It was a week after the celebrations that we finally got to meet everyone that had been recruited from the New Year Eve festival.
Solomon and Emry were already known to us. They contrasted each other as they lined there outside the shed we gathered around. Solomon looked nervous to have so many others just standing near him. I think it was the mutations of Emry and River that were throwing him off the most.
Three more were here too.
The youngest was a girl that looked barely out of her teens. She too was heavily mutated, even past the point of both River and Emry.
Her right eye was black but didn't appear to have life behind it. It seemed feral compared to her left one that showed what was left of her soul.
Her right side was a visible reminder of the creature she was becoming. The right arm was massive and equipped with curving white and black claws. The whole arm ran with thorny spikes that grew upwards into rounded prongs. Even her back was covered with a mass of them that made her look like she was trying to carry the weight of an entire forest that also curved elaborately from the right horn. Her left was completely missing.
Because of the size of her mutations, her clothing was minimal. She only had a short top covering her tiny breasts and managed to squeeze into a pair of tiny shorts that fully covered her left leg but pulled into a tiny sliver along her right that barely gave her decency. Her tail was a great shield since it too was a massive pronged limb resting on the ground.
The poor girl couldn't cover herself any other way around such hulking mutations.
The other demon with us was also female. She looked about Azalea's age, maybe slightly younger. Her body was also unmarked by mutations but did have a prominant scar running down her left arm to her fingertips.
Her skin was red like darkened blood and dusted along the arms with white and gold. Even her golden eyes match her striking markings that also carried up her curved black horns around her face.
Her tail looked like it had been cut at the tip long ago. Her blue overalls and white flower patterned shirt only added to her natural beauty and attracted the attention of the last demon.
The last one was a young male. He was the only other one from the new group that also wore a Demon's Cradle and Tracker. His red eyes made him look like he was stalking prey when he flickered them up to observe the unmutated female, although his body language was also uncomfortable. He had no markings on his black skin and had beautiful grey horns that looped down towards his dark blue shirt.
He looked about the same age as me. He wasn't confident in himself at all and spent his time only glancing up at what interested him, like he was afraid of being caught.
He definately was interested in my Cradle but wasn't bold enough to ask me himself. River lurked beside me to make him too nervous to even look at me for too long.
I was curious too. This demon was just like me and I wanted to know why. Had he bitten a human too? Or was it something more sinister?
It looked like Able had given up on match making after finding the three other males here. The two females must have been an after thought; possibly to spark something else in the others.
She was a cheeky old woman. Her intentions were good, but the forced unions was sure to get messy with so much competition now.
I didn't know how she expected to control them all.
Able greeted us all when she rolled up the shed door and ushered us in to stand around her sorting benches.
She had five new baskets made for everyone here. She had even attached signs to the back of each one with names on them.
With so many demons now, it certaintly made things easier. There was no hiding from the others now. Everyone would know each other if they wanted to or not.
"It's so good we all get to meet each other for the first time" Able smiled around at us all "River, Teddy; these are our new workers. Solomon, Emry, Leaf, Mitzi, Cricket; these are the ones you should watch and learn from."
They all looked at us immediently, and I took note of thier names.
Leaf was the one with the Cradle. Mitzi was the unmutated female. Cricket was the mutated one.
"Granny" River piped up as he looked around "where is Azalea? She's always here first."
Emry's interest piqued at the mention and he scanned the area eagerly as well.
It was odd for Azalea not to be here already waiting for us. She was always so reliable and ready to go before I even showed up with River each weekend. The way Emry looked for her too told me she hadn't decided to stay with him instead.
I hadn't seen or heard of her since she had chased that fallen soul. Hopefully, it hadn't led her astray or into danger.
"I'm sure she will be here soon" Able dismissed hopefully before concern could spread "I want you all to focus on work, not what others are doing."
River smirked at me knowingly. His focus was never on the job anymore. He was only interested in how he could steal me away from the others again.
