Black Blood Chapter 3
#5 of Black Blood
New experiences. New challenges. New expectations.
Black Blood Chapter 3
Tom winced as his mother unwrapped the bandages around his feet. An entire day had passed since he snuck out of the house; leaving him unable to stand since then. He looked down at the bandages and could see just a tint of red in them. He quickly glanced away and waited for his mother to finish with the other one. He couldn't help but wiggle his toes a bit as they were given their freedom.
His mother examined the soles of his feet. "Your cuts are fine, but the burn is going to last a bit longer..." It was the price he paid for walking on hot asphalt.
"How long?" Tom asked, lamenting the thought of not being able to stand on his feet.
"A few days..." his mother said as she reached down and grabbed a bottle. She squeezed some gel onto her paw. Before Tom could ask what she was doing he sighed with pleasure as he felt a cooling sensation spread across his feet. His mother smiled as she reached for the bandages and started applying a new layer to his soles. "I know it must be hard for an active boy like you to be confined to this couch..." she said as she continued to wrap the bandage tape. "But I'm sure we can find something to do until your brother comes home."
"Like what?" Tom asked as he felt his feet becoming constricted again.
His mother hummed as she ripped the bandage and tied it in a knot. She looked around the living room. "I have an idea." She slowly stood up and slowly walked towards some shelves off to the side. Moments later she returned with something in her paws. "Did you ever read at the orphanage?"
"The director would sometimes help me with these comics I have." Tom responded.
"Comic books? Where did you get those?" His mother asked as she sat down next to Tom.
"Sometimes boxes of toys and other cool stuff would come. I found a whole bunch of them in one box, and no one else seemed to want them."
"I see..." his mother said as she presented him what she was holding. "This is a children's book. I don't know how it compares to your comics, but how about you try reading it for me?"
"Ok." Tom said with a smile as he scooted closer to his mother.
His mother held the book out in front of them. "Can you read the title?" she asked.
"The King and the..." Tom stared at the word. "Pea... sant?"
"Peasant" his mother said softly.
"The King and the... Peasant." Tom said again.
"Very good Tom" his mother said as she slowly turned the page. Tom read through thirty pages of words and pictures. He read of a selfish king who enjoyed making his people work to exhaustion and then taking all of their money. He enjoyed the power he had over his people. However... there was one peasant in the village who seemed unaffected by everything the king did.
The king caught word of this peasant, and was not pleased. To the king, the attitude of this one peasant, the lowest of the low, made it seem that he was defying the king's power. The king sent his guards to watch the peasant; to make sure he was actually working hard and giving up all his money. To the king's surprise the peasant was, indeed, doing everything that was to be expected of him.
The king refused to believe this one peasant could be so carefree. He ordered his guards to harass the peasant constantly. By the end of each day the peasant would be covered in new scars, but he never fought back against the guards or pleaded for mercy.
The king was dumbfounded when he heard the peasant was still acting as though nothing has happened. Infuriated, the king ordered the arrest of the peasant's entire family.
A week passed. The king sat on his throne, waiting for the moment when the peasant would come crawling to him and beg for the release of his family. He delighted in the thought of finally breaking the one who defied him.
The doors to the throne room burst open. One of the king's knights rushed in. He kept shouting that the peasant was coming. The king was excited that the moment had finally arrived. His excitement was short-lived, however, as his knight explained that the entire kingdom was revolting and that the peasant was leading them towards the castle.
The king fell silent. He asked himself how his entire kingdom could be turned so easily and so suddenly. His knights were strong, but they were no match against the entire kingdom.
The king was captured not long afterwards. As he lay on his knees he came face-to-face with the peasant he had been so focused on him. He asked the peasant "How did you turn my entire kingdom against me!?"
"The blame is your own" the peasant said. "These men and women endured your treatment, but did not have the courage to fight back. They needed only a spark to ignite the flame."
The king became furious. "And who are you to overthrow your king!?"
"A man who cares more about his family than his own well-being."
The king was thrown in the dungeon, the money he collected was returned to the people of the kingdom. When the peasant was nominated to become their new leader, he declined. He preferred to live the simple life with his family.
"The end..." Tom said.
"Very good, Thomas!" His mother said as she closed the book. "You had trouble pronouncing a few words, but overall it was good." She placed the book to the side. "Did you understand the book?"
Tom nodded his head. "Kings are mean."
His mother laughed. "Well... I guess that's one way to look at it."
"The king was so dumb; he didn't realize if he just left the peasant alone, nothing would have happened!"
