The Harcourt Family

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Fern watched as the lion slowly relaxed, enjoying the feel of the soft fur, the fluffy tufts in her ears. It was incredible really. She was grateful to be a part of a family where the members could turn into such amazing creatures; beautiful big cats that a human would never get this close to in the wild because of the dangers and unpredictability. But these were different. They were half human and they could control their instincts and emotions. She had no fear at all of the huge feline sprawled out before her.

When Cheria grabbed her hand and started licking it, Fern was surprised. She gasped, but didn’t try to pull away, laughing as she was pulled onto the bed to be given a full cat bath with a sandpaper tongue. “H-hey, that tickles, Cheria!” she giggled, knowing Cheria was being careful. Their tongues were rough, with little hooks that were made to help groom their own fur or de-fur their prey, or pick up meat. It could easily cause injury if she groomed Fern’s skin too roughly.

Fern patted Cheria some more, placing her hands on her ears and massaging them, scratching her under the chin. She wanted to help her relax and feel better. “You’re amazing, you know that? I’m so lucky to have you as my sister”. She was silent for a moment. Sometimes, Fern felt like the odd one out. She was the only human, well, the only one in the close family. Most of the staff were human except for Silaeca, Iouya and Kuloka, the snake and the two bats. Watching Cheria worry about Caleb, she smiled. “It’s alright, I’ll go to him”

She sat up when Caleb sneezed, gently sliding off the bed and squeezing Cheria’s paw as she left her side. “Hold on, I’ll be back. I just need a tissue”. Fern went to the side table next to Caleb’s bed and grabbed a few tissues from a box printed with cute pandas. She placed the tissues under his nose, gently holding him still. "Poor little kitty nose. Here, blow on this sweetie"

***

Saberlin was still down in the labs, finished with the cure for the fever for now. There was nothing else to do but wait so he decided to go and visit the others again, even though he still had other work. He had forgetten to eat lunch again in all the hubbub but he was ignoring that. There were more important things to see to.

Saberlin left the lab and went back to the medical bay, standing in the doorway for a while. He didn’t want to interrupt what was happening. He smiled when he heard what Fern was saying, watching Cheria give her a cat bath.

Eventually, he tapped on the side of the door with his knuckles, the sound slightly muffled by the white gloves he had put on. “Excuse me, just thought I’d drop by and see how everyone is doing”

***

Back in the nursery, Silaeca had managed to call down a reign of sweet silence. She sat coiled upon her snake tail, resting by the double crib with a book in her hands, reading about a murder mystery in a luxury resort. She liked those kind of novels.

Panthe and Oka were fast asleep. The little girl’s hand was still wrapped around one of the crib bars, which were much scratched from her attempts at climbing up and out. The rest of her was on her back in a starfish style lying sideways across the mattress, her belly exposed to the ceiling and her hair in a fluffy mess.

The single sheet in the bed had been scrunched up at the side, discarded. It was just as well that it was a summer evening. The ceiling fan spun around, helping freshen the room.

Oka on the other hand, was sleeping upside down with his feet halfway up the bars, holding onto his spotted tail like it was a soft toy. The end was still in his mouth as he had gone to sleep sucking on it.

Silaeca chuckled to herself, leaning over and carefully moving the tail away and taking it out of his hands. "I have no idea how you two are able to s-ssleep like that"  

[Incognita Ninja]

Caleb sneezed again, this time catching it on the tissues. He coughed, and tried to stretch out, but his aunt's gentle hands kept him from moving too far away. He blew, relieving his nose of the irritants in the form of nasty colored...snot. Luke finally woke up, his eyes only halfway opened when he yawned, his tiny tongue curling. Cheria watched them both. "I know how it is. I often felt like the odd one out when I used to work. My ears and tail set me apart." Luke started to whine. He wanted to be held too! Cheria chuffed again, this time a bit more frantically. Finally, she gently pulled him over to her, taking him by the scruff and setting down within her paws. Luke whimpered still, squirming. Cheria's ears flickered back and caught the sound of Saberlin's knuckles on the door. "Welcome brother. I see you have come to see your family?" She attempted to smile, but put her head down in exhaustion. "I am sorry, my head seem to have a headache, not to mention pressure behind the eyes." If Cheria was in human form, she would've pinched the bridge of her nose and close her eyes.
James continued to cry softly. He ended up curled in the chair with a blanket while he cried. When the crying lessened, he sighed and rubbed his bloodshot eyes.
Luke squirmed. He smelled his uncle, and he wanted to be held NOW! He started to pull a Panthe and squirmed even more. Cheria tried to calm him down by giving him a cat bath, but it was useless. Only a cuddle with his uncle would calm him now.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

