A New Adventure

[DragonSong]

"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."

[MadEmperor]

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?"

[DragonSong]

"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.

[MadEmperor]

"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."

[DragonSong]

"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.

[MadEmperor]

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?

[DragonSong]

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.

[MadEmperor]

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."

[DragonSong]

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."

[MadEmperor]

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.

[DragonSong]

"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!"

[MadEmperor]

"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."

[DragonSong]

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.

[MadEmperor]

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."

[DragonSong]

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.

[MadEmperor]

"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."

[DragonSong]

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."

[MadEmperor]

"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."

[DragonSong]

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.

[MadEmperor]

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."