We were inside preparing dinner when we heard what sounded like a raccoon crawling on the roof, probably one of the many mute animals who lived in the surrounding forest.
"That fat bastard's back," I mumbled, imagining the bumbling trash panda clambering over our house. "Should I go tell him to get lost again?"
Quinn laughed as he sliced a strip of meat and added it to Celeste's wooden bowl. "Leave him alone. He'll go away when he realizes we don't have any leftovers to eat."
"Fine..." I glanced over my shoulder to the table where Celeste was sitting. "Celeste, do you want any grains with your—"
I stopped. Celeste wasn't there.
"Quinn," I said quietly.
Hearing the mild note of panic in my voice, he put down the food. "What?" He turned and saw the lack of daughter. "Oh."
We looked at each other, the horrible realization dawning on us at the same time.
The creature on the roof wasnotthe local fat bastard raccoon.
"Celeste!" I called, bolting out of the house and shifting to my finch form. I flew to the top of the house where my suspicion was confirmed. A fluffy blob of red fur was trundling confidently across the beams. Her wings were nowhere in sight.
"How did you even get up here?" I asked in bewilderment. I flew closer, trying to herd her away from the edge of the roof, but she was already bigger than me. And when she put her mind to something, she stubbornly refused to change it. Like someone else I knew.
She easily pushed past me. My stomach fell. I couldn't let her approach the edge.
"Quinn!" I called out.
My mate wasn't far behind. With a grunt, he leapt onto the rim of the water-collection barrel beside our cabin, then hauled himself up onto the roof. He quickly ran towards Celeste, who was closer to the edge than ever.
Right before Quinn could grab her by the scruff of the neck, Celeste jumped.
A pair of night-black wings suddenly erupted from her back. Her wingspan engulfed her. It was huge compared to her little body, the length of an entire grown fox from snout to tail tip. The wings weren't feathered, but made of flowing shadows, like a drop of ink in water.
Celeste yipped with laughter as the wings slowly lowered her to the ground, as if acting on their own. She didn't seem to be in control of them.
Quinn and I stared at each other, haggard but deeply relieved. We raced down to meet her on the ground. She had no idea about the trouble she caused. She just wagged her tail, happy to see us.
"You scared the crap out of your dad," Quinn said, scooping her up and patting her head.
A sigh left me as my tension evaporated. "Me? You seemed pretty scared yourself, Daddy."
Quinn flashed me a grin. "But those wings Animus gave her... they're something, aren't they? It was like they had a mind of their own to protect her."
"Yeah."
I remembered the warmth in Animus's usually cold eyes as he regarded our daughter. Everything about Animus was still a mystery to me, but I knew one thing with complete certainty. For someone who was apparently a malicious spirit, he had a good heart.
* * *
That evening,Celeste used her newfound wings to cause a whole bunch of trouble. But mischief-making always comes at a price. By the end of the night, she was exhausted. Quinn laughed as he pulled her up into bed with us. She was already passed the hell out. Her wings had vanished into thin air and she looked like a regular fox cub again, but we knew better—we knew just how special she was.
Quinn sighed, his head collapsing against the pillow. He wore a tired smile. "You think parenting would've been easier if she'd hatched as a finch instead?"
I snorted. "Hell no. If that was the case, she'd be flying around and getting into crap when she was even younger. But at least that egg would've been easier to lay."
Quinn smiled and kissed me. "I have to admit, you looked pretty damn sexy when you were carrying her."
"Keep dreaming. One menace to society is enough for now," I teased.
He quirked a brow. "Maybe later you'll change your tune."
"We'll see, you sly ass fox."
Quinn let out a soft laugh. Feeling a rush of affection for him, I captured his mouth with mine, giving him a passionate kiss. When we parted, his eyes shone with love.
I embraced him, holding him tightly in my arms and burying my face in his hair. I could spend forever like that, hugging him while our daughter slept peacefully beside us.
Not for the first time since I'd found out we were fated, I wondered how I'd been so lucky. Quinn was the perfect partner for me, and the perfect father to Celeste. The fates had truly blessed us, now and forever.
THE END
* * *
