Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As his coffee drained slowly into the pot, all Louis the red deer could think about was how tired he was. Recently, he hadn’t been able to sleep through the night, which, objectively, was quite odd -- he had never been the insomniac type. Throughout college, the deer had always made it a priority to sleep a full eight hours every night so that he could always perform at a high level. This habit carried over into his professional career at the Horns Conglomerate and even now, as the CEO of the company, Louis always valued his sleep.

And why wouldn’t he? He had enough money to cocoon himself in the finest silk sheets, the Egyptian blankets built with a thread count so high he joked that he’d need a calculator to remember it. His pillow was a soft cloud of feathers and his heated blanket kept him warm on cold nights. But no matter how luxurious the material in his bed was, Louis’ favorite sleeping accessory had always been the rough and tumble wolf that he shared the bed with.

He and Legosi had been together for years now and were approaching their third wedding anniversary, as Legosi would undoubtedly remind the deer within the coming weeks. And even though the wolf snored loudly and moved around in his sleep, Louis loved cuddling up into his chest as the moon rose high into the sky. No longer being the wild deer of his early 20s (if you can even call staying up until 11pm wild), the now 30 year old cervine liked to be in bed before 9:30 so that he could wake up with Legosi at 5. They both enjoyed the simple pleasure of a good night’s rest, so a good night’s rest is what they got.

Or, at least, what they used to get. Recently, a wrench had been thrown into the dynamics of the ranch. Yes, Louis still rode in his helicopter to work everyday and Legosi still trained the five horses who lived at Cherryton Ranch, but a small new animal had joined their little family and caused the married couple many sleepless nights (and annoyed the athletes, but they rarely complained to their coach about his personal matters).

Even before they were married, Louis knew that Legosi wanted kids; the wolf was very family oriented. Legosi’s dream had always been to have the ranch filled with the pitter patter of little feet on the hardwood floor and the hearty laughs of tired athletes. He talked about sitting a lil’ wolf pup on his lap and bouncing them on his knee as they watched horses run around the dusty old track. He wanted to be a successful coach and pass the ranch down to his kids just like his grandfather before him. Apparently his being gay never put a damper on that hope.

However, Louis had never considered the fatherly life. Of course, his strained relationship with his own father had always been a sore spot in the family plan, not to mention the weight of Oguma’s expectation to carry on the family legacy for future generations. In fact, if you asked a college-Louis about fatherhood, you’d hear a fervent “no” said with every ounce of his youthful rebellion. He knew what his father asked of him, but just like his eventual promotion to Horns CEO, that was a problem that he could punt down the road. 

But now Louis was further down said road, was the CEO of the Horns, cultivated a good relationship with his father, and had a husband eagerly awaiting his chance at fatherhood. And because Louis is weak and emotional whenever Legosi is involved, the deer started putting out feelers for adoption a little over a year after he wed the wolf. Louis had no serious intention of starting a family yet, but he wanted to get acquainted with the process should Legosi ever push him harder. That is until a young red deer fawn came along.

It was a stifling summer afternoon in Louisville. Louis had just gotten out of a meeting with the Board of Directors and his secretary informed him of a dozen important emails that she had passed through to his inbox. Begrudgingly, Louis trudged into his office, the high suite overlooking the towering skyscrapers of downtown Louisville (none of the other buildings were even as high as his office; Louis loved the optics of looking down on the whole city). He sat down in his plush chair, loosened his tie, and unlocked his computer. The Board meeting had run long as they continuously questioned Louis about his recent decision to increase the marketing budget at the expense of the real estate team. Louis agreed with their arguments about the real estate department being more profitable, but the young deer didn’t care; all of the board was rich enough already, while the Horns Conglomerate could always use a better brand image. So by the time Louis sat down in his chair he was tired, hot, and annoyed. And now he had to answer emails.

He scanned his inbox to gauge urgency. The VP of Business Development was requesting leave time (not urgent), the SEC had updated their insider trading case (hot), the adoption agency wanted to talk (not urgent), the marketing team had submitted their new advertisement proposal and needed his approval (hot)...wait, what had the adoption agency said?

Louis quickly put aside the other emails and opened the adoption agency’s email. He’d set up the requests in secret, using his connections through a friend of a friend to shroud his identity. He didn’t want anyone to know his interest, although they knew the important bits of his story. Married and well-off red deer who is an adoptee himself and wants to adopt a son. The details were specific enough that the agency could get a good idea for what kind of animal Louis was without actually knowing who he was, just as the deer intended. 

He just hadn’t intended for them to find someone so fast. Of course, it had been nearly a year and a half, but Louis had been very specific. He wanted a red deer fawn with no immediate family, preference given to those rescued from “illegal circumstances” (the socially acceptable term for back alley meat farms that always seemed to sprout up throughout the city). Louis hoped they would never ask about his reason for this preference and thankfully they never had. In fact, they never had contacted him at all -- this was the first email he had ever received from the agency.

Louis read over the email. Hello, John Doe (Louis found the alias quite funny). A recent police investigation has yielded a child that may be of your interest. He is a red deer fawn, no more than 2 months old. Bar slight malnutrition, he is healthy. For more information, contact us through your usual channels.

