The rain abated somewhat by the time the sun had set. Several torches were lit around the Glen. Some of the brands were enclosed lamps and they cast sharp shadows that rose up through the tree branches. The rest which were open to the air were tentative at first, but after an hour were burning as brightly as their brethren. Charles and Garigan watched the shadows flicker and dance as they rested upon the slick tree branch.
Both of them sat in quiet solitude, broken only by the occasional humming of the song of their clan. When one of them would start, it would only be a few bars before the other would join in, a peaceful calm settling over them as they did so. Wistfully, whenever they would hum, Charles would remember his days in Sondeshara, a time that seemed ages ago. It had only been seven years since he had left that ancient city, the home of his clan. But those years were ones he could not take back, nor would he want to if he could.
Even so, as Charles felt that soothing tune course through his very veins, he wished that Garigan could have trained there as well. How much more would a Sondeckis of his talent learn amongst so many masters? Charles could teach what he knew, and borrow from what many of his instructors said, but he knew that a part of his success in guiding Garigan as far as he had come already in a little less than a year was the ferret himself.
His thoughts however slipped from his mind just as the rain washed off Garigan’s fur whenever they reached the end of the song. Instead his focus returned once again to the land beneath them. Occasionally they would see one of the Glenners themselves running quickly from one door to another to avoid getting wet. Otherwise the road was empty, a thoroughfare full only of mud. And it was upon that despairing sight that Charles held until the sound of another climbing the tree caught his ear.
It was Berchem. The skunk was the captain of Lord Avery’s archers. And he was also the rat’s replacement on guard duty. Berchem liked to stand watch at night, as his monochrome body fur blended so well in with the darkness. In fact, if not for the clicking of his claws along the tree, a sound that wound not have existed if he were worried that there were any about in the woods, Charles could not see him at all. There was a shimmering amongst the shadows, a spectre that slithered up the trunk, but that was all. And then the skunk lifted himself up onto the branch, nodding once to the rat and ferret.
Charles smiled in relief, giving his whiskers a quick shake, a few drops of water flicking free. “Good night, Garigan, Berchem.” He nodded once to both of them, and then slipped past the skunk and made his own descent. They were not too high up in the tree, but it was enough that he would probably break something should he fall. When he’d tried to keep up with Christopher and Darien the very first time he’d been in the Glen, they’d gone much higher in the trees. With it drizzling, he would not even consider something so reckless.
Nevertheless, it did not take him too long to get down though, the sparse grass at the base of the tree quite damp. His toes sunk into the loam, mud burrowing into his claws in a most unpleasant manner. Grimacing, Charles shifted the bow slung over his shoulder and quickly made the trek through the massive trees and into the clearing. He smiled widely as he saw lights burning within his home at the base of one of the larger trees. There would be warmth for him soon enough.
He nearly felt the song of the Sondeckis spill out from his lips when he put his paw to the door. But he held his tongue in check and stepped through, ducking a bit so that the top of his bow would not catch on the transom. Charles could smell warm bread, cooked onions and potatoes, as well as the bite of woodsmoke and three distinct animal musks. The faintest was equine, and though it was only a trace when compared to the mouth watering aroma of the cooked vegetables, he knew it to be that of James, although the donkey had not been within his home in hours.
The other two were both much stronger, so strong that he knew they were in the room before him. The one was his wife Kimberly, and the other Baerle the opossum. It was not unusual for him to smell both of them so strong when he returned from his duties for the Glen. In that moment when he entered the door and all those scents came to him, he felt the pleasure of a warm home, and knew that his day was done. All that would come now would be pleasure.
“Charles!” Kimberly called out from where she sat. She did not stand up, but she did smile widely, lowering the bowl of vegetables she had before her. It looked nearly empty. Beside her was a pile of yarn and small folded clothes. “You look wet!”
