AK: I Know I'm Not Alone

If there was one thing that Judah could say he didn't like about spring, it was how wet it was. Cold was one thing. If he was dry, he could fend off the cold with the convenient flame within his own body, but when he was wet, or worse yet, actually submerged, he could hurt himself if he wasn't careful. An extinguished Flame Charge would backfire something awful. So, he just had to suck it up and deal with cold, wet fur, since he had a job to do... one that was a little more personal than the hunting and gathering he normally did for the colony

"Come on..." The Braixen wrinkled up his nose as he waded through the ice-cold stream, his pants rolled up to his knees to at least keep his clothing somewhat dry. He peered down into the water, occasionally kicking up the pebbly bottom of the stream bed to check it for anything other than rocks. He wasn't looking for prey, so to speak; little streams like this never had big enough fish worth bringing back to the village. But there was a kind of shellfish that served a purpose other than food, and that was what he was hunting for as he nudged his paws around in the sand and silt.

Seeing one, he quickly bent to snatch it out of the water with a victorious sound. The little Clamperl was only about as big as the palm of his hand, its blue shell clamped tightly shut as it instantly assumed it was about to be eaten. It was a good thing that he knew how to pry it open without hurting the thing. He carefully wedged his thumb between the top and bottom part of the shell, until he got a good enough grip to pull it gently open. He grumbled as the tiny pink creature within spit a few bubbles at him, not that it actually caused any damage with how feeble the attack was. He grumbled as he peered into the shell, tilting it a bit to the side, "I ain't gonna eat you, so just calm down and lemme see." Aside from the Clamperl itself, though, the shell was empty.

Judah released its shell, letting it clamp shut again, and tossed it harmlessly back into the water. Then he continued his kicking around until he found another one, so he could put it through the horrible ordeal of having to see the outside world for a moment and check for hidden treasure in its shell. Clamperl were supposed to make pearls all the time, so why was it so hard to find one?

Finally, he found what he was looking for. A slightly larger Clamperl, this one the size of an apple, and one that could put up much more of a fight. It took him a few minutes of wrestling with the damn thing, but eventually he got it open, and as he did, it spit out a small, round object. With a plop, its treasure fell into the stream, but even though he didn't get a good look at it, Jude knew what it was. He quickly released the clam and fished around in the stream for what it had dropped, his fingers brushing against something smoother than any of the rocks in the water. Withdrawing his hand, he held his prize up to get a good look at it. The pearl wasn't pure white in color, but few pearls actually were, as opposed to what people thought they looked like. In reality, they could be a variety of colors, from greys, to browns, creams or pinks, and some were even golden or copper colors. This one was such a pale rose color that it was very nearly white, but not quite, and it was somewhat oblong in shape rather than being perfectly round. Still, it was a good size, and didn't have any obvious blemishes. It was a good find.

"Thanks, ya little bugger..." Judah mused aloud, turning to wade back out of the stream. He shivered as the cool spring air hit the wet fur on his legs, but at least the sun would warm him before long. He kept his pants rolled up so they wouldn't cling to his damp legs as he gathered up his bag, stowed the pearl safely in a little pouch on his belt, and set off to head towards home. He had already done more than enough hunting on this outing, and was expected home before dark, so he had to get a move on if he didn't want to be missed.

---

"Do you have some way for me to know what size to make it?" The jeweler asked, rolling the rosy-hued pearl around in his palm. He was a brown-haired bird of some kind, though Judah couldn't honestly tell without him having wings... the guy had tail feathers and some other feathers curling behind his ears, but that was all the hint he had to his species, and he just couldn't figure it out. Regardless, the guy was known for making some pretty nice jewelry, including some stuff with a unique design to it. Antique, Judah think he called it. All he knew was that it didn't look too bright or flashy, which was a charm that he could appreciate.

