I had wanted to just up and leave the next day, but that just wasn't viable. Well... That wasn't true. I could have left whenever I wanted; It wasn't like there was a monster out there that would dare prevent me from leaving. Indeed, If I were to guess, I would say that many would have felt much better if I hadn't been there. It wasn't easy knowing a few houses away was a being that just slaughtered half the ogre populace in less than an hour.

  Even in monster terms, that was quite a lot.

  So yes, I could have just packed up a handful of people and just left. But that would have meant that I would have had to leave the clean up to someone else, and my trust had been shattered just a little too much to leave it all to another person.

  I awoke the next day, soul heavy. The most recent pain in my neck- Varda- was gone, yet my feelings were mute towards it all. Not only did I not feel particularly relieved to have her and her traitorous cohorts out of my life, I also didn't even feel bad for ending them myself. I should have felt bad. Sure, I killed a bunch of monsters, and in this world humans as a whole may have celebrated that. But I saw monsters as being just the same as humans as far as their right to live and grow freely. Killing them should feel just as bad as I would imagine killing another human would.

  But, right now, I didn't even think killing a human would have aroused my stunted sympathies.

  What i was heart broken over, however, was the death of Draxly. As I went through my day, speaking to the monster representatives, seeing off the Equestrians, and making sure Astrid knew exactly what I expected of the remaining ogres, I kept thinking back on the black furred Foxie. Remembering him when he was a foxkin, all the support he offered back at the estate, and the fact that he had been just as close to my on a daily biases as Lagdon or Kishi.

  It was cold and and empty feeling, looking back and seeing a different monster standing where Draxly normally would have been. More than once I caught myself looking for him, if only to see what his usually accurate opinion was on some inconsequential topic, yet he was no where to be seen.

  Monsters were not overly sentimental over their dead. There were a few tradition amongst the various races, but the idea of collecting corpses and hauling them off to some grave site was not really par for the course. Normally they would either had left the bodies for scavengers, or burnt them in a small ceremony, considering we were so far from home. I couldn't stomach that, though, and I charged some men to take Draxly and the other dead back to the estate, where they could be put to rest in what ever way their people saw fit.

  I would not be leaving them here to rot. Not where Varda had dared to desecrate them and my memories of them. I wanted them home.

  We spent a further three days in Sky Keeper, though much of it I could barely remember. I was almost running on auto pilot, going from point A to point B, 'supervising'. As much as I had refused to just go home, and no one had argued, I could tell that several of my people were anxious to see me back at the estate where they knew I was most comfortable.

  Yesterday, Brixie and Margund had taken their people home. Margund had looked at me worriedly, and had a serious talk with his brother, before leaving. But he had left with only a kind farewell. Brixie had been a bit more of a fight. She had wanted to stay with me, threatening to not leave my side for anything. We actually got into a bit of a shouting match before Luxana had stepped in to break us up.

  I wasn't mad at Brixie. the opposite, as a matter of fact. Before he I had not know what a 'mother' truly was. We may have only known one another for a short time, but if asked, I would have thought of her first as the woman who was my mother. But I also knew that she had her own responsibilities that needed her attention. She was a leader of her people now, and had been apart form them even longer than I had from my own. I knew she needed to get back, and I didn't want to be the reason she had more stress heaped upon her.

  I was a big girl, and- even though I wasn't doing the best at it right now- I could look after my own actions and emotions. I felt that she should not have to add my hurt heart to her current emotional over load. After all, Draxly had been an even bigger part of her life than he had been mine.

  She wanted to go with me, take care of me, and make sure I was alright. And I loved her for all of that... But, as much as that all sounded good, I would just be worried that I was being a burden to her. Luckily I had managed to convince her to go on ahead, reasoning that, once she sorted out the village, she could then come visit us at the Estate.

  "I think Lagdon is finishing up the preparations, Mistress." Kishi stated, hovering behind me. Where Lagdon had taken a bit more of a hands off attitude toward me since the incident, Kishi seems to have gone into over protective mode, literally sticking so close that I had nearly tripped over her a time or two.

  I looked over at the hobgoblin who was currently speaking to several other goblins, organizing the men for the trip home. In the last three days he had been shooting me very concerned looks, but also kept a respectful distance. I was pretty sure that he was trying to convey that he now had faith that I could protect myself. Though, I didn't think changing his hover barometer to a diameter of fifteen feet rather than five all that big of a difference. Still, it was about the only thing that made me smile over the last few days. I found it funny that he thought he was being such a generous person by hovering ten feet farther away than normal.

  "I'll be glad to get home." I said on the back end of an exhausted sigh. "No offense..." I added to the elderly harpy to my left.

  Yevette chuckled, her wings twitching. She looked even more run down than I did, and given her apparent age, that was a little concerning. I may not have known her long, but she had been a ray of light during this whole gathering. "None taken. Given all that has happened, I am not sure that I want to be here either."

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  "I am sure you will feel much better once we are all gone." I said with a small self deprecating smile. No doubt there would have been plenty of annoying arguments, even if I hadn't been here- Varda just gave off the vibe that she would have put up a stink no matter what- but I was also sure that my presence didn't make it any better. "Though, you are more than welcome to come for a visit yourself."

  The harpy smiled at me, reaching out a hand and patting the side of my face affectionately. I was a little surprised by this, given even people who had been overly friendly before had been being more careful since they were all given tangible proof that I wasn't just a 'token god'. Not that the ones closest to me thought that, but many of the others probably did.

  "Thank you. I may just do that."

  "Any word on the ogres?" I asked, trying to find something to talk about. I just did not have the energy to dedicate to conversation these days. Even the weather reflected my mood, swinging between cool and misty, to straight up down pouring at times. At the moment it was firmly in the misty zone.