Charles pulled the bow over his head and nodded a bit, water dripping off of his fur and clothes onto the wood floor beneath him. Baerle, who had been sitting across from his wife, set aside her own bowl and stood. She regarded him in amusement for a moment, and then came around to remove his hide jacket. Charles’s eyes went wide at that, and he stuttered, “Thank... Thank you, Baerle.”
Kimberly giggled a moment and quickly slurped down another morsel of potato. “We’ve got exciting news, Charles. Once you’ve dried off. Baerle, can you get him a towel?”
The opossum nodded at that, first closing the door. Not waiting for the towel, Charles crossed over to the hearth, and then leaned over the side of Kimberly’s chair and gave her a kiss upon her muzzle. “Oh stop it, you’re wet!” she objected, though she still laughed in delight.
“So what’s the news?” Charles asked as he held out his paws before the crackling fire. It felt so good to warm his cold fingers. His foot paws were still covered in mud, but he wasn’t worried about that just then.
Baerle returned with a towel then, handing it to him with a nod of her head and a slightly discommoded smile. Her eyes trailed down him as if embarrassed, and then she said in a soft voice. “Let me get you a basin for those paws.”
“Thank you, Baerle. That’s very nice of you,” Charles said, smiling. He would have preferred Kimberly to do it, but her pregnancy was too far along to allow her much motion. Baerle left into the kitchen to retrieve some warmed water for him, and he turned once more to his wife. “So what’s the news.”
Kimberly smiled primly and shook her head. “Not until Baerle comes back.” She then held up one of the folded garments and let it drop.”Look what I made today!” she said, her voice trilling with delight. There was a burr there, a chittering of pleasure that could never have bene made with a human throat. And somehow it only excited her husband more to hear that, his eyes growing wide, ears lifting high upon his head.
“Oh that’s wonderful! It’s a little shirt,” Charles wanted to reach out and take hold of the shirt, but his paws were still a little damp. He wanted to take his tunic and trousers off so that he could try to dry his fur, but he certainly could not do so when Baerle was there. Instead he rubbed the towel over his arms and legs, as well as his muzzle. He’d just have to wait a little bit longer before he could be as dry as he would like.
Kimberly smiled broadly then, her whiskers twitching in pride. “I made one for each of them today. I don’t know if they will fit right, but they are going to look so cute in these.”
Charles smiled and let his voice lower in pitch. “I don’t think they’ll need any help being cute. If they are half as cute as you are beautiful, even the most savage ogre would be stricken with love.”
She giggled at that and blushed slightly in her ears. “Oh you!”
Baerle returned from the kitchen then carrying a small brass basin filled with water. There was another small towel draped over her shoulder. She lowered it down onto the brick inlay in front of the hearth and then took a few steps back. “There you are, Charles.”
Charles nodded, lowering himself onto the brick, and sticking his muddied paws into the water. “You know I’m trying to dry myself off,” he admonished facetiously. The water felt good, warm, and it worked the mud out from between his toes and claws. He sat down upon the brick, tail and one paw splayed out behind him, while his other rubbed between his toes to dislodge the rest of the mud.
Both Baerle and Kimberly laughed at that. After depositing the smaller towel on top of his head, Baerle sat back down and continued eating her potatoes and onions. “There is a little bit more on the stove when you are ready to eat.”
“Thank you, Baerle,” Charles said, smiling as he pulled the second towel off his ears. Satisfied that his foot paws were clean at last, he quickly dried them off and then stood back up. “So what’s this big news?”
Kimberly shook her head, swallowing one more bite. “Not until you get dried off. Now go and get changed.” And before he could object, she had already put a chunk of onion between her teeth, turning back to Baerle and giggling. Baerle did as well, a thoroughly feminine sound that made Charles feel quite uncomfortable. They were plotting against him somehow, although he knew that was irrational.