"That's right" his mother smiled. "He was stubborn and paid the price for it... but that's not the only lesson in this... oh!" his mother looked down at her belly. "She's kicking hard today..." She looked at Tom. "Would you like to feel?"
"Um..." Tom said with hesitation.
"It's alright, Thomas." She softly guided Tom's hand to her belly and held it there for a moment. There was another kick and Tom pulled his hand back. "She is restless..." she said as she rubbed her belly.
"There's really a little Hund in there?" Tom said curiously as he gazed at his mother's belly.
"Yep..." she smiled. "And it won't be long until we all get to meet her..."
"What's her name?" Tom asked as he slowly placed his hand back onto his mother's belly.
"Luna" his mother replied as she watched Tom start rubbing.
Curiosity got the better of Tom as he slowly lowered his head onto his mother's belly and listened. He thought he'd be able to hear the Hund inside his mother, but instead he felt another kick on the side of his head and pulled back.
His mother laughed. "I think she likes you."
"Doesn't feel like it..." Tom joked as he refrained from touching his mother's belly again.
"I'm sure the two of you will get along ..." She closed her eyes and smiled. "I'm sure all three of you will get along just fine..." She giggled. "I'll have quite a diversity." "A blue collar daughter... a black collar son..." she smiled at Tom. "And a human son. Our family will be anything be normal, huh?" She giggled. She looked at Tom and noticed he wasn't laughing with her, but was instead seemed lost in thought. "Tom?"
"Blue collar... black collar..." Tom scratched his head. "I don't know what it means. How do you know which collar Luna will be?"
"Well..." his mother chuckled. "I feel like I'm back in high school biology..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind about that" she laughed. "Your father and I are both blue collars so naturally... our child would be a blue collar as well."
"But..." Tom was getting more confused. "But Ren's collar isn't blue..."
"Well sometimes Hunds can give birth to collars outside their own. It's rare, but it does happen."
"So what are the odds of Luna being a black collar as well?"
"Less than one percent."
"What does that mean?" Tom asked.
"It means it probably won't happen" his mother became nervous just from the thought of a repeat. "Oh please..." she whispered under her breath.
"What if Ren was a blue collar?" Tom asked.
"What!?" his mother was startled by the question.
"Would anything be different if Ren was a blue collar?" Tom asked.
His mother was silent more a few moments. "You mean... his personality?" Tom nodded his head. His mother let out a little sigh of relief. "It's a difficult question... he'd probably be more confident if he was a blue collar..."
"Why?" Tom asked.
"Why?" his mother repeated.
"What does the color of the collar have to do with it? If we get him a blue collar would he change?"
"No Thomas, collars represent personality, not influence it."
Tom groaned. "I don't get it... Blue collars... Black collars... White collars... you all act differently from each other, but why?"
"It's..." his mother sighed. "It's hard for a human to truly understand..."
"That's what the director always told me..." Tom sighed.
"Then let me give you a little example, Thomas" his mother said as she straightened herself. "You can speak and listen, right?" Tom nodded. "Well... what if I told you... Hunds have two voices?" she wondered if that was the right word to use.
"Two voices?" Tom asked. "You mean like changing your voice?"
"No..." she planned out her words carefully. "Let's try this... when Hunds speak there's the voice you hear... and the voice you... secretly hear?" his mother groaned, finding it harder than she thought to put the explanation into words. "Anyways... voice and hearing are what differentiate Hunds from each other. Their hearing sensitivity and the strength of their second voice is what determines what collar they wear." She sighed with relief when she finished.
"Ok..." Tom said. "So what does each collar mean?"
His mother took a deep breath. "Alright... let's start with blue. Our voices are weak, but our hearing is moderate. Black collars, like your brother, have very sensitive hearing, but no voice. White collars have weak hearing, but strong voices. And red collars..."
"There's another collar color?" Tom was surprised.
"Yep, but they are very rare. They have very strong voices, but are unable to hear it themselves."
Tom tried to piece together the information in his mind. "So... what happens when a black collar listens to a white collar?"
"To put it simply, the black collar would be compelled to listen to the white collar's second voice."
"So that's what happened?" Tom thought to himself as he remembered the exchange between Ren and the white collar at the orphanage. A thought popped into Tom's mind. "Mom, are there white collars at Ren's school?"
His mother became solemn. "There are quite a few of them."
"I want to go to school then!" Tom exclaimed, surprising his mother.
"Why the sudden insistence?" she asked.
"I made Ren a promise..."
"A promise?"
