Unexpected Child

Adalyn turned and she heard an angry sneer from Talisen who grabbed her arm. "Trust me Lady, you do not want to see this." 

She looked up at him, unease in her heart as she heard a child's cry. "What is going on?" Adalyn demanded her voice filled with concern and alertness. He looked at her and shook his head.  She could see the group near the water and hear cries for help. They sounded small and filled with fear. The instincts in her breast gathered her magic and readyed to heed the call. 

"The cruelty of those blessed with a gift that don't deserve it. A mother choosing one above another." He replied softly and Adalyn blinked as those words sunk in. She looked to see a woman with golden hair, curly and streaked with greens and blues of the peacock. A man with red ears knelt before her by the river begging as the other men stood, arms folded looking on him with pity. 

"You mean a child?" She asked as realization dawned. A man and a woman… father and mother… and the fate of a child. 

"There is nothing to he done. If he is rescued, he will be thrown to the forest. It is considered merciful to toss him to the water and his soul return home." He replied and Adalyn raised a hand slapping him hard enough to make him fall back. She dashed forward, she tossed her dress aside to dive into the water. 6 men and a woman stood beside it watching a child of no more than 4 years struggle to swim. 

"You must save our son." Begged a man on his knees. Tears fell from his face as his heart broke. "Let me save our son, My lady." He begged. Adalyn's heart sneered at his tears in anger. A father begging to save his son… how pathetic. No matter the cost his child should be in his arms not watching them let him struggle to survive. 

"That weak child who can not hunt, sing, or tend a fire, or even swim is no son of mine." She replied turning a deaf ear to the father's begging. "You may save him but only to send him to the woods." She added with a sickly sweet smile. It was as if she thought this was a compromise. The father clutched the ground with both hands and the tears fell like rain. "I will bare you a new son." She offered as if that made it all better. 

Just then water slashed across her face, drenching her wild blond hair and her furs. The beautiful feathers of the peafowl in her hair suddenly sticks dripping with water. No one knew what to think as the Beauty was made to resemble her heart within seconds. Her mates shocked as they turned to see a figure swim to the child and raise his head above water… the father watched as another did what he so desperately wanted to do. He felt nothing but shame. 

"Help me out." Demanded the stranger but no one dared respond, most in shock. Was that a woman who dove into that chilly water to rescue the abandoned child? While they stood in shock, Adalyn sputtered water from her own lungs. "Anyone please…" Adalyn grabbed ahold of the edge of the pool's edge. Just as she was preparing to transform her tail, two strong hands grabbed at her. 

"The baby first." She demanded shoving the baby boy into the man's hands. Talisen held the child rather shocked that she had shoved him into his arms. Adalyn reached for the hand of the man next to him. The teenage boy took her hand and lifted her from the water.  Adalyn fell to her knees coughing the water from her own lungs as she looked up to see the child in front of her, crying. Adalyn gathered his blue body to herself and shared her warmth with the child, despite her cold skin. 

There was a hushed silence as she held the crying child, the corset and panties she had worn in her own world all she had on. Adalyn should have felt ashamed, but she was too angry. The baby shivered in her arms clutching handfuls of Adalyn's long hair. He was so lost and afraid. The fire of her nature took over to warm them both as a fur was placed around her shoulders. 

"How dare you interfere with my family." Growled the woman, drenched from Adalyn's less than perfect dive. It may have been intentional, and magic assisted but now well. 

Adalyn forced herself to her feet, still breathing heavily as she met the woman's eyes burning with her own fire. "How dare you accuse me of such. You declared for all to hear the child no longer belonged to you. Therefore, I no more interfered with your family than killed you, granted the day is still young." Adalyn growled as the serpent scales crept up her hips as she neared losing her temper. Fangs extended within her mouth but her arms stayed firmly around the child. 

The wall of males stood behind their lady instantly. "It was my choice as a Mother, he was mine to give life and mine to remove." The woman replied angrily and Adalyn laughed. 

"Oh so you impregnate yourself? This child's father begged you for his life.  You ignored him and claimed the child was not your own. In my eyes you are no mother." Adalyn shot back as she adjusted the toddler in her arms and wrapped him in the fur that was placed over her. He needed it so much more right now. 

"What right do you have to say such things to my Amaya?" Demanded a Male beside the woman. 

"A mother whose womb has yet to be filled and yet I know how to treat the gift of a child better than this creature."  Adalyn replied bowing up to the male who thought he could intimidate her. The girlish shyness she felt in the face of Talisen gone now. 

"Care to back off before I am forced to hit you." He replied and Adalyn laughed in his face. 

"Touch me if you dare, Prissy." She replied, her voice a soft whisper as the fire in her eyes began to pull from the earth. The air around her warmed and the man stared In shock and stepped back. 

"What is going on here?" Demanded a middle aged man, fox ears peaking on his head. Adalyn stepped back and held the child close. Poor thing had fallen asleep from total exhaustion. Honestly if it wasn't for her anger, Adalyn probably would too.

"The winter will be here soon, and this cub has been deemed a hindrance to the clan." The woman called Amaya offered. The fox looked grave and nodded. 

"I see… I have asked you to refrain from dealing with such things in the village square." The older man replied and the woman looked down, as if she had been wronged. Adalyn wanted to claw her face off. 

