Epilogue
Elodie
Life couldn’t be better. I finally stopped running and realized a long time ago I have everything I could ever want.
The sounds of splashing water and children’s laughter fill the air.
I glance out at the river, and my heart swells at the sight of Gannen and the others swimming and playing.
My eldest son looks far different now than he did as a fourteen-year-old.
While he’ll never be as tall or as broad as Sorin, he still tops nearly six and a half feet and outweighs me by a hundred pounds at least.
I lean back on the bench and cradle my belly.
Ortak should return any minute from the hunt he left for this morning with Benham and Zedam.
We’ve prospered over the last decade since the Krijese moved to the Tavikhi village.
Our food stores have never been more full, and the entire planet is thriving.
While three more ships from Earth have arrived during the past ten years, the last one was over four years ago.
I suspect we won’t see any more. Which is probably a good thing given the fact the human settlement is overflowing its borders.
Zander and Kala have offered to extend the walls, but so far Gary and Adam have declined. They’re determined to take the least amount of help they can from the Tavikhi and Krijese no matter how much they need it. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it.
“Momo, look.”
I focus my attention on the river as Bijou stands on Gannen’s shoulders and leaps off to dive head first into the water before resurfacing with a belly laugh. She meets my gaze as though making sure I saw her acrobatic move.
“Ten out of ten.” I applaud. “Excellent form.”
Her smile—one that is human in nature—is broad and bare her blunt teeth.
Bijou is the only one of my children who inherited my facial features.
Her brothers are the spitting image of Ortak.
I stroke my belly once more in wonder. I love all my children equally, but a tiny part of me hopes this last one is another girl.
Jiasha makes her way out of the river with Meeko’s hand held tightly in her grasp. My youngest son adores his adopted cousin. Luckily, Kala and Iris’s daughter is equally smitten with him since he’s been her little shadow from the moment he could crawl.
“Momo, I’m tired.” He climbs onto the bench next to me and rests his head on my lap.
I stroke the dark brown hair that has the same texture as mine and not the floks of his brother and sister. “Rest then, my love.”
“Graham is waiting for me in the training arena,” Jiasha tells me.
“Thank you for spending time with Meeko.”
She grins and waves. “Any time.”
While Jiasha heads away from the river, I turn back to watch the remaining group romp around. The sun moves across the sky, and it isn’t long before everyone tires out and they too make their way out of the water. Gannen approaches and bends to rub his cheek over the top of my head.
“Momo.”
God, I never get tired of hearing him call me that. “My darling.”
“Hi, Auntie Elodie,” Niella calls out.
I wave at her, as well as Stella, who is never far from her best friend’s side. Bijou runs up to me with her fur wrapped around her shoulders. “Gannen says we can’t come swimming tomorrow.”
“He’s right. You know we’re supposed to be having guests arrive.”
She groans like the teenager she’ll be far too soon. “It’s just the Bohnari. They’re not really guests.”
“They are always our guests, no matter how often they visit, and we should treat them as such.”
Gannen ruffles her floks. “Don’t you want to make a good impression on the young prince?”
I have to hold back my laugh, because Bijou squawks in a mix of embarrassment and affront and smacks her brother’s hand away before storming off. I turn to my eldest. “You shouldn’t tease her.”
He chuckles. “It’s all in good fun. I’ll apologize to her before she goes to sleep tonight, even though we both know she’ll forgive me.”
“You’re her big brother and she looks up to you.
Idolizes you. So, yes, she’ll forgive you now, but it may not come quite so readily the older she gets.
Teenage girls are extra sensitive about things, especially when it comes to boys.
” I know I was, as well as every other girl I went to school with back on Earth.
“I’ll tread carefully.” Gannen glances down at Meeko, who has fallen asleep. “Why don’t I take him back to your tent?”
“Thank you, my love.”
Gently, he picks up his baby brother and holds him against his shoulder before reaching a hand down to help me up off the bench. Together, we walk toward the village, where the rest of the children have already disappeared to.
“Sorin and I are planning to travel with the Bohnari back to Bohna for the cold season,” Gannen says quietly.
My heart drops even though I knew this was coming. They’ve been talking about it since they turned twenty.
“Have you told your father?”
“When he returns to the village this evening.”
I nod. “We’ll miss you like crazy. You know that, right?”
“No more than I’ll miss you,” Gannen says, stroking Meeko’s back gently. “It’s only for the cold season and then we’ll be back. We just want to experience what it’s like there. I can learn a lot from their people.”
“I know you can.”
He lays a hand on my arm, drawing us to a stop. “I swear I’ll be back.”