In shock, Louis read the email again; the scenario felt all too familiar. The list of people who knew his true story was shockingly short: Oguma and Legosi. His secret past had shaped the deer into who he was today; a past so glaring that he had fought his whole life to move past it. His adopted father had given him everything; he had saved his life in a selfish act of altruism. Oguma had wanted a son to carry on the family legacy -- in his pursuit of saving face he had also saved a young Louis; now Louis was in an identical position. It appeared that the CEO of the Horns Conglomerate would once again be adopting a former piece of livestock. 

Louis quickly sent off a text message to his contact at the agency. “Is this real?” In the two minutes it took for the deer to get a response, he couldn’t focus on anything else. He reread the email three times. He tried to look at the submitted marketing plan but swapped back to the email after two sentences. He scoured the local news website for information about a livestock market raid. Nothing came up. Finally, he felt his phone buzz as a message came through.

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure he’s healthy?”

“Doctor said he’ll be fine after 2 months of dietary supplements.”

“Does he have a name?”

“Not yet, but he had a permanent ankle bracelet with the number 7. We removed it immediately.”

“Good. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” As soon as Louis sent the text, he was out of his chair and packing up his briefcase. He told his secretary to call his driver and he drafted a message to Legosi in the elevator ride down to the private garage telling the wolf that he’d be home late. He sent it as soon as his chauffeur pulled the sleek black sedan out from underneath the building. Louis was lost in thought as his driver navigated the streets. Fifteen minutes later, the deer got out of the car and walked into the back entrance of the adoption agency.

Three hours after that, Louis walked out of the building cradling a swaddled mass of blankets and fur. He wore a backpack filled with official forms and supplies. As he got back into the car, he took a moment to admire his new son. The child was, as promised, a red deer fawn. In fact, he looked nearly identical to every other red deer fawn. Even though he didn’t have any baby pictures of himself, the deer figured that his father had seen a very similar sight when he had adopted Louis. The fawn slept peacefully, just as he had for the last few hours. Periodically his small hand grasped Louis’ finger. This was more than just another investment -- this was a permanent action that would define his family for the rest of his life. In his hands lay the future of the Horns, his and Legosi’s son. Louis couldn’t have been more excited.

This excitement carried the deer throughout the drive back to the Horns and the helicopter ride back to Cherryton. Even though the baby cried throughout the whole flight, the roar of the engine and the whirring of the blades surely scaring the young fawn, Louis didn’t mind the wails one bit. When he landed, it was well into the night; the sun was down and the moon was rising over the hills. Legosi wasn’t there to greet him at the helipad, which would have usually been odd, but considering the time of day, was not entirely unexpected. So Louis walked back to the house while cradling his son, entered through the front door, and followed the sound of snoring to his bedroom.

Legosi was asleep in their bed, sleeping as peacefully as a large-breed carnivore with a snoring problem could. He seemed to fidget more in his sleep when he didn’t have a warm deer to snuggle into, but Louis wasn’t particularly concerned right now with analyzing how his husband slept. Instead, he sat down on the bed and shook the wolf awake with an aggressive elbow. 

Legosi leapt up. He had always been a heavy sleeper. “Uh, what! Who’s there?”

“Shh,” Louis petted his wolf, “you might wake the baby.”

“Baby, there’s no ba…” Legosi trailed off as he turned towards the deer’s voice, his eyes falling on the fawn in his arms. His voice fell to an alarmed whisper “Is that...is that yours?”

Louis laughed silently. “No Legosi. He’s ours .”

The wolf’s emotions were obvious as his tail began to quickly wag. “Since when?”

“About two hours ago.”

“And you wanted this?”

“More than anything in the world.” Louis’ voice was filled with pride.

“Me too…” Legosi trailed off for a second before moving closer to his deer. “Can I hold him?”

“Of course you can, Legosi. He’s your son too.” Legosi’s throat released an excited whine as Louis moved closer to the wolf, handing off the sleeping fawn. “Remember to support his neck, it’s really weak when they’re young.”

Louis could tell how Legosi felt; it was plain as day to anyone who could see. The wolf’s tail was wagging up a storm while his arms gently caressed his son. His claws were pulled back and his eyes were focused on the fawn like he was the most important thing in the world. For all intents and purposes, at this point, he was the most important thing in their world. It was late on a Tuesday night out in the Kentucky countryside and Legosi was sitting on his bed with his husband holding his new son. He had the ranch that he always wanted to run and the family that he always wanted to raise. 

After a while, some unspecified time frame that neither Legosi nor Louis felt like needed undue focus, Legosi finally spoke up, his voice a soft whisper. He had spent the whole time just looking at his new son, not even acknowledging the elder deer that sat mere inches away. “What’s his name?”

“Charles.”

Chapter Text

“Daaaaaaaaaaaadddddddddddddy, come play with me!” Louis could hear Charles’ whining even before the fawn entered his father’s study. The young deer always had a way of making his shrill voice carry throughout the hallways of the ranch at the most inopportune of times. On one hand, Louis loved being able to work from home to see his son, but on the other hand, he hated being able to work from home and hearing him. Whether it be phone calls with clients, video conferences with the executive board, or even just trying to read his emails, Louis always found himself being distracted by Charles.

At least now the fawn wasn’t crying all the time. Charles had grown a lot in his three years of life, and Louis was forever thankful that his vocabulary had grown along with his body. 

