Chapter 6 Poppy #2
He gasped and launched himself at me, nearly knocking me off the bar stool. I laughed at my fellow canine’s over-the-top display of affection. I imagined his jackal tail wagging a mile a minute.
“What are you doing here?” Muzo asked. After I explained that Taylor and Alaric invited me for breakfast, he grinned.
“That’s an awesome idea. Heck, I didn’t even know you were on the island!
” He stopped abruptly, then tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“Wait a sec. Does that mean the Dragonfate Games are back on?”
“No,” Viol stated bluntly.
Muzo wasn’t fazed by his sour reaction. “Really? Then why’s Pops here?”
“I asked him to come,” Jade explained, stirring a silver spoon into a fresh mug of tea.
“Just Poppy? Nobody else?”
“That’s right. There will be no Games, so there’s no need for contestants.”
Muzo tilted his head at me. “Then Poppy’s the only contestant?”
“If you want to think of it that way, yes,” Jade confirmed. “Although he won’t be competing in any challenges.”
“So, he’s just here for fun?”
Jade sipped his tea. He deliberately avoided the glare Viol shot in his direction. “In a manner of speaking.”
“Huh. Okay.” Muzo scratched his curly hair. “Seriously, there’s no leftover pancakes?”
After Crimson whipped up a second round of pancakes for Muzo and other late-rising stragglers, I moved across the kitchen to the ‘babysitting zone’.
That was the name for the spacious area behind the breakfast bar full of couches and toys.
Apparently, those who weren’t actively cooking or eating gathered there to watch the kids so their parents could prepare food or dine in peace.
It was noisy, but fun. I’d never seen so many adorable little ones at once.
Ruby, Heather, Lazuli, Kiara, and Desiree—who weren’t dragonets, but ferret kits with wings—then Mint.
It was a lot of new faces and names to learn, but I did my best to memorize them.
The only two missing were Rorik’s twin boys, but my friend hadn’t come downstairs for breakfast yet.
I imagined he was still curled up with Saffron in bed.
“Yo, Poppy,” Aurum called from the breakfast bar. Mylo sat beside him, close enough for their thighs to touch. “Are you sure you’re okay watching the horde?”
I smiled. “Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your meal.”
“All right, suit yourself,” Aurum said with a shrug before diving back into his shared stack of pancakes.
“Oh, Poppy’s fine, he loves kids,” Muzo declared. He paused as Cobalt wiped a trickle of syrup from his cheek, then continued, “Besides, he’s not alone, Viol’s watching, too.”
Viol’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of his name.
He sat on the opposite couch, never taking his watchful gaze off the kids as they played.
I got the sense he didn’t want to be mentioned at all.
He just wanted to do his duty in peace. I wondered if the crowd and noise of the busy kitchen overwhelmed him.
I glanced at the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door that led to the garden. The fresh air and grass beneath our feet would do us good, and the kids would probably enjoy it more than the boring kitchen floor.
“Hey,” I said to Viol, “why don’t we take them outside for a while?”
His brows rose slightly, then he nodded. “Good idea.” When he leapt off the couch, it commanded all the kids’ attention. It was obvious how much they all adored and respected him. “All right, kiddos. We’re going outside.”
A symphony of “YAY” followed. The colorful horde streamed behind Viol as he pushed the door open. He led the kids in front, while I capped the rear.
When we reached the garden, I gasped in wonder.
It was so beautiful and well-maintained.
Exotic flowers bloomed everywhere, their petals bright and vivid.
A clean, sweet scent tickled my nose, and I inhaled a deep breath of it.
Compared to the car exhaust and odor of garbage in the city, this was paradise.
“You coming?” Viol asked.
I realized I’d been zoning out. I shook my head to clear it and followed Viol as he led our little group through the garden.
The pathway was lined with whimsical cobblestones.
Kiara and Desiree made a game out of skipping to each one without touching the soil in between.
Their tiny wings flapped as they jumped.
“Nice job,” I praised.
The girls beamed. “Thanks, mistew.”
“Not mister,” Viol corrected. “That’s Uncle Poppy.”
A surprised flutter ran through me. “Uncle?”
Viol shrugged. “You’re close with the omegas, right? That makes you an uncle.”
A warm feeling surged across my skin. That was far more familiar than I would’ve dared to assume. I knew about the kids from what their parents told me, but this was my first time meeting all of them individually.
“I—I couldn’t possibly overstep like that,” I blurted.
Viol snorted. “Don’t be so modest.”
“I’m not!”
“Hey kids,” Viol announced. “Who wants to play with Uncle Poppy?”
Cries of “ME!” smothered any weak argument I’d prepared. I sighed, defeated. When it came to an excited gaggle of kids clamoring for my attention, I couldn’t refuse.
“Let’s race!” Ruby cried, shifting into human form. As the oldest, his speech was the most advanced. The longer I looked at him, the more I saw little glimpses of Taylor, and my heart felt full of affection.
“Okay, but we gotta make it fair,” Viol said. “It won’t work if some of you are dragons and ferrets. Let’s try it on two legs.”
