Chapter 144: Episode 143: You need a bigger bed.
"Aww hey baby~" Rue came into the room and quickly picked up little Seika.
She stepped away from the doorframe and hurried to the side of the wooden crib. Theron stood there with a shiny tear running right down his pale cheek. His golden snake eyes looked up at her, full of overwhelming emotion.
Seika still held onto his tiny finger with a firm, stubborn grip.
Rue gently loosened the newborn’s tiny hand. She scooped Seika up into her arms, bringing the warm bundle close to her chest. Seika let out a soft coo, blinking her golden eyes at the bright room.
Rue looked down at her son. She wiped the wet tear from his face with her thumb. She just could not hold back a bright smile.
"Are you crying, my brave prince?" Rue teased softly. "You are such a little crybaby today."
Theron blushed deep red. His cheeks turned the colour of ripe strawberries. He quickly wiped his face with the back of his hand, trying to look tough again. He stood up tall and puffed out his small chest, remembering his duty as a royal guard.
"I’m not crying," Theron mumbled, looking away. "Her grip is just too strong. She surprised me. I will get much stronger so she can hold my hand all day."
Damn, Axel has been teaching him a lot of English lately.
Mochi crawled over to him. The little leopard girl patted Theron on the shoulder with her chubby hand. She offered him a bright, gap-toothed smile, silently telling him it was okay to shed a tear. Theron looked at her and gave a small nod, accepting the comfort.
Rue couldn’t help but giggle. The sound bubbled up from her throat, filling the quiet nursery. They were so cute together. They took their jobs as older siblings very seriously.
"You are already very strong, Theron," Rue praised him. "Both of you are doing a great job watching over her."
Seika began to fuss in Rue’s arms. The newborn rooted around, turning her face toward Rue’s chest. She let out a sharp, demanding cry. It was time for her afternoon feeding. The nursery was nice, but it lacked the tall, soft pillows Rue needed to support her aching back during long feeding sessions.
"I need to feed your sister," Rue told the toddlers. "You guys stay here and play with your wooden blocks. I will be right back."
Rue turned and walked down the stone hallway, heading back to the main bedroom. She settled into the center of the giant circular bed. She arranged the gray pillows behind her spine, finding the perfect spot to rest her tired bones. She adjusted her dress and let Seika latch on.
The bedroom was very quiet. The warm summer sun shined through the glass window, painting yellow squares across the woven rugs. Seika ate slowly. She took her time, enjoying the warm milk and the steady rhythm of Rue’s heartbeat.
An hour passed. Rue rested her head back, closing her pink eyes. She loved these quiet moments. She felt a deep, warm peace settling in her chest. She was a mother. She had a healthy baby girl, and she felt safe.
Out in the hallway, sharing attention proved to be a hard lesson for a feral cat.
Mochi gets a little jealous when Rue spends an hour feeding Seika in the bedroom and not the children’s room. She missed Rue. She didn’t want to play with the wooden blocks anymore. She wanted her spot on the bed. She wanted Rue to stroke her silver curls and call her sweet names. But Rue was busy with the new baby.
Mochi walked down the hall on her short legs. She stopped right outside the open bedroom door. She looked inside and saw Rue holding Seika close. A sharp sting of jealousy hit the little girl’s heart. She didn’t know how to express the confusing feeling using human words.
A soft flash of light wrapped around her small body. She shifts into her cub form and whines by the door.
The tiny gray snow leopard cub sat back on her fuzzy haunches. She lowered her head and let out a sad, pathetic sound. She scratched her paw gently against the wooden doorframe, begging for attention.
Rue notices and calls her over. She opened her eyes and looked toward the door. She saw the little gray fuzzball sitting there, looking rejected and lonely. Rue’s heart broke just a little bit. She knew transitions were tough on kids, especially when a new baby arrived. Mochi just wanted to feel wanted.
"Come here, sweet girl," Rue called out softly. She patted the empty space on the mattress right beside her hip. "You don’t have to sit out there."
Mochi’s bright blue eyes lit up. She perked her round ears forward. The cub trotted into the room, her tail swishing happily behind her. She hopped up onto the tall bed with clumsy grace. She crawled across the gray sheets and curled up right against Rue’s side.
