Chapter 162: Episode 161: Parenting Mission

"We are never leaving this house again."

Rue let out a long, heavy sigh. Her bare feet hit the soft dirt of the courtyard.

The night air felt sharp and cold against her warm skin. She wrapped her arms around her chest, holding the soft green dress tight.

Drax landed with a heavy thud. The giant black dragon shook the ground beneath her toes. Thick black smoke rolled off his massive scales.

The sharp smell of burning pine filled the crisp mountain air. In the blink of an eye, the giant beast vanished. Drax stood there in his dark leather clothes, looking just as tired as she felt.

He walked over and wrapped his warm hand around hers. His rough fingers felt so safe.

"It was a very long day," Drax agreed. His deep voice rumbled in the quiet night. He pulled her close to his side. "My family is a lot to handle."

Rue rested her cheek against his solid shoulder. She felt the heavy exhaustion deep in her bones. The flight back from the Ironwood Manor drained the last drop of energy she had left. She dealt with a chatty merman. She dealt with a brooding, bleeding wolf. She wore a dead queen’s dress. Her soft rabbit body just wanted a warm bed and a quiet room.

They walked up the stone steps of their new fortress. The yellow light spilling from the windows looked so inviting. Rue pictured the giant circular bed waiting for her. She pictured pulling the thick gray blankets right up to her chin. She just wanted to rest.

Drax pushed the heavy front doors open. The thick wood gave a soft creak.

Rue stepped inside the main hall. She stopped dead in her tracks.

The quiet, peaceful house she left this morning was gone. The large living room looked like a war zone.

Heavy oak chairs lay upside down on the woven rugs. Thick gray blankets hung from the wooden beams, creating a messy tent in the center of the room. A pile of wooden blocks sat scattered across the floor, acting like tiny landmines waiting to trap a bare foot.

Before Rue could even speak, a bright blue light flashed right in front of her face.

Ding!

The sharp ringing sound echoed inside her head. A glowing blue screen popped into the air. The bright digital letters hovered over the messy living room.

[Parenting Quest: Teach the pack cubs a survival skill.]

Rue stared at the floating words. Her tired pink eyes blinked once. She let out a small, frustrated breath. She didn’t want a quest. She didn’t want to teach anyone anything right now. She just wanted to sleep. She swiped her hand through the air, trying to bat the screen away like a pesky bug. The blue light flickered, but it stayed right there.

She ignored it. She had bigger problems to deal with right in front of her.

Theron and Mochi were busy. The two toddlers ignored the front door opening. They stayed focused on their wild project.

Theron stood near the overturned chairs in his human form. The silver snake boy wore a very serious frown. He held a massive, heavy iron shield in his chubby hands. He grunted, dragging the heavy metal across the stone floor to block a gap in their blanket tent.

Mochi crawled out from under a pile of gray furs. The little leopard girl stayed in her human form too. Her wild silver curls bounced around her face. She giggled loudly.

Then, Rue saw what the little girl held in her hand.

Mochi gripped a sharp, curved dagger. The steel blade caught the warm light of the hearth fire. It was one of Knox’s hunting knives. The heavy weapon looked massive in her tiny, chubby fingers. She waved it around like a shiny toy.

Rue felt her heart drop straight into her stomach. A cold spike of pure panic shot through her veins. Her exhaustion vanished in a single second, replaced by fierce maternal fear.

"Mochi, stop right there," Rue ordered. Her voice rang out loud and sharp.

The two toddlers froze. They snapped their heads toward the front door. Theron dropped the heavy iron shield. It hit the stone floor with a massive, deafening clang. Mochi blinked her bright blue eyes, holding the sharp dagger frozen in the air.

Drax stepped into the room right behind Rue. The Dragon King crossed his broad arms over his chest. He looked at the overturned furniture and the scattered weapons. He let out a low, disapproving hum.

"Knox is going to get an earful for leaving his weapons out," Drax murmured darkly.

