I LIVE AND I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THIS! I've had a very busy end of the year and the beginning of the new year. A lot of things have happened, mostly bad in my life and I'm still trying to get through it. But recently, through all the chaos I've found some inspiration for this series again and loved returning to it. I hope to write more consistently for it in the near future, but be patient with me as I'm still dealing with some personal things. Thank you for all the support and love! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!
CHAPTER 3 FOUNDLINGS PART 3
Previously:
Aster clenched the damp coil of wool in his paw and supported the sling with his other paw before heading inside his home. Take care of the kits now, investigate the coil left behind after they were asleep again. He was sure this was a sign from their mother, but he needed more evidence to find her.
Aster had never been more grateful to have a relatively free schedule as far as patients. He was almost constantly on his feet caring for Jack and Hiccup but he tried to think of the two as his patients if only to help get him through the small hours of the morning when the two needed to be fed. It was easier to pull himself from sleep in ungodly hours when he adopted a work mindset. The two were helpless and totally dependant on him. They would be deaf and blind for at least another week. He didn't mind helping them, it was important and his responsibility for now he knew, but he wouldn't mind getting a little more sleep either.
The kits were up early again, only about fifteen minutes after sunrise. Aster drowsily made his way through his home to the kitchen, yawning and rubbing a paw over his face, trying to push the lingering sleep from his body. The kits' hungry cries could be heard from his bedroom, well, Jack's cries could be heard. The kit had quite an impressive set of lungs for such a little tyke, but Hiccup on the other hand...he was much quieter. Despite how Jack's crying rang in Aster's ears, he knew it meant Jack was strong and healthy. Hiccup should have been crying the same way. However he wasn't, and Aster knew the kit was small and still weak. He'd need extra care to catch up to Jack as far as strength. With the proper care, however, Aster was confident the kit would pull through. The trick was consistency and Aster knew he would need to find someone with the same discipline to take the kits if they were to thrive.
In the kitchen, he mixed some formula and warmed it over the stove carefully on a low heat. While waiting for it, he went over to his cool box and pulled it open, finding the special chocolates he'd been working on to better care for the kits. He examined them as he pulled them out, finding they had cooled and taken shape correctly in their molds. He popped them from their molds and laid them out on the counter, looking over them. Satisfied with how they came out, he pulled out a tin container from under the counter and put the chocolates inside, before making a label for the tin. He then picked up a single chocolate and sighed a little, raising an eyebrow at it. Taking it, assuming he got the recipe correct, would shapeshift his anatomy enough to be able to nurse the kits himself. He had no problem with that and was willing to do whatever he needed to care for the kits, but nursing them would encourage them to bond with him. That, he'd have to be careful of lest he have problems later when rehoming them. He frowned slightly and shrugged a little.
"Here goes nothin'." He murmured and popped the chocolate in his mouth.
After checking the formula and making sure it was at the right temperature, he set the kits up with them, propping the bottles on the blanket and lining the two kits up to nurse. After making sure the two started to eat without any problems, he then headed into his office area and gathered up different shots for both Jack and Hiccup. The two were strong enough now to get vaccinated, and Aster knew it was better to do it sooner than later. Pookas could contract various diseases, especially such young kits with low immune systems.
After double checking he had all the vaccines the two needed for now, he returned to his bedroom and settled the syringes on his bedside table. He settled into the bed again, finding Jack and Hiccup having just about finished their breakfast. Aster gave a small smile, scooping up Jack with one paw and held him gently. With the other paw, he picked up the first syringe for Jack and quickly administered the shot, in the soft part of the kit's thigh.
"There yeh go, little mate." He hummed calmly, setting aside the empty syringe and quickly administering the next shot, this time in Jack's scruff. He was quick and calm about it, having given many shots before. Jack blinked and his expression looked quite confused, the kit squirming as his face scrunched up a bit. He fussed a little but was otherwise unaffected by the shots. "I know, s'uncomfortable." Aster rumbled to him, giving the kit a little grooming to soothe away any lingering soreness from the shots as he gently massaged his thumbs over the sites. With that done, he gently set Jack back down into the makeshift nest and plucked up Hiccup next.