That being said, Louis was not particularly thankful that Charles was able to talk at this very moment, but here he was, waiting for his toddler son to burst through the door to his office and inevitably waste some excessive amount of his time.

The pitter patter of feet came to a stop as the door opened, prompting Louis to look up from his computer. “Daddy, can you come play with me?” the small fawn pleaded. “Please daddy?”

Charles had grown in the three years since Louis and Legosi had adopted him. He was now almost up to Louis’ waist (although nowhere close to Legosi’s), and the size of his body had nearly caught up to the size of his eyes, the chestnut orbs no longer two large dishes dominating his face. Louis always thought cervine eyes looked strange, but his husband always joked that it made his two favorite men look en-deer-ing. Louis had never been a fan of that joke.

Louis huffed. “Charles, I need to work. We can play later.”

“But daddy, I want to play now.”

“No Charles, I need to work.” 

“Play.”

“Work.”

“Play!” The young deer stomped his foot as he yelled at his father.

“Charles, if you are going to throw a tantrum then I’m going to have to put you in timeout.” Louis threatened. His son deflated, his ears falling flush with his head. “You know that Daddy has to work during the day.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Charles groaned, slowly pivoting and moving towards the door.

“Good.” Suddenly a seemingly genius idea crossed Louis’ mind -- a beautiful plan that would placate his whining son and allow him to get some work done. A plan so good that it might as well have been snatched from the mind of his father, the ultimate business strategist. “Hey buddy, how about you stay here and I show you what I do all day?”

Charles’ ears perked up. “Yeah! I get to play with you?”

“Well, uh, I guess it’s playing…” Louis pushed his chair back from his desk and beckoned for his son to hop up onto his lap. “C’mon bud, sit up on Daddy’s lap.”

Charles let out a short cheer and his little feet ran as quickly as they could over to his father’s arms, which promptly lifted him off the ground. Charles giggled as he was placed into the elder deer’s lap.

“Ok, son, you know how Papa works with the horses all day?”

“Uh-huh!” Charles nodded his head quickly, evidently very excited. He always had enjoyed going out and watching the horses train with Legosi. “Papa makes horseys run fast!”

“Yes, Charles, that’s right! Papa makes horseys run very fast. But Daddy works at the Horns Conglomerate.” Louis cooed.

“What’s dat?”

“It’s a big company that does a lot of things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, uh…” Louis stammered, not sure how to dumb down his explanation for a toddler. “They buy and sell a lot of different things, like companies, stocks, and houses.”

“Horses?” Charles perked up.

“No, houses , not horses .” Louis laughed.

“That’s boring.” Charles looked dejected. “I thought you did something with horses too…”

“Well, the Horns Conglomerate does sponsor all of Daddy’s horses.” 

“Even Uncle Harley?” Charles asked excitedly.

“Especially Uncle Harley.” Charles cheered in response, now very excited to see what his Daddy Louis was doing. 

“I’m glad you’re excited about it,” Louis patted his son’s shoulder. “Because one day you’re going to run the Horns Conglomerate.”

“And play with all the horseys?”

“Well, you’ll mainly be in meetings and approving business plans, but you’ll still get to go to the horse races.”

“But I like playing with the horseys.” Charles pouted.

Louis sighed. “I know you do Charles, but eventually you’ll need to grow up and go to school and stop playing all the time.”

“But I just want to play…”

“I’m sorry buddy, but we can’t play all of the time, sometimes we need to work.”

“Like you?”

“Yes Charles, like me. Now I need to get back to working. You can stay here with me or go back to playing with your grandpas.”

“Nuh-uh,” Charles shook his head, “Grandpa Horsey said that Grandpa Gosha was tired and needed to take a nap.”

Darn, of course those two were slacking off in their grandfatherly duties. Damn them -- they were retired for God’s sake! They should have all of the time in the world to spoil their grandson rotten when they come and visit, not pawn him off on the lone working man so that they could go eat face in a cornfield! 

“Well, uh, maybe go play with your blocks?”

“But I don’t wanna.”

“Go take a nap?”

“I’m not tired.”

By now, Louis was mad. “Ok fine, I don’t care what you go do, I just really need to work!”

Louis heard a faint whimper which then evolved into a series of wails. Charles was crying his eyes out, furiously trying to simultaneously get away from and closer to his father. Louis tried to comfort him, but to no avail; Charles continued to cry. Sometimes Louis almost forgot how young his son was, but in a time like this, that was impossible.

Louis could barely make out the sound of heavy footsteps rushing down the hall over his son’s cries. Suddenly, Gosha stuck his scaly head into Louis’ study, his eyes narrowed. “Louis, what did you do to my great-grandson?” Gosha’s voice was full of venom.

Louis looked down at his feet, continuing to hug and console the small fawn. “He wouldn’t stop pestering me about playing even after I told him that I needed to work. Finally, I just snapped at him and he started crying.”

Gosha walked towards the pair slowly, his eyes stern as he stared down the stag, as if the fire in his eyes would turn his antlers into a pile of ash. “Tsk tsk Louis, you can just do that to a kid! They don’t know any better!” Gosha knelt down, his face eye level with the crying fawn. “Hey little buddy, do you want to go play?”

Charles sniffled out a quiet response that neither of the adults in the room could hear.

“What was that Chuck, I couldn’t quite hear you?”

“Yes Grandpa Gosha...I want to play.”

