Rating: M | Multi-Chapter | Paced Publishing
» Hello, my loves. This chapter is a little on the short side, but the next one will be long. Three of the kittens didn't make it, unfortunately. :( They were just too sick, and the mother is too young, I believe. The remaining kitten - Jesus, because he has a cross on his back - is healthy and thriving, so I have hope for him. Enjoy the chapter below, my loves!
Chapter Twenty-One
Jim groaned, his head pounding. He could feel his horns scraping against a rough surface, and his body ached like he had been tossed over a cliff (a feeling that he, unfortunately, remembered from not so long ago). Gasping a breath, Jim expected to inhale water, but was grateful when clean, fresh air filled his lungs instead. Gasping again, he forced his eyes open, and was surprised to find himself staring up at a high cavern ceiling, inlaid with various glowing crystals. The largest and most pervasive of the crystals seemed to be a softly glowing amber that looked like—
"Heartstone."
Jim jerked his body up into a sitting position, staring up in wonder at the crystal that they had been perusing for the last 7 months. Beside him, Claire pushed herself up, clutching her head in pain, also gasping for breath as she followed his gaze to the ceiling.
"Are we... really...?" Claire groaned, clearly a little disorientated from being immersed in such intense magic. Jim remembered the same feeling from when he had awoken from his transformation, and while he was bearing the magic better this time around, he was definitely going to have a lasting headache.
"That bastard," Jim breathed in a fond voice as he fell back to the floor, his head lolling to the side in pain and exhaustion. "Why's he gotta manipulate everything?"
"At least we didn't get dumped off in the snow," Claire murmured, laying her body back down against his side, her head resting on his chest.
"The others," Jim gasped, struggling to sit up again, gently pushing his mate off of him. She was so exhausted and disoriented that she didn't resist his efforts, her body lying limp and prone on the cavern floor. "Even if we're back in the same point in Time, we're not in the same place. If we're in New Jersey, the pack is still with the Frost Giants, and—"
"Usurna," Claire surmised, and despite her weakened state, she pushed her body back up into a sitting position, holding her head in pain. "All of our stuff is with them; our phones, our money... how are we supposed to—"
"The mask..." Jim said, catching sight of the Glamour mask lying on the floor with the Moonlight Bow a few feet from them. "I'll have to go out and find the nearest town and find a phone."
"I..." Claire shook her head slightly, cringing, and Jim noted the green tinge in her cheeks, her face covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Groaning, she laid back down, her body curling into a fetal position. "I don't think I can go with you."
"It's warm in here," Jim noted, leaning over his mate to brush her hair back out of her face, frowning at the heat coming from her. "Will you be okay for a few hours?"
"No baddies?" she mumbled, her eyes flickering slightly.
Jim took in a breath, but everything about the cavern smelled pure and safe, the Heartstone giving off a protective and healing energy. "This place is huge; it's a system, I think — we seem to be in an alcove. I don't scent anyone else, or anything, either."
"Mm," Claire hummed in response, her face scrunching up into an uncomfortable pout. "Help me for a minute..."
Jim had barely pulled her hair out of the way when she turned and gasped, spitting up a small amount of vomit. She hadn't eaten much in the last few days (other than her odd meatloaf concoction), so he wasn't surprised that she wasn't bringing much up. "I don't want to leave you like this..."
"Go be the Trollhunter," Claire said after a moment of catching her breath. "I'll be fine for a few hours. You have to find Blinky and the others, and find out what happened with Usurna."
"Are you sure?" Jim asked, leaning forward to lovingly nuzzle into her neck, though he already knew the answer.
She brought a shaking hand up to cup his cheek, nuzzling him back and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I'll be fine... the Heartstone feels nice, doesn't it? I never noticed before..."
Jim smiled slightly, helping Claire to lie back down. There was no way that the stone was comfortable — especially since she had spent the last couple of weeks sleeping in actual, soft beds — but she was so tired and ill that as long as she could lie down in a safe place, she would be fine. And she was right about the Heartstone; it was only in living without it for nearly a year and feeling it again now, that he could feel the difference and how much warmth and life it provided. Even before he'd become the Trollhunter, when he had been completely unaware of the existence of magical creatures or the Heartstone altogether, he had been under its influence, though he only just now realized it.
