Animalia: The Green Forest, Book 2

Epilogue

Samson strolled through the forest with Jaxon at his side. Some time had passed since the confrontation between Luca and Jaxon; Samson was nineteen—with his birthday only a few months away—while Jaxon was eighteen.
"Say," Samson started. His voice had deepened and grown smooth compared to his rough voice from the past. His outfit had changed too; he wore a turquoise vest that gave him a formal appearance and completely contrasted his old tank top from the past. "Have you seen Rose anywhere? I've been looking for her all morning."
Jaxon instantly looked away with a goofy looking grin. "She's busy with stuff," his voice had also become somewhat deeper. Ever since he had started living in the forest a few months ago, he seemed to be growing more sure of himself. He now moved with a confidence that suggested he had been living in the forest throughout his entire life rather than a few months. He shoved his hands in his red hoodie and shrugged. "She'll be back soon."
Samson nodded. He knew Jaxon was hiding something, but he decided not to pressure him. "I see." He perked up when they neared his home. "I wonder how my flowers are doing," he murmured. "Especially the dahlia."
"The dahlia?" Jaxon asked as he followed Samson. "What's wrong with it?"
Some time ago, Samson decided to start growing flowers around his home. Rose had brought him some seeds to help him get started; iris, rose, daisy, and dahlia were the ones she had picked out. They were all growing well. Now the two young men crouched beside a budding red flower
"Nothing's really wrong with it," Samson admitted. He fondly stared down at the plant. "It's development is just taking forever, that's all. Rose and I have been trying for a litter for a while now. We have not had any luck yet, but I still want all these beautiful flowers to be in full bloom so my kits can enjoy them in the future." He sighed. "If we even end up having a litter."
Jaxon's icy blue eyes were unusually blank. He reached out and patted Samson's shoulder. "Don't give up," he replied quickly. "You'll be a father before you know it."
Samson sighed. "I'm probably doing something wrong," he muttered. "No matter how many times we try, we don't get any positive results. It's starting to seem like a waste of time. Maybe if I had been born a human, we would have already had kits by now."
Jaxon's face flushed a bit. "Well, you can talk to my sister about that when you see her," he chuckled. "You two will have a lot to discuss."
Is that so? Samson stared at the dahlia bud for a few seconds. Then—without turning to face Jaxon—he asked, "I wonder if you and Alex will have this same problem when you decide to have kits."
There was a sad look on Jaxon's face now. "I don't think she wants kids at all," he mumbled. "Especially after what Luca put her through."
"Ah, right," Samson suppressed a shudder as he remembered those days. Luca had horribly mistreated the both of them, but Alex had suffered the most.
Samson forced those thoughts away. Things are better now. He reminded himself. Alex has Jaxon to support her now, and I have Rose, a beautiful mate who will always love me.
"Samson?" Jaxon suddenly called out. "You still there? Hello?"
Samson blinked in surprise. "Yes, I'm still here," he replied instantly. "My bad. I was thinking about other things."
"That's okay," Jaxon stood up. "Well, I'll be off now. Someone's here for you."
Samson suddenly realized that Rose was there now. She was standing a little way away from them with a sweet smile on her face. She was nineteen now, and she wore a magenta dress now instead of the yellow one she had when she was younger. She also sported fake animal ears that resembled Samson's fox-like ones. Her eyes were fixed on Samson.
Samson scrambled to his feet and walked over to her. "Hello, my love." He greeted his mate.
"Hey Sammy," Rose gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Jaxon waved a hand in farewell before taking off. Samson acknowledged him with a wave of his own tail.
"I wanted to talk to you about our kit problem," Samson wrapped his arms around her waist. "We've been trying to have them for a while, but nothing's happened yet. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I should—"
Rose put a finger to his lips to silence him. "You haven't been doing anything wrong," she whispered. "Trust me. You'll know in a few months."
"In a few months? But that's—" realization shut Samson up. "Does that mean. . . ?"
Rose nodded. "Yes. We did it."
I'm finally going to be a father. Samson's tail started to wag. "We did it," he repeated. "We're going to be parents. Oh Rose, I promise I'll be the best father I possibly can. I love you so much."
"I love you too, Sammy," Rose's eyes were sparkling. "We'll be amazing parents."
Of course we will. Samson rested his chin on top of Rose's head and let out a deep purring sound. I'll make sure of it. I'll make sure that our kits have the best lives ever. I will never let them down.