Nishiki
"Oh. My. Gods. EVERYONE, GET OVER HERE!"
Sage's outcry rang out like a summoning bell over the grove. Weston chuckled at his enthusiasm and I grinned. There was never a dull moment with Sage.
He'd been the first to greet us, galloping over in his wolf form. Others followed suit, spurred on by the urgency in his voice.
"Nishiki!" Nero called.
My brother ran over with his mate Remington close behind, then the rest of the pack joined in, but with one noticeable exception. Morgan wasn't here. He promised to pick up Mother from the canyon. I guessed they weren't back yet.
As soon as everyone had gathered, they went silent, looking at the babies in amazement.
"Um. Is everyone seeing what I'm seeing?" Sage asked. Ever since we showed up with the babies in tow, he'd been staring at them without blinking. It was quite a feat, actually. I was surprised his eyes hadn't fallen out of his head yet.
"Well, would you look at that!" Orpheus said with a big grin. "Looks like Nautilus blessed the little ones yet again!" He leaned in to peek at Cloud, who squawked in his face. "Ha! Our bird count just jumped from two to two and a half!"
Weston chuckled. "Yes. Cloud is a harpy." He lifted the plump, cranky baby in his arms. "And River here is a mer."
A ripple of awe and wonder went through the pack. They all looked as stunned as I was when I first saw my babies. But now I was totally used to them. They were my amazing, special children. Even if therewereother harpies and mers out there in the world, my two boys would always be unique.
"That's incredible!" Len said. He beamed as Weston handed River to him. River only fussed for a moment before settling in Len's grasp. His long, crimson fish tail draped over Len's arm. "Oh, they're both so beautiful."
"Let me see this little guy," Orpheus said, reaching for Cloud. I happily let him take Cloud, since he'd been wriggling non-stop in my grip for the past ten minutes. As soon as Orpheus had a hold on him, Cloud shrieked as loud as a baby bird. Orpheus laughed and grinned over his shoulder at his mate. "Aren't you glad we had a fox cub instead of a raven chick, angel?"
Red smirked. "I would've loved Quinn even if he was a squawking baby bird." He looked down to where Quinn was biting his ankle and sighed good-naturedly. "At least that way he'd have less teeth."
"Wait," Sage said, tilting his head. "So can Cloud and River shift at all? Or is this their only form?"
Weston and I exchanged a glance. I shrugged. "No idea. They haven't shifted yet so we don't know."
"Interesting," Hugo mused, putting a hand to his chin. "If they did shift, what would they turn into? Animals or humans?"
"Who knows?" Weston said with a smile. "As long as they're happy and healthy, that's all I care about."
"Me too," I said. I knew the rest of the pack shared the sentiment, too. There wasn't a judgmental bone in any of their bodies.
Cloud interrupted by announcing with a loud squawk that he was bored of being held by Orpheus. He thrashed out of his grip and I lunged to catch him just in time.
"I can already tell that one's gonna be a troublemaker, just like Quinn," Orpheus said. As he spoke, Quinn slapped his alpha father's leg with a paw.
A sudden loud bellow made us turn around. My heart soared when I saw him--a huge buck deer running towards us. But he wasn't alone. He carried a passenger on his back.
"Mother!" I called.
"There's Morgan, right on time," Dax said proudly.
Morgan dug his hooves into the grass, stopping before us. Mother looked so small compared to him and his giant antlers.
"Well!" Mother said with a laugh. "That was an interesting ride. Can't say I've ever taken the deer cab before."
Nishiki helped Mother off Morgan's back and handed her the cane she kept between Morgan's antlers. Once Mother was safely on the ground, Morgan shifted to human form. Despite the long journey, the deer shifter didn't even look tired. The sight of the two brand new babies made him smile brightly.
"Congratulations, you two," Morgan said. "They're gorgeous."
Mother gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "And are these my new grandbabies?"
"Yes." I couldn't help the huge smile on my face. I was so happy she could be here to meet them.