Claire was already half asleep by the time he'd let her go and sat up again, and Jim only paused a moment to brush her hair back off of her face, and then he turned and snatched the mask up and started to run. The Heartstone pervaded through the entire cavern system, protruding from the walls and ceilings in a way that their Heartstone never had. The Arcadia Heartstone was a baby compared to this one, and Jim wouldn't be surprised if the one in Arcadia was a shoot off of this one. Hadn't Blinky told him that the immigrant trolls had first lived in New Jersey, after all? So, would it be so far fetched to think that they had taken a chunk of the Mother Heartstone with them when they decided to move on? The earliest histories didn't even mention a Heartstone until the immigration to America.
Following the scent of cold, fresh air, Jim found the closest entrance with ease, though he and his mate had materialized fairly deep within the cavern system. He was grateful to note that the sky was dark when he broke the surface, and he would guess by the position of the crescent moon in the sky that it must have been in the very early hours of the morning. The ground was hard and frozen, covered in a thick blanket of snow, icicles glinting off of barren tree limbs in the limited moonlight. Huffing out a breath as he paused to take in his surroundings, a cloud of vapor formed in the air in front of him. Even as a troll, he could safely say that he had never been this cold in his life, and he shivered. Jim felt the Amulet pulse warmly in his pocket and, a second later, his armor materialized on his body of its own accord, warming him considerably.
"I guess you really do like me," Jim mumbled, sniffling back a shiver. The Amulet pulsed on his chest, warm and protective. "I wish I could have protected you, too."
The Amulet pulsed again, and Jim stumbled a bit in his run when, instead of just a vague emotional response, he heard soft words echoing in his head.
It's okay.
"You..." it took Jim all of his mental strength to keep himself from coming to a standstill in his shock, focusing most of his mind on his senses as he tried to catch the scents associated with a human settlement. The remaining focus, however, was centering on a conversation with — for all intents and purposes — an inanimate object. "You can talk...?"
I learn more with each Trollhunter. I have never heard your "Spanish" before... I am still learning.
"Me too," Jim laughed a little, disorientated by the conversation and the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and scents.
You've picked up Trollish well enough; I look forward to learning a new language with you. Deya spoke several languages, human and magical. I learned much from her.
"That must have made for some interesting conversations," Jim replied, faltering a step as his nose caught the scent of what he thought was gasoline and stale bread.
...I have never spoken to anyone else.
"...never?" He replied, his heart twisting at the thought. The Amulet — Ywain — had been in existence for thousands of years, and in all that time, the soul inhabiting the Amulet had remained silent? That had to be one of the saddest things that Jim had ever heard.
I had no life. I loved and protected all of the Trollhunters, but I have never felt so connected to them as I do to you.
"Why...?" Jim wondered, trudging through the thickening snow toward some dim lights in the distance that he thought might be a convenience store. "Because I'm human? Or, uh, I was human?"
Yes. No. Because your soul felt closest to my own. You felt... familiar. The protector that Merlin should have been, but was not. He and I both needed you.
"Ywain..." Jim sighed, a weird feeling in his chest as he addressed the actual soul inhabiting and empowering the Amulet. "...about your mother—"
It's okay. I understand. In death, she can finally find peace.
"Is she...?" Jim asked hesitantly, skidding to a halt at the edge of the tree line, glancing around the parking lot of the truck stop and the long, black road beyond. The parking lot and gas pumps were filled with cars and big rigs.
A physical body cannot withstand the pure darkness for more than a few days. Her body would have disintegrated by now.
"I'm sorry," he replied, his throat tight.
It's okay. I have very little emotional connection to either of my parents. It is nice to have someone care, though.
"Ywain..." Jim said in a quiet voice, carefully hiding behind a large tree as a couple of truckers walked by. "I have to go in here to find a phone and call Blinky; I can't look like this; will you... will you still be able to speak with me, if I take the Amulet off?"
Are you worried about me, Trollhunter? the voice asked with an amused tone.
"Honestly? Yes," he replied, nervously fiddling with the mask in his hands.
I am bonded with your soul; I can still speak with you, if you wish it. And with that, the Amulet pulsed once and then fell from Jim's chest, the armor dissipating, leaving Jim shivering in the cold again.
"Ywain?" Jim whispered nervously. He took a breath and then pressed the mask to his face, and in a flash of green light, he stood slightly deeper in the snow as he shrunk to the height of his human form. As always, he looked down to examine his hands first, flexing the fingers and breathing a sigh of relief at the familiarity of his own skin.
