Chapter 210: They do not love us
Swanly blinked.
"Did you just tell me no?"
Eira stared.
"No."
Miko fell backward laughing.
Kael covered his mouth.
Soren nodded approvingly.
"Intelligent."
Kael immediately looked at him.
"Lazy."
Eira’s eyes slowly turned toward Kael.
Kael’s smile vanished.
He cleared his throat.
"Efficient."
Soren looked smug.
Swanly laughed so hard Sira started laughing too, although she clearly had no idea why.
Then Sira wriggled free.
"Down."
Swanly placed her carefully on the hide.
Sira stood.
Wobbled.
Looked at her sister.
Eira stared back.
Sira held out one tiny hand.
"Ei."
Eira looked at it.
Everyone went silent.
Sira waited.
"Ei."
Slowly, very slowly, Eira shifted.
Her snake tail disappeared.
Two tiny legs returned.
Swanly’s heart stopped.
Eira stood.
Wobbled.
Her hand entered Sira’s.
The twins stared at each other.
Then Sira smiled.
Eira did not.
But she held on.
One step.
Together.
Wobble.
Second step.
Sira giggled.
Eira concentrated.
Third step.
Both fell.
Puff.
Silence.
Then Sira started laughing.
Eira stared at her.
And for one tiny second...
her mouth curved too.
Swanly nearly collapsed.
Soren saw it.
Kael saw it.
The triplets saw it.
Nobody said anything.
Because apparently even Ironwood’s little ice princess could smile.
Sira threw both arms around her sister.
Eira tolerated it for exactly two breaths.
Then pushed her away.
Swanly laughed.
There she was.
...
The hierarchy of Swanly’s five children became clear very quickly.
Mama was at the top.
Not because the twins respected authority.
Because Mama had milk.
Mama had food.
Mama smelled right.
Mama was warm.
Mama could not be poisoned.
And, most importantly, Mama was the only person in Ironwood willing to lightly smack two tiny bottoms when the owners became unbearable.
The first time happened after Sira deliberately bit Nilo for touching a shiny stone she had claimed.
No venom.
But still.
"Nilo!"
Swanly rushed over.
Nilo held his finger.
"I’m fine."
Sira sat beside the stone, smiling beautifully.
Swanly slowly looked at her.
"Sira."
The smile widened.
"You bit your brother."
Sira pointed at the stone.
"Mine."
"I know it is yours."
She pointed at Nilo.
"No."
Nilo stared.
Swanly closed her eyes.
"You do not bite Nilo because he touched your rock."
Sira immediately picked up the rock.
"Mine."
"That is not the point."
Sira hugged the stone.
Conversation over.
Swanly picked her up.
Two light pats landed on the hide covering her tiny bottom.
Sira froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her mouth opened.
"WAAAAA!"
Swanly panicked for half a second.
Then stopped.
No tears.
Not one.
Sira reached dramatically for her.
"Mamaaaaa!"
"Oh, please."
Sira’s cry weakened.
Swanly stared.
"You bit Nilo."
Sira sniffed dramatically.
Still no tears.
"Don’t perform for me."
Sira immediately buried her face against Swanly’s chest.
"Mama."
Swanly’s heart folded instantly.
Unfortunately, Sira knew it.
Eira watched everything.
Swanly pointed at her.
"Don’t learn from her."
Eira blinked.
Later that same day, Eira bit Miko.
Swanly gave her the same two tiny pats.
Eira stared at Swanly.
No crying.
No movement.
Nothing.
Swanly began feeling guilty.
Then Eira crawled two steps away.
Turned around.
Looked directly at Soren.
And screamed.
"PA!"
Soren looked up.
Eira pointed at Swanly.
"Bad."
Swanly’s mouth fell open.
Soren turned his face away.
His shoulders moved.
"SOREN."
"I said nothing."
"Your daughter is reporting me!"
Eira reached for him.
"Pa."
Soren picked her up.
Swanly stared.
"Do not encourage her."
"I am comforting my child."
"She bit Miko!"
Soren looked at Eira.
"Did you?"
Eira rested her cheek against his chest.
Silence.
Soren looked back at Swanly.
"Insufficient evidence."
Kael nearly dropped the knife he was sharpening.
...
Then there were the boys.
Kairo had become transport.
He did not choose this.
The girls chose it for him.
If Eira wanted to cross the settlement and did not feel like transforming, she crawled to Kairo and raised both arms.
"Up."
Kairo picked her up.
Every time.
If Sira saw this, she immediately waddled over.
"Up."
Then Kairo carried both.
One on each hip.
Like a tiny exhausted father.
Swanly once found him walking toward the food caves with Eira clinging to his neck and Sira pointing directions.
"Where are you going?"
Kairo sighed.
"They wanted berries."
Eira pointed.
"Berri."
Sira copied.
"Berri!"
Swanly looked at Kairo.
"You know you can tell them no."
Kairo looked down at them.
Both girls stared back.
His expression softened.
"They’re little."
Hopeless.
Nilo became keeper of property.
If the girls left a toy somewhere, Nilo remembered where.
If Sira misplaced her shiny stone, she crawled to Nilo.
"Mine."
Nilo somehow understood.
"The gray one?"
Sira nodded.
He found it.
If Eira wanted her soft fur doll, she found Nilo.
"Doll."
He fetched it.
One afternoon Swanly watched Nilo cross the shelter three times for things the twins had thrown away themselves.
He finally sat down.
Both babies stared at him.
Nilo stared back.
Then announced calmly:
"They do not love us."
Kairo looked offended.
"They do."
Nilo shook his head.
"We are servants."
Miko looked thoughtful.
"I’m not."
Sira immediately looked at his dried meat.
Miko slowly looked down.
Sira smiled.
Miko looked at Swanly.
Then at the meat.
Then at Sira.
"No."
Sira kept smiling.
Miko took one bite.
Sira tilted her head.
Miko chewed slower.
Sira’s smile became sweeter.
Miko sighed and handed her the meat.
Nilo pointed.
"Servant."
Miko looked betrayed.
"I changed my mind."
Sira hugged the meat.
"Mine."
Nilo nodded.
"Exactly."
Eira had a different strategy.
She did not smile.
She simply stared.
If Kairo had the sitting place she wanted, she stared.
Kairo moved.
If Nilo had the blanket she wanted, she stared.
Nilo surrendered it.
If Miko held food she wanted, she stared.
Miko lasted longest.
Sometimes almost twenty full breaths.
Then:
"Fine!"
The twins had conquered Ironwood without taking a single wall.
...
Kael took longer to earn permission.
At first Eira did not particularly trust his hands.
They were too large.
Too warm.
Too panther.
She tolerated him touching her feet.
Sometimes.
Sira allowed him to hold her but usually spent the entire time trying to pull his black ears.
Kael endured this with enormous patience.
Then one afternoon Swanly returned from washing and stopped.
...
Guys, sometimes I have to stop writing because I’m literally sitting there laughing at my own scenes. 😭
Please tell me you guys are laughing too because I swear, sometimes I’m like, "Yeah, they’re going to love this," and then I start wondering if my humor is actually broken. 😂