Waking
Lyris had slept soundly until she heard Lyal's cough, which woke her instantly. For just a moment, the doe felt a bit of panic; she was warm (which was unusual enough these days), and she was comfortable, and she smelled something other than herself or Lyal or garbage, something warm, male, yet despite that, safe. When she did remember where she was, she was glad that her body didn't overreact to the unusual situation. She was quite happy that she hadn't wakened the badger, not only because she was starting to like him, but also because (she had to admit) he was amazingly cuddly to snuggle up with. With a bit of reluctance, she moved slowly and carefully out from under the blanket so that she could fetch Lyal's cold medicine.
The spa itself was still dim, even with morning sun trying to peek in through the drawn shades at the front of the shop. It was strange how quickly she'd gotten used to the space. In some ways, she felt that a bad sign. Over the last many months, getting used to something good had often cost them anything from food to safety. She was still afraid to trust too much, but Lyal was right - they needed help, and so far at least, the old mane-dresser appeared to want to give it. She fetched the pills from the private room, found a bottle of water, and went back to the office.
When the doe got back, she found her brother sitting up, watching the badger sleep. His eyes showed a fondness that, truth told, she found a little worrisome. Then he turned to look at her, and the smile in his eyes and on his muzzle reaffirmed his love for her, and she was able to smile back. His ears started moving. *He had a rough night; maybe we should let him sleep a little longer.*
She nodded her agreement, handing him the blister pack of cold pills and the bottle of water. *Do you want to get some more rest? You could use it, to help get rid of that cold.* She slid silently onto the desk chair, happy that it didn't creak like so many would do.
*I'm good for now. We should finish off those veggies from last night. I think I'm getting my appetite back.*
_ *That'll land him in the poor house!*_
The twins grinned at each other. She was glad to see him able to be at least a little silly again. He disentangled himself from the still-sleeping badger, carefully tucking the quilt back around him with the kind of tenderness he usually reserved for her. She did have to admit to herself that, in some ways, it could make her jealous; in others, though, she was glad to see him feel that he could trust the older male. It was a risk, but it still felt good to trust someone for a change.
Lyal found the salad containers in the small refrigerator there in the office. He handed one to her, and her elbow knocked the computer's mouse, causing the screen to spring to life. She glanced at the desktop, not too terribly surprised to see that it was a photograph of a meerkat - perhaps a little more recent than the one in the photo just over the workstation, but definitely the same furson. _*He really loved him,*_her ears moved, slowly, almost shyly.
*Still does,* the buck answered.
*Ly, do you think he'd mind if I did a little research? I was thinking about... Remember in social studies class learning about emancipation.. we could find out more about it. Maybe...*
*Could our search be traced?*
Lyris frowned, trying hard not to be as paranoid as she felt. *We're just looking for general information. I won't put our names in or anything. Besides, how could they know?*
The buck nodded slowly, a bit of blush telling her that he too was trying to get over the sense of jumping at his own shadow. Lyris turned toward the keyboard, and Lyal stood behind her, his forepaws petting her ears gently, then resting on her shoulders as she found an internet browser and started her search. She noticed that Barton used an independent, rather than one of the big name-brand programs; she counted that as a point in the badger's favor.
Her first search was for information about emancipation in Arizona, but the site said that they could only file in the state where the child or parent lived. It didn't speak directly to the problem of adoptive parents - not that the wolf would help, in any case - so they tried New York, the state where they'd been born and raised until their parents' death. Because of the adoption issues, that seemed a dead end also; they'd not been residents of New York for a few years.
On the site for Connecticut, however, they were greeted with a wealth of information about the procedure. Again, there were obstacles, not the least of which would be the requirement of getting parents (or adoptive parents) to agree and prove, by whatever means, that the kits deserved to be set free prior to the age of their legal majority. It would have to be shown that emancipation was in the best interest of the kits. Unless everything about their ordeal came out, there was little to show that the rich, power-connected, on-the-surface respectable wolf was unfit to be a parent.
_ *It would be hell enough to tell that story in court,*_ the doe's ears danced silently. *But how could we prove it?*
_ *Hospital records?*_
_ *He's bound to have done something to them already.*_
The buck nodded, sadly. *We could be examined by new doctors, to see the damage, but why would they believe our version of how it happened?*
Lyris began to regret even having begun the search, feeling defeated already.
