The New Siblings

The rest of the day was a slow, nervous slog from one room to the next, each filled with monsters in a variety of flavors, or obvious-but-deadly traps. They crushed a crop of strange little carrots with limbs and teeth (they didn't dare try eating these), fought off a tribe of little blue-skinned people with crossbows, and slaughtered a clutch of what Oro described as "featherless emus on crack"...which happened to breathe fire. At least those tasted comfortingly like grilled chicken after they decided to cook one, and they were glad to find at least one means to stretch their food supplies. They crossed grated floors that fell onto beds of spikes if they moved too slowly, jumped wires set to trigger dart-guns, and dodged swinging pillars of blades. They passed by at least two rooms holding treasure-chests at the end of a deadly parkour course, deciding no treasure could be worth the risk of the run.

The sun, creeping unseen across the cloudy sky, began to set. They only realized this when Kylan pointed out it was getting hard to see anything too far from the torches that lined every room. "Let's hole up in the hall," Oro suggested, walking back to the last hall they'd safely passed through, "Saves the effort of unpacking the tents. Kylan, can you use that ‘project stone' combo to block the doors?"

"Probably," the little Feline nodded, "They seem to swing both ways, but I could activate a rune outside first to block them that way, then one on the inside to lock them in."

"Heh...sound like my kind of doors," Sarahi chuckled softly, suppressing a yawn, "Sorry. I'm tired and still on edge. I get weird trying to distract myself."

Nayeli patted her leonine shoulder sympathetically as they all shuffled into the hall and let Kylan get to work with his magic. "I'll give you a massage and all the distraction you want. If I can do nothing else in this place, at least I can comfort you. You've worked hard today, you and Oro."

It was...awkward, to say the least. Once the doors were effectively sealed, they shared a quiet dinner, passing food from hand to hand as they all sat with backs against the wall. The narrow passage wouldn't let any but the twins lay down cross-wise in it, and wasn't long enough for them to all stretch out end-to-end. So Sarahi laid against one wall, with her tail against the door, and let Nayeli recline against her. Oro stretched out beside the Sha'khari, with his head pillowed in Nayeli's lap, and Sarahi likewise pillowed hers on his thighs. Tuli curled up in front of the other door, and the twins snuggled in side-by-side in the little space between her feet and Oro's. Not the softest or most spacious layout, but it felt comfortably secure, which would let them sleep easier than any amount of space or padding.

It was impossible to tell how long she'd been asleep when a soft voice in her ear gently woke Tuli. "Mom, can we have a story? This place is scarey. I can't sleep."

"Shh," the Lioness answered so gently it might have been mistaken for a mere sigh in her sleep. Peeking one eye opened, she checked to see that no one else was awake. All the rest of her family were still and quiet, with eyes closed in exhaustion. "Ask your brother, dear," she continued in a barely audible whisper, closing her eye again, "Mommy can't talk right now. I'm sorry. Soon as we're home."

"Oookaaaay," the voice answered, sounding thoroughly disappointed.

Oro's ear twitched, but there was no more sound to draw him into wakefulness after that. Nevertheless, he was the first to open his eyes several hours later, feeling anxious to get moving again even if he wasn't exactly well rested. He imagined none of them were going to be that way until they were well out of this place. Lifting his head from Nayeli's thigh, he gave it a gentle kiss, then crawled over her to check the door. A dull, grey light was peeking in around the edges, suggesting light in the sky outside. "Okay," he grunted gently, "Everyone up. Time to go."

It took a little while for them all to come around, groggy and a little achy from the hard floor, but as refreshed as could be expected. After a cold, quiet breakfast, Kylan pressed down the stone "peg" he'd raised the night before to lock the doors in place. With a bit of crowding, Oro pulled it inward and peeked out into the room. "...Fuck," he whispered, closing it again softly, "Looks like respawn is a thing here. The emus are back," he sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Alright...Diya, let us borrow Sonny. He seems to like killing these things. Let's go." Sarahi dutifully stepped out behind him, shield and spear at the ready, and Diya's mystic wolf billowed into existence right on their heels as they charged into the room.