"I told him I'd protect him from bullies like those white collars..." Tom grimaced at the thought of the ones at Ren's school being like the one at the orphanage. "I want to help Ren stand up to them..." Tom began to wonder if that was even possible from what his mother told him. He shook his head. "I'll help him!"
"Come here you!" his mother giggled as she pulled Tom into a tight hug. "Oh you are such a good kid!" She held Tom close to her for a few seconds before releasing him. "I'll talk to your father about it later, alright?" Tom nodded his head excitedly. "For now, let's read some more stories.
"Ren?" Tom said as he lay on his new bed, staring at the dark ceiling.
"Yeah, Tom?" Ren responded.
"What's... your school like?"
Ren rolled onto his side to face Tom. "What do you mean?"
"Do you... like going at school?"
Ren was silent for a few moments. "Some things are better than others... but... I think it'll be fun if you can come as well!"
"I hope I can..." Tom said as thoughts began to fill his mind. Would he even be able to attend a school where there's probably no other human? Would he be in the same classes as Ren?
"Me too..." Ren said as he let out a yawn. "You know... I told everyone in class today I had a new human brother..."
"Really?" Tom asked as he rolled over onto his side to face Ren. "What happened?"
"They laughed and called me a liar..."
"What!?" Tom exclaimed as he sat up in his bed. "You know what!? Now I want to go to school to prove your class wrong!"
Ren giggled. "I don't mind if they think I'm lying. At least I know it's true."
Tom chuckled as he lay back down. "Thanks. But can you imagine the looks on their faces when they realize you were telling the truth?" The two laughed for a few moments before they heard a stern knock on their door. They both quickly closed their mouths.
"Well class... we have a new student joining us today" the female teacher announced to the class. Before I introduce him I'd like you all to be on your best behavior." The students nodded their heads. "Thomas, you can come in now."
Tom walked in with a smile on his face. He glanced at the faces of all the Hunds which ranged from shock to amazement to confusion. The only ones who appeared normal were his brother and the teacher. "Thomas, why don't you introduce yourself to the classroom."
"Alright." Tom said as he took a deep breath. "Hi everyone! My name is Tom. This is my first time attending school and Ren is my brother." Some of the students' attention focused onto Ren momentarily before focusing back onto Tom. Tom could see Ren smiling as he peered around. Tom looked around, examining every Hund in the class. "Just one white collar..." Tom thought as he focused on one Hund near the back. He knew he'd have to keep an eye out for him.
"Thank you, Thomas" the teacher said. "There's an empty seat next to Ren."
"Perfect" Tom smiled as he walked down the aisle of desks and placed his book bag down. As the other Hunds started talking amongst one another Tom spoke softly to Ren. "I can't believe I'm here!"
"I know!" Ren whispered with a smile. "It only took a week to get you in!"
"Now class..." the teacher said sternly, quieting the classroom. "A new student does not mean you can ignore your classwork. Please open your math books to page 54, and start doing all the odd-numbered problems."
As Tom peered through the pages, a sense of uneasiness filled his mind. His brother had taught him a little bit of math before, but seeing it all for his own was making his mind hurt. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, he'd never heard of these terms until just a few days ago. He watched as the other Hunds seemed to be writing away while he stared at the first problem. He gazed at his brother.
Ren caught the gaze and stared at Tom, and then to his paper. "Don't worry if you can't do solve a problem; I'll help you after school." Tom smiled as he then tried his best to solve the problems.
After math class was science, and then language arts. Tom found science just as hard as math, but was thankful he was able to read alright compared to the other students in language arts class.
In the cafeteria a great mass of students gathered around Tom; trying to see him for themselves. Tom smiled. The number of Hund children made it feel like he was back at the orphanage. The commotion didn't last long, though. A few questions, a few touches, but once they had their fill they left as soon as they came. Ren looked dumbfounded. "I'm just a curiosity" Tom said with a smile. "Thank goodness... I'd hate to be some kind of celebrity around here..."
"A hindrance is more like it..." Tom watched as his brother's ears flattened. Tom didn't even need to see that to know what was behind him.
"Ah... I guess some things never change" Tom said as he faced a crowd of at least a dozen white collars, one of which he recognized from his classroom.
"The fact that they let a disease like you come to school is a sign this school has no standards." The eldest of the group said.
"Tell me about it..." Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Look how many of you they let in here."
"And just what is that supposed to mean!?"
"Oh I don't know... how about lazy, egotistical, bullies who like to use others to do everything including their own homework!" Tom looked back at Ren and whispered "Thanks for looking those words up for me."
