don't start. We've already got a new set on the way—Ash doesn't even have a mate yet, someone get on his case."
"Sorry Storm. We're on team baby now." Kahroan smirked. "Joiiin uuus."
He barked a laugh and hugged River tight, kissing her forehead.
Storm grumbled something unintelligible and River reached out to ruffle her brother's hair, chuckling.
As had become tradition for the Longfang pack, new pups meant a new room added onto the cabin. Since River's childhood bedroom was on an exterior wall, Lake had recommended simply extending the space and then dividing it. As far as general construction projects went, it wasn't the most strenuous that the pack had taken on, and with everyone pitching in they expected to be done in a week or so.
Well, almost everyone: Elise had said in no uncertain terms that River shouldn't be exerting herself so much, despite the fact that she was barely showing, which had become an extended argument between mother and daughter.
"And I'm saying I know the limits of my own body just fine, thank you very much," River was grumbling one morning as Elise tried to convince her to sit the project out again.
"Maybe, but seeing as you've never actually been pregnant before, your body is going to have new limitations that you're not familiar with yet!" Elise retorted with a mild glare.
"It's okay Riv." Kah smiled as he paused working to take a breather. "Let me do all the hard work. I can take it, and you deserve to take it easy."
"I. Am. Fine," River growled, turning her glare on her mate.
"River, would you mind helping me with the pups today?" Sky suddenly appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "Elwyn wanted to visit Snow, and, well...I know it's a bit last minute but..."
"Oh—oh, yeah, of course I can," River replied after a beat, looking a little sheepish. As she stood to follow her sister out, Sky shot her mother and Kahroan a quick wink.
Kah shared a "we just got shown up" look with Elise before going back to work with a chuckle.
"You can do it, Riv. Push!" Kahroan urged. He was so close to seeing the first of the twins that he could hardly stand it.
River was rather under too much strain to respond verbally, though the bone-crushing grip she had on her mate's hand served as a sort of answer in its own way. As had the string of names and general curses lobbed in his direction earlier, which Elise assured the dragon-shifter was completely normal and that she didn't actually mean it.
And then, rather all at once, their son was born. Elise quickly cleaned and wrapped the baby, murmuring to River that she should rest while she could, before the second one came along, as the younger twin didn't exactly seem to be on their brother's heels.
"I...what..."
"Here." Elise pressed the squirming infant into River's arms, then brushed her daughter's hair back from her face and kissed her brow before standing with a soft smile. "I'll give you three a moment," she told Kahroan gently. "Shout for me when the second's on their way."
River hardly even noticed her mother leaving the room, staring down at the tiny, wriggling bundle in her arms. "He...he's got wings..." she murmured, tracing the edge of one tiny, vaguely crumpled looking appendage with her fingertip.
"He's perfect." Kah smiled broadly, sighing happily. Leaning over to kiss her forehead, he said, "And the other one will be perfect too."
"For our sanity, I hope its a girl," he chuckled happily.
She chuckled tiredly and leaned into him for a moment. The baby in her arms wriggled a bit, little fists clenched, and she smiled as she gently pressed a kiss to the center of his brow, between the two tiny, soft bumps that she figured meant her children would have horns as well as wings.
"Here." She twisted to pass the baby into Kahroan's arms. "Take him."
Suddenly gasping, she added quickly, "And--call my mother back in here. Now."
Before he could even kiss his son, Kahroan was yelling for Elise.
"What's wrong?" he asked, concern and worry written all over his face. "Can I help?"
"Just--contraction," River managed to gasp, and then Elise was there, helping her daughter stand and walk around the room as she worked through the labor pains.
"Kah, I'm sorry, but some space would be good, and that little one is going to be crying again soon," Elise murmured to him as she settled River back onto the bed, nodding to the baby he held. "Could you wait outside with him? Or Lake could take him, if you'd rather be in here with her."
She spoke calmly, but quickly; it was clear that after having been through this herself, and then coaching both Sky and Nora through it, she was quite familiar with the rhythm of pack births.
Kahroan nodded, turning his attention to his mate. "I'm coming right back, okay?" He slipped out to go hand the baby over to Lake.
Outside the room, he paused to breathe. She was okay. She was going to be okay. He had been a little worried for a moment there.
River nodded, panting, and Elise murmured, "Everything will be fine," to them both as he left.
Outside the room, the pack had clustered near the main hearth, both trying to give River space and also wanting to be close in case they were needed--and just excited to be near when the babies were born. Lake noticed Kahroan's exit first and stood from his armchair, crossing to him. The others looked over, whispering and beaming, but they'd been through this often enough to know not to crowd the new father.
"Oh, Kah." Lake smiled at the baby, then at him. "He's gorgeous."
There was suddenly a noise from the birthing room; through all her labor pains, River had been more prone to grunts of effort than actual noises of pain, but that--that was a scream. Lake suddenly froze, eyes snapping to the door.
Elise was in the doorway, voice clipped and strained, trying to remain calm. "Nora, I need you in here."
The mage jumped to her feet and ducked inside. Before Kahroan could follow, Elise held a hand out to him and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Stay," before she disappeared back into the room.
Kahroan gave Lake a terrified look as he backed away from the doorway. "Oh gods... something's wrong..." His breathing quickened, and his pulse raced with worry.
"Easy, easy, lad." Lake put one hand on his shoulder, the other moving to help support the baby Kahroan held automatically, with an ease that came from practice as much as instinct. "Elise and Nora know what they're doing. Whatever's happened, they'll set it right."
Quietly, trying to be unobtrusive, Sky had begun ushering the rest of the pack outdoors; this was the sort of thing that might require more privacy than they were used to.
More muffled noises from the birthing room, another strained sound from River, softer but more pained this time, and then quiet.
Far, far too quiet.
Slowly, Elise emerged from the room. Though she was cleaning her hands, they had clearly been bloodied. Voice shaking a bit, she told them, "The--the second baby was breach. She's not...she's not breathing..."
Lake's hand on Kahroan's shoulder tightened. "She--"
Elise shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know, Nora's trying, but there isn't much time..."
Kahroan felt his heart sink. Part of him wanted to barge in, but he knew he'd just be in the way. Even more so, he didn't know if he could bear watching his brand new daughter die. "I... don't know what to do..."
He prayed to his gods that the baby survived; it was all he could think of.
"Sit," Lake urged gently, steering him toward a small chair in the hall. "I'll take him," he offered, carefully lifting Kahroan's newborn son from his arms. "We just...have to hope."
The silence seemed to ring on for hours, but it was really only a handful of heartbeats. Then there was a choked, gasping sob--River--and a high, thin wail--the baby.
"Oh, thank the stars." Elise, who had up until then been doing quite a good job of keeping herself stoic, sank to the floor with a quiet sob of her own.
It took a few more minutes, but finally Nora emerged, tired but smiling, and immediately moved to lay a hand on Kahroan's shoulder. "They're both exhausted," she told him, "and I should check on the baby every hour the rest of the night. But you can go in now."
Inside the room, River had been moved onto clean sheets, her whole body curved around the tiny form of her daughter in the center of the bed. She had one hand on the baby's chest, watching the steady rise and fall with all the intensity of the most strenuous hunt, that relieved sob having been swallowed back into hiccupping little breaths and the occasional streak of tears that she tried to blink away.
Kahroan hurried to his mate's side, choking back relieved tears of his own. "You had us scared, little lady," he managed to say between sniffs as he stroked his daughter's cheek.
He smiled softly at River. "She's beautiful..."
River nodded, throat too tight to speak properly at first. "Already a troublemaker, this one," she managed in a feeble attempt at a joke, then she was crying in earnest and curling tighter around the baby, cupping one hand around her tiny face and delicately kissing her brow, which was crowned with the same small nubs her brother had.
