Nat brought his treasure back to the cub pile and scattered it in a small circle around them. He returned to the bushes for more, going back and forth until he’d built up a low, messy wall of leaves around the cubs.
“What’s that for?” Teddy asked when he’d shifted back into a human child. He was so much bigger in this form that he crushed part of the leaf wall under his weight.
Nat drooped. He’d forgotten to account for their human shapes; his leaf circle needed to be so much bigger.
He left Wanda with Teddy and Mallie, scooping together a small pile of leaves. There weren’t that many on the ground; Duke’s gardener kept his yard really clean.
Gathering the fallen leaves took so long that Nat was tempted to pluck some leaves off the bushes.
Except Duke would probably fire him if he did.
He brought his miserable pile of leaves back to the kids, spreading it out in a wider circle this time. Teddy followed him to the bushes and began ripping off handfuls of leaves.
“Won’t Duke be mad?!” Nat squawked.
“Nah.” Teddy reached for a branch with several beautiful green leaves, tearing some in his haste to grab as many as he could. “He lets us play in the yard! One time I crushed a whole bush!”
“I don’t want you to crush this bush,” Nat said hurriedly.
Between the two of them, they gathered a larger pile of leaves. And now Mallie was watching them curiously, nudging Wanda over so they could investigate.
Before Nat could say a word, Mallie leaped into the leaf pile, sending leaves flying everywhere.
Nat groaned. “Mallie!”
Mallie leaned in to cuddle against Nat. He couldn’t even stay mad at her. Wanda followed her example and scampered through the leaves, making little squeaky purring sounds.
Nat sighed and flopped onto his ass. He really wanted to keep building his leaf wall. But Wanda and Mallie were climbing all over his legs now, so he just sat and let them, leaving Teddy to strip nearly every branch on his bush.
“What if that bush dies?” Nat yelped.
“Duke said the bushes grow like weeds, so it’s okay.” Teddy kept on yanking leaves.
Nat crossed his fingers and hoped fervently that Duke wouldn’t be mad when he got back.
The bush was starting to look like a skeleton. Nat could only watch its destruction like a train wreck.
“Good news,” Hubrie said cheerfully. “Duke just said he’s done helping with the fire for tonight. He’s coming home.”
The kids cheered. Nat opened and closed his mouth, staring at the pathetic-looking bush.
Teddy moved on to the next bush, de-leafing it like it was his true calling in life.
“Holy naked bush,” Nat mumbled, scooping Wanda into his arms.
“Everything will be all right,” Hubrie said soothingly. “I’ve told Hell Master to learn some pickup lines.”
Nat wasn’t going to try to understand why. He scooped up the leaves that Teddy had left on the ground, shaping them into a half-circle around himself and the kids.
“Incoming!” Hubrie said suddenly.
Nat startled. Duke was nowhere close, right? Hubrie was a true shapeshifter; he could hear things well beyond Nat’s hearing range.
Barely had he thought that, when leathery wings flapped.
Duke landed in the backyard with a heavy thump.
Nat yelped and fell backward.
