Wings of Grace

Chapter 13

Antoine and Luna often went for walks through the woods to enjoy the beauty of all the seasons, and liked to pause at the clearing when and where the first met. Sometimes she would do a little dance to further remind him of when he saw her.

One late winter afternoon they had stopped to admire the tree in the robes of snow. Luna looked up at him with a grin on her muzzle. "You know, you and the crew did such a lovely job making the nursery; maybe it's time we think about using it?" this was Luna's way of telling Antoine that they were going to be parents in the spring.

At the appointed time she presented him with not one but two pups. The boy, who they named Lon, had black fur with touches of Antoine's red fox coloring, while the girl, Rosebud, had silvery grey fur.

Antoine was proud as any new father would be! Luna was overjoyed too, yet had many thoughts and questions in her mind. The main thing is she wondered was about their blood, was it gold like hers and if so would they be safe? As she picked up Rosebud she felt little bumps on the baby's back. Was she going to grow wings like her mother? What traits had the pups inherited?

She put her thoughts aside for now and care for them as a young mother should.

Word of the new arrivals spread quickly throughout the castle and then the nearby village, guests began to arrive to offer congratulations to the new family. To ease Luna's mind, Antoine was quite protective of her and the pups and screened who he permitted to see them.

About a week after delivery, an unfamiliar couple arrived at the castle, a pair of adult wolves. The female had fur of light gold in color, and the male was a mix of black and white. Antoine had never seen them before and thoroughly questioned as to who they were.

The female proceeded to explain, "We have been told our long lost daughter Luna lived here now. We have been separated for so long that we probably won't recognize her, and she won't know us either. She was stolen from us from when she was very young and we haven't been able to locate her until now. Would you allow us to see her? Would you ask her if she wants to see us?"

Antoine was convinced that they were telling the truth and sent one of the housekeepers to notify Luna. When she had heard the news, she came running downstairs with a pup in each arm. She stopped short, and took a long look at each parent and began to cry. "I could never get the locket to open to see your pictures and I really didn’t remember how you looked, I am so sorry." she confessed. She carefully handed the babies to Antoine and began hugging her mother and father. A hug no matter how long, could not measure up for all the lost years. Her father asked her to remove the necklace and hand it over. With his long, strong claws he pried at the clasp until he finally opened it. The image inside were of a much younger couple, but there was no doubt as to who the pictures represented. With this final proof of identity Antoine was assured that they were his in-laws and handed each parent of one the pups to hold and admire. "Now they have their entire family." he thought, "all their grandparents." his own parents hadn't seen them yet, but now he knew how to get in touch with them.

Much reminiscing needed to be done, and Antoine invited her mother and father to spend time with them. They accepted for a few days, explaining that they didn’t live that far away and would be able to visit frequently to "babysit" if they were needed.