A vague sense of dejavu enveloped them as the second day began much as the first had ended: a parade of rooms full of monsters or traps. Oro continued leading them only through the left-most door of each room as often as possible, though by this point he'd abandoned any real hope in the system for getting them out. Some rooms had no doors besides the one they came through, forcing them to double-back and try the next one in line. Some rooms had as many as six exits. But for the most part they each had two or three besides whichever one the group entered through. It was hard to keep track of space and distance here, but the Rabbit was almost sure they should have circled back to a room they'd already seen by now if the geometry of this place was at all consistent. With no understanding of where to go, or how to figure out where to go, they had no choice but to keep moving as systematically as they could through the endless rooms and halls.

Until they found the guard. "Fuck, that guy is big," Oro hissed as he and Sarahi peeked through the door, as had become their habit. The chamber on the other side was bigger than most of the rooms they'd encountered so far, lined with columns around the perimeter, as if to hold up a ceiling that still did not exist. Pacing around these pillars with hard, heavy steps was a behemoth of a person, twice as tall as Sarahi was long. Despite its height, it looked squat due to the sheer bulge of every muscle it possessed, unarmored and unclothed except for a thick helmet encasing its head. A large rod of flanged iron rested on its shoulder, which it thumped occasionally, growling in frustration or boredom, like an over-sized parody of Oro himself.

"What's that?" Sarahi asked, pointing out a free-standing archway in the center of the room. Luminous runes decorated the flagstones composing it, and the view on the other side of the threshold did not seem to match the room containing it, as if it lead to some other place entirely.

"Portal, probably," the Rabbit grunted, unable to be surprised by the parallel with Sarahi's old games anymore, "Hopefully a way out, or at least a shortcut closer to the exit. Not that we'd be able to tell." Closing the door again, he turned to the group as a whole. "Alright...not gonna lie, that guy worries me. We have other doors we can try. No mandate we take this one. Thoughts?"

"...I don't want to ask you to do anything more dangerous than we already are," Diya admitted slowly, "But doesn't this seem...significant? Like, isn't there usually a serious guard, or boss, stationed by important points in a game? And yes, I know this isn't a game, but—"

"I get it," Oro assured her, "I can't stop making the comparisons, either, and so far most of them have proved consistent. So I think you're right. Does anyone have any reason to think one of the other paths might be better?"

They all tried to think of a reason. Hard. None of them wanted to go the dangerous route...but in the end, anything that stood out from the monotonous crawl from room to room merited checking out. "I don't think you can go toe-to-toe with that guy, Oro," Sarahi warned, "Not like you usually do. He's too big. Sonova's sister wasn't that huge."

"Yeah," the Rabbit agreed, surprising her, "Even if Gorgorond ate through his club, pretty sure I'd just be crushed by the half that fell free." He rocked his ears thoughtfully. "The portal doesn't look like it's behind anything. Maybe we don't have to fight him. I'll distract him, keep him busy on the other side of the room. The rest of you make a run for the threshold. No way he's going to fit through that without crawling, and I'll bite his head off if he leaves it that vulnerable."

Sarahi slapped the back of his head. Not hard, but far from gently. "You're doing that thing I hate again," she frowned.

Oro frowned right back. "Then back me up! If he corners me, shoot that fucking ‘barb' of yours right through his fucking heart!" he snarled, more viciously than he meant to, "I'm gonna need you to make an opening once everyone else is through, anyway. Don't call attention to yourself, but stay on this side until we're the last two. Think you can do that?"

"Definitely," Sarahi nodded, "Not a great plan, but better." She surprised him, then, by leaning down and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Sorry I slapped you."

The Rabbit rolled his eyes. "You do get weird when you're nervous," was all he answered. "Okay...I know nobody likes it, but is everyone clear on the plan? Don't move until his back is to you, then run like Hell is on your heels, got it?" Gritting their collective teeth, everyone nodded. "Good," Oro thumped his bat in his palm, "Then let's show this fucker who the real monster is..."

In spite of herself, that remark made Sarahi smile, even as he turned to push open the door. That was the Oro she knew and trusted to tackle anything this living nightmare could throw at them. If he didn't win the fight, he'd at least be the last loser...and that just might be enough.

