{Alex}

The next day I left to check on the children. Redwood took me to a home that looked mostly normal. Five children who looked far too skinny lay outside in the sun unsure expressions on their faces. One looked like he was part lizard and nearly twelve, he was the oldest. Large patches of green scales covered his face, arms and legs. He had green hair that covered his eyes and just lay there waiting on orders. Hena looked shocked as she held a notebook in front of her face. “Do you have a name?” I asked the lizard boy. He just blinked up at me shaking his head. “Redwood, who has their coins?” He nodded to the house.

“Master Meathead does.” Redwood said proudly. So, this was Meathead’s house. I knocked on the door and Batsy came out beaming at me.

“Alex. Nice to see you.” God, it looked like a small bat woman was due any day. What the hell did he fill her with miracle grow? She giggled and I remembered that she could read minds. She hugged her belly with large bat-winged arms.

“No offense taken. I love this.” She said proudly. “These little ones are ours for right now. We are setting up things with other families. You are right. Kids, disregard any orders anyone has given you and follow any order that this man gives you” All their collars glowed, and they looked at each other. “Welcome Alex. I’m going to lay back down.” Talking with her made everything so easy. Why couldn’t others be that open and honest? “Thank you.” She yelled from inside the house. I went back to the lizard boy.

“Can you talk now?” I asked him. He nodded and opened his mouth.

“Talk, yes. No name.” He had been stunted from lack of interaction.

“Hena. It looks like we have a lot of work to get these kids up to speed. Would you like a name child?” He nodded as Hena wrote something down. “How about Drake? It means dragon in an old language from my homeland.”

“Drake. Me dragon?” He said looking at his hands. “Drake.” He looked up at me with large golden eyes that threatened to water.

“I don’t think you are a dragon but work hard and study and you can become someone dragons fear. Do you understand me?” He nodded, smiling, showing sharp teeth.

“Drake.” He sang.

“Redwood, please make sure that these kids get a lot of food and eat three of the fruit a day for the next two weeks. I think these kids will be the base of a pilot program. Hena, can you make sure priest get me a stat run down on each.” Both nodded as I moved on to the next. It looked like this one was a female fox. She had to be nine years old if that. She had golden hair and a long patchy golden tail. Black tips twitched as she turned large fur covered ears to me. Bright blue eyes focused on us. She was wearing a torn brown tunic. “Do you have a name?” She shook her head much like the lizard boy. My nerd mind was fully in place as I looked at her. “How about Renamon?” I loved digimon and that name seemed fitting. She tilted her head. “She was a golden fox who would fight to protect those around her.” Rena looked around at the other children and smiled.

“Rena.” She said boldly as she walked over to Drake. “Drake.” He laughed and pointed at her.

“Rena.” He said with a playful growl. The other three stood and made their way to me, a hopeful expression in their eyes. The next up was a pair of wolf boys. It was clear they were twins as both had black hair and dark eyes. Long black tails wagged in joy and excitement. Both looked to be seven or eight and dressed like Drake in plain loin cloths.

“None of you have names?” I asked. The last three nodded, but the first two shook their heads happily.

“Rena.” Renamon said proudly.

“Drake.” Added laughing.

“Well, how about Timber and Fell. If most wolves go by the names of trees, why not make these two the things that trees fear.” Redwood let his tongue hang out smiling at the two little ones.

“Master, can I take these two into my pack?” I nodded and the twins jumped up, yipping in joy. The last was a small racoon girl who looked up at me with a mask of dark skin over her eyes. She had to be a year younger than Gen with short gray hair that covered her eyes slightly, but I could still see deep brown eyes though.

“How about you Rocket?” She tilted her head unsure. “It was the name of a great racoon warrior. Rocket Racoon.”

“Ket Ra Co.” She said pointing at herself, nodding after each word.

“You like Ket?” She nodded and ran up hugging my leg.

“Hena. We need beds for the children’s room. This one is mine.” I growled putting a hand gently on the little one's back. She was holding back tears as she knelt to give the racoon girl a huge hug. Hena would make a good mother. Why did I have that thought? I blushed and looked away. “Rest well Drake, Rena, school will be starting soon.”

