In Trouble: Before its Time

[frogs_of_war]

I discovered Plant Breeder. It's as active or passive as you want it to be. You can control the change in your flowers by splicing and cloning by hand or click a button and let them evolve. I've let the one I started on Saturday run in the background. I go and look at it periodically. It started with an alpine lily and later I added a cherry branch and right now I've got blue trees (turning to purple). 




Title: Before its Time
Series: In Trouble
World: Wizard's Familiars
Length: 3.6k

Vido sighed. Maman and Pedar had brought Leyla with them.

 

Deev stopped sucking and peeped. Vido licked Deev’s head to get him to feed again. Jas moved over a nipple. VJ sucked hard on the nipple they all fight over. Jade never seemed to have this problem.

 

Leyla plopped on the floor beside Vido. “They’re so cute.”

 

She reached for the kittens. Vido hissed and scratched at her hand. She pulled back. “Sapulvato! Madar, J Danyal, he scratched me.”

 

Jay laughed. “Leave him alone. He’s going through his protective phase. Wait until their eyes open.”

 

Leyla pouted. Vido gave the kittens a thorough wash.

 

“But he’s feeding VJ too. That’s gross.” 

 

“Gross?” Jade walked into the room wearing nothing but a towel. “I really don’t see how it’s any of your business to judge our parenting.”

 

He dropped the towel and turned tabby.

 

“Talk about gross.” Pedar’s and Maman’s familiars didn’t interact with the family, so Leyla wasn’t used to Jade’s comfort with nudity. 

 

Jade turned back. “Did you want to? I’m fine with that.”

 

Leyla bounced to her feet. “Put your clothes on!”

 

“Really now.” Jade shook his head. “Is that any way to treat your host? You can always go home.”

 

“I will.” Leyla took a half step and disappeared.

 

Vido relaxed.

 

Jade turned tabby and licked Vido’s neck.

 

Maman sighed. “We should have left her at home.”

 

“She’s never going to learn,” Pedar said, “if she doesn’t interact with people more powerful than she is.”

 

“She interacts with you.” Jade curled around the other side of the kittens.

 

“She needs to learn power doesn’t require magic.” Pedar might be right, but what was good for Leyla wasn’t necessarily good for Vido’s kittens.

 

Jade licked Vj to get him to let go of Vido and join his brothers. Vido stood up. VJ quickly found a place at Jade’s side. Vido went into the bedroom to put on jeans and a t-shirt and greeted his guests in human form.

 

Maman hugged him. “You look wonderful.”

 

Vido put a hand over his belly. “I never got very big. JD’s Mumsey says I’m built for carrying kittens.”

 

Jay laughed. “She’s only saying that so we’ll wait on JD’s next litter until he graduates.”

 

“Either way, I’m feeling good.”

 

Maman patted his arm. “How are you three getting on?”

 

“One parent a kitten, you’d think we’d have this licked.”

 

“You’re lucky you didn’t have a bigger litter.” Pedar nodded. “I’ve heard some are four or even five.”

 

“Mumsey had four, her last litter. But this wasn’t luck. JD’s Mom studies familiar reproduction. She told us exactly how to get one kitten from both J Danyal and JD.”

 

Pedar grinned and turned to Jay. “Was that an odd conversation?”

 

Maman lifted her brows. “So she had four on purpose?”

 

“I never asked, but her latest is a litter of one.” Vido played with a lock of Jay’s hair. “We haven’t asked her how J Danyal can carry ours.”

 

“Surely that isn’t possible.”

 

Jay shrugged. “I’m not in any hurry to find out. Three is enough. For now.”

 

Maman turned towards where Jade was nursing the kittens. “How is little VJ doing?”

 

They’d come to see him more often now that he could be bounced on their knees.

 

Vido sat on the couch and shook a set of plastic keys.

 

VJ lifted his head. Vido shook them louder. VJ bounced over to the couch, turned baby, pulled himself up against the coffee table. He moved along it until he was in front of Vido. Then he lunged for the keys.

 

Vido caught him. VJ shoved the keys in his mouth. He hadn’t mastered moving his feet and balancing at the same time, but he always got where he wanted to be. Even the top of the closet wasn’t safe.

 

“I still can’t get over how you let him run around naked.” She held out her arms. “Madarbozorg wants a hug.”

