"That was nicely done," Nico comments as he hangs the stag from the tree and lets it drain.
Blood drips off his naked shoulders and chest, staining the waist of his beige linen trousers.
He was more than impressed with his son's hunting skills. Even more so knowing he'd had to train himself. He was a natural. Pride swells in Nico's chest.
"Thank you." Mithun stands taller at the compliment, eager to please his father.
So much like himself, Nico thinks, because he was the same way with his old man.
"It sounds like your Mom's sleeping," Nico comments, his hearing picking up the slow beating of her heart and breathing. "That's good. She needs as much rest as she can get."
"I'm surprised she's letting us take care of her. She's usually really stubborn about things like that," Mithun admits.
"Mom's find it hard to switch off," Nico responds knowingly. "It's hardwired into them. My mother was the same. My father would threaten to tie her down if she didn't take a break. He'd take over her chores, look after us kids, force her to have some down time and she'd complain about it, but reluctantly admit afterwards that's just what she needed."
Nico chuckles fondly at the memory.
Mith's eyes brighten. "They're my grandparents, right?" He receives a nod in affirmative. "Are they still alive?"
Nico smiles. "Yes, they're over a thousand years old now. Retired. My father handed his alpha title over to my brother a hundred years ago."
"Wow," the younger shifter breathes. "Will I be able to meet them?"
"I can take you there. They transferred to the Sandtide pack. It's out of the way, but well protected. They have these huts lining the beach and overlooking the ocean. Going there is like having a vacation. Peaceful, but more importantly for our elderly, safe. I visit when I can. Next time, I'll bring you with me." His hand lands on Mithun's shoulder and he gives it a squeeze.
Nico adds, "They'll be so happy you're alive and well. You're going to be spoilt once we get back."
"Spoilt?" he questions.
"Gifts," Nico clarifies. "Presents. Food. Toys."
His eyes widen. "That's a lot of stuff," he breathes excitedly. "My Mom always got me what she could but. . .she didn't have a lot of money."
"It can't have been easy being a single mother," he acknowledges. "Did she work? Other than her rescue."
"She'd take shifts at the local tavern on weekends whenever Jessa could babysit me."
Nico rubs his chin.
"Starting to think bambi never caught a damn break," he mutters, mostly to himself. Then he thinks about how now is a good time to bring it up since Mithun mentioned her name. "Jessa sounds like she was a nice lady. You were close to her?"
"She was my aunt," he says sadly, hanging his head and toeing at the grass. "When he killed her. . .I wanted to rip him apart. I think I would have too had Mom not been there. She doesn't like that stuff so I didn't want her to see it." He pauses. "Then that guard shot her with an arrow and I was so angry that someone could hurt her and with what just happened to aunt Jessa I saw red and-and-"
"Easy," Nico tells him softly, seeing the boy losing his breath. "It's okay, Mithun. It's hard to control your wolf when your loved ones are hurt or in danger. I understand."
There's more the young pup wants to share, feeling reassured by his fathers acceptance.
Mithun shifts nervously on his feet. "I. . .I don't care that I killed him. Mom looks at me like she's worried but I don't see things the way she does. I'm – I'm only worried she'll think I'm a monster if she knows how little violence affects me."
"It's in your DNA, son." It didn't escape either if them that it was the first time he'd called him that. It felt right. Easy. Like they hadn't been separated for the last eight years. Nico places both his hands on his kid's shoulders. "I'm sure she'll understand that. Shifters are the embodiment of violence. We can't help the way we are no more than anyone else can."
Mith relaxes a little, hearing that. "Then what are mortals?"
Nico hesitates. "Mortals were always considered weak. Fragile. Bottom of the food chain. . .but after meeting your mother I realise just how wrong that judgement is."
Mith snorts. "Trust me, most of the them like that. My Mom and Jessa are an exception."
Nico ruffles his hair before stepping back. "I'll take your word on that one." He pauses before asking, "So, your Mom never had anyone special in her life? No man or woman to sweep her off her feet?"
"Nah." He shakes his head, eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"No reason," Nico says, too quickly. "Let's get back to the stag."
Mithun isn't convinced. "If you're looking to court my Mom. . .Well. Mortals also like gifts. Just sayin'."
With that, he walks past Nico towards the stag.
