Winter Wonderland

The Brood

Citali

Citali grinned at the little boy sitting on her examination table, bright green eyes watching her every movement. Behind her, Oscar stood near the door, though the fact that he did not need to be right beside the boy was still a recent development. It had taken a few years for Felix to allow her to give him a checkup without running his fathers through the same routine. "Open wide."

Felix watched her for a moment, before sighing and opening his mouth, exposing the delicately pointed teeth that matched his feline ears and tail.

Citali checked his throat and mouth, ensuring they were in working order before she nodded and handed him his well earned treat. "Thank you, Felix."

The boy took the sucker delicately from her hands, before signing to her. "I am glad you are back. You aren't mad at us?"

"No." Citali smiled gently to the boy before holding her hands out.

When he nodded, she gently picked up him and placed him back down on the ground. Felix gave her a serious look before signing. "You ran away and got in trouble and we weren't allowed to bother you."

Oscar laughed softly, shooting her a charming grin and tipping his hat ever so slightly. "C'mon Felix, how about we head outside and find your cousins."

Then the cowboy held out the boy's ever present Bug's Life backpack, which Felix shrugged into before taking Citali's hand in his and tugging her out the door behind his father. Oscar, to his credit, at least tried to look apologetic.

Though Citali didn't mind, she had missed the children as well, though when she stepped out of the building her office was in, she paused to reflect on the chaos that was Alesky's extended family.

Across the common area that most of the buildings faced on to, Naiche was sitting at the picnic table, talking to Meriwa, who was holding a toddler that clung to her possessively while glaring at the vampire. Delphia, her brilliant red hair shining in the sun, was sitting next to Naiche with her colouring book, grinning up to him and veritably squirming with the desire to hug him, as was the girl's go-to response to people.

Felix let go of her hand after Hewie and Allie ran by, playing a complicated form of tag or keep away that Citali wasn't sure was a fun game, or the two of them bickering, as they had started doing every so often as they got older. Tim and Sam were occupied with keeping their triplets occupied, even while their other toddler sat across from his big sister, scowling at Naiche even more than the toddler in Meriwa's arms.

And somewhere in the mix, she could see Daryl standing in one coral with one of the new fillies, walking the horse through some basic things that Citali only partially understood, while Ryker and Ray argued about "the proper way to chop wood". Seemingly lording over it all, Carbry was sitting at the picnic table between Meriwa and Tim's scowling toddler, trying to distract the boy with crayons.

"Sometimes it's...crazy, all of his." Oscar murmured, side glancing to Citali, then looking over to Naiche. "He's managing better that I expected."

It wasn't an insult. As Oscar's own mate, Ray, had taken a long time to normalize with the help of the centre and still wandered off into the wilderness with the one person who was missing from the whole scene, Oscar was sympathetic to the difficulties Naiche had with coming to terms with the modern world.

And Naiche had taken up helping Oscar, the manager of the farm here, with the animals and land, introducing the cowboy-cum-vampire to a more earth based knowledge system.

Carbry called out suddenly. "Felix, spit it out!" Sending Oscar to run after his son, who was holding his hands over his mouth.

On Oscar's approach, Felix spat out a half eaten scorpion and tried to kick it away, as if they all had not seen it come from his mouth.