Today, he was going to take his son outside. It was the first time Zana had allowed him to do so, and also to separate the pups. Azucena stayed behind with her mother, napping, but little Chico was coming with him today. So, he had bundled the tiny puppy up in a makeshift cloth papoose, and strapped him to his chest, tight enough that he couldn’t wriggle away but comfortable enough that he could see the world around him and sleep if he wanted. Currently, he was doing the ladder, and was silent as a babe could be as Helotes exited the mansion to fetch Yegua.

He then set off in no particular direction, in fact, he let his horse decide, and she headed towards the part of Inferni that was closest to the Dampwoods. It would make sense the mare would head this way, for there were patches of sweet grass in that area that she could just not get enough of. As they road, Helotes let a single claw glide back and forth across the fuzzy scalp of his two week old son. He had yet to be named, both Helotes and Zana were having difficulty deciding what the pygmy child should bear as a name. It would have to be something strong, for he was a strong boy despite his size, managing to push around his much larger sister when it came to feeding time. But for now, the Lykoi man just lovingly called him Chico, until a proper title could be found.

It seemed as if Yegua had forgotten about the grass and was now on the trail of something difficult, and Helotes became aware that they were moving upwards, and soon, the trees and fog thinned. The view from here was lovely, and he took a moment to look across Inferni, before noticing the shapes of horses and Luperci nearby. It was Myrika, and Yegua was heading straight towards them, most likely smelling the stallion. As they neared, Helotes raised a hand in greeting, Hello, Consul. He said courteously as Yegua came to a halt beside a very pregnant mare, and suddenly became very interested in the grass.

Helotes smiled warmly at Myrika, a facial expression that was beginning to become more of a staple for the man, instead of his trademark grin. The coyote girl was quite beautiful in a subdued way, not flashy like Emma or dangerously seductive like Halo was. It did not surprise him at all that Vesper had chosen this girl to woo, but he would not let on that he knew these things.

In reaction to her question, for a split second the Lykoi male was completely confused; what baby? Was she talking about the foal residing in the bloated mare’s stomach? But then he felt the soft wriggling of the tiny life against his chest and he started, Oh! Yes, this is my son. He looked down at the gray fur ball lovingly, and tapped him on the head with his nail, Come one, wake up; show the lovely lady you’re face. And on cue, little Chico awoke, as if he had been only pretending to sleep the whole time, and raised large ears and eyes to Myrika. He looked like a little alien puppy, his ears and eyes much too large for his round head, and his maroon eyes were striking. He stared at her, before letting out a large, nearly toothless yawn. Helotes chuckled, He is something… And then the Lykoi man went to unwrap the small creature.

Once free from the wrap, he held the pup up, and it brayed in protest, He looks a lot like Kaena, don’t you think? It was true, the boy did hold a lot of his grandmother’s looks, save for the eyes and the unique way the crimson splashed across his cheeks and nose. But what really set him apart from the clan’s matriarch was his size; no one could ignore that there was something wrong with this puppy, but Helotes would never coddle his son for it. Here, you want to hold him? Helotes asked. This was the first time he could really show off his child to someone, and he was going to take full advantage of it.

For a moment, Helotes thought that Myrika might refuse to hold his son, but she soon proved him incorrect, and dismounted to reach up to hold him. Helotes smiled and gently gave his tiny child to the woman, and at first the creature squealed at the sensation of being away from his father’s warmth and smell, but then became very curious about the new, unknown person that was holding him.

He looked into Myrika’s face with his wine-colored gaze, like she was the most awesome thing he had ever seen, and ever so slightly his tiny stub of a tail wagged. The Lykoi male laughed, Ah, we don’t have a name for him yet… He said, still smiling, Zana and I aren’t sure what to name him; it has to be something strong, because he is strong. Helotes suddenly felt the immense swell of pride that he could only apply to fatherhood.

He began musing then, letting the warmth of the moment flow through him, before looking back from his son to Myrika, I never thought I would be father, at least, not a good one. I thought I would be doomed to be like my own father. But I can’t imagine ever hurting my children… parenthood is like a drug. He looked at her quizzically, as if his own words confused him. He obviously wasn’t representing his thoughts through words very well.