It was a thrilling game to him. The dangers of it only made him want to try harder. It would be a miracle if he even topped the numbers he once had when he had other objectives to focus on.
He was becoming too slack in his numbers and it was starting to show.
Able dismissed us all and let us head out with our sickles and baskets. Cricket struggled to shoulder hers until she found a way to balance it around her mutations.
River kept close to me when we set up to slice our way forward. Usually, we would have worked effortlessly with Azalea beside us in line, but her place to my left was replaced with Leaf instead who carefully watched my movements and mimicked them.
"What exactly did you get yours for?" he piped up curiously before River's narrowed eyes at him made him dart his eyes from me "y-your Cradle?"
I glanced to River who immediently focused ahead so he wasn't intimidating the poor kid.
"I caught someone where they shouldn't have been" I replied simply "and I let myself go."
"You could have bashed the bastard around a little more" River huffed now, still slashing "I doubt it would have changed anything."
"I did that too" Leaf forced a smile and paused "hurt a human, I mean."
"What for?" River looked to him now, his attention captured.
Leaf looked around to make sure the others weren't eavesdropping before darting to us and dropping his voice.
"I got carried away and ripped her shoulders open on accident" he showed us his cut claws "you know..."
"During sex?" River snorted now, and he nodded shamefully before moving back to his position beside me.
"Humans are a lot softer than I thought. I got carried away."
I peered down at his soul to see that it radiated the same colour as Lavender's. The only ones from the others that hadn't been Bonded were Solomon and Emery.
"You're Bonded."
"Not to her" he shrugged "there's nothing I can do about that. It's the way it's meant to be."
I could tell he was hurt about bringing up painful pasts and understood him not dwelling on it too much. I couldn't imagine having to give up everything with Lavender forever.
"I'm looking for someone more my type" he said as he cut through a stem "even the judge said it's for the best."
"The judge" River scoffed and shook his head as he fell silent.
We all worked seamlessly as the day flew by. Leaf slowly grew more confident in asking me questions about myself without sharing too much information about himself. He was obviously nervous around River who wasn't going to let him get too comfortable with me.
The kid was basically scared senseless any time River looked at him or made a noise he wasn't expecting. The only time he could muster up courage was when River had to return to the shed to drop his load and I was left alone.
He was already trying to find another way to engage me in conversation when Azalea's car pulled into view and parked up down near the front of the farm.
Everyone watched as she got out and went to retrieve something from the back seat, fixing a length of cloth around her body as she did.
Her usual clothing was replaced with a more casual look now. Her green top was simple and her Grey shorts looked like something she could have lazed in home with. The cloth she crossed and tied around herself slung over her left breast like a sash and bulged with a new weight she cradled when she made her way toward us.
Instantly, everyone was milling around her to greet her. She smiled at them all but didn't take her hands from the sash that moved.
"Is that it?" I breathed excitedly.
She nodded and pried open a part of the fabric so I could peer inside.
A tiny head instantly looked up at me. It's skin was still shrouded in mist but had taken the shape of a small baby with tiny ears poking upwards. It's eyes glinted like stars and shone like two giant white orbs.
There was no characteristics or features about them; just light.
Its body huddled to Azalea's while it looked at me. The tiny smokey hands grabbed for the fabric of her shirt to grip it for comfort. A tiny tail tucked to its body moving against the sling it was protected by.
It looked comfortable nestled there with Azalea's hand supporting and shielding the baby while the others peered inside for a quick glimpse when she allowed it.
"A demon with a baby" Emery smiled at the sling after peeking inside "that's unheard of."
Azalea only chuckled and patted the bulge softly to soothe the baby growing restless inside.
"Whose baby is it?" Cricket asked.
"Mine" Azalea replied a little too sharply "I'm not letting anyone try and say otherwise or take her from me. She is my baby."
Mitzi agreed with Azalea wholeheartedly while Cricket still had unspoken concerns.