“What is school, Master?” Redwood asked, a child on each shoulder.

“These little ones need to learn to read, write, talk properly and later on how to fight and use their mana and skills. They are the future of our town, and I won’t have this town fall to stupidity.” I said turning.

“Can older ones learn too or is this just for children?” He asked hopefully.

“Normally it is just for kids, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to learn.” I nodded and took Ket home. It looks like my family is growing again. I could have easily taken the other two, but it would be better if some of the other families had a chance to grow. If I took everything, what would be left for my friends?” I later found out that Boss took Rena and Drake stayed with Meathead. Lily and the others took over Ket and made sure she was just as loved and happy as Gen and Snow. My kids pulled Ket away to play with a ball as the women got clothes for her. Snow had bloomed over the last day. Before she was scared and skittish, now she was bold and laughed a lot. She was a little hug bug and demanded I give her a hug each night. Ket and Gen wouldn’t be left out though and demanded hugs every night. I had been home barely a day when Mai, my green haired harpy lover pulled me to her nest. I had wondered if she had hoped for some fun, but I wasn’t expecting to see a large tan egg in the center of the nest. She had laid an egg. Would it hatch into our child? I wasn’t even aware she had some of the fertility potion. Mai was mute and could only make bird sounds to get her point across. The egg was nearly the size of a basketball, warm and tan with large black spots across the surface. How did she lay such a large egg? Uta came around the corner to see what was going on and froze. Mai turned to her, raised her wings in the air, hissed and brought her foot up to attack Uta. Below the knee on Mai turned into large bird legs with sharp talons. Her arms were huge green wings that she used to fly around the town to spot trouble. Someone had come up with the idea that she could land at a watch tower and point to a book to show what she saw and then to a map as to where she saw it. It saved us a lot of time and trouble.

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“Mai, It’s okay. Uta loves you and won’t hurt your egg.” I said slowly as Uta backed away worried. Uta’s eyes went wide as she looked at Mai and then to me.

“You laid an egg. I’m so jealous.” Uta said, pouting. Mai lowered her leg slowly and went back to the egg, wrapping her wings around it as she pulled it to her belly. “May I touch it, Mai?” Uta asked. Mai looked at me and then went back to Uta before nodding slowly. Uta made her way slowly to Mai and put a shaking hand on the egg. “It’s so warm and large.” Mai gave a chirp of approval before kissing Uta’s hand softly. “No need to apologize.” Uta said, stroking Mai’s face. “You are my sister. Sisters love each other.” Mai frowned and growled slightly at that. “Okay your old sisters weren’t like that, but you can’t say we are like your old sisters at all.” Mai nodded and licked Uta’s hand, making Uta smile.

“Am I wrong, or can you talk to Mai?” I asked Uta. What was going on? Uta nodded and smiled.

“I have a skill that lets me share and feel the emotions of others.” She smiled at me, and I felt something strange. It was like the feeling of a hot blanket fresh from the dryer on a cold day when I was sick. Just being warm, safe, and happy when hurting. It felt nice. “I had been talking with Mai for a while before she went into hibernation and hadn’t had a chance since we left to meet the prince. You must have been worried when you woke up.” Uta said brushing Mai’s feather-like hair. My bird lover chirped and looked at me, her eyes shining before looking at the egg. “She wants to know if you are okay with her having your child.”

“Uta, Mai, I love you both and would be a happy father to any children you bring into this world.” Mai lowered her head and kissed the egg, blushing madly, a crest of hair rising from the top of her head while Uta wept openly and hugged me tightly. I hoped these were happy tears. I struggled with understanding things like happy tears. It still seemed like a contradiction to me.

I worked out with Mayor to build a small schoolhouse and to my ever delight a wagon showed up with two new slaves. One was skilled in reading, writing and had a teaching skill. She was a lovely cow woman with huge breasts. She had long horns that reached up. Even without the horns, she had to be over seven feet tall and had a long tail that ended in a tuft of fur. Large hooves clopped on the cobble road. The huge woman was squeezed into the brown tunic all slaves he sold seemed to be wearing and it barely covered her. Long dark brown hair covered one deep brown eye letting the other look out. I had enough on my plate for now and would let her teach the children and anyone who wanted to learn. Once she found out what she was doing, she mooed with delight. The other was a dark looking woman with a sour expression. She had a long scar down the side of her face. A long lizard like tail was wrapped around her feet as she held herself.