 

VJ leaned toward her and she scooped him up.

 

“That’s how JD was raised.”

 

Maman bounced VJ on her knee. “And you?”

 

If only. “I was raised outside the wizarding world. People knew wizards and familiars existed, but they didn’t know I was one of them. Act like everyone else. Never let anyone see my cat form.  Never, ever shift in public. Always have extra clothes handy just in case… like that.”

 

Jay look Vido’s hand. Even living on a campus full of familiars, Vido hadn’t know what he missed until Jade.

 

“J Danyal, your turn.” Jade carried the two new kittens to Jay. Jay tucked them in the collar of this shirt. He’d started that with VJ, so he could get in on the cuddling.

 

Jade walked into the bedroom unashamed. And so handsome.

 

Vido would be up for sex again soon. As long as he was topping. He was ready for it now. Maybe.

 

Jade came out before pulling his shirt on. “VJ.”

 

Maman didn’t want to hand him over.

 

Jade grinned. “He’s about to pee.”

 

VJ was wiggling a bit.

 

Maman passed VJ over. “Will you have time to get a diaper on?”

 

Jade carried VJ into the bathroom. 

 

Vido nodded to the bathroom. “He’s not going to put a diaper on him.”

 

The sound of liquid falling echoed from the bathroom.

 

“No?”

 

Jay grinned. “One of the nicest things about having a naked baby is no diapers.”

 

“No diapers at all. Even at night?”

 

Vido patted her arm. “At night VJ’s a kitten.”

 

“And he never messes?”

 

Jade laughed as he carried VJ back to Maman. “You really don’t want to know.”

 

She didn’t. “As a kitten, he’s nearly litter box trained.”

 

Maman raised her eyebrows. “My grandson. Is litter box trained?”

 

She looked VJ over and turned to Vido. “Were you raised this way?”

 

“My mother wanted me to pass for fully human. They made excuses for not taking me anywhere until I could hold human form.” He’d been considerably older than VJ. “I was only allowed to be in my cat form in my room.”

 

When he hadn’t felt he’d lived up to his parents high standards, he’d cuddle under his blankets, in cat form, and purr himself to sleep.

 

He’d rarely felt adequate.

 

“Coming to the university was the first place, the first time, I could be myself.”

 

VJ leaned over and poured himself into Vido’s lap. Vido held him close and reveled in the purr. His son was proud of him.

 

“I can’t believe,” Jade sat on the coffee table with his knees touching Vido’s, “that with all the familiars in your lives you aren’t used to them.”

 

Vido nuzzled his clinging baby. “Maman’s and Pedar’s familiars are coworkers rather than family. They don’t live together or visit each other’s houses.”

 

Jade’s eyebrows rose. “But the familiars? What are their living arrangements?”

 

Maman looked at Pedar, who shrugged. “I believe they live together.”

 

“In an apartment on campus.” Maman sighed. “I offered to find them a bigger place. Six people in a two bedroom… But they said they were fine the way they are.”

 

“Why wouldn’t they be? A two bedroom’s big if all the residents are cats.”

 

“But they aren’t cats.”

 

Jade blinked slowly. Vido leaned forward and put his hand on Jade’s knee. “Maman, JD’s a cat. I’m a cat. The boys are kittens.”

 

VJ changed to kitten and turned a circle on Vido’s lap. 

 

“You aren’t a cat,” Maman insisted. “You’re a man.”

 

“Sapulvado my love,” Jade said much too mildly. “When you’re ecstatic or upset, tired or scared what shape does your body want to be?”

 

Vido swallowed hard. VJ leapt onto Jade’s lap, removing that comfort.

 

“Maman,” Jay set the two youngest on Vido’s lap. Their small noises declared their hunger. “It might be best to think of a familiar as a person who is neither man nor animal, both and neither.”

 

Jas mewed, but Deev peeped, his little voice asking for Vido’s love and comfort. Vido could deny them no longer. He changed right there and curled up on top of his clothes. His babies needed him. He nudged his kittens to his belly. 

 

Jay and Pedar talked philosophy of familiars. Jay was wrong in a few nuances, but he was right enough that Vido didn’t bother to interrupt. 

 

Jade grinned and scratched behind Vido’s ears. “I love you.”

 

Vido twisted his head around and returned the affection.