The white collar from his class glared at Ren. "I told you never to tell anyone..."
"But..." Ren whimpered.
"Get out of our sights, black!"
Ren's body started moving on its own. Before he could take more than one step Tom placed his arm in front of Ren. "Ren... do you want to leave?"
"No..." Ren said as his body relaxed. He quickly positioned himself behind Tom.
Tom looked back at the enraged and confused white collars. "Let me make this clear... I'm not going to let any of you take advantage of my brother. You're going to have to go through me now!"
"Is that so?" the white collar from his class jumped forward and slashed his claws across Tom's face. A scream could be heard throughout the entire cafeteria as Tom knelt down and covered the left side of his face, blood trickling through his fingers. Many of the other Hunds started gathering around them. "You don't know your place, disease!"
"Tom!" Ren screamed in fear and quickly knelt down beside him.
"Step aside black collar" the kid said sternly, causing Ren's body to tense up.
Ren glanced at Tom. "Let me handle this, Ren." Tom said with a smirk as Ren slowly backed away from the fight and into the crowd. Tom slowly stood up, blood dripping down his left arm. He glared at the white collar. "You white collars certainly enjoy calling me that... I'm curious... is it just an insult or do you actually fear my disease?" Before any of the white collars could answer him, Tom swung his left arms and splattered his blood across their faces. Their calm demeanors quickly melted into panic as they panicked and quickly ran away. "I guess that answers that..." Tom sighed as he covered his wounds. Cheering ensued.
"Tom!" Ren came running back, tears in his eyes, and napkins in his paws.
"Thanks..." Tom smiled as he pressed the napkins against his face. "Is there somewhere I can get this fixed?"
"Follow me!" Ren said as he took Tom's hand into his paw and guided him out of the cafeteria. "The nurse is this way..."
"Did you see their faces?" Tom said with a smile.
"That's not important, Tom!" Ren said as he continued to lead Tom down the hallway.
"Alright..." Tom sighed as he allowed his body to be guided by Ren.
Inside the nurse's office were many of the white collars who started shouting when Tom came in. "I've got more if you want some..." Tom chuckled as he showed them the blood-stained napkins, silencing them. The nurse standing next to the white collars was shocked to see Tom's face. "Anyone in this room who doesn't have an actually emergency, leave now!" Annoyed, the white collars left, glaring at Tom on the way out. The nurse stared at Ren. "If there's nothing wrong with you, then please leave."
"But..." Ren said with fear in his voice.
"It's alright, Ren..." Tom said as he freed himself from his brother's grasp. "I'll be fine." He showed a great smile to Ren. "See? It's nothing."
"Ok..." Ren said. He turned his attention to the nurse. "Please help him."
"I'll do what I can..." she said as she watched Ren leave the room. She focused her attention on Tom. "Alright... why don't you go ahead and take a seat." Tom silently sat down on a nearby chair. She walked towards a cupboard and pulled out a few materials before returning. "Fair bit of warning... you're the first human I've treated. I'll try not to mess up too badly..." she grinned as she looked at Tom. She noticed tears forming in his eyes. "Hey, hey! I was joking!"
Tom shook his head. "I couldn't let him see me like this..." Tom sniffed as tears started rolling down his cheeks, mixing with the blood and dripping onto his pants. His body trembled as he clutched the left side of his face.
"Hey now..." the nurse said as she gently guided Tom's hand away from his face and replaced it with a cloth. "There's no need to act tough around here..."
"But..." Tom sniffled.
"Around here kid, words and appearances mean nothing." She wiped away the blood and grabbed another cloth. "You want to make it through here, you're going to have to toughen yourself up." She smiled. "I don't think throwing your blood on them will work every time." She started laughing. "Brought me some entertainment, though." Tom looked up at her with a confused look. "They come in screaming, and at first I thought they were injured, but then they scream they're going to die from having human blood on them. I told them to just go and wash their faces before you entered."
Tom gazed at the blue collar around her neck. "You don't believe my blood is dangerous?"
"Would I be doing this if I did?" She wiped away more blood. Tom chuckled, his tears ebbing away. "Let's see..." she took a close look at the cuts on his face while there were unobscured. "Those look rather deep... you're going to need stitches." She stood up and handed Tom another cloth. "Keep this pressed against your face." She walked over to the phone.
Tom winced as the doctor applied stitch after stitch. He ended up needing over forty stitches for the four gashes. Outside the doctor's office was his mother and brother sitting on nearby chairs. Ren fidgeted restlessly. "Ren, dear" his mother said calmly. "Tom is going to be alright."