Rue didn’t wait for the panther to explain himself. She rushed across the room. Her bare feet dodged the wooden blocks with practiced ease. She dropped to her knees right in front of the blanket fort.

"Give that to me," Rue said softly, holding her hand out.

Mochi looked down at the shiny knife. She tilted her head, her fuzzy gray ears twitching. She liked the shiny toy. She didn’t want to give it up. She pouted her bottom lip, holding the handle a little tighter.

"Mochi," Rue warned. She kept her tone very firm. She didn’t yell, but she didn’t leave any room for an argument. "That is not a toy. You will cut your fingers off. Hand it over right now."

The little leopard cub let out a sad, whiny sigh. She reached her chubby arm out and dropped the heavy dagger into Rue’s waiting palm.

Rue snatched the weapon away fast. She set it far behind her on the stone floor, out of reach. She let out a massive breath of relief. She pulled the little girl into a tight hug. She buried her face in Mochi’s silver curls, thanking the stars the cub didn’t trip and fall on the sharp blade.

Theron marched over. He puffed his small chest out, trying to look brave and in charge.

"We are building a fortress," the snake boy announced proudly. "Just like the big one outside. We need weapons to guard the walls. The bad monsters might come in."

Rue pulled back from the hug. She looked at her son. Her pink eyes softened. She understood his wild instincts. He was a predator. He wanted to protect his territory. He watched his fathers fight and guard the house every single day. He just wanted to copy them.

But he was just a baby. He was too small to handle heavy iron and sharp steel.

"You do not need weapons in the living room," Rue explained gently. She reached out and smoothed Theron’s messy silver hair. "You have four giant fathers to guard the walls. Your job is to play with your wooden blocks. Your job is to stay safe."

Theron frowned. His golden snake eyes looked down at the floor. He kicked a stray block with his bare toe. "Blocks are boring. I want to be a strong guard."

Rue felt a dull ache behind her eyes. Her head started to pound. She didn’t have the energy for a toddler debate. Her back hurt. Her feet were cold. She just wanted someone to clean up the overturned chairs so she could sit down.

"Where is everyone?" Drax asked, scanning the empty hall.

"Knox took Seika to the nursery," Theron answered, pointing a tiny finger down the dark hallway. "He said he needed to feed her. Axel and Caius went outside to look at the trees. They told us to stay right here."

Rue shook her head. The warlords were powerful and scary, but they were terrible babysitters. They left two wild predator cubs alone in a room full of sharp weapons and heavy furniture. She loved her mates, but sometimes they drove her absolutely crazy.

"We will talk about this tomorrow," Rue told the toddlers. She pushed herself up from the floor with a tired groan. Her soft joints popped in protest. "It is time for bed. Both of you need to go brush your teeth. No more building forts tonight."

Mochi let out another sad whine. She didn’t want to go to bed. She wanted to play with the shiny knives. Theron crossed his arms, looking stubborn. He didn’t move a single inch.

Drax took one heavy step forward. His dark eyes flashed with a hint of dragon fire. He didn’t speak, but his intense stare carried a heavy, silent command.

The toddlers felt the shift in the air. The fun was officially over. The Dragon King was not someone they could argue with. Theron uncrossed his arms fast. He grabbed Mochi’s hand and pulled her toward the hallway. The two kids scurried away, their bare feet slapping against the stone floor.

Rue rubbed her temples with her fingertips. She closed her eyes, trying to massage the rising headache away.

"I will pick up the chairs," Drax offered quietly. He walked over to the messy pile and lifted the heavy oak table with one hand.

Rue opened her eyes. She wanted to help him clean up, but the blue light suddenly flashed in her vision again.

Ding!

The system screen popped right back into the empty space. The glowing letters shifted and changed, burning bright against the dim light of the hearth fire.

[Mission begins. Penalty: The cubs will have a restless night.]

Rue stared at the floating text and groans. "You have got to be kidding me."