“So, you finally came to your senses and watched it then. S’about time,” the footsteps stopped as a shadowy figure seemed to meld out of the darkness, one with black shaggy hair and equally black eyes. His words may have been misinterpreted had he not said them kindly and been grinning in a spiky fashion. The rows of batty teeth always gave him a roguish look. His wings shuffled casually as Iouya stepped into the light, where James could see him. “Glad ya had the furballs after all? I should hope so” He leaned against the arm of the chair, holding out a box of tissues. “Here, use these. Pretty sure Master Saberlin won’t want snot n’ tears cried all over his good theatre seats” he teased.

***

“Good boy” Fern praised Caleb as he used the tissues, gently holding him still so he couldn’t get snot everywhere. Not the ideal situation.

She cleaned his face and then tossed the used tissues in the bin before she went into the small bathroom adjoining the room to wash her hands afterwards. When she came back, she picked him up again and gave him his favourite toy to hold, careful to keep him away from the others. He seemed happy just to be snuggled; all cuddly and warm.

She looked up when Cheria chuffed and saw that Luke had woken up. Fern felt sorry for them. It wasn’t easy for them to sit still or stay in one place for so long, even when sick. “Hi Luke, was that a good sleep?” she smiled at the other twin, looking all cute and sleepy, his hair tousled from his nap. “Look, your brother Caleb came to pay a visit!” Luke struggled to go to her.

Fern wished she could hold both of them but she didn’t want Caleb sharing his cold or whatever-it-was with his brother. It was just too risky. She was relieved when Cheria decided to grab Luke and cuddle him. That was when they heard a light knock at the door and she turned around to see her husband walk in, looking like he’d come straight from work, (which he had). “Hello, fancy seeing you here” she greeted with a giggle. It seems like they both had the same idea to visit Cheria at the same time.

Saberlin smiled at the present company, “But of course, why would I not?” He stepped closer to the lioness when she put her head down and moaned about the headache, gently reaching out to pat her head with brotherly affection, ruffling her ears.

“You have my condolences little sister. I have good news for you; the cure should be ready as soon as noontime tomorrow. We managed to speed the production a great deal but for the last part, there’s nothing we can do but wait” His tail lashed a few times at that and she would be able to sense the unspoken frustration at not being able to give it straight away. “I’m sorry. Just keep your head up and hang in there”.

“Oh, you…were working on the cure?” Fern asked, sounding a bit confused.

Saberlin turned to acknowledge her and kissed Fern on the cheek by way of greeting, hoping he didn’t smell too much like weird chemicals. “Indeed, this isn’t an ordinary illness” he explained while going to pick up Luke, who interrupted with his squirming and fussing to go to his uncle. “Now, what are you doing, hm? Causing trouble for your mother, little ratbag?” Saberlin chuckled, lifting the boy up above his head playfully and poking his nose before lowering him into his arms. His hair was sticking up where Cheria had just licked it.

He switched his attention back to the adults, still holding Luke. “No, it was an illness that was passed down from Cheria’s mother, my stepmother. My father had created the cure when it first appeared but he only ever made enough for Winny. Fortunately he left some of the bases in storage. I never thought we’d need any more. Oh, that was something else I wanted to tell you, Cheria. I spoke to Dr. Wincreed on the way in here; he says the results are back and Caleb just has a cold, so he can stay with Fern and I until you’re better”. Saberlin remembered something else then, his ears pricking up. Looking from her to Fern he asked, “Did I ask you yet? About helping Cheria plan the wedding?”

Fern stood there for a moment, looking back at them and opening her mouth a few times, then shook her head. “No. But if you wanted me to then, I’d love to help plan it!” she beamed, feeling excited. She rocked Caleb slightly as she held him. “Is that what you were going to ask me, Cheria?”  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria nodded. "Yes. I can't handle it all on my own, and neither can James." She let a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I know he will be safe with his uncle and aunt." She relaxed, now knowing that her cub was not in danger. "Oh, one thing. He likes to have skin-on-skin contact when he falls asleep. I tried to help him break that habit, but I couldn't." Caleb let out a tiny chuff and snuggled into Fern's chest with his toy and gently pulled on some of her hair to bring it to his mouth. "Caleb, honey, no need to pull aunty's hair." Luke calmed down, content to be in his uncle's arms. He sneezed, getting gunk all over Saberlin's lab coat.
James nodded. "Thanks Iouya." He took some tissues and blew. "I didn't realize how small they were, and how much pain Cheria must've went through. I have more respect for her than I had earlier." He tiredly grinned at Iouya. "Have you seen them since they were born? What were they like?" James was intent on finding out all about parenthood.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