"Gods, when she didn't start crying, I--" She swallowed thickly. "I've never been so scared in my life..."
The baby whimpered and wriggled, then grabbed for her father's finger and held tight. River smiled shakily and moved to give him space on the bed. "How's our boy?" she asked quietly.
Kahroan smiled impossibly wide when his daughter squeezed his finger. He reluctantly pulled his finger free so that he could sit with them. "Our boy is fine. He's with Lake right now," he answered gently.
"Gods... this is going to be our most wonderful and terrifying adventure yet. Isn't it?"
"Yeah." River sighed and drew their daughter in closer to her chest, reaching out with her other hand to take Kahroan's. "Yeah, I think it is..."
There was a very gentle rap on the door, then Lake slowly pushed it open, still cradling their firstborn in one arm. "I don't mean to interrupt," he murmured, "But I thought it might be best to give the four of you some time."
River managed to push herself up enough to smile at him and nod. "Thanks, Dad."
"Of course, pup." He bent to lay the baby he held next to his sister, then kissed the top of River's head before giving Kahroan a nod and backing out of the room again.
Kah took her hand with a tender squeeze. Looking down at his children—gods, his children—he was overcome by tears of joy. "They're perfect." He sniffed. "Just... perfect. I can't believe we made something so perfect."
"They are," River agreed quietly. She looked up at her mate with a soft smile and reached out to run her thumb over his cheek, catching a tear. Looking down at the twins again, her smile widened as their son yawned and squirmed into his sister, which earned a tiny frown and a puppyish huff.
"They need names," she murmured. They had discussed ideas before, but hadn't actually settled on anything.
Kah rumbled thoughtfully, gazing down at his son and daughter with more love in his heart than he had ever felt. "What do you think of Hau and Mahina? They do translate to the sort of names the packs use."
"Frost and Moon," River murmured thoughtfully; she had learned a few snatches of Yoreiqi from her mate, and he had told her the translations of some the name ideas when they were first discussing it.
She smiled, teaching the bridge of Hau's nose with one fingertip. "Firstborn, first sign of winter," she mused, then stroked Mahina's cheek. "Y'know, we don't usually pray to any set gods—we pray to the sky, the stars, the moon. And I do think the moon was watching over this little one tonight."
She kissed both infants' heads, then looked up at Kahroan with a smile. "I think they're perfect names."
"Did I ever tell you what Kahroan means?" he asked, letting Hau squeeze his finger. The boy had a strong grip already. These two were going to be a handful.
"I don't think so," River replied, smiling as she watched them. Hau started fussing properly and she leaned over to pick him up, guessing that he was hungry. "Mind taking Mahina?"
She settled Hau against her chest and tipped her head at him. "So? What does Kahroan mean?"
Kahroan picked up Mahina and gently cradled her in his arms. Tearing his eyes away from her, he looked over at River. "It roughly means 'child of cool waters,' which, now that I think about it, was more apt than my mother could have known."
River chuckled a bit and nodded. "It is at that."
Shifting a bit, she settled herself with one shoulder pressed against her mate's, their son cradled in her arms and their daughter in Kahroan's.
"I—"
She swallowed, the let her head rest against his shoulder and murmured, "I spent so long thinking I would never have a chance at—at something like this..."
Kah leaned into her, rumbling contentedly. He couldn't imagine being anywhere else. "I'm beyond glad that I could be the one to help you prove yourself wrong."
River smiled and leaned back into her mate, happy and tired.
She had a feeling that was going to be her new normal for quite a while.
(Continued from here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?msg=396872))
Three months later
It was nearing the twins' bedtime when they received the second message from Hana by her strange talking-fireball method. River was distracted trying to wrangle Mahina into her sleeping clothes, and didn't seem to notice the little orb of blue fire bouncing cheerful just outside the window of their bedroom.
Kahroan spotted it as he came into the room, with Hau already asleep in his arms. "Psst," he whispered, pointing to the window. "Want me to go out to get that?"
It was hard enough to get the two gremlins to sleep the first time. The last thing he wanted was to start over. Parenting was exhausting.
"Hm?" She looked up, saw what he was pointing at, and blinked mutely. She was so tired, it actually took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. "Oh. Oh. Yes, good idea. Here, I'll take him."
Laying Mahina down in her cradle, she moved to take Hau from her mate's arms and place him carefully into his own cradle--usually the twins slept together, but her father had made the two cradles for those days when on went down faster than the other.
Kah gave her a peck on the cheek and a tired smile before heading out.
Outside, he went around the cabin to intercept the message flame. He wasn't very surprised to see it float over to meet him halfway.
As soon as Kah was in earshot, the fireball piped up cheerfully, "Heya, lovebirds! Thrax and I are heading north, and we thought we'd pop in for a few days. River told us how to find the cabin--we should be there within three days of you getting this message. Can't wait to meet those pups!"
It pulsed twice, then dissipated into the air.
"Still traveling together are we?" Kah chuckled to himself as he headed back inside to share the message.
Three days later, a very tired Thrax lagged behind as the pair exited the pass that marked the final leg of their journey. "You'd think... I'd have more stamina by now... after all the places... we've been."
"I told you, I can give you a ride as a fox, but noooooo, you're too tough for that," Hana laughed lightly; wearing significantly less armor than her companion, she was quite a bit lighter on her feet and so not nearly as tired. She was actually--infuriatingly--downright bouncy.
"Hey, a man's gotta have some pride." Thrax smirked playfully.
Watching her move around so energetically, he frowned. "At least slow down so I can keep up, showoff."
Hana laughed and doubled back to take his hand, lacing their fingers together. "You better be ready for lots of energy when we get there," she chuckled. "Can't say I've had much experience with them myself, but word is newborns are a handful."
Thrax huffed defensively. "Hey, I have plenty of energy when it doesn't involve climbing."
"Do you think we're almost there?" he asked with a groan. "I don't know if I can take much more mountaineering."
"You suuuuuuure you don't want that ride?" Hana teased with a smirk up at him. Sobering a bit, she added, "And I think we're close--River's directions said the cabin is in a clearing about an hour's hike from the pass. We got through it near an hour ago, right?"
"Has it been that long already?" Thrax asked, honestly surprised.
He scratched his ear. "I thought we'd have run into one of her pack on patrol once we got that close." Though, since they were expected, maybe the wolves didn't bother making themselves known.
Hana shrugged. "Who's to say we haven't? They could be failing us. Or herding us, even. Wolves can be stealthy, we might not even notice—"
"Clever."
"Gods!"
She jumped and spun to face a smirking wolf shifter in human form, some dozen yards away, leaning against a tree trunk. He chuckled and raised a hand in greeting. "You must be Hana and Thrax. Name's Shadow."
Thrax yipped in surprise and whirled, growling slightly for a moment before registering the greeting. Clearing his throat, he answered, "We are."
"I take it you're our escort?" he inquired.
Shadow nodded with a crooked smile. "I am indeed. I'm also River's brother—it's nice to officially meet you."
He held out a hand as he approached, which Hana took after the briefest moment of hesitation. "Likewise," she said with a small smile.
Thrax grinned as he vigorously shook the offered hand, which practically vanished in his giant mitt. "Agreed."
"What are the odds we'll be mobbed by all the pups that we've been warned about?" He smirked.
"Are you a gambling man?" Shadow chuckled. "Because those odds are all but guaranteed. The twins aren't quite able to manage that just yet, but they'll certainly babble at you."
He grinned, winked, then fell forward into wolf form. Other than being slightly heavier in the shoulders, his wolf shape looked remarkably similar to River's as he started trotting off, leading them through the scrubby mountain trees.