Aster administered the first shot in a similar manner but was surprised when a loud shrill cry came from the tiny kit. Aster's ears shot up at the sound, it having been the loudest one Hiccup had ever produced and it honestly caught Aster by surprise as the tiny kit squirmed and broke into sobs unhappily, screaming out his protest of the whole matter. Aster had to laugh a little, eyebrows raised as the normally quiet and docile kit sprang to life with loud wailing cries. Big tears rolled down Hiccup's cheeks and Aster rumbled gently to him, holding back another chuckle as he groomed over Hiccup a little.
"Well, so you do have a voice, eh lil' mate? Was beginnin' to wonder…" He smiled a bit, quickly administering the second shot and then set it aside before massaging his paw pads over the sight of the shot to soothe the kit. "S'okay, all done now." He smiled, bringing the upset kit close to his chest as he attempted to console him. The loud outburst of crying from the kit was honestly a relief to him. It meant Hiccup was growing stronger.
He gently rubbed over Hiccup's back with his thumb, licking over the kit's face and ears to swipe away tears and calm him. Hiccup slowly started to relax again and his crying slowed to whimpers, though he still wore a rather unhappy pout on his face. Aster couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the sight. "Dinna worry, s'all done and over with now." He groomed the kit a little more before gently lowering him into the nest again. Hiccup curled close to Jack, a clear comfort for each of them as they blindly huddled together.
That taken care of, Aster made sure the kits were settled in for their after-breakfast nap, and cleaned up a bit as they dozed off. He retreated to his study, eager to get to some notes he'd been meaning to catch up on. Ever since the kits had been thrust into his care, he'd been kept on his toes with time for hardly anything else. He was quickly learning nap time was the time to get things done.
He settled at his desk, pulling out a quill and his little jar of ink. He put on his oval green tinted glasses and started to organize his notes. Before getting to catching up on his work, he pulled out a blank notebook and wrote down the dates he'd found the kits and a short description of each for his own record keeping. He included details about their discovery he thought were important, things he didn't want to forget. He then made notes of the shots he'd given to each and the date. It was important to start a medical record for them now rather than later. He added to his large shelf full of other medical files but put them in a spot easy to get to. He sat down again in his chair and paused, frowning a bit in discomfort as he rubbed a paw over his stomach area. His body was starting to shift he knew, from the chocolates, and his chest and stomach was starting to become a bit tender. It was working at least, that was the good news, but he knew this would be unlike anything he'd had to do before.
A knock at his front door pulled his attention away and he looked up. Heaving a small sigh, he stood and made his way to the front entryway. He opened the door and found a young buck, with a caramel coat and light accents of a cream color on his face and paws. His name was Sorrel and he delivered mail for the post office on most weekdays.
"Morning, Sorrel," Aster greeted mildly, trying to push away the lingering sleepiness he felt. Having two newborns kits who needed a bottle every few hours didn't allow much time for long periods of sleep.
Sorrel smiled, giving a small nod. "Morning, Bunnymund." He greeted, opening his satchel of letters. "I've come to deliver something to you from eh…" He pulled out a letter and looked it over. "A Mrs. Everest," He clarified, offering the letter to Aster. Aster raised a brow and took it, looking over the return address. He recognized it faintly, but couldn't be sure if he knew a Mrs. Everest.
"She gave it to me this morning," Sorrel continued. "Said she was told about yer eh...predicament at the post office. She said to tell you she'd be real interested in the kits if ya didn't find their dam."
Aster accepted the letter, turning it over in his paws. "Hm. Alright then, thank ya. Tell her if I don't find anything more on the kit's dam then I'll be contactin' her." He looked up at Sorrel. The younger buck gave a nod. "I'll be sure to do that." He then leaned in just a bit and tipped his muzzle up, glancing a peek into Aster's home. "They in there?" He inquired. "Your visit had the does in quite an excitement yesterday." He laughed a bit.
Aster gave a nod, gesturing to the room with a wave of his paw. "Ah, yeh the little anklebiters are in tha bedroom, sleepin' off their breakfast." He gave a small lopsided smile then leaned in a bit, lowering his voice. "Enjoyin' the peace and quiet while I can." He arched an eyebrow, a playful glint in his green eyes.
Sorrel laughed a bit at that and gave a nod. "I understand, I'm the oldest in my family, little ones always need something." He rolled his eyes with a playful grin.
"That they do." Aster sighed with a light chuckle. He then held up the letter. "Thank ya for bringin' this." He smiled and with a parting nod, Sorrel bd his farewell and continued on his route.