“I think we can manage that” Fern smiled at Cheria. She shifted Caleb in her arms, talking to him next, “Right, cutie pie? Colds or not, you’ll be fine with auntie and uncle~”

Fern nodded happily about the wedding, “I can’t wait to help you plan it. I’m looking forward to picking out the dress! Oh, I have some magazines from when Saberlin and I were planning our wedding. I’ll bring those. And he will. He can have fun playing with Oka and Panthe” she agreed. “Saberlin will take good care of them. He doesn’t work tomorrow”

She listened to Cheria’s info about how Caleb liked to sleep. Glancing towards Saberlin, she met his gaze, then smiled and switched attention back to her sister. “That’s alright. It won’t be a problem. He can sleep in with us. The twins are used to sleeping in their crib so I’m sure they won’t be jealous – ow!” she winced slightly when her hair was pulled, gently trying to disentangle the cub’s fingers.

***

Almost automatically, Saberlin fished a packet of tissues from his pocket and pulled one or two, wiping Luke’s face then tossing the tissue out without really looking. He didn’t bother to clean his lab coat as that was already covered in mysterious stains and strange substances. It needed to be washed anyway.

“That’s right" he nodded, "So I’ll leave it to the both of you. But for now, I’ll have to take my leave. There’s something I wanted to discuss with Dr. Wincreed”

He gently placed Luke back with his mother, patting his nephew’s head and handing him his favourite toy. He kneeled down to talk to him. “Okay, uncle has to go now. If you’re a good boy, though, I promise to come back and visit you tomorrow. Can you do that for me?” Saberlin asked gently, straightening up with a faint smile. “Oh, sister…before I go; your fiancé was interested in watching some recordings of you and the twins. You may wish to talk to him about that when he returns. I was informed he’s spending the night here with you and Luke”.

“I’ll see you in the morning, my flower,” he stopped on the way out, leaning in to murmur softly and kiss Fern’s temple. He embraced her in a brief one-armed hug before sweeping out of the room, his lab boots echoing out of range as he disappeared down the hall.

***

Fern watched him leave, her gaze lingering on the empty door frame for a moment before she turned back to them. The scent of chemicals still lingered.

“Well, we’ll see you…tomorrow. Feel better soon, okay?” She walked over and kissed Luke’s forehead then gave Cheria’s paw one last squeeze. Lifting Caleb’s hand in her own, she gently made him wave his arm at them, “Come on Caleb, say bye bye! Let’s go and say hi to your cousins”

She left the room, taking Cheria’s son and his diaper bag with supplies and favourite items.

***

“No problem” the bat replied, stretching his leathery wings out in a relaxed ease. “I always have tissues on me. Sorta comes second nature since I’ve taken care of kids for so long” he chuckled, swiping spikes of dark hair from his eyes. He watched James carefully, with a knowing smile, a curious expression upon his face.

“Ahhh…yeah…they were really small when they were born. She had them a little early, you know, so they were tiny.” He looked up at the ceiling in thought “But that’s normal for twins” He was silent for a moment or two, recalling the newborn cubs and how Cheria had looked sad or mad sometimes when she looked at them. His bat ears twitched.

“Ha ha ha! That’s good. You’d be a fool not to have respect for any woman who’s gone through that. Cheria’s no exception. I’m glad you see the light now,” he grinned. “Took a while for it to seep through that selfish exterior and thick skull but you finally got it” he knocked a fist on top of James’ head a few times for emphasis.

“Although…” his eyes gleamed with an almost malicious glee, “Let me tell you. You really don’t want to make her mad! She’s extremely fierce and protective of them. Such a good mother. Once, a stranger attempted to take them from her. There was blood spilt that night!” Iouya laughed loudly. Sobering again after the laughter subsided, he fell quiet at the man’s next question.

