Chapter 538: Episode 536: A Wholesome Family
"You know what, Gianna, I should’ve been angry that mum and dad decided to leave us here alone."
Tanith held the tiny baby as far away from her face as possible. Her arms were totally straight. Her nose crinkled up in absolute disgust.
Gianna just sniffled loudly. A huge tear rolled down her chubby cheek. She looked exactly like she understood every single word Tanith was saying, even though she was just a tiny toddler who didn’t understand shit.
The baby let out a tiny, sad hiccup.
"Don’t give me those big eyes," Tanith groaned. She looked away, refusing to let the puppy dog look completely melt her fierce heart. "I’m serious. They left us to run this entire magic forest. They get to go live in a fancy human city with shiny cars and endless pizza. We literally read about pizza in a book once. It sounds amazing. And what do I get? I get swamp duty."
A loud, completely disgusting squelch sound came from Gianna’s diaper.
Toxic.
Tanith actually gagged.
She was a tough, wild beast. She could hunt massive monsters in the dark. She could run faster than the wind. She wasn’t scared of anything with sharp teeth or glowing eyes. But this tiny, smelly toddler was destroying her.
They stood right in the middle of Syris’s old territory in the swamps. Giant, weeping trees dropped long green vines straight into the murky green water. Bright purple flowers bloomed everywhere. It was usually a very peaceful place. The sunlight peeked through the thick canopy above, casting warm yellow spots on the muddy ground.
She would need to make it a more habitable place. She was travelling through the swamps when Gianna started to smell bad.
And today, it was a total disaster zone.
"Okay, we’re doing this," Tanith mumbled. She gently set Gianna down on a massive, flat green lily pad. "I’m not scared of a little dirt. I’m a warrior."
Tanith grabbed a giant green leaf. She grabbed a handful of soft moss. She took a deep breath through her mouth so she wouldn’t smell anything.
She reached down to undo the messy cloth wrapped around the baby.
It was so much worse than she thought.
"Nope!" Tanith yelled.
She instantly jumped ten feet backwards. She landed right in a shallow puddle of swamp water. Mud splashed all over her favourite boots.
"I can’t do it! I’m going to actually die!"
Gianna just lay on the lily pad and giggled. She kicked her chubby little legs in the air. A tiny green swamp frog hopped onto the edge of the lily pad. Gianna totally reached out and tried to grab it.
"Don’t eat the frog!" Tanith panicked, waving her hands wildly. "Mom’ll literally come back through the portal and kill me if you eat a frog!"
Tanith threw her head back. She stared up at the thick green canopy of trees. She totally gave up.
"Iris!" Tanith screamed at the absolute top of her lungs. "Iris, get over here right now!"
A few seconds later, the bushes rustled loudly.
Iris stepped right out of the thick trees. She wore a bright, flowy dress that completely matched her cheerful personality. She carried a basket of sweet berries. She looked totally relaxed and happy.
Then Iris saw Tanith standing in a mud puddle. She saw the fierce warrior looking completely terrified of a tiny, giggling baby on a lily pad.
Iris dropped her basket. She clapped her hands over her mouth. A massive, totally unstoppable laugh burst right out of her.
"It’s not funny!" Tanith yelled, crossing her arms tightly.
"It’s hilarious," Iris gasped, wiping a tear from her eye. She walked closer, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. "You’re one of the most powerful beasts in the entire Beastworld. You literally chased a panther out of the woods last week. But a dirty diaper defeated you."
"It’s toxic waste," Tanith complained. She pointed a shaking finger at the baby. "Papa Syris didn’t leave any instructions. How am I supposed to know how to wrap the leaves? What if I tie it too tight? What if she rolls into the swamp and floats away?"
Iris didn’t stop smiling. She walked right past the fierce warrior. She bent down next to the giant lily pad.
"You’re being totally dramatic, Tantan," Iris said softly.
