It has been about a week since we found out that Taisley is pregnant again. We are overjoyed. Right now, all of us are making preparations. We are making some baby toys for the kits' arrival. I hope that they'll like them.
When I told the herd about the pregnancy, they all cheered. They are thrilled that I'm going to be a father again. Ellie is talking about hosting an all girl baby shower. Unfortunately, that means that I'm not invited. When Ellie first mentioned it, I protested. I want to be a part of it! All of my protests fall on deaf ears.
That's why, when Taisley is off with the girls and Timothy is kit-sitting, I spend some time with dad. We are off by the river, trying to catch fish. However, I'm not much in the mood for fishing. I'm still annoyed by the fact that I'm being left out of the baby shower. Dad can sense my annoyance. "Son, I know ya wanted ta be a part of th' baby shower. Ya 'ate bein' left out," dad says.
"Huh! Ya got that right! I don't see why there can't be a male only thing! Th' females get all of th' fun!" I growl out, looking away angrily.
"Well, it's no' too late. C'mon. Let's get all th' males together. We can still 'ave a party of our own," dad suggests.
I smile. "Now yer talkin'!" I laugh. Dad and I leave to get Jake (my foster father), Shale, Splash, Manny, Diego, Sid, Crash, and Eddie. Once I tell them our plans, they agree. Us males will have a party of our own. I talk to Shale and Splash. They will rotate with Timothy so that they can all join in.
Dad and I clear off an overturned log to use as a table. We all gather food and cover the table with it. Sid, Crash, and Eddie set up some fun guy games. I keep a close eye on everything to make sure that nothing goes wrong. I know the possum brothers' penchant for pranks.
When everything is ready, I add one last touch. I hang a sign on a tree. The sign, written in red, reads: No Females Allowed. I want everyone to know that, since the females have baby showers, we have our own male parties.
The games that Sid and the possums set up look quite enjoyable. One of them is a flag race. Of course, Diego wins that. Then, we have a climbing contest between the possums and all the weasels, myself included. Surprisingly enough, dad wins that one. The final game is a rock throwing contest. We throw rocks over the water to see how far we can toss them. I win that one, having gained some practice from previous sources. All in all, we have a lot of fun.
After we are done enjoying the games, we sit at the table and enjoy the food. We laugh and talk about everything that's going on. I talk about Taisley and our future kits. I can't wait to be a father again. My family and friends are on my side with this. They would love to see the kits once they're born.
When the food is gone, we begin to clean up. Dad looks at me. "So, 'ow was 't?" He asks.
"'t was great! I can't wait ta tell Taisley 'bout 't!" I smile. As soon as everything is cleaned up, we start heading back to our respective homes. Hopefully, Taisley will be there so that I can speak to her.
When we get to the caves, I go inside the one that I share with Taisley and the kits. I find Taisley and the kits all inside the cave. Taisley turns to me. "So, how was your male party?" She asks.
"So, Splash told ya?" I reply somewhat shocked.
"Yeah, he did. He told me about how bummed you were that we weren't letting you come to the baby shower, so you decided to have your own party. I have to say, that was a very good idea," Taisley hugs me, planting a kiss on my lips.
"I love ya, Tais. I…I just didn't like being left out of 't…" I try to explain my reason for the all male party.
"I know. I'm not mad. I really am sorry for banning you from the baby shower. It's just that it's tradition for a baby shower to be just females," Taisley replies.
I kiss Taisley and nuzzle her. "It's fine, Tais. I just can't wait fer th' kits ta be born," I whisper into Taisley's ear.
"Me neither," Taisley whispers back.
I look outside of the cave to see that it's getting dark. I turn to the kits, who are covering their eyes at watching us kiss. "Alright, kits! It's time fer bed!" I announce.
"Awww! Do we 'ave ta? We're no' sleepy!" Talo complains for the rest of them.
I put my paws on my hips and try to look stern. "Yes ya do, mister! That is, if ya want th' energy ta play tomorrow," I point out.
Talo yawns and nods his head. Taisley and I herd our four kits to their nests. After their nightly story, the kits are fast asleep. Taisley and I kiss them goodnight. We leave them once their gentle snoring starts up.
Taisley and I go to our own nest. We curl up on it. I cover Taisley with my right arm. I nuzzle her with my face. "Goodnight, Tais. I love ya," I whisper softly into Taisley's ear.
Taisley nuzzles me back. "I love you, too, Buck. Goodnight," Taisley yawns. She closes her eyes. Her breathing evens out as she falls asleep. I smile while watching her sleep. I close my own eye. I am asleep within seconds.
The next day, I wake to the sunlight blasting in from the entrance and landing on my eye. I blink my eye open. I sit up and look around. Taisley isn't beside me anymore. I see her a little ways away, giving the kits their breakfast. I get up and walk over to them.
Taisley turns to face me. "Good morning, Buck! Did you sleep well?" Taisley asks.
"Yeah. I sure did, Tais. How're ya feelin'?" I ask, gesturing to Taisley's growing stomach.
"Oh, I'm fine. I can feel the kits moving around a bit," Taisley tells me.
"That's good. 'ey, let's see if mom an' dad will kit-sit fer a while. We need ta make plans on wot ta do when our newest kits are born," I begin.
Taisley nods her head. "Alright, Buck." With Taisley's agreement, we take our kits next-door to mom and dad.
After Taisley and I leave mom and dad's cave, we go off to the river. We sit on a stone at the waters edge. We begin talking through our future plans. Suddenly, a soft whistling sound pierces through the air. Taisley and I duck to the side just in time to avoid the arrow that thuds down in the sand. The arrow has a note tied to it. I take the note and open it up. My eye widens as I begin to read:
Dearest brother
If ya hadn't guessed by now, I am back. Be wary, fer I 'ave no' forgotten wot 'appened between us. I will come ta ya an' kill wot ya 'old most dear. Beware!
Thomas, otherwise known as yer worst nightmare!
I growl deeply, crinkling the note up in my paws. I suddenly notice Taisley shaking me. "Buck! What is it? What does it say?" She asks.
I look into Taisley's eyes. "It's a message from Thomas. He's back. He's threatening harm ta us," I explain. Taisley looks scared. I place my paw on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I will protect ya an' th' kits, born or otherwise. I promise," I embrace Taisley. She nods her head in acceptance. Together, we start heading back. Thomas will never lay his filthy claws on us! I will make sure of that.