"Humans are going to want to know about it" Solomon pointed out "they think they own everything from the sky to the oceans."
Instantly, Azalea's eyes narrowed at him and she bared her fangs at his words. She starts to move towards the house as we all followed.
"I fed this baby with my body and I'm giving it the protection it needs; just like a human can" Azalea spoke cooly "they can try, but they'll have to strap a Cradle to my face and break my hands before I let them try to tear her from me."
"You've wanted this for a while" Mitzi noted.
Azalea nodded.
"More than anything."
"You keep her close then" she replied firmly "they'll have to get through me too."
"And me" Emery added.
"And me" I smiled.
"Me!" Cricket threw a hand in the air.
"Me too!" Leaf said enthusiastically.
"It's not going to end well, but I'll give it a shot" Solomon shrugged.
Azalea beemed at us all as we reached the shed where River was helping Able at the sorting table.
He noticed the sling and rushed over in concern before she peeled it open to reveal the tiny head that poked out now.
"A baby" he whispered in awe, looking at Azalea happily.
"My word, child" Able spoke now and hurried over to her to check for herself "you've become a mother practically overnight!"
"I have" she agreed with a loving smile at the head she tucked out of sight.
"What's it's name?" River asked now.
"Her name is Petal" Azalea corrected with a kiss on the top of the head trying to poke back up with a disgruntled noise.
"That's a georgous name" Mitzi commented.
There was agreeance that Azalea took in with pride. She looked like she was bursting with joy as Able left to bring her a seat to sit on.
"Do you think anyone is going to know?" Emery questioned Able while Azalea slowly unwravelled the cloth around her "what will happen to her?"
"Well, usually demons are reported when they join a family" Able pondered "but that is when it joins a human one. It gives that family finances to help care for a new member for a certain time until they get too old. A demon joining another demon is basically unheard of. They need humans to take a shape and age closest to those they form Bonds with. I don't know what happens without that."
"It's already got some sort of shape" Azalea noted while she parted a crease in her shirt to expose her breast that Petal nuzzled into before latching on "and she's been excellent with everything else. She barely cries and sleeps so peacefully."
"It's normal for a newborn demon to be so quiet" River said "it's a defense mechanism. When we fall, we could land anywhere where there could be predators around. Staying quiet is our way of giving us a chance to survive long enough to find a soul. We only copy the age of others to give us the best chance with Bonding too. Petal might just grow up normally since its not with a human."
I looked at Petal and instantly felt glad for her uncertain future.
As time passed, she wouldn't need to mold herself to fit in with humans for survival. She could live her entire life from birth to end.
We had not been given that chance. When I fell, Lavender was already five. I needed to match her age quickly to make sure I had the best chance at Bonding with her. After that, I could age normally with her. But those crucial moments after birth were what would shape my whole life.
What should have taken years of growth only took me days to match. I was the perfect companion in every way possible. It got me her soul and gave me my life with her now. Without adapting, I could have ended up fading back to the spirits over something as simple as being a fraction too old for her.
We were built to be the perfect pair. I had only lost five years at birth. Others here could have lost a lost more if they seeked out someone already well into thier childhood or even teens.
"Some demons go thier whole lives without Bonding" Solomon said "it's only when you are near a suitable soul, that your timer starts to exchange it. We only have one chance for that. With her landing away from humans, she's already got the best headstart."
She really was the lucky one out of all of us and had no idea about it.
"You can keep her here while you work" Able suggested "I'd hate for her to get burnt wrapped up in a hot cloth like that."
Instantly, Azalea was tense again. I saw her hands hold Petal more firmly and her body lean inwards as if she was anticipating Able to come around and snatch her away.
"She's never left my side" she worried as she looked down to her "I'd rather keep her with me. I won't be focused otherwise."
"Granny is a nice lady" River said now "can you see her running anywhere on those old legs?"
Able glared at River who stirred small giggles in Leaf and Emery.
