Chapter 55: Carrotina

Soaring and performing aerial tumbles and dives in the air over the fields north of the sanctuary grounds was always fun. I loved the way the wind felt as it blew back my hair–which was now way shaggier than I remembered it.

Flying on Blue’s back, holding fast to his scaly neck as we dipped and ripped through the air at irresponsible speeds–that was always refreshing, and a great way to wake me up, too.

But having Carrotina here with me, sharing in my glee–I was beside myself with pride. The little bunny girl sat directly in front of me, and I kept one arm wrapped around her at all times while the other held tight to Blue’s reins.

Despite having done this dozens and dozens of times before, the exhilaration was fresh with my own child wrapped up in my embrace, listening to her giggle and squeal with delight, feeling her wriggle and squirm as we tossed through the air.

“How high up can we go, daddy?” she asked me.

I grinned so wide it hurt my lips. “Pretty flippin’ high, pumpkin.”

“Show me!”

She didn’t need to waste another breath on asking me a second time, no sir. We ascended rapidly as Blue felt me tug down on his reins and utter a hoot to confirm. With a whinny, we caught the wind and soared ever higher, higher, until we were among the lowliest of clouds where we saw…

A fucking black dragon-steed and its rider. “Oh shit, oh shit,” I groaned. “We’re going back down, pumpkin, hang tight.”

“Daddy, it’s Uncle Aldon and Blackie!” And then she noticed our sudden plummet. “Why don’t we go say hi?”

“Okay, first of all,” I groaned unappreciatively, "I don’t know who told you to call Aldon your uncle, but I’m extremely jealous that you apparently have a preexisting relationship with him.”

“Oh, he’s so nice, daddy! He and Aunt Winter are the best!”

My jaw clenched, and I felt my veins popping out of my neck. “The best, huh? Better than daddy?”

She giggled. “Of course not, daddy. You’re the super best. Uncle Aldon would never take me flying. He said it ‘wasn’t safe for little girls’ and ‘only an idiot would take a kid on a dragon’s back.’” She mocked Aldon’s voice, and the derpy tone she selected for her impersonation made me proud.

“I’m gonna kick your uncle’s ass one of these days,” I growled, and then I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head–an earthy smell. She literally smelled like carrots.

Then, behind me, I became aware of Blackie in my peripheral vision, approaching fast at my 8 o’clock. I couldn’t shake him, sure as hell couldn’t pretend I didn’t see them, either. I tried to, though. I refused to look back–but Carrotina did, peering behind us and waving adorably at her ‘uncle.’

“Bucky!” I heard Aldon’s voice, supernaturally loud, bellowing at me through the air. It was probably enhanced by a spell, making it even more troublesome to try to make like I hadn’t noticed him. “Bucky, dude! What are you doing! Go down! Land your freaking dragon!”

What a cunt. Actually, I liked Aldon, but in this moment in particular he was the biggest killjoy in all of Lusteria, on a mission to mess up daddy-daughter time and probably nag me like a bitch, too.

“Daddy, I think Uncle Aldon is asking us to go down,” Carrotina said sweetly, sitting up straight so that one of her bunny ears blew into my mouth for a second before I spit it out.

“Well Uncle Aldon can get fucked,” I growled under my breath, so quietly so that I was sure she couldn’t hear it.

But of course she could. Of course with her giant, adorable bunny ears she could hear every damn word. She gasped, and instantly I knew I’d messed up.

“That’s one of those words mommy says you like to say but you shouldn’t say,” Carrotina said with a high, airy voice of curiosity.

“Yeah, well, in certain contexts I’ve heard your mother abuse that word, too,” so–”

“Bucky! Get the fuck down on the ground!”

Carrotina giggled. “There it is again.”

I sighed. “Let’s give this wizardly prick what he wants, I suppose,” I said at last, defeat in my voice.