"I know..." Ren said nervously. "I don't like hospitals..."
"We'll be out of here soon" she assured him.
When the door opened the doctor walked out, followed by Tom. His mother and brother quickly stood up and approached him. His mother knelt down and hugged him, taking care not to put any pressure onto his face. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"My face feels numb..." Tom said as he lightly traced the stitching on his face. "How does it look, Ren?" His eyes gazed to Ren standing nearby.
Ren shook nervously as he stared at the black stitching imbedded in Tom's reddened cheek. Just the thought of what had to be done to get those sent a shiver up his spine. Eventually Ren turned away and avoided the question. Tom looked at his mother, hoping to get an answer from her, but she brought her attention to the doctor. "Thank you so much for your work."
"Not a problem, ma'am" the doctor replied. Truth-be-told, I had never stitched up a human before, but found it to be quite easy compared to Hunds. I'll schedule an appointment for next week to remove the sutures."
"Thank you" she replied as she knelt down and gave Tom another hug.
"Did dad come back?" Tom asked as he reciprocated the hug.
"He's still at the meeting with the principal..." his mother responded with a heavy sigh.
"This is unacceptable! My son is getting his face stitched up right now because of what their child did!"
"Mr. Renoir, try to calm down" the principal said sternly as he sat behind his desk.
"Calm!? You want me to be calm!?"
"Yes!" the principal said, barring his teeth. A sudden heaviness overtook Mr. Renoir as he gazed down at the white collar around the principal's neck. He reluctantly kept his mouth shut and sat down.
"You should learn to control that temper, Todd" another voice said. "Perhaps you should have had Sera come in your place..." Todd's face contorted in rage as he glared at the two white collars sitting across from him. "I wouldn't be surprised if your bad habits pass onto that black collar runt of yours."
Todd shot up from his seat. "You son of a-!"
"Enough!" the principal shouted, silencing Todd. "All of you stay seated and keep quiet." Todd directed one more snarl towards the couple across from him before sitting down again. "Now..." the principal cleared his throat. "We are going to discuss this calmly." He gazed towards Todd. "Mr. Renoir... please calmly explain your issue."
Todd huffed as he straightened himself in the chair. "My problem is that my son is in the hospital because of their son's attack. I want him to be disciplined."
"Not happening..." the child's mother responded. "Our son acted within the boundaries of what is acceptable at school. If you should be upset at anything, it should be how weak your vermin of a son is."
Todd's grip tightened on the arms of the chair.
"Calm yourself Mr. Renoir..." the principal said calmly. "They do present a point. You and your wife were made aware of the risks Thomas could face while attending an all Hund school." Todd started grinding his teeth. "However..." the principal gazed towards the couple. "Have you seen the problem with how your son attacked a human?"
"Indeed..." the father replied, glaring at Todd. "He gave the human the opportunity to splatter his contaminated blood onto our son's face and the faces of other Hunds. He shouldn't have used his claws..."
"You're missing the point..." the principal started but a familiar shouting filled the room.
"You have no fucking remorse, do you!? My son did nothing to provoke your son!"
"He challenged their dominance and was dealt with according to the rules."
"Bullshit! Thomas has no grasp on what Hund dominance is! The suggestion that he challenged for dominance is absurd!"
"Indeed..." the principal said calmly, surprising the three attendees. "I've talked with some of the children who were present during the fight. Based on their accounts I can say this was not a challenge of dominance, but rather an establishment of dominance..." A look of shock overcame the couple. "Please remind me... what are the rules with establishing dominance?" He gazed at the white collars with expectation.
"Well..." the wife started, anxiety in her voice. "You can only establish dominance with a Hund on the same level as yourself..."
"Very good, ma'am." The principal smiled. "Now... do you see the problem?" Neither spoke. "Mr. Renoir... do you see the problem?"
Todd smirked. "Tom isn't a white collar."
"And so the rules were broken..." the principal said as he pulled out some papers. "Which is why three things are going to happen now. First, your son is suspended for ten school days. Second, you shall pay for the medical bills incurred by your son. Third, your son will give an apology to Thomas upon his return to school."
"Isn't that a bit excessive!?" the father asked as he stood from his seat.
"Which part?" the principal asked.
"All of it!"
The principal stood up and slowly walked towards the father. "All of it, huh? So you wish for your son to get off with no punishment? I'm afraid not."
"What kind of white collar are you? Why are you defending a human!?"