Not wanting to waste any more time while they were giggling conspiratorially, Charles crossed over to the bedroom and closed the door behind him. The fire was not burning as brightly in their bedroom hearth. He set a few more logs upon it, and it crackled gratefully. He then stripped off his wet clothes and hung them just before the flue. He’d brought the towel in with him, and quickly rubbed it firmly along his chest and back fur. It always felt good to massage himself so, especially when he rubbed it back and forth along his tail. He could not help but grind his teeth together in rodent pleasure.
Through the door he could hear his wife and Baerle giggle some more, talking in whispering tones that he was meant to hear but not understand. He laughed to himself then, sighing and shaking his head. Whatever it was they had to tell him was probably some devious scheme they had in mind to get him out of the house just like they had back when Kimberly first became pregnant. Well, as long as they told him this time what they were up to he supposed he could handle it.
He slipped on a dry pair of trousers and tunic and then rejoined them. Baerle was bringing Kimberly out a fresh bowl, as well as a loaf of bread. She greedily took it from her friend’s paws, and quickly bolted down another bit of potato. “Oh, Charles,” Baerle said as she looked up. “I left a bowl out for you. There’s still some bread left too.”
He nodded once to the opossum, and went to grab his own meal. There was only a little bit of potato and onion left, but it would suffice. He spooned it into the bowl, and took it back with him, sitting down in the couch next to his wife’s chair. “Okay,” he said, after eating one bit of onion. “I’m dry, Baerle is here, and I have my food. What is the big news?”
“Well,” Kimberly said, setting her bowl aside for one moment, though she could not help but shove little pieces of bread into her muzzle as she spoke. “You know how we are going to have five children, my dear husband.” Her tone was arched at that, but only mildly so. “As I have only two breasts, I cannot nurse all of our children at once. So I have decided that we will need a wet nurse merely to survive.”
Charles blinked once at this. He had never even thought about how they would feed so many little muzzles. Surely there were other ways aside from having a wet nurse. Perhaps she could take a taur form. She’d have more breasts then. He smiled coyly then, shifting about on the couch. He’d rather like to see his wife in a taur form, if he could ever convince her to try. To keep his smile from becoming too obvious, he shoved some potato in his mouth, nodding for her to continue.
“And I have decided that Baerle will be our wet nurse.”
The potato flew out of his muzzle. “Baerle?” he exclaimed after his choking fit subsided. His eyes stole across to the opossum, and saw her nervous smile to him. “But you haven’t had any children of your own,” Charles managed to add. The thought of the opossum nursing his children sat oddly with him. He did not know how to feel about it.
Kimberly’s eyes were wide with shock, looking down at the potato chunk that her husband had spit out and back up to her husband again. “We already discussed that. Lady Avery or Jo can help there. Now pick that bit of potato up.” To Charles, Kimberly sounded hurt in some way. Abashed, he set his bowl aside and knelt down on the floor, retrieving the offending bit of potato.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Charles said, feeling a bit of shame fill him. “It caught me by surprise was all. Baerle,” he did his best to smile up to the opossum from his vantage point on the floor, “I know you do so much for Kimberly. And I’m sure you’ll do this for her and for us just as well.” He climbed back into his chair and scooped another bit of potato in his mouth, eating it and swallowing this time.
He smiled then to his wife. “It is a good idea, dear. That will definitely take some of the strain off of you. I suppose that means that after the children are born, you’ll be spending quite a bit more time here?” This last he asked of the opossum.
“Actually,” Kimberly said, eyeing her husband, “I thought that Baerle should live with us, at least until they are weaned. You could help her move into one of the upstairs rooms once she’s ready.”
“Yes,” Charles said, glad that he hadn’t put anything into his muzzle. Not only would she be breast-feeding his children, but she’d be living in his home. Perhaps it would be for the best. After all, they were friends still. There was nothing wrong in being close to friends. “That is a good idea too. We have enough space for it. Just let me know when you want to move in, Baerle, and I’ll be glad to help you. You can choose which room you want of course.”