Aster closed the door and looked over the envelope again, heading into his study and perching his reading glasses on his wide bridged nose. He sat down and tore the envelope open, pulling out the letter.
The letter's contents expressed Mrs. Everest's interest in the kits. She and her mate had two litters of their own, one about eight years old and the second barely a year. Aster realized then that he did know her, a little a least. He'd helped deliver both her litters. There were so many does and so many kits in the area, he'd stopped trying to keep track years ago. His eyes skimmed over the rest of the letter, the doe expressing that now that her youngest litter was starting to wean fully into more solid foods, she'd be available to take on two newborn kits who needed nursing. Aster pondered the idea a moment. Having the kits go to a home with so many kits had its pros and cons. On one hand, they'd have plenty eyes looking after them and they would be in the paws of experienced parents, but on the other, they might not get the sole attention they needed to thrive, especially Hiccup. He would need more care than a typical kit. Mrs. Everest ended the letter by requesting to come see the kits, if Aster could not identify their mother or if they weren't wanted.
Aster thought over his options as he set the letter down and plucked the glasses off his nose. The kits had a soft place to land at least if it came to that, but he hoped to unveil the secret behind their birth mother. However, he had no idea of knowing how long that could take, and the kits needed someone to bond with. Kits typically bonded with their parents through nursing and grooming, about the time their ears and eyes opened. Since Aster would be offering such care to them, he needed to find them a home before they bonded with him. If he was lucky, he had about a week to work with. Even if they bonded with him, it wasn't like he couldn't still rehome them, but it would be harder on their emotional well-being and that was something he didn't want to risk if he could help it.
An uncomfortable shifting in his torso pulled him from his thoughts and he grimaced, a paw rubbing over his abdomen. He sighed and tipped his head back, waiting for the feeling to pass. The chocolate he'd eaten was nearly finished taking its effect. For a moment he scoffed faintly at himself. He was getting too old for this. He'd never had to nurse kits before, but he supposed there was a first time for everything. At least it would make feedings in the dark hours of the night easier as he wouldn't have to drag himself from his bed.
Aster took advantage of the time he had while the kits slept and tidied up his home a bit. It was a quaint and homey place for being a partially underground cottage. It was much like a normal home, with smooth wooden floors and warm accents of dark oak and cherry throughout the furniture. There were a few large round windows that let sunlight stream in. Living alone allowed for Aster to keep it fairly tidy and neat, save his study which always seemed to be an organized yet chaotic collection of papers, books, and notes.
Knowing he'd be nursing the kits himself soon, Aster knew he had to watch his diet a little more closely, making sure to eat things that would allow for his body to offer the highest content of richness to the kits through his milk. He blinked and shook his head a bit at the thought. It was still weird to think about, but he'd do it for the well being of the kits in his charge. He headed outside to the vegetable section of his garden and picked a few things to make a hearty stew for himself later. When he returned indoors, basket hooked over his arm, he could hear one of the kits chirping insistently from his bedroom. Setting the basket down on his kitchen counter, he traveled through the hallways to the bedroom and his ears perked at the sound of chirping. It was loud and insistent, but much to his surprise it was coming from Hiccup. He peered into the basket he'd tucked the kits into to find Hiccup squirming and crying, the kit having made a bit of a mess on the blanket.
"Ah, nature called to you hm lil Hiccup?" Aster hummed, reaching out to scoop the little kit up into his paw carefully. "Best get ya both cleaned up." He murmured to them, Jack squirming and waking as well as he was picked up along with his brother. "You two could use a proper bathin' anyway." He said decidedly. Hiccup chirped in reply, tiny paws clinging to Aster's fur.
Aster had lined the bedding the kits slept on with a disposable sheet, one made specifically for kits and other medical patients. The wasn't such a thing as diapers for Pookas, they made the mess worse by matting the fine fur of the kits. Young kits were better off to learn to relieve themselves in a designated area in the next until they were older. Kits were typically house trained rather early on and caught on fast. But in the very beginning, it was up to their parents to keep an eye on them and keep them clean. It wasn't hard, kits only relieved themselves in very small...well, proportions, especially this young.