With a half-sigh, half-chuckle Nico shakes his head before turning and joining him.
Their pup was something else.
༓･*˚*･༓☾ WYIFH ☽༓･*˚*･༓
Black. Its pitch black.
You can't see or feel.
Weightless, yet it was as if the world was weighing down your shoulders. Floating whilst simultaneously being crushed.
"There's something wrong with you, half-blood," a silky, feminine voice echoes around you. "Your being is at war. You need to fight."
"Fight?" you murmur weakly. "How can I fight when I cannot see?"
"You don't need eyes for this battle," she informs you. "Draw strength from within. Tame the devil inside of you and use it."
"How?" you can't even feel your fingers or toes. Did you no longer possess a body?
"Fight!" she hollers instead. "Fight! Fight it! Fight it or die, half-blood!"
You wake up with a gasp.
Sweat beads down your temple and you wipe it away. Your clothes soaked; body heated.
Mithun and Nico appear at the cave mouth, concern knitting their features. You hadn't even had a chance to catch your breath before they'd come running.
"I'm okay," you say automatically. Didn't like people making a fuss of you and right now, you'd had more than your fill of it. "Just a bad dream."
Is that what it was?
Somehow it felt like more.
"We could hear your heart," Mith speaks up, sharing an anxious look with his Dad. "It was beating so hard and fast I thought it was going to give out."
"I'm okay," you repeat. "But. I don't suppose you have a change of clothes?"
Nico, with dried blood staining his chest – you assume from the hunt - appears reluctant to change the subject but goes along with it anyway.
"There's a chest in a nook at the back of the cave. Help yourself. . .but, bambi," he hesitates before shaking his head. A side-eye at Mithun tells you whatever he wanted to say, he didn't want to do it around him. "We'll talk later. C'mon, Mith. We'll give your Mom some privacy."
With them gone, you take a moment to calm yourself. The dream left you on edge, your nerves frayed. The persistent ache in your belly did nothing to help, along with the pain in your thigh. Hell, all of you hurt in one way or another. Even your skin felt raw.
You hold back the urge to cry like a baby. Maybe, if you knew for sure neither Mithun or Nico would hear, you'd let the tears out. But as it were, pride kept you from releasing them.
You'd be damned if the father of your child who was one of the strongest, most feared of his kind would hear you whimpering away like a lost child.
You change your menstrual stained cloth at the same time you change your clothes. You bundle the blood-soaked material in the middle of your dirty laundry. You'd wash them soon, knowing you only had a limited supply of clothing and you were going to be here for a few weeks yet.
Once you're clean and composed, you take a few deep breaths before limping your way outside. Tumbling water greets you before you turn right and walk the stone path which hugs the outside of the cave.
Mith and Nico stand by a stag hanging upside down from a tree, it's huge antlers brushing against the ground.
They both turn their heads to you at the same time. Nico strides forward without hesitation. Despite the large distance between you, he reaches you in half the time it would have taken a normal person.
"May I?" he questions, gesturing to you.
You consider for a moment.
Whilst you didn't want him to see you as weak, you also didn't want to over do it. Had it just been the pain in your leg, you might have turned him down, but the cramps in your lower belly had you almost hunched over. Something which was no good for your leg. "Please."
A thick arm locks around your waist; your own attempting to reach his shoulders and wrap around his neck but the height difference made it too awkward.
Nico chuckles and points out, "You're too short for that."
Blushing, you let your arm fall to his hips instead, internally cursing yourself for the embarrassing interaction.
"It's hard not to be short when you're surrounded by giants," you grumble as he supports you, making your way over to Mith who watched you both with amusement.
You weren't kidding either; your head just about reaches his pecks.
Ridiculous. Who needed so much height?
Nico laughs again. "Don't worry. I think it's cute."
You scowl, opening your mouth to retort but Mithun gets there first.
"It's true, you're adorable Mom." He winds you up, twinkle in his blue eyes. Like the sun reflecting off water. "I'll be as tall as Dad one day. Then you can't tell me what to do anymore!"
You huff. It's Nico who responds to him.
"Doesn't matter how old, how tall, or how high rank you get - you'll always listen to your mother," Nico says sternly before his lips twitch. "Even if she's the size of a leprechaun."
Mithun cracks up at that.
You scowl harder.