Upon reaching the cabin, Thrax gave an impressed grunt. "They weren't kidding when they said it was big."
Before Shadow could announce their arrival, Kahroan emerged from the door. "They're here!" he called inside.
"Kah!" Hana bounced onto the balls of her feet and waved, beaming, as she caught sight of the dragon shifter.
Behind her, Shadow chuckled. There was already a babble setting up behind Kahroan in the cabin as the pack seemed to be gathering to get a look at their guests.
Kahroan jogged over, greeting them each with a quick hug. "Hana. Thrax. It's good to see you both."
"It wasn't too rough getting here, was it?" he asked.
Thrax groaned. "Gnolls aren't built for uphill slogs. But other than that, it was problem free. Not the deathtrap you had to endure during the winter."
"I offered a ride," Hana said with a theatrical roll of her eyes. "Multiple times."
Grinning, she peeked around Kahroan at the curious faces clustered in the windows and door of the cabin. "I take it we finally get to meet the family?"
She gave him a wide smile, eyes glinting. "How's parenthood been treating you, by the way?"
"Yeah, we've told them a lot about the both of you. So they're eager to meet you." Kah chuckled. "Of course, we don't get many visitors, so it's always a special occasion."
"And, parenting? Oh gods, it's exhausting. I'm a dragon and I'm tired. I don't know how anyone survives," he groaned tiredly.
Thrax shuddered, hoping yet again to never have kids. "I don't think I could, for sure."
"But we can definitely do the fun aunt and uncle thing," Hana laughed, nudging Thrax lightly with a sideways smile.
"I'm afraid you'll have some competition there," Shadow laughed as he moved passed the friendly reuniting to start into the cabin. "Every one of the pack's pups has more aunts and uncles than they know what to do with."
"Yes, but how many of them are amazing bards?" Thrax smirked proudly.
Kah laughed. "Modest as ever, I see."
He looked them over again, smirking.
Thrax raised a brow at him. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Kah answered. "We should head inside. River is looking forward to seeing you."
"I'm looking forward to see her too," Hana enthused with a grin. "Though I imagine neither of you are gonna be up for some raucous, all-night reunion celebrations."
Ash, having wriggled his way to true front of the crowd in the doorway, laughed outright.
"Was I before?" Kahroan smirked.
Thrax barked a laugh. "No. No, you were not."
Kah led the way inside, shooing the gaggle out of the way. "Alright, break it up. Give our guests some room."
The pack laughed and joked and complained that they wanted to meet River and Kah's friends, but they separated to let the two travelers into the house and give them some room.
"Welcome," River's father called from the kitchen, and her mother added, poking her head around her mate's shoulder, "Ree's in your room, Kah."
In their room, River had both twins laid in the center of the bed, trying to swaddle a squirming Mahina while her brother watched the whole affair placidly.
Kahroan entered the room first. Smiling, he said, "At least one of the little rascals is behaving."
"Pfft," Thrax scoffed playfully as he stepped inside, "The kid has the right idea. Behaving is for suckers."
"Oh my gods!" Hana bounced in her heels even as she gave Thrax a quick, sharp elbow. "Lookit their little tails!"
Laughing, River finally managed to wrangle her daughter into the blanket and turned to hand Mahina to her father. "Yes, it's good to see you too—" she started, then blinked. "Ah...speaking of tails—Hana?"
"Oh, yeah." The kitsune chuckled. "Long story."
"We have time," Kah said between bouts of making baby-talk noises at his daughter. "Frankly, stories are worth their weight in gold around here."
Thrax cast Hana a look that asked, "Think we can talk around telling them they were right about us?"
Hana quirked an eyebrow and crinkled her nose at the bard—she could talk circles all night and she figured River at the least would still catch them out eventually.
But hey, a good story was a good story. She could take eating a little crow to help her friends out their pups to sleep.
"Well, can't say storytelling is my profession," she joked lightly. "But lucky for us we've got a bonafide bard right here."
Thrax grinned. "Then I shall repay your hospitality with tales of our glorious adventures. At least when there aren't sleeping babes to wake. You might have noticed that I'm rather loud."
Kahroan smirked. "Really? I had no idea."
River chuckled and rolled her eyes at her mate as she bent to tuck the baby she held into his cradle. "Well, I'm sure the pack will be just as excited as us to hear the full story. You didn't have any trouble finding us, did you?"
Hana shook her head. "Nope. Your brother turned up and scared the shhiiiiii..." She glanced at the twins and cleared her throat. "Well, ah. Anyway."
"Can babies even understand swear words?" Thrax pondered.
Kahroan gave the gnoll a look.
"Not that I'm going to test it," the bard added quickly.
"Guess I'll need to make our story child-friendly, huh? Never had to do that before."
"Well you'd better learn," River said wryly with a nod toward the door. "Not sure if you'd noticed, but a person can't take three steps in this house without tripping over a pup or two."
"No sex, no swearing, no violence..." Thrax listed thoughtfully.
"Well, they'll be shorter, that's for sure!" he added with a laugh and in an enthusiastic whisper.
Kahroan smirked. "They will, I'm sure, knowing what mischief you get up to."
The bard grinned. "You don't know the half of it."
Hana laughed quietly and rolled her eyes. "C'mon," she said with a gentle elbow to Thrax's side. "Let's leave the happy parents to get the pups down properly. We can tell you the whole story once they're settled," she added to River and Kahroan.
"But Hanaaa, they're so cute," the gnoll joked.
Kahroan smiled. "That they are. Now shoo. We'll join you soon."
Thrax nodded. "Just be thankful they aren't gnoll cubs. If you think I'm a handful..."
Kahroan smirked, shooing him with a gesture.
Once out of the room, Thrax grinned. "Seriously, we're bitey little monsters."
"Oh, I believe that," Hana chuckled as they were shooed back out into the main room. "Keep talking like this though, and we'll have a whole shifter pack on us trying to convince us to prove it with kits of our own," she added in a lower, teasing voice with a smirk and a slightly arched brow.
More of River's pack seemed to have gathered, and one of her sisters--or sister-in-law, maybe?--called, "Either of you want something to drink?"
"Oh, I'd take something," Hana replied happily, bouncing over with all four tails wagging lightly.
Thrax was incredibly grateful for the change of subject. The last thing he wanted at this stage of his life was cubs, kits, or whatever they'd be. Nor did he want to think about whatever responsibility he might have to repopulate his clan with another gnoll.
He grinned hopefully at the woman as he asked, "Got anything of the booze variety?"
The woman--Nora, as it happened--grinned and held up a bottle of golden-brown liquid. "Whiskey okay?"
"Gods, yes," Hana sighed happily, smiling at the wolf who pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table. There were just so many of them--all coming and going with laughter and smiled and ruffled hair and teasing remarks.
She couldn't help envying the way River had grown up, just a bit.
"What she said." Thrax chuckled to himself as he took a seat as well. The amiable chaos made him wistful for his own childhood, though it was far from the same.
"How is everyone here so Storm-damned energetic?" he complained with a smirk.
Hana elbowed him lightly for the oath, but no one seemed to much mind--it seemed that the pups that were still awake were clustered in the other room with their grandparents.
"Self-preservation," one of River's brothers--Hana thought this one was Ash--replied to the gnoll with a smirk. "You have this many pups around, you need to be energetic."
"So says one of the last holdouts," Sky huffed at her brother, taking the glasses that Nora poured and passing them to Hana and Thrax.
Ash rolled his eyes dramatically. "We all know even if I took a mate tomorrow, I would not be having pups. Ever."
Sky shrugged. "Adoption is a thing, baby brother."