Suddenly, the lizard’s eyes lit up. “Great! Because I have something we need to do!”

“What Grandpa?” Charles’ voice was small and full of awe. 

“Well, it is Papa’s birthday today, so let’s go decorate for his party!” Charles and Gosha both cheered. 

Meanwhile, Louis was stunned. How had he forgotten Legosi’s birthday? He checked the date in the corner of his computer screen. Sure enough, it read “April 9th”, Legosi’s birthday. Wait, was that why Gosha had wanted to visit? Louis was under the impression that he had just picked some random date to come back down to the ranch with his boyfr...well, with Yahya (Louis was never sure what they wanted to be called anymore). Is that why Legosi had the horses take the day off training today, why he was in town rather than out in the fields with a stopwatch and clipboard? Louis rubbed the bridge of his nose. Maybe he wouldn’t be so distracted by work if he was going into the office -- he should give Keith a call about getting his helicopter back up and running. 

While Louis was lost in thought, Gosha whispered into his great-grandson’s small ear. “Maybe if you ask Daddy really nicely he’ll come help us set up.” Charles giggled and nodded his head, enjoying his grandpa’s secret whisper. He walked over to Louis and tugged on his leg, breaking him from his train of thought.

“Daddy, do you want to help me and Grandpa Gosha set up Papa’s birthday party?”

“Uh, Charles, I really have to work and I…”

“Please?” 

“Charles, I…”

“Pretty pleassseee?” The young deer pleaded with all of his might.

Louis looked down at his young son. The fawn was so small. He still remembered the night that he first met the young deer, his body swaddled in bright white cloth. Even though he had grown since then, he was still Louis’ small little boy. And Legosi’s. 

Louis could see the wolf’s influence on their son clearly. Even though he was a deer, he acted a lot like his lupine father. His ear twitched constantly, his little tail wagged wildly, and he liked the moon more than any self-respecting herbivore should. He liked to play with the athletes and ride around the ranch in the Gator. But most of all, it was the eyes. Yes, Charles shared his Daddy’s cervine eyes, but the way he used them was identical to his Papa. Looking down at his son, Louis wondered if this was how Oguma had felt when he had burst into the proud stag’s office all those years ago. 

“Well fine, I guess I can stop work a bit early. I never can resist those puppy-dog eyes of yours.” Louis responded as he ruffled the fur on his son’s head. Charles cheered and hugged Louis’ leg before getting pulled into his dad’s arms. Louis snuggled his nose into his son’s, eliciting a laugh from the young deer, before stealing a glance at Gosha. 

The lizard shrugged and walked out of the door, humming a faint tune. “I’ll get started on the cake if you two start putting up the decorations.”

“How about that, Charles? You want to put up decorations?”

“Yes Daddy! I want to surprise Papa!”

As Louis snuggled into his giggling son, he felt a warmth building up in his chest. So this was what fatherhood was supposed to feel like, huh? As he felt his son burrow into his shoulder, Louis decided that that was a feeling he could afford to love.

Chapter Text

Even when he considered all of the positive memories that came from the place, Louis still hated the lobby of the adoption agency. The beige walls and scratchy red cloth chairs always found a way to stretch any length of time into seemingly endless eons, minutes turning to hours as the single plain clock on the wall ticked agonizingly slowly. The lobby was small and cramped, chairs nestled tightly, forcing any animals to sit elbow to elbow while waiting for an employee to open the faded wooden door in the corner and call their name. 

Of course, Louis had never been one to come and socialize with the typical rabble that occupied the center. It was located in one of the worst sections of the city; a district that sat within view of his office but outside of the normal public consciousness. The agency occupied a squat one-story building surrounded by houses falling into disrepair. When he first visited the center 5 years prior to meet his son for the first time, he had been too caught up in his own thoughts to analyze the structure. But in the multiple check-ups and visits since, he had begun to grow tired of the building’s decaying facade. 

So, just like what any other rich person would do, he decided to write a check. Not a small one -- no, that was much too pedestrian for the young CEO. What was the point of having more money than you knew what to do with if you don’t make a spectacle? Louis was planning to write a check with enough zeroes to ensure that this little building wouldn’t have to worry about money for longer than he’d be alive. Of course, the check would officially be from an “Anonymous Donor”, but the money would be drawn from his own coffers. Not even the Horns Conglomerate would know it was Louis’s name scrawled on the bottom of the check. Everyone assumed that Charles was his biological son; even those who knew about his marriage to Legosi assumed they had used a surrogate. Louis was content to keep it that way.

Unfortunately, this meant that Louis would have to be the one to deliver the check in person. And thus, Louis was here at the adoption center, sitting in a scratchy chair, the wall clock continuing to tick slowly. He glanced at his watch (he refused to look at the god-damn ticking time bomb on the wall) and noted that his meeting was now two hours overdue. The excessively clandestine talk between Louis and his contact at the agency was originally scheduled for 7:30 PM, but the sun had set and the moon was rising high in the sky and Louis still hadn’t been called back -- even the receptionist had left after checking him in. 

He felt a buzz in his pocket. Pulling out his phone, he scanned the caller ID and noticed his contact’s name. Free was an Indian Lion who had been a friend of a friend back in college. In addition to doing whatever he did now (he refused to tell Louis and the red deer didn’t pry), he helped run various orphanages and adoption agencies behind the scenes. Louis didn’t ask where he got the money but he had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer if he ever did.

