I stared down into the basement outside that River rummaged around within.
I heard him dragging heavy wood along before the clanking of a paintcan rang out and he hissed.
"You ok?" I called down, clutching Nixie close.
She hung from a sash I had made from a sheet. Getting a proper one would mean going into town and trying to purchase it without raising suspicion.
That would be near impossible. Humans hunted Spots now. I could make do with a sheet.
River's head poked into view to make me smile.
He had dirt smudged across his face and smeared up both arms. His grey singlet was more black now from the dirt splashed along his middle.
"Are you trying to bury yourself into that thing?" I chuckled.
"Hey, I've got to see if we can hollow this thing out" he jerked a thumb back "it's pretty deep. I'm going to see where it goes and if we need to use it."
We were both preparing for the 'if's.'
After leaving Pretzel again, we had focused only on that.
The hole in the ground was our priority. It could be used as an escape if humans turned up in search of Nixie.
We didn't make our presence known, but we were always worried about having a trail.
River worked with humans. We still picked our food at a grocer run by a human and shared with them. They walked the same streets we did and had houses around ours across the lands.
Although our little home was nestled out of sight, it still had a long driveway connected to it. It was one way in and one way out.
We had our address for electricity, water, phone bills, mail, and internet. It was more of a trail than we wanted, but we couldn't be living like savages with a baby.
Nixie was precious. Even if she couldn't age, she still needed constant bottle feeds and nappy changes. She'd never move past them for the rest of her life.
Sometimes I wished that.....
"Teddy Bear!"
"Hmm?" I rattled myself from my thoughts of helping our little girl walk.
River appeared again, grinning.
"We can get to pushing up some walls. Maybe make some shelves and start a cupboard for cans."
I wrinkled my nose and saw his amusement.
"Like we are preparing for the end of the world?"
River clutched the ladder to hang off it, his tail flicking.
"Well, we are, aren't we?" he snorted playfully.
My arms curled around Nixie protectively. I pulled my shoes off the rungs River climbed up.
"Don't even joke about that."
He dropped his smile and helped himself up while I got to my own feet.
"Alright, alright" River slapped his legs to try and best out the dirt before he peered up at my uneasy face "but, we do need to be prepared."
I hated how it had to be an option. We should have been able to live in our home without checking the windows at any odd light passing the trees, or sit by the fire without having to lock the door first.
I wanted to hang my legs over the edge of the cliff and breathe in the fresh air with my daughter. River would be there too, taking in the beauty of it all with his eyes closed.
But, we had to be alert. Sitting would give us less time to run. Focusing on air would leave us open to snatching human hands.
My muscles hadn't been this tense since I had been a demon living out in the wilderness. Back then, I had another daughter to prioritize.
I had to keep this one safe at least. I knew Pretzel would be untouchable under Angler's watch.
Maybe I should tell her to move? Find a new home further from humans?
Would she listen? Or would she still cling to Mama's tree, despite what I said?
"You seem distracted" River's tail found mine. His hand went to hold my own that had curled around my phone to stroke the edge of it for comfort.
"I'm thinking, that's all..."
"About Nixie?" he frowned, opening the back door for me "or Pretzel?"
I paused, swallowing around the lump swelling inside my aching throat.
"Both."
River's ears dropped and he closed the door behind me to snap us into darkness.
"You know, I've been thinking too" he muttered when he peeled from me to tear back the curtains in the room beside us "do you think we should....stay?"
I stopped on my path to the kitchen and narrowed my eyes at River who passed to peel the covers off the windows.
"Where else would we go? We have a home here. Somewhere to keep our baby safe."
"And that's just it" he turned to me from the window beside the door "she'll always be a baby. We can move easier with her being small."
My teeth bared unknowingly at the thought until I hid them again.
"You want us to just up and leave?"
"I would" he shrugged as he tied the curtains "but I know we can't, not with Nixie. It was just a dumb thought."