"Three minutes!"
Thrax took a big swig and gave a refreshed sigh. "I needed that. Getting here was a lot of work."
"Not that this one so much as breathed hard." He pointed at Hana with teasing accusation. "Meanwhile, I just wanted to give up and take a nap."
"I offered you a ride like twelve times," Hana laughed, rolling her eyes at him theatrically.
Storm quirked an eyebrow at that, looking the relatively petite woman up and down before his eyes moved to twice-her-size Thrax. "Ah--not to be rude, but...how the hells would you even...?"
"Oh." Hana blinked; evidently River hadn't told her family about everything a kitsune could do. "I mean, I'm...also a shapeshifter, of sorts."
Thrax laughed loudly. "She turns into a giant fox. Handy for travel and in a fight. It's pretty epic, really."
He grinned merrily. "I'm just more stubborn than I am stamina-deficient. This, as you might imagine, is a pain in the..." He caught himself. "... butt."
"A giant fox?" One of the pups, a boy of about five, had wandered over to the table and was staring at Thrax and Hana with wide eyes. "How giant? Like the big half-wolves who helped the pack?"
Hana blinked, a little taken aback. "Ah...half-wolves?"
"Another clan of shifters in the mountains," Nora explained. "It's...complicated, but they're more like what humans would call lycanthropes. Helped us out of a bad spot a few months back."
"Oh." Hana smiled and shook her head at the child. "Not quite. I'm not sure how big your half-wolves are, but I can be..." She tipped her head toward Thrax. "What, about the size of a horse? Little smaller, maybe?"
"Something like that. She's just big enough for me to ride without falling off," Thrax answered. It took some effort not to smirk at the double entendre.
"So how big are these wolf men? Like, my size? I'd love to see that!" He grinned enthusiastically.
As though reading his thoughts, Hana shot him a very dry Look before rolling her eyes and looking back at the curious Longfang pup, who had climbed into a recently vacated chair.
"Probably a little bigger," Ash chuckled in answer to Thrax's question. "And they're sorta...well. Severe, I guess is the right word. You might run into them if you hang around the mountains long enough, but you'd have a better shot if you just hired them for a job." He shrugged. "They are technically mercenaries."
Hana whistled lowly. "Da--aaang. Who knew there was so much intrigue up here in all this snow?"
The wolves laughed lightly and Sky said something about "pack drama" serving as good fodder for any bard's tales.
"It must be something in the air that blows in from Connloath, intrigue capitol of the world," he smirked.
"Storm, I'd love to swap stories with these mercs. I've never done it professionally, but I've done my share of being an axe for hire when barding doesn't pay enough. That's basically how I met Kah and River, though that was more for a share of a bounty."
"Wait wait wait." One of River's brothers held up a hand. "Did you just use the word storm as a curse?"
Ash snorted and shoved his shoulder into the other man's. "Sounds about right to me."
The woman seated on his other side—presumably Storm's mate—badly tried to hide a laugh.
"Did I make fun of someone without knowing?" Thrax laughed with yet another grin. "Damn, it's only fun when you know you're doing it."
"It's a common expression in my clan. Well, was. I've never heard it from anyone else."
"I'm taking it as a badge of honor," Storm said with mock severity.
"Oh stars." River emerged from her room with a roll of her eyes. "I don't know what just happened, but that from him never bodes well."
"You wound me, dear sister," the wolf protested, widening his eyes innocently.
"He heard me say Storm as a curse, as I do." Thrax smirked, amused by the whole affair.
The gnoll looked over at Storm. "My clan holds storms sacred, so don't think it a bad thing. Though maybe I ought to refrain, lest the pups pick up the habit and cause general confusion." His eyes glittered at the idea, but one didn't stir up chaos among friends.
"Oh, trust me," River laughed quietly, "you're not gonna cause anymore confusion than we already get in spades around this place."
Evidently growing bored with the adults' conversation, the pup who had wandered over turned his attention to his Uncle Ash and tugged the shifter over to join a game the children had set up around the hearth.
"The babies go down okay?" River's mother asked, suddenly appearing with a jug of....something in hand.
"Surprisingly," River replied. "Kah should be out any second."
Thrax sniffed in the direction of the jug, curious about its contents.
Speaking of the dragon, Kah walked in almost as soon as he was mentioned. "If only it could be that easy all the time."
The bard grinned. "That's because Uncle Thrax is a good luck charm!"
"Oh, good." River beamed at him. "Then you won't mind being in charge of bedtimes during your visit."
Hana snorted into the drink that Elise had just poured for her—some kind of mountain berry cordial that was equal parts tangy and sweet.
"Hey, you keep saying how great you are with kids," she pointed out with a smirk at Thrax. "Should be easy, right?"
Thrax's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no, no no no!" he protested, waving his arms in a warding motion. "I meant kids love me, not Storming babies! And easy my foot. I see the bags under your eyes. I don't have that kind of stamina!"
The very idea of taking care of something that small and delicate actually terrified the brave, bold bard. It was a look the proud parents hadn't seen before. It was quite amusing to see in the current context.
River laughed. "I was teasing, but good to know the idea terrifies you," she chortled with a grin in Thrax's direction. An eyebrow quirked at Hana and the kitsune raised her hands quickly.
"Oh no no, I am well aware of my capabilities, and they do not include child-rearing," she laughed lightly.
River's smile softened a bit as she looked to her mate. "Never say never..." Giving herself a little hake, she added with another quick grin for her friends, "But obviously it's not for everyone, I really was teasing. I'm sure the twins would like some bedtime stories while you're here though." She shrugged. "It's not like the can understand everything yet, but they like the sounds of the packs' voices, and they can pick up on tone."
Thrax exhaled, glad that they moved past the subject before anyone guessed he and Hana were more than friends. Though he didn't expect it to remain a secret for long. "That I can do. I think I know a few kid-safe fairy tales."
"Gotta secure my status as the fun uncle early, you know," he added with a grin.
"Well, you have no shortage of competition there," River laughed, gesturing widely at her five brothers—four by blood and one by virtue of being Sky's mate. "And another one, if Ash ever gets his act together."
"Stars!" The wolf in question three his hands up from where he was crouched with the pups. "I can hear you, you know."
"I may not be blood or even an in-law, but I have something they don't." Thrax grew a playfully wicked smirk. "Besides fresh stories every time I stop by, I have panache." He struck the most dramatic pose he could without standing up. Such a mature adult, this one.
"Alright, master bard," Hana chuckled, nudging him lightly. "Maybe we'd best figure out where exactly it is that we're staying before you wear out our welcome, hm?"
River laughed quietly, and her mother reappeared at her elbow. "Oh, we've a guest room down that hall," she said, pointing. "I'm afraid you'll have to share, but from what Ree and Kah have told us about your time on the road, it should at least be more comfortable than sleeping in the dirt."
Thrax felt his worry that everyone already knew they were an item and start pushing them to make little gnollsunes rise. He pushed through and smiled gratefully. "Anything beats sleeping in a tree," he chuckled, "which I will never do again."
Kah laughed at the image. "That... I can actually sympathize with. Just be glad you don't have wings."
"It was not that bad," Hana protested.
River snorted and shot the other woman a look. "Hate to say it, but I'm with Thrax on this one. Sleeping in trees is for birds and squirrels and not much else."
"It was a necessity of the environment!" Tossing her hands up, Hana added with a laughing huff, "Besides, at least we actually stayed in the tree all night. I've had worse."
"Well, yes, it could have been worse. At least we had each other for warmth," the bard admitted, inadvertently giving Hana a glance that hinted at deeper feelings between them.
Kah raised an eyebrow but, either out of mercy or simply minding his own business, didn't say anything.
