Last Battle (X-Men Fanfiction)

Family Bonds

"Hey momma can I go and play with Poultice?"

I felt a jolt up my spine. I turned and saw Thyme looking up at me with bright and eager eyes.

"Er alone," I stammered as I tried not to show my fear of my daughter being alone with Poultice. I loved Poultice but recently he had been very distracted and very unstable in his mental state. Charles kept assuring me that it would just take time for Poultice to truly grasp his powers. However I was very hesitant to allow Thyme anywhere near him. What if he had one of his mental attacks as I called them?

Thyme tilted her head in confusion. "Um no," she corrected as she took a step back and whimpered a bit. "The Professor is going to be with us. We're going to be in his office until he has a class to teach."

I relaxed a bit before I took in a breath. I had to allow Thyme to spend time with her only friend. I didn't want her to get a sense that I didn't like Poultice. I loved him but I just didn't trust him right now. He was unstable.

"Did he say it was alright," I asked as I looked down on my daughter sternly.

Thyme tilted her head in confusion. I then realized of course she asked for permission! She was Thyme. She wouldn't even go to sleep without asking it was alright.

"Of course you did," I mumbled into my chest fur before I pointed my muzzle toward the door of our den. "Well alright but don't stay too long. As soon as students come in you have to leave, alright?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yes momma," yipped Thyme as she dipped her head and strode toward the entrance of the room. She pushed her head against the door and bolted into the hallways. I heard kids beginning to move between classes and I rose to my paws. I turned my head and looked to see Reed and Murk wrestling together with Avery watching on with keen eyes.

I padded over to Murk and nudged her off of her brother. She rolled into a blanket and Avery thrust it over her head. She yelped in shock before I grasped Avery's scruff and hauled him off of Murk. Avery chuckled in amusement as he hung from my jaws. I set him down before he turned and growled, showing his tiny puppy teeth. I rumbled in amusement and stretched out my neck as I rubbed my nose against him. He growled once more before Reed let out a howl and Avery turned back, ready to play with his brother and sister.

I rumbled in amusement as I watched Reed leap on Avery's head and brought him down to the ground easily. Murk then surged forward and collided her head against Reed's flank to off balance him. Avery then leaped upward and slammed his head against Reed's jaw and Reed fell against the ground harshly.

"Hey," cried Reed as he thrust his ears forward. "No teaming up."

"It's not our fault if we make a good team," pointed out Murk as she pressed against Avery's flank.

Reed snorted before he hauled himself to his paws. "I suppose not." He shook his pelt a few times before he bounded back toward me and ducked behind my legs. "But Thyme and I make a great team! We don't need you."

"Hey," I chided gently as I lowered my head and nudged Reed forward. "Is that any way to speak to your littermates?"

He snorted in amusement. "I think so."

I struggled not to rumble in amusement since that would be something I would have said if I had littermates. "Now little one we are a family and we always stick together, understand?"

Murk and Avery exchanged a confused glance. "How do you know who's in your family," wondered Murk.

I strode forward with Reed padding alongside me. "Well there are two ways to have a family," I explained however the first one was sort of foreign to me. "The first way is to be by blood. Like you and me are blood related."

"So us and dad," asked Avery as his tail twitched to and fro.

"Exactly," I praised as I arched my neck and I licked him between the ears. "And like me and you three. There's another way though."

"Another way," echoed Reed as he wrinkled his nose. "Like you and Logan?"

I brightened a bit. "Yes! Family is who you love, not just who you were born to. Poultice is my son but I didn't give birth to him. Same thing with Keen and Echo," I answered as my tail thumped against the ground. "When you chose a companion you'll know what it's like to have a family who isn't related to you."

Avery nodded before he leaped for Reed and I knew that their short attention span had been met. "Who will our companions be," he asked as he tackled his brother to the ground.

"I don't know yet," I confessed as I nudged Murk into the action so that she could expel some of her energy. "You'll know once you actually attend school."

"And when is that," pressed Reed as he threw Avery to the ground and pushed his paws harshly on his shoulders.

I thought for a heartbeat. I really never wanted them to leave me. I know that they would be at the same place as me but I was just used to them spending all of their time with me. I was there to protect them and I felt I couldn't do them unless I was constantly with them. However I knew that I had to let them go.

"It shouldn't be long now," I sighed as I tried to sound casual. "Soon you'll be taking classes like everyone else in the school."

Murk reared on her hind legs before she pushed Reed off of Avery. "I know and I can't wait," she yipped excitingly and darted back to me and stuck out her tongue at her brothers.

I lowered my head and nudged Murk forward. "Don't get so excited. Once you're in school you never truly get out of it," I snorted in amusement before I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," I barked as I turned and pushed Murk back towards her brother to play. I didn't need them overhearing my conversation with whoever was at the door.

I was a bit surprised to see Bobby standing there. He was the last person I expected to see at my door. I couldn't help but twitch an ear. "Is there something wrong," I asked.

Bobby looked down on me and nodded slowly. "The Professor sent me. It's Thyme."