He seemed to be voicing a lot more of those 'dumb' thoughts lately. Things we could be doing of we weren't tied to this house or a life outside of living feral.
"I miss it too" I grimmaced as I pulled down the formula to pop off the lid "but we can't just go back to that. Not after Isolation."
River shuddered, coming back to slide up onto the bench to watch me.
His hand squeezed mine on its way for the bottle.
"It was just a dumb scenario" he spoke firmly "I'm only running through ideas, nothing more."
"I know" I smiled back.
Still, he wouldn't bring them up if he didn't wish just a little for it to all be true.
"The less we draw attention, the better" I spoke as the bottle was filled and handed to River to shake vigorously "even if that means no lights during the day."
River chuckled and tested the milk, holding out his hands for our daughter I unbound from myself.
"We need to make this house a home still" he spoke as Nixie took the bottle eagerly "actual furnature and stupid knick knacks that go on the walls."
"Live, laugh, love?" I snorted.
"If that's what you want" River chuckled back.
"We still need a garden out the back" I spoke seriously "anything to limit the time we spend out getting food."
"I'm no gardener, but I can try and grow something out there" River's eyes trailed to the back door now "potatoes would be good."
"Stawberries too" I grinned "and pumpkins. They should be easy, right?"
River shrugged.
We both smirked at each other and dropped our eyes to Nixie.
"Do you think she likes it?" River wondered "the nappies and formula day in and day out?"
I offered a finger as she neared closer to the end of the milk.
"I don't think she knows any different."
"She's not some other soul trapped in there?" River tilted his head as he stared in wonder "she didnt live a whole other life and then fell into this one?"
It was troubling him deeply. I heard it on his softening voice that thoughts of something like this becoming his future disturbed him.
"She's a new soul...."
"But how do you know?" River looked at me now and handed back the bottle "is there a way to tell? They didn't teach us that in school."
I frowned too as my mind drew up nothing.
"Maybe there is a way and we just don't know it" I forced a smile when I saw the tears brimming in River's eyes.
"Maybe we did the wrong thing" he whimpered.
"Hey" I darted around the counter to wrap my arms around River and Nixie "you never regretted jumping off that cliff for her. We will get through this together. Bringing her back was the best thing you did."
"But Moss" he sniffled "a-and Pre..."
"We made those choices to help them" I laid my head against his twitching stomach "and we are making this one to help her, ok? She's very happy. Look at her."
I pulled my head back so River could gaze down on Nixie dribbling milk from her mouth. Her little hands curled up and rubbed along her face.
River wiped off the mess and laid Nixie towards his shoulder so he could gently pat her back.
"I just want to do good this time around" he worried.
"There is no-one else I'd trust more to protect her" I smiled back and leant up to kiss his arm "Daddy."
River laughed sharply, startling Nixie into crying.
"Don't make it gross" he laughed at me joining him "at least Papa sounds sort of normal!"
"And Daddy doesn't?" I shot sarcastically.
He shook his head furiously as he slid off the bench and tried to shush Nixie through giggles.
"Don't make it wierd!" he groaned back playfully.
"What? Daddy?" I laid it on thick and followed him as he retreated in withheld laughter "don't you like what Nixie will call you? Daddy?"
"T-Teddy!" he snorted "stop! She won't even talk!"
"What's that?" I listened and leant over Nixie in River's arms settling down "she's saying it! Listen!"
"She is not" River rolled his eyes when I pursed my lips to try and mime a faint voice.
"D-D-Daddy" I blew out with a snort.
"F-fuck off" River shoved me in laughter and shielded Nixie from my antics "you're the w-worst!"
"What would you rather be then?" I teased "you can't take Papa because that's mine."
"Jeez, anything is better than 'Daddy' or 'Papa'" his nose wrinkled and his ears flattened in exasperation "I don't know!"
"What were you to Moss then?" I eased up when I saw he wasn't laughing anymore "you were 'Uncle' to the girls."
