Lucien sighed as he winnowed into the Human Lands, about a twenty minute walk from the manor he shared with Vassa and Jurian.
He just had a meeting with Rhys and like always the High Lord of the Night Court had been obnoxious as hell and Lucien felt like it would be better for both him and his human friends to take a walk and cool off before meeting with them.
He took another deep breath and started walking, focusing on the forest around him, listening to the sound of rustling of the trees and sounds of the woosland creatures.
It soothed him, reminding him of simpler times.
Halfway there he stopped, hearing a soft whining coming from some bushes.
He thought of ignoring it but curiosity got the better of him and he followed the sound.
His eyes widened upon finding the source.
There, staring at him were seven tiny little baby foxes, surrounding the body of what must her been their mother.
The mother also had an arrow sticking out of her body.
Lucien felt a mixture of disgust and sadness.
Disgust for what had obviously been a kill for sport and not even for food or need for furs and sadness for the poor babies who might not make it on their own.
Still, in nature something could have also happed to the mom and then they'd be on their own too.
He was snapped from his thoughts by a pull on his leg and looking down he found one of the fox kits tugging at his pants.
"Ah... I'm sorry, little ones." Lucien apologised, feeling his heart break more and more as he found all of the foxs looking up at him hopefully, as if begging him for his help.
Biting his lip he pulled his leg free from the furry creature clinging to it and started slowly backing up.
"I-I'm sorry!" he apologised, repeating himself when all seven kits started whining and trying to follow him.
With that he turned around and started running, faster and faster till he didn't hear them anymore and he suddenly stood in front of the manor.
It would be so easy to just go inside.
To pretend nothing happened and blame his mood on earlier events.
To just get drunk and hopefully not even remember what just happened.
But Lucien couldn't do any of that.
As ridiculous as it might sound, he saw a bit of himself in the poor little animals.
How many times had he been completely helpless, surely to die if not for the kindness of others?
Just what would it make him other than a pathetic hypocrite to ignore them?
With that he made up his mind and turned around.
As Lucien sat inside on their ugly pink couch he had to use all his will-power not smack Jurian upside the head, just to get the man next to him to stop laughing at him.
In the meantime Vassa was sitting on the floor, cuddling and cooing at the seven tiny fluffballs that were huddled together, whining, yipping, nipping and playing.
"I-It's just too good! The Lord of Foxes adopting actual foxes!" Jurian wheezed.
"I didn't adopt them, dumbass," Lucien huffed, "They're too young to be on their own but after they're old enough and know how to hunt they'll go back into the wilderness."
That was the plan.
Take care of the foxes till they could take care of themselves.
They were still wild animals after all.
Even if they were cute.
"No, they're never going back out there! They're family now!" Vassa protested passionately, glaring at Lucien before grinning back at the foxes.
"Now, don't worry, babies! Your daddy loves you and won't ever leave you in the cold, dark world again!" she told them sweetly, ignoring Lucien's sputtering.
"Daddy?!" he cried as Jurian guffawed.
"Daddy, father, pops, papa, whatever! You're still their new parent!" he said, grinning when several foxes started crying out.
"See, your kids agree too!"
"They're not my kids!" Lucien groaned.
"No, they're his kits!" Vassa snapped a finger-gun their way.
"AAAAYYYYYEEEE!" Jurian snapped two finger-guns right back.
"Knock it off already! Both of y-oof!" Lucien gasped when one of the foxes suddenly jumped into his lap and slammed into his stomach and knocking the air from him.
"Ugh... Why?" he asked the animal who he could have sworn smirked at him before yipping and suddenly the others are on him too.
"Awww!" Vassa squaled at the sight of him burried under foxes who all stared up at him, tails wagging excitedly.
"Looks like you don't get a choice anymor, dadio! From now on you're a hot single dad. A foxy daddy and his seven kits! " Jurian cackled, clapping him on the shoulder.
"And I'll be the fun uncle and Vassa's the sassy wine aunt!"
"Speaking of wine, I'll go grab some!" the queen announced, getting up.
"Then grab my some whiskey too!" Lucien called after her.
He felt like he was gonna need it.
"I will! Along with some paper where were can write ideas for names!" she called back.
"If we're gonna name them, find something to tell them apart too cause they all look the same to me!" Jurian added.
"On it!"
Lucien sighed for what was probably the tenth time.
He knew his impulse decision wouldn't be exactly easy, but other than his friends antics, judging by how the seven foxes in his lap seemed to all have a mischievous glint in their eyes he felt like it would be an even more challenging expirience than he expected.