Chapter 17

"Begin!"

He came at him with everything he had, Pythan slinked and slithered as fast as he could towards Drax who stood at the ready, he was fast, that's a given, yet Drax was somehow faster than him! Each strike would had been enough to take down a wolf threat monster, Drax could hear the sound of small sonic booms when Pythan tried to land a blow, yet he would just miss him.

Pythan hissed out angrily. "HOW!" he demanded. "How can I keep missing you?"

Drax smirked as he took a moment to catch his breath. Pythan stopped trying all together and found he couldn't get the edge on his older brother. Drax however was smiling from ear to ear. As the six got socialized, he took the time to train his younger siblings back home. "You need to understand, I got a slight advantage over you. I got a bit of Amai Mask's strength." He explained.

"How did you manage to gain that?" asked Bo from the sidelines.

It was strange though, his siblings have caught up to him in age, they were young adults, even though Drax himself wasn't quite there yet, his time as a serpent sped up his age just a little. "Believe it or not, Garou gave me a blanket made of dad's and Amai Mask's scales, it helped me turn into a serpent. I was one for a summer, a few months so I could spend time with dad… I began eating a lot, like every day. I guess from that, I gained some of Amai's power for myself…"

Pythan's arms crossed as he huffed. "Still not fair…" he muttered.

"Look at it this way, if I didn't have Amai's power, you would have all kicked my ass six ways from Sunday without much effort. At least you got a goal to reach now, don't you?" Drax teased.

"Yeah, yeah…" muttered Pythan.

"Big Brother Drax is so cool!" said Angie.

"Yeah, I wonder if we can find someone as strong as Drax when we get married…"

"Whoa, don't be saying that aloud in front of dad!" he warned.

"Why? Doesn't Papa want to be a grandfather?" asked Conna.

"Not yet!" he protested. "You guys are still young, like what, nearly two now?"

"Two and a half!" Pythan said defiantly.

"Right, nearly two and half… I think… anyways. Too early to talk about families, you will have them when you are ready. For now, let's call it a day." He announced.

Drax turned to go back into the house, but paused as his siblings appeared to want to say something. He stopped and turned to them as Bo gathered his courage. "Drax… could you tell us what mom was like?" he asked. "Papa won't say anything about it, but… we want to know about mom… can you tell us?"

He was surprised to the request but nodded his head. He knows he can't talk about the clone they came from, but he will gladly speak of his human mother to them. He took a seat on the grass as they coiled up around him, their eyes bore into him as they waited anxiously to hear of their mother.

Drax took a deep breath and said. "Mom was the most caring woman in the world. Before she found dad again, times were tough for us. You see, she and dad had a falling out years ago, before even I was born. Yet shortly after I was, life was hard. She and I lived with a man who didn't love her or me all that much, he hurt us day in and out for only his own reasons. She gathered her courage and left him with me in tow despite the fact we had little to no money at all."

The four were stunned yet didn't say a word as he continued. "Mom would give the shirt off her back so I would be warm, what little food there was at the time went to me, even if it meant she would go hungry. She went days without eating much just so I could hopefully have a full stomach. I never did have the heart to tell her it wasn't enough, for I knew she was far hungrier than I was. When dad found us again… I admit, I didn't care for him. I also didn't know at the time that he was my father. But the more I got to know him, the better I understood him and realized he was a great role model. Mom however wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be hurt by him, dad left once before, and if he left again… she feared it would break my heart. She didn't want to be with him at first since he was a serpent. Actually, I think she was more worried for me as to what people would say about my dad being a snake man." He said and snickered.

"Wait… wasn't mom a serpent?" asked Conna. "Because we are… but you aren't"

Drax sighed, this was where he had to get creative. "You have heard the family speak of something called the house of evolution right?"

They nodded.

Drax however found himself unable to lie to his siblings like this. "The mom I knew… died in a monster attack, she shoved me out of harms way into dad's arms… she didn't make it… the house of evolution got hold of her blood and made a clone of her, and turned her serpent like dad so they would breed." He said.

Pythan sighed. "Why did I have a feeling that was the case…" he muttered. "I always felt there was something out of place with us, especially since you're human and we're not" he said.

Drax nodded. "I didn't know if you were ready for this, but I couldn't make up a lie and have it bite me in the ass later when dad was ready to tell you the truth. But this really is it, since… the house of evolution was going to have dad kill me when he was in a state of bliss with the clone of our mother. He refused, and the clone nearly did me in, until the last moment, she regained herself, her old self… for a moment… I had my mom back."

He felt a tear trickle down his cheek, he then felt Angie wrap her arms around him. "You lost her twice" she whispered. "How terrible!"

Drax regained his composure as he looked to the four. After returning the hug Angie gave him. "Despite how it happened… I'm glad you four are here… I always wanted siblings."

They all smiled, well all but Pythan. "Dad… said mom died since she got really hurt… how?" he asked.

Drax was hesitant. "I don't know if I should be the one to tell you…" he said. "I did witness it first hand, but… I also don't want you jumping to a conclusion as to who did it either."

There was a look among the four as they gave a nod to each other. Pythan turned to him and said. "When you are ready to tell us, will you?"

"Unless dad beats me to the punch, yes, I will."

"Then that's all we ask, when you are ready big brother, we will listen to what happened. But for now. I agree with you, perhaps we aren't ready to know ALL the details yet… but thank you for telling us what you do know in full honesty." Said Bo.

Drax nodded to them as he stood up off the ground. They began to follow him back to the house when Conna said. "The braces that Alley has… would they turn us human too?" she asked aloud.

He paused to her question. "Wait, you want to be human?"

Conna and Angie blushed. Pythan sneered. "What's the big deal about feet!" he demanded. "We're fine the way we are!"

"I know we are, but it's just that… I want to know what it's like too…" whispered Angie. "Dad was human, Drax is… When dad turns back, wouldn't it be great that we could ALL spend time with him, being the same… no one is left out."

Bo nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said. "I would like that too, also, seeing what Drax could do, makes me wonder if we were human, perhaps we would have a better vantage point against him, huh bro?" he asked as he turned to Pythan.

He began to consider it. "Maybe… maybe…" he said.

"It's always something to consider, for now though, let's continue to train and then we ask Alley later about the bands for you."

The four agreed just as Drax heard four rumbling stomachs. "Ooo, time to hunt?" he said with a grin.

"I think so, I got the perfect place too, I know where there's a monster's nest!" said Angie.

"Led the way" Drax said with a grin on his face.