He waited until the monster was to the right of the door, where it couldn't see into the hall when he opened it, so it wouldn't know there were more behind him. Then Oro went running for the portal. Not a full sprint, but quick enough to believe he was trying to sneak by. He let his feet fall heavily, though, deliberately making noises for the monster to hear...and hear it did.

"Whoops!" Oro smirked as the helmed head snapped in his direction, followed by a furious bellow from inside. His smirk disappeared when the creature jumped, though. "Holy FU—" It would have crushed him, easily, if he hadn't quick-stepped away from it as it landed. The impact of its club on the ground shattered the flagstones and left a small trench in the earth beneath it. He stayed directly in front of it as he moved away, though. Oro wanted it to see him, to know that he was still alive, and keep following him as he moved further into the room. Whatever happened, he did not want it looking over its shoulder, at the one and only door leading into the arena.

"Eat this!" the Rabbit barked, snatching up a piece of the rubble it had scattered and tossing it into the air. As it came back down, he hammered the bit of stone hard with Gorgorond, sending it careening into the giant's helmeted face like a bullet. The sound of it shattering against the thick metal was like a church bell ringing, and the monster roared in fury again and came quickly stomping toward the feisty little Rabbit.

He lured it to the far side of the portal, and almost to the other end of the room. Oro ducked behind a pillar as it got close, its long strides almost keeping pace with his shorter but quicker steps, hoping to force it to guess which side he'd come back around. Instead, it knocked the pillar down with its club, almost directly on top of him. The dust was still billowing around his nose when he felt its club break the stones behind him as he sprinted away. He didn't have much further to back up, and making it turn sideways would risk bringing the portal back into sight at the corner of its vision...and his family with it.

Sarahi was at the archway, watching tensely as he kited the creature and holding her spear like a rifle at the ready. Sonny had already carried the twins through, and Nayeli was practically home-free. Everything was going smoothly for once. Finally.

Tuli stumbled. She might have recovered if not for the pack on her back, which unbalanced her and pulled her sideways. It fell right onto one of the cooking kits with a loud "bang".

Oro's heart stopped when the creature bounded away without a second thought. It jumped clear over the portal, not even seeing Sarahi or Nayeli until it was in the air. Nayeli doubled back, screaming for her mother, but not even Oro had any hope of intercepting it before it landed, right on top of the defenseless Tuli...

The Lioness screamed. Stone cracked, throwing up a small cloud of dust as the creature landed, and there was a dull clang as its club struck down. But when the dust settled, that iron rod was still in the air, a good three feet above Tuli's head, restrained by the teeth of two enormous wolves. At least, that was the first impression to meet their eyes: the heads of wolves were actually attached to a pair of long, oil-black tentacles emerging (painfully, apparently) from between Tuli's legs as the Lioness clenched her teeth against the scream in her throat.

"Stay away from our Mom!!" the heads barked in unison without ever moving their teeth or lips. Two distinct voices seemed to simply emanated from the general vicinity of the heads.

"...‘Mom'?!" Nayeli and Sarahi both gasped, while the creature tried (and failed) to finish bringing its club down on the squishy little person writhing on the ground at the other end of the dark tendrils.

"Guys!!" whined a third unfamiliar voice, as another tentacle emerged from the poor Lioness' nethers. It was dark green, covered in large suckers, thicker and longer than the other two, and did not end in a wolf's head. "Mom told us to stay inside!" it complained, even as it swatted the club out of its siblings' teeth. Turning its tip toward Tuli, it began to apologize, "I'm sorry, Mom! They wouldn't—"

"Not the time!!" Oro roared as he passed over the giant's shoulder. Gorgorond clapped the side of its helmet as he passed, ringing it like a bell once more, and the creature staggered, tumbling into one of the pillars lining the room. Oro landed in a turn, sliding to a stop between the two wolf-tendrils. "You three: can you hold him? Just a few seconds will do."

Surprisingly, all three arched eagerly around him and answered in unison, "Yes, Dad!" like they'd seen a few too many military movies.

