Deep in the forest, a lone Delphin sat on the bank of a quickly moving mountain stream. Two years ago, she found her life being turned upside down again, and had sometimes questioned if it was all worth it. The death of her Guardian, then the death of her love’s brother in the same day was still quite hard for her to handle. It’s not that she wasn’t familiar with death, she just wasn’t so used to it any longer. “This should have ended peacefully,” she said to the forest.
“Snowhawk?” a male voice called out. “Where are you, love?”
“Nowhere far,” she replied. With a tired sigh, she laid down on the cool, soft grass.
From the underbrush emerged a pale-furred Lupino. “Are you ok, love?” he asked quietly, kneeling next to her.
“I’m fine, Janus.”
“You’ve been awfully silent the past few days.”
“Just been doing a lot of thinking.”
“Care to share your thoughts?”
“He’s two, now,” she said after a pause.
Janus took a minute to realize what Snowhawk was talking about. “Having some regrets?”
“Just wondering what it would be like. I’ve had three children and not been able to raise any of them.”
He sat down beside her and lightly rubbed her arm. “I’m sorry. I took you away from them.”
“No. I could have left at any time.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“What would I have gone back to? Even though Legacy is gone, I’m sure he some how manage to plant the idea of rebuilding the Dephin Society into Nytehawk’s head. And she’s part mule, I swear,” She sighed and turned on her side, facing him. “This will pass soon enough. It always has before.”
He nodded slowly and gently stroked her cheek. “Please don’t forget I’m always here for you.”
She looked up at him, then sat up, twisting around, and wrapped her arms around him. “Of course not.”
He wrapped his arms around her and felt her nuzzle him. Then, he felt a moist warmth on his fur. At first, he thought she’d injured herself, a not uncommon occurrence, then felt her faintly trembling. His bird was crying. “Snowhawk, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Just feeling– old, I guess.”
“You’re not thinking about giving everything up, are you?” he asked, his voice sounding decidedly concerned.
“No. I wouldn’t live through a third time.”
Janus never really said anything to that, just hugged her tightly. Then he gave her a small lick on her neck and nuzzled her softly. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms. “My poor bird,” he silently whispered.
*********
Nytehawk sat on her balcony railing, looking to the sky. She hadn’t seen her cousin in more than two years. Yet, she was reminded of her everyday by the two year old child that scampered about her home. Valerian didn’t remember Snow or Legacy, but he had been told the general story. His mother was with a man other than his father. His father was dead. He was with his aunt because his mother wanted to protect him.
Nyte looked back to her feathered wings and sighed. “So much has changed since this all began almost four years ago.” Four years since she had been recaptured. Almost three since she’d been set free. She idly wondered where they would all be if Snow had left Janus and if Legacy hadn’t tried to kill her.
She looked up as she heard Hunter behind her. “Did he finally go to bed?” she asked, referring to Valerian.
“Yeah. He’s as stubborn as Snow– and you,” Hunter replied, nuzzling her and wrapping his arms around her.
“Comes by it honestly, I guess.”
“Will you ever tell him the full story?”
“Dunno. If he asks, I will. I just don’t want him thinking Snow or Legacy were ‘bad.’ They were both in a really awkward situation. And Snow was so doubtful of their relationship at the end. They both made mistakes Unfortunately, Legacy died because of it. I don’t want Valerian to blame his mother for Legacy’s death, or him to blame his father for her not being around.”
“Is that really what happened?” a young voice asked from the doorway.
“Valerian,” Nyte said quietly. “Yes. That’s pretty much it.” Hunter moved off to the side, sitting in a chair nearby.
“Do you think there’s a chance I might be able to see my mom?”
“I’m sure she’d love to see you, and to see what a handsome young man you’ve become. But I don’t know if her mind or her heart could handle it. Its getting closer to the anniversary of Legacy’s death, and the birthdays of her other two sons.”
“I have two brothers?”
“Half-brothers, but yes. If they’re still alive, the youngest is about ten years older than you. She got to name them, but not raise them since they were taken away from her after a few days by our first owner. She never handled that well.” Nyte looked off. “Tried to kill herself on several occasions, both directly and indirectly, until Janus got us. Then she was trying to kill him for the first few days. She hated everyone. Became bitter and aggressive. Something happened between them, never found out what, but she just, stopped. What developed between them was more than a physical relationship. Some sort of screwed up form of love, I guess. She had refused to show it, he didn’t know what it was. But there it was.”
“If he loves her, then why is he keeping her from her family?”
“I don’t think it’s just Janus keeping her away. I’d guess she’s hiding. Trying to get things sorted out, to rest, to recover.”