Iouya tapped his temple carefully with one long claw, recalling the memories he had of the two. He nodded, “I have seen them. Since they were very young. Sometimes I took care of them when Mistress Cheria needed a little time to herself. Other times, I saw them together with their mother, or with Master Harcourt and the lady of the house and their two. They were good kids. Kind of clingy though. They didn’t like to leave their mother for long. And…they were able to transform into their feline forms without the special jewellery that each Harcourt child is given. I’ve only heard of that happening a handful of times. Even master Harcourt has a small piece in his left ear that lets him turn into the leopard and back. My reasoning is that they have more than three different types of feline DNA in their veins. Leopard, lioness, jaguar,” he ticked them off on his fingers,

“They’re pretty strong for little tykes, being able to transform so easily. I know Master Harcourt has held off on fitting the jewellery on Panthe and Oka yet. He wants to raise them as humans first, so they don't forget how to be”.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

*~*~*~* TIME SKIP*~*~*~*

It is now...the next day.

Goals to Play: First Steps, first illness, first teeth and first words - a lot of Firsts (for the toddler stage).

Season: Summer

Time of Day: Morning

Time of Clock: 5:45am

Weather: Sunny and summery, like yesterday but windy.

SHORT INFO:

Saberlin is looking after the kids today. The household is just waking up. Fern and Saberlin discover that the twins have caught their first cold.

Caleb stayed the night. He slept with Fern and Saberlin in their bed.

It is probable that no one got much sleep.

Cheria and Luke are given the cure to their illness today at noon (so they can recover).

Fern will spend the day with Cheria planning the wedding and playing with Luke.  

[Incognita Ninja]

Luke lay contented in his mother's paws. He sleep soundly, and didn't even wake when the medical staff placed a warmer blanket over his mother and a smaller one on him. James was there too, though he was sleeping in a chair next to Cheria's bed. He didn't dare incur the wrath of his beloved finance, or her brother's. A warm blanket was put over him too, just so that he doesn't catch a cold.
Caleb relished in the warmth of Fern's and Saberlin's body. He woke up several times during the night sneezing and coughing. This morning was no expception. He woke up with a tightness in his chest, and then started to cough. Since he was flat on his back, he struggled to get upright. He finally found relief by turning to his side and coughing, in to Saberlin's back. His nose dribbled some mucus, but he still clung to Saberlin's back with his sharp claws, trying to stay warm, even though his fur and Saberlin's fur were doing their job in keeping him warm. He started to whimper, a loud piano type scale that grew louder and louder until it started to descend into the softer area, and then started to get loud again. Sort of like Cheria when she was a newborn cub.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

((Saberlin is sleeping in his human form, wearing pyjamas. He doesn’t usually transform into a leopard unless he is alone with Fern or by himself. The only fur he has is that on his leopard tail and ears so unless he’s got his tail wrapped around Caleb his fur wouldn’t be doing much to keep him warm.))

Hnn, what time is it?Leopard eyes slid open and a wristwatch was lifted to their level to be scrutinised. Five forty five...ugh Saberlin had been in a deep sleep until the sounds of Caleb's coughing and his wriggling about in the bed awoke his uncle yet again. Unlike his usual routine to rise early (about 5:00 or 5:30am most days), Saberlin had slept in due to the happenings throughout the night.

Sleepy, one of his feline ears flicked but he let his eyes close again, drifting somewhere between waking and falling back to sleep as his little nephew finally turned and coughed into the back of his uncle's pyjama shirt. He didn't care too much at the moment. The soft pillow beckoned more sleep.

Then something clung onto his shirt and claws pierced his back. Saberlin tensed and gave a soft grunt of pain. He then sighed groggily and opened his eyes. His nephew was definitely awake and not going back to sleep. That's when the crying started.

It was ironic really, since they put Panthe and Oka to bed late enough that night so the parents could both have a sleep-in. But he knew that was just how things went sometimes.

Fern awoke to the sounds of crying. "Oh, he's awake again. I'll take him" she mumbled towards her husband. She moaned softly, rolling over in a daze and pulling Caleb into her arms, his claws pulled out of Saberlin's pyjama shirt with little rips like a velcro strap being undone. "Good morning sleepy-head. Shhh, what's all that crying about?" she soothed, smiling at Caleb despite the light smudges under her eyes. "You're a good boy, aren't you? I'll get you some medicine" she sild her feet over the edge of the four poster bed and stood up with Caleb in her arms, rocking him gently.

Their night had been interrupted by a very sniffly Caleb cub. Each time they had given him some medicine and helped him get back to sleep but it hadn't meant much rest for any of them.

Saberlin sat up as well, giving up on the idea of being able to rest. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned blearily, his sharp fangs showing.

"G'morning...my flower" he mumbled back to Fern, standing up and stretching. "Do you want the first shower? I don't think Panthe and Oka are awake yet so we have a moment or two" he smiled, watching her pour some liquid cough medicine onto a tiny spoon for Caleb.