We descended obediently, landing on the ground extra gently so as not to scare my baby girl. Aldon came in behind us, landing maybe a dozen yards back. He instantly leaped off of Blackie and ran, not walked, up to where I was taking my time helping Carrotina off of Blue’s saddle.

“Dude, you’re awake!” he shouted, sounding surprisingly elated. “This is huge!”

I couldn’t hold back a grin at the happy greeting. “Yep, I’m up and at ‘em,” I confirmed. “Had to get out there and give Blue some love, you know?”

He nodded, but his face sank into a frown as he saw Carrotina start hopping around, taking big rapid bounds in pursuit of a butterfly.

“You thought it was a good idea to bring one of your daughters along?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t you?” I shrugged. “Come on, man, don’t do this to me. I just met my kids for the first time in the last twenty-four hours.”

He shook his head in quiet disappointment. “Bucky, you’re clearly still in rough shape,” he said, gesturing to my bandages and scars. “And she’s three months old!”

“Oh, like that means a damn thing here. She’s already smarter than I was in high school.”

Aldon chuckled at that as we both stole looks over at Carrotina, who was busy trying to coax the butterfly she caught onto her nose. “She’s smarter than you are now. She’s got more impulse control anyway. But keep an eye out for that one,” he remarked. “She stole a bunch of carrots last week and Autumn was pissed.”

I laughed. “You don’t say.”

Carrotina looked at me guiltily with her ears flopped downward. “I won’t do it again this week, I promise!”

Aldon sighed. “Anyway, you really should head back before someone notices you’re gone. I’m going back now. You can come with me.”

“Nah, just cover for me,” I said, slapping him on the arm, which he didn't receive well from the look on his face. “Tell them my Apex Hero senses were tingling or something and I just had to get out.”

“Then they’ll kill me for not bringing you back. Don’t put me in that position,” he grunted. “Please. Bonny is scary when she’s pissed.”

I snorted at the idea. Bonny pissed? That would be new.

“Hell, even Winter would be pissed at me for letting you out of my sight,” he added. “You should really head back with me. Come on, man. Don’t get me in trouble.”

I laughed at that, unable to peel my eyes from my daughter as she nuzzled Blue, holding his snout in her tiny paws. “How is Winter doing?” I asked.

“She’s fine,” Aldon said. And then he paused. “Have you seen her yet?”

I returned my eyes to him and shook my head in the negative. “No,” I said. “Why?”

He swallowed hard. “She’s pregnant.”

I grinned. “Congrats! As an experienced monster girl father, let me just say you’ve got nothing to fear. It’s been easy as hell so far.”

Aldon laughed. “I suppose that’s the benefit of being in an evisceration-induced coma for three months. You missed the hard days.”

I smirked. “How bad was it?” I asked.

His eyes took on a faraway look as he looked at Carrotina. “Pretty bad, Bucky,” he said quietly. “Pretty bad.”

I’d have to hear more about that later, but at that moment there was one question on my mind. “Why did you stay?” I asked.

He looked at me, shocked, maybe, that I’d bring it up.

“Well, I mean, we completed our mission. You could have left with Winter and struck out in some other land. The Goblin Queen seems to have things locked down pretty well. Not that you aren’t welcome–but why did you stay?”

He nodded. “To be honest, it was mostly Winter’s call. Things were pretty crazy after what happened to you,” he said, gesturing at my chest where the bandages hugged the skin beneath my shirt. “Autumn wasn’t doing so hot, and Winter couldn’t really bring herself to leave. They had a lot of issues to work out between them, but I had a feeling that seeing Autumn like that put a lot of things into perspective for my girl.”

I nodded. “Autumn talked about some sibling rivalry at one point, but we were so busy from the moment you arrived that it never really came up.”

“Guess we dodged that bullet,” he grunted a laugh. “What’s Carrotina doing?” he added, his eyes going to where my daughter was.

I looked back at her and saw the bunny girl shoving her face full of weeds. “Pumpkin, you’ve got a whole bag of carrots. What are you doing?”

