Their talents were emerging. Ukko was adept at morphing. Although he was gold in colour, he was by far the truest Mimic. He could mimic almost any shape or creature, as long as he watched his Pappa do it first. Plus he had his electric shock defence as well. Aurin wasn’t sure where that ability had come from. There must have been a branch of it somewhere on Salem’s side of the family tree.
Llyr had limited Mimic traits. He could morph, but so far he’d only been a rock and... a rock. But he was big and very strong, and Aurin had no doubt his adult strength would rival Otis’s one day. He was brave too. Sometimes a little too brave for his own good.
Nyx took after Aurin. His colouring was dark like Salem, but he could shimmer gold like Aurin, and he was super fast and very clever. He couldn’t Mimic anything in the water. Yet, at least, Aurin reasoned.
And Áine... their sweetest little girl. Her colouring was a golden blackish colour, so she seemed to be an even split of both her dads. So far, she hadn’t shown any mimicking abilities, but Aurin was certain she held great power. He just didn’t know what...
Neither did Salem.
“Be patient, my love,” he’d said. “These things can take years.”
But every single one of them had the ability to morph into cat form.
Well, kittens.
The first time they’d done it, it had been bedlam. Because of course they did it all at once and scattered in all four directions.They’d run in the wet grass, sniffed everything, jumped and skittered and chased each other and had so much fun. They’d only come back when Salem—also in cat form—meowed something Aurin was pretty sure he didn’t want translated. They’d all come running back to Aurin in a hurry.
But oh, they were so cute. And if they weren’t loved entirely already, they sure were now, with their little paws and little whiskers and tiny little squeaky meows. And the all important toe-beans, as Sawyer had called them.
Llyr and Nyx were mini Salems, Ukko was a golden honey colour, and Áine was a dark golden black with her different coloured eyes. She seemed to find it so much easier in cat form; she was more confident, though she still chased after her brothers.
So time on land was mostly spent in kitten form. And on this particular day, they were lazing in the grass, taking advantage of a very rare moment of sunshine, when Fyn came to town. He walked out from the tree line near their school, and Aurin was glad it was him and Salem who saw him first and not Ciaran or Otis.
“Oh.” Aurin stood up quickly, startling the four kittens who were dozing in the sun. Salem sprang into human form, quickly pulling on some pants.
“Hello,” Aurin said as Fyn headed toward them, loud enough that Sawyer and Ciaran would hear. They were in Ciaran’s shop, and sure enough, as soon as they saw someone approaching on foot, they rushed out of the store.
“Fyn, it’s good to see you,” Aurin added quickly. He thought if he called him by name, Ciaran would know Fyn was familiar to them.
“You said I was invited,” Fyn said, his roguish grin in place. He put his hands out, gesturing to the sky. “I brought the sunshine with me.”
“You did, indeed,” Aurin said. “And yes, you’re welcome here anytime.” Then Aurin looked to Ciaran and Sawyer. Sawyer was holding Nyx and Áine close to his chest. Salem had Ukko and Llyr. “This is Fyn,” Aurin said. “We spent time with him in the mountains. Fyn, this is Ciaran, our leader, and his mate, Sawyer.”
Fyn held out his hand, and Ciaran shook it. “You came with Cern that time to take Salem so Cern could heal him,” Ciaran said.
“Sure did,” Fyn said. He wore the same green and brown hemp clothes, though his feet were bare, so he’d clearly come down the mountain in faun form. His head was a mess of unruly brown hair that looked almost twig-like, as though life in the wild had left its mark on him. Sunlight caught in the uneven strands, highlighting them with gold at the edges. His eyes were hazel and bright, his smile always wide.
He reminded Aurin of all that was good in the earth.
It was impossible not to like him.
“Fyn came to see us at the hut,” Salem reminded Ciaran. “To tell us our godlings were under Cern’s protection.”
Fyn laughed, and then he looked again at the four kittens and did a double-take. His astonished eyes went to Salem. “Are they...?” Then he gasped. “They were tiny octopuses when I saw them last!” His comically wide eyes now went to Aurin. “How...?” Then, starting and concluding this entire conversation by himself, he rocked back on his heels with a nod. “Because they’re godlings, of course.” He put his hand to his forehead, clearly still trying to get his head around it.
Aurin didn’t feel the need to explain how the four little ones felt safer in kitten form on land rather than human, especially in the company of a stranger. Even though he was sure Fyn would understand. Instead, he said, “They are remarkable.”
“I’ll say,” Fyn agreed.
By this time, Fray and Tobin were walking over, and Otis and Pania were coming out of the store.
“You’ve come quite a distance,” Aurin said. “Can we offer you anything to eat or drink?”
Salem looked back to the trees. “Is Zaq with you? He’s welcome to join us.”
Fyn’s smile faltered a little. “Another time, perhaps.”
“Next time,” Aurin added, hoping he’d know it was an open invitation.