"She doesn't exactly have a jewelry box for me to rob from to bring you something that fits her," Judah replied with a snort, and he saw the jeweler smile a bit at his sass. He then held one hand out to the bird, explaining, "My hands are a bit smaller than hers, I guess. So make it something that'd fit my middle finger, not my ring finger." His tiny hands were another thing to blame his species for, but at least he had nimble fingers for working with sewing and the like, and conveniently measuring for a woman's ring.

The jeweler nodded, taking a fabric tape measure and wrapping it loosely around Judah's middle finger. "I can make it a little loose to ensure it goes on, and if it needs to be tightened, you can come here for the adjustments."

"Sounds good to me," Jude agreed, holding it hand still for the measurement before withdrawing it.

"Are you sure you want it to be a pearl ring?" The jeweler suddenly asked, raising one eyebrow just slightly. "Most young men who come here trying to dazzle a lady are looking for big gemstones in all manner of colors."

"Yeah, well, I'm not most young men." The little Braixen shrugged, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket and rocking his weight back and forth. "I found that pearl myself while out on one of my expeditions the other day. Got some sentiment to it, y'know? Would rather have it be something I put some kind of effort into, instead of something I just bought off a crafter because it was convenient. No offense."

The jeweler smiled, just enough to show his teeth a little. "No, no, none offense taken! It's nice to see..." He moved to fetch a small paper envelope from his desk, stowing the pearl inside and scribbling down some notes on the envelope. "I should have the ring finished in about a week. I have some more complex pieces to finish, but they will take a while. I like to get the quicker things done first so people aren't waiting on me."

Judah nodded. "Thanks, 'preciate it."

"No problem. Come back in five days or so to check in."

He nodded again, then waved one hand in farewell before leaving the little jewelry shop.

---

Penelope smiled faintly as she folded some laundry in the living room, watching Judah out of the corner of her eye. The Braixen had been busy for the past few days, even though he hadn't been on an expedition since returning from one about a week ago. He was just in and out of the house for one thing or another, running errands or taking Moxie out to play as the weather progressively warmed. The two had even started a little garden together, after getting some seeds and starter bulbs from one of the farmers. Penelope's original plan was to plant a bunch of wildflowers in the area around their house, but the cute little garden boxes Judah and Moxie made were even better. They were just square plots framed with wood and filled with fertilized soil, but they had all these little vegetable plants and flowers growing in tidy rows, and Moxie absolutely loved going out to water them. It was sweet.

Now, though, Judah was getting a much-needed break. He had flopped onto the couch just ten minutes ago, but was already sound asleep, laying on his back with one arm folded under his head, and the other draped over his stomach, which was somewhat exposed since he hadn't tucked his shirt in, making it ride up a little. His breathing was deep and even, and while he didn't quite snore, he was doing that loud-breathing thing he did when he was beyond the point of very light sleep. It was likely that he would nap for a good hour, so long as nobody woke him up.

Shaking her head a little, Penny set aside the towel she had just folded and rose to her feet. She walked over to pick up Judah's coat, which he had discarded on the floor, along with the belt he always wore on outings; the thing wasn't comfortable to lie down in, with all the pouches it had on it, along with a sheath for a dagger. It was surprisingly heavy, too, when she picked it up, like each of the leather pouches on it were weighed down by rocks. It made her a little curious about what was actually in them, and why he always needed to have these things on his person. Perhaps she would ask him once he woke up.

She draped the jacket over her arm, followed by the belt, and moved to bring them back to their shared bedroom to hang them up -- only to hear a soft thunk as something fell onto the floor. Turning to look back, she saw a little box resting on its side. It was only about two inches wide, and two inches deep, with rounded edges and a slightly domed lid. It wasn't painted, rather having a layer of fabric wrapped around the outside to give it a muted floral pattern; she could only see the wood at the seam of the lid, which was held shut by a little metal clasp. It looked like one of those gift boxes that jewelers used to put jewelry in... but why would he have one of those?

