Ch 13: Epilogue
TWO YEARS LATER…
Spadix was sitting on the back porch. A toddler was perched in her lap, another by her feet and a third playing in the garden with Gunner with eyes full of wonder at everything he was showing her. The girl in her lap was staring awkwardly into nothingness with pale eyes as her hands fumbled along Spadix's arms. She didn't wear anything over her scarred arms anymore. Not since the babies were small and two of them used the scars to be able to identify her. It was very strange getting used to it but she would do anything for them.
Horoma, the girl in her lap, was blind, her hands able to tell she was with Spadix by the scarred grooves up her arms. The one in the field with Gunner, Vox, their special intersex child, was mute and would make a gesture along her arms to indicate Spadix by the scars. The one by her feet trying to play with a small toy truck, Sonus, was deaf and learned the same gesture from his sister to indicate Spadix. All their aliments had been since birth but the family was making strides in learning and teaching with any methods needed for them.
The small fingertips found the sensitive grooves and fiddled along them with mumbled babbling as she leaned into her. She had long since now stopped flinching away from the sensation, letting her child find comfort in knowing it was her the girl was with. The doctor had also been right about the way so many had been conceived and it was clear in the unique and rare faunus traits they carried, each special and each having slightly different parental genetics shared. It was bizarre and wild but also fascinating.
Spadix found it ironic the one with most of her genetics shared only with Jin's, was the blind girl in her lap. Seeing as Spadix's semblance was excellent sight for a target, it was like a sad joke to have a child have no vision at all. The doctor could only assume Horoma had none of Scarlet's genetics due to the medicine. He could only guess the serum used to share Spadix's genetic mix must have acted more like a volume that tapered out rather than a steady short period of time, with the highest potency in the first release that clearly overwrote Scarlet's genes all together. Which also explained why one had none of Spadix's genes at all.
Horoma had pearly white hair streaked with a luscious but slightly pale shade of blonde, her eyes pale but amber, milky in color. Her skin was shaded in a light hue of warmer tones from Jin. Two small horns protruded from her forehead with a slight upward and back curl, spiraled slightly, a deep dark rich amber in color, almost brown it was so dark, and a tail flowed from her backside. It was scaly with a track of scaled spines down the center of the top, the scales shimmering in a pearlescent dark amber much like the horns with a bushel of feathers at the tip that were white streaked with black and seemed to be painted wholly in a very transparent pale chestnut hue.
Sonus at her feet had dark red talons on his fingers and toes though they seemed much smaller and more manageable than Spadix's talons had ever been with a tail as well that from afar might look like a white fox tail speckled in brown and black with a vibrant red tip. It was actually a thick plume of fluffy-like feathers on a vulpine-like tail, so soft and fluffy they felt like plush fur. His hair was curly and red like Scarlet's with her brilliant emerald eyes flecked with gold all throughout them. His skin a pale color like Spadix, a strange contrast to all of Scarlet's tones on his hair and eyes.
The doctor struggled to explain him and was still bewildered, unable to find any of Jin's DNA in him at all which made no sense to him. His best guess was that somehow he had been one of the twin set from the runt and somehow the DNA was all divided between them, the runt possibly having been the one with most of Jin's genes between the two. But the most interesting was the last child, Vox.
Vox had two tall, thin ears on her head, the fur a bright orange with two bright amber wisps at the tips. Furry like a fox but the shape seemed more like certain depictions of dragons. They were incredibly narrow and anytime they moved they seemed to have vivid expressions due to how much movement occurred from their shape and size. The fur on the ears grew naturally towards the edges rather than up or down, making a flare of fur along the edges almost like hair in a way. Her eyes had oval-like pupils, nearly like slits but not quite as narrow, the color a piercing neon green as if the amber and emerald colors were equally matched for genetic dominance.. Her skin was as dark as Scarlet's but her hair was Jin's entirely with no mixture to be found.
She was the only one without a visible tail. Her tail was so small it often was hidden by her shirt, only a tiny flap of golden scales lined all the way around the arrow head shape with blonde fur that faded to orange at the tips, the fur also running to her rare genetic intersex trail like Scarlet's. Already at only two she was showing signs of all the spunk and tenacity of both Scarlet and Jin, often getting into trouble or being found in strange places she shouldn't be in because of her intense curiosity.
She often was also easily found at Gunner's feet, absorbed deeply in anything he was doing with fascination and awe, silent expressions of joy and laughter on her face anytime he stopped to teach or show her what he was doing. Vox often gave Spadix near heart attacks being the only of the three to be easily "misplaced" anytime she got the itch to explore. Already, her crib had to be altered to keep her from constantly escaping it at night.
Her DNA testing showed no signs of Spadix's genes, telling them she was the final conception and by that point the serum was worn off, making her solely Jin's and Scarlet's baby when it came to genetics. None of that mattered to the family of course. They were all being raised by their parents equally. The testing was more to help understand what was going on more than anything. While their misfortunes were clearly side effects of the risks, their unique patterns and rare multi traits were miracles of their unique conception and gene pools. All of them had long fangs for canines that were already growing out in the starts of a teething nightmare for the family though that seemed to be the only sharp ones coming in.
As she watched the children her ears caught on to the sound of deep grunts and straining from inside the house. She brushed a finger along Horoma's nose, her way of getting the tot's attention before moving her, tiny arms reaching out towards her in response before she scooped up Sonus as well. She gave a last look towards Gunner and Vox and he waved her off before heading inside with the two, one in each arm.
