Chapter Thirty-six: Undeniable Beasts

Jopp dragged his palm down his face as he groaned at this predicament. Exotic creatures from other planes of existence coalesced in the living room and the patio of the house. Flying creatures dotted the sky as they flew towards the treehouses and crapped on the hammocks. He nearly blew his top at seeing a giant bear leaving clumps of long fur in the pool.

"Gabby!" he hollered. "Tark! What the hell is this?!" He pushed a bird off his shoulder and stormed towards the beach. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the orange portal. A memory of his father's unruly hair flashed in his mind.

The feeling of despair crept up on him until his father's dark eyes met his. "Don't let them . . ." His voice lifted his spirit the moment he heard it. "Show them what for, Aeklith." The sound of his name threw him into another memory of his mother. Her ultraviolet flowers adorned the vines on her head as she smiled at him. It was as if the warm sun decided to greet him. She lifted him into the air and laughed. "Aeklith! Your wings are so beautiful! Give them a try!" He was almost moved to tears. Almost.

The memories faded when a loud thump sounded on the roof, swaying the glass chandelier that was above the dining table. A loud screech interrupted his thoughts. There were more pressing matters at hand. A hum in his ear made him glance there, and he spotted hummingbirds near the flowers on his vines. "Don't you dare," he growled at the little creatures.

"You know, a regular forest nymph would enjoy their company," Rif told him.

Jopp snarled at him. "I'm only part forest nymph, and if you don't get these summons under control, I will eat everything!"

Rif crossed his arms and humphed. "Some of them are poisonous!"

"What will win?" Jopp queried as he snatched a hummingbird from the air. He stuffed it in his mouth and gulped.

"Momma!" Rif cried as he ran to the beach.

Jopp chuckled as he released the hummingbird from his hand. "Off you go. Tell your friends to find the raikrone flower while you're out there." The hummingbirds chirped before they flew out the patio.

"What's the raikrone flower?" Mil asked as she stepped in from the patio. Her straw hat decorated with one of his flowers made him smile. Her pink bikini made of glossed leaves hugged her figure, revealing cleavage that he wanted to run his fingers through.

"You are my radiant star," he uttered as he held her close. He cleared his throat as he pulled away and stared at her with a serious expression. "Don't tell Tark what I did."

"What did you do?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"You'll see," he muttered as he exited the back door.

Tark's furrowed brows hinted at his mood as he opened the patio door. "Jopp! Why did you eat a cute hummingbird in front of Rif?!"

"He didn't eat it," Mil informed. "It flew out of his hand after Rif ran away."

"Rif is convinced he ate his favorite summoned creature," Tark sighed. "Jopp is right, though. Most of these summoned animals are becoming a nuisance! What can we do?"

"Why not put them back in their original planes?" Mil suggested.

"Many of them have crumbling planes," he notified, "and some are the last of their kind. It was either this or doom them. They're so adorable, though!" Tark fiddled with his fingers. "They remind me of Penny Lee. Well, when she was a cat. They're not looking to harm anyone. They just need a place to stay, but Jopp's being selfish with his forests and all."

Mil pointed at the map on the teaching wall. "He circled the western area with red ink to let you know where to place them. There will have to be different habitats to accommodate them all. He was excited to show you, so he went ahead."

Tark studied the map for a moment before he nodded. "Wow! He really thought this through, didn't he?"

Mil beamed. "You know Jopp just like I do, Tark."

"Momma!" Rif cried as he ran onto the patio. "Jopp ate that hummingbird!"

"He didn't tell you, but he's great at magic tricks," Mil explained. "You should've watched him for a bit longer. You would've seen him release the hummingbird and let it fly with its friends."

Rif huffed as he crossed his arms. "He's so weird! Why does he do stuff like that?!"

Mil giggled. "It's in his nature. It's almost lunchtime. Where's Fayeth and Gabby?"

"They're still at the summoning altar. I'll go get them!" Rif dashed back to the beach and waved at Gabby and Fayeth that had ambled southward.

"Will you keep an eye on things, Mil?" Tark queried as he donned a new explorer outfit.

"If it'll get your knobby knees out of my sight, I will," she laughed.

Tark sighed as he pulled down on his khaki shorts. "Why does everybody hate on these things? My knees are to die for, babe."

Mil waved him off with a scoff. "Wait until Jopp hears about this."

"He'll be fine," Tark assured. "If anything bad happens, give us a mind-tap."

"All right. Have fun," she smiled.