A flicker of excitement ran through me. I only knew the bare minimum about River’s family, and now I was going to meet three of them in the flesh.
"Wait," I said. "Your twin brother is a bird shifter?"
River grinned playfully. "Not exactly. You'll see."
As the crowd approached, the figures came clearly into view. A black wolf with heterochromia swam alongside an orca. Above them flew a creature that was half bird and half human.
I blinked in surprise. "Your brother is a… harpy? Is that the correct term?"
"He is. We're a littlespecial," he said, putting quotes around the last word.
I chuckled and held him closer. "Youarespecial."
It was at the last moment that I noticed there weren't three family members approaching, but four. River squinted as he noticed the last one too. A tiny finch flew towards us and hovered above the water.
"Farley!" River cried. "You came too!"
The finch shifter named Farley snorted. "After all the crazy bullshit I heard was going on? I had to."
I was surprised at the deep and rough voice coming out of such a small bird. It was almost comical.
"What crazy bullshit did you hear?" River asked.
A big wave splashed into us as the orca leapt out of the water and shifted into human form. The wolf beside him did the same. The two men matched each other in a cute sort of way. The wolf shifter—Zak—had pale skin and dark hair, while his mate Kamari had the opposite.
"Are you two okay?" Kamari asked. "Is Animus still here?"
Zak snorted. "He obviously left. Do you see him standing here?" He grinned at River. "Hey, cuz. You're not dead so I'm guessing everything is fine?"
Kamari scowled. "Just because someone's not dead doesn't mean they're fine."
"I'm okay, don't worry," River said, likely trying to placate Kamari before he ripped his cousin’s head off.
A voice that was getting closer by the second cried out frantically, "River, brace yourself because I can't stooooop—"
A second later, a blur of brown skin and feathers crashed into River, dunking them both underwater. River surfaced and shook out his silky hair, then helped his brother up. Cloud gasped for air.
"Oh, fuck!" Cloud spat, his teeth chattering. "That's cold and wet and horrible and I have no idea how you stand it!"
River and I both laughed. Kamari and Zak looked equally amused. The only one who seemed to agree with Cloud was Farley, who scoffed and said, "I'm with you. I don't get these aquatic dudes. You'll never catch me in the fucking water either."
Zak took a handful of water and slicked his hair back with it, grinning. "You guys don't know what you're missing."
"Tch. Says the grandson of the water spirit," Farley shot back.
I searched Cloud and Zak's faces. Though they weren't identical, I still saw the resemblance, but in my opinion, River was still the most handsome out of all of them.
"Help me up," Cloud mumbled to River. River gave him a boost from underwater so that Cloud shot into the air. He landed on River’s shoulders, careful not to puncture his brother with his sharp talons. He made a grumpy face as he shook out his feathers and waited for them to dry off.
"So," Cloud said, tilting his head as he looked at me. "Are you going to introduce us to this handsome man or do we have to do it ourselves?"
"He's mine, so don't even think about it," River muttered to his brother. "Everybody, this is Castor. He's my…" River’s face flushed. "Fated mate."
Zak and Cloud beamed, while Kamari and Farley wore proud smiles. It was clear all of River’s family was happy for us.
"What animal do you shift into?" Zak asked.
"I'm a beaver."