“Was– Is she strong?”
“One could say that, though she’d never admit it. Had she been prepared when she got pregnant with you, and had she not been under so much stress, her pregnancy wouldn’t have been as big of an issue. Between Janus capturing me, her doubts about Legacy, then being basically captured herself she certainly wasn’t in the best of situations. Though she didn’t think to actually use what time she could rest for resting. That was her spirit, and something they could never break. She was so stubborn, and so scarred from the slavers trying to beat it out of her, she was pretty much given away.”
“Did Janus ever hit her?”
“No. He never laid a hand on either of us, even the times she would attack him. That’s not to say she went unscathed. She’d go on these missions. The last one nearly cost her her life. I’d say she still wears the ribbon to cover the scar on her neck.”
“What happened after that?”
“She healed for a few days, then escaped, taking me with her.”
“How old is she now?”
“Twenty-three.”
Valerian blinked and yawned. “Hey,” Hunter finally said, waking up from his light nap. “I thought you were supposed to be in bed.”
Valerian grinned innocently and gave a soft chuckle.
“Hunter’s right, dear. Go back to bed.”
The young one nodded and, with another yawn, wandered back to bed.
“Snow would be proud of him,” Hunter idly mentioned. “And of you for doing such a wonderful job of raising him.”
“I would hope so. I just wish she could have raised him. That’s what should have happened.”
Hunter slowly walked to her and hugged her. “I know, but apparently, Fate didn’t agree.”
*********
Two weeks later, Snowhawk stepped out of the shower, quickly wrapping a towel around herself. She wiped the condensation off the mirror, looking at herself but gasped at her reflection. The Delphin in the mirror wasn’t her. Her pale fur had darkened in hue, but she was shocked most by her mane and tail. The color had changed to a pale blue tinted with lavender. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the floor, falling against the wall with a dull thud.
The sound of her fall brought Janus running into the bathroom. “Sn– Snowhawk! What happened, love?!” he worriedly asked as he kneeled next to her. She was too stunned to speak. Janus shifted to Lupino form and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as tears began to stain her fur. “Snowhawk, love, what happened?” he quietly asked her again.
“… I’m getting old.” she near whispered after a few moments.
“Older, love. You’ll always be young to me.”
She nuzzled against him and held onto him tightly. “This is something I should have been expecting,” she mentioned as she shifted into her human form, then nuzzled her face into his fur. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him the real reason her aging scared her so badly. The older she got, the less time the two of them had. Lupino didn’t live as long as Delphin, even when one adjusted for the shortened lifespans of the average slave.
He hugged her again, subconsciously more carefully. He was always reminded of just how small she was. Even as a Delphin, she was only a few inches taller than his human form. “My little bird,” he quietly said with a gentle nuzzle. Janus felt her breathing finally slow as she began to calm down. He smiled softly and shifted back to his human form. He slowly stood, bringing her with him, then picked her up and carried her to their room.
*********
Snowhawk awoke several hours later and smiled softly as she found herself still in his arms. She cuddled closer to him, nuzzling him softly. Her mind soon began to think This is how my life should have been. But what if she hadn’t acted the way she did all those years ago, when she’d escaped. They had both had many strong revelations over the past couple years. Neither of them would have had any of those had they taken different paths. If I had it to do over, I’d change a few things, she thought, but I wouldn’t change the outcome. She gave him a small nuzzle and drifted back to sleep.
*********
Back in the city, a twitch of life made its presence known in Snowhawk’s abandoned apartment. A male figure moved silently through the living area, stopping at a coffee table and picking up a dusty picture. He brushed the dust off the glass, revealing two Delphin, one lavender-furred female shyly trying to hide her face from the camera in the shoulder of a tan-furred male. The figure gently touched the face of the female. “Snowhawk,” he whispered. Another moment passed, then he broke the glass of the frame and pulled the picture free. He folded it in half and slid it into the pocket of his black overcoat. He continued through the apartment, entering what had been Snowhawk’s room. The man walked to her nightstand, opening the drawer. He pulled out a slightly dulled piece of crimson ribbon, placing that into his pocket as well. He turned to leave when a flash of silver caught his attention. Further inspection revealed the silver ring she had been given to signify her mateship. After a moment’s pause, he took the ring and dropped it in the pocket with the other items. He turned to leave, then stopped at the two year old bloodstain on the floor of the living room. He knelt next to it, then gingerly rested his fingertips on the stain. His old scars began to ache again as he thought of the events of that night. He bowed his head, recounting his past. A moment later, he stood and quickly left the room.