“I like rubbing my face in dirty places!” she squealed happily, rolling around on the ground.

“Guess you’ve got that in common with daddy,” I grunted, quickly flashing a wink back at Aldon.

Aldon winced at the crass joke. “She stole more carrots, huh?” he said after a pause.

I just nodded, my eyes staying glued on my mischievous daughter. It wasn’t a look of worry but pride. She was perfect as far as I was concerned.

“I’m heading back for now, Bucky,” Aldon said. “It’s good to see you back among the living.”

“Likewise,” I agreed. “Good to see you, I mean. Don’t snitch on me.”

“I’m gonna.”

“You will not.”

“I might,” he shrugged. “If they ask, I won’t lie.”

“They won’t ask. No one’s gonna look for me.”

He blinked at me as though I’d just said the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “Right, Apex Hero, close to death, isn’t going to be missed when he disappears from his home without explanation after three months of being in a coma. Yep, no one will notice.”

I recoiled at that. “When you put it that way, I should probably go back soon, too,” I grunted.

But I didn’t. Aldon left, and I bid him adieu for the time being, promising to head back a few minutes later, but I sat Carrotina on my lap and sang Guns N’ Roses ballads to her for a solid half-hour before I heard my own tummy growl.

“I’ve got carrots, daddy,” she said, grinning up at me with her adorable buck-toothed face.

I smirked. “Give me one of those,” I said, reaching into the sack as she held it up for me. I took a chomp out of a carrot and looked back down to her. She was grinning ear to fucking ear.”

“What?” I asked her, smirking at the funny expression.

“Now you’re complicit,” she said.

I laughed. These fucking weirdly eloquent kids were going to be the death of me. The way language worked here simply made no sense, but honestly, when it came to child-rearing, it certainly made things more interesting.

After we lightened the sack a bit more, I got onto Blue’s saddle and picked up Carrotina, placing her once again in front of me.

With a kick and a whistle, we took off, and flying a far more direct path, not bothering to do too many twists and turns, we made our way back to the sanctuary quickly. We landed just at the edge of the field where we wouldn’t be seen flying in on Blue’s back. I thought it was the wise choice, but as we plodded toward Tater Town I realized just how long we’d be walking in an open field where anyone could see us approach.

As we got closer and closer to the town on the hill, I started to think we might get away with it. Carrotina held my hand, grinning up at me, probably sharing a similar line of thinking. So far, no one was shouting out for us, no one was charging down the hill at us. All was well.

“Let’s take you straight home,” I said.

“Right,” she responded. “What’s the story?”

“We went for a walk. Don’t elaborate. We walked around the edge of town.”

“What if they ask about these?” Carrotina added, lifting up the sack of carrots.

“Tell her Uncle Aldon gave them to you.”

She grinned. “Nice.”

I grinned. I was such a bad influence on my own daughter already. They were going to be rotten and spoiled and as adorable as could be. I already knew in my eyes, Carrotina and her sisters could do no wrong.

I really did have a weakness when it came to my girls–and that apparently extended to my daughters, too. Hmmm. I’d have to work on this character flaw, I thought. Tomorrow, though.

“Bucky Wilbur Drake!” a shout rang out at me from atop the hill. My butthole instantly clenched as I recognized Autumn’s angry voice. “Get up here right now!”

Ahh shit. I looked down at Carrotina and shrugged, and she returned the look. “I will sell you out in a second if I have to, daddy.”

“Same,” I nodded glumly. “Guess we’ll see how this plays out.”

We walked up the hill to our doom where Autumn and Etherea were glowering at us as we both slumped our shoulders downward.

“Hey, ladies. Etherea, it’s amazing to see you, I–”

“You hold on a moment, hero,” the chesty moon elf said through a vicious side-eye. “Let me deal with the child first.” She looked down at Carrotina. “What happened?”

Carrotina caved instantly. “Daddy took me flying on Blue’s back! I just went along because I wanted to get to know my dad! I’m sorry!”

