Axel's Promise

Epilogue

"Wow....he's beautiful," Leo replied. "He looks just like his dad."

"I know...Axel. Oh, my sweet Axel. I wish you were here to see the birth of your son," Fable said, her voice somber. Leo put a hand on Fable's shoulder before he ran a finger across the baby's head, feeling its wet hair.

"Fable, this is a time to be happy! Rejoice! You just had a baby! Celebrate!" Leo exclaimed softly before taking his eyes off the baby and looking at Fable. "Now, do you have a name for your son?"

"Hmmm...." Fable looked up at the ceiling, peered at a window, and finally, back down at the baby. "Zephyr."

Zephyr glanced up at Fable, his blank white eyes making her smile once more. Leo smiled and hugged Fable.

"Welcome home, Zephyr. Welcome," said Leo. Fable, Leo, and Zephyr sat quietly together for a while, then, soon enough, they stepped outside into the garden, allowing Zephyr to see the world. 

"Fable...there is something you should know..." Leo said, smiling softly. 

"What is it?" Fable replied, not taking her eyes off the flowers. 

"So uh...you know Chelly and Lobo, right? Well...last night, Chelly had puppies..."

"Puppies?!" Fable responded excitedly.  "I want to see them!"

"Well...most of them died. All but one survived. Chelly had nine," Leo retorted, dropping his head. 

"Oh no...what happened?!" 

"During the attack, the Shadow Doves murdered eight out of the nine puppies she had. Chelly escaped, but Lobo...he uh..." Leo's throat was suddenly closed by an invisible hand. 

"What?! What happened?! Please tell me!" Fable was scared; Zephyr started crying in response to his mother's fear. Leo sighed and stared at the ground. 

"Well...Lobo died from unknown causes last night." 

"No...not Lobo! Please tell me you're kidding! Please!" Fable pleaded, but Leo was sincere; Lobo was dead, most likely from a hex or some sort of illness. 

"No. I'm not kidding. Lobo passed away in his sleep. I woke up and...found him dead." Leo began to tear up. "He was such a good boy...I can't believe he just passed like that..."

"Hmm..." Fable hummed before shaking her head. Leo went to lighten the mood. 

"So, uh, do you want to see the puppy?" Leo asked. 

"Certainly," Fable replied. Leo nodded, then led the way. As Fable walked, she gently bounced Zephyr in her arms, slowly lulling the crying infant to sleep. Leo turned a corner, then opened a gate. A large black and brown wolf puppy came zooming out and ran around the room like a racehorse. The puppy then turned around, ran toward Fable, stopped, and then perked its ears when it saw Zephyr in her arms. Fable giggled. "She takes after her mother in personality."

"She certainly does!" Leo cheerfully said as he began petting the puppy all over its furry body, giving its brown belly rubs and black head copious amounts of kisses. The puppy turned around and shoved Leo over, then began to lick his face, leaving slobber everywhere. "Let's name her Zippy!"

"No, I got a better name." Fable took a deep breath, then exhaled before saying the puppy's name. "Chellbo." 

"Chellbo? That's an unusual name, but I suppose it works," Leo replied. Fable looked down at the now-sleeping Zephyr. "Zephyr and Chellbo. What a team you two will be."

ONE YEAR LATER.

A year passed by. Zephyr was learning and growing very fast, as was Chellbo, who doubled in size over the past year. Zephyr and Chellbo were running around the outside of the temple, playing a simple, lighthearted game of tag while Fable and Leo watched them.