Oro almost froze. Almost. "Not the time," he hissed again, this time to himself, and focused his furious gaze on the giant that had reclaimed its balance and was rushing them with club upraised again. It brought it down hard on the green tentacle, attempting to smash it into the floor, but the sucker-lined muscle simple coiled around the club and clenched tight, holding it in place. The wolf-tendrils each latched onto an arm, encircling them once before sinking teeth into the biceps to lock themselves in. The giant threw its head back to howl in pain, and Oro leaped between its open arms, bringing Gorgorond up hard into its chin.

The helmet flew free. The face beneath was a rictus of pain and hate, lacking lids over the bulging eyes or lips to conceal the gnashing teeth. Fortunately, Oro was the only one able to see it clearly from his position in the air. "Fist of Heaven," Sarahi snarled, "Punish the sinful earth!"

A flash of light. A wet, sloppy explosion. A hole wide enough for Oro to walk through opened in the giant's chest. And just for good measure, "Heaven's Tongue, a barb ever-ready, retort!" Sarahi commanded, calling the spear back to her outstretched hand. A second explosion. The headless body toppled to the ground, and Oro landed hard beside Nayeli, still trying to recover from the several shocks dealt to his psyche in the last few seconds. Tuli shrieked briefly as the three tentacles seemed to draw up inside her, then gasped as the strain on her body was relieved. "Mom!" Nayeli gasped, running to Tuli's side and helping her get out of the straps of the backpack, "Are you alright?! What was—?"

"Not the time!" Oro growled for the third time through grit teeth, "Get through the portal. My fucking luck it'll close any second. Then questions!" With a huff, he rolled to his feet.

Sarahi pushed him toward the portal when his first step was in the Lionesses' direction. "You go," she told him sternly, "I'll get the pack." Not waiting for his answer, the Sha'khari trotted over to pull Tuli's pack onto her back, while Nayeli helped her mother get to her feet. Fortunately, the older Lioness was already strong enough again to walk through the portal under her own power by the time their steps had reached it.

"Whew! We were getting worried!" Diya sighed in relief as Oro appeared in the room, but quickly followed it with a concerned, "What happened?" She knew it should not have been Oro who came through first, after her and her brother. And a quick glance around the room proved the portal to be strictly one-way.

"Fucking lot, all at once," the Rabbit growled, marching over to take a seat with his back against a nearby wall. A second later, Tuli, Nayeli, and Sarahi appeared in the room in three short flashes. "Okay," Oro growled as soon as they'd got their bearings and collectively flopped down in exhaustion, "What. The Hell. Was that?"

Tuli took a moment to finish catching her breath and collect her thoughts (as well as cover the unseemly hole in her pants with her hands as best she could) before answering. "Those...are...Nayeli's siblings," she explained slowly, looking more than a little guilty for the looks of shock that ran across everyone's faces, "Organa was right. I did give birth...after both of my pregnancies."

Nayeli's heart doubled its pace. "Mom, why didn't you say something?!"

Tuli winced, and looked at Oro instead of her daughter. "Please...please think hard about what you say before you say it," she begged quietly, "It's not their fault...they aren't like us. They—"

"The fuck do you think I'm going to say," he growled, "To my kids after they saved our lives? Huh?"

Tuli blinked. Her concern and regret slowly faded into her traditional smile and a relieved sigh. "Oro, dear," she said softly, "Please, never stop being you."

"Mom," came one of the voices from around Tuli's tummy, "Does that mean we can come out now?" Tuli nodded...and immediately groaned, clamping both hands down on the tendril that started to slither out from between her legs with an excited, "Yay!!"

"Erk!! But not that way, Nick!" the Lioness grimaced, "Remember the talk we had about ‘doors' and ‘windows'?"

"Oh! Sorry, Mom," the voice apologized quickly, and suddenly three translucent, incorporeal tendrils sprang out from Tuli's arm, belly, and shoulder.

