Bonded Summoner

Nora dashed through the woods of their Refuge, chasing after the bouncing ball as fast as she could. The ball sped up and slowed down, erratically changing direction and bounced even on air, like magic. Clara was hot on her tail, giggling all the while.

“I’ll get it this time!” Nora said, her breaths heavy as she ran, flapping her wings for any boost to her speed.

Clara laughed. “No, I will!”

The echidna girls, Blaze and Sharona were gaining on them, but she and Clara were faster. Until the ball smacked into a tree, and bounced off, reversed direction and sped up. Nora jumped up and reached as high as she could as it flew over her, but it was just out of reach, even though she flapped her wings. She scrambled to change her direction, but now the echidnas had caught up.

“Hahaha, it’s mine!” Blaze rose her larger body high, snaking upward to grab it.

From the bushes in a blur, Aiko leaped out and snatched it from Blaze’s grasp, before running across the clearing and into another set of bushes.

“Aww…” Clara said, her shoulders slumping. “Now we’ll never catch her.”

Blaze growled and entered the bushes, while Nora and Clara did their best to take to the air and chase after her, but it was a half-hearted attempt. Aiko was just too fast, and good at hiding besides. It was why she had to count to twenty before she joined the chase!

“Let’s go see our new sisters for a bit.” Clara said, and Nora nodded.

Blood and Berri’s presence washed over Nora, giving a warm and happy feeling. There were small hints of…something else, but she couldn’t really put her finger on what it was. Just that…she wanted Nora to grow big and strong.

It was helpful that there was always plenty of food in the clearing to help them do just that.

Yona was there, the cat girl maid handing out nectar and–

“Ooh, french fries and chicken!” Clara spotted the meal at the same time, and they fluttered over to have a snack, grabbing plates. Nora hadn’t realized she was so hungry, until this moment, and started eating right away.

A soothing voice called into the clearing addressing everyone, and Nora just knew it was Berri speaking, “Eat up, little ones, so you can grow big and strong. Yona brought plenty of food for all of us.”

Indeed, the cart was always filled with numerous snacks and nutritious foods, and at Mother Blood’s watchful, narrowed eyes, Nora and Clara both quickly added a few apple slices and dried veggie slices. They were like chips, just not as good.

Nora and Clara quickly dug in to eating the delicious chicken nuggets and fries, dipping them in a tasty red sauce. They washed their food down with nectar, and they watched the many other Hart children do the same.

Bloodberri was hugging two of her eggs with sections of tail, and another in her arms. Rena was here too, and was doing the same. There were only four left unhatched now, with many newborns about.

Rena had her tail wrapped all the way around one, hugging and talking to it.

“And when you come out, we can play catch! Then, we’ll sing and dance, and eat yummy food. We’re all waiting for you to come out, little sister. I can’t wait.”

Nyxa was playing catch with the many little echidnas, each one having the colors of one of the flames of their mothers, except a few. Blood was also floating and throwing a ball around as usual. Some of the little echidnas chased after and wrestled with their mother’s tail, working hard to gain proper function of their snake bodies.

Truly, Blood and Berri could do many things at once. They had a lot of tail to work with.

After eating, Nora and Clara joined playing with the little ones, playing games and helping teach them new things. Clara read a few of them books, while Nora helped their younger sisters with a puzzle on the play mat.

Later, they all played together with one of the many brain-teasers or puzzle boxes that their Dad or Uncle Guan, Zhang, and Zhuge provided. Nora and Clara really loved solving these, and she was happy that the echidnas too were curious about them.

Eventually, new presences washed over Nora and Clara, two guardians and protectors with different flavors, causing their heads to snap in that direction.

“It’s mommies!”

Nora and Clara both said at the same time, then were quick to flap over to their two bird-like mothers. Both of them were pregnant now, and both Nora and Clara were excited about their new brother and sister on the way.

The echidnas were all great sisters, but Nora and Clara were so outnumbered.

Nora arrived in Mother Lia’s arms first, as that was just how it worked out. She said hello to her baby sister inside before she moved over to her Mother Tanda’s embrace.

Her head up against her mother’s chest, she could hear her mother’s song as she looked up at her. Tanda ran her furry paws through Nora’s feathery hair, causing her to sigh in happiness. Tanda then flapped her wings, and brought them up into one of the many large hammocks they had within the main clearing.

“Are you two girls having a good time? We saw you two being such wonderful big sisters.”

Ophelia nodded as she wrapped her daughter Clara in her arms and wings, but brought her up next to Tanda and Nora on the hammock. “Yes, we do love it so when you help out like that, and keep your smaller sisters company.”