"No it's okay, you go first. I need to pick out what to wear and get him dressed for the day" she replied, placing the spoon of fruit flavoured liquid to Caleb's lips, "Open wide" she sang softly. "This will make you feel better"

"Alright, thank you. I shant be long" Saberlin nodded and grabbed the clothes he had set out the night before, going to shower and get dressed.

***

In their crib, Panthe was lying on her side, cuddling the light sheet that had been tucked over both twins before they fell asleep. She was snuffling around her mouse shaped pacifier which hung out of her open mouth, wheezing softly with each breath. Her hair was clinging to her forehead and she seemed to have some colour on her cheeks.

Her brother Oka was lying on his back, starfish style. His pale cheeks were flushed. Shivering under the light breeze from the fan overhead, he sneezed and rolled onto his side with a stuffy sounding mewl-growl, curling into a little ball. He wrapped his long leopard tail around his legs, curling it into his body with a whimper. "K-tchu!" he sneezed again and grumbled, trying to go back to sleep.

It would seem that Caleb's cold was contagious. Not that anyone noticed yet. Saberlin was going to be looking after them today. Hopefully he'd have enough energy to!  

[Incognita Ninja]

Caleb snuggled into her arms. He lifted a hand and gently touched her chin while he opened his mouth for her to put the medicine in. His tail flickered while his eyes drooped from waking up all the time in the night. He yawned, stretching his arms and (as best as he could) legs. His mouth was still open, and he glanced at Fern through half-closed eyes.  

[Kyubii Kitsune]

Fern gave a light nod as Saberlin closed the bathroom door. She returned her attention to Caleb, making sure he swallowed all the medicine in the spoon.

"There, what a good boy you are Caleb." She smiled at him.

Seeing the small boys eyes drooping she rocked him gently, hoping to lull him back to sleep so he could rest. He couldn't have gotten much more sleep than either Saberlin or herself.

*****
Oka wimpered lightly as he tossed and turned, trying to get back to sleep. He let out a few little coughs, and rolled onto his back. He shivered under the breeze from the ceiling fan, and scooted closer to his twin for comfort.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Saberlin sauntered back out of the bathroom looking much more awake than he had been. His hair was spiked up from being towel-dried and he still had the towel draped around his neck. The scent of the cologne he liked permeated the room. He was wearing casual black slacks and a white cotton shirt, which he was still in the middle of buttoning up as he walked out barefoot and started talking to Fern conversationally.



“So today, I thought I might finally have a go at fitting Panthe and Oka with the jewellery we had prepared for them. It’ll probably be one in their left ear, just a small diamante stud, like the one I have” Saberlin stated, pointing briefly to his. He had plans for this day, as usual.

“It would allow them to transform into their leopard forms whenever they want to, the way Luke and Caleb can already do. I think they’re old enough now to get a feel for it without losing their human selves, but rest assured, I shall be keeping a close eye on them”. He finished putting his wristwatch back on and tossed the towel in the laundry hamper just inside the bathroom door.

His ears perked up as he started to walk towards the nursery, picking up on Oka’s soft whimpers and then Panthe’s. “Sounds like they’re already awake” He frowned. It was odd, since they’d usually sleep until about 6:30 or sometimes 7:00am at the latest but he didn’t think too much of it. Children were unpredictable, after all.

He walked over to the crib that sat in the middle of the room but before he could see either of his children, a stony head with a pair of large lemon eyes popped into view.

“Krr!”

A grating noise, like gravel being scuffed, announced Quarrow’s prescence. The lypthet guardian was perched in his normal hangout on the side of their crib. Despite having grown since the twins were born it was still his preferred spot to be. He spread small spiny wings and leaned forward to n** Saberlin’s shirt, tugging on it as though trying to pull Saberlin into the crib while making more growls.

Saberlin jolted at the sudden intrusion into his space and tried to step back. “Blast, Quarrow, you gave me a fright. You were so still I didn’t see you there” he chuckled, finding himself unable to back away as his clothes were now snagged in Quarrow’s teeth. He patted the odd creature's head and tried to pull his shirt back out of the sharp spikes in its mouth…to no avail. “H-hey, what on Gaia are you doing? You’re going to rip off my button in a minute, sir…alright, alright!” He looked into the crib.

***

Panthe had started to wriggle when her brother cuddled into her, whining and trying to move away. She put a hand out to push him away and accidentally put it on Oka’s face, shoving his cheek. She felt too hot and her head was heavy.