The Lioness immediately relaxed and breathed another relieved sigh. "Thank you, dear. Now...," she gave an embarrassed smile to the rest of the gathered family. "Everyone, this is Nigel, the oldest," she gestured to the green, headless tentacle currently curling up from her shoulder. It wiggled its tip up and down in an imitation of a wave. "And this is Nicholas..."

"Call me ‘Nick'!" piped up the wolf-headed tendril emerging from her belly.

"...And Nicole, the twins," Tuli finished, gesturing to her elbow.

"Call me ‘Nick', too!" the other wolf squeaked happily.

Oro arched a brow. Tuli giggled. "I have a thing for names beginning with that letter," she winked, smiling at her daughter, "Nayeli...these are your new siblings. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I've been...kind of afraid...of what all of you would think. And do."

"Do?! Well what did you think we'd do?" Nayeli had to ask, even as she tried to make light of her mother's fears, and cup her hands underneath Nicole's cheeks as the little wolf-head stretched out toward her. Her hands passed right through the translucent face, though.

Tuli winced again, a little ashamed at the thoughts that had gone through her head since Nigel first appeared. Her fears might not have been entirely unjustified...but she knew well that she should have trusted them more. Her own daughter, especially. "Well...there's a lot to tell, dear," she said softly, "And a lot to think about. For starters, obviously, they're not...natural. And also—"

"Stop," Oro grunted, causing both the Lionesses to blink in surprise. Leaning forward, he crooked a finger, calling the three apparitions to come closer. Each one stretched out a little further from Tuli, gathering their faces (or what served as faces) in front of his. "She's worried I'll be disgusted by you. Or afraid. That's why she wants me to be careful what I say. So I'm going to say this first, right now, and all three of you better listen close," he growled softly, pointing to each one of them in turn, "You're my kids. Fuck what you are. Fuck where you came from. And fuck anyone that—OUCH!"

Diya held his ear pinched for a second, to grateful looks from the larger ladies. "Well, you were off to a good start, honey," Nayeli sighed.

Oro grumbled something they couldn't make out, rubbing his tender ear. "Anyway," he continued at last, "Your old man's kind of messed up, so go to your mom first for advice. Come to me when you need protection...or someone's tail kicked. That's all."

"Oo! Oo! Does that mean we can talk to you now? We don't have to hide anymore?" Nigel asked eagerly. The faceless tentacle sounded oddly innocent and enthusiastic.

Oro chuckled at the spectral tentacle. "That's right, son." But no sooner had the word escaped his lips than he tilted his head, reconsidering. "...Daughter?" The tentacle formed itself into two arches, one slightly larger than the other, and quickly dipped up and down once in what Oro decided was its equivalent to a shrug. "Son, then," he declared.

Sarahi grinned a little. "You know, it was pretty scarey when they first appeared...but they're kind of cute like this."

"I'm glad you think so," Tuli gave the Sha'khari a sly look, "Because the twins might actually be yours." She giggled at the startled expression that came over Sarahi's face. "I was already carrying Nigel before you and I did anything like that, so it's safe to say who he comes from. But the twins? There's at least equal odds they're yours as his. I've just been telling them Oro is their dad to keep things simple," she confessed, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, "Sorry to drop that on you."

"Ehe...well...truth be told, Nayeli and I were talking about something like that recently," Sarahi admitted sheepishly, "I'm...not sure I'm ready for it. But I guess it can't be helped now, any way we slice it." She gave a genuine smile to the peculiar little trio extending from Tuli. "At least I won't be alone. Or you, anymore. You should have told us sooner."

Tuli nodded. "I know. I've been very conflicted. About a lot of things, actually. There's so much I can't even begin to understand about them, and the only person I know who might is someone I wouldn't ask for the time of day."

"The witch," Sarahi nodded, grimacing a little. Her reluctance there made a lot of sense. Sarahi tilted her head at Nayeli then, who was watching the three float around Oro, pestering him with questions about things they had apparently seen and heard inside the house in recent months. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, noting the uncertain stare.

Nayeli chewed her lip for a second. "What...am I, to them?" she asked her mother, "You've called them my siblings a couple of times now. And I am delighted to have them, don't get me wrong. But if Oro's their father, and I'm married to him..."