“Sorry about being late. I’ll be there in five minutes.” The lion’s voice was interrupted by a rapid series of breaths.

“About time.” Louis heard the sound of screeching tires through the speaker. “Was that you?”

“Oh, that screeching?” Free chuckled, “Yeah, but you’ll see why soon.”

“I better…” A sharp bang pierced through the phone. “Free, do I even want to know where you are right now?”

“I wouldn’t tell ya if you did. C’ya soon Boss.” 

The lion hung up, prompting Louis to sigh. Damn carnivores, always so rambunctious and mysterious. At least at the Horns he primarily only dealt with herbivores, although at home on the ranch he had to deal with the neediest carnivore he had ever met. 

It was another ten minutes before Free showed up, poking his head through the door and joking “Mr. Louis, the doctor will see you now.” Louis groaned as Free snickered at him, opening the door and ushering the deer into the main office. Free sat down first, dropping his large frame into the small office chair and kicking his feet up on the desk before gesturing for Louis to sit in the chair on the other side. Sitting down, Louis reached into his coat and pulled out his checkbook.

“So Free, what was it this time? Child abuse? Parental suicide? Homeless kid colony?” Louis teased, fishing into his pocket for a pen.

“Nah, that all happened last week. I’m sure you heard about it.” Louis rolled his eyes at the lion’s dry humor. The cat let out a small chuff. “Seriously though, it was worse than that.”

“Will I hear about it on the news?” Louis mindlessly asked as he flipped through his checkbook for an open page.

“No.” Free’s cold demeanor as he spat out the word told volumes. Usually, the kids Free found didn’t come from the best places. They were abused, neglected, or, worst of all, for sale. Free hadn’t broken up many of the meat traders, but the ones that he did would usually make a small blip on the news radar. To ask about “hearing it on the news” was part of society’s gentleman’s agreement about herbivore meat farms -- everyone wanted to know when they were busted but no one wanted to talk about them in the open. There were very few things worse in society than the herbivore meat trade.

Louis put down his pen, his donation forgotten. “What could be so bad that they wouldn’t put it on the news?”

Free sighed and reached into his coat pocket, fishing out a cigarette. He put the stick in his mouth and lit it, taking a long drag before answering the deer. “Carnivores.”

Louis was puzzled. “What about them? I know carnivores are usually the ones selling and eating the herbivore kids, but I don’t get…”

Free shook his head, cutting Louis off. “No, no, you don’t get it. It wasn’t carnivores that were selling the kids, it was carnivore kids that were being sold .”

“Oh.” Louis was silent. The media would never talk about that -- it was a taboo on top of a taboo. Louis understood why Free would be shaken by it. “So, uh, about that donation. Who should I make it out to?”

Free took another drag from his cigarette. “Louis, I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t want your money.” The deer cocked his head in confusion. “We really don’t need it. If this place starts looking nice it’s just going to attract undue attention from the wrong kind of people, people who would want to rob us or look into our funding or start asking too many questions. Just because we’re the good guys here doesn’t mean we do everything above the table.”

“That’s what I’m trying to change for you guys! I can make you legitimate!” Louis stood up and shouted at the larger lion. “I can make it so that all of this agency’s money is on the books; all of the kids are easier to adopt. No more rummaging around the fringes of society looking for animals that don’t care that their kid might have a number on their foot!”

Suddenly, Louis heard a small whimper and cry from beneath the desk. Free was shaking his head. “Louis, I was trying to keep it down so that you wouldn’t wake the twins.”

“Twins?” Louis whispered. Free moved from the desk and gestured for the deer to come look underneath. Beneath the desk were two small piles of gray fur. Louis could barely tell them apart; it seemed that where one body ended the next began. 

“Yes, twins. Pure-blooded gray wolves. They’re siblings, one girl, one boy, no more than a month old. We found them tonight. They were too small to go to the orphanage with the rest of the kids, so I brought them here.”

“They’re so small.” Louis’ voice carried a tone of awe.

“Not much smaller than Charles when you got him. Between the two of them, I’d say they’re bigger than he was.” The two adults were quiet, silently gazing at the small bundles of fur. Free grasped Louis’ shoulders, slowly whispering in his ear. “Actually, I lied. I could have dropped them off at the hospital instead, but I figured you’d want to take a look first.”

“What do you mean?” Louis quickly snapped.

“You know what I mean, Louis. Charles is about to start school -- are you sure you want Legosi to be home alone all day?”

“He has the horses and a job and the ranch…”

“Louis, look at these two bundles of joy and tell me that you don’t want them to have a better life.”

Louis was silent for a minute, before finally croaking out some hoarse words. “I can’t.”

“They aren’t going to have a better life than with you and Legosi. A lot of times when I take them to the police, twins get split up. With you and Legosi, they’ll grow up together. They’ll grow up loved. Loved by their fathers and siblings and ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’ and grandparents. Loved by those who look like them and don’t look like them. Loved by you. Now tell me again, what’s a better size for your family, 3 or 5?”

Louis didn’t have to answer verbally for Free to know he had made up his mind. “How large of a donation would keep this orphanage running for as long as they’re alive?”

Free laughed. “Hmm…ten million would probably be a safe bet.”

