No. More. Kids. Zavid was losing his mind. On top of that, guess who just appeared? Of course, it had to be James. It. Had. To. Be. Him.
Zavid had wrestled the little boy into the play pen, earning a kick in the teeth and a pull on the nose. James attempted to squirm over the top of the pen, but Zavid tickled him, causing him to squeal and drop onto a cushion, nearly landing on Willow. Willow just stared at him, still as indifferent as she had been the entire time.
Zavid's eyes widened to the size of balloons when he realized that Fraya was not in the pen. He looked back and forth, but to no avail. He looked at Asher. "Where's Fraya?"
Asher gnawed on a Lego brick, and immediately stopped when Zavid talked to him. "Why are you asking me?"
Zavid began to panic. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, I lost a BABY! I LOST A BABY!"
Askira sneered. "You would make a bad dad."
Zavid glared at the child. He grabbed a rubber band and slung it at her. She flinched, expecting it to hit her, but when it didn't, she immediately looked embarrassed. Zavid yanked Elora out of the pen, the little girl squeaking. "Have you seen Fraya?"
Elora just stared at him, confused. "Uh, g-nah, ffz."
Zavid frowned at her weird babbling. He sighed. "Spit the Lego out."Elora shook her head stubbornly. Zavid narrowed his eyes. "I said. Spit. It. Out."
"Gnaf," Elora protested. Zavid sighed, giving her a gentle slap on the back. Squeaking, Elora sighed, spitting out the Lego. As soon as it fell, she looked at it with wide eyes. She flailed her tiny hand, making grabbing motions. Zavid stared at her, annoyed. When he didn't put her down, Elora whined and started crying.
Zavid simply put her down in the pen. When she went to grab another Lego, he quickly stepped in, opening and closing the pen's doors as fast as he could, and gathered up all of them and put them away. Elora didn't like that. She started wailing, pulling at the pen's bars. Zavid ignored her, still panicking about Fraya.
He stopped when he heard the doorknob jiggling. He spun around, terror on his face. James was standing there, his hands on his shoulders like he was holding something. Above him, the Big House's doorknob was shaking. Everything happened in slow motion. Fraya turned visible on top of James' shoulders, successfully opening the door. It swung open, yanking Fraya off of James' shoulders.
She held on to the doorknob, looking below her, high up and stuck. James took off running. "Help!" Fraya cried, but Zavid was already darting after James. If only he had known that he forgot to secure the pen's latch.
Asher noticed and seized the opportunity. He pushed on the door, successfully sliding it open.
"Wai'!" Adira cried. "No!" But it was too late. The herd of little kids busted out, screaming gleefully as they raced out of the Big House.
"Help!" Fraya sobbed. Asher stopped underneath her.
"I can catch you!" He offered. Fraya immediately let go, but she landed piled on top of Asher. The two got to their feet and took off.
"Wait!" Askira shouted. "Help us, too!"
Adira looked back and forth between the herd of children and the Box prisoners. With a tiny sigh, she waddled over and pushed on the side of the Box.
-o-
As Zavid raced after the little boy, the campers gave him curious looks, only a few seconds before they all turned into little kids, too. Zavid groaned. Sometimes, he wished that it was possible to kill the Gods.
Finally, he tackled James. The boy squealed. "You're crushing me!" Zavid ignored him, picking him up and dragging him back to the Big House. He would put the boy in the pen and then go hunting after the newly-turned little children. He frowned when he saw that Fraya wasn't dangling off of the doorknob. He walked into the Big House, his eyes widening when he saw that the pen was open and empty, and the Box was tipped over.
Oh, no.
He shoved James into the pen, duct-taping the latch for extra safety. He could just drop the children in. Sighing, he left the Big House, slamming the door. Time to hunt a bunch of children.
-o-
Out of the newly-turned little kids, he had caught Calla, Dawn, Jackson, Clay, and Jasmine. He dumped them into the pen as they squealed in protest. Except for Dawn. Zavid's best guess was that they didn't turn into their little kid-self, but just got de-aged and kept their personalities.
Dawn was just sitting in the corner, eyes empty of all life, sapped of all joy and child-like ways. It didn't lessen the difficulty of caring for children, though.
Zavid put a flashlight and snacks, to lure the children, into his backpack. He turned to walk towards the door, but stopped, turning around to look at the children of the pen. "Well, little ones," he started, inhaling deeply. "This life...it's full of mysteries and wonders. It's full of dangers and tragedy.
"I have been fighting this battle for a long time...since six o'clock this morning. Who knows how long it will last? If today is the day that I go to the Underworld, please let me live on in your hearts and memories as a hero. Don't forget me. I've done wrong in my life, but now is the time...for me to make those wrongs right. Dedicate your toys to me, in my memory. Don't eat snacks in vain. It may be your last meal. And so, little ones, if I never return...remember me. And let me live on as a legend. Goodbye, maybe for forever. This is a deadly fight and it is risky going out there. Don't resent me."
The children simply stared blankly at him as he turned, inhaling shakily, and marched out of the Big House, closing the door carefully behind him.
It was time to hunt.