I am here. Go inside and find warmth. The voice was a little stiff, an attitude starting to come through, which Jim almost laughed at. Thousands of years old, yet still having all of the petulance of a child. If you are cold, I am cold.
Jim chuckled, but followed the order. He got a few strange looks as he hurried across the parking lot and into the large building on the other side. He figured that seeing a teenager who was wearing completely inappropriate clothing for a Northeastern winter running around a sketchy truck stop parking lot at 1 or 2 in the morning was reason enough for the strange looks, but he ignored them, brushing the snow from his hair. As the door swung closed behind him, Jim took a minute to take in his surroundings; despite it being the middle of the night, there seemed to be quite a bit of activity, gruff looking men and women chatting, getting food from a hot bar, sleeping in lounge chairs and couches... beyond the sights, the air in the building was warm and moist, and he was surprised to see a few people coming out and going into a hallway on the far side of the building, carrying towels, clothes, and bath caddies. Jim made a mental note to bring Claire back to the truck stop as soon as they could get the pack safe and settled; she would definitely appreciate having access to a hot shower in the middle of winter.
"Causin' trouble around here, boy?"
"Huh?" Jim's thoughts broke at the gruff voice, and he turned in its direction to see a very masculine looking woman in a patched and greased mechanic's suit staring him down from behind the register counter. "Oh, uh, no! Sorry... do you have any public phones?"
The woman frowned, giving him a once over with deep, brown eyes. Her hair was cut in a short bob, but was such a vibrant red that he couldn't help but be reminded of his mother. "You in some kind of trouble?"
"No, no!" He assured the woman, relaxing his stance and stepping forward to lean against the counter, trying to act casual. "I just need to use a phone. I... My friends and I are on a road trip across country, and I promised that I would call my mom when we stop for the nights."
"No cell?" she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Lost it," Jim lied, frowning in what he hoped looked like a sad expression. "We were hiking this morning, and it must have fallen out of my pocket."
"Your friends don't have cells?"
Jim wondered what kind of shit this woman had seen in her time here that made her so suspicious, but he was very close to losing it, stress and worry making him feel very short tempered, at the moment. "Please... I just need to use the phone, and then I'll leave."
"Hm..." the woman hummed to herself, eyeing him up and down again. To his surprise, she relaxed and gave him a soft smile. "In the bathing lounge, boychik."
"Thank you," Jim sighed, returning her smile with a grateful one of his own before turning to follow her gesturing hand in the direction of a semi-separated room that was littered with chairs, couches, coffee tables, books and magazines, and TVs on the walls. One guy was watching an episode of Say Yes to the Dress while messily scarfing down a bucket of greasy, fried chicken. Across from him was a slightly younger looking man, sprawled across a couch, fast asleep. A woman was sleeping sideways in an arm chair, her head hanging back at an awkward angle, loud snores rattling through her nasal passages. A puff of steam followed after a man who had just walked out of the shower hall, his blonde hair slicked back with water and dripping slightly. As Jim watched the man cross the room to nudge the sleeping woman awake, his eyes caught the row of public phones hanging on the far wall, closest to another outdoor entrance, and he rushed as casually as he could toward the woman. The woman that he had spoken to had seemed to find Jim safe enough, but wouldn't put it past her to be keeping an eye on him, or even trying to listen in. Thankfully, national calls were free up to ten minutes, which would hopefully be enough time to ascertain the whereabouts and condition of his pack.
"C'mon, Blink…" Jim groaned under his breath after the phone had rung for the third time. A thousand different and horrible scenarios were running through his head — he couldn't remember exact try what time it had been before Usurna had shown up; had they been transported back to directly that same point in time? If they had, Blinky and the others were still in the midsts of trying to escape Niflheim. If they'd been returned to even a few minutes past that time, it was possible that Blinky and the whole pack could have been captured already, or killed, or—
"I do apologize, friend," Blinky's frazzled voice suddenly picked up on the other end of the line. "…but I can assure you that you most definitely have the wrong nu—"
"Blink!" Jim whisper shouted in relieved excitement, running a shaking hand through his hair. He wasn't sure he liked not having horns; he'd gotten to used top them at that point. "Blinky, are you okay? What—"
"Oh, Jim!" Blinky cried, his voice overwhelmingly relieved. "My boy, when Aksel went back for you and could only find the remains of a few random trolls… why, I feared for sure that you and Claire were—"
"We're fine," Jim promised, biting back the anxious whine that wanted to rip itself from his chest. Mask or no mask, his instincts and habits were still primary. "But it's complicated; I can explain lat—"
"Merlin has given us the gist, I believe," Blinky replied, much to Jim's surprise. "I must admit, while I have no recollection of what he has told us has happened, some missing logics from that time make better sense with this explanation."