“I’ll do twenty million if you get them legally adopted in my and Legosi’s name by tonight.”

“Done.” Free stuck out his hand, prompting Louis to quickly shake it. The deer barely looked at the lion, his eyes alternating between the cradle beneath the desk and the checkbook in his hand. 

Less than an hour later, backpack filled with forms and arms filled with children, Louis walked out of the building. Free waved at the bewildered deer as he knocked on the door of his car, waking the driver asleep within. Slightly over an hour later, Louis exited his helicopter at Cherryton Ranch.

Just like that fateful day five years prior, he silently walked through the dark night towards the house, slipped through the main door, and scurried towards his bedroom. But instead of hearing Legosi’s snoring, he heard the wolf’s soft growl spinning a quiet story, high-pitched giggles breaking his speech.

“And so, Harley ran around the track faster than any of the other horses! He was right on the back of the big bad horsey’s tail coming around the last corner…”

“Did Uncle Harley win?!” Charles’ excited voice cut his father off.

“Not yet, little one. First, Harley had to make the move around the outside…” Legosi trailed off as he heard the telltale creak of his door opening. 

When Louis entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the moonlight. The window was open and Legosi seemed to be covered fully in the pale glow. That glow also extended to the excited little animal bouncing on his knee, enthralled by the story of how his favorite horse ‘uncle’ won the Triple Crown. Louis laughed. “Charles, I think it’s past your bedtime.”

“But Daddddyyy, Papa was telling me a story!” The young deer pleaded.

Louis started to respond but was stopped by his husband. “Louis, he had a bad dream again and wanted me to tell him a story.” The wolf’s puppy dog eyes were out in full force. “Anyways, he’s gonna be startin’ school soon and I wanted to have one last father-son night together before he has to go to kindergarten all day.”

“Honey, you’re acting like he’s going off to war -- he’ll only be gone for eight hours a day.” Legosi continued to silently beg, his eyes fully focused on Louis’. “But...well, I guess if he had a bad dream it’s fine. Besides, I want him to meet his new brother and sister.”

Legosi’s eyes went wide, finally noticing the baby carrier in Louis’ arms. He quickly moved Charles to the ground and stood up, walking over to the deer. “What?”

Louis handed his daughter to Legosi. “Twins -- gray wolves. I had a meeting with Free today. He was running late because they found a carnivore meat farm.”

Legosi was still dumbfounded. “So they’re just like…”

“Yes. Same situation as me and Charles.”

“But they’re…”

“Yes, you dumb mutt, they’re carnivores. Some animals find it more thrilling.” Louis’ voice was acerbic, but he calmed and continued. “Let’s not talk about that though, let’s just enjoy the moment.”

Legosi let out a content growl, holding his two new children in his arms. The silence was broken by the yells of a small child. “Papa! Tell me a story!”

Louis spoke up first. “Charles, don’t you want to meet your baby brother and sister first?”

“No! I don’t want a brother or sister. I want Papa to finish the story!” The young deer pouted, stomping his feet.

“I think that’s enough from you, you little rascal. Now go to the bathroom and then I’ll tuck you in goodnight.”

“But I want Papa to finish…”

Louis cut him off. “No buts, mister. Come back when you’re ready for bed.”

Charles stormed off, his small legs making as much noise as he could force them to make. As soon as Louis heard the bathroom fan turn on, he turned back to Legosi. “So what do you think?”

“I can’t believe what they’ve gone through.” Legosi whispered.

“I think they’ve gone through enough. They’re ours -- yours -- now.” Louis snuggled into his husband’s back. “They’re gonna learn so much from their big bad wolf daddy.” Legosi’s tail continued to wag a steady rhythm between Louis’ legs.

“Do they have names?”

“Not yet. I named Charles, so I figured it would be right for you to name the wolves.”

Legosi whined in excitement and beckoned for Louis to come in front of him. He handed his youngest son to Louis. “Lukas.” Legosi then cradled his daughter. “Bela.”

Louis kissed the wolf on the cheek. “I think they’re perfect.”

Louis and Legosi both laid down on the bed, holding the sleeping pups with delicate care. Eventually, they heard the bathroom fan turn off and the pitter patter of footsteps move down the hall, before they felt a forty pound ball of energy flop onto the bed. 

“Daddy, Papa, can I sleep with you tonight?” Charles begged, doing his best job to impersonate his canine father.

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Legosi responded before Louis could say ‘no’, prompting the deer to shrug and roll his eyes.

Before he fell asleep, Louis swore that he saw Charles snuggle into his new baby siblings and whisper “I’ll ke ep you safe forever” into their small ears. He fell asleep before he could think too much about it.

Chapter Text

Although they were few and far between, Louis lived for the weekends when he got Saturdays off. Being CEO of an international business conglomerate had its perks, but getting to spend time at home was not one of them. Sure, he could decide to work from home periodically, but he always found himself being much less productive at home than the days where he was holed up in his office in downtown Louisville. Coupled with the fact that he consistently had work that needed to be done at all hours of the day and it combined into a recipe for disaster to Louis’ weekend. 

He did usually make it a point to take every Sunday off, which most of the company and clients seemed to adhere to -- Kentucky was firmly in the Bible Belt after all -- but Sundays at Cherryton always seemed subdued compared to Saturdays. The ranch slept in late, the horses didn’t have training, the kids didn’t have school, and Legosi usually declared a family rest day full of reading, professional football, and naps.