Panthe let go of the sheet she'd been hugging and sat up, rubbing her eyes with pudgy, clawed hands. They felt sore and itchy for some reason and now that she felt more awake, she also felt all stuffy as well, wheezing and sniffing.

Panthe coughed a few times and looked up at Saberlin, knowing who it was by his familiar scent and voice. “Papa…Nrrowwl!” she mewl-growled at him miserably. Pulling herself up with the bars of the crib and holding her arms up, she started to whimper, wanting to be picked up.

((Dun, dun dun! It is...a COLD! cat_gonk ))  

[Incognita Ninja]

Caleb cuddled to Fern's breast and put his thumb into his mouth after swallowing the medicine. He only took out his thumb to cough. but after each and every cough he always put his thumb back into his mouth. He snuffled, and fell back asleep. Soon, his breathing evened out and his body relaxed. Even though he is a toddler, he still liked to be cuddled.  

[Kyubii Kitsune]

Fern hummed softly as she rocked Caleb back to sleep. She couldn't help but smile a little as she watched him constantly remove his thumb from his mouth when he would cough. It was a rather amusing sight. She laid the now asleep Caleb on the bed as Saberlin came out from the bathroom. He certainly looked more awake now.

"I do suppose it is about time for them to get fitted, isn't it?" She mused. Part of her worried a bit. They were still so little, she worried they would forget to be human. Though with Saberlin and Cheria watching over them as well, she was certain they would turn out fine.

She couldn't help but smile as Saberlin reassured her. He always seemed to know just what she was thinking. "I know you will. With you and Cheria around, I'm sure they will turn out just fine."

She gathered up her clothes for the day and started for the bathroom to shower and get ready. She stopped at the bathroom doorway as Saberlin's ears perked up. "Oh my, they're awake already? I do hope they were able to sleep alright. It seems no one got much sleep last night."

*****
Oka let out a raspy cry as his sister shoved his face away. He sat up groggily, his wheaten hair stuck to his face. He felt stuffy and tired from tossing during the night. He pawed at his eyes to rub the sleep from them.

Oka looked up as he heard the familiar sound of the strange creature that always guarded him and his sister, seeing the familiar sight of their father. He let out a raspy cough as he cried out to Saberlin. " 'Pa..." He sniffled, crawling over to the side of the crib with his sister.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Dr. Wincreed walked into the medical room where Cheria and Luke were staying.

Nurses were still checking their vital signs and monitoring progress but it was fairly quiet in the ward since it was early in the morning and most people were asleep.

Artificial light that looked like natural sunlight filtered through the underground windows into the room and the sounds of birds and wind played to add extra effect. A tree shadow even danced across the ‘window’ that decorated their room.

Dr. Wincreed smiled at the sight of the three family members, walking over to shake James’ shoulder in order to awaken him. “Mister Lopez. I would like to speak with you. Mister Lopez…” the doctor called his name. He had more good news about the cure.

***

Quarrow again made his odd stony croon of concern then leaned down and licked Oka’s cheek with his long tongue, mussing the boy’s hair. His tongue would have felt slightly raspy and very cool as the creatures’ body temperature was set at reptilian levels.

***

Taking stock of the symptoms Panthe and Oka were having, he knew straight away that Caleb’s cold had been shared.

Saberlin bit back a groan. Ah well, it was bound to happen eventually.

Keeping his tone normal he addressed the twins as he usually did. “Okay, let’s get you two up and dressed!” He briefly scratched Quarrow’s ears in thanks before he picked both kids up, settling one on either hip and walking back into the bedroom,

“I think we shall require more of that cough medicine” he called to Fern through the closed door to the bathroom, searching the bedroom for more medicine while she showered. He discovered another jar in a drawer next to the bed and sighed thankfully.

“They’ve both got colds” Saberlin suppressed a sudden desire to laugh at the situation. It wouldn’t do to wake Caleb now.

Sitting on the unmade bed, he shifted Panthe and Oka onto his lap and set about trying to open the child-safe cap on the medicine bottle, which was some difficulty when your arms were holding toddlers. Drat, how in the world do they make these things so hard to open?

***

As soon as she was picked up, Panthe clung to her Papa like one of those annoying grass seeds and snuggled into his shoulder.

She dug her claws into his clothes and snuffled unhappily, before giving out another sneeze. Feverish as she was, it seemed like it’d be uncomfortable to be close to another’s body heat but the comfort his presence offered seemed to outweigh that concern. “Kt-choo!” Panthe sniffed again, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Not a habit that either of their parents encouraged.