When Spadix carried the babies, they always looked bigger than they were compared to her small frame, but all three were also very small, even Vox, the doctor assuming it was because of both Spadix and Granet's genetics in the mix that none of them were projected to end up tall but they would end up taller than Spadix.
She followed the noises and stopped at her bedroom door, smiling and resting in the doorway. Before Sonus could disturb anything, Spadix nuzzled him, urging him to be quiet for a moment, smiling as he held her head sweetly. There on the floor facing away from them, Jin was going through a routine of strength building exercises, skin glistening with sweat and muscles straining. It had been taking her a long time to recover from her pregnancy and the delivery. Her body was still catching up though she was looking very well more and more each day. She was still a bit smaller in her physique than before getting sick while pregnant and she hated it but Scarlet and Spadix had been the best personal cheerleaders anyone could ask for.
The two constantly gave their support and bathed Jin in compliments to her strides as well as warm encouragement. They would both gladly take her in any state as long as she was alive but they knew how much her strength meant to her and were both eager to help her see this through. Sometimes the entire family got involved to help support the dragon, the babies climbing onto her back during push ups or giggling as Jin pretended they were dumbbells for weight lifting.
While Jin's physique had always been wildly attractive to Spadix, she was just happy Jin was still with them. Getting all that muscle back that originally took years to curate was going to keep taking time but that was alright to her. One day at a time. The moment was of course ruined by Vox dashing into the house and down the hall to the room, Gunner trying his best to snag the wiley tot but failing. She brushed easily past Spadix and ran over, tackling jin in a voiceless giggle.
Jin tumbled in surprise to her side with a loud oof before she snatched up the energetic toddler laughing, Spadix rolling her eyes and grinning athSonus squirming in her arms. She set him down, watching as he too took off to add himself to the pile. Jin's grin grew as she snaked him into an arm and was tickling the two resting on her. Horoma was looking around all over blankly to try to figure out which way to go, beginning to squirm as well. This one Spadix carried over, the baby not having as much familiarity with this room as others, stopping next to Jin and gently reaching the slowly flailing toddler out to Jin, "This one wants in on the fun too."
Jin just chuckled and reached out, gently taking the blind baby and bringing her close enough to be able to feel Jin;'s deep breaths and rumbling laughter, "I got her Little Bird."
Spadix was warmed watching all three in a sort of dog pile of play with Jin encouraging them all while being careful of Horoma, the owl leaning back into the edge of the bed with a light chuckle but careful watch all the same. When all three were together, still too young to have developed any sort of tactic for communication between all of them, they had to be watched carefully. They weren't a danger to each other per say but it was almost impossible yet for all three to have perfect interaction with each other while they were still just learning how to speak and interact with normal people and the world around themselves. Blind and mute couldn't communicate, nor blind and deaf, and even at times deaf and mute struggled when there wasn't a known sign yet for something, leaving them easily frustrated at times with each other or worse in sticky risky situations.
Normally, they would all three watch the babies in rotations or together to make sure everyone was always safe especially when playing but Jin and Scarlet still took missions often to accommodate such a big family, Spadix having decided to stay home with the babies and Gunner helping so they so they usually worked on teaching them and keeping them in the clear.
As the toddlers wound down, Jin sat up, gently handing Vox over to Spadix while Horoma and Sonus tucked into her, "Scarlet should be coming home soon right?"
Spadix just hummed and nodded, holding the restless spitfire of a girl in her arms and stroking through her wild hair, "She called a bit ago, said she would be home by dinner… along with some unsavory words about the missions Idi keeps putting her on."
The dragon chuckled, watching as Vox sprung from Spadix to run off to find Gunner, handing Sonus over to Spadix once her arms were free, "Well, Indi has been giving Scarlet a good amount of longer missions lately since I struggle with them at the moment."
Spadix nodded as Horoma gripped Jin, mumbling in her yawn, "Mommy…"
It made Jin swell with joy and pride when they learned all the ways to address their parents, still giving the dragon deep joy when she would hear it. She nuzzled into the soft hair and rumbled in her chest until the tired tot passed out, "Scarlet just misses the babies."
Spadix grinned and leaned close, kissing Jin's cheek, "she also misses us. Come on let's get the tikes in for naps. I'll go try to catch Vox."
It drew laughter from Jin who stood, taking Sonus who was also yawning and making her way towards their nursery, "Good luck. You'll need it."
When Spadix turned the corner and made her way into the yard however, she was happily greeted by the sight of Vox in Scarlet's arms, the woman clearly tired but smiling all the same, her tail practically wagging and judging by the way the back of Vox's shirt was swatting around the little one was wagging too. Emerald eyes spied Spadix and the woman grinned that wonderful smile of hers, "Hello wonderful, look what I plucked from the garden on my way in."
Spadix blushed, even after two years Scarlet and Jin could still turn her cheeks pink, and smiled, "hmm… dunno, seems dirty… maybe if she won't nap she can get a bath hm?"
That was all Vox had to hear to make a voiceless whine and squirm free, darting inside and making her way to Jin and her siblings, both parents outside laughing at the successful tease. Vox hated baths. Scarlet came up the porch, kissing Spadix's forehead, "Well if she won't, I definitely will. I'm so gross and worn out."
The fox stretched before heading inside. Spadix was left standing there, Gunner coming up the stairs with vegetables and fruits, watching with her through the nursery window as Jin got the three down for naps. This family might not be perfect or ideal and they surely had hard pasts with one another, but it was hers and she wouldn't have it any other way. He made his way inside and she followed, glancing out over the yard before she closed the door behind herself and the porch light went on for the night, awaiting the sun to start a new day.