CW:

Scary soul predators and accepting Plural things and AHHH! Finding out about misgendering and correcting the mistake.

If it weren’t for the weird fuzzy Fae spirit curled up at the edges of my soul, I’d have drug both my Beloveds into as many Amwella dances as they could stand. But… aside from some wonderful kisses and aggressive nuzzling we avoided all of us getting too distracted.

“Need to make sure this stupid thing doesn’t try to pounce when we’re tongue deep in each other.” Our Fae had laughed.

BUT they… they pulled me to my feet and led me to the door and… and like I could see and guess easily where they meant to take me but… but the tears start flowing again as the door opens and I see it.

Our chambers.

Like… like they never really left me alone before. The Manor was always close but… but this…

“Alright, Beloved.” Tretion murmurs after going through a litany of itchy words to the manor. “If anything seems to happen, tell us right away. We’ll ignite the Binding within our souls and pull our young free as the manor establishes another barrier around you.”

“Um…” I murmur, Promise Song wibbling at the edges of my mind and soul. Causing my Jellyfish to nuzzle close.

Awnya smirks and tugs us forward. “Won’t be alone. We’ll be here and close and ready to help. Just… making sure the little ones aren’t too close to anything spooky.”

That settles it, and I huff in relief. “Oke.”

We don’t say much as we gather up into the big bed. Don’t need to as we all just get to… to bask in each other. Anytime I begin to get a little worried I snuggle closer in body and soul. Let my Tretion’s cold steady focus, Awnya’s fiery determinations, and our childrens’ wibbly love calm and settle me.

Eventually drifting off to sleep within the embraces of my most treasured family.

***

It’s her fear that wakes me. Stirs me to sit up and gaze about from my lovers and Jellyfish to look around until I spot…

She’s closer to me than she’s normally comfortable being, and… huh. Naranggas I’d always kept pointed at her are curled about but… not touching. Just springing out a few sharp bits to reflect the subtle warnings of my soul.

But… What's she so scared of? Not me. I mean…she IS scared of me. That’s a good thing! Keeps me and my family safe to sleep close again. But…

She barely seems to notice me right now.

Her eyes locked on the pitched shadows beneath and behind.

I pause, tilting my head as I examine it. Sensing…

Something. Reaver instincts aren’t flaring but… now that I’m looking things within my gut roil a bit.

Jellyfish nuzzle closer though. Filling me with their echoing snoozie joys and happiness. Helping to steady my mind as I look between this fuzzy spirit and the darkness she’s even now trying to scoot away from.

Considering… All the things. Should I wake up my Beloveds and ask them?

Mebe.

But… hm… I’m not sure they could do much to help? Whatever is lurking in the shadows seems… I’m not sure. Like either it can’t see us or… or doesn’t want to attack? Knows it would go badly for it?

So I turn to the fuzzy fox Fae, and nudge her gently with a tendril.

She flinches, but peeks out from her layers of fur at me while seeming to keep the pitch in her sights.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I wordlessly reach out and pat the bed. An offer.

She narrows her eyes.

I sigh and pat it again.

Her expression turns… confused, worried. But… hopeful?

I pull back some of my wiggly tendrils to encompass a little circle in the spot. Wrapping into a little space.

She bites her lip at that, then… very slowly moves to drift and crawl closer. Glancing back every few feet to regard the pitch.

Once she’s within the space I fix her with a serious look. Stretch out with the Core of my Amwella to her. Another offering.

She winces, looks back to the pitch, then nods and leans into the touch while squeezing her eyes shut.

Wordless Fear and Pain and Terror and Submission and Pleading roils through her. So hot and vibrant I almost jerk away but… don’t. Instead take a deep breath and consider this clear look at her will and plans and deeper things.

And… I find only more the same. Shame and Weariness and a desperate longing to just… find safety.

And something about that makes me gift her words as clearly as I can through this temporary touching of souls. Don’t attack, and… I’ll you keep safe?

Her eyes slowly open at that, and her soul stills. Still terrified but… hopeful again as she nods once.

“Oke…” I murmur softly, needing to pull my core back to keep my mind steady. “You sleep. N– nothing w– will att– attack tonight.”

Curling my Naranggas to form a wall between her and the pitched shadows I move to nuzzle back with my lovers and…

Find Tretion waking up. Which… makes sense. Her tendrils are still kinda wibbling after me and both their souls are sleeping pretty restlessly. If not for our Jellyfish and my Naranggas they might not get any sleep at all with how worried they are.

“Is everything alright?” She whispers softly, half gathering me up in her arms.

“Mhm. Think so.” I’m able to whisper clearly. “J– just… Letting f– fuzzy sp– spirit sleep cl– close. W– was sc– scared of th– things in sh– shadows. B– but we are s– safe.”

She hesitates, then smiles softly. “Alright. Should we remain awake for a bit? Make sure nothing rises from the depths?”

I wibble back and forth on that, and… eventually nod. “Y– yeah. M– make sure.”

Our Watcher nods, and pulls me close while the fuzzy spirit seems to curl about herself tighter. Bubbling with less fear but… still weary. Still so scared.

Awnya stirs soon enough, notices both of us sitting up and waiting. “Everything okay?”

