Epilogue: Dax
In the monthsince Red joined our pack, Ashe grew like a weed. Even though he was younger than the twins, he towered over both of them with his stilt legs. On top of that, he was getting more comfortable with his body by the day. I’d never been happier to have a family full of available babysitters, because the older he got, the more rambunctious and troublemaking he became.
Not that I expected any less frommyson.
“Dada!”
Ashe’s sudden voice took us both off guard, since he was supposed to be being babysat. Morgan let out an “oof” as Ashe barrelled into him from behind and gleefully headbutted Morgan’s back with his forehead.
“Wow, you’re getting strong.” Morgan poked in between Ashe’s ears. “Is it just me, or do you have little antlers growing in already?”
Ashe’s ears perked up with delight as I chuckled. “Don’t tease him like that.”
“You’re right.” Morgan grinned and lifted Ashe from under his armpits, making him slip back into human form. “We don’t need him running around jabbing his antlers into everyone yet, do we?”
Ashe giggled, like the idea was hilarious.
“Now where’s your babysitter?” Morgan asked. “Did you run away from him again?”
Ashe nodded.
“That’s not nice, is it?” I asked.
Ashe paused, then nodded again. I laughed. “Uh oh. We made a troublesome one, Morgan.”
“Tell me about it.” He hauled Ashe up onto his shoulders. “Where’s your babysitter? Find him for me.”
With a silly giggle, Ashe pointed in the opposite direction he’d come from, which was obviously a misdirection.
I grinned. “Wise guy.”
“Wait… Wait up!”
The haggard voice came from the hill below. A familiar fox crawled up the last stretch, and it became quickly clear why he’d taken so long to catch up. He was being slowed down by two rowdy toddlers hanging off him like a pair of monkeys. Lupa and Leveret cackled, having the time of their lives harassing Red.
When she saw us, Lupa let go and ran up the hill to body slam me. The twins had grown significantly in a short amount of time, thanks to their hare DNA, and I grunted at the force of her loving attack.
“You trying to knock me down, cub?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Lupa exclaimed. Her hair was getting long and wild, and so was Leveret’s. With their hair the same length, they really resembled each other, but their personalities were growing apart. Lupa was outgoing and boisterous while Leveret was calmer and didn’t talk as much, but they were still two peas in a pod.
“Uncle Mowgan!” Leveret called. The fact that he still couldn’t pronounce his name made me smile.
“Hey, Lev,” Morgan said, giving him a gentle pat on the head. Ashe grunted and wiggled on his shoulders, wordlessly begging to be put down. As soon as Ashe’s feet touched the grass, he shifted back into a fawn and knocked into Lupa, sending the two off on a chase with Leveret following behind.
“Those kids are a handful, huh?” I remarked as I offered a hand to Red, who had face-planted on the ground.
Red slid into human shape to accept the help, then stood up and brushed himself off. His already messy hair was even more untamed thanks to the twins. “More like an armful. Hell, make that two.”
“Regretting joining the pack already?” Morgan asked.
“Nah.” Red waved the idea off like it was silly. As he brushed his butt off, he paused and pulled a pebble out from his pants. “Where the hell did this come from…?” He raised a brow. “Maybe Iamregretting it a little.”
I laughed because we all knew he was joking. Even in the short amount of time he’d been among us, his snarky exterior had softened a bit. He seemed to be making a real effort to be one of us, which included a whole lot of babysitting duty.
Hugo still seemed to be watching Red for any sign of a slip-up—and to be honest, I was too because of my overprotective alpha instincts—but he’d been civil and polite to him so far, treating him like a real pack member. I appreciated that Red was putting in the work to change our opinion of him.
“Hey, you kids! Stop tryin’ to eat rocks!” Red cried out. He huffed and ran towards the children, who were gnawing on stones.