Saturdays were a different animal. Louis was able to experience the energy pumping through the ranch firsthand. Saturdays were filled with horses training, his kids running around, and friends coming over. Lucky for Louis, today was one of the elusive Saturdays that he was on a ranch outside of Lexington and not in a high rise in Louisville.

The deer was sitting in the back of the Gator, letting his fur soak up the rays of the mid-summer sun, his eyes gazing over the dusty race track. Today, only three horses were running around the track (two of their group had skipped today’s practice; James was nursing a sore ankle and Rocco was sick), but their diminished number did nothing to stop the enthusiasm of their coaches. Legosi occupied his usual spot on the railing of the fence at the finish line, his gray tail wagging methodically as he barked out orders and advice. 

The preteen deer next to him was also sitting in what had quickly become his personal spot on the fence. Charles was barely 11 years old and yet his passion for horse racing rivaled even that of Legosi. The deer held a clipboard and periodically marked down notes on his paper, glancing at the stopwatch that hung around his neck every few seconds, a loopy grin plastered across his face. He and Legosi spoke quickly back and forth, discussing technique. 

“Say, Chuck, you see Devlin out there, how his foot contacts the ground?” Legosi pointed towards the horses turning at the far bend. 

Charles’ eyes quickly followed, focusing for a few seconds before the deer responded. “Sure Papa, I think I see it.”

“What do ya’ see, pup?”

“Well, when his foot strikes the ground he rolls it more than Brian’s does, which, uh…” the deer thought for a second before continuing. “Which I think helps him maintain momentum over the rougher surface.” 

Legosi smiled and gave his son a half hug, his arm slinging across the deer’s back and grasping his shoulder. The gray wolf’s tail wagged a little bit faster. “Good! Now what about when he…” 

The two continued to chatter about the intricacies of the equine form. Louis swore that Charles and Legosi could talk about foot position, or arm angle, or back orientation, or any number of horse racing related topics for hours on end if left uninterrupted. Every morning during the summer Charles would be out helping his Papa coach. He constantly nagged both Legosi and Louis about getting him certified with the International Horse Racing Association as an official coach (even though he was several years too young). Louis didn’t understand the fervor; sure, he enjoyed horse racing and sponsoring horses, but he didn’t understand what his husband and son found so interesting about technique. (Then again, neither of them found his spreadsheets nearly as interesting as he did, which was a shame).

While Charles and Legosi sat on the fence and watched athletes run in circles, Louis and Legosi’s two other children were running in circles as well. Luke and Bela, the now 6 year old wolf twins, were chasing their “cousins” around the field surrounding the race track. 

Of course, Jack and Haru’s kids weren’t actually their cousins, but the distinction hardly mattered -- for all intents and purposes, they were family. Their first child, Rose, was barely a year older than the twins and had lived her whole life jumping between her parent’s house and her uncles’ ranch to play with her lupine cousins. When John came along three years later, she’d been a bit of a brat about it at first, but quickly warmed up to her baby brother. 

Both children had been blessed with great parents (Louis was not even remotely surprised that Jack and Haru had blossomed into great parents, it fit their personalities perfectly) and grown up around people who loved and accepted them, regardless of their hybrid status. Of course, that included their favorite playmates, Bela and Luke, who were furiously engaging in a simple game of hide-and-seek (apparently little Johnny was very, very good at the game). 

Bela’s excited cries when the trio finally found the youngest child broke Louis from his daydream. He realized that Haru had joined him in the back of the Gator. “Oh, Haru, I didn’t notice you there.”

The rabbit laughed. “Took you long enough, you old fool. I’ve been sitting here for 10 minutes without you noticing. I almost checked for a pulse.” The deer snorted, turning his head away from the rabbit, his horns glinting in the bright sunshine. “Legosi wasn’t sure that you’d be joining us before lunch.”

“Oh that damn wolf, always the pessimist. I told him I had to answer one urgent email. He always thinks that I’m going to let time get away from me and work all day.” Louis huffed. Yes, he’d been working a lot but c’mon, so did Legosi! The wolf should understand that he was a working deer.

“Well did you only answer one email?” Haru chided the deer. His silence was telling. “That’s what I thought. Louis, you need to take a break every once in a while.”

“Haru, that’s easy for you to say when you get to take the whole winter off because no one wants flowers when there’s snow on the ground!” Louis responded, his annoyance obvious. A sheen of sweat began to shine through his fur under the hot Kentucky sun. 

“Louis, you know that I don’t take that off willingly -- it just doesn’t make sense for me to stay open all winter when people only want roses for one day in February.” Haru stood up in the bed, looking down at Louis with her hands on her hips. 

Louis slumped, his hand rubbing his forehead.. “Haru, I…, I’m sorry -- I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just…, well, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

“Hence why you need a break.”

“No, I can’t take a break, Haru! It’s not a question of if I want one, it’s a question of if I can take one and leave the Horns without me. Haru, I’m finally starting to feel stable in where the company is -- where my family legacy is.” Louis rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I just want to make sure that it’s in good shape for Charles to take it over.” 

Haru looked between the two deer. The young buck was cheerfully sitting on the fence, talking about athletics and his friends and everything under the sun with his lupine father. The elder stag was fretting about the state of his company while wearing an Oxford in the back of a farm vehicle. There was nothing to say, but Haru tried anyway. “Chuck will take it over when he’s ready, Louis.”

