Page 91 of Prayers for the Prickly

“You know it.”

I could hear Aunty Eunice softly singing an old folk song I’d always loved as a child and still loved to listen to whenever it came on the radio. Even after all these years her voice was still as smooth and soothing as it had always been. She was seated on the opposite side of the blankets containing four of our five whelplets, while the fifth, our persistent daughter, had fallen asleep against her papa’s side. At least she’d given up on trying to nurse from him, while he stared at her with a look of awe on his fuzzy face.

“She’s beautiful,” I murmured as I stepped over the edge of the nest, Mom right by my side the entire time in case I lost my balance.

After the pineapple juice the last of my dizziness had faded, but I was grateful that she remained vigilant knowing how new all of this was to me.

They all are.

I was careful not to jostle anything as I crossed the nest to sit beside the little bundle of blankets and wrinkly hedgehog faces, with their furrowed little brows covering their eyes. Wait, one, two, three, I looked up at Aunty Eunice, but she wasn’t holding our other wolverine, so where….

Carefully I peeled back the blanket, to see that my wolverine son was lying across his siblings like an extra blanket to keep them, with their sparce, soft prickles, warm. Choked up, I could just sit there and stare down at him, while soft clicking in the background told me that Mom was making certain to capture this moment for me. I’d hug her for that later and so much more. Both of them. I knew, when Gregor had asked if I was ready for him to call them, that I’d already waited too long to let him know what was going on. Stubborn hedgehogs were get into trouble hedgehogs, Gram-Gram always said. She’d nearly been right in this instance, too.

“Wow, we really did this,” I said, leaning to kiss Gregor on the snout.

He licked me and nuzzled against the side of my cheek, then immediately glanced down at his side to check on our daughter and make sure he hadn’t disturbed her in any way.

We sure did,he said.

Is it okay if I tell them the names, or do you want to wait until you’re able to shift, too?

I have no intention or desire to shift anytime soon. Even if she moves. I keep hoping one of the others will wander over, too.

Would you like me to adjust the blankets so it’s easier for them to get to you?

Not until they’re awake.

Mom called your folks; they’re probably on the way already.

Oh good, they can let everyone else on my side know.

You doing okay, now that the adrenaline has worn off?I asked.Those were some tense few minutes there.

I’m just glad I didn’t let you down.

Never, not for one single moment, you were magnificent. You took care of everything so I didn’t even have to think. You were so calm, and you made sure I stayed calm, got our playlist going, and got Mom and Aunty Eunice here, which I still don’t understand how you managed without leaving the nest to let them in.

Family supper, I showed them where the spare key was out front and where the bathroom was and asked your mom if there was anything I needed to stock or place somewhere. She’s the one who told me about the pineapple juice and that it would be the best one to have on hand for you after the delivery. Aunty Eunice told me to keep my phone in the pocket of my jeans so I wouldn’t lose it in the nest or anywhere else and have to hunt for it when I needed it. And she’s also the one who reminded me not to panic if I scented blood, because that was to be expected during a delivery. I can’t wait to hug her for that or I would have freaked the fuck out and been absolutely no use to you.

We don’t have to worry about any of that anymore, they’re here and they’re perfect.

They kinda are, aren’t they?

Hell yeah.

Okay, I’ll tell them the names now.

Go for it.

Aunty Eunice had shifted from one old favorite to the next, while Mom bundled up the bedding Aunty Eunice had already removed from the nest and moved it over beside the stairs to carry down to the laundry room.

“How’s he doing?” Aunty Eunice asked.

“Wonderfully in awe of our little ones.”

“Well, the next time we find ourselves in a situation where one of us is in fur, I will be able to communicate with him better,” Aunty Eunice said. “Your mom, Aunty Clara and I have signed up to take lessons in speaking wolverine and I’m sure others in the family will follow. We’ll all want to be able to communicate during our romps, and we can’t do that if we don’t speak each other’s languages.”

A series of soft snorts came from my mate, then chuckles burst through our mind link.

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