The kids all excitedly shifted to human form. The sight of the youngsters melted my heart. It was easy to forget how young they were as animals, when they looked so noble and confident, but as toddlers, they were plump-faced and ready to topple over. They were so cute I could hardly stand it.
Viol swung around to stand beside me, creating an impromptu starting line.
I was taken aback by his sudden proximity.
When he announced “go”, I was still staring at him.
But as the kids took off, so did he. I was so busy watching him that I forgot to move.
Viol lagged behind on purpose to let the kids forge ahead.
His face lit up at their joy, and he flashed an unfiltered smile.
It was an expression I hadn’t seen touch his face in a long time.
I was so mesmerized by it that I stood motionless, content simply to observe.
Viol used to smile like that constantly. It felt like I was seeing a version of him from the past, unclouded and undamaged. My chest tightened, wrapped up in a bittersweet sensation.
Not for the first time, I wondered what our lives could’ve been...
Suddenly, I felt a jarring shiver down my spine. My gaze wrenched ahead. I saw it before it happened—Ruby tripped, his foot catching on the edge of a cobblestone. He was going to fall.
My body burst ahead instinctively, but I wasn’t fast enough. Ruby hit the ground. In the second it took me to reach him, he went dreadfully silent, then began to cry. It was a gut-wrenching sound.
I skidded to my knees, picking up Ruby and cradling him. He’d scraped his palms, and dirt was smeared on his cheek despite his streaming tears.
Viol stormed towards us in a panic. His face, which moments ago had been so peaceful, was now twisted with guilt.
“Ruby,” he cried. “Are you okay?”
The boy was too flustered to reply. He hiccupped through the tears.
I pulled him into a hug and rocked him back and forth. “You’re all right, Ruby,” I murmured. “It hurts now, but it’ll stop soon. I promise.”
Viol kneeled, his expression still wild with alarm. His shoulders trembled, and his skin was pale. He looked like he needed comforting almost as badly as Ruby.
I stroked Ruby’s hair and continued to hold him. Soon his wails died down into sniffles, and I knew he was coherent enough to speak again.
“It’s okay,” I repeated gently. “You’re safe, right?”
Ruby’s sniffles paused as he considered my question. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
“Does it hurt less?”
He thought it over again. When he replied, his voice was steadier. “Uh-huh.”
“That’s good. Should we go inside and take a break, or would you prefer to keep playing?”
Ruby contemplated his options. “Um... keep playing.”
I smiled. “Okay. Maybe we can race on all fours this time so it’s not as scary if you fall. Right?”
“Uh-huh,” he agreed, smiling back.
I was relieved to see how quickly he bounced back. In a couple minutes, he went from sobbing to wiping his tears and eagerly shifting into dragon form to resume playing. His resilience impressed me. I wished I was that brave.
After instructing the rest of the kids about our updated rules, they shifted and took off running as if nothing bad happened. The critters gambolled to the end of the pathway, steady on all four paws this time, giggling and encouraging each other all the while.
When I stood up, I noticed Viol was still pale.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He ducked his head. Dark locks of hair fell across his face, obscuring his eyes. “It’s my fault Ruby got hurt,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have suggested a stupid race.”
“It’s not your fault at all,” I countered. “Accidents happen. Kids bounce back.”
Viol angled his head away from me, but I still caught his grimace. “No, I should’ve known better,” he spat. “I babysit all the time. I don’t make mistakes like this.”
I blinked, not understanding what he was getting at.
He blew out a frustrated breath. “I just... got distracted.”
My heart sank. Was I the distraction? If Viol babysat constantly, and this was the first time he’d ever made a mistake, that was the only conclusion I could think of.
“Um... I can go inside, if that would help,” I suggested quietly.
He whirled around, shaking his head. “No. You’re great with the kids. I should be the one who goes inside.”
My brow furrowed. “Viol, wait. You don’t need to leave. We can watch them together.”
But my disappointment only grew when Viol walked past me, skulking back towards the castle.
“Viol!” I called.
“The kids need you,” he called back.
My shoulders slumped in disbelief as Viol left. I understood that he felt guilty, but why did he beat himself up so badly?
But he was right; the kids needed me. I quickly moved to the finish line, where they’d all gathered.
“Where’s Uncle Viol?” Ruby asked.
I smiled despite knowing I couldn’t tell him the truth. “He needed a break, so he went inside for a snack.”
I practically saw light bulbs flashing over the kids’ heads. That got their attention.
“Can we have snacks, too?” Heather demanded.
I chuckled at their enthusiasm. “You all just ate breakfast,” I pointed out. “But if you’re really hungry after your big race, then sure.”
“Yay!”
“In that case, let’s go have some snacks,” I announced.
The two kids closest to me, Mint and Lazuli, both shifted to human form to hold my hands. My heart squeezed with affection. I felt grateful and honored that they already trusted me as their uncle.
But as I herded the kids back to the kitchen, my heart ached in a different way. Why did Viol get so upset? And would he have gotten upset in the first place if I wasn’t here?
I didn’t know what to do. If my presence bothered Viol, I was more than willing to leave, so why wouldn’t he just communicate that? Was he afraid of hurting my feelings? If only he knew that keeping me in the dark hurt more...