A mix of four tiny voices, overlapping babbles.Daddy dadda dadda daddy pappa pappa where? Where is Pappa?
Aurin gasped, and Salem sputtered.Was...was that...
Yes! Oh my...,Aurin cried. He was a flux of excitement and fear, feeling everything at once. He hugged his babies tighter.Pappa is okay,he told them.He’s okay.
One of Salem’s tentacles crept into the den, and Aurin was quick to hold it.See? Pappa is here.
They quietened down then. Aurin felt their relief and comfort. Their tiny babbles became soft chirps, and Aurin soothed them with a gentle sway.
Wait,Salem said.I see someone...
Aurin’s hearts beat in staccato counterpoint.A human? What is a human doing here? Salem, please come in here, I’m begging.
I can see them, and... Oh.
Oh what?
It’s Fyn.
Fyn? From the mountain faun?
Yes. He’s... he sees me and he’s smiling.
He sees you? How?
I don’t know. I’m going to morph so I can speak to him. Don’t come out until I tell you.
Aurin didn’t think for one moment that Fyn would hurt them but... Fyn? What on earth was he doing here?
Salem’s tentacle unwound itself from Aurin’s and slipped out of the den. Aurin held his breath and listened. Even the babies quietened down.
“Hello, Fyn,” Salem said. It sounded as if he was chest deep in the water.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Fyn said, voice distant to Aurin’s ears.
“Not that I am unhappy to see you, but may I ask what you are doing here?” Salem asked. “Don’t mistake my question?—”
Fyn laughed. “It’s totally fine. You have younglings, and you are protective of them. Don’t apologise.”
“You know...?”
“Cern sent us.”
“You are not alone?”
“No. Zaq is here. He’s back a ways in the trees, watching. We travel in pairs. Safer that way. Voh and Cyd wanted to come. They loved having you and Aurin visit.”
Ah, the younger boys, Aurin remembered.
“Cern sent you?” Salem pressed.
“Yes. Said your younglings were special and that we are sworn to protect them.”
“Pardon? Sworn to protect them?”
“Yep. Got Cern’s protection, which means you got protection from the whole animal kingdom, basically. Ain’t no one or nothing gonna harm those babies.”
Aurin blinked, looking down at the four sets of big wide eyes looking up at him. Their precious faces, their soft chirps.You are special, he told them.My precious ones.