"Don't twist yourself over it," Oro growled, hearing her concern. "They're not like us. No insult to you three," he promised quickly to the trio as their attention was drawn to the conversation going on behind them, "It's just a fact. Pretending it's not will only cause confusion and trouble. They're not like us," he repeated, "We're not going to be able to raise them like normal kids. Normal mortal kids, anyway. Things are going to be different for them, for better or worse...so don't sweat over the subtleties of morality just yet," he warned Nayeli, "Hell, we don't even know what they eat."

"Sex," Nigel supplied matter-of-factly, wiping the confidence right off Oro's face, "That's what Mom calls it. When everyone rubs together and the milk and honey comes out, it calms us, and we have more energy afterward."

Tuli hid her face in her hands, not even sure where to begin addressing that little bomb, as everyone else's chins went slack. It was Kylan who broke the embarrassed silence. "Uh...not to change the subject to less interesting things...but shouldn't we save this for later? Like, when we find a safe place to bed down? We've been sitting here a while now with no idea what's in this area," he reminded them, gesturing around to the four walls and open sky above them.

They were in a room very similar to the one they'd first been dropped into, except the stonework here was a dull azure where the previous areas had all been a sandy cream, and the sky that had been cloudy before now looked on the verge of bursting with rain. The air felt damp and smelled faintly of mildew. "Right," Oro sighed, getting to his feet at last. "Fine. We'll talk about this more tonight. You want to change?" he asked Tuli, eying her ruined pants.

The Lioness shook her head unhappily. "I didn't bring a dress, or anything that wouldn't get ruined if they have to come out again, so...I might as well stay like this, embarrassing as that is. Also, if it can be helped, I don't want them fighting," she winced, covering her muffin with both hands again, "It hurts. A lot."

"We can look out the window all we want," the one named Nicholas told them, diving back into Tuli's body and re-emerging from her knee, then just above her tail, and then her neck, "But we're supposed to ask permission to use the doors. It hurts Mom."

Tuli nodded. "To touch physical things, they have to emerge from...an orifice. Nigel alone is more than I can handle comfortably, and all three of them is almost unbearable even if they each use a separate ‘door'," she explained, briefly tapping her lips and then her tail to indicate their other options.

"Uh...yeah, that makes as much sense as magic ever does," Oro scowled, "Okay, keep them out of it unless your life depends on it. That was still good work back there, you three. You should be proud. Keep Mom safe, okay?"

"Okay!" the three tendrils cheered together.

"Right," the Rabbit sighed, thumping Gorgorond on his shoulder, "Let's get moving again."

Despite the change in atmosphere, the tour of rooms followed a now familiar pattern. They encountered more of the featherless bird-creatures and homicidal carrots, as well as a variety of skeletons: some unarmed, some with sabers, and some with heavy shields and even heavier hammers behind them. Oro and Sarahi were almost relieved to encounter such "normal" enemies, and practically made killing them into a sport.

"Heh...is it bad that this afternoon was actually fun?" Sarahi asked, stretching her arms and weary legs as Kylan secured the doors of another connecting hall for them to use as shelter for the night, "Not gonna lie: I'm liking our odds here a lot more than the last run we did, even if it was shorter."

"Yeah," Oro sighed, flopping down with his back against a door, then ruthlessly murdered her good mood with a somber reminder: "Except that Tuli should have died today. She only survived by a fluke...and I'd like to get to know the fluke better."

"Oo! Oo! Us, too!" one of the Nicks yapped excitedly (Oro wasn't very clear yet on which was Nicholas and which was Nicole), "We want stories!"

"Is it true you killed a giant wolf all by yourself?!" the other Nick asked curiously, "And a hundred boars and bears, all in the same day?"

The Rabbit quirked a brow, then gave the twins a smirk. "Sure did. It was bigger than Sonny, even."

Tuli giggled, leaning against the wall as the twins extended from her shoulders. "I've been passing on the stories of your previous runs, as well as I could remember them, in between lessons and cartoons at home. Tonight's story is about you three, though," she told the spectral tendrils, imitating patting Nigel where he was peeking out from her belly.

