Over the River and Through the Woods (Adventures!AU Book 2)

Ch 57 Troubles and Timeskips

Here's another installment in the chaos! Seems the team has a new member! Crosshair got a child! Was talking with one of the Dragneel twins like back in 2020 and it evolved into Crosshair being imprinted on so. Ta da XD

CW: Self doubt, self loathing, Trust Shattered callbacks, Alphian female anatomy mention.

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Of all the creatures to bring back... they found a Night Hunter? The unholy cross between a gator, praying mantis, scorpion, angler fish, and that freaky ass mud demon in Riddick? Why were those damn things even on the planet?

The one in Crosshair's arms was clearly a baby, no bigger than a 2-day old lab puppy, but I knew it'd reach the size of a small pony in a few months. Venomous, vicious, and highly territorial, they were not to be messed with.

Where'd he'd even find it?!

Crosshair looked startled at my reaction, holding the lethal animal closer. "Furball, what-"

"That is a Night Hunter! Evil!" I hissed, tail pushed and lashing back and forth. "Put it back!"

"Evil?" he echoed, helmet tilting down. "It looks like a baby."

The spawn in his arms looked up and chittered, lightly tapping its mantis-like forelimbs against the lower edge of the helmet.

"Doesn't look evil," Wrecker ventured, scratching his head.

"That's how they get you!" I spat.

"It does not appear to be acting evil, either. Do Night Hunters grasp the dichotomy of good versus evil?" Tech asked, wandering over. Wiggling his fingers at it, a small smile ghosted his face when the Night Hunter waved its forelimbs back.

I squinted at the action. Hold up. There was one, and only one, way for a Night Hunter to not have attacked a trespasser on sight. And only one reason why it would be so docile.

"Did you... find it in an egg?" I asked slowly.

"Found its parent torn apart and this little guy came out from under some oak roots," Crosshair said, carefully scratching its back.

"Any other eggs?" I asked, forcing my fur to lie flat as the Night Hunter happily chittered at Crosshair's touch.

"All smashed."

Oh boy.

"So there were zero living parents, it was alone, and you found recently broken eggs?"

"Yes?"

A laugh bubbled in my throat. "Oh. Oh hell. That's... that's why-" Snickers cut me off and I fought to repress them.

"What's so funny?" Crosshair growled.

"Well, Cross, congrats!"

"Why?"

"Because that thing imprinted on you. You're a mother!"

"I'm a what?!"

~******~

That had... certainly been an unusual reaction from Shadow. Here he thought they loved all animals, but apparently not. Despite creating the animal itself. At least they didn't skip over unpleasant species as some did when writing fiction. Instead, they took all aspects of a biosphere into their worldbuilding.

Tech could appreciate that.

Having finished off what little rations were left, save for some rather unappetizing bars, they were all on their way back to Sarah's. Of course, that meant having to go through that odd tropical swamp climate manifested by the magic leak again, but Tech didn't mind. Dangerous or not, encountering anything new brought him endless joy.