 

VJ reared up, but Jade caught him before he could leap. “And you, little trouble maker.” He turned VJ back into a baby and blew on his belly. “Your Maderbozorg and Pedarbozorg came all this way to play with you and all you want to do is eat.”

 

He passed VJ to Pedar. VJ grabbed Pedar’s hair and stuffed it into his mouth. Pedar winced.

 

Jay pulled the lock of hair free. “Leyla wasn’t a baby that long ago.”

 

“I heard that!” Leyla pounded on the door. “Why can’t I just step in?”

 

“No one can.” Jay opened the door for her. “I can’t have just anyone stepping into my house.”

 

“But I’m not just anyone.”

 

Leyla was only a few years younger than Jade. Why couldn’t she act even half as mature?

 

She walked around the couch and stared at Vido. “He’s doing it again.”

 

Couldn’t she be annoying somewhere else?

 

Jade raised an eyebrow. “What? Feeding his babies?”

 

“At least he’s not feeding VJ.”

 

Jade licked his lips. He was going to try something. Leyla was totally deserve it too. Jay reached over the couch and touched Leyla’s shoulder, turning her into a cat.

 

She howled and ran about. At least the living room was cat-proof.

 

Maman frowned. “That wasn’t nice.”

 

Jade pulled off his shirt. “It was better than I was going to do.”

 

He turned cat and chased Leyla.

 

VJ giggled, changed, and jumped Pedar’s lap, but the moment he got close to Leyla, she took a swipe at him. Jay jumped to his feet and Vido struggled to stand up. His babies mewed and peeped.

 

Jade pulled VJ out of danger and set him on Jay’s foot. Jay scooped him up and cuddled him. Vido curled back around his kittens. VJ turned baby and grabbed Jay’s hair. They played their game. A win for VJ was getting Jay’s hair in his mouth. It was truly fascinating stuff and had lured Vido close a time or two. But it was better without baby slobber on it.  

 

Leyla dragged herself to the couch, so out of breath that she couldn’t jump up. Between gasps she meowed her complaints. Pedar covered his ears. Jay nudged her with a toe and turned her back. Whatever spell he’d used had allowed her to keep her clothes.

 

Jade turned man and put on his jeans.

 

Leyla rolled her eyes. “Can’t you do that in your bedroom or something?”

 

Jay flicked her nose. “I could have forgotten to magic your clothes.”

 

“You wouldn’t!”

 

“Try me.”

 

Jade pulled on his shirt. “Maman, Mom and Mumsey want to see you again. Maybe under less chaotic circumstances.”

 

Maman and Pedar had brought Leyla by Jade’s mothers’ new place the weekend after they’d moved in, which would have been fine except Jade’s little brothers were just exploring changing form and the smallest took giant exception to Leyla. And what one litter mate does, they all follow. Magic can only do so much for infected familiar bites. 

 

The boys insisted they were in the right and only protecting their baby sister. They got a talking to about the way to treat guests, but no actual punishment because protecting the young, even by children, is instinctual.

 

“They thought maybe for coffee without the children. I offered to watch my siblings.”

 

Hopefully Jade could take his brothers to the park or at least get them tired out before they came here. Vido was willing to watch Jade’s little sister. She was Vido’s age and hadn’t yet got into any creative mischief.

 

Jas and Deev were finally asleep. Vido got up slowly and hopped to the floor. He dressed in the bedroom in new clothes. The kittens were asleep on his others.

 

Maman was looking over the kittens as Pedar played with VJ. “Jas is a lot bigger than Deev.”

 

“Maine coons are bigger than tabbies.” Vido placed a warmed stuffy between them. They slept better with it. “But we’re guessing that they’ll be almost the same size in changed form.”

 

Vido was taller and broader than either of his lovers, but Jade was still growing. He was as tall as Jay and didn’t look to be slowing down.

 

“VJ.” Pedar sighed. “Why does he keep doing that?”

 

Jay leaned over and turned VJ back into a baby. “Like I said, cat form is normal to them. They are born that way, even to a non familiar parent. They switch back when highly emotional—angry, ecstatic—or when completely relaxed. I can tell how tired JD and Sapulvado are by when they change in their sleep.”

 

Leyla frowned. “You wake up with cats?”

 

Jade grinned. “He goes to bed with cat familiars. We just happen to look like men.”