“Oh come on, she stole a bagful of carrots!” I protested, pointing at the treacherous bunny girl.

Autumn sighed openly and shook her head. “Incredible. Carrotina, I’m taking you to your mom. Etherea, check on Bucky’s wounds, please.”

Etherea nodded, but her lip twitched in anger. My eyes went to her belly–she was starting to show.

Before Autumn could take my daughter away, though, the little orange-haired thing clung to my leg with a great big hug. “Will you see me again tomorrow?”

I laughed. “Of course,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll see you every day.”

She looked up at me dew-eyed and happy. “You promise?”

“Every day that I’m not on a mission or something, you and all the other girls will be my main focus.” I knelt down and scooped her into my arms for one more big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Try to smooth things over with your mother for me, okay?”

She nodded with a wide grin on her adorable face and charged toward the smithy’s cottage with Autumn following behind her.

Etherea’s expression looked even more complex than it had before. “I–I’m very disappointed in you, hero,” she said, her voice shaky. She was sweating and pawing at her neck as she spoke, and I started to grow a bit concerned. “I perhaps shouldn’t have, but I expected better of you. Risking your own health is bad enough, but disappearing without explanation to go on a dragon ride with your three month old child?”

I shrugged. “I can’t say no to her,” I admitted.

“You’re going to have to learn to,” she said.

“I’m not interested in that so much,” I stated plainly with a low shrug.

Her lip twitched again, and she tugged at the silky white dress that she wore which just barely concealed her breasts and lower body from my view.

Ethereal with her pale bluish skin, her white hair, her cerulean eyes–she was beautiful. The pointed ears got me hot, too. She also was one of the most buxom girls in town, giving out strong milf vibes that were even more overpowering now that she sported the proof of her pregnancy as a bump on her belly.

“Are you… ogling me?” she said breathily.

“Sorry,” I shrugged. “I’ve been out for a while and you missed the party last night.”

“Yes well, I was–” She shook her head and refocused. “That’s neither here nor there, hero. I–I can’t believe you would endanger… umm…”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I need to wrap your wounds,” She said suddenly, straightening up, her eyes seeming glazed over. “Yes, let’s go. My cottage. I’ll freshen up your bandages and do some basic healing magic to keep your recovery going.”

I nodded. “Alright, no problem.” I thought I’d already waded through the worst of the nagging–honestly it wasn’t half as bad as I expected, though I hadn’t dealt with Bonny yet.

We walked into Etherea’s home, and the hearth already had a fire in it.

“Okay,” I said, stretching, staring at the bed that I apparently spent three months upon. “I suppose I should take off my shirt and–holy fuck.”

I turned to look at the busty moon elf and found her naked and approaching me fast.

“I need you now,” she groaned, her eyes crossing for a split second. “My–my hormones are going out of control. Seeing you get all paternal with Carrotina it… fucked me up. I need you inside me, but you’re in no condition for normal sex.”

I heard her plight and nodded solemnly as my cock bulged to life. “Aww yiss,” I said softly. “You’re hurtin’ for a squirtin.’ I can dig it, babe.”

I like to consider myself a problem solver. Whatever it was that she needed, wounds be damned, I was ready to provide. With a naked moon elf throwing herself at me, baby bump and all, I wasn’t about to shirk my responsibilities as a man and provider and simply worry about my ‘health’ or ‘well-being’ when something so critical as sex was on the line, no sir. I activated Endure 1 and prepared for the delightful pain.

“How do you want to do this?” I asked her, gesturing at the wide open room around us.

She groaned. “Sit and lean with your back against the headboard of the bed, hero,” she said with a huff, “I think I know a way to do this safely.”

I cocked my eyebrow at her with a lascivious grin. “What’s the plan?”

She grinned right back as sweat trickled down her neck into the heavenly valley between her heavy breasts. “It’s easier to just do it,” she said. “Now–give me your cock.”

I was only so eager to oblige.