"Dada was too hard to make him say, and the others didn't like it when i tried to get Moss to call me that, as much as i played it off" he smirked to me "I tried getting him to call me Poppop. As impossible as it was, it.... made me happy when he laughed at it."
There was a smile and those brimming tears again at the memory.
"Well, I think that suits you" I smiled up at him and wound an arm around his side "Poppop and Papa."
"Two P's in a pod" River bumped me cheekily.
I grinned back and smiled down at Nixie curling her finger around each of ours we gave to her.
"Can we fire up the hot water and have a shower?" River's voice rose softly when he saw the dirt lifting onto Nixie's clean skin.
I nodded and took her so he could head to the bathroom.
River poked his head around the doorframe and frowned at me when he saw I was heading for the fireplace.
"I did say 'we'" he grinned.
My chest tightened when I realised I had missed his obvious suggestion.
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh" he grinned and disappeared.
I heard the taps squealling as the water burst out of them. The noise had Nixie whimpering again until River twisted them further to force the pressure into silencing the noise.
"It's like a pressure washer in here, but it's so warm!" River whooped at the insane hammering water I could hear.
I carried Nixie in to see River's arse poking out to avoid the water absolutely blasting over him. Laughing at his misfortune, I curled Nixie up into the sink and approached him.
"And you were trying to get me in there too" I teased his ambition.
He turned his head from the water that was almost blinding him.
"Its still good!" he called over the noise and turned his back on it, yelping "come on, Teddy Bear!"
Snorting, I backed up, squealling when River snatched my wrist and tried to force me in.
"Wait! My phone!" I panicked and yanked it out so I could toss it onto the side of the sink.
"Shh, Shh" he pretended to smother my mouth while pulling me further in "you're all mine now."
The water that missed him speared straight into me. I yelped again, laughing when River blew droplets over me and nibbled into my neck.
Nixie wailed at the noise. I tried to reach her but River yanked me back against him until I was thoroughly drowned. After that, I was promptly released.
"When you settle her, come and get out of those wet clothes!" River snickered.
I burned behind my smile as I left, knowing fully well that It was going to be long before my freezing skin touched clean clothes again.
That cheeky, horny, idiot.
"You are so glad you aren't walking" I sighed to Nixie when I carried her into her room to check and change her "the things you'd see."
Struggling out of her onesie, I began wiping her down and powdering her skin. I shook my head and sighed as I dumped the clothes aside.
I guess I was grateful for one thing the Spots had provided us with.
"You know, one day, we should get you out by the water; the real stuff at a beach. I think you'd really like the sand and waves and birds...."
I paused, smiling to myself when I strung together Nixie's ankles to lift her over the nappy I slid under her.
"I was one once" I grinned as I turned her to stick on the sides "the hugest wings you've ever seen. It was amazing to just fly up there with nothing around you."
Smiling up at the dirty roof, the sadness of that robbed weightlessness made my smile slip.
"But, that's in the past" I fished for a warmer onesie that was bundled in gathered curls to keep her warm for when night set in "and Papa doesn't mind being here with you."
Grabbing her little feet to slip thin socks onto, I made a mental note to grab something warmer when we ventured into town next.
After leaving Pretzel, it had only been three days. We were focusing more on how to better hide ourselves than making ourselves comfortable where we were.
Was I neglecting her?
"I'd show you a picture, but I left my phone in the bathroom with D...Poppop" I lifted her up to admire her little scrunching body "you have a sister; a brother too. I'll have to show you pictures when I get more of the both of them. And the girls would be your cousins... or would they be sisters too?"
River and I were Lavender and Darcy's once too. It felt so wierd to have that distance between us through our own children.
"Teddy!" River grumbled out "I'm getting frostbitten waiting in here!"
Right. I had to get out of these wet clothes.
"Try to get some sleep" I laid Nixie down into her bare cot and checked the window where a draft was whistling through.