"You can't have a kid near the sickles anyway" Solomon held up his "one accident and she loses an ear or a finger or worse."
"I would never..."
"You wouldn't. But it's dangerous. Nothing is going to happen."
Azalea fixed herself back into her shirt but still held Petal close. River stepped from me to stand before Azalea and hold his gigantic hands out.
"I'm not a threat" he soothed when she scowled at them and wrapped her arms around Petal "we've known each other for a long time now. You know me, Azalea."
I could tell he was trying to calm her into handing over her child. The soft approach by someone so obviously mutated to be fearsome looked strange.
But, somehow, it was working. She wasn't mutating. She didn't see River as a threat.
"I won't let anything happen to her" River spoke "I'll even swear on it."
He lifted a hand to bite into his thumb and cause it to bleed. Able cried out in shock while the others watched in awe and confusion as he spread it across Azalea's forehead then Petal's.
"An Oath is a big thing" Emery started to panic and stepped towards him "are you sure y...?"
River snarled at him to make him back off. His eyes looked like of a feral beast when they locked onto Emery. I saw his claws lengthen slightly which also caught his attention.
"I accept your Oath" Azalea smiled at him and carefully placed Petal into his curling hands.
His claws formed a cage around the tiny body before he lifted it to press it against his chest.
"Take care of her" Azalea warned him, picking up her basket and sickle to shoulder it "or I'll come for you."
River took her seat and remained silent. Petal clung to him as he brushed a single finger along her back gently.
"Back to work" Azalea ordered the others "the baby isn't going anywhere."
Everyone looked to her then carefully picked up thier belongings around River who watched each one intensely. I went to lift mine until he held out a hand toward me and pulled me over.
Able stood by his right to watch everyone
"Such a tiny thing" he admired, running a nail along its ears to make them bend under his touch "to think that we all were this helpless..."
"I doubt you ever were" Able chimed cheekily and reached over to offer her finger to Petal who wrapped her whole tiny hand around it.
"I landed in a river" he snorted "if I was like Darcy, I would have drowned right there. He found me beside it the next morning and looked after me since. He was my mother."
"Lavender was mine" I spoke "I landed in the flower field outside thier old home and she found me. Her mum eventually looked after me when Lavender wasn't running away from me every time I tried to talk to her."
River laughed at my revelation and looked to Able expectantly.
"I landed in a hospital bed" she said with a cheeky smile "nothing exciting about this old girl's beginnings."
"To think that we were cursed not to have something so beautiful" River stroked Petal "it seems a bit cruel now that there's something like this as temptation."
He looked up to me and rested his head against my side.
"I can see why Lavi was so upset now. There's a strange feeling about having something like a baby against you. Here, feel it."
I nervously glanced at the field where Azalea was working. I felt like the moment I touched her baby, she would be right up here to gut me.
"It's fine" River soothed and got up so I could take the chair "hold out your hands."
The light weight was placed into them which whimpered at the movement. River pressed her to my chest and moved my hands to hold her properly there to calm her when she grabbed a fistful of my shirt and nuzzled into it.
Instantly, I had a strange urge to protect this small thing in my hands. Like I was a mother myself trying to shield her baby from the cruel world.
It made me happy and sad at the same time. She was so precious.
"You get it now."
I nodded, tracing the tiny ears that lifted when the tiny face tilted up to me. A little hand followed to try and grab the bottom of my muzzle I dipped down for it. She didn't want to let go of the strange new thing her eyes focused on. The blood smeared on her forehead had trickled between them and down her nose.
"What was that thing you did with Azalea?" I pondered, wiping the trail with my shirt "an Oath?"
"A protective bond" he nodded and swiped the blood from her forehead with his thumb that he pressed to her lips that suckled it "I've marked them so I will feel if anything happens to them. I'm her guardian."
"You can do that?" I frowned up at him "do you think I could do that with Sprig to keep her safe?"
