A Half-Baked Life 2 (Tamberlane Webcomic, Human!SI)

It was late. Belfry was already regretting skipping dinner, but considering how fast thing have gone, it was perhaps for the best that she didn't get too distracted with what she believed to be the biggest responsibility she had to deal with.

A kit. Her kit at that. Not a normal creature, but someone like John.

Mostly furless, yet 'omnivore' as Tamberlane had the teeth to be a herbivore and a carnivore. She asked just for peas, which were luckily within reach in Old Oakewood's storage, but she wasn't sure what else she had to know to be ready for the job. The bat had jumped at the chance, ignoring the fact that this meant standing up to some tall expectations. A mother- not alone, but still a first-time mother.

Experience with children? She didn't even know if her efforts to be a good sister had been well enough to make parenthood a viable option. Heck! She wasn't even planning to have a mate, but it was clear John had to fit the role of father as he decided to stick around and work at the library with Oakewood.

The lupine librarian wasn't enthusiastic in knowing that both peculiar creatures were 'less animals' than the rest, but he was persuaded with a bit of pressure from both herself and John, with the latter offering to work just to get feed and have a shelter.

Still... this was a huge development compared to her usual life. For 19 years, Belfry had lived with her family and worked at the bakery. Her mother had been quite kind towards her in times where many would have lost their wits- she was clumsy, that was also shown when she struggled to put on a new diaper on poor Tamberlane.

The little one was so fussy as she had a full one when they reached the library, but John helped her to 'keep her hands steady'.

"You tend to be too panicky. Just do it slow and easy, see? Like this."

The tender approach had her smiling like a silly goose, and it made the job easier to accomplish. Relief washed upon her as Tamberlane found enough peace to fall asleep against her chest, while John rested beside her. Not too intimately, but close enough to show a degree of 'unity'. An odd family for sure. They weren't mates, but they were partners and parents.

And yet... Belfry was hesitant. She couldn't fall asleep even though Oakewood had given her one of his brilliant and dry talk that she took this duty because she felt she could do it, not the opposite. So, now, it was only fair to push aside that worry for later.

Except she couldn't.

Belfry's blue eyes were aimed at the ceiling, listlessly glancing at the wooden surface as she mulled over her many doubts. She was mostly quiet, yet her distracted sighs had the unplanned result of waking up her 'partner' from his slumber.

"Belfry?"

The bat tensed up, a nervous grin manifesting on her face. "J-John? Still awake?"

"Only now. What about you?"

"I... I was just thinking. That's all."

He hummed, eyes narrowed tiredly at her as he seemed unwilling to fully wake up- just enough for him to give her a curious look.

"More like 'overthinking'."

Her lips twitched. "I-I am not."

"How far in the future are you gazing upon?"

Her mouth opened... and she paused. "How?"

"I had these moments too. It happens to everyone."

Belfry offered a genuinely surprised expression. "Really? But... but if it is something that happens with everyone, then how come I am the only one that is... you know-"

"Struggling with it?" John guessed and she nodded.

"Y-Yeah. Shouldn't I be able to just," She paused, eyes darting away. "You know... handle this better if this isn't the first time."

"No."

Belfry suddenly snapped her attention back to him. "What? Why not?"

"Because you are you, and others are others, Belfry," The male replied flatly, then yawning. "You are giving off the vibe of someone that is afraid of hearing a lot more yelling in your directions than you truly deserve. This means that you tend to undervalue yourself. Since being a mother is not something you are experienced with, you definitely are looking at every single option that can and could go wrong if you are clumsy enough."

"...You think so?" She asked, genuinely surprised about this sort of analysis.

"I think it can be that, or maybe there's more. Dunno myself right now since I know you for a day, but since you had that fight with your mother, you want to have something big where you can't fail. And the truth is, you will fail as a parent a few times-"

Belfry tensed up at this, but John wasn't done talking.

"Just like I will."

"...Really?"

"We are both inexperienced in this sort of stuff. Do you reckon we will be perfect? No. This takes time and practice. Just keep an eye on Tamberlane with me, let's work around each obstacle and we will be the best parents she could hope to get."

Her body... eased at this. "That makes sense."

"And you should apologize to your mother."

Her peace was broken by this.

"What?!"

"Quiet!" John rebutted with a furious whisper, reminding the bat of the sleeping toddler and causing her to flinch. "Still, the kid already has two odd parents, she doesn't need a divided extended family. Just... apologize."

"I-I didn't do anything wrong."

"Perhaps. But you could have worded things better," The male argued flatly, causing her to huff again. "You are right in asking for some independence, but your parents put a lot of effort and time with you. So, if you want to ask them anything on how to be a good parent, they can help us."

That very reason had her pause in her refusal. Usually, Belfry would be keen to keep up the tough mask with her mother, especially when the matter was so important. Yet, at the same time, John's point raised a very valid situation. Oakewood may be helping, but he wasn't a parent. And they were not prepared for the burden just yet.

Parenting means sacrificing some of that pride, I suppose.

This last thought left her with a 'defeated' smile, one filled with defeat and tiredness. Her eyes were closing as she nodded.

"Sounds... fair. Thank you for... being nice, John."

"I'm just being honest, Belfry. Go to sleep, you silly gal."

The smile widened, and she complied with the order.

Dreams came to her, all of which showing parenthood in all its key moments. Despite her doubts, she could see everything going well, with Tamberlane growing happier and accustomed to Tree Hollow's society. Becoming a fellow creature, being loved by all and finding her path after many years of having two caring parents by her side all the time.

But as the dreams carried her through the night-

"BELFRY!" "AAHH!" "How many fingers I am holding?"

The next day started with a little fright from Miss Nora as she and Miss Terra, the local doctors, were there to check her hurting leg.

AN

I am going to diverge a lot from the main plot. Since there should be a 'time-skip' soon, I will actually fill up with events.