Rue shifted her weight to make more room. She kept one arm securely around Seika, who was now falling asleep. She wraps an arm around the gray cub. She ran her fingers through Mochi’s soft fur, scratching her exactly where she liked it behind the ears.
"I still love you so much, Mochi," Rue whispered, resting her chin near the cub’s head. She makes sure Mochi knows she is still loved. "You are my good girl. Having a new baby doesn’t change that. There is plenty of room for everyone."
Mochi let out a loud, rumbling purr. The sound vibrated against Rue’s ribs. The cub closed her eyes and rested her chin on Rue’s thigh, feeling perfectly content. The jealousy vanished into thin air. She just needed a hug.
A few minutes later, the sound of tiny bare feet slapped against the stone floor.
Theron walked into the bedroom. The silver snake boy wore a very serious frown. He realized his guard partner abandoned her post. He came looking for the leopard, fully intending to scold her for leaving the nursery.
He stopped at the edge of the bed. He looked at the cozy scene. Rue sat in the middle, looking warm and soft. Seika slept soundly on her chest. Mochi purred loudly by her side.
Theron’s frown melted away. Being a strict guard was very tiring work for a little boy. He wanted to join the pile too.
He didn’t say a word. He just climbed up the side of the mattress. He crawled over the blankets, finding a small empty space near Rue’s bent knee. He curled his body up into a tight ball. Theron joins the pile, falling asleep against Rue’s knee, letting out a long, tired sigh.
Rue smiled down at him. She couldn’t reach him with her hands, so she just shifted her leg slightly to give him a better pillow. Theron closed his golden eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
The room felt like a warm oven of love and safety. Rue looked at the three children surrounding her. She remembered her old life back on Earth. She used to sit in a sterile room, watching rain hit the window glass, wishing someone would just come and sit with her. She spent years longing for a simple touch. She used to dream of having a family, but she never imagined it would look like this.
She had a fierce snake boy who tried to protect her from everything. She had a feral leopard cub who purred when she was happy. She had a newborn panther girl who carried the bright eyes of a warlord. It was a wild, strange pack, but they were hers. She belonged to them, and they belonged to her.
Seika let out a tiny breath, her small lips parting as she fell deeper into her dreams. Rue carefully pulled her dress up, covering herself back up. She adjusted the baby so she rested comfortably in the crook of her arm.
The quiet afternoon stretched on. The warmth radiating from the three sleeping kids made Rue’s own eyelids grow heavy. She tried to fight the sleep. She wanted to stay awake and just watch them breathe. But her body was still healing. The soothing purr coming from Mochi acted like a perfect lullaby. Rue rested her head back against the gray pillows, letting the soft darkness pull her under.
She drifted off to sleep, surrounded by her babies.
The sun dipped lower in the sky outside. The shadows in the stone bedroom grew longer.
Heavy, quiet footsteps walked down the hall. Knox had spent the last two hours out in the dirt yard, chopping wood to burn for the night. He wanted to make sure the cabin stayed warm. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his scarred hand. He walked into the house, enjoying the quiet peace.
He headed straight for the bedroom to check on his mate and his new daughter. He pushed the wooden door open just a crack, making sure he didn’t make a loud sound.
Knox stopped right in the doorway.
He looked at the giant circular bed. It was supposed to be a spacious bed, built for tall warlords and a pregnant rabbit. Now, it looked incredibly crowded.
Rue lay in the very center, fast asleep. Seika rested on her chest, a tiny bundle of pale skin and dark curls. Mochi was sprawled out on Rue’s right side, her fuzzy gray tail draped over Rue’s arm. Theron was curled up on her left side, using her knee as a pillow, snoring very softly.
Rue was buried under a pile of sleeping kids. You could barely see the gray sheets beneath them.
Knox leaned his broad shoulder against the doorframe. A bright, genuine smile stretched across his scarred face. His heart did a familiar, happy flip. He loved seeing them all together like this. He loved knowing he helped build this safe place for them.
He pushed the door open a little wider and stepped into the room. He didn’t want to wake them, but he couldn’t help speaking.
Knox walks in to find his mate buried under three sleeping kids. "You need a bigger bed," he chuckles.