I really had to fix this room up. Looking around, I never realised how cold it seemed in here.
She'd be fine. I'd only be across the hall.
Still, I felt guilty; like I was abandoning her here.
Nixie started to writhe when I crept for the door I left open.
I heard her cracking cries and turned to them when I entered the bathroom.
"I'm freezing" River grumbled, irritated "didn't think you'd be that long."
"Sorry."
"Never mind" he prowled past me as I started to undress "I'll throw the fire on and get it going. Nixie will be better near it."
He was right. I felt better knowing she'd be warmer where we'd be gathered, rather than crying in a cold back room.
"Darling" I heard River coo in her room "you poor thing. Was Papa the meanie who left you here?"
"Hey!" I huffed.
"Don't worry, I'm here now" River's voice lifted as he patted her back "shh, it's alright."
He poked his head into the bathroom and lingered on my pants I was peeling down.
"We need to get that room done up before anything else" he jerked his head to it.
I couldn't agree more.
"Now, who wants to see the pretty fire?" River cooed again when he slipped away and thumped down to the front of the house.
I rubbed myself over with a towel to try and burn warmth back through my body without having to resort to the screaming pipes again. I was still freezing when I pulled on fresh a fresh shirt and longs that were accompanied with socks and a hoodie.
River started to laugh when he saw me enter the room where he was already stacking the firewood with Nixie cradled in one arm.
"Off to the snow?" he jeered.
"At least you got the shower" I mumbled as I fetched the matches.
"Hey, I got blue balls waiting for you in there" he jabbed back and shuffled so they were both away from the fire that swept along the top of the curling wood when I lit it.
My eyes narrowed at his smirk, sliding to the spreading fire I gratefully sank in front of.
River tugged on my tail to move me back to his side that I leant against.
"She's much better already" he commented when he lifted the nook of his arm for me to see Nixie staring at the fire dancing in her little eyes "we might have a little pyro on our hands."
"You wish" I scoffed back.
I could feel the heat burning through me already. Pulling off my hoodie, I created a ring for River to nestle Nixie inside.
She whimpered at leaving his arm, but was nowhere near as unsettled as she was in the back room.
"If the Spirits would allow it, I'd have many more children with you" River slid back to my side, tilting my head to his "no matter what they throw at us, you'll always be the one I managed to catch all on my own."
I giggled at his words that pressed to my lips. We were both smiling when we parted.
I coughed and pointed a finger to Nixie still focused on the fire and the shadows it rolled over her hands she tried to eat.
River twisted the hoodie to face the wall, grinning at my hesitation.
"I'm not going back to that cold bathroom" he snickered and lifted his head to the open windows when I did "no-one will be out here anyway. When have we had visitors, Teddy Bear?"
He dragged my hips towards him and pushed my chest down so that my back pressed to the floor.
It needed a good dusting. I could feel grit along my skin.
River's teeth pulled at the side of my throat and plucked thier way to my collarbone they lingered around.
"You know, it's been a while since we did something like this" he whispered and hooked his claws into the top of my longs "even with your daggy shirt and pants, I still think you are incredibly sexy."
I burned at his admiration and lingered on his growing cock pressing against me through his pants.
Jeez, it had been a while, hadn't it? Since Lavender and Darcy's?
"Has it been that long?" I frowned mainly to myself as my hands slithered up to River's hips that lowered to mine.
He nodded, grinning.
"You know, we could always ma..."
Both our ears rose at the echoing sound of my phone ringing in the bathroom. I could hear it vibrating against the ceramic it had been forgotten on.
"Its probably Sprig checking I haven't wandered off again" River breathed against my neck "I'm right here."
"Yes, you are" I gasped back when he sucked and kissed the area he whispered into.
The phone kept ringing, demanding attention.
"Maybe it's humans, coming to take us away" River joked when his tail twisted around mine and squeezed it tightly "I'll never leave you or our baby."
