Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-nine

I looked to Tristan but before I could voice the question he answered it. "Kit is with Winston, Harvey and the kittens at the gem cavern."

The irony was not lost on me. My Kit who loved rocks had a father that was....a rock. I shook my head to dispel the inappropriate thought, "Let's go meet up with them and then walk home. Together."

Ryan rose to follow me as I started making my way west to the small cave. Shuu shifted and stuck himself between my legs before I could walk two more steps. I giggled at his dark fur tickling my skin and then righted myself into a proper riding position. He felt bigger than he used to be and his movements far smoother than before his third mark had appeared. It was nice to see the little changes, I just wished he hadn't had to nearly die to develop them.

It was only a ten-minute walk from where we were, but it was so well hidden it was a miracle Kit had found it. I dared not think about the number of tiny crevices he'd crawled through to get to it. Tristan had made the entrance wide enough to walk through after Kit told him about it.

"Are you really going to let them meet?" Mitchell's cadence was back and his voice held a tinge of...anger?

"I am." I said flatly without looking back. Kit had many fathers but I knew he wondered about Ryan. I used to tell Kit stories when the memories were too strong to bear alone. His eyes would light up in curiosity and pride. Though Ryan may not be what Kit imagined, my cub deserved the opportunity to speak with him. And Ryan? He hadn't raised Kit and though having a cub with me wasn't something we had planned or even expected, I knew Ryan would love Kit just as much as I did. He would've doted on him and protected him with his life, just as he had with me.

"... You know he won't be around much longer." The words were quiet. Barely above the sound of our footsteps.

I turned in my seat to look at him. "What do you mean?" Did he think I didn't know about the time limit of soul stones?

Mitchell's brow furrowed but his lips smirked as though his face couldn't decide which emotion to display. "Do you think it's easy for a soul to posses another's body? Especially one that is far more powerful than they ever were?" He shrugged his large shoulders, "Currently it takes a week for him to have energy enough for one hour. Soon it will be a month and then a year before he fades completely."

The information felt like ice in my veins. I knew we didn't have forever but I didn't think the time left was so little. I turned back to face forward, looking at my hands grasped in Shuu's fur. I knew my mates were watching me with concern over my reaction to the news. "...I see." I said simply after a moment. What else was there to say? I could extend the time just as easily as I could prevent his death in the first place.

"You're going to let them meet only to force them to say goodbye?" Mitchell's irritated voice was like claws up my spine.

"Yes." Another simple answer. I had already decided. Come what may.

"Whatever." The tinge of emotion in his voice had all but disappeared.

It was strange for him to reveal anything other than boredom, but whether it was the mate mark or Ryan's stone, it was clear he was changing. Emotions can make the best of people do the worst of things. I would need to watch how he handled his growing heart.

We arrived in front of the gaping mouth of the cavern and we could already hear the mews and yips of frolicking cubs. Walking inside the smoothly carved entrance brought a chill to my bones. The smell of minerals and the cool unmoving air beneath the earth was always a bit of a shock to my system and I shivered. We didn't walk in far, just far enough to see the light of a fire flickering off the many-colored quartz crystals lining the walls. Some of the stones were taller than a building while others grew in small clusters along the ceiling.

Kit, Baek and Tora were playing tag. Kit was it and, paying more attention to the kittens behind him than what was in front of him, barreled straight into Shuu's front paws. At first the cub reacted defensively, immediately moving into a wide stance but when he saw us, his tail became a blur behind him and he let out a happy yip. Then Baek and Tora followed their brother's example and smacked head first into Kit's back legs. The three went down in a heap of fur. Head back and stomach clenching, I burst out laughing at the sight. The sound echoed in the chamber and I hurriedly placed my hands over my mouth to stifle the unstoppably giggles. When I finally got myself under control, I slid off Shuu's back and kneeled in front of my cubs who had righted themselves. Well, except for Tora who was biting Baek's ear.

I reached my hand out and booped Kit on his nose. "Kit, there's someone I want you to meet," I said, looking back over my shoulder at Mitchell.

Kit cocked his head in curiosity as Mitchell came forward but it wasn't Mitchell's voice that came out of his body. "Kit." The word was raspy as though it had scratched its way from the throat. Mitchell knelt on one knee and started putting a hand out to the cub before jerking it back with a look of uncertainty on the face.

I smiled at Ryan's concern of using Mitchell's body to touch the fragile Kit. I sat back on my tush, crossing my legs on the ground and leaned over like I was going to tell Kit the coolest secret in the world. "Hey Kit. Have you ever seen a soul stone?"

-

It took an hour to explain to my cub what a soul stone was and that the papa I had told him about was inside that stone. That when he wanted to see Kit or I, all he had to do was borrow Mr. Mitchell's body. Then I let the two of them chat. Kit excitedly showed Ryan the stones of the cavern and demonstrated his impeccable hunting skills by catching a spider. Ryan understood Kit's beast speak and praised our cub while oohing and ahhing at everything Kit showed enthusiasm for.

At the end of the hour, Ryan could not longer maintain his presence and fell quiet again within his soul stone. Kit noticed the change in the way Mitchell held himself and how the dewy eyes that had watched him were now filled with something other than affection. Kit pouted at the loss of the papa he'd only just met, but deciding he could make two friends today instead of just one, unhesitatingly approached Mitchel and asked if he liked rocks.