#todd:drabble

[ofviolentdeath]

30 Days of Drabbles: Lyri and Todd

Explaining to the others about Todd had been easy, even if he had shifted back to his fuzzier state the moment Cam and Kat had come home. He was still adjusting, they understood that, and Lyri had, after all, been the one to rescue him. It made sense that he would bond with her faster.

Eventually, the boy stopped hiding and life went on as it had always done so in their home. Everyone pitched in, the older kids made sure to play with him and let him get to know them, everyone made sure Todd knew he was safe and that he was loved and wanted there.

But the boy never spoke. It had troubled Lyri enough to take him to see Cord. Which went over about as well as anything new did, resulting in the boy shifting and trying to hide in his newfound momma’s purse. But the demon hadn’t seemed to worried about. After all, the boy had been through something traumatic and for a child his age, it wasn’t uncommon for them to stop talking for a time. He had told her to just give it time, that Todd would talk when he wanted to.

So she did as she was instructed, but it still bugged her a little, like something nagging at the back of her mind. She just wanted to know that he was okay, for him to confirm it. She tried having her aunt teach him sign language, but he had only grabbed her hands and pushed them together. It was clear enough that he wasn’t interested in it.

Stubborn, to say the least, but it was fitting. She had been stubborn as a child, bratty even, and she knew most of the kids had a stubborn streak as well. He definitely fit in with the family, no one could argue that.

Another month of silence from the little boy had passed and Lyri had finally given up on getting him to talk. Cam was cooking, but the boy was impatient and had tried to get into the stash of cookies, only to be stopped and carried from the kitchen.

“No cookies until after dinner, little fuzzbutt,” Lyri chided, setting him down and getting him a coloring book. As soon as her back was turned, the boy spoke up, a single word, clear as a bell.

“Okay.”

Lyri froze, eyes going wide before she turned to look at him. “What?”

“I said okay. No cookies now. Dindin first,” he added, smiling up at her with something far too close to mischief in his blue eyes.

“You little shit. Why didn’t you talk before now?” she whined, handing him the big box of crayons.

Todd simply shrugged, done with words for now as he got to work coloring another picture for the fridge as Lyri sighed loudly and marched off to tell Cam and Kat what the little trouble maker was up to.

[ofviolentdeath]

30 Days of Drabbles: Lyri and Todd

It had been a couple weeks since Lyri had brought the little kit into their home and he had adjusted pretty well. A lot faster than Alopex had, and she was glad for it. He was skiddish, sure, but loving and sweet.

Now that she was certain he was healthy, Lyri wanted to take him shopping, get him a collar and all the toys he could possibly want. But, try as she might, she couldn’t seem to find the fox anywhere. No one had seen him all day and it was making her worry.

Checking the kitchen for the third time in an hour, Lyri stopped dead, confusion creasing her brow. Playing in Todd’s water dish was a child, no more than four, completely nude but happy as he splashed at the water. His red hair was sticking up all over, like it hadn’t been combed properly in weeks and, for a moment, she had no idea what to do or say.

Where had this kid come from? Did someone leave a door open? Or did her son and his husband adopt another child and not tell her?

She went to open her mouth to ask where he came from, but the child turned, gave her a toothy grin, and ran at her, tiny arms circling her legs as he nuzzled at her knees.

“Todd?” It couldn’t be, right? She would have known if she had brought home a tiny shifter. But the boy’s eyes lit up further and he nodded, making a grabby motion with his hands as if he wanted to be picked up.

And Lyri never could deny a child any time they wanted or needed affection.

“You little sneak. We need to find you some clothes. Can’t have a baby running around naked. You’ll catch a cold,” she chided, unable to stop smiling as she carried him upstairs to go through the kids’ old baby clothes. There was no way she was going to let anyone take him from her, that much was certain.

[ofviolentdeath]

Finding a Fox

@indietrashbullshit @didyoujustflipoffcthulhu @thewitchandtheangels

It had been years, decades really, since Lyri had said goodbye to the first “baby” she ever had. Alopex had been the practice baby, really, proof that she and Tass could love something and nourish it, keep it alive and healthy. The fox had even been the only one there when they had run off and eloped. 

The children were all grown and, no matter how much she liked having babies in the house, it was a nice little break. But still, she needed something to baby.

The forest was mostly quiet this late, but she knew what to listen for. Red foxes did have a very distinct sound, after all. It wasn’t until she was deep into the woods that she heard something. Faint at first, small and sad. 

The closer Lyri got to the sound, the more her heart broke. Nothing could have quite prepared her for the sight of a kit, blood in his fur, strung up in a trap. As quickly as she could, she cut the poor thing free and cradled him to her chest, doing her best to soothe him before simply disappearing from the forest and bringing the kit home with her.

He was a little underfed, clearly dehydrated, but he was strong and otherwise healthy. Hunting had probably robbed him of his mother and it was absolutely her place to raise the poor fox. The right place at the right time, absolute fate in her eyes.

She took a dance cloth and cleaned his fur up, happy that he had stopped whimpering. Once he was clean, she set about finding him something to eat and giving him water. 

“I need a name for you, little guy,” she murmured, crouching the ground and watching him eat.

“What about Todd? Like, from the Fox and Hound,” a voice chimed in, making Lyri jump. Kat smiled a little, waving from the doorway and making her way to Lyri’s side. “I like Todd.”

She was silent, thoughtful for a moment before grinning. “Todd the fox. I like it.”