He was getting possessive again. My heart hammered and my skin grew slick at seeing him so determined. I loved that little growl his voice had on it when he talked. It was making me pulse through my fingers and toes, right to where I was crushed against him in my wet patch.
"Over my dead body" I breathed and gasped when River bit down my collarbone, gripping at my shirt he wanted to pull off me.
The phone vibrated at the missed call. I lifted up and held River over my lap until he tossed aside my shirt.
I slapped his arms up to try and lift his off that he did instead, throwing it against the wall in one smooth movement.
River fell when I did, hovering over me with his satisfied smile when the floor thumped at our weight.
Nixie fussed and whimpered to have us both look to her briefly, snorting.
I wrapped my arms around River to pull him back towards me and felt the mangle mess of scars across the skin my fingers gripped at. They fell into the crevaces around his shoulder blades before he jerked back against me.
"Sorry" I whispered, moving my arms to his chest instead.
"Its just sensitive, that's all" he grimaced back.
I knew better than to touch his back, but the flooding lust through me was muddling the line of what was right and wrong between us.
My own back was starting to ache against the wooden floor too.
River dipped back down to press his lips to mine and really sink into the kiss. We gasped and returned hungrily, moaning for air when my panting face gazed up at his.
Hands reached for hair and tails strangled each other. Gasping breaths had us trying to tug off our pants as quickly as we could, like time itself was running out.
Kicking aside the restrictions, the glow of the fire burned over our bodies. It dipped into every scar, cut, graze, and nick we both shared. It glinted along the saliva shared between our biting lips, and gleamed along our straining cocks desperate to be smothered in the fire pulsing through both of us.
I growled and flipped River over so he was the one on the floor. He grinned at my charge of power and snapped up my lips when they claimed his.
"Oh, fuck" he panted as we parted.
"Fuck" I smiled back.
Digging my claws around his hips to anchor him in place, I felt his snatch onto mine and tear me back down to his mouth that snapped around the skin at the front of my throat.
"Not that quick, Teddy Bear" he kissed the wound and forced me back to the floor so he was over me.
His hand reached for me and dipped over ever notch in my jumping cock. His smile breathed over me when I gasped and flexed, moaning at the pressure he stroked along me.
River was about to go back for my throat, his teeth lingering just a breath away, when the famailiar sound echoed out again.
"Fuck!" he snarled and abruptly stopped his teasing to pull from me "what the fuck do they want now?"
I whined when he stomped away, sitting up so I could give my back a break.
Checking on Nixie and carefully peering over, I saw she was still watching the dancing shadows on the wall.
What about our shadows? She wouldn't understand them.
"WHAT?!" I heard River snarl into the phone from the bathroom.
There was silence and an irritated huff.
We were so close too. I was still hard and waiting impatiently for River to return.
"Yeah, obviously" he snapped "look, we're busy. What do you want?"
More silence. River poked his head out and gestured for me to keep myself ready for him.
I didn't want to lose myself before he returned. I was worried that keeping my own desire fed so completely on my own would have me spilling before River could share the buzz.
"Are you serious?" he hissed.
Poking his head back out, he smothered the phone against his shoulder.
"Forget that. Grab your clothes and the baby."
Instantly I was releasing myself to pull across my discarded pants.
"What's going on?" I panicked now "is it humans?"
River was already back on the phone, storming over to jump into his pants and shoulder the call he focused entirely on through grunts and short replies.
"Alright. We'll be ready" he huffed and stabbed the phone to end the call with a groan.
"Fuck me!" he hissed, eyeing my spotted pants "change those."
"What's going on?" I cried out as I raced for the room and ripped through the cupboard for another pair "who was that?"
"Fucking Darcy!" River growled back from the loungeroom he scrabbled around in "said that he had some people come by checking for Spots. They know we are linked to them. They're coming here too to ask the same questions"
"What ones?" I cried out around the doorframe River rushed to with Nixie still bundled in my hoodie.