“What can you do?” I asked her.

“I know how to build things.” She said coldly.

“Build what?” I was getting annoyed.

“Things, bridges, houses, things with stone and so on.” She put her head between her knees and muttered. “Not like you are going to listen to me though.”

“Why wouldn’t I listen to you? Only a moron ignores solid advice.” Her head shot up and she looked me in the eyes, a slightly shocked look on her face. “You two get the same offer everyone else gets. Work hard for me for the next year and you will be set free. Work hard and help us out and your name will go into the weekly lottery. This means your name may be drawn to be set free sooner than the yearly event. Also, if anyone refuses to hear you out on a project, you are to come to me directly and report what happened.” Her collar glowed and she started looking around. The bull woman looked around.

“What if we don’t want to be free?” She asked, puffing out that impossibly large chest.

“Then say no when I offer. The offer will stand if you change your mind moving forward.”

“I’m going to like it here.” The lizard woman said getting out of the wagon. I paid the driver to make sure that the gold would go to Fat Man. The lizard woman was taken to Mayor and would help him with planning and building. The cow woman was taken to my office where a small building I had set up would be used as a makeshift classroom. The next few days I would work in the afternoon so the children could learn in the morning and then get time to play and be children. I ended up building a playset behind my office with slides, swings and a large modern looking playset. I had the town help with leather scraps to make the seats for the swings, ropes for a rope bridge and so on. It turned out nicely and the children loved it. Ket liked to watch me work and I had to work hard to watch my mouth or get too flirty with Hena as we worked. Gen would play on the table teaching Snow how to use the controls. It would take time for the new children to unlock their mana channels but I was hopeful. It took me a month to get the new chest built up and I ended up spending nearly a week making sure that the prince had twelve new engines to play with. Woodcutter was nice enough to run them to him with a spare wolf and a sled of hunters. It shouldn’t take them as long as the trip took us as they were moving at the speed of a Dire Knight as opposed to a caravan. It made sure the town had a lot of money coming in. I had yet to get a shipment from the mines, but that would hopefully come soon. I did not expect to see a white-haired bunny man standing in my office one morning.

“Are you Lord Savage?” He asked, a slightly worried look in his eyes. I nodded and took my seat. He was a well-dressed short man with long white ears and slightly intense red eyes. He was dressed in a tight-fitting suit that anyone would struggle to move in. It was like someone was trying to make the bunnies as uncomfortable as possible. “Good. I am a messenger from the Deveros family. They wish to challenge you for the former Hintergolt mines in exchange for the former Hintergolt mansion. Do you accept?”

“Why would I want the house?” I said coldly.

“I was told the offer is for that house, land under the house and all slaves that the Hintergolt family used to own.”

“That is something I want. I accept. When and where?” He pulled out a coin and started speaking into it. Soon he pulled out a paper and started writing.

“It looks like they will be sending you a challenger in a month. It is to be one on one Knight combat, no tricks and to be recorded by the envoy of the challenging Knight.” I nodded letting the chain that had made its way to his chair fall slowly. He lifted the pen, his eyes going wide with fear as it moved to his own neck quickly. My chain shot up and restrained him before he could kill himself. Quickly I reached into a drawer to a hidden pile of drained large cores and jumped over my desk to him. He had stopped breathing and his eyes had rolled to the back of his head. I removed his collar, turning it into scrap on my desk. He gasped and looked over at me. “You set me free?” He said in wonder.

“I get the feeling you are Lily’s brother, cousin or uncle. She would get upset if another bunny died.” I said coldly returning to my seat. He bowed to me and groveled on the floor.

“I will do whatever you ask for the chance to repay this debt.”

“What debt? It was two silver. If you need a job though, go see Boss. He is helping everyone get lined out.” I sighed and got back to some long overdue paperwork and a little bit of toying with my model. Whoever this idiot was who tried to force me to watch a slave die by his own hand would have to suffer a painful death.