Jim sighed, mostly relieved, but also slightly annoyed with the wizard. "Can Aksel and Merlin get you and the others out of Niflheim? Merlin can make a portal to a few miles back, right? You'll have to backtrack and go around, but—"
"Yes, that's what was done," Blinky said in a reassuring voice, and Jim lost his breath in surprise. "3 or 4 hours have since passed since Koenraad's betrayal, Usurna's arrival, and your disappearance. What Merlin could not tell us, however, is where you would come back to, though he assured us that it would not be Niflheim."
"Is he there?"
"Yes — wait."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and then the sound of shuffling, rock rubbing against rock, the slight clanging of metal, and the the mutterings of a grumpy old man.
"Blasted thing. I really don't — but — well, yes — is that really necessary? Just tell him to come get us — well, of course not, but — Oh, fine, give it to me! …Um, greetings?"
"Merlin," Jim said, rolling his eyes. "I've told you a thousand times: a phone is not possessed or imbued with evil magic; it's just technology."
"Yes, well," Merlin huffed, clearly annoyed. "I am not a fan of this… technology."
"Where are you?"
"Still in that penny town place, I believe," the old man replied. "I created a portal to backtrack us by several miles, while Aksel stayed behind to distract any pursuers. Where are you, my boy?"
"I thought you would know?" Jim asked, frowning slightly. A glance over his shoulder revealed that the woman behind the counter had moved behind the register closest to where he stood, her head tilted slightly in his direction as she pretended to read an upside down magazine.
"Well, I made sure that the potion would not take you back to the exact same place," Merlin explained in a patient voice, no doubt hearing the anxiety in Jim's. "I didn't want to risk throwing you and the Lady Claire right back into a battle — especially given her fragile medical state."
"Thank you," Jim sighed, genuinely grateful for the old man's forward thinking. "But you didn't know where we would end up?"
"I must admit, no," the wizard's voice was anxious itself now; likely worried that they might have been separated by an extreme amount of distance.
"Well, whatever you did," Jim replied with a laugh. "…you got us exactly where we needed to be."
There was a pause on the other end as the old man digested what Jim was trying to tell him, and then there was unexpected emotional relief in his voice when he spoke again. "The Heartstone? Truly? I… I had found a chunk of living Heartstone among Blinkous's stash, and I thought to add it to the potion. I only meant for it to act as an enhancer, but I suppose it connected itself with its closest counterpart in our own time. I must say, that it quite the relief!"
"You have no idea," Jim laughed again, more relieved by the second, though his worries were far from abated. "What about Usurna? Do you know if she was killed in the magic explosion?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot say for certain," the old man said, and Jim could hear the frown in his voice. "Her remains were not among the ones found in the room."
"Damn it," Jim hissed, biting his lip to keep from snarling. The woman was getting far too interested in what little she could hear of his conversation, and was now not even pretending to read. "I can't stay on long; I'm in a public place. What did you use for the anchor to bind those portal charms that you gave mom and everyone?"
"You and Lady Claire, of course," Merlin replied, his bright tone suggesting that he was catching on to Jim's train of thought. "Separately, so that you didn't have to be in the same place for someone to reach one of you."
"And I'm guessing that you kept one for yourself?"
"Oh, a few," the old man chuckled, and Jim heard the shuffling of movement, the clanging of metal, and then the gentle chiming of small beads rattling. "Enough to get everyone here safely to your location in a matter of minutes."
"Thank Deya," Jim sighed, leaning his forehead against the wall, his whole body slumping in relief. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he glanced over to see the woman from behind the counter lifting the separator and beginning to walk in his direction. "Damn it, I have to go. Portal to Claire — she's inside the cavern system."
Jim hung up before the old man could respond, and he turned around just as the woman came up behind him, a concerned and slightly stern look on her face.
"I didn't mean to listen in," she started in an innocent tone, and Jim resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "…but if you and your friends are out in the woods, playing some kind of Dungeons and Dragons game, you should be careful. It ain't safe to be out there at night."
"Thank you," Jim replied, literally biting his tongue to keep himself from continuing that line with a sarcastic 'for not minding your own damn business.' "We're fine."
