Morgan
“Say, Red,”I asked on the trek home. It was a longer journey on human feet, but I wanted to hold Ashe and I obviously couldn’t do that with hooves. “Where’d you get that rifle anyway?”
Red had slipped back into his fox form to pad along beside me. I had no proof, but I got the feeling he was shy about his human shape. “Oh, that. It wasn’t mine. I picked it off some old hunter’s cabin on the outskirts of the reserve. The place looked abandoned so I figured the swag was free for the taking.”
That didn’t fully answer my question but I didn’t want to press him too hard and think I was interrogating him. That was fine with me. I figured there was more to Red than he was letting on, and if he wanted us to know, he’d tell the story in due time.
“Hey! There’s the stream!” Sage cried. “That means we’re almost back at the grove!”
Remington groaned, still propped up between Sage and Hugo for support. “Finally. I’m ready to pass out for twenty hours…”
“Soon. Hang on, Remmy,” Hugo told him gently.
The others went on ahead in their excitement to return home, but I lagged behind with Ashe in my arms. I was craving the company of my mate.
Dax had picked up the rear of the pack in a very protective alpha way. He smiled as he approached me.
“What’s up?” Dax murmured in my ear, putting his arms around me from behind. “Missing me?”
“Yes.”
He nuzzled my cheek with his stubbly jawline. “Me too. It feels like it’s been ages since we had a moment alone.” He smiled down at Ashe. “Or rather, with all three of us.”
I reached back to run my fingers through his thick hair. In the moment Dax leaned in to kiss my lips, Ashe woke up and began fussing.
Dax chuckled and scooped him up from me. “Had a long nap, eh, buddy?”
Ashe grumbled, curling his tiny fingers into fists.
“Maybe one day his sleep schedule will match up with ours,” I said.
“Ha! That’ll be the day.”
By the time we passed the ring of trees and entered the grove proper, I was exhausted. The long trek, my battle with Rock, and all the mental stress finally hit me at once. I plopped down in the grass, ready to pass out, but Ashe was fully awake and prancing around in his fawn form like nothing had happened to him. I was grateful for that, at least.
Dax sighed wearily as he sat next to me, looking similarly fatigued. He closed his eyes for just a moment when Ashe bleated happily and leapt on his stomach, landing on all four tiny hooves. Dax grunted.
“Oof. Hey, daddy’s trying to rest his eyes here.”
Ashe was too busy nibbling Dax’s hair like grass to care.
Dax sighed and murmured, “A babysitter would be nice right about now…”
A voice chuckled while another asked, “You rang?”
My bleary eyes turned to Sage and Len standing before us. I noticed Red watching curiously from close by.
“But we just walked all that way. You aren’t too tired to watch him?” I asked.
“Nope!” Sage stated. When he lifted Ashe up, he got startled and popped back into human form. Sage grinned and cradled him against his chest. “You’re a naughty little fawn, bugging your dads like that when they’re sleepy.”
I’d never been more thankful for Sage’s endless energy. I had no idea where the hell he stored it all in his lithe body. He might’ve complained more than any other pack member sometimes, but when it came down to it, he was always ready to help.
“What about you, Len?” I asked.
Len nodded towards the furry pile in the middle of the grove. I recognized the two sleeping blobs as Lupa and Leveret. Beside them was Remington’s black pelt. All three of them desperately needed their rest.
“The twins passed out as soon as we got home, since they insisted on walking the whole way themselves,” he said, sounding amused. “They’ll be out of my fur for a while.”