  "I had a messenger come back and say that Astrid and the others have returned to the mountains safely. Time will be the thing to tell whether or not she follows through with your demands."

  I nodded, thoughtful. I had asked the harpies to keep an eye on the ogres, making sure they made it back home, and stayed there. I, honestly, didn't think that Astrid would betray what flimsy trust I had put in her, but I wasn't going to take any chances this time. The last thing I needed was for the ogres to try and put together some kind of revenge scheme once my back was turned.

  "Lady Enna?" Came a small voice, drawing my, Yevette's, and Kishi's attention. Luxana had approached us, by far looking the most warn out of us all.

  Not surprisingly, she had been having a very hard time. She and Draxly seemed to have been getting very close over this trip, and now he was just gone. And, unlike me, she had known him all her life; I was sure that they had been together, so I had a great deal of sympathy for her. Also, a great deal of admiration for the strength she had been showing throughout all of this.

  "I will head back." Yevette said, seeing that the young woman wanted to tell me something. "Good luck on your travels Lady Enna."

  "Yes... I hope to see you again some time soon."

  As soon as the harpy had flown off, Luxana came closer. She looked a little better than the last time I had gotten a close look at her, and I knew that Brillum had started to keep a close eye on her, being sure that she was eating her meals and not being alone with her thoughts. Even now, the red foxie stood over near Lagdon, talking to the hobgoblin, but keeping his eyes on the woman in question.

  "Luxana... Are you all set to get home?" I asked. I was tempted to sound off the typical 'how are you?' but it would have been a dumb question. None of us were doing overly well, after all.

  "Yes. I think I may be happy to never see this place again. At least, not any time soon." She said with a sad smile. Currently, I felt the same. Though, I hadn't abandoned my hope that I could revive Sky Keeper, even if Varda and the ogres had put a big heavy wet blanket on my inter-monster-human- cooperative dreams for the place. "But, there was actually something else i wanted to talk to you about... Is- is now an alright time?"

  "Yes, of course. You can speak to me any time Luxana." I said kindly, a little concerned due to her nervousness. I could see tears threatening to well up in her crystal eyes.

  She bit her lip briefly, her shaking hand gripping her stomach, making me think she might be sick for a brief moment. A large tear ran down her cheek and I set a worried hand on her arm. But, rather than breaking down, she flashed me a small, wobbly smile.

  "Um..." She said, sounding a little overwhelmed, but not necessarily in a bad way, as she still held the small smile. "I just found out... Lady Enna... I am having a baby."

  I am sure I was making the most astonished face I had ever made in my life. I could feel my eyes go wide and the breath catch in my throat. "What? Really?!"

  Instinctively I reached for her belly, then froze. It wasn't exactly appropriate to just grab a girl, pregnant or not. But the foxmen simple chuckled wetly, taking my hand in both of hers and placing on her stomach. She wasn't even showing, of course, but I was basically imagining a baby moving around in that little belly.

  "What a gift." Breathed Kishi, stepping forward and nudging Luxana's belly next to our joined hands. "Congratulation Luxana."

  "Yes, it is a gift." She said, but I could still see the sadness in her eyes. "I wish I could have at lest told him before-" Her sentence cut off with a slight choaking noise and I felt her hands tighten on mine. "He always wanted a large number of kits..."

  I looked at my young friend and shared in her grief. "I will let him know..." I said softly.

  At first Luxana looked at me with wide, confused eyes, unsure what to make of my statement. Then, it seemed like she understood, and I saw a glint of some emotion in her eyes. What ever it was, it seemed to bring a little color back to her face, and she smiled once again. "Thank you, Lady Enna."

  "Luxana! You should come and rest!" Brillum called, his deep voice and a red waving hand drawing all of our attention. The look on Lagdon's stern face as he examined the fox woman told me that Brillum had probably just informed him of Luxana's condition.

  "I'm coming!" Luxana called back before tuning to face me once again. "Honestly, he is more of a worry wart than Draxly was. Women have been having children since the dawn of time, I am sure being on my feet for more than fifteen minutes will have no adverse affects."

  I chuckled. Luxana's announcement had done a lot to improve my mood. Sadness still clung to me, and I was sure it probably would for some time, but it was a nice reminder that, even in the wake of death, life still continued on.

  Luxana left to join Brillum at the same time Lagdon was making his way towards me. They met in the middle and the hobgoblin seemed to congratulate Luxana, who smiled brightly and joined the foxie who lead her away. I almost laughed as I saw her attempt to brush of a red paw as Brillum tried to help his best friend's mate toward a covered carriage. I think that, despite her kind and bright personality, Luxana might have a little of Brixie's personality in her when it came to child rearing.

  "Margund told me that the rate of pregnancies amongst goblins is on the rise too..." Lagdon said, standing to my other side as we watched the foxes.

  I felt my eyebrow raise in amusement. "You were talking to your brother about birth rates?" I asked, suppressing my first real laugh in nearly a week. "I don't suppose there is something you wanted to share with me too?"

  Lagdon glared down at me, looking ever so slightly amused. "Hardly." He growled. "I just thought that it was a thing to point out: that monsters are thriving, on the whole, under your guidance. We have had losses here, but I think the forest itself is thriving better than it has in generations. Monsters are feeling safe enough, and secure enough, to have plenty of children once again. I am sure that the same thing had been running through Draxly's mind as well."

  I had almost forgotten that, due to them both being my guards, Lagdon and Draxly had probably spent more time together than I'd realized. Both he and Brillum were the two foxes that Lagdon trusted the most, after all.

  "I guess that's true." I said softly.

  As we stood their, just finding comfort in one another, a ray of light broke through the cloud cover, lighting up the grass and trees of the rainforest. Maybe their was still a good and proper future to look forward to after all.