"Well, it sound like you two have quite a story just from that," Sky noted with a soft laugh.
"I still wanna know how that happened," River piped up, gesturing to Hana's fourth tail meaningfully.
The kitsune smiled rather sheepishly and shrugged. "That one is...kind of a long story."
The gnoll sighed slightly and gave Hana a supportive look. "Kind of the same story, really. But it's not mine to tell this time."
Kah gave her a similar look. "Only if you want to. If it's something too personal, don't feel like you have to."
"No, it's...fine." She smiled, a little tightly, and shrugged. "Family drama, I guess."
She gave them the abbreviated version: that her parents were never supposed to fall in love or have children. That a fox in her mother's home village decided to take matters into her own hands. That she and Thrax, twenty-odd years later, had gone to the village just so she could see it, and that same fox had tried to finish what she'd started.
She left out the fact that Hoshiakari was her aunt, or what exactly had happened to her. It wasn't that she wanted to lie to them all, she just...didn't much want to talk about it.
"So, yeah." Another shrug as she finished relaying the tale. "Turns out Thrax can do some healing magic with that axe of his, and apparently surviving a murder attempt qualifies as growth enough--or whatever--to earn me an extra tail."
Of course...it might have been that admitting her feelings for Thrax and dealing with them could have impacted the new tail, too. She decided not to mention that part either.
Thrax understood keeping personal details close to the vest. After all, he hadn't survived this long by telling every passerby his most painful memories. Kahroan and River may, strangely, be the closest thing to family he had, but it took him getting possessed by a demon to lay his past bare. The fact that two people as walled off as Thrax and Hana could be open with each other spoke volumes about how they cared about and trusted each other.
"What can I say?" He shrugged. "I don't let friends die if I can help it."
Of course, the real reason was that, in the moment he thought he was going to lose her, he realized he was in love with her. And he would fight the gods themselves before he lost anyone he loved ever again.
"You certainly don't." Hana smiled at him for a moment, expression soft and open in a way it only rarely was.
"And we are certainly grateful for it, too," River added with a smile of her own, reaching across the table to touch the gnoll's arm lightly. Then a yawn suddenly overtook her and she leaned back, laughing through it. "Stars, I'm sorry, but I think we should turn in—something you learn quick as a new parent is you better grab sleep when the baby is sleeping. There aren't many other chances."
"I can imagine," Thrax chuckled. "Go. Sleep. We will have plenty of time to talk before we decide to head find our next adventure."
Kahroan nodded in agreement, smiling tiredly. "I'm certain we will... At least, if our precious ones allow it."
River stood, giving both Thrax and Hana another hug before she gave her mate a quick peck on the cheek and returned--quietly--to their room.
Hana smiled fondly after them for a moment before glancing at Thrax. "We have had something of a long day," she noted, smile quirking up on one side. "Maybe we should check out that guest room?"
Thrax suppressed a smirk, yawning instead. "Oh, definitely. We've already covered how exhausting the hike was." He stood up and stretched. "Ladies first."
In their bedroom, Kahroan smirked at his mate. "You saw it too, right? The stolen glances between them?"
River laughed quietly and nodded. "Oh, I saw it. I'm fairly sure half the pack saw it, and they don't know the two of them nearly as well as we do."
Smile slanting leftward, she placed a hand on his arm and rose onto her toes to nuzzle into his neck gently. "They'll tell use when they're ready."
The guest room was simply furnished, like the rest of the pack's home, but cozy and clean. Hana flopped backward onto the bed with a tired, happy sigh, not even bothering to get out of her travel clothes.
"Wake me in a week," she told the ceiling, eyes already closed.
"Make that two." Thrax chuckled tiredly as he leaned Stormsong against the wall. Then he flopped onto the bed next to her, his bulk causing the bed to creak in protest.
He turned his head to look at her. "Gods. I think they sniffed us out, judging by the knowing look on Kah's face."
Hana bounced slightly with a dramatic "Oof" as Thrax's weight hit the bed, but once he was settled she curled into his side and tucked her head against his chest.
"Yeah, probably," she sighed, still refusing to open her eyes. "To be fair, they've been waiting for this practically since the four of us met, so I guess we can't blame them for being sharp-eyed about it."
She curled her tails up so they covered her lower body--and by extension part of his--like a fluffy white blanket. "Now shhhhh. Sleep time," she mumbled, reaching up blindly to pat him between the ears.
Thrax didn't respond with anything but a contented noise because he was already asleep, safe and comfortable, and curled around her. He didn't often get to sleep without having to stay alert for the unexpected. And he still wasn't used to being in a relationship where he expected his partner to still be there when he woke up, or he would when they did.
Gods help us all. Thraxion Swordbreaker was actually in a committed relationship.
"Rise and shine!"
Ash had been sent to wake their guests the next morning, and he clearly took great enjoyment in the task. "Up up up, you two, or you'll miss breakfast!"
Hana jolted awake with a yelp, half tangled in both the blankets and Thrax. "What in the fu--?!"
Ash laughed, closing the door as he retreated quickly before she could actually throw a fireball at him. River had warned him about that particularly ability.
Thrax lazily snorted awake, much less inclined to deal with anything the instant he awoke. "Uuugh... stupid morning people..." he yawned, snuggling against Hana. "Can't breakfast wai--"
He shot upright, sniffing the air. "Wait! Food?! Screw sleep, I'm hungry!"
Thrax was nothing if not predictable in his simple priorities.
Despite herself, Hana laughed as he bolted up and nearly tossed her from the bed in the process. "Of course you are," she said with an eye roll, but there was affection in her voice. "C'mon, let's go brave the pack and see what we can find."
River had her son cradled against her shoulder when they made their way out into the main room, and she smiled over his head.
"Food's on the table," she told them with a laugh and a gesture over her other shoudler, already anticipating Thrax's single-minded determination.
Thrax didn't so much as hold a chair out for Hana before he slid one slightly undersized seat up to the table. Luckily, Hana wasn't the kind to expect gentlemanly manners, let alone from him.
He licked his chops as he surveyed the spread. "Oh St--gods, so much meat. I think I love it here!" he said, grinning as he loaded up a plate of goodies.
"Everything but rabbit," Shadow said as he appeared at the table, with the tone of an inside joke. The tone was confirmed when his siblings chuckled or rolled their eyes.
"Gods, it does smell amazing," Hana agreed as she slid onto a chair next to Thrax and started loading her own plate--though considerably more sedately than her companion.
"I'm flattered," River's father laughed as he entered the room and slid another serving dish piled high with some kind of braised venison. "To be perfectly honest, we don't usually cook overmuch; it's often easier to just eat on a hunt. But guests are a special occasion."
Hana smiled at him, tapping Thrax's leg lightly with her foot under the table to remind him of his manners. "Well, we definitely appreciate it. Thank you."
Thrax politely chose not to shovel grub into his mouth at random or talk with his mouth full. Instead, he waited to swallow before, with an eager smirk, saying, "Ooh! I love inside jokes! What's the problem with eating rabbit?"
"Dad loves them," River chuckled in answer, bouncing Hau lightly as she hovered near the table. "We aren't allowed to hunt them in pack territory."
Her siblings chuckled, and her father gave her a mock-offended look. "Their ears are spoon-shaped," he said with great affront, as though that explained everything.
"We only eat non-cute animals in this family," Kahroan chimed in with amusement as he joined them.
Thrax thought that was crazy; you don't just turn down something perfectly edible. His people always had to deal with scarcity through competition with other peoples and clans of the plains—each other, if it was an especially bad year.
"You must have plentiful animals to hunt if you can turn down rabbits and still feed guests this well."
