Page 45 of His Human Rebel

I wake up one morning and the rains are over.

The suns are shining and when I look out the front window, I see ranch hands out working, picking up fallen branches. “I see Lorn outside,” I exclaim.

“The rainy season is officially over,” Rake agrees. “I still don’t want you walking all over outside because it’s slippery and dangerous, especially next to the barn. Give us a day or two to clean up debris first, then we’ll be back to normal.”

And minutes later there’s a hover craft landing on the front lawn.

“Who’s that?” I question.

Rake stands next to me and then moves to open the front door. “I have no idea.”

We stand together on the porch and watch as it lands and the bottom ramp opens.

My mother steps out.

I squeal with joy and hand off the baby to Rake and then race down the porch steps and across the lawn and up the ramp. In moments we’re hugging and I’m filled with so much joy. “Mom,” I cry. “Mom.”

Sometimes you don’t know how much you need your mother until she’s there.

“Love you baby girl, but where’s my grandson.”

I laugh and take her to meet my husband and her grandchild.

Chapter 15

Rake

It's always good to be back at the main ranch where I was born and raised.

The place is full of Flagstones and community members. Many of our employees and their families are here too. It’s good to see everyone again.

I always tell anyone who asks that it was completely my idea to leave the main Flagstone ranch to Sten, which is true.

My father raised me as if I was going to stay here. He is now retired, and he and my mother have a small house in town. They come out to the other ranches, and they travel a lot, because they say they never got to see anywhere else. They’ve become ambassadors for our way of life, being invited to stay with the Queen and with the Fire Lord.

But as I was growing up, there's always an event for the town held at the ranch and even if we're not hosting it here, we're sponsoring it in the town. Family reunions for the Flagstones are held here. My parents were wonderful hosts, always happy to invite Hyrrokin to our ranch.

But early on, I realized that while I was always partially hiding and left early to return to my bedroom, or I’d make up work I needed to complete in the barn.

My dad tried to treat me as the second in command, but he could often not find me because I'd already left. I couldn't handle that much socialization. I eventually would have shut down.

Sten is much younger than me, and luckily, even from an early age, he showed signs of being much more like my father. Agyile always says that I am like his great uncle, the one who left to live on the island.

Luckily for me, there is another brother to choose from, and it just made sense. If I hadn’t been given a parcel to turn into my own ranch, I probably would have just stayed and worked for my brother but let him be number one. I could’ve eventually taken over as ranch manager. It would have been fine, but this is even better.

I appreciate how I'm able to go off and do my own thing while remaining close.

It's an unusual gift.

Today Stella and I have arrived, along with her mother and baby Gavin, at the ranch for a secret celebration. Also, it's a way for us to celebrate another rainy season ending with everyone safe and secure. No cattle were lost, all are accounted for and due to our vigilant efforts to lock down there was a decrease in property damage. Even the fencing was more secure this go around.

The rainy season has ended. We can all reconnect. No one has seen each other for a month, and this is also the first time everyone has met Gavin, the baby.

He's a hit.

My mother has already taken him into her arms and is walking around with him, showing him off. He's sleeping. Gavin is now exactly one month old, and I have bonded with this child even more than I thought I would. I love his mother and I have been here since he was still barely formed in her womb. I've watched her grow large. I tended to her through her pregnancy. I was there for the labor; I even cut the cord and held him in my arms and showed him to his mother.

I suppose the only small thing was I was wondering, probably, as we all were, if a human child would truly bond with a Hyrrokin father. Because it is well known that our appearance terrifies all the other species who, in their mythology and folklore, all seem to have a being whom is considered the root of all evil and somehow always looks similar to the Hyrrokin.