"I hope yer nae lookin' a' porn."
The rabbits spun about to see the old badger still wrapped up in the nest, grinning broadly at them.
"Don' look s' terrified, kits; I c'n see it's a wall o' words. Tryin' t' find somethin' t' explain the lyrics of 'American Pie' or summat?"
"American...?" Lyal began, looking confused.
Barton sighed, looking heavenward. "The classics are lost on 'em!" he opined, grinning. "Y' know, it's lovely warm here, but I prolly should be getting' up, an' old fart that I am, I'm gonna need a paw t' help."
Lyal started toward him but Lyris grabbed his arm. "Let me; you've still got bruised ribs."
"Good thinkin', lass." The badger seemed genuinely abashed that he'd forgotten about Lyal's injuries. Lyris moved nimbly to his side, took the older male's forepaws and helped him carefully to stand. She started tidying the nest, folding the quilt and shifting pillows and cushions to set things to rights. The mane-dresser moved to accept Lyal's (totally unnecessary) assistance into his desk chair.
"Emancipation?" Barton considered the information on the screen. "Interestin' idea. What've ye found s' far?"
"Roadblocks," the buck sighed. Lyris turned in time to see her brother move behind the computer chair and put his forepaws on the badger's shoulders. The older male covered them with his own forepaws, crossing his arms over his chest, then leaning his head back a little to look up at Lyal's face for a moment. The doe again felt a moment of jealousy - that's what it was, don't deny it! - and then a bit of shame. Lyal felt good with the old mane-dresser, and she wanted him to be happy.
"Lyris?"
She saw Barton leaning over to look around at her, smiling.
"C'mon 'n show me what ye were lookin' for. No sense me back-trackin' o'er what ye've already done."
Suddenly feeling a little shy, she moved to her brother's side, at first, until the badger asked if she could see well enough. He grinned at her and wordlessly invited her into his lap. It took her just a moment to realize that it really was as innocent as it seemed, that he wasn't trying to connive or cajole or trick her into something sexual. He was a thinner version of Santa Claus, in that moment, and yes he was still shirtless... but she'd been snuggled up to his bare chest all night long, with nothing but warmth and affection to show for it. She smiled and climbed into his lap, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder and her brother's forepaw.
She was just short of daring to call it "family."
"Ri' then," the older male said. "Le's have a dekko." He scanned the page for about half a minute, as if getting the lay of the land. "Coupla points here want clearin' up," he said. "It mentions 'parents,' but tha' may 'r may not mean 'adoptive parents,' especially if there's questions of..." He trailed off. Lyris turned to see him looking at her tenderly. "We have t' talk abou' this, an' we may have t' use some tough words. Mebbe if we kept it couched in legal words and such, it'll be a wee bit easier. Okay fer now, Lyris?"
She smiled a little as he touched her cheek tenderly. The look in his eyes told more than she had any right to expect; if he'd had longer ears, he could use the nilhain well. She nodded. "Okay fer now," she echoed him.
He smiled back at her. "Yer findin' stren'th, lass. Proud o' ye." He turned back to the screen and nodded at it. "Short form, if I read this right, ye c'n be emancipated by bein' sixteen - no mischief there - and one of these other four things. Let's skip over marriage; that could get kinky." Both Lyris and Lyal laughed a little. "The best one is livin' on yer own, managin' yer own money."
"Not like we've got a lot to manage," Lyal chuckled softly.
"That could change, an' would have t', fer the courts. But there's help." He pointed to the screen. "Ye can get financial help from the state, if need be."
Lyris read carefully. "But until we're eighteen, we'd have to live an adult in order to collect."
Barton turned his face to the doe with feigned hurt. "And what am I, then, boiled potatoes?"
The doe's eyes grew large as the old badger started to grin. Lyal's voice, from behind him, sounded something short of amazed. "You'd... adopt us?"
"Truth told, I prolly couldna get that far, and certainly nae quickly. But I think I c'd get some kind o' guardianship while yer last year o' minority ticks away when the courts aren't lookin'."
