Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Final

Time went by much faster than I had anticipated. When Muir returned to tell us the fate of the Ape King, I felt like the legendary Atlas with the world removed from my shoulders at last. The story was finally over, and I had done all I could for the beasts and the world that had become my life. I had driven it all to change, and the things that had changed became my hope. Hope that everyone, even rootless beasts, could find a home and heart.

Despite his posturing and bristly humor, the once heartless Mitchell was surprisingly hesitant when it came to interacting with my family. The more time he spent with my mates and cubs, the less confident and crass he became. He kept out of trouble for the most part and, after only a few seconds of grumbling, would follow through with whatever task was assigned to him. He didn't push for physical intimacy, nor did he instigate conflict. I kept him at arm's length until I felt he understood not everyone has to live and love as though starving. How he viewed the world slowly began to change, and his adaptation to it proved to me that villains are not born. They are made.

Ryan showed up as often as his energy allowed to spend time with Kit and me. With our cub and my kittens playing freely nearby, we would usually speak of the past. Without being too obvious, I encouraged Ryan to talk about the things he missed and regretted, along with the dreams he'd had for our future before ...well, before. Like most males, he had done everything he could to appear strong and reliable. But like any armor, chinks of genuine emotion would show through. He had selfishly wanted me for himself and, though he wouldn't admit it, had manipulated people and situations to achieve it. But through our discussions, his initial expressions of jealousy melted into soft smiles of resignation and contentment. I closely watched Ryan's familiar expressions on Mitchell's face and knew that hindsight had changed a great many things for him. I carefully stored Such discussions and confessions away in my mind so that when Ryan's soul stone was nothing more than an addition to Kit's rock collection, I could still keep his memory alive and do my best to honor it. 

With each passing year, souls of our tribe traveled on to other worlds, but new souls found homes in this one. After the cold season, when I introduced snowcones to Bailey's Burrow, Harvey and I conceived Shade. Born with fur so black, it almost hid his leopard spots, Shade would often sneak away from Harvey's tedious clinical chores to chase after Tristan and Kit. Until it came time to learn how to feline with Baek and Tora, Shade would stick to Tristan's side just like the little shadow he was.

After the hot season, when I finally took Bluepool as a mate and let him show me the sunken cities of the world, Shuu and I conceived a litter of three. Each pup had dark fur with varying shades of blue and gray on their muzzles and socks. My three stooges when they couldn't find trouble, created it. Their antics and curiosity kept Shuu and me on our toes but thanks to Muir's sharp eyes, they never strayed further than we could find. It was thanks to their constant wanderings and Harvey's CPR skills that a litter of foxes was spotted being swept away by the river currents and were rescued. Their father, a fox healer had been so traumatized by the event that he moved the whole family to the Burrow and took up working for Harvey.

Not long after that rainy season, when the weather warmed and we learned what Muir had done at Flame City to keep our future safe, I overcame any misgivings I had towards him. He cared for me and my family more than I had ever imagined possible. It took me a while to realize that he looked at me with love rather than envy or desire, but once I did, I brought him into my family. 

A year after that, Lance finally decided that with the happy memories we had created together, there was no longer the need to leave when my heat came around. Our worries and reservations became dust in the wind when we ended up having a little girl with amber eyes and fern green hair. Fern required more care and attention than my seven boys combined. But more difficult than that was trying to fend off her papas from spoiling her too much. Lance became the worst helicopter parent to have ever existed. Discipline for misbehavior became a family discussion and details had to be agreed upon by all before any was carried out. Even then, I was sure my mates would sneak our girl treats and hugs during every time-out. Every time I became annoyed with them though, all I had to do was see Lance's glowing face as he held her in his arms. An ancient feral who had traveled the world felt no greater bliss than when Fern's little hands curled around his fingers.

I might never know what happened to Bai, Parker or Curtis. But I would pretend that because this world that had gone from fiction to fact had not yet ended, that they were all alive and well. Through death and rebirth, I had changed, but I had not let experience take away the parts of me I felt most important. Empathy, devotion, ingenuity, and adaptability are all things I continued to strive for and would hopefully pass on to all of my cubs. Though a beastworld is unpredictable, I now held confidence that as a family and a tribe, we would not only survive but thrive, come what may.

***

This concludes 'Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld'. I hope you enjoyed Bailey's unedited story and for all you writers out there, please feel free to include Bailey and her story/characters into any of yours. Thank you so much for supporting me throughout this journey and I hope you enjoy the other stories/books I write in the future. I wouldn't have had the motivation to write my own stories without you. Now I will focus my time on Book 2 of my ASOL series. Book one was Ghostpherein: A shifting of Lives (available on amazon, Audible and Barnes and Nobles); book two will be called Rotfuchstadt: A Shifting of Loyalties.

P.S. I may edit this story in the future and I may add extra parts as inspiration hits. Please follow me if you wish to be notified of such things.