 

She shook her head and turned away. Good, maybe she could stay out of trouble for a while.

 

“By why change?” Pedar asked. “He was giggling, then fur.”

 

Jay rubbed a finger under VJ’s chin. “Encouraging a familiar into cat form is like flicking a latch, whereas encouraging then into human form is like condensing a heavy spring. Much more effort and if you don’t get it one hundred percent back, all that effort is wasted.”

 

“Why don’t you just force the kittens human now?”

 

His babies! Vido leaned over the couch. Jade leaped at her. Jay put up a hand. “Don’t kill her yet.”

 

“Kill me? But I didn’t do anything!” Leyla scowled. “I don’t mean anything by it.”

 

VJ turned cat and leaped onto Jay’s lap. Jay cuddled him close. “Why do you think Sapulvado and JD reacted so instinctively if it wasn’t a horrible thing to even think?”

 

Maman nodded. “They are both new mothers.”

 

“I think,” said Jay, “They’d have reacted the same way last year and ten year from now.”

 

Very true. Vido moved around the couch and sat on the floor in front of the cushion where his babies were sleeping. “Leyla, think about what you said.”

 

She used to be such a cute happy kid. Becoming a teenager had not been good for her personality.

 

“Force,” said Pedar. “Force is only for people trying to hurt you, who are old enough to know and understand what they are doing. Remember we talked about this.”

 

Layla pouted. “But how is this any different from what J Danyal did to me?”

 

Jade balled his hands into fists. Vido touched his wrist. “J Danyal turned you briefly into a cat with a spell specifically designed for turning Wizards into cats. One you could have made a counter spell for at any time.”

 

“But… But aren’t both forms natural for you?”

 

Leyla was still way too close to Vido’s precious children. “Growing from a baby to an old woman is natural to you. How would you like someone to give you wrinkles and gray hair? Or shrink you down to a baby again?”

 

“Could they?”

 

“We could try,” Jade muttered. 

 

Vido kissed Jade’s palm. “The kittens are supposed to be kittens. When they’re older, they’ll be able to change on their own like VJ.”

 

“My brothers,” said Jade, “didn’t change for the first time until they were a year old. No one tried to rush them or tell them they were slow.”

 

And with the antics of his brothers, no wonder. But weren’t all familiars little rascals. Vido had been.

 

Maman moved over beside her husband. Vido sat in that place. Here he could see everyone and his babies.

 

Jay and Pedar talked more philosophy of familiars. This time Vido added his experiences and Jade put in more. He had the whole culture behind him. Maybe the families could get together and talk. Mumsey must know more than Jade. Who else would have taught him to understand himself? 

 

Pedar bopped VJ’s nose. VJ grabbed his hand and reached out with his pudgy fingers. Pedar leaned forward. VJ pressed his hand against Pedar’s nose and laughed. 

 

Something moved over the couch arm. Leyla. Her hand was too close to his babies. He pushed at her. She fell backwards. Jade threw himself over the kittens and hissed. 

 

Maman yanked Leyla to her feet. “What were you trying to do?”

 

“Nothing!”

 

VJ cried. Jay bounced him and rubbed his back. VJ was a happy baby. He hardly ever got upset enough to cry. Jade looked torn, but he didn’t move off his place shielding the little ones.

 

“Don’t you nothing me.” Maman pulled Leyla back up. “I felt it. We’re going home.”

 

“But Madar, he hurt me.” She pointed at Vido.

 

Vido took a deep breath and tried to sound calm. “JD would have done a great deal worse if he’d gotten his claws into you.”

 

Jade hissed. 

 

“Sorry,” said Maman.

 

“But he hurt me.” Leyla put her hand to her head. 

 

“All I did was focus your spell and reflect it back. I was just trying to make you stop.”

 

“But I wasn’t doing anything!” Her legs were still wobbly. Whatever she did must have been powerful.

 

“Obviously you were doing something,” said Pedar, “Or you would have only been pushed back equal to your momentum.”

 

“Why do you believe him?” Leyla blinked hard. “Why won’t you believe me?”

 

“We will talk about this at home.”Maman tightened her hold.

 

“Look Madar.” Leyla pulled away. “My hair. It’s falling out.”

 

No more than she deserved. “You were trying to age up my kitten’s, weren’t you? Well that’s what happened to a small spot on your scalp.