"I had not intended to. The boy fell and the water could be deadly to me or mine if we tried to rescue him. Since he was to be given to the ocean anyway it seemed wrong to endanger my family with sickness." Amaya replied and Adalyn controlled her breathing. 

"I see. The child… has it passed?" The fox elder asked seeming saddened and Adalyn tightened her hold. 

"No he has not, and he will not. If you wish to take him from me, I will fight tooth and nail." Growled Adalyn and the man turned to her eyebrows raising in shock. He saw the woman barely clothed and dripping with water. It didn't take much for him to realize what had happened here. 

"My Lady, it is law that he is sent away from here now; the tribe can not care for parentless children." The fox began to explain and Adalyn shook her head. 

"Oh, it can't? Then he is parentless no more." She replied simply. It felt right. Her heart spoke before her mind could make sense of her words. 

"Oh?" He asked seeming shocked. "You and your mate will adopt the boy?" He asked as though it was a foriegn concept. 

"She herself said the child is not hers, but the father did not revoke his parentage. Therefore, I will adopt him as my son, but his father is the same if he so chooses." Adalyn replied standing tall, her eyes met the broken man on the ground. Brown eyes rimmed with red from the tears stared at her as though she was a Goddess. 

"And you, Dylin?" The fox elder asked and the man looked back at him, about to speak. 

"If you do not denounce that child, you will never bare another with me as long as you live."  Amaya whispered and there was a pain in his eyes. Those words hurt and Adalyn could tell. 

"I will… I will… give his care to the lady's mate." Whispered the man known as Dylin. Adalyn laughed. 

"You fool." Adalyn shook her head "My mistake for thinking a man who begged for his son's life would be a man. Sobs for show." She turned to the elder. 

"Where is your mate, young one?" The fox asked and Adalyn smiled. The men around them were glancing around waiting for her man to claim her. No one did. 

"I am unmarried, and unproven." Adalyn replied a big less powerfully. She was well aware of the whispers that started as she spoke. There was excitement in the village center and the fox Elder's eyes lit up. 

"What clan do you belong to?" He asked almost hopefully, it was poorly concealed to seem like concern. Even Talisen looked up curiously. 

"None, I am a witch visiting to tend to my friend who was injured nearby." Adalyn replied as carefully as she could. The excitement in the area got even more palpable as Adalyn realized how many sets of eyes were trained on her. 

"I see… who might you be helping and, my dear how can we be of service?" The Fox elder asked his voice sweet now. Adalyn looked around at the eager eyes. 

"I just needed a few items so I could go back to my friend and her mate." Adalyn replied a bit nervously. 

"HA, so you dare take in a child when another and her Male is taking care of your needs?" Laughed Amaya and a few of the other males seemed annoyed as well. 

"No, any male I took in would be willing to love me and any child at my side. A true man steps takes the mother into his arms, and her child under his hand as though it's his own. Just as a woman should be the wife and mother worthy of his protection."  Adalyn replied, remembering her own father fondly. A man who took her in as his own. The males suddenly looked at this new female in a different light.  

"You are… interesting." Talisen said again while she looks around. 

"If that is how you feel, the cub is yours to care for." The Fox elder replied honestly not wanting to alienate a possible jewel from his clan. If the mermaids blessed her… the child could prove to be useful. The crowd seemed to disperse other than a decent number of males watching her.

"Did anyone see my dress?" Adalyn asked looking slightly embarrassed at the males around her. Her outfit may not be inappropriate to them, but it was making her feel uncomfortable. 

 The teenage boy who pulled her out of the water stepped forward and offered her the dress. It was dirty now, but it was dry and would cover her better than what she was wearing. "Oh… thank you. Can you ummm…" she looks at the baby and he smiled sheepishly taking the baby from her. Adalyn was glad he was so willing to help. She slid her dress on and slipped her belt back on. It was still fastened and all the items were still in place, untouched since she cast the belt aside. 

She turned back to the youth who was holding her new son. Son. That would take time to get use to and she wasn't even sure what his eye color was, or his age. The man however was a little sheepish. Long warm sandy brown hair, and kindly blue eyes. The whiskered sections beside his nose, if she had to guess she would say he was her age. The short, cat like ears caught attention. Mostly the black tufts. Lynx? She wondered for a moment before realizing she's been staring and his cheeks are turning pink. 

"My name is Adalyn, what's yours?" She asked him kindly and he smiled. 

"Xia if the wild." He replied and she sighed. 

"Your name sounds so much better than mine. I am Adalyn of the Lyn Witches." She replies with a chuckle and his eyes widened. 

"No, not at all. I love your name." He replied as she took the toddler back from him. The poor child was still fast asleep in the fur. That reminded her.

"Who put the fur on me? Did you see?" She asked unaware that though most the villagers seemed to have gone about their business, they were listening to her and the boy. 

"No… but it's not an expensive fur. I'm sure he won't mind you keeping it or he would have said something." Xia assured her. "You wanted to do some shopping. Why don't I help out since your carrying the baby?" He offered and Adalyn smiled gratefully. 

"If it isn't too much trouble." Adalyn agreed and he shook his head. 

"I… I'm not doing anything anyway." He agreed and helped Adalyn navigate her way to the shopping district.