"Really, boychick," she said, frowning, and Jim was surprised to note the genuine fear in her voice. "Why don't you and your friends come spend the night here? It'll be safer."
"Thank you," Jim repeated, softening his voice and smiling softly at the woman. "We really are okay, I promise. Why… why are you so concerned?"
The woman chewed her lip briefly, giving him a once over as if to judge whether he had a strong enough constitution for what she was about to say. "…just don't want some innocent kids gettin' caught by the Jersey Devil."
"…the what?" Jim asked in a flat voice, half tempted to laugh.
"The Jersey Devil!" the woman repeated in a loud, shocked voice. To Jim's surprise, several of the half-asleep patrons jerked awake at the name, their faces pale and eyes wide.
"Damn it, Sylvie!" said the man who had been eating the fried chicken. "Don't go invoking the fuckin' thing!"
"Oh, shut up, Frank!" Sylvie groused, glaring the man down. "And go take a shower! You smell like you are a fried chicken."
"Fuck you," Frank said, but abided by the command, tossing his empty bucket down on the coffee table and grabbing up the shower caddy by his feet. He pointed to the TV on the wall, glaring Sylvie down. "Tell me which one she picks; my money is on the Lhuillier, but the Vera Wang is nice too."
Sylvie rolled her eyes, but nodded, shooing the man along before turning back to Jim. "Where you from, boychick?"
"California," Jim answered, trying to casually inch him way to the back door. Sylvie reached out and grasped his shoulder, halting his movements.
"How old are you?" she asked, her glare starting to harden.
"Eighteen," Jim lied, knowing that his looks might not even pass as sixteen. Why did he have to be so damn short as a human?
"And your friends? Anyone older?"
"Yes," Jim replied, trying to relax his body. The more tense he was, the more obvious his lies would be. "My dad and uncle are with us."
This seemed to appease Sylvie because a second later, her hand slid from his shoulder and she was smiling at him again. "Oh, good. Just be careful out there; you gotta worry about the snow and cold too."
"We're fine," Jim assured her, taking a step back toward the door. "Thank you."
Jim rushed out the door before Sylvie could stop him again, and then he was running. As soon as he was within the tree line, he pulled the mask from his face, breathing in relief as his body changed back into his troll form; it was disorienting, but he was amazed that he was so used to his troll form by now that he greatly preferred it, most of the time. The truck stop and main road were several miles away from the cavern entrance that he had used, but a more thorough mapping would be needed once everyone was settled; they were hidden safely enough from humans, it seemed, but if there were other entrances scattered around, they would need to be found and magically sealed.
You know, Ywain muttered into the silence, and Jim nearly jumped into a tree in surprise at the voice, having forgotten about the child. There is something familiar about that woman's words…
"The Jersey Devil?" Jim asked, pausing in his run as his nose caught the scent of a couple of small animals. Ywain remained quiet while Jim fell into the hunt, snatching up a couple of squirrels in a quick pounce. Claire hadn't gotten her enchiladas, after all, and he didn't have any money to buy her some food from the truck stop. One unlucky rabbit later, and Jim had deemed it a good hunt and continued in his run back toward the cavern system. "You don't really believe that, do you?"
Did you believe in trolls and magic two years ago?
"Good point," Jim grumbled, rolling his eyes. "What about it seems familiar?"
Not the name she used, of course, Ywain said, a thoughtful tone in his voice. But the concept of a threat out this way…
"That could be anything, though," Jim argued, purposefully taking a deep breath through his nose. "I don't smell anything that might be magical or mythical; they tend to have a distinctive scent. There's bears out here, though — maybe they just attribute bear attacks to this monster thing?"
Hmm… maybe.
Before Jim could reply, he found himself back at the cave entrance and then practically trampled into the snow as a few bodies flew out of the entrance at him. In the front, Blinky grabbed Jim up in all of his arms, hugging him tightly as tears flowed from all of his six eyes.
"Oh, my boy!" Blinky sobbed, crushing Jim to his chest. "Oh, you've done it! You've found it! We're home!"
Jim laughed, hugging Blinky back just as tightly. He laughed harder when he felt two smaller trolls crawling up his back, NotEnrique crawling up onto his head to sit between his horns, while Nyrys crawled onto his shoulder, hugging his neck tightly. "You can actually thank Merlin for that one."