"Not all the time," River said with a shrug. "But it's been a good year."
She smiled at Kahroan and leaned over to kiss him fondly before shifting Hau into his arms with a smug grin. "Your turn."
Elise, who was holding Mahina, chuckled and rolled her eyes at her daughter. "She's cottoned onto that trick quickly," she told Hana and Thrax in a stage whisper.
Kahroan gave her a warm smile as they parted lips. His eyes shifted over to Elise as she made her comment. "It's a smile price to pay for a little intimacy," he said with a chuckle. "We don't always know when we'll get it."
Thrax couldn't imagine being too busy for a little... intimacy. One more reason not to have children of his own. "Or who'll hear it." He smirked.
Did he want to get kicked again?
Hana, despite knowing she was not exactly quiet, glowered at him over the rim of a cup of tea that one of River's brothers had handed her.
She did try to kick him under the table again, but missed, stubbing her toe on a table leg with a sharp yelp.
River smiled at her mate and leaned in to kiss his cheek—clearly with no ulterior motive this time. "And that is why most of us have little cabins scattered around pack territory," she told Thrax with a crooked grin. With pointed innocence, she added, "If you're planning on visiting often, we could always build one for the two of you."
Hana went very pink and choked on her breakfast.
Thrax laughed maniacally at the missed kick, but the offer brought him up short. It was no secret they were sleeping together; the offer just wasn't something one extended to simple friends with benefits.
"I... err... well, you never know where the road might take you. Don't trouble yourselves on our account." He nervously took in the various smirks around the table and sighed. "How long did we last?"
Kahroan laughed. "Oh, we caught on practically the moment you arrived. You... aren't exactly a subtle person, Thrax."
The bard exhaled. "... fair."
Hana groaned, leaning forward to bury her face in her hands, and River laughed.
"Oh, c'mon, is it that bad we know?" she teased as she took Mahina from her mother. "Love is always a blessing! Even if you didn't expect to find it."
"And that—" Hana pointed at her with a mock glare— "is why we didn't say anything! You two are never letting us live this down."
The other shifters around the table chuckled, though Ash gave them a commiserating sort of look. "Believe me," River's last single sibling groaned, "I know the feeling. It's an impending dread."
Thrax had to put his foot down before the nagging began. Neither of them wanted to hear it. "Just don't start riding us about kids, okay? It's not happening any time soon, if ever."
Kah opened his mouth to point out the fact that life had a way of making that decision for you; while he loved them with every fiber of his being, Hau and Mahina weren't planned. But he closed it again before saying anything. He could more than sympathize with not wanting the constant questions about when there would be children on the way.
"We don't even know if we could," Hana added almost petulantly.
Ash snorted. "Oh, I've used that one—what you hear back is adoption is a thing."
"But," River gave her brother a pointed look, "we reserve that particular brand of teasing for family. Pups aren't for everyone."
As if to illustrate her point, Mahina suddenly began bawling, seemingly without any prompting. River sighed, laughed, then excused herself to tend to the baby.
"At least she's cute," Hana laughed, and Lake chuckled as well.
"Here, you lot finish up," the pack patriarch said as he stood. "Elise and I promised to take the older pups on a hike today—our guests are welcome to join us, if you like," he said politely. With a crooked grin, he added, "Of course, there are less strenuous activities you could be doing as well—I'm sure one of my pups would be happy to show you to the hot springs."
"Oohhh I could use a soak!" Sky piped up. "I volunteer!"
"Ooh... that sounds amazing." Thrax smiled.
"I've never felt cold enough to visit the ones in the Thunderblacks. Plus--" He chuckled. "--they aren't remotely safe in the constant thunderstorms. Just because I pray to them doesn't mean I want to get struck by lightning."
That earned a rolling laugh around the table, even as the members of the pack gradually began to drift off to begin their tasks for the day.
"You two take your time eating," Sky said as she rose. "I can meet you outside when you've finished."
She left the room just as River reentered it with a quieted Mahina on her shoulder.
"Needed changing," she said to Kahroan as she took a seat and finally began eating herself. The baby reached for her twin in Kahroan's lap, whining demandingly.
Kahroan chuckled as he reached out for Mahina. "You, little lady, are just lucky daddy has a big lap. "
Thrax wrestled with a smile at just how cute the twins were. "Have you shown them what their dad really is?"
Kah glanced at his mate before answering, "We're planning to wait until they're a little older."
River nodded, allowing Hau to grab her finger as he and Mahina began babbling at each other.
"Our pack usually doesn't have their first shift until they're a year or so old," she told Hana and Thrax. "Sometimes earlier, but rarely. We'll do it before then—but three months is really young to watch a parent turn into a dragon," she chuckled.
Shrugging, she added, "I've shifted in front of them—just the once—and that went okay. They recognize their parents instinctively, just..." She shrugged. "It's a lot easier to cuddle a baby as a wolf than it is as a dragon."
Mahina made a babbling noise as though in agreement and she chuckled. "I wonder if you'll keep these when you shift," she said lightly, tapping at the soft nubs on her daughter's brow. "A wolf with horns."
Hana smiled crookedly. "And scaly tail, apparently," she noted with a nod at Hau's waving tail.
"Whatever shape they will turn into, I think we can all agree on one thing." Thrax grinned eagerly. "It'll be awesome."
"I'm jealous already that I can't do what you guys can."
Kah chuckled. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't amazing. Though it was quite terrifying when it was forced on me."
River gave her mate a sympathetic look and squeezed his arm gently, though her lips quirked up in a faint smile and she nodded at Thrax. "I suppose I don't really think about it—it's just part of who I am. But I don't know what if do with myself if I was stuck in one shape all the time."
"Here here." Hana lifted a cup of tea toward her. "I'll toast to that."
River laughed. "Well, I've only got the two forms. And it's not like my wolf is much bigger than the usual type."
Hana pressed a hand to her chest. "I will have you know I'm perfectly capable of being a regular sized fox when I want to. It's just less fun."
"But you are disturbingly cute when you're a little fox." Thrax grinned impishly.
"I guess I get it. I'd feel lost if my magic stopped working. Having to suppress that part of myself to get through Connloath safely was bad enough."
He huffed in annoyance. "Stupid, wrong-headed cowards, the lot of them."
Murmurs of agreement all around at that—there was certainly no one on the pack who would disagree with such an assessment.
"Well!" River shook her head quickly and gave a slightly forced smile. "I hear Sky's taking you two up to the hot springs? You'll love it, it's probably my favorite place in the mountains."
The way she glanced at Kahroan and her cheeks colored slightly maybe said more about that than her actual words.
Hana—who had pulled at face at Thrax for his comment about her being "cute" as a fox—smiled crookedly and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Kinky," she muttered low enough for only him to hear.
Or at least she thought—the cloth napkin that River balled up and lobbed at her head with a blushing laugh indicated differently.
Thrax laughed. "I think we just learned where dragon-wolves come from."
It was Kahroan's turn to become flushed. "I... err... Well, we couldn't find anywhere else to be alone."
"Relax. I am in no position to judge," Thrax chuckled. "That's positively tame to me."
"Off with you, then," River laughed, still a bit red. "Enjoy the sights—but remember you promised some bedtime stories, Uncle Thrax. Better be back in time to make good on that."
Hana chuckled as they were shooed from the room. She seemed...thoughtful, though, her smile softening to a considering sort of expression as they were shown to the side door of the house where Sky would meet them.
Thrax smirked back at her as he walked beside her. "That's not a face that says, 'Hot tub! Yeah!'"
"Cause it should be."
His face, meanwhile, said, 'Hot tub sex! Woo!'
