Chapter Five
Fiona walked into the kitchen wrinkling her nose. The house was smelling off and it wasn't Shrek. It was because of the kids. He'd spent the entire day trying to get them to use the outhouse. She found him changing Xan's diaper. "Hey honey, did it work?" she asked him. He sighed wearily. "Did you smell the house coming in? I couldn't get them to do it even with Donkey's help." He told her. She understood that he was tired but was trying really hard. She then picked Mik up. He was eating a small piece of weed rat stew. "Let me guess, you were also working on the getting our sons to eat more food instead of candy thing?" she asked him curiously. "Yeah we were working on it. I got them to try weed rat stew and they loved it! Maybe we should try some fruit as well. It's just this outhouse training thing is seriously bugging me. I had to clean the entire outhouse a few times today because of it." He told her. She kissed him. "I know but we'll make it happen. We always do." She said happily. "Mommy!" Likaz said giggling. Shrek couldn't believe that his other son's first word was his mother. "That's good! You're smart like your brother! I love you." He said as he hugged him gently. They then heard the outhouse flush from outside. Fiona went to check it out. "Honey come here quick! Someone just made their first trip to the outhouse!" she yelled to him from outside. He ran out to see. He saw Mik sitting on the toilet. He smiled at this.
"That's great son!" he said proudly. They went back into the house. He then put Mik and Likaz to bed. Xan was in Fiona's arms. She hoped that Xan would start talking like her brothers or going to the outhouse. Shrek watched as she put Xan to bed. He knew Fiona was worried for her daughter. She wondered if it was because… maybe Xan didn't like her. "Don't worry honey. She loves you. It just takes maybe a little more time than the other two." He reassured her calmly. She understood. But thoughts were running through her mind about this. She then saw someone crawl into their room. It was Xan. She then pointed at her. "Mommy!" she said in a soft voice like Fiona's. Tears of joy ran down her face at this. "Why you cry?" she asked Fiona. "It's okay honey. These are happy tears. I thought you'd never talk like your brothers." She told her as she put her back into bed. Shrek had woken up when Fiona got back into bed. "Hey honey. Are you okay?" he said to her as he wrapped his arms around her. "Yes I'm fine. Xan said her first word." She told him. "Was it me or you?" he asked curiously. "Me. I think Mik really likes you but Xan and Likaz like me. He is like you but Xan, she's like me but she just needs to come out." She told him.
He smiled. "Yeah I know. He is like me. He picked up those wrestling moves I taught him pretty fast. Maybe you should help him emotionally." Shrek said to her quietly. "What do you mean?" she asked him. "I figured that if he has my strength, then he'll have my problem with emotions. Maybe if we give him some of a healthy self esteem, it mightn't happen but how can you be sure?" he told her. She understood clearly. "You're right about that. He was nervous after the hunter attack until I talked to him." She said quietly to him. They then fell asleep hoping that their kids would grow to be happy to be who they were…