"We have a story?" the little green tentacle asked, sounding as curious as surprised.

"Of course!" Tuli smiled as if that should have been obvious, "All children have a story, even if some are admittedly more exciting than others. I'm sure yours is going to be very exciting, once all's said and done. But for now, we only know the beginning, so that's what I'm going to tell." Nigel and the Nicks coiled around her knees, focused on her expectantly. This had become something of a tradition with them, on nights that Tuli spent apart from the rest of the family. "This story begins the night you were born, Nigel," Tuli began gently, giving a warm smile to the little green tentacle...

The doctor had left her and Nayeli befuddled and depressed. To be fair, that wasn't due to any lack of effort or expertise on his part, and he had probably suffered much of the same in the days that followed. But he hadn't been educated in birthing spirits. So, having made sure Tuli was as fit and healthy as a physician can determine, he left Tuli and Nayeli to make the most they could of the situation in the morning. Tuli tried to be optimistic, for her daughter's sake, and Nayeli had no doubt done the same, picking up their habitual routines as if nothing more unusual than a doctor appointment had happened the day before. Neither of them talked about it. Both of them hoped Oro and Sarahi and the twins would come home quickly. Tuli, especially, was feeling the full effect of the curse by this time, and between that and what she was now sure was a bout of depression, she had mistaken the first signs of her new spirit-baby as hallucinations.

"I don't know how you did it, dear, but I am very proud of you for hanging in there all alone for those first few days," she motioned to pat Nigel on the head again, "And I am very sorry I did not recognize you. They don't mature like we do," Tuli returned to addressing the rest of the group, "He's been able to talk practically from birth, though his grammar was, understandably, very rudimentary. But it took him a bit to figure out how to make me hear him. The first time was the night before you got home, and I brushed it off as being half-asleep and desperate with want to hold someone."

"This thing people do with the air is kind of weird," Nigel noted, "What the Nicks and I do is way easier."

Tuli nodded to him sagely...and then shrugged to everyone else's questioning looks. "I have no idea. That's the running theme between me and them. I'm just glad he figured out how to speak so we can understand, even if it did give me a start the first time I heard him clearly and was also reasonably sure of being in my right mind again. After that, we started talking pretty much every night, after everyone else was in bed. He's a good boy, and very bright, so it's been as much help to me as to him."

Sarahi blushed. "Um...that wouldn't happen to include a particular night when I came by for...‘a lesson'...would it?" She covered her face with her hands when Tuli gave her an amused smile and a slow nod, confirming she'd just figured it out. "Oh gods forgotten..."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Tuli smiled, "It was no more embarrassing or improper than anything else that goes on in our house. And, strange as it sounds, good for him."

From the first night they'd talked in earnest, Tuli had feared the little spirit was on the verge of starving, since she had not known he existed, much less fed him, since birth. It was equal parts a relief and a humiliation to discover that the family had been keeping him quite well fed, completely unknown to them, through their frequent intercourse. "It must be something like what the witch was doing to revive herself," Tuli speculated, "I'm just glad he wasn't completely neglected during that time."

From there, they had spent many a night talking about things around them and how he perceived them, until Tuli got some idea of what he could perceive, and from where. Nigel was just figuring out how to extend himself out from Tuli (leading to their ‘door' and ‘window' euphemisms) when she became pregnant with the twins. "It was a lot less scary, the second time. It wasn't so harrowing to find my womb ‘empty', and the newborns had Nigel to greet them, and share what he'd learned. They were already talking to me by the first night."

"And all that time, you had to hide from us," Nayeli sighed, idly pretending to pet one of the Nicks' heads. The little wolf seemed to enjoy the attention, even if there was no physical contact that Nayeli could feel. "I'm sorry. We wouldn't have hated you, even if circumstances were strange."

"She was right to keep them hidden," Oro shocked his wife, his ears twitching thoughtfully, "I don't think she knew, or that it was deliberate...but you made the right call," he repeated, looking squarely at Tuli, "That was after our third run. I'd just learned what Gorgorond does with souls. I'd just become hungry. If they are anything remotely similar to souls..." He let that trail off, rocking his head thoughtfully. "I don't want to say it...but mind your distance around me, you three. Exactly how much control I have over this demon is questionable, at best. He...and by extension I...might be a threat to you."