"It has to be a very strong bond" River replied "and the cause has to be something that truley needs it. Azalea needs her baby protected around these strangers and it worked because Petal can't protect herself. Lavi is much older and won't feel like she needs someone to look over her. Unless something happened to her or she was in a bad situation, the Oath wouldn't work."
River knew this from experience from the way he spoke about it. He knew what worked and what didn't.
"You've done it to Darcy too."
He nodded.
"I vowed to make sure he was kept as safe as he could be. There's not much I can do when I'm here and he's there. I can't be called to him yet."
"Called? Like a phone?"
"You seriously don't listen, do you?" River tapped my head roughly with a grin "haven't you learnt about what happens between a bound human and demon?"
"We haven't covered that" I mumbled back and swatted his hand away.
"I doubt you would, child" Able spoke before River could "they tend to steer clear of subjects like that so that others aren't using it recklessly."
"The internet is a wonderful thing" River winked at me "you can find out how to do it there. Demons can't summon other demons so we use each other as practice to get the symbols just right at my school."
"School? You're nineteen."
"I'm a repeat" he shrugged back "not by choice. Darcys parents can get more benifits as long as I'm still in school. I've been repeated twice to keep me in there" he held up two fingers "the teachers are catching on though so I've been failing tests to make it seem like I'm stupid."
"You are much better than that!" Able scolded him now "shame on you for downplaying your talents!"
"Ah, Granny" he smirked "as long as I'm giving them benifits, Darcy is well. They even said that if I pass this year that they'll kick him out for good. I'm all good; I'm basically halfway to being a dumb animal, but Darcy is a softy. He knows nothing about survival. If a few bad grades is all it takes, then I'll do it."
"You need to do something about that. That's no way to live" Able tutted to him "tell someone; do something."
"Don't worry your head" River placed a hand on her shoulder "I'm fine, honest."
Able scowled at him through shining eyes then took his hand from her shoulder to slap the top of it.
"No cake for you today."
"Granny!" he gasped now.
I laughed at him trying to negotiate with Able who refused to budge.
"Is it the maple one?"
"It's a new honey, cinnamon and rosemary one" she said with her head turned from him.
"Granny!" he moaned in dissapointment then turned to me "Teddy, convince her! She's gone mad!"
"I'm sure Lavender will enjoy it too" I giggled in response to Able "I'll get her to tell you how it is."
"You're both crooks!" River shouted and wagged his finger at us "both of you!"
He took Petal from me then snatched up my basket to press it to my chest and point me to the field sternly. I looked up at him to have him kiss my nose gently before resuming his serious expression.
"Love you" I poked my tongue out at him before heading back out to the field to resume the cutting.
Azalea was the first to leave for the day. She had everyone's attention again when she bought Petal past us and back into the shade of the car. River followed behind and talked in whispers to her as she strapped her in.
His eyes scanned everyone who immediately went back to work. Emery snorted at River's glare and shook his head before doing the same. Even Solomon looked fed up with his intimidation tactics but didn't express it so openly.
Once Azalea was gone, River was by my side and hard at work.
"I don't get why you think you are the only one allowed near her" Emery spoke up down the line.
"Emery..." Mitzi warned but he held out a finger to shush her.
"No, I don't get it" he said in the same loud voice as he turned to us now "you come in here all high and mighty and make some bond then act like you are the best shit that happened to her!"
"Are you jealous?" River called back snidely "just give it up. I'm not getting in some dumb argument with you."
"You don't get to come here and keep her for yourself" Emery spoke with a snap "you've already got your dick deep in that boy over there, so back off."
"Fuck you!" I snarled back before storming towards Emery.
Leaf leapt into action to hold me back. Solomon did the same with Emery who shoved him aside.
I did the same for Leaf and rushed up to clash with Emery who immediently went to slice my side with his serrating claws mutating before me.
I slashed at his sides then snatched up his hands in mine to struggle for control.