“You have to, otherwise we’ll be moving to Bohna.” I’m not even kidding.
“Gogo would hate it there.” Gannen chuckles, the rough sound one I never get tired of hearing.
“I guess that means you’d better not stay too long.”
“You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
I side-eye my oldest because he knows that’s not even close to the truth.
We haven’t spent more than a single day not seeing each other since Ortak and I made camp at the top of the mountain where the ujera is visible from for our honeymoon.
Gannen stayed with Kala and Iris while we celebrated our mating.
We arrive at Ortak’s and my tent. We step inside and Gannen gently lays Meeko down in his furs.
He strokes his brother’s hair off his face and straightens.
Together, we leave the tent and make our way to the central fire where the evening meal will be served soon.
Like he’s done every day, my son leads me to my favorite bench that was long ago dubbed as “Elodie’s”.
He sits beside me and takes my hand in his.
Neither of us speak. We merely sit in silence while tribespeople move about their business around us.
It’s become Gannen’s and my routine since he moved into the dwelling he shares with Sorin.
I love our small amount of time together before all the hunters return from their tasks and the village winds down for the night. Now that he’s an adult, he’s frequently gone hunting during the day so these brief minutes before the evening meal are often all we get.
Less than five minutes pass before commotion draws near.
Gannen and I glance at each other, both of us knowing what it means.
We turn and striding toward us is Ortak.
My son squeezes my hand and gestures for me to meet my mate.
I jump up and before I can take more than three steps, I’m wrapped in my husband’s arms. As always, I breathe a sigh of relief that he returned safely to me.
No matter how long we’ve been mated, my heart races when we’re together.
“Greetings, sivalla,” Ortak whispers in my ear. “How have you and our kit been this turn?”
“We are doing well. How was your hunt?”
“Successful.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
He loosens his hold and rubs his cheek across mine, taking care like always not to scratch me with his mouth claws. Ortak lifts his head and palms my belly. “Greetings, little one.”
Gannen comes to stand at my side. My mate eyes him and the two clasp forearms.
“I’m going to go find Bijou.” Although I know perfectly well where our daughter is, they need some privacy to talk.
I kiss Ortak and leave him with his eldest while I make my way toward Sage and Jodah’s dwelling where Bijou spends most of her time.
She and Makahla are both learning healing from Sage, a fact that pleases the woman immensely.
She loves getting to share her knowledge with her own daughter as well as mine.
Kyler’s pretty much passed the mantle to Sage and Iris since Zara gave birth to their son.
As I walk through the village, I can’t help but notice how much it’s changed in ten years.
We’ve lost a few elders like Moshi and Ashrif, but we’ve gained over twenty children between all the families—Tavikhi, Krijese, and human—that reside here.
Our people are thriving and we have great friends in the Bohnari who frequently come to visit.
I can’t imagine a better life for myself than the one I’ve created here on Tavikh.
Once I collect Bijou, we return to the central fire.
“Gannen’s leaving, isn’t he?” she asks just before we get there.
“Yes.”
A moment passes and my daughter sniffles. “I don’t want him to leave.”
Neither do I, but he’s an adult and no matter how I feel about it, I have to let him live his own life. “He’ll be back when the cold season is over. And just think, you’ll have three months without his teasing.”
Bijou rubs her arm under her nose. “I don’t always mind it.”
I stroke her floks as we take our usual seats for the evening meal. “We’ll have to make his favorite pie tomorrow so we can give him a proper send off.”
She nods. I shift my weight on the bench to get a little more comfortable. While we sit, the rest of the village arrives in increments as they try and wrangle all the children. Only a few moments pass before Graham and Jiasha—who, once again, has a hold of Meeko—gather nearby.
My youngest climbs onto the bench on the other side of Bijou and rests his head on her shoulder.
It’s as I’m seeking them out, I spot Ortak and Gannen walking our way.
I can’t help but compare the two. No one observing them would guess them to be anything other than father and son.
The two of them walk exactly the same and exhibit so many similar mannerisms.
I shift my gaze to my mate and even after ten years, he’s still the most handsome male I’ve ever seen.
His skin has faded in color to a dark, charcoal gray and some of his floks have turned white, but he’s still an imposing figure.
The two of them join us and as the evening meal is about to commence, I can’t help but give thanks for my beautiful family.
Gannen takes the small stump that sits in front of us while Ortak slides in on my other side. It’s a tight fit with the four of us, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I turn my head and meet my mates eyes that shine with their bright silver flecks.
“I love you.” The words spill unbidden from my lips as my heart swells with happiness.
“I love you, sivalla.”
And I know he always will.
Thank you so much for reading!