Baerle nodded and smiled warmly to them both. “Thank you, Kimberly, Charles. You both make me feel like a part of your family. I suppose I could move in whenever you’d like me to.”
“Well you should before they’re born,” Kimberly said, smiling brightly once again, paws resting on her bulging belly. “That’ll give you time to settle in and help us get everything organized.”
The opossum laughed. “You still haven’t moved any of it have you?”
Charles chuckled lightly and shook his head after swallowing some onion. “No, it is still quite cluttered in the upper room. James and I were going to sort through it next week when we had a chance, but an extra paw would be lovely.”
“Oh why don’t you go pick out a room right now,” Kimberly suggested. “Easier while we’re thinking about it. Charles, show Baerle the rooms. You can take your dinner with you.”
Charles could not help but blink and nod at his wife. He took the bowl in one paw and rose to his feet. He leaned over and gave his wife a slow kiss upon her cheek though, and he could see her smile in her eyes and whiskers. He felt those whiskers twitch across the fur of his neck, and it brought a slight chitter to his tongue. As he stood back up, his ears brushed across her whiskers. “We shall be back before you can miss us,” he assured her, holding her chin in his paw.
“Well,” Kimberly said, her laugh gentle, “maybe you shouldn’t go after all. Not if you’ll do that again.”
At that Charles laughed openly, and kissed her once more. Stepping around his wife’s chair, Charles gestured to the stairwell, and Baerle glided up them, long white tail swinging from side to side with each step. Smiling once more to Kimberly, the rat followed up after the opossum, carrying his bowl of potato and onions in one paw. There wasn’t much left to the meal, only two bits of onion and three of potato. He ate one of the potato as he reached the top of the landing.
Baerle stood inspecting the room cluttered with the various baby things. Her eyes scanned the cribs against one wall, the toys laying upon the bear rug, and the dressers yet to be assembled. The fire continued to crackle in the upstairs hearth, but she still added another log to it to help keep the home warm. “This will be a very nice room once you have it organized. Kimberly says that you decided to let the children sleep out here while they are young.”
“Yes,” Charles nodded, swallowing the potato. “There are three rooms off of this one, but we’ll let them move into those once they get older. The middle one is the largest.”
Baerle looked to the three doorways set to her left. They were all fairly close together, but the middle room did appear to be nearly half again as large as the other two. She stood in the doorway for a moment, and then peered out past the rat towards the set of windows that overlooked the Glen in the opposite wall. They were small round portals in which set a pane of glass. During the summer, the glass would be turned on its side so that one could see through it clearly and to let a little breeze into the room. Small brands burned on either side of the windows.
“This is larger than my home,” Baerle said softly. Charles looked up sharply then, and took a few steps towards her, careful not to stub his toe on a rocking horse.
“I’ve never seen your home,” he said. “I hope it does not bother you.”
Baerle shook her head, looking away from him for a moment. “It will be lovely to live with you and your wife. I hope you don’t mind.”
He shook his head. “It caught me by surprise. But I think Kimberly is right. You’ll be a great help to us both. And you are a dear friend to us both, Baerle. We’ve been through a lot together after all.”
“Please,” Baerle said, her voice lowering. She smiled, though it seemed almost forced for a moment. “I will take this room. I don’t have much of my own. But what I do have I can bring most of myself.”
“Nonsense.” Charles shook his head, and reached out with his free paw and rested it on her shoulder. It was awkward, considering that she was taller than him, but he did so nevertheless. “I will be glad to help you move everything whenever you are ready to move.”
Her smile was stronger then. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
He squeezed her shoulder a bit and smiled. Some of her fur spilled from her collar over his fingers. “I know you will. Now come, let’s rejoin Kimberly. We’ve plans to make.” He let go of her after a moment and stepped back out of the way. His body trembled, though he could not quite tell why, as she passed, her tail very nearly brushing against his legs.
Putting a piece of onion between his teeth, Charles chewed it quietly as they went back downstairs.
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