My times of Missy and Stew were behind me when I rested under my favourite bush to cool off in the shade.
A children's playground was nearby. The squeals and chatter of the little ones tumbling over the equipment and digging through the ground were usual sounds for me now when I slept.
Seeking out another smaller town, I was well known here too. Everyone knew about Soup who had his favourite places. I confused them, but I was trusted enough to be near their children. They knew I wouldn't hurt them when I was their guardian. It filled me with familiarity and warmth from older memories with Stew.
I heard little footsteps getting closer. It wasn't unusual for a curious child to come and inspect where I slept, but this one was alone.
Opening my eyes slowly, I saw a blonde curly haired toddler peek under the branches and slap their tiny hands on my snout.
Excitedly, they grabbed at my skin, using their little white shoes to try and climb up me before they were snatched away.
"Oh, I am so sorry!" a woman's voice came before she bent down into view "he's always ru.."
She paused when she saw me. Holding the toddler with one arm, she peeled back the branches for a better look at me with her other.
"Soup?" she whispered.
The curled rust-coloured hair puffed out into a neat ball at the back of her head. I remembered struggling to tame hair just like it so long ago.
"Stew?" I lifted my head.
Stew lowered her face with a smile, blushing at the name.
She was human. Her skin was covered in a light foundation and even had a spray of freckles over her nose. Her red eyes were brown, twinkling with happiness.
She was grown up. Her plain dark blue dress came below her knees and was pulled in at the middle with a black belt. She even had on matching black shoes.
"I go by Lacie now" Stew smiled warmly "I'm making it my own name."
Smiling back, tears glistened in my eyes when I lifted myself up towards her.
"I heard there was a strange creature hanging around here, but I didn't think it was you. There's so many out there hiding in plain sight" Lacie grinned, placing down the toddler again who wobbled over the grass.
I watched it bend over to grab at some leaves it waved around. Its blue overalls had a pocket at the front that it tried to stuff the leaves into unsuccessfully.
"He's yours?" I looked up at Lacie who sat down beside me.
She beamed, nodding.
"His name is Quincy. He's a handful."
We watched Quincy wobble back towards Lacie, proudly holding up another leaf and squealing happily.
Smiling proudly, Lacie caught Quincy when he fell onto her, smothering his face in kisses before letting him go again.
"Did you find someone?" she asked me while watching her child "settle down in a nice patch of land?"
"One day" I replied "but not today."
Lacie nodded, understanding.
"Who did you find?" I glanced up at her, then scanned around the playground to my right.
Lacie leant in close and pointed, turning my head slightly left.
The man she gestured to was standing at a snow cone vender. He held another child on his hip, excitedly pointing to the flavours to get the child to pick one for itself.
He had on a buttoned up white shirt with an open brown vest over the top. Brown glasses matched it and the brown longs. His curled light brown hair didn't come past the back of his tanned neck.
"His name is Elijah, but that's his name for this life."
"Mearve?" I gasped in realisation at Lacie who giggled when I blinked in disbelief between them.
"That's my eldest, Jay. And my middle, Sage."
A little girl peeked out from the side of the vender to smile up at Elijah who handed her down her own snow cone to her delight.
She had his light brown hair; short and curly. With her little yellow dress, she was easy to spot out of the crowd.
Three children; two boys and a girl. I felt pride for Lacie when I saw Elijah doting so affectionately over them.
"Missy has her own too" Lacie explained as she caught her child again and sat him in her lap "a little girl. This was a while ago, but she was still in the city, working a floristry job. Her little unit was filled with all sorts of flowers in the windows. She's got adorable sun-catchers that look like us."
A florist. I smiled at the thought of Missy being surrounded by the flowers she once lived amongst. At least she'd still have some sort of colour and reminder of the place it all began for her. The sun-catchers made me chuckle that we were still fond memories for her still so many year later.
"She calls Elijah Casserole" Lacie held back a laugh behind her smile "Soup, Stew, and Casserole. She should have seen how happy she was when she saw Elijah like we used to be, and that I was carrying Jay."
"That long ago?" I marvelled as Lacie nodded.
"Have you been to see her since that night?" she looked down to me.
Remembering Missy's tearful face that watched us leave, I shook mine.
I had always contemplated following the tracks, but couldn't bring myself to do it. Once, I got about halfway towards the old town and turned back.
There was nothing for me in the city now. We had different lives. While I still carried the name she gave me, it was out of affection for the simplicity of this life I lived.
"Would you like to come with us?" Lacie offered when she saw Elijah trying to balance a multitude of snow-cones, giggling "we like to take the children further out to give them a chance to properly run and explore. You've still got to teach me how to catch crickets."
"Excuse me, it's birds now" I retorted cheekily, making us both laugh.
Lacie beamed, kissing the top of her toddler's head.
"Can we have another adventure together?" she begged "please?"
If she were in her other form, I wouldn't doubt her tail would be slapping the ground right now in the way it used to.
I missed those days.
"I could get out" I grinned back.
"Only until you want to be on your way again" Lacie added seriously "I know you have your own life. I won't take you from that for my silly thing."
A life that involved my own family and children to protect? I just moved from town to town to wherever sounded nicest and wasn't too populated. Years were spent roaming and dreaming. There hadn't been anyone since Missy. In a way, I was scared that it would be the same thing over again.
Lacie's face lit up when Elijah finally managed to leave the vender with their other young children fascinated by the sweets handed down to them. His eyes widened and his face broke into a wide smile when he saw me there sitting beside Lacie with their youngest. With him waving to me, I broke into my own grin. My tail even started it's own rhythm on the ground from the happiness flooding me, making Lacie chuckle.
Elijah urged his other two to rush towards me excitedly, their little feet powering on as fast as they could while their red eyes laughed in happiness.
Soup, Stew, and Casserole sounded like the beginning of a wonderful adventure that had been paused for far too long. For just that happiness again, I'd gladly accept anything life threw at me again.
But, for now, I didn't have to worry about that. Stew and Casserole were here, like a pleasant dream. I had children clambering over me, begging me to stay. For now, I was content to join their sides once more and remember happier times.
One day, this would be my life too.
I could wait a little longer.
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