She laughed a bit at his expression—because gods, he really was too easy to read, sometimes—before her own face sobered again.
"Yeah, actually I was just...thinking." She paused just before they reached the door, taking his wrist gently to stop him with her. "Thrax, how...how do gnolls...kiss?"
Her cheeks had a hint of color as she asked the question, and she couldn't seem to make herself meet his eyes properly. "I just...being here, seeing how—how easy they all are with each other, I just can't help thinking... I mean I've thought it before, but I'm usually...distracted. And then I forget to ask."
She huffed and glanced up at him sidelong. "Just, y'know... I really like the way we do things, Thrax, but I don't want you to feel like—I mean I don't want you to have to...always be the one adjusting. To meet me. I can...do that for you. If you want."
Gods. She hated emotions and sincerity. If the mountain opened up and swallowed her, that would have been okay.
That... was just about the last thing he expected her to ask. And after all his years among people so different from himself, it took him a moment to even recall how his kind showed romantic affection. Other than just straight-up getting busy, that is.
"I, err, well... there's usually a lot of nuzzling, licking, and..." He looked a bit uncomfortable. "Biting."
"I didn't bring it up because, honestly, I've been among humans so long that their squeamishness about that kind of stuff has rubbed off on me."
"Oh, right. Okay."
She shifted her weight between her feet awkwardly, still not quite looking at him. "Well, I just--I mean, if we're ever being...too human for you, or whatever, just...I wouldn't mind--fucking hells."
She dragged her hands down her face with a quiet groan that morphed into a nervous laugh. "You know what I'm trying to say, yeah? Am I making any sense here?"
Thrax chuckled softly, despite the seriousness of the moment. "I know what you mean."
More awkwardly, he explained, "I just don't want to, yanno, hurt you. Gnoll-style affection can get pretty... intense."
"Like, we don't just get scars from fighting. That kind of instense."
Whooooo boy. Well, this was...a conversation.
Quite pink in the cheeks, Hana mumbled, "I uhhh...I heal fast..." Realizing that wasn't exactly clear, she sighed and added quickly, "If that was...something you wanted to do...I'd be into it. Like, not just humoring you, actually into it."
She cleared her throat, then shook her head briskly. "Right! Okay! That was fun, glad we had this talk! Ready to go?"
"Yes! Hot spring!" Thrax proclaimed, uncharacteristically embarrassed by the turn their conversation had taken. Opening the door, they stepped out to meet Sky.
Thrax leaned against the edge of the hot spring with a sigh, pulling her against his side. His wet fur was oddly comforting against her bare skin. "Well, that was sure something."
Let's just say... they tried love bites. It had mixed results, as he had been thrust out into human society before he had found a mate.
"Mmm." She cuddled into his side, enjoying his body heat in combination with the warmth of the water around them. "Something about sums it up," she chuckled lightly. She was going to have some interesting hickeys.
Luckily they were in places that she wasn't worried about any of the Longfang pack spotting and subsequently teasing.
"...Y'know I love you, right?" She didn't look at him as she said it, tracing one fingertip in absent shapes over the surface of the water in front of her. "Just...you. You being you, whatever that means."
She huffed and turned her face into his shoulder with an irritated groan. "I'm not making any sense."
"No, no, I get it. I... feel the same way." He tenderly brushed some wet hair from her cheek. "I love you in whatever form you take, because you're always you. Beautiful, tricky, enchanting you."
"And I wouldn't have it any other way."
She smiled at that, though she didn't lift her face from where she'd hidden it against his shoulder for a few more moments.
"Uhhhg, I swear this place is contagious," she finally laughed, tipping her head back to smile at him through her blush. "It's all those sappy wolves. And, well, dragon. Gooeyness is catching."
She reached up to place a hand on his cheek and tilted his head down to her so she could kiss the tip of his nose. "...But thank you."
Sky had said she would leave them to their own devices until mid afternoon, when she would either return to fetch them or send another member of the pack to do it. Sighing, Hana glanced at the angle of the sunlight and lamented, "We should probably get dressed. Someone will be along to fetch us soon enough."
"Boooo! Do we really have to..." Thrax pouted dramatically, not moving from his spot.
But, after a moment, he sighed and started climbing out. "I was thinking that after this, whenever that is, we try to find an adventurer job somewhere. Like, Essyrn maybe; the heat sucks, but there's always treasure somewhere."
Already groaning at the thought of the heat, Hana pouted at him as she started to drag her clothes back on. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point," she admitted sourly. "and, honestly, I've never actually been--guess I can't classify myself a true wanderer if I don't see the place at least once."
She pursed her lips in thought and tipped her head from side to side. "Mmmm. There's almost always archeological expeditions heading out into the desert. We could probably check in with some of the universities in Arca or Selevea on our way south..."
A thought abruptly occurred to her, and she hesitated a moment before added cautiously, "And, uh...I actually haven't...been home in a while. To visit Tobin, I mean. Bet he'd be willing to put us up for a night or two while we poke around."
He looked over to her with a smiling smirk. "Why, Hana, are you asking me to meet your not-quite-dad?"
"Because I'd love to." He grinned.
Face falling a little, he asked, "Do you.. think he'll really be okay with you bringing home a Gnoll? I mean I'm great, but my kind isn't always welcome."
Thankfully, the steam rising from the hot springs helped camouflage her renewed blush somewhat, but she still stuck her tongue out at him petulantly.
When he sobered though, she did too. "Hey." Half-dressed, she shuffled forward to take his hand. "Tobin's an odd duck," she said with a little half-smile. "He found some weird fox-kid in the woods and decided, oh well, should probably raise the thing. He's more open-minded than most, which can be saying something in Serendipity." She squeezed his hand gently. "...I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it'd be okay. He'll probably be surprised, but he won't be a dick to you."
Thrax returned the gentle squeeze, the pads of his hands soft from the hot water. "Yeah... You're probably right. I'm worrying for nothing."
He smirked. "Because, like I said, I'm great."
"We're great." He punctuated the statement with a small, sweet kiss/lick.
She chuckled and returned the kiss with an affectionate nuzzle to his cheek. "We are," she agreed firmly.
"And anyone who disagrees can get fucked."
"I've got your toes! I've got your toes!"
Hana stared with a combination of affection and befuddled awe as her friend bent over her infant son and babbled inanely at him. She shook her head and sipped at a cup of tea--typical fare in the Longfang house, apparently--before looking to Thrax and whispering, "Do babies rot your brain?"
"I can hear you," River said in the same sweet, lilting tone without looking up from Hau. The baby was clearly deeply entertained by his mother's sing-song babbling, as he was grinning and reaching up to tug on her hair.
"The question still stands!" Thrax grinned with impish glee. "And the answer is yes!"
He laughed boisterously. "Because love, of course, makes fools of us all!"
Kahroan smirked. "The bard does have a point."
"I'll make a note of it on the calendar," River replied dryly. "We should celebrate each year the day that Thrax had a point."
"Hey," Hana protested with a severe frown. "That's my beau you're talking about--" She devolved into giggles, shaking her head. "Damn, almost kept it straight."
Hau babbled happily and Hana nodded at him. "Exactly, kid."
"Here." Chuckling, River stood with her son and crossed to Hana's chair. "Hold him a minute, would you? I need to feed Mahina, I can hear her starting to fuss."
"W-w-wait a second--!" All playfulness drained from her expression as River slipped the tiny shifter into her arms. She held the baby like he might explode, staring at him with very wide eyes. "Wh-why can't his dad take him?!"
"Because Kah has been on baby duty for three months, and my siblings are still out," River called over her shoulder as she went to gather Mahina from her cradle. "You can handle it for five minutes."