"He said he'd leave us alone for now," Nigel informed them with his imitation of a nod, "We're too young to be flavorful, and too weak to be entertaining, so he's going to let us marinate for a bit." It seemed to take the little tentacle a moment to realize every face in the room, not just Oro, looked positively horrified by what he'd just said. "...Is that bad?"

"Like Hell he will!" the Rabbit hissed through clenched teeth, "You've talked to him?!"

"A little. Part of him is where we are, but he's not from here," the little tentacle explained, "So I asked him where he's from, and what he's doing."

"Dear...why didn't you tell me about this?" Tuli asked as gently as she could, "I don't know if he sounded nice when he said it or not...but that was a threat he made. He's dangerous, dear."

"I'm sorry, Mom," the tentacle drooped, "I thought it was okay, since he's stuck to Dad, even tighter than we are to you."

"What did he answer you?" Oro growled ominously.

Nigel curled around himself for a second, apparently trying to recall just what was said. "He's feeding. You bring him good food, and he wants more. He comes from...another floor?" the tentacle seemed to lack the vocabulary for this part, "Sort of...like...okay, Mom and you and everyone else have bodies, right? We can kind of see them through the curtains, but they're not here." He illustrated the point by swinging through Oro's leg, harmless as the beam of a flashlight. "And you can see us when we come to the windows, but we're not out there, unless we go out the door. Gorgorond's like that to us. We can see the bat through the curtain and we see it here, where we are, but he's coming through a door from another floor to get here. He can reach all the way through here to where you are. I think he must be really big," the little tentacle finished as helpfully as it could.

Oro rubbed his forehead with his knuckles. "For future reference, son: when someone talks about marinating you, it means they plan to eat you when you're ready. It's not casual talk. But Hell if I'll—"

"Let him try!" barked one of the Nicks, fiercely, and was immediately echoed by the second, "We already eat the bad things in the house. We'll tear him apart!"

"...Bad things?" Sarahi blinked.

Tuli motioned for the tendrils to let her answer this one. "From what they tell me," the Lioness explained, "Lots of other spirits inhabit our home, kind of like insects. They tend to flock around Oro, for some reason. Some of them are ‘bad' and some of them are ‘harmless'...but I don't know what they see that gives them those impressions."

"We eat the big ones that stick to your back," Nick declared proudly, "And scare all the little ones away from everyone."

Oro suddenly felt just a tad itchy. "Alright...I think I've heard about all I can handle for one night," the Rabbit groaned, rubbing his back against the rough stonework. Most everyone nodded agreement, and began shuffling around to settle in for the night.

"Big Sis," Nigel reached out to hover just behind Nayeli, "We weren't allowed to say it before, but thanks for all the meals. Yours are always the best!"

Nayeli blushed deeply, and Tuli, overhearing, covered her mouth to silence her surprised gasp. Clearing her throat, the younger Lioness smiled at the well-meaning tentacle. "Um...thank you, Nigel. Nicholas, Nicole, can you come here, too, please?" she called gently. Once they were all gathered, she leaned in closer and spoke softly, as if to share a secret, "I know it can't be helped, but it's not polite to watch other people when you weren't invited. We're going to keep feeding you well, I promise, but do me the favor of pretending that you didn't see anything, and let us do the same."

"Yes, ma'am," they all answered in unison, and Nayeli smiled and imitated kissing them each on the head.

Already curled up by her knees, Sarahi giggled. "Well, someone has their respect."

Nigel nodded quickly. "Mom always told us to mind Big Sis like she's Mom, when she found out about us. She's the oldest, and closest to Dad, so she's the boss."

"I did not say it like that," Tuli scolded.

Nayeli giggled again. "Well...thank you. I'll try to live up to her example. Good night."

"Good night!" they answered cheerily before disappearing into Tuli. Despite the circumstances surrounding them, the older Lioness slept more soundly that night than she had in a long time, free of the guilt and uncertainty of secrets.