The Guardian Spirit (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #2)

Chapter 35: Princess of Huli and De Lapin

Lutecia happily passed time in the Huli household and often met up with her dearest friend Sandy too, visiting her in the Spirit Forest. Her life had turned into a complete paradise.

However, one day, when she visited a Huli doctor - a white, tailed fox - on behalf of her tiredness and weakness that had continued for months already, she received very surprising and joyful news - she held a child in her belly. This news made the bunny princess so worked up that she told everything to her husband right away. She jumped with happiness, but, of course, her jumps were heavier than usual.

"What? You're pregnant, with my child?!" Yuehong instead grew pretty concerned, picking up his ears.

"Yes! W... What's wrong?" Lutecia blinked in stupefaction - why was he so worried? It was a good thing to have a child, wasn't it?

Yuehong sighed, put a hand to her belly, and dropped ears down with sadness.

"It is a girl..." he murmured. As he was the ruler of the Transformation Force and the Natural Energy, he could feel the child inside the woman's belly by just putting his hand to it. "And it is a tailed fox, just as I feared..."

"F... Feared? Why fear? What's wrong with her being a tailed fox?"

"Nothing is wrong with her, my dear little one, but it could pose a danger to you during the childbirth... Because, as you are a little bunny spirit, bearing a tailed fox child might be a big problem for you. I fear you might lose much of your energy which shall never return..." he winced, and hugged his dearest wife tightly. "I'm sorry, it is my fault..." he sniffed, almost bursting into tears.

Lutecia astonishedly stared at him - he was so worried he wanted to cry?! She had never seen him shed a tear! Then she beamed - he was so caring and loving towards her... She threw her long ears back and embraced him, petting him on the back.

"Hey, don't worry... I am strong, I will make it!" she grinned courageously, and even gave him a wink.

Yuehong surprisedly stared at her, but then smiled and patted her on the head:

"I am sure you will. I'll be there to help you. I will do anything in my powers to let you get away without much pain..."

Thus, the husband and wife decided to boldly face this difficulty. The months were passing. Lutecia's belly grew, as well as her appetite. Yuehong had put his duties aside and entrusted his fellow Huli foxes with it, while himself he was always beside his wife. Lutecia's belly, due to bearing a tailed fox child - a lot bigger than a bunny child could ever be, grew beyond measures, and it became hard for Lutecia even to walk alone. She could not visit the Spirit Forest anymore so Yuehong dispatched Huli messengers to the Nutts' den in order to alert the squirrel woman of her bunny friend's situation. Sandy, so worked up over her dearest friend's such difficulty, decided to visit her in the Huli Palace on her own. So now she began frequenting her friend's house.

Yuehong would always stay beside his wife when she took a walk in the garden, too - Lutecia, due to her giant belly, couldn't walk alone, so she would lean on Yuehong's strong arm, and enjoy her walks together with him.

After nine months, came the day of the childbirth. Lutecia was lying in her red bed and groaning. White Huli foxes - doctors and nurses - had gathered around her. Yuehong in his white Yin form presented too, as the main helper. The bunny woman felt the first wave of pain and yelled at full force, straining with her whole body.

"Hang on, my sweet little one! It's going to be alright!" Yuehong shouted. Now he didn't show worry anymore - instead, he was completely focused on his job and had put hands on Lutecia's forehead and belly, sending his blue water energy in. His cold and soft energy made the bunny woman's pain ease a little.

Lutecia yelled and strained again. The masked female Huli foxes meanwhile fussed around her. 

"Hang on! You're getting there!" Yuehong cried out again, watching both his dearest wife's condition and the child still in the belly.

Lutecia was breathing heavily and sweating, watching Yuehong with despair. She felt terrible pain as if her bones were going to crack.

"Just a little more, dear... Don't you worry..." Yuehong now showed slight concern on his face, and touched Lutecia with his white tails too, in order to send her even more water energy of Yin.

Lutecia felt extreme pain again and yelled and strained once more, shedding tears. A baby fox's cry was heard from the end of the bed. The bunny woman widened eyes, let out a deep breath and looked at Yuehong. The white fox man was kindly smiling at her, and his red eyes shimmered with happiness - it was over...

"Aww, such a cute little princess!" she could hear the masked female foxes' joyful cries.

"Look, what a fluffy red tail she has!"

"Oh my, what oversized ears!"

Hearing this last exclamation, Lutecia widened eyes and murmured as loudly as she could:

"Please, show her to me..."

"Ah, right away, my lady!" the foxes wrapped the child in a towel and gave her to the mother.

Lutecia took the baby in her hands and looked down at her, her eyes widening with immense happiness - this child was so lovely, with those big, curious purple eyes, shiny blond hair, fluffy red tail like Hong-hong had and... those big red ears, as big as a bunny's! As her own ears...

A joyful beam covered her whole face. She pressed the child to her breast and embraced her tightly.

"Well, what shall we name the cutie?" she heard her husband's soft, kind voice. She smilingly looked up at him, tears of happiness filling her eyes - finally, she had acquired a new family where only love and joy dwelt.

"I think... Let's name her Mei. She is so beautiful," she caressed the child's blond hair, "so fluffy, like a tiny red rose..."

"Oh, Mei..." Yuehong grinned, "Wonderful name".

Thus, little Mei was born, the daughter of legendary Huli Yuehong - the lord of the Transformation Force, and the bunny princess - Lutecia De Lapin, thus the proof that De Lapin Clan would not go extinct... not anymore...