Wild Desperation

Epilogue

                                                Sang

It had been six months since the virus had been cured, six long months of figuring out how life would be now that we didn't all have to live in constant fear of a horrible death. I had inevitably decided to stay with my boys but there had been some conditions, all of which had been met adamantly by the boys. I had insisted that although I did like their house inside the fence that I hated feeling caged behind the gates. It took a few months but the boys and the Toma and Anderson teams helped build a place big enough outside the gates and overlooking the orchards. It was a two story 7 bed 3 bath cabin of sorts, set up with electricity and all the running water we could want. 

I had my own room with the dogs, although I did often allow one or two of the boys to share my bed with me. We had yet to take the physical stage in our relationship, considering how busy we had all been working out living arrangements and community problems. I had been elected as an overseer of the community so any major decisions or issues meant I got to go to a meeting with Robert's and the other elders and leaders. I hadn't wanted the job at first but Jess had been the one to ultimately talk me into it, considering it gave me plenty of free time to hunt and go about my own business outside the gates. 

I had to feed even more mouths now considering Rosie and Pepper had both had their puppies a week after I got out of the sick ward. Rosie had two girls and a boy who had a suspicious golden tint to their fur, making me think Max might have played a roll in their existence. Pepper had huge twins a girl and boy that seemed to be the pups of the large Rottweiler we'd found them all running with near my old house or horrors. The puppies were being trained and dispersed to the team's I knew and trusted, even Uncle was getting one of Rosie's pups. I had a feeling the boys weren't going to like finding out that both girls were pregnant again, a fact being I knew the father this time.

 Both girls had gone into heat when their pups were about three months old and although Max tried to get their attention both of them had been smitten with Arrow. I was surprised that even Pepper who was usually a bit snappy with my boy chose him over loveable Max, and Arrow was going to be a dad now. I was just glad he was back to full health after his bout with the virus, he was the best hunting buddy and loyal guard I'd ever had. Another condition that had been agreed on was having a barn built outside the gates near our house, and it was already built too. It was big enough for Nightmare, his three new mares, the three new foals they had and the year old colt that I was training. 

I let Jess have all the goats and they stayed inside the gates in the old barn, her main job had switched from gardener to goat farmer. She harvested their milk and made sure they were healthy and cared for, she was still figuring out the breeding aspect considering Sean had done the blood testing to figure out who to breed with who without overall inbreeding. I had agreed on one of the boys conditions, being we all had at least one meal a day together, and I enjoyed spending time with all of them. Jess even moved into the old Blackbourne house with her team of boys, Kota hadn't been pleased but I convinced him she was better off with them, than without them.

 I had also been getting a lot of tips from Lilly Anderson and Kayli on how to make my relationship with the boys work. I really liked Lilly and the rest of the Anderson team, they had quickly become part of my new extended family, and Lilly was like the mother I'd never had. Kayli had even bigger news that had me being watchful over her considering she was about 5 months pregnant with twins, all her guys were ecstatic. Things were looking up for everyone really, now that news of the cure had gone out there were women and girls showing up in our area more often now. Three had come out of hiding like I had to join the community and they were settling in nicely, despite being nervous around the rest of the community members they were starting to warm up to everyone now.

 It was crazy how much everything had changed, in a good way for once in my lifetime. I was still learning to adapt to my new life as an overseer and trying my best to get used to living with my boys full time now. There were times when I absolutely loved being around them all the time, and then there were the times when I wanted to shoot them for not leaving me alone. When I got annoyed and needed space I would either close myself in my room and read a book or go out hunting with the dog pack, sometimes I even went riding with Nightmare. The latter had been switched to walking the young colt around, he was a gorgeous red chestnut and even more fiery than Nightmare had first been. I hadn't named him yet considering I wanted to tame him more before naming him, I was quickly falling in love with him though.

 The same way I'd fallen for all my boys, at first I'd been too afraid to admit it but slowly over the last few months I'd been getting closer with the boys and showing them how much they meant to me. I had been one of the volunteers to take out the new vaccine the lab team made and of course it meant the boys came with me. I got to be introduced to some of the other Academy settlements and got used to letting the boys show off even though we all knew I was more than capable of defending myself. I had even started a training system with Raven and any of the other available boys, it was where we taught defensive training to any of the community members that were interested. 

Jess was quickly becoming one of my star pupils and I was teaching her how to throw knives next, which she was eager to learn despite her boys and mine objecting. I smiled to myself as I scratched Arrow's ears to his familiar growling croon, looking out the window over the orchards below. It was strange to me how much this felt like home after such a short time, strange that this had been something I hadn't really known I was missing. I had been on my own for so long, lost in my own survival, but now I had a family that I loved and that loved me in return.

 I sometimes joked with the boys that I might have saved them when we first met but they had been the ones who found me. It was true in its own way, they had been the ones to bring out the true me from all the scars and past memories. They were always quick to affirm that we had found and saved each other, and there wasn't anything that was going to change that or take me away from them. I had found home and family with them, and there wasn't anything that made me happier than knowing that I was home and family to them too. The world was changing around me, no longer the same wildly desperate one I'd come know, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of that change.

*Thank you all for following my story, and I'm sad to say his is the end. You're all wonderful readers and Thanks for all your wonderful comments and votes. There will be a bonus after this one though, so enjoy...*