I couldn't use my teeth like he could. All I could do was snarl and bare my fangs from within my muzzle.
River rushed over to help me but I made the move before he could.
I kicked the dirt under us at Emery's eyes to blind and stagger him. With him focusing elsewhere, I launched myself at his body to topple him to the ground that I shoved his head into.
Already I could see my claws had grown sharper when I held his head down. I didn't even know how far the mutations had gone. All I cared about was making Emery squirm beneath me.
"You will keep your fucking mouth shut, got it?" I growled into his ear "if you have a problem with River, you have a problem with me."
Emery bucked me from him so he could shove me into the dirt now. His hand felt like a vice on my head that was pulled back instead of pushed down.
"And you'll stay away from Azalea" he hissed against my face "she's not yours and she's not his. Her and her baby are mine."
"Like fuck they are!" River snarled at Emery from behind everyone else trying to hold him back "I made an Oath! They are nothing to you, you piece of shit!"
I didn't even recognize River anymore. His mutations had accelerated to the point that he looked more like a monster than what had been beside me only moments earlier.
"I can protect her" Emery growled "she doesn't need some other male stepping in."
He yanked my head back further to make me whimper. It felt like the skin across my throat was pulled so tight that it would tear from the angle it was at.
"Let me go" I snapped "i'll fucking break your bones."
Emery shoved me down with a sharp laugh. I got to my feet but didn't move. He stood there, ready to risk everything to protect something that didn't even know how much he was willling to risk.
"Stay away from us" I warned him.
"Stay away from them" he bit back.
Our terms were out in the open. Now we had to honor them before there was even more bloodshed.
"Count your days" River jabbed a finger at Emery who picked up his sickle again "and watch your damn back."
He only huffed back and went to work. I returned to River who cradled my head in his hands to check me for marks. The only ones I had were the bleeding gouges along my side where his claws had pierced through.
River was only concerned for me despite his wellbeing. He led me from the others so he could check my side and run a gentle finger over it.
Even though he was the same person, his new appearance frightened me.
His eyes were fierce and hungry when they ran over me. The sides of his mouth had split into a massive gaping jaw that was filled with razor sharp teeth. Each growling breath rolling out of him came with a cloud of black smoke that disappeared into the air between us.
The gold patterning on his sunken face stained around his huge mouth to resemble the bottom of a skull. His eyes, nose, and cheekbones had the same staining to make the skull complete. His ears had lengthened dramatically to come level with his shoulder blades.
His horns pulled up into two concave skewers so long they almost formed a halo. Both had branches of bone on each; his broken horn now only a few centimeters short of his untouched one.
The length of his spine was exposed with sharp bone fanning down the middle of it. His shirt was torn from where they had suddenly pierced through him.
Each thigh had bone shielding the warped legs that were now dipped back like a zigzag and equipped with huge golden talons around his shredded shoes. His tail had split into two and was protected at the tip of each one with more bone.
I saw so little compared to him. He stood a whole head and shoulders over me now and almost had to bent to look down at me.
River was an absolute monster but didn't care. His only concern was my safety.
He made me feel like a little child being mothered. I felt safe in his arms that pressed my head to his body.
"Let's get you home" he whispered to me "I'll stay with you until you have some pain killers and sleep."
That sounded like a much better idea than cutting flowers. I nodded and let River guide me away, his teeth baring at Emery as he went.
River took up most of my bed he curled on while he stroked my hair. He made sure I did as I was told and headed straight to where it was safe and quiet after throwing down some pain killers and water.
Lavender had been utterly confused when the new River carried me into my room and closed the door behind him. He curled around me, lulling me gently to sleep between Mum and Dad momentarily checking on us.
I felt River when he shifted to leave me once I was drifting off. He pulled the covers over me and kissed my cheek before carefully sliding open the door to disappear out of.
And when I woke, he was back there like he had never left, sleeping soundly in his curled position around me just like a mother and her child.
ns 18.68.41.175da2