Helotes shifted uncomfortably on the back of Yegua, and she muttered up at him. He nodded and dismounted, and she meandered off to join the other horses. Now that he was standing next to her, Helotes realized how small Myrika was, at least in comparison to himself. His child looked nearly normal in her arms, and he smiled at them.

She had asked him why he had chosen Zana, and Helotes reached back to scratch the back of his head nervously; he knew that some of the members of Inferni looked down upon he and his mate for them being related, but if truth be told, they had already consummated their relationship by the time Zana’s true heritage was revealed, and sometimes love was stronger than the prejudice of others. Honestly, I loved how strong she was in the face of everything life had thrown at her. She’s a spitfire, and knows how to deal with my shit. And… you know, I fell in love with her. He grinned sheepishly.

Myrika then asked if they had shown the pups to his grandmother yet and his ears drooped, No… we will, soon, I hope… he looked away, and took a breath before continuing, It’s just that… I think Zana might be a little… ashamed… that Chico is like her. And he reached out to softly tug on one of his son’s tiny ears, I think she doesn’t want Kaena to think we have weak spawn. And he frowned then, because his son was not weak, despite his size. But all this was just guessing on his part; he wasn’t sure what his mate truly felt, but he saw the look she sometimes got when looking at their children.

Myrika was quick to dispel Helotes’ worries, about both his son and his belief of what the others thought of he and Zana. He had not spoken with Myrika much, but he understood now why Vesper was so smitten with her; she knew exactly what to say to make him feel like everything was ok.

Telling him that Kaena would want to see her new great-grand children, despite Chico’s unique qualities, the Lykoi male became even more glad. Helotes smiled and nodded, once again marveling at his grandmother. It would have been interesting to know her in her younger years, at the height of her spawning; she must have been quite the woman.

But Myrika’s comment about Halo caught him off guard, and his eyes flicked from the small puppy up to her face; why had she mentioned her? She had been strong when her pups had been born, it was not until they were already weaned that she had been injured. Helotes felt a bit of shame snake its way into his heart though; he had not gone to visit Halo at all since her injury. He was not sure why, perhaps he wanted to imagine she was still the dragon queen, strong and powerful, not ruined and broken. Or perhaps, he thought she would not want to see him, especially now that he had mated with Zana, and they had had children together. He could only imagine what she would think of Chico… she would probably wonder why Helotes hadn’t killed him; she was not one to favor the weak.

Still, he wondered about the formers Triarii’s health, How is Halo doing, by the way? He asked.

What Myrika had to say about Halo was somewhat shocking and disappointing. Helotes had hoped, or at least though, that the girl would be self-reliant by now, but that didn’t seem to be the case. But it seemed as if his grandmother was seeing to her, as Myrika so eloquently pointed out, causing the Lykoi male to laugh a bit.

Chico had obviously had enough of the whole ordeal, and seeing as no one was paying close attention to him anymore, he began to squirm and squeal in Myrika’s grasp. Helotes frowned a bit at him, No hay necesidad de que, Chico. he said softly as he reached out to the Consul to retrieve his child. He looked at the blue eyed woman again, You are a lovely woman to speak to, Myrika. I am very proud to have you as my superior. He chuckled then awkwardly, Sorry if that sounds a little strange. Strange or no, he meant his words. Vesper and Ezekiel and she were the only ones above him, and he could not have been happier with their leadership.

Helotes cocked and ear and gave a small smirk at her story of Ithiel; Helotes had not met the man yet, but knew he was close to Myrika and some other’s he knew, and also that he was a very serious man. Helotes did not mind that, he could understand striving for honor and respect and there were some who made that their entire lives. Helotes went to wrap Chico back up in the sling against his chest, No, not weird at all. He said off-handedly to Myrika’s statement. Weird did not really exist in Inferni, it seemed to be the norm here.

As soon as he was finished securing his son, who immediately fell asleep against the warmth of Helotes’ chest, the foggy clouds decided to open and send drizzle down upon them and the horses. It did not bother the Hydra in the least bit, but he did not want his child to get too wet, Well, it was nice talk to you senorita. Perhaps we can do it again sometime. And with a smile and a nod, and a quick call to Yegua, the male left to return back to the mansion.