Clara was hugging her mother tightly in return, just as Nora was. “I like reading books too! And, I love to see them all learning.”

Nora felt her mother’s baby bump as she hugged her, and then a little jolt from inside. “Oh!”

Tanda chuckled. “He’s moving a lot now. Say hello to your little brother.”

Nora said, “Hey, little bro! I can’t wait to meet you.” She rubbed her mother’s tummy and continued to talk with her mother about her day, and Clara did the same with her mom. They did this as they relaxed in the hammock, and eventually the many echidnas were brought up as well, to say hello to their other mommies and get hugs.

The little echidnas also loved saying hello to their future brother and sister, all telling them how they couldn’t wait to play. Eventually, a new presence entered the clearing, washing over Nora and her many sisters. Over ten heads snapped in his direction, and smiles bloomed on their faces.

“It’s daddy!”

“Daddy!”

“Yay! He’s here!”

Many snake girls surged toward him, barely giving him a moment to get his bearings before he was surrounded by them.

Jake laughed as he appeared in motes of light from his teleport. “Now hold on, there’s no need to rush. Everyone is going to get a hug. More than one, even.”

Nora giggled as she watched her father get swarmed by the many snake girls, They snaked up his body, wrapping around him and then hugged him tightly with their arms too.

Blaze and Sharona even arrived into the clearing to join them in piling onto their dad. Aiko took a spot on his head, as the many snake girls wrapped around all of his appendages and torso, to where it looked like he was some kind of trapped prisoner.

Even Rena let go of her egg to join the snake-pile, but Nora and Clara stayed attached to their mothers.

Ophelia asked, “Aren’t you going to go to your dad and get a hug?”

Clara shook her head. “Nope. He said everyone would get a hug.”

Nora nodded. “That means he will be here soon enough. Group hug with mommies is even better.”

Tanda laughed, her tail wagging. “You got that right, daughter.”

Her father eventually did make it over to them, and they all got just what they wanted.

They leaped down into his arms from the hammock, and all four of them were enveloped in their large father’s hug. Their bodies were all pressed together tightly, and their dad kissed all their heads one at a time. All five of them collectively made cute grunts as they squeezed each other together, and the warmth and love Nora felt from her father was both physical and magical.

Clara said what Nora was thinking as she squeezed, “Mmmm…love you, daddy! That was a good hug.”

Jake chuckled, and patted Clara’s head. “Love you too, sweetheart.”

After the hug and a whole lot more I love yous, Nora and Clara both leaped to their dad and repeated the process, without the mothers. He hugged his large frame to their much smaller ones and joined them on the hammock between the two mothers, with Nora and Clara on his lap.

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Jake chuckled, as he ran his fingers through both Nora and Clara’s feathery hair. “What would you two like to play?”

Clara was quick to ask, “Can you read us a book?”

Nora smiled. “Yeah! I like that.”

Jake arched his brow. “You want me to read a book when we can play anything, really? Your mommy Faye is much better at it–she does great voices. Or Tanda. She can too, and she’s got all the sound effects.”

Clara said, “It’s…different when you read it.”

Nora nodded, sharing her thoughts, and he smiled. “Alright. Actually, I just got an idea. It makes me proud that you’d enjoy it anyway, but your other…less patient sisters… just might need a little more than that to pay attention.”

Nora and Clara took their spots with their mothers, and Jake sat in the clearing with a book. The echidnas all gathered around, and the treant children’s branches and leaves even seemed to bend toward him. Many of them sat on their mother’s tail-seat, her almost endless coil wrapping all the way around the clearing more than once.

As Jake started to read, small images started to appear, detailing the scene.

Ophelia gasped. “Oh! Great idea Jake–managrams. That’s perfect.”

Blaze clapped. “Yay! It’s like a movie now!”

While dad was reading, clan mother Faye arrived, and Aiko joined her on a hammock. A few of the snake girls were happy to hug and greet her, and then enjoy one of her five tails as a fluffy blanket or belt as they listened to the story.

When Jake finished the book, a soft chime went through the Refuge, and many of the echidnas groaned, while others clapped and cheered as they started to change their clothes and get ready with their uniforms.

Blood said, “The teachers and students will be here in just ten minutes, girls. Everyone over to the classroom, so that you can focus.”

Blaze looked at her father with a small pout and big eyes, “Can’t you teach us today, Daddy?”

“Of course I can, but you’re all in different places and learning different things. You know why we send you there.”

Clara nodded, then repeated all the things they’d been told. “Because we get to be around other adults that aren’t our family, and they also bring other kids for us to be around and interact with. We can’t just be around dad and our many moms all the time.”

