[SpringsSong]

Erica smiled.  "Well, Fire always has room for one more at the Arena... She just doesn't want to admit it." She said, remembering how the massive arrival of pets had come in a few days ago.  "She loves it here in Evelon.  If she could live here full-time instead of having to go back to being her normal self--if you can call it normal--when she has to go to school, she would.  She even sneaks into Evelon while she's at school." She said, laughing.

Nia purred.  "Our trainer is so nice!  She's such a caring person... er, Kitsune-Elf mix." She said, remembering how Fire had said she was different from other humans in that she was mostly Elf with Kitsune blood in her veins--and tails to prove that.  Rhya also purred, rolling over onto her back.  Both kits looked content, and Erica knew she was.

{16:4 x2}

[SirMax]

"Kitsune-elf?" asked Tom curiously, looking at his step-daughter with a confused look on his face. What on earth was an elf? He'd certainly seen all manner of creatures on Evelon, but never an elf...

[[40]]

[SpringsSong]

Erica smiled.  "Yes.  She's about six feet tall and has pointed ears.  She also has nine tails, which she's very proud of." She said, smiling st her kits and then at her lifemate.

Adonia looked around to make sure no one was looking, and then pounced on Rhyia, who mewed in surprise, but tackled her sister right back.

{17:5 x2}

[SirMax]

"Nine tails? Wow." said Tom. "Our owner only has one." he added, watching the two kits at play. Snuggling up to Erica, he felt a sense of both paternal pride and jealous of Smoothie. It only made him wish for Erica to have his kits even more.

[[41]]

[SpringsSong]

[[xDDD *pokes the last line* Gotta' clear the list first.]]

"I see." Erica said, smiling.  "A couple of our female Lucain--Tali?±a, namely--have asked Fire why she doesn't morph into a Lucain herself if she loves pups so much.  Fire had quite the response back." Here, she puffed out her chest and said in her best imitation of Fire's voice: "I would not morph into a Lucain because then I'd be disowning my proud heritage; and I love caring for pups only.  I do not want to... have any myself, thank you very much." Erica giggled.  "Fleur's still ticked off at Fire, but I'd be more worried about Tali's new children, seeing how their father was one of the most coveted Ranch prizes Allonia could have." She said, pawing the ground and nuzzling Tom.

Nia and Rhy were busy trying to pin each other, and Erica cautioned them, "Don't go too close to the edge, my dears; we can't have you falling now, can we?"

{18:6 x2}

[SirMax]

"Hee hee. I doubt our owner would mind siring any pups." said Tom, laughing slightly as he remembered what Tala and Seth had said about Max meeting his friend at Basantha. "Although I don't think he'd want to do it with a Lucain unless he'd been turned into one or something..." he trailed off as he watched the children nervously.

[[42]]

[SpringsSong]

Nia and Rhy instantly stopped playing long enough to reverse the direction in which they were pushing each other.  "Aw, we wouldn't seriously fall off the edge, Mom." Nia said quickly, going back to tackling her sister, who squeaked and tried to tackle Nia back.

Erica smiled.  "Ah, they're so cute, aren't they?" She asked, nuzzling up to Tom.  "They kind of... let you see another part of you that you might not have seen before." She said, smiling broadly.

{19:7 x2--Crappy post; Fire is really tired...}

[SirMax]

"You might if you're not careful!" called Tom, before turning back to Erica and nuzzling her back. "They are cute." he said, smiling slightly. "Can't wait for our own." he added, blushing slightly at the idea.

[[43]]

[SpringsSong]

"Neither can I." Erica said, nuzzling Tom.  "Neither can I."  At this, she turned around to where they had been sitting and gasped.  "Oh, I totally forgot about that...!" She said, running back there.  She brushed some leaves aside before she found a tiny pouch.  She walked back over to Tom and was almost able to sit down when Rhyia asked, "What's that?"

Erica blushed.  "I-it's, well, um... a gift from me to your stepfather." She said, handing it to him.  Inside the pouch was a little anklet, encrusted with sapphires.  "I managed to get Arya to sneak to Fire's retreat thingie and find some sort of rare stone... so she found these sapphires." She said, smiling.  Adonia looked over at her mother, then back to her sister.  "Okay then... the longer it takes Fire to find us lifetime mates, the better, yeah?" She whispered.

{20:8 x2}

[SirMax]

Tom gasped happily. "Erica, it's beautiful!" he said, looking at the anklet in astonishment. "Thank you." he said, smiling widely as he looked up at her, taking the anklet and slipping it on, brushing away a bit of stray gold dust. "Now I feel bad that this is all I have for you..." he scurried off to where they'd been before.

A few minutes later, Tom returned holding a small silver chain with "Erica" spelled out in silver charms. "It's... not as fancy as yours..." he said, blushing.

[[44]]

[SpringsSong]

Erica gasped as she took the chain from Tom.  "Oh, Tom... it's beautiful!" She said, slipping the chain around her neck.  Adonia and Rhyia looked up at their mother and smiled.  "It's stunning!" Nia said, her smile growing broader by the second.  Rhy nodded.  "Yes, yes!  It's very beautiful, Father." She said, nuzzling her father's leg before going to pounce on her sister again.


{21:9 x2}

[SirMax]

Tom blushed slightly and smiled. She's calling me father? Even though she's Smoothie's daughter? glancing at Erica, he nuzzled her and smiled. "It looks far more beautiful on you than in a box." he murmured, smiling wider.

[[45]]

[SpringsSong]

While Adonia and Rhyia wrestled with each other some more, Erica smiled.  "Thank you.  Thank you so much." She said.  She hadn't failed to realize that Rhy had called Tom 'Father', but she didn't mind that.  In a way, he was the girl's father, just not in every sense of the word.  She didn't know if she'd ever meet Smoothie again, or if she'd see her other daughter.  Nia could see the troubled look on her mother's face, and stopped wrestling with Rhy to rub up against her mother's leg.  "It's okay, Mom.  I see your lifemate as my father as well.  Plus, you said that our real father had a lifemate, so your meeting was strictly an acquaintance." She said, going over to Tom and nuzzling his leg.

{22:10 x2}

[SirMax]

Tom smiled down at Rhy. "You've got alot to say, don't you?" he said, cocking his head slightly down at her. "And thank you for seeing me as your father." he added. Glancing at Erica, he let a small smirk cross his face. Just an acquaintance, huh?

[[46]]

[SpringsSong]

Erica chuckled.  "Fire said I will end up with a few more such acquaintences before I can settle down with you.  There are some Kuhnas in my pen that have extra spots on their lists, and those who aren't even up for public breedings that are lifemated to one of her Kuhnas.  E??wyra's lifemate has one breeding left before they can retire together, and she is fine with that.  E??wyra's just let down that her first-ever breeding request was turned down and a Spectrakuhna accepted over her, seeing as the two are the same in reality." She shook her head, looking at Adonia.  "My little girls sure are full of energy..." She said.

Rhy smiled.  "Sure I do!  I'm just like my cousin, Aya.  She loves research, and always has something to say." She said, her bright eyes shining.  Nia laughed.  "Well, at least I'm not the flirt of the family like Lasha.  It's good that Fire's got her tucked away in the nursery until she grows... that girl is just crazy." She said, laughing.

{23:11 x2}