"Yes, of course," Blinky replied, leaning back with a chuckle. "…but we can let him stew for a bit, yes?"
"What's wrong with Sis?" NotEnrique interrupted in an anxious voice, shaking Jim's head by his horns. "She smells weird, and she's all green."
"I'll explain later," Jim promised the little troll, a jolt of anxious worry shooting through him. He pushed the feeling toward Claire, but she responded immediately with a feeling of weak reassurance. It didn't abate his worry, but he was slightly relieved that she was well enough to respond. "But the magic we were soaked in is really disorienting, so that's part of it. She needs food and rest."
"Mommy started a fire," Nyrys said into Jim's ear, cuddling closer into the crook of his neck. "She said Lady Claire will be okay, Enrique. You don't have to worry."
NotEnrique snorted, tugging on Jim's horns again. He winced against the slight pain that shot through his head at the sensation, but let the little imp be, understanding his concern. "C'mon, let's get back inside. The Heartstone will make everyone feel better."
"It's most beautiful, isn't it?" Blinky said in an awed voice, staring in wonder at the pervading Heartstone crystal as they made their way back inside the cavern system. The air became warmer the deeper they went in, and Jim felt himself relaxing, his headache easing under the healing powers of the amber crystal. "I wonder if this might be the Mother Heartstone?"
"I thought the same thing," Jim replied with a thoughtful frown, absentmindedly catching Nyrys as she slid from his shoulder, cuddling her to his chest. "Weren't you and Dictation with the first troll immigrants?"
"Sadly, no," his foster father replied, a regretful frown pulling at his features. "We remained in Wales for a number of decades after the first exodus, and when we finally crossed to the New World, we entered through South America to avoid getting caught up in what you humans now call the Revolutionary War. By then, the trolls had already moved across the country, seeking solitude from the humans."
"So, is there any chance that there could be trolls or other creatures still here?" Jim asked, his mind thrown back to what Sylvie had tried to warn him about.
"Well, of course, it's always a possibility," Blinky replied, rubbing his chin in thought with his upper right hand. They were moving deeper into the cavern system now and more trolls from the pack were starting to show up, excitedly chatting and already looking around for the perfect places to build homes. Cor — already digging out a side wall with his bare hands, Norie laughing at his enthusiasm as she nursed their baby — gave Jim an excited wave as they passed, and he chuckled, waving back. Blinky continued speaking, nodding to the trolls that they passed. "I have seen little evidence of inhabitation of this particular area, however."
"That's good," Jim sighed, relieved. "I was worried about the possibility of accidentally pushing another pack out or forcing us all together."
"I admit, that same worry had crossed my mind, as well," Blinky confided with a somber nod.
They turned a slight corner and quickly scaled a low rock wall, and then they were back in the same alcove where Jim and Claire had materialized. Jim felt his body relax as his mate came into view, seated in front of a low, quickly built fire pit in the middle of the room. Dagny sat on the floor behind her, towering over the human girl by several feet; she was gently brushing Claire's hair with a hairbrush that must have been pulled from the familiar pack on the floor in front of Claire. He didn't know who had thought to grab their things for them, but Jim was grateful all the same. Claire still looked pale, but she was sipping some kind of herbal tea from a rough earthenware cup in her hands, and the scent of illness on her was quickly dissipating. NotEnrique jumped down from Jim's head and scurried over to his sister, gently nuzzling into her side.
"Feeling a little better?" Jim asked, though he could already tell from her emotions and the look on her face that Claire wasn't feeling as sick as she was when she first woke up. He bent down to let Nyrys out of his arms and the whelp hurried over to her mother, crawling up to curl in between the woman's horns.
"Yeah," Claire sighed, giving Jim a loving smile. "Still a little dizzy and sick to my stomach, but I feel a lot better than I did."
"Good," Jim replied, moving to sit by his mate's side, laughing as he indulged Dagny's affectionate nuzzling and tight hug.
"Trollhunter, we were so worried!" Dagny said in a relieved and joyful voice. "I do not believe I have ever seen Blinkous so distraught before."
"I have complete faith in our Trollhunter," Blinky replied indignantly, his expression uncomfortably embarrassed.
"Aye," NotEnrique giggled, clinging to his sister as if to let go would make her disappear again. "But dads always worry about their kids!"
Not all dads, Jim thought to himself bitterly, but he shook the thought free as he took in the warmth all around him.
Finally, after so long, they were home.
To be continued...
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