The First Mate

Epilogue: The Foxen

Ameliana

Does he ever stop tapping his foot? I sighed, the noise of Dane and his incessant leg bouncing finally getting on my nerves.
Sometimes, when he's asleep. Silvena giggled.
Why doesn't he? The rest of them are. I looked across the private hospital room.
A simple bed, an overhead tv, a wall behind filled with medical things and a bathroom to the left.
The room in front was usually open for walking space, now it was filled with three couches that curled around the hospital bed. Theo, Xavier and Gabriel, all curled up uncomfortably on the too small couches, Theo snoring lightly.
He's not. Silvena mentioned towards Gabriel.
I rose a brow and watched him for a moment, seeing him breath evenly and his eyes closed.
He looked asleep.
She giggled, a somewhat common response from her. Dane is letting him rest his mind, but one always stays awake when their mate is in need.
I rose my brow at the unconcious red head in the bed below us.
Silvena and I hovering above in an ethereal space, unseen by those in the room.
But, she's asleep too. I was confused by mates. Though adorable and I longed to feel that love, it was still odd.
These men hadn't left the woman's bedside in four months.
At least two of them at all times were by her side, often holding her hand and whispering things to them.
She's in limbo. She sighed. The Goddess is punishing her.
I flinched. For what?
Silvena giggled, again. She tapped into power she wasn't meant to. She started laughing then. The Goddess didn't even realise until she'd almost died!
I relaxed slightly. Oh, so she's coming back?
Soon, Silvena smiled, her voice sure, her voice bright. When she does, your job will begin.
She nudged me lovingly, I blushed slightly, my ears flattening with embarassment.
What am I meant to do? I asked.
Though I'd been around for sometime now, since the Rose woman unleashed powerful magic into the core of the world, all of the residual energy that tainted it, creating Demons, was wiped clean.
Forming me and, apparently, four others.
I was the only one I'd seen though, Silvena not showing up until recently and I'd taken a somewhat physical form finally.
She was terrible at explaining anything, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.
Silvena sat up and started to stretch. Live, child. She said simply. Find your kindred spirit, find your mate and live.
She seemed to step off the plane we sat on, like walking down stairs.
How will I know either? Where do I find them? I called after her, finding I could follow as she walked downward in a spiral.
She stopped for a moment, giving me a shrug. Where ever you want to go. You'll know both when you see them though!
I looked at Rose as Silvena climbed on onto the bed beside her.
Will I look like her? I asked.
Silvena giggled. No! You are free to choose, hell! Pick a human! Just bring them here when you find them!
Why here?
She was raising a paw to climb onto Rose, stopping to look up at me.
Home Gate. Sparrow Falls.
Then she stepped into Rose, vanishing.
Emerald eyes opened and she gasped.
Dane froze, Gabriel sat up.
Rose touched her chest and then her arm, checking over herself.
"I'm back." She breathed, her head snapping up. All of mates woke and stood.
A sob broke from her as her mates were suddenly holding her, whispering her name.
Dane slipping behind her to put her in his lap, Theo crawled between her legs and was holding her waist, nuzzling her chest.
Gabriel and Xavier held a hand of hers each, Xavier kissing her knuckles and Gabriel stroking her cheek as they all cried together in happiness.
Rose made a face, pulling back from Theo's hug and looked down at her chest.
She moved her blankets, her mates sharing another tearful look, this one different though.
Happier, somehow.
She lifted her gown and her hand ran over the small bump that provided from her stomach.
She gave a sob. "Am I-"
Her mates fell on her again, kissing and crying with pure joy.
Dane pulled her back, kissing her cheek and his hand covered her stomach.
"Yes, Rosie." He cooed at her, sweetly and like she was the absolute world to him. "You're having our baby."
Her hands covered her mouth as she sobbed, her mates holding her as she told them how happy she was, how much she loved them.
She kissed each of them, softly and savouring the feeling of each of them.
They settled after sometime, Theo now holding Rose as he traced lazily circles around her stomach, making her giggle and nuzzle him.
She sat up when Dane came into the room with a tray of food.
"That reminds me!" She pointed at it, making him stop suddenly mid step.
"What'd I do?" He asked quickly, like he was in trouble.
She giggled, rolling her eyes at him and gripped the air. "Nothing, come here, I'm hungry!"
He smirked and walked forward, sitting down on the end of the bed.
She waited until he'd fed her a few bites from the tray, she covered her mouth for a moment while she cheered and danced.
"I'm so glad Benny is in the kitchen now." She giggled, Xav chuckled.
"He was upset you didn't offer him the job."
She giggled and blushed. "There was a lot going on, I was getting around to it." She turned to Dane then, grabbing his leg and he held a fork to her.
"Speaking of, I hope you updated your list for a bigger snack cupboard." She beamed at him.
He chuckled, feeding her and getting the last forkful. "We still have a few months."
Rose took the bite, chewed it and then looked at the empty plate.
Her voice dipped to a childish whine as she pouted at Dane. "But, I'm so hungry."
Xavier laughed. "Always a fiend!"
She threw her sock at him, giggling.
I watched them for a while longer, until they'd all fallen asleep in the room I'd heard be called the Rosie Reading Room, all of her mates curled around her with a hand on her stomach and tucked in close while she'd read to them.
Seeing that love, I decided it was time to search for my own.
Heck, maybe I would take Silvena's jested suggestion.
There was human city not too far from here, there had to be a Shifter or two among them...
Wait, she said I could find my kindred spirit.... in a human.
Huh.
That could be fun.