Chapter 32
Eran
Lake Moonscale
I woke up before the others and strolled outside.
Something was different. The sun wasn’t even peeking up over the horizon yet, but something was different.
The whole group link felt different. Had something horrible happened while we were gone?
No. It wasn’t that. Someone was keeping something from me.
I walked out to the end of the pier and sat down. A few water dragons splashed around, laughing on the other side of the lake. One shushed the others when they spotted me. I waved a friendly hello but my mind was reeling, things were too quiet over the group link.
“Maybe things blew up last night and Feral and Ty are trying to keep them quiet,” my cat yawned into my thoughts.
That was it, I had to ask someone what went down last night.
I sent a quick text to Bernard. He was on the farm and if anyone knew if something had gone wrong, it’d be him.
He might’ve yanked Nashen off his feet and flown away with him, though.
ME: What’s up with the link? Everything cool there?
BERNARD: No more haunted well. Nashen is in the early stages of labor. Too much to explain over text. Pami’s gone too. She wasn’t the woman in the well but she’s gone. We’ve heard rumors that Clarence and Medwin are close to finishing whatever they’re doing in the Burrow.
My heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t it too soon for Nashen to be in labor? Had whatever happened the night before put the baby in distress?
ME: Isn’t it too soon?
BERNARD: By a week or so. We’ve had everyone from Doctor Collin to Philip in the house. Apparently, the baby is ready and turned and all of that. They’d like us to go to the hospital but- It’s just complicated. Nashen has a complicated relationship with hospitals.
ME: Do I need to come back?
The next text came too quickly.
BERNARD: NO!
ME: Did I do something to offend you? Is Nashen still hissy about me?
BERNARD: No. Just stay and enjoy the lake, okay? Childbirth isn’t a spectator sport.
ME: I’m going to drop it because your mate is in early labor but something is up and eventually we will be back. If something’s wrong we deserve a head’s up.
BERNARD: Ask your mate if you really want to know.
I almost texted him again but let it go.
If something horrible had happened, surely, I’d have felt it over the group link.
I scrolled through my contacts, pondering who else might be awake at this hour and might be more forthcoming than Bernard.
I couldn’t hammer him for info while his mate was in labor.
His life was changing forever and if Vatten was in labor I wouldn’t give a text the time of day unless it was life or death.
“Why are you up already, Uncle Eran?” a tiny voice came from behind me on the pier. I jumped, catching myself before I faceplanted right off.
“Shit! I mean crap! I mean poop! I mean… Are you alright, buddy?” I asked, twisting around.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asked, looking at me with big eyes.
His little blanket was tied around his neck like a cape.
He lifted it up as he sat down next to me.
The night before, Jade and I grilled while he and Vatten played in the water.
Their maritime adventure meant that another box of rocks was going home in Jade’s green Wing Minivan, but that was par for the course when living with an otter who was always on the lookout for the perfect rock.
“No. I was just startled. I thought everyone was asleep,” I said.
“I had to pee.”
“Did you pee?” I asked, because sometimes he wouldn’t go to the bathroom unless someone stood guard. He nodded and yawned.
“You were gone. So I came to look for you. Did you pee outside? We’re not really supposed to do that, but I won’t tell.”
“No, I didn’t pee outside,” I said, trying not to laugh.
“You’re going to move.”
“Move where?” I blinked, worried that he thought I was leaving him behind. Between Jade and Vatten there were enough worries that I was going to abandon someone.
“Closer to us. Your dog man was on the phone last night. He thought I was asleep. He called Mister Canton. He changed his mind about where to live. You might not move until after he has your five babies. Will that take a long time? Being pregnant five times seems like a long time to me,” he yawned again.
I wasn’t about to give him anything more than the barebones facts.
“Five babies are living in Vatten’s belly right now. They’re just too small to come out with the rest of us yet,” I said.
“Is he having all his babies at once because it’ll save time later? Grandpa Carmine is always pregnant or sitting on an egg.”
I chuckled. Jade’s carrier, Carmine, had been sitting on the same egg for the last six months. Still, I wasn’t going to explain reproduction to a five-year-old who wasn’t my kid.
“We didn’t get to pick. Five babies just decided they wanted to come be our kids.”
“That’s because you’re cool and Vatten is smart.
He knows the names of all the fish and all the birds.
He knows the names of the different rocks too.
He also knows how to catch ducks. He said one day he’d catch me a duck to eat because I’m still afraid to hunt them but his sire’s side of the family was made to hunt ducks and other water birds.
So he’s not afraid. So I guess he’s brave too. ”
“He’s very brave.”
“You have a crush on him,” Jondi smiled up at me.
“I do,” I nodded, grinning. “I do and I’m lucky because he’s my true-mate.”
“I remember living in the water,” Jondi said, switching subjects as little kids are fond of doing.
“There was another me. Well, someone who looked like me. We swam around on our big otter until I shifted. I couldn’t shift back right away and our big otter got scared and took the other me and swam away. ”
“Do you miss them?”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
This was the first time that Jondi ever talked about the time before he washed up on shore. If his memories were correct that meant he survived at least a little while as a human form baby in the water somewhere before he was able to shift back.
“But I’m not mad at our big otter. I mean I get scared too and sometimes human form beings are mean to animals. Like I want to eat a duck and that’s sort of mean. So maybe our big otter thought I would eat her or the other me.”
“I think you might’ve been a twin, Jondi,” I said.
“I know. He was the other me. That’s what having a twin means. Do you know there are eight Vattens?”
“Vatten was part of a litter of eight,” I nodded.
“Could you imagine if there were that many yous or mes?”
“I think we’d be very busy,” I laughed.
“Uncle Eran, you’re going to be very busy because Vatten decided to have all his babies at once. You better grow some more arms or something. Did you know that starfish grow their arms back? Maybe if you eat one, you’ll grow more arms.”
“It doesn’t work like that, buddy,” I chuckled.
“Have you tried it already?” he looked up at me.
“Jondi?” Jade called out the front door of the cabin, his voice thick with sleep.
“Oh no! Dad knows we ran away! Come on we have to reverse runaway before we’re in trouble!” he said, standing up and pulling on my arm.