The Tyrantrum bent to pick it up, curiously turning it over in her hand. Maybe it was just a trinket he found laying around... or was there something inside? Curiosity got the better of her, and she flicked open the latch on the front of the box, and opened it to take a peak.

There was a ring inside. It was simple, but pretty, with a simple band made from a slightly pinkish gold, which brought out the soft rosy hues in the off-white pearl. The metal curled almost protectively around the pearl in a simple swirl pattern, giving it some detail without it having to be covered in additional gems. Definitely not the rarest or most expensive piece of jewelry in the world, but it was very cute. But where did he get it from? Was it possibly an heirloom from his mother...? It certainly looked like it could be a bit older, but that would mean he would have been carrying it when they all escaped from the tunnels, which she doubted.

Suddenly, she saw movement from the couch, and looked up to see Judah pushing himself upright. The sleepy-eyed fox looked a bit alarmed when he saw her holding the ring box, his eyes quickly going from glazed to sharp as his ears flopped back, and she quickly shut the box again. "Oh-- sorry, I didn't mean to go snooping in your things. It just fell out of your belt when I picked it up."

He just stared at her with this blank look on his face... For several long moments. Was he even blinking? She began to wonder if he was still half-asleep and was dreaming, awkwardly tilting her head and asking, "Jude?"

Judah finally blinked, then started to stammer like he was trying to speak, but nothing came out. With a shake of his head, he rose to his feet, his eyes quickly falling on the box in her hands as he seemed to internally panic, his tail fluffing out and everything. Penelope couldn't help but shove it at him, now really starting to think it was some kind of important family heirloom he had managed to hold on to.

"It's okay, it's not damaged! Is it that important to you?" The Tyrantrum couldn't help but ask, watching with furrowed brows as the fox anxiously clutched the little wooden container in both hands. He really was acting strange...

"Er, y-yes, you could... say that..." Judah stammered awkwardly, averting his eyes as he held the box close. His tail thumped onto the floor, still puffed out, and tucked against the backs of his legs, a gesture he didn't do often. It wasn't a good one.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Penny apologized, smiling a bit as she stepped closer to smooth some of his unruly red hair. "I didn't mean to pry, and wouldn't have looked in the box if I knew it was that important to you. Is it an heirloom? Or a gift from someone?"

"A... a gift... I guess..." He kept stumbling over his words, still unable to look at her even as she affectionately petted one of his big, velvety ears. "B-but it's not for me, it's for... um... someone else..."

Ah, that would explain why it was important. Judah didn't often do gestures like gift-giving, since anything to do with strong feelings tended to freak him out a little, not to mention being the center of attention. Actually getting something this nice for someone had to be really special. Penelope smiled, tugging his ear a bit. "Well, whoever it's a gift for will like it. It's a very pretty ring, and different, too. Not a lot of people wear pearls."

Judah's bright green eyes flicked up to look at her when she saw that, his ears twitching. "Ah... y-yeah... um... Actually, Penny... it's... for you."

She blinked, surprised by that admission. A pretty pearl ring? For her? She didn't remember the last time she had gotten such a nice gift... well, she did, but it was from Aldie, years ago, and he had been more enthused with how pretty his glass creation was than her reaction to it. But here was Judah, giving her something she would wear every day as a reminder that he cared about her. It was enough to already start bringing her to tears as she asked him, "Really...?"

The Braixen nodded mutely, his ears flopping down again as he looked at her like a begging puppy. He didn't seem capable of forming words again, but he stiffly opened the lid of the little box, showing her the rosy-colored ring again.

"It's... it's so pretty..." Penelope sniffled, carefully taking it out of the box and holding it in her hands for a moment. She could feel her cheeks turning red as tears ran down them, but she didn't care, moving to put the ring on her right hand, to see how it looked. "Oh, Jude, it's... it's wonderful..." He had gotten this for her, just for her! This was better than any of the times he would bring flowers or fruits from his expeditions, or even those bird feathers they had made into a dream catcher in the bedroom. This was something that would last forever. Little did she know, it was a little more eternal than she thought.