"You'd do that for us?" Lyris said, still not quite daring to believe it.
"Told ye' I liked ye' well enough, now didn't I?" Barton grinned at her as she leaned in to hug him tightly. "It may no' be easy, mind ye," he said as she leaned back again. "We're goin' t' need t' work out a lot o' details, includin' how t' keep th' courts off our backs 'til the year's up. And t' do that, I'm goin' t' need one more level o' trust from ye both. I want t' introduce ye to a friend of mine. And I'll start here."
The old badger's fingers flew across the keyboard as he brought up a website, where the graphic of a fisted paw came smashing through an untidy web of chains. Tattooed onto the fingers were the letters BACA.
"Bikers Against Child Abuse," Barton said, with something like pride. "These fine furs live up t' their charter - 'breakin' th' chains o' child abuse.' They've got groups all o'er the world - m' friend Gabe down in Melbourne lives just up th' street from 'em, he tells me - and all are dedicated t' helpin' victims of child abuse stand up t' their abusers, t' get help, an' t' get justice besides. Here in th' States, at least, th' family law court prosecutors love 'em. They help give th' kids strength enough t' come forward an' tell th' truth. They know a lot about th' laws an' procedures, and some have gone through it themsel's; they've got understandin' by th' bucket load. Th' local bunch are all friends of mine. One's a lion who goes by Firecat, an' when you see his mane you'll know why."
Lyris felt the old badger hug her again, then he looked up at Lyal. "Coupla ways t' do this. Ye could hide back here an' not see 'im t'all; ye could step up an' meet 'im; perhaps I could e'en meet 'im somewhere else, and he wouldna have t' know that you're here t'all. He's a fine fur, an' he'll be a good friend an' ally to ye, but I'll nae force yer paw t' anythin' yer not ready fer. How d' ye feel? I'll let you two decide."
Glancing at her brother, the doe could see the same questioning doubt in his eye that she felt inside. "We... we don't know him, and..."
"I think we both trust you, Barton," Lyal took up the idea. "And you think a lot of him, so that should be enough, but we haven't..."
Surprising the young female yet again, Barton nodded. "It was a lot t' get ye t' talk t' me," he said, softly and without any accusation. "I c'n understand ye worryin' aboot--"
The badger was cut off by Lyal producing a tremendous sneeze, followed by coughing and hawking up another lungful of mucus. Lyris looked around quickly, found a box of tissues on the badger's desk, and grabbed several in time to hand them to the buck so that he could spit, not so discreetly, into them. Easing herself off of the badger's lap, she managed to glimpse at the loogie before the buck wadded it up to throw it away.
"Ewww," was her educated opinion. "At least it's breaking up."
"This'll ne'er do," the badger said, rising. "Lemme set up the sauna fer ye agin'; ye c'n stew a bit while I see if'n I c'n get in touch wi' Firecat. Don' worry, no names, no specifics, just enough t' get some ideas aboot what's next, all ri' then?"
Lyal smiled a little and nodded, and Lyris did the same. She actually looked forward to the sauna about as much as her brother probably did. It just felt good. Eager, she led the way out of Barton's office and into the private room, to gather up a couple of robes and towels. When she came back, she saw the badger fiddling with the controls. He looked over at her and pointed to them. "Ye want t' learn how it works?"
"Later," she said, smiling. "We trust you."
"Bring a couple o' bottles o' water wi' ye," he said, "and ye c'n stay in a little longer. Fer now, I'll set fer twenty minutes o' good steam, then let it ease off till it's just warm and comfy."
"Come join us when you've talked with your friend," Lyal suggested. Lyris noticed both that the buck had stripped off his pants without having put on the robe yet, and that he only realized it when Barton turned away a little. He mumbled an apology, and the badger, still trying not to peek, chuckled a little.
"I'll pop in after a bit. Ye should have a good bit o' time t' yerslel's, if ye wish." He cleared his throat, embarrassed a little.
The doe put a forepaw to his arm, looking at him gently. "We'll just rest. Come join us when you can. It's ... good to have you with us." She raised up digitigrade for a moment and kissed his cheek. It felt so perfectly normal that it almost frightened her. Taking Lyal by his forepaw, she went into the sauna. Almost, she thought. Almost family...