 

“But my hair is falling out!”

 

“Maybe it will grow back gray.” Jay sat by Vido. VJ flowed onto Vido’s lap and turned cat.

 

Vido purred to calm him. And Jade who was still tense. And probably himself too. His heart rate wasn’t quite back to normal.

 

“Vido?” Pedar asked. “Did your hair fall out before it went white?”

 

Vido scratched VJ. “I don’t really remember. Not all my hair anyway. I looked in a mirror and a stranger looked back.”

 

Leyla burst into tears.

 

“Hush.” Maman pulled her back upright. 

 

“Maybe you won’t go gray.” Jay rubbed Vido’s arm. “Maybe you’ll go bald instead.”

 

Leyla took a deep breath. Maman stepped, dragging Leyla with her.

 

Pedar sighed. He leaned across the coffee table and held his hand above VJ. Vido nodded. Pedar gave his grandson a scratch. “I look forward to getting to know you.”

 

VJ licked his hand.

 

Pedar stood up. “Thank you for having us. Sorry it ended this way.”

 

Jay got up. “You don’t have to go.”

 

“I must. Her upbringing is at least half my fault. We’ll just have to find people as powerful as you three to expose her to.”

 

Jade sat back. “I’m not powerful.”

 

Pedar grinned. “You are a better familiar than she is a wizard.”

 

“So?”

 

“Your skill and confidence will beat her deceit and brute force any day. Goodbye, may we meet in better circumstances.” Pedar stepped away.

 

Jay stared at the spot. “I better stop allowing stepping out as well as stepping in before the boys pick it up.”

 

“Is that likely?” Jade picked up the kittens and carried them into the bedroom.

 

“We can never be too careful with our boys.”

 

Vido took VJ into the bedroom. “Have you heard the story of when Jay first learned to step?”

 

“No.” Jade was already feeding the kittens.  VJ leaped onto the bed and stalked Jade’s twitching tail.

 

“A story for another time.” Jay pulled off his clothes and walked across the bed in cat form. Vido joined them. He purred loudly and curled around his family. He had a big enough cat form to protect them all. 

 

He joined Jay licking Jade. VJ climbed atop Daddy mountain and lay down, his eyes on the tip of Vito’s tail. Vito gave him a good lick. VJ purred in return. 

 

Once the kids were asleep, Vido rubbed his face against Jay’s side. “Thank you for joining us.”

 

“My pleasure. And I do mean mine. I’ve been working on this form since VJ was born. I think I got all the kinks worked out.” Jay was spotted like a leopard: gray, brown, and black. “I want to cuddle with you and not just have you cuddle with me.”

 

Jade blinked. “I can think of other uses for that form.”

 

Vido liked the sound of that.

 

Jay sighed. “Once the babies are older.”

 

Vido shook VJ off and the kittens cuddled together. “How about now?”

 

“But didn’t Mumsey tell us to wait?”

 

“If I top, that won’t be a problem.” Vido licked Jay’s belly.

 

Jay purred. Then stopped. “I didn’t know I could purr.”

 

“All cats know how,” Jade nuzzled Jay, “natural, familiar, or magicked. Where, Vido? The bed? The floor?”

 

Vido knew just the place. He jumped onto the dresser. It was large and flat and they could still see the kittens if they woke up and tried to wander off.

 

Jay followed him, not quite as gracefully, but then he’d only been a cat for an hour. He nuzzled Vido. “You’re big.”

 

“Everywhere.” Jade twined between Vido’s legs. 

 

And once they tired Jay out so much he could barely keep his shape, they cuddled on the bed with the kittens. Vido laid his cheek on Jay’s side. 

 

His family. The best in the world.

 

Comments

[frogs_of_war]

Their familiars are like assistants at 8-5 jobs, not say a writer's assistant who starts dinner and passes out snacks after school.

Maman does care about them, but they aren't so close she can do more ask if she can get them a bigger place. She's never asked why they are all right with it.

I didn't mean for her to be this bad. I really tried, but she refused to change.

She's going to be packed off to live with a large group of Persian wizards. They aren't going to let her get away with anything.

I was going to have Pedar sigh and say it might be the Djinn blood, but then I thought that would give Djinn a bad name. Pedar respects his forebearers.