"I'm defending a student who was wrongfully attacked by your son. I suggest you make sure your son knows the rules before doing anything reckless again." The principal let out a sigh. "This meeting is over. You may leave."
"I'm not leaving yet" the father spoke. "Not until you get rid of one of the conditions."
The principal chuckled. "You sure are stubborn... Which condition?"
"Paying for the human's medical bills. Why pay for something that's going drop dead eventually?"
Todd's teeth were bared and a deep growl echoed from his throat. His body was ready to jump at any second.
The principal let out an exhausted sigh. "Sir... did you happen to see your son's handiwork on Thomas' face?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"I see... I managed to see it before he was picked up. If you wish to see it..." the principal quickly raised his right claw and slashed it across the Hund's face. The room filled with a scream that echoed off the walls. "Use a mirror..."
"The hell are you doing!?" the Hund's wife shouted as her husband clutched his face.
"Establishing dominance the correct way..." the principal said as he grabbed the screaming Hund by the neck. Eyes met. "Anymore objections?" The Hund did his best to shake his head. "Are you going pay for Thomas' medical bills?" The Hund nodded slowly. "Good" he let go. "You might want to get that stitched up..." the principal proceed back to his chair while the couple hastily shuffled out of the room.
Todd's eyes were wide with surprise. He nervously watched as the principal slowly sat back down. "Thank you..."
"Do not thank me, Mr. Renoir; I was just doing my duty as principal."
"Either way... thank you" Todd smiled as he stood up.
"Mr. Renoir..."
"Yes?"
"In regards to Thomas... Let me impart some wisdom onto you... I've been a school administrator since the time when humans were just becoming the minority." He let out a chuckle. "Even back then they couldn't understand why we do the things we do. However... just because they didn't understand the reasoning doesn't mean they didn't understand the purpose..."
Anxiety filled Todd's mind. "You don't believe Tom would..."
"You know him better than I do. Do you think he would?"
"So... when you multiply four and six, you get...?" Ren asked as he watched Tom stare at the problem.
"Twenty-four?" He looked at Ren and watched him nod his head with enthusiasm. "Alright... I'm starting to get multiplication... you have a harder problem?"
Ren giggled as he picked out another question further into the book. "Thirty-two times seventeen?"
Tom groaned. "Come on... you don't even know the answer to that..."
"Five hundred forty-four." Ren said calmly.
Tom's eyes widened. "No way..." he grabbed the nearby calculator and plugged in the numbers. "Wow... You're so smart." Ren's tail started wagging. "How are you so good?"
"It just comes naturally for me."
"Lucky..." Tom sighed as he gazed back down at his homework.
"You'll get it eventually!" Ren said with a smile as he peered over Tom's shoulder. "I'll help you..."
Tom chuckled as he leaned back and wrapped his arm around the back of Ren's neck and pulled their heads together. "Maybe one day I'll be smarter than you!"
"Nuh-uh!" Ren giggled. "You'll never catch up to me!"
"You calling me stupid?" Tom smirked as he let go of Ren's head.
"No!" Ren said, his ears standing straight. Panic filled his voice. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"Calm down" Tom chuckled. "I'm just teasing."
"Oh..." Ren said as his ears relaxed. "So... want to try another problem?"
"Sure" Tom said as he watched Ren riffle through the math book."
"Boys... it's time for bed" Sera said softly as she gazed into their room. She noticed the two were laid out across the desk; out cold. She giggled softly as she peered over them. "Must have been quite the homework assignment..." she whispered softly as she gently lifted Ren's arms from the desk. Once he was leaning back on the chair Sera slipped her arms under Ren's arms and legs. She slowly carried Ren to his bed and gently lowered him. After tucking him in, she softly placed a kiss on his forehead.
Sera followed suit with Tom. As she lifted him up she noticed Tom's eyes part slightly. Sera was surprised when Tom wrapped his arms around her neck before closing his eyes again. She smiled with affection as she gently brought Tom to his bed. After tucking him in, Sera gazed down at Tom's wounds. "You're not going to keep making me worry like this, are you?" she smiled as she softly kissed Tom's cheek.
"Good night boys..." Sera said softly as she turned the lights off and silently closed their door. A yawn escaped her maw as she peered down the hallway towards her room. After taking a few steps she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She knelt over and held her stomach and waited. Seconds passed, then minutes, but nothing else came. Sera took a deep breath as she started rubbing her tummy. "You're anxious to get out aren't you?"
Please feel free to comment on or critique this chapter