With the kits set aside in basket, waiting in the washroom, Aster cleaned the kits area of his nest, easily disposing of the potty sheet. He then returned to the washroom and gave the kits a smile as he started to run the sink with warm water. "Get ya two nice and clean. Bet y'all feel great after a good scrubbin'." He rumbled to them as he made sure the water was at a safe temperature. He then grabbed a bar of soap and lathered up his paws vigorously before scooping up Jack first. He carefully let the water from the faucet run over Jack's back, carefully turning the kit to be belly up and did the same again. Aster was careful to support Jack's head and keep it from getting wet as he started to massage his paw pads over the kit. The gentle scrubbing action caused the kit's white fur to stick up in all wild angles. Jack chirped in confusion, paws blindly kneading the air as he was turned and washed. However when Aster started to scrub just behind his ears, Jack fell silent and the infant let out the tiniest of purrs at the new sensation, little paws still kneading contently. Aster chuckled knowingly, continuing to gently wash the kit. "Yeah, feels good don' it?" He murmured to the little one with a small smile.
Once he deemed Jack scrubbed clean as a whistle, he rinsed the kit carefully and set him on a small towel, gently but quickly drying the kit. He couldn't let him sit wet too long lest he got chilled. Aster groomed him to help rasp the water away from his fur quickly before settling Jack in a different basket with a clean towel. He then moved on to Hiccup.
Scooping the kit up carefully, he started the same gentle process of giving him a little bath. He had to be a little more delicate with Hiccup, the kit still wore the splint after all on his back left foot and Aster didn't want to jostle it at all. But aside from that, Hiccup was a runt and he just felt...incredibly fragile in Aster's large paws. Aster handled him as if the kit would dissolve into dust at any given moment. It made Aster frown a bit, even as Hiccup cooed gently and relaxed into his bath. The worry of Hiccup finding the right care was nagging him at the back of his mind. He needed to be sure to find them a suitable home, whether he found their real mother or not.
When both kits were finally washed, dried and their fur fluffed up from the treatment, Aster gathered them both and made his way back to his bedroom. He sighed softly, smiling a bit at them, both kits extra fluffy now from their bath, as he settled them into the cleaned bedding. Both kits squirmed as they were placed down and Jack was the first to start chirping urgently, but Hiccup soon joined in. Aster frowned slightly and glanced at the clock near his bedside, realizing it was time for them to feed again. He rubbed a paw over his muzzle to up between his ears. Keeping up with their feeding schedule was demanding for sure, and the chocolates he'd taken had given him a bit of a drowsy side effect. Or maybe he was just tired in general.
However, he realized he might not have to make formula. He hesitated a moment, thinking before finally crawling into bed and settling down into it, curling around Hiccup and Jack. The kits calmed a little when they felt him and they nuzzled into him urgently, tiny paws clinging to the pale fur over his torso. It should have been enough time for the chocolate to fully set in and finish its minor transformation of his anatomy. Though if he was honest, he'd never had to do this before and was...nervous? He knew how it should be done, he'd coached many new mothers through the beginnings of nursing but then again, he'd never done it himself.
He shook his head a little, mentally telling himself not to be silly. How hard could it be? The continued hungry chirping from the kits curled up against him brought his attention back to them and he eased onto his side a little more. He lowered his head, curling over and nuzzling them both, encouraging them to settle in with a few gentle rasps of his tongue over their little ears. At least this would be more convenient for the few more days he planned on caring for them, no more late night trips to the kitchen and warming formula over the-
"Oi." Aster let out a shuddering sigh, blinking a bit in surprise when he felt one of them, Jack he thought, latch on and start nursing from him. Aster paused a moment, just taking in the feeling and his ears flattened back against his skull. Then Hiccup had latched on as well beside Jack and Aster's paws kneaded slowly over the blankets beneath them, claws slowly digging into the blanket and releasing again. "Crikey...that's weird." he huffed out, having held his breath for a few seconds.
He tried to focus however to the fact they both kits were nursing well. Hiccup had been struggling to take a bottle, but now he seemed to be taking to this easier. Aster allowed himself to lean back a bit more on his side and let out a slow sigh, allowing the kits to continue. There was something about it he couldn't deny, that made him feel...more connected to the kits. He shook out his head a bit. He couldn't allow himself to bond with them, that would only hurt them later. But, watching them burrow into his stomach with tiny paws kneading at his fur, he allowed himself to croon gently to them and lower his head to nuzzle carefully over their ears. Wouldn't hurt to show them a little affection at least, the kits had been robbed of nearly everything else. When the time came he would let them go, but for now, he was content to let them nurse and seek comfort from him. And he was willing to give it.