Nora said to Blaze, “You like showing off to the other kids anyway, don’t you?”

Blaze blushed but still hesitated about going, wanting to stay.

Jake added, “If you’re good and finish your lesson, we’ll all play a match of Space Wars later.”

“Yay! Okay, I’ll go. Let’s go, Sharona.” She tugged the smaller fiery snake girl with her.

Berri cleared her throat. “And Baseball? And Baseball too, right, Daddy?”

Jake chuckled. “Fine. But only three innings, five outs. Nine is just too long. Then we should visit Harmony peaks for a bit and get out of the…house. A few of the newly hatched haven’t even seen it yet.”

Nora and the remaining children left the clearing, leaving only their mothers and Jake, as well as a few eggs and treants.

***

Jake still had Ophelia and Tanda wrapped around him, their wings, and a single arm underneath him as they leaned up against him on the hammock. He ran his hand over Tanda’s smooth belly, feeling for any response from the child inside. They were now a few months pregnant, and that meant they were not far off from giving birth to their second child.

Fhesiah floated above them, and Avalara’s lesser avatar joined them on the other side of Tanda. Her tail was fluttering as she lay and relaxed, basking in the warmth of all their presences. Her other avatar was within the classroom, helping out with Yona and making sure they got the attention they needed, or that they kept it.

Tanda had a contented smile as Jake felt her baby bump, her wings fluttering in happiness. “Thanks for indulging me, my mate. I realized this was probably our last chance for another child for a while, and my body was telling me it was time… I’m sorry I…got all the others wanting more too.”

Ophelia blushed. “And…me too. I know you felt like there were too many already… Thanks for indulging me, my chosen. I wanted to join my best friend once again. I love the idea that our kids will have a brother or sister the same age as they grow.”

With how all the races of children grew at different paces, he certainly saw the appeal. All of his children were Hearthian in the end, which certainly appeared to accelerate things when they were inside their Refuge with the Divine Hearth. But even among them, the echidnas certainly stood out as growing more rapidly. Then, the treants were much slower.

Avalara giggled. “Such is the way of it. Many beastkin families are very much the same. I’m happy that my dear stag is willing to do his duty.

Jake chuckled. “I had to do my duty once more, as the beastkin would say. But you were right, Tanda. The first stage of the War Trial might last quite some time once it begins, and so this might be our last chance for a while. But now you’ll take the tea, right?” She needed to drink a tea to avoid her usual going into heat like her people did. If this happened every single six months or so, it would never end. Like a certain snake girl that could never have enough.

Tanda blushed and nodded, but then closed her eyes and enjoyed him kissing her smooth and rounded belly. A tiny kick met his lips, causing him to feel a little wrong, and she laughed. “He doesn’t like daddy’s kisses, it looks like. I’m so glad we have a boy on the way.”

Berri harrumphed from the other side of the clearing, still holding on to her eggs in front of the incubator. “Hmph. I think we should have as many babies as possible, while we have the time. At least finish the second snake girl baseball team–and then the bird girl one too!”

Fhesiah hummed from where she floated. She had decided to join the girls in having a child, but had been thinking about the specifics. It was possible to choose between a boy or girl, kitsune or dragon, or even a demon or demoness. “Aiko did seem to be a little left out in some ways. So having another baby kitsune to keep her company would be kind of nice… I think that’s what we should do when we’re ready, husband.”

Jake let out a breath as he thought of it. “I think now should be the right time. With Lia and Tanda already nearly done with their pregnancy, we’ll be able to go back to tempering while you two move on to yours. And as always, Ava can keep me company with that, with her true avatar.”

“Of course, my stag, I am happy to help you grow. But you know, a few more treants would be nice, too… We have to bring the Highlands treants back. While we love the Elysian ones too, they are not the same. Three is a good start, but a few more…”

Jake looked over at Bloodberri, and knew she also wanted as many as he was willing to give them too. “Yes, my mate. We’ll…be sure to have some more soon.”

With Ava, the lesser avatars could have children at any time because they would likely never be useful in combat. She may even improve her skill, to control another lesser avatar at the same time. Of course, she had already worked on the skill for hundreds of years, and so improving it took a significant amount of time.

He reached around Tanda and ran his fingers through Ava’s hair and scratched her deer ear. She leaned over into his touch, though with Tanda laying next to him, it was a little crowded. Nevertheless, she managed to lean over her enough and get a quick kiss.

Berri’s eyes had widened, as she had heard his thoughts. “Is it almost time? Oh, goody!”