"I don't know, just that if they see her spots, it's all over. Darcy is coming around to pick us up. They've already been there so it should be safe."
Nixie started to cry from the panic swirling around her. I cradled her and saw River tear into her room to tear out her nappy bag and rip out a few pairs so he could make room for clothing instead.
"Grab her formula and bottles" he pointed to the kitchen "leave our things. We can get more when we come back."
He was desperate, but so was I. I raced for the cupboards and left Nixie on the bench beside me so I could scrape them out.
River dumped the bag beside her, squeezing aside diapers to fit in the bottles. He had to carry the formula.
"Make a sling" he tore for the sheets and threw one at me "don't let her out of your sight."
The panic was clear in River's voice. He had heard the warning I hadn't and it was clear I was missing the severity of it all.
Tears welled when I tied the sheet and pulled Nixie from the hoodie to press her to myself instead.
She had wet herself. The desperate cries were more demanding than her food ones.
"We don't have time to change or feed her" River grunted as he flung open the front door "get your shoes, we have to meet Darcy when he gets here."
It was all happening so fast. I gripped the sheet in fear and felt numbness wash through me.
River shouldered the bag, stashed the formula under his arm, and swept me out the door he yanked shut behind him.
"I've got your phone" he tapped his pocket, slipping into thongs like I was "there's nothing else we need for now."
"River!" I whimpered when we shuffle onto the gravel and picked up the pace "they'll see her things! They'll know we have her!"
"I know" he growled at the road "and hopefully they think it's an ordinary baby and move on."
"Living with two demons?" I choked, my claws lengthening and serrating as they curled around the weight against me "they'll know! They'll...."
River said nothing, snarling as he stormed beside me along those sharp rocks trying to trip us up.
"Darcy got a heads up, so he left as soon as he could. He shouldn't be too far away."
They lived hours from us. How much of a heads-up did they need to get here in time? He'd still be in the road while we were being surrounded.
River fished into his pocket for the phone and scrolled for the contacts to ring it.
Our sawing breaths and Nixie's shrill screams of discomfort as we crunched over the rocks was all I could hear.
"Yeah, we're out" River cut through the silence "we'll keep walking until we are away from here."
His back was bulging from spikes threatening to spear his shirt. The claws curling around the phone were almost dwarfing it as he spoke around sharpened teeth.
"Look, it's not good. The mutations are back" he panted out "but, they're bound to if someone is trying to take our baby away. It's normal."
His breath sawed with mine, growling in unison.
Through tears, I'd fight for her. Let the mutations swallow me again if it meant I could keep her against my skin.
"She's OK, just a bit tired and wet" he glanced to me "I know. We'll sort that out when we get further away."
We kept walking as quickly as we could. We were bordering on a run as it was.
"Still on the drive. Where are you?"
Silence. River's face dropped.
"What?" I whined, choking on desperation "where is he?"
He hardened again, huffing.
"Just keep coming. We'll message you when we get off the driveway and somewhere safe."
The phone hung up and River glanced to me again.
"He's nowhere near here. We have to wing it until he finds us."
"But our home! We could get more things and..."
"We aren't going back" River snarled and softened at my tears spilling down, blinding me "he's coming as quickly as he can. We can do this. We've done it before."
"N-not with her" I sobbed as I paused to try and wipe my eyes refusing to let me see the way.
"We're in this together" River's claws curled around my shoulders "clear those tears, Teddy. We can get through this."
Pressing Nixie into me while swiping at my eyes, I nodded and let River take my hand to lead the way while I tried desperately to fight through my fear to protect our daughter.
"Nothing is going to take her, I promise" River growled through his teeth ahead.
I could feel my tail splitting as I hunched over Nixie still wailing beneath my circled hands.
"They'll have to kill us both first."
ns 18.68.41.177da2