Iris worked like total magic. She didn’t gag once. She grabbed the fresh leaves and the soft moss. In less than ten seconds, the dirty cloth was gone. A totally clean, fresh green leaf wrapped perfectly around Gianna’s tummy. Iris tied it securely with a soft, stretchy vine.
Done.
Gianna cooed happily. She reached her tiny hands up and grabbed a fistful of Iris’s hair. She blew a totally wet raspberry, spitting a little bit of spit onto Iris’s cheek.
"See?" Iris smiled, gently pulling her hair free. "She’s perfectly fine. You just have to be gentle. You can’t fight a diaper like it’s an enemy."
Tanith slowly walked out of the mud puddle. She let out a huge sigh of relief. She picked the clean baby up and held her close to her chest. Gianna instantly buried her face in Tanith’s neck, breathing softly.
Tanith’s tough exterior totally melted. She couldn’t help it. She rubbed Gianna’s back gently.
"Thank you," Tanith mumbled. "I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I held my breath for almost two minutes."
Iris picked up her dropped basket of berries. She handed a sweet red berry to Tanith.
"You’re doing a great job, you know," Iris said quietly. The loud laughter faded into a completely warm, sweet smile. "Building this whole fort all by yourself. I admire both you and Drax. You have to take care of everything yourself."
Tanith looked down at the soft dirt. She chewed on the sweet berry.
"I miss them," Tanith admitted. Her voice was barely a whisper.
It’s the absolute truth. She missed Roxy’s bright smile. She missed Kaelen’s quiet advice. She missed Zarek’s coldness and yet warmth toward them. The forest felt incredibly huge and a little bit empty without the six Kings ruling it.
"I know you do," Iris nodded. She reached out and patted Tanith’s arm. "We all miss them. The whole pack misses them every single day. Even Zale’s been closed off and is only ever happy when we meet up every time."
"They had to go," Tanith sighed. She looked up at the sky. "Mum couldn’t be alone, since she couldn’t return."
Exactly.
They both knew the kings made the hardest choice ever. Roxy didn’t have that choice. She left them in the totally capable, fierce hands of the pack. She trusted Tanith and Drax to lead.
Suddenly, a loud, totally wild scream echoed from the other side of the swamp.
It was Axel. He sounded incredibly angry.
"Give it back, Fedor!" Axel yelled in the distance. "I found that shiny rock first! I’ll literally bite your ear off!"
"You have to catch me first!" Fedor laughed wildly, his voice totally bouncing off the trees.
Loud splashing sounds followed. The two boys were clearly chasing each other straight through the deep mud, destroying whatever peace was left in the forest.
Tanith groaned loudly. She rubbed her forehead.
"You brought them?" Tanith complained, rolling her eyes. "This’s exactly what I mean. I’ve got to change toxic diapers. I’ve got to stop Axel from eating Fedor. Drax’s probably off somewhere trying to build a giant pile of gold just to prove he’s exactly like Zarek. It’s a complete madhouse here. You are the better Matriarch than me, honestly."
Gianna babbled happily, completely ignoring the yelling boys. She patted Tanith’s cheek with a tiny, chubby hand.
Iris just laughed again. Her cheerful voice filled the clearing.
"It’s our home," Iris reminded her. She looked around at the bright purple flowers and the giant, weeping trees. "It’s wild and messy and totally crazy. But it’s ours."
Iris turned to look directly at Tanith. Her eyes were totally full of hope and love.
"Mum and dads love us, Tantan," Iris said softly. "The least we can do is make the Beastworld a more habitable place."
Tanith looked at the giggling baby in her arms. She listened to her brothers screaming and splashing in the mud a mile away. She thought about the endless, completely wild forest they had to rule now. She thought about Roxy living in a human city, totally safe and finally happy.
She scoffed, a totally wicked, familiar smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.
"For her kind, that’s for sure."
The END.
A/N: And that’s a wrap, guys. Thank you all for being there for Roxy till the very end! I am so glad to announce that the sequel will be coming out next! See you there <3