Her breaths came in heavily, and he half expected to be wrapped in her tail and tugged off to the bedroom in her excitement, but instead she calmly placed her eggs inside the incubator. Then she came by slowly and joined Jake by hugging his head from behind–his head engulfed in her large chest. She had to rise up a little to meet them on the hammock, but that was no issue for her. Still, he could feel her excitement, happy to have a few more children with the others.

While she hugged him and he enjoyed her embrace, he moved on to rubbing Ophelia’s rounded belly instead, giving it his attention.

Berri seemed to shiver in happiness. “Thank you. I know you worry about giving all of the children the love and attention they deserve, just like you worry about giving us wives all the same. None of our children here will ever feel a lack of love, I promise.”

Blood scoffed. “Blaze did mention the attention thing, but she only said that in response to wanting us to play Space Wars all day with her. We are hardly ever gone from this clearing, except when we are helping out in the arenas–and often, we bring a few of the girls, too. I’ve been trying to temper her neediness because she’s a bit spoiled, thanks to her bigger sisters. Having some extra new little sisters and brother might actually teach her some responsibility.”

Jake narrowed his eyes at that. That was how most parents usually saw value or excuses to have pets, not children.

Avalara giggled at his thought. “I think that’s a normal thing, for little ones to need time to find harmony with others, even their family or clan–she’s only a little over a year old. As she truly starts to sharpen her claws, discipline, respect, and humility always comes. And she will be perhaps the biggest sister, at least for now, so I’m sure she’ll feel a duty to the others, too.”

The kids were gone now, with the exception of the treant children who had already fallen asleep, so it was quiet in the clearing. Each of his wives took time hugging their two pregnant sister wives and discussing potential names as Jake pampered them both with some back and shoulder rubs as they lay on the hammock. Each gave blissful sighs as he dug into their muscles around their wings, and as always, Tanda enjoyed Jake fluffing her tail, head, arm, and leg fur with the brush.

Of course, his wives were bursting full of magical energies, and they hardly felt the rigors of pregnancy like human women from Earth. And especially not from the birth. It was like a strange joke how the kids burst forth from the fiery hearth and into the world with no issues. Even Bloodberri would just shove out the eggs with ease.

It seemed Tanda wanted to go with Timothy for their son’s name–the same as the hero of the beastkin who liberated them, and gave his life to defeat the first tyrant and save the world.

Avalara agreed it was a wonderful name, and Jake was happy to add to the legacy. Ophelia’s second daughter’s name was still up in the air, and she thought it was best to come up with the name after she saw her. The same was done with Nora and Clara when they were born.

Their pregnancies were accelerated, so every aspect had to be enjoyed during this short stint. They even spent time singing and talking to Bloodberri’s eggs, hugging and running their hands along them.

Jake noted, “It sure is a great thing to be able to take our time and enjoy this.”

Fhesiah smiled. “That’s right. Once our vacation over, it will be just go go go, fight and be heroes to many. I like that we have gotten to focus on ourselves and our family for a few more years.”

Lia nodded. “And to focus on our friends. When the vacation is over, I’m sure they’ll be able to stand on their own, and be valuable allies to us, just like Hestia had hoped. I can already see how quickly the beastkin are growing.”

Avalara smiled, and closed her eyes as she listened to the beastkin around the world. “Many are still singing the song of battle, and they are helping Highlands grow. Every enemy they defeat, and every level they gain while away, gives something back to their home. It will take thousands of warriors reaching the third Tier to boost the world’s energy in a significant way, but what our enemies don’t know is that it is inevitable.”

The family enjoyed their game of space wars once the kids were done with their schooling for the day, and then Jake and the girls all played baseball with their kids, and their adult kid, Berri.

Seeing so many snake girls on the field was comical to Jake, their cute little baseball outfits while wearing their hair up in ponytails and with added skirts brought a smile to his face. Berri’s energy for the sport transferred to all of the kids when it came to enjoyment, and a few of the echidnas, like Rena and Blaze, even took baseball seriously.

They eventually wound down after dinner with a cute movie about a rat that controls a human to cook food at a restaurant. Then the parents put them all to bed in their own large room with many hammocks and nest-like beddings.

The snake girls surprisingly loved the hammocks just as much as the bird girls, and they would often alternate between joining the snake-pile in the nest of blankets and pillows, and sleeping in the hammocks, depending on their desires. Ava and Yona would often watch and check on the numerous children while sleeping, helping make sure that if they woke up, they didn’t disturb their many sisters.

The parents would often work around the clock, since they did not require sleep. Sometimes they would spend the night with the children or at least help put them to sleep, but the kids had gotten used to not expecting it.

With the children put to bed, the parents returned to their own bedroom.