Judah awkwardly cleared his throat, then turned to set the empty ring box on the couch. He then turned back to her, gently taking her right hand in both of his, and he surprised her by sliding the ring back off her finger. "Th-that's the wrong hand, Penny..."

"What...?" She was surprised by that statement, her eyes widening again as she gazed at the baby-faced boy in front of her. Never had he looked as young and unsure of himself as he did in that moment, holding the little pearl ring and gazing at her with a look that almost hurt her to see... like someone was holding the two halves of his heart and tugging, on the verge of tearing it in half if she didn't do something about it. The wrong hand? But it didn't matter which hand someone wore a ring on, unless--

She drew in a gasp so sharply her chest hurt, her mouth hanging open and eyes stinging as they went wider than they had ever gone before. She could swear her heart even stopped for just a second as she stared at that sincere but terrified expression on her Jude's face. He wasn't just giving her the ring... he was trying to give her himself.

Slowly, Penny reached out to take the ring again. She stared down at it, then, just as slowly, slipped it onto her left hand. Her fingers started to shake, and if she thought she had been tearing up before, she was full-on crying now. Tears blurred her vision as she pounced on Judah, wrapping her arms tightly around him in such a sudden, forceful hug that he stumbled backwards and fell back onto the couch. She was on top of him, sort of on his lap and sort of pinning him, but the thought of moving didn't even cross her mind as she held onto him, hiccuping and sobbing.

"P-Pen?" Judah wheezed a bit, the breath knocked right out of him by her sudden attack. He did his best to wrap his arms around her in return, despite being at a bit of an awkward angle with her on top of him. "You okay...?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she buried her face against his shoulder. She felt Judah hug her and gently rub her back with one hand, as though trying to comfort her just because she was crying. Chuckling a bit, she lifted her head and looked down at him, sniffling as she said, "They're h-happy tears, Jude..." She leaned forward to kiss him, despite being all gross from crying, because that just didn't matter right now.

That was when the front door opened and Alderic walked in, holding one of Moxie's hands. They stopped in the doorway, and Aldie opened up with the comment, "Hey, not in the living room where we can all see!"

"Dumbass," Penelope mumbled with a faint smile as she drew back from Judah, and finally moved to get off of him. She then scurried over to Alderic, holding her left hand up in the Pyroar's face as she crowed, "We're engaged, so you can just deal with it!"

"You're en-- what?!" Alderic blinked, his eyes widening as he turned to gawk at the Braixen who was still sheepishly slumped on the couch. Or maybe he was just sore after being tackled by an emotional dinosaur.

"What's that mean?" Moxie asked, tilting her head back to look up at Penelope.

"It means Penny and Juju are gonna get married!" She replied cheerfully, scooping up the toddler and cuddling her as she still sniffled, trying to stop crying.

"But Mossie is gonna marry Juju!" Moxie protested.

Judah stiffly rose to his feet, awkwardly shuffling over to the others with a bashful look on his face. He reached up to pet Moxie's tail, correcting, "I already told ya, nugget, you can't marry me, cause you're like my kit. Mama foxes don't marry their kits." He wrapped his arms around both of his girls, leaning his head against Penelope's arm. "Penny and I are gonna get married and be like a mama and a papa."

Alderic shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, then reached out to ruffle Judah's hair. "I never thought one of you idiots would actually get to this point, but, congrats. Just don't go becoming mamas on the couch."

"As if you're one to talk."

"Hey, I am the master of late night subtlety. And privacy."

"Mm-hmm."

Penny couldn't help but break into another smile, squeezing baby Moxie as she felt Judah's fluffy tail wrap around her thick, scaly one. She doubted herself for years, but she never should have doubted her awkward little fox... they were going to be a family now. A real family. She couldn't ask for anything more.