Thrax was just as nervous about it and he wasn't even holding the th--the kid. He watched the baby with trepidation, as if he might bite. Though, in his defense, gnoll babies did bite.
"Uhh... hey there, kiddo. I'm your Uncle Thrax," he said with gentle hesitation, reaching out to give Hau's nose a boop.
Hau stared at him with very large eyes, then sneezed.
"Oh!" Hana looked up at Thrax, then Kah, clearly uncertain. "Is...is he okay?"
Maybe it was a little ridiculous how nervous holding the child made her--she certainly would have been teasing someone else, had the positions been reversed. But she couldn't help it! Babies were so tiny, so was afraid a wind the wrong direction might break him!
Thrax jerked back from the sneeze as if he, too, might break the pup.
"He's fine." Kahroan chuckled at how terrified the pair was. "He was probably just tickled by Thrax's fur."
Thrax gave a sigh of relief. "How can you be so calm? He's so tiny and fragile..."
"Well, they're more resilient than you think, for one thing," Nora said as she entered the cabin and caught that last comment. Evidently the rest of the pack was back from their hunt. "That, and you learn quick as a parent when your pup is really in trouble."
"O-oh..." Hana continued to stare down at the tiny creature, terrified, then gave Nora a pleading look.
River's pack-sister laughed and took pity on her, lifting Hau gently from her arms. "The others were just behind me," she said in Kah's general direction. "I flew ahead a bit to let you all know they're bringing back a buck. Lake said we should eat outside tonight, we've all been "too human" lately, apparently." She said the last with a slight roll of her eyes, but didn't actually seem all that annoyed by the proposition.
Thrax made a face. He wasn't human at all, but he had been accused of that more than once. And, well...
"You're still going to, yanno, cook it, right?" He didn't relish the idea of eating like a wolf did. Even gnolls cook their meat, and he rather liked the way humans seasoned things.
Nora laughed and nodded at him. "Some of it, at least--believe me, I may be able to take wolf and hawk shape, but I do not eat like them."
"Oh, thank gods," Hana muttered reverently.
Chuckling, River reappeared with an evidently settled Mahina in her arms. "So you lot did catch something then?" As Nora nodded, she quirked an eyebrow and said to Hana with a smirk, "Couldn't even last five minutes, huh?"
"He is tiny and he sneezed and I thought I was going to have a heart attack," the kitsune protested vehemently.
"From a sneeze?" River laughed, accepting Hau from Nora so she held both twins, one against each shoulder.
"We don't want to be responsible if they get sick or something because of us. We aren't baby people. We don't know!" Thrax argued in defense of Hana.
Kahroan rolled his icy eyes. "No one is baby people until they have one."
"Technically," Nora called as she breezed into the kitchen, "we all start out as baby people."
River groaned. "Oh, that was bad," she laughed, shaking her head.
"I liked it, Nora," Hana called after her, giggling.
"You're my new favorite, foxy!"
"D'awww." Hana placed a hand on her chest and swooned dramatically against Thrax. "I feel like bona fide family."
"Well...aren't you?" River gave her a half smile as she moved to transfer one of the twins to Kahroan. "I mean, between the four of us, we've saved each other's lives half a dozen times by now. I feel like that qualifies you as honorary pack."
Thrax put his arms around Hana from behind. He was moved by the declaration, bashfully looking away as he gently rocked her.
"We... you know... think of you like family too..." But as that was too mushy, he added, "N' junk."
Not exactly any better at dealing with sincere emotion than Thrax was, Hana leaned back into him slightly and mumbled an agreement, cheeks pink.
"Alright, alright," River chuckled. "We won't smother you with affection. For now."
Hana gave a theatric sigh of relief. "Yeah, thanks. I can only handle so much genuine emotion in one day, and I've hit my quota."
Kahroan dryly teased, "Did you two get all mushy at the hot spring? It does have that effect."
Thrax was grateful that his fur hid his blush. "No! We--we..."
"Shut up..." he said, incredibly embarrassed.
River laughed, and Hana groaned, twisting in Thrax's arms to hide her own blush against his shoulder.
"You two, I swear," River chuckled as she settled herself into a seat beside her mate. "It's not a bad thing to actually care about the person you're sleeping with."
"Oi!" Hana gave her a theatric pout. "I always care about the people I sleep with, thank you very much. I'm just not, y'know, used to..." She waved a hand vaguely around her head, unable to come up with the appropriate words.
"Being in love?"
"Oh, shut up," she groaned, quickly retreating back against Thrax's shoulder.
"Fiiine." Thrax sighed, defeated and annoyed. "We're in love. There. You happy? Can we move on now?"
Kahroan barked a laugh that was several degrees warmer than his usual dry chuckle. "Yes, yes, we've had our fun. It's just... it's good to see you two genuinely happy."
Hana muttered a long string of complaints and curses, but she was smiling a bit when she finally raised her head.
"We surrender," River agreed with Kahroan, raising the hand that was not cradling a baby peaceably. She glanced to the door, ears perked--metaphorically--before noting, "Seems like the rest of the lot is back. We should head out to mee them, I'm sure Dad will want help cleaning that deer."
Hana quirked an eyebrow. "Errr...you're a very impressive woman, Riv, but...how do you plan to help clean a deer while holding an infant?"
"Oh, that's your job. Unless you'd rather hold the baby?"
"Cleaning a deer!" Hana clapped her hands together. "Right!"
"And what am I doing?" Thrax asked curiously. He didn't mind getting dirty, but he was actually freshly bathed for once and didn't want to waste the effort. Maybe they just wanted music?
Kahroan glanced at him mate. "What do you think, Riv? I'd hate to waste a perfectly good bard."
"Oh, we always like a good bit of music," River agreed. "Assuming Thrax is also uncomfortable with babysitting duties."
Hana snorted. "I believe I can say with some certainty that's a yes." Rather abruptly realizing that over the course of the conversation and with his arms around her she had migrated practically into said bard's lap, she stood quickly and cleared her throat. "I'll go help the others then."
She slipped outside where the rest of the pack was gathering in front of the cabin, half in wolf form and half human, taking stock of the results of their hunt.
And so, with much music and merry-making, the pack and their honorary kin enjoyed their bounty and celebrated well into the evening.
The rest of their visit went by in a contented blur of song and dance and wagging pup tails. Thrax took being part of a family to heart and, clearly moved, vowed to visit again as often as his vagabond lifestyle allowed. And, of course, bring fresh stories of adventure with him.
"And you'll promise you'll--well, it's not exactly writing, what you do. But you'll keep in touch?"
"Of course." Hana leaned back from River's hug to smile at the other woman. "The fireball-message trick can get fiddly over long distances, but we'll do our best."
"You should try to be back for the winter solstice," Elise enthused, hugging Thrax like he was one of her own pups before kissing Hana's cheek. "It's quite a to-do up here; most all the local packs gather for the celebration."
Hana laughed, nodding. "We'll do our best," she repeated. Neither she nor Thrax was much inclined for planning that far ahead.
"Keep yourselves safe," River half-pleaded as her friend stepped back toward the bard, ready to be on the road again.
"I have a feeling that was mostly directed at yours truly." Thrax chuckled awkwardly. "Which... is completely fair!"
"I can't promise I'll change my nature but I'll try to not bite off more than I can chew. Okay? "
Kahroan smiled warmly. "I think that's the best we can ask for."
"I'll keep an eye on him," Hana chuckled, and River scoffed dramatically.
"Well, between the two of you, I suppose we'll just have to hope there's enough sense to keep each other out of trouble."
More laughter, another round of hugs and well-wishes, yet more promises to keep in touch and come visit when they could--and then they were off.
[Continued for Thrax and Hana here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27331.0)]