I nod, and let Tretion repeat my words.

“Hmm… And you're sure we’re safe?”

“Mhm. J– just… B– big s– s– som– th– thing. D– don’t th– think it c– can r– reach us.”

The fuzzy spirit looks back to regard me with raised eyebrows.

I shrug. “R– r– r– reaver b– bits s– say n– no.”

Awnya’s soul flickers with worry while Tretion’s tendrils and Amwella titter with curiosity.

I huff and look down. “J– just… T– taught t– to f– feel d– danger. M– move w– without th– thinking b– before a– aatt– attack h– hits m– me.”

Our Fae nods slowly. “Yeah. I got a feeling like that too. Was how I could tell that Fae Elder was tracking me and your family. Saved me a few times back when I was flitting about the Rifts.”

“N– n– nar– Naran– gas m– make it better. Sh– sharper. M– more now.” I murmur to them. “C– can sleep. W– will m– move to pr– pr– protect if d– danger.”

Tretion nods, still worried but… easy trust rippling through her soul, and Awnya nods before pulling us back into a snoozie pile of love and warmth and comforts.

But… At some point in the night, soon after whatever was lurking seems to swim away, my tendrils move to relax. Beginning what my Beloveds tell me is a cute swaying.

Normally that would be fine but… the fuzzy spirit seems to ripple in… something as the Naranggas around it pull away. Not something big and horrible but… something I recognize and don’t like.

And then it starts to shiver and shake and… curl tighter in on itself.

At that, still mostly asleep, I pull a tendril free from the mess and move it down to wind about her. Not… Well at first I leave it a bit back as to not trap her but… but then she scoots and nuzzles close! Even reaches out with fuzzy little bits to latch onto it. Not… I could pull away. Easily. But as she touches it I feel such a thrumming calm overtake her. Settling what I didn’t really notice was this constant bubble of all the things she showed me before into a soft relieved echo.

Still there but… muted at this little safety my tendril can offer her.

So… I do something I hope isn’t stupid, and reach down with a couple more. Let them curl close and… I don’t know. Wribble in something else. Another offer?

She trembles and turns eyes to stare into me. Not my eyes. I’m not fully awake. And I can feel that the fuzzy spirit wants SO badly to take it. Is about to. I can tell but… Then her eyes move to lock onto my Jellyfish and lovers and… and with a huff of sadness and self-focused annoyance she pushes my offering back.

Not a refusal but… a request?

Wait?

Huh… Well that seems stupid.

So I offer it again. Let my eyes open to look at her.

She hesitates again, bites lip and looks deep into my Sea-Bed of a soul.

“Protect each other?” I whisper softly, knowing the words won’t wake up those about me. “K– keep f– family s– safe?”

[Please?] The fuzzy spirit seems to whisper.

I nod, and let my tendrils curl closer to her. Then they… I don’t know. Shift a bit. Not to grow talons or thorns but… the opposite? Maybe?

But then her fuzzy spirit is snuggling close to my tendrils and drifting up along their core and… and now she’s nuzzling into the deeper parts of my Amwella. Kinda like how my Jellyfish used to be before I woke up here.

That, oddly, relaxes me. I knew she didn’t want to hurt me but… this makes that even more clear.

She’s a part of me now. My Sea-bed is where she can hide from the scary things lurking in the Pitch.

And together my family and I drift off into wonderful sleep for a while.

***

Waking up is weird. Nuzzled close to soft and calm souls in ways I’m not used to and I missed so much and… and at first I don’t even notice the odd addition to the pile! Like… it’s not a bad thing. I told this fuzzy spirit she could snuggle into the maybe parts of my Amwella, and I can tell now so much more about her that…

Wait.

No. Okay that’s… huh.

Oke.

This Spirit doesn’t like me to call it a ‘her’. So I’m going to stop thinking of you as a 'she' and starting thinking of you as… neither? Or both? Like Usete? Or not? Th– they? Or… it?

A surprised pause, then the Fuzzy Spirit is snuggling into my Amwella so much more than before. Almost… Dreamer’s Tits, it’s radiating such sudden relief at that. Nuzzling all about and around and just… basking in the deepest parts of the maybe places within my soul.

Sort of like my Jellyfish did but… they kinda gobbled up all my emotions and learned things from me. This Fuzzy Spirit already has its own mess of spilling out and around but… not like… hurting or changing anything. AND my Jellyfish aren’t really in that part of my soul anymore so it can’t really get to them.

So I kinda let my maybe soul space hug it back and bubble with soft feelings of protection and safety and… well all the good stuff, as Awnya likes to say.

It likes that. And settles back into resting things. Still aware and… watchful? Yeah. It’s watching the Pitch really closely. Like… like how a big cat can watch a ton of a forest’s floor from the branches above.

Still quiet though. Doesn’t really seem to want to wibble thoughts into word shaped things.

But… that’s oke. I assure it. Words are hard like… most of the time. Just let me know if something starts bubbling up from the Shadows, oke?

It purrs gentle agreements, nuzzling closer and deeper, then turning a lazy focus onto the Pitch.

And I decide to return to the snoozie pile of lovers and Jellyfish for more good rest.