Louis didn’t respond. The deer turned his ear, hearing the soft pitter patter of feet approaching the two of them. Looking behind Haru, he saw the four kids running back towards their parents. When they got closer, Bela’s face lit up as she noticed her cervine father. 

“Daddy! You came out!” Louis slipped out of the bed of the vehicle, grasping his daughter in a big hug and picking her up.

“Yes, princess I did tell you and Papa that I only had a few emails.” Louis laughed as he snuggled into his daughter, rubbing his nose into her snout. 

“Next time I’ll answer emails for you so that you can come play with us.” Bela pouted.

Louis laughed and put the young wolf pup back on the ground. He ruffled her twin brother’s head fur as he did, eliciting a laugh out of Luke. “Well I really appreciate it Bela, maybe next time I’ll ask for your help.” He turned towards his son. “Wow Luke, I can’t believe how fast you’ve gotten! I didn’t even see you running up towards me and Aunt Haru!”

The young wolf beamed in pride. “Yeah Daddy! I’ve been running really fast! Uncle Harley and Grandpa Horsey have been teaching me!”

“Oh those darn horses,” Louis laughed, “they’re going to make you so fast that you’ll need Legosi to train you soon.” Luke giggled and started running around, yelling about how fast he was. 

Next to them, Haru spoke up to her children. “Kids, your Dad just texted me and said the bean burgers were almost ready so we should get going soon. Say your goodbyes to your cousins.” 

The two hybrids echoed sullen cries of “okay, Mom”, Rose and John’s wagging tails slowing as they walked over to the wolf twins and gave them goodbye hugs. 

Louis looked over at Haru. “I’m serious, I didn’t see Luke coming at all. He popped up out of nowhere.”

The rabbit turned back to the deer, concerned. “Do you think you need glasses? I just read this great article in Home & Life magazine about how your eyes deteriorate as you get older.”

Louis huffed. “Probably. I just don’t want to look like Oguma. He’s worn glasses my whole life. I’m afraid that I’d see him everytime I look in the mirror.”

Haru didn’t understand Louis’ hesitation -- she already saw Oguma when she looked at his son.

Chapter Text

Lunch at Oguma’s was always an interesting affair. The aging red deer invited his family over to the Horns Estate the third Sunday of each month and as he got older he began to hint at a weekly luncheon. Oguma was 73 years old after all, and not getting any younger, so he wanted to maximize the amount of time he got to spend with his son, his son-in-law, and most importantly, his grandkids. 

Whenever the mixed clan of animals plopped out of the family SUV and landed on the lawn of Oguma’s mansion, Louis suddenly felt like he was no longer the father of his children. (Legosi had finally caved and let Louis buy a family SUV when his Mercedes threw a piston, although he always called the deer a soccer mom and maintained that he’d look better behind the wheel of a truck.) Oguma had a way of absorbing those around him and viewing them as his own. Louis understood why -- it was what a true businessman had to do. The Horns had shaped both of them into animals who knew that the only way to get what you wanted was to use force and take your future by the horns, for lack of a better term. And hence, lunch with Oguma was always interesting. 

Most of the lunch days started out quite normally, with Louis waking up early and checking emails between sips of coffee while Legosi slept in and made breakfast. The horses would sit and make idle chit-chat with the kids while they worked on homework. Charles was 14 and had just started high school; between football practice and horse training the teenage deer always found a way to procrastinate all of his homework to the end of the weekend. Luke, who idolized his older brother, began mirroring the bad habit. However, Bela always had her homework done well before they went to Grandpa Oguma’s, giving Louis hope that not all wolves were big dumb mutts. 

After eating, the family would bid the athletes farewell and pile into the car, ready for the 90 minute drive to Oguma’s. Even though they still had the helicopter (and Oguma had a helipad), Louis insisted that the three hour round trip provided good family bonding time. He also liked to drive himself rather than letting Legosi get behind the wheel; something about the monotony of empty gray highways while the rest of the Rex-fearing citizens of Kentucky were at Church helped calm Louis’ scattered mind. 

By the time they arrived, Louis would usually be relaxed, Legosi would be bored, and the kids would be restless, which gave them the perfect opportunity to burst out of the door and run into the waiting arms of their favorite cervine grandfather. From there, the day would slowly evolve from introductions on the lawn to chit-chat in the foyer to family talks in the living room (and sometimes business discussions in the study). Remembering where you went during a lunch day at Oguma’s was like playing a game of Clue. Sometimes it was Mr. Green in the Conservatory, sometimes Miss Scarlet in the Library, but all anyone remembered was that at precisely 1:15 PM, everyone would end up in the dining room in their assigned seats at the table. 

Oguma and Louis sat at the two ends of the table, Chuck and Luke flanking the elder deer while Legosi and Bela bordered the younger. Whereas he had spent years of his childhood staring down his father over the same barren table, Louis now looked at his dad supported by their warm hybrid family. He found it ironic; what had once been a family tradition that emphasized the loneliness of his life now highlighted the life that overflowed from it. Never did he think he’d end up with a majority lupine household, but at least having Oguma evened the ratio.

Up through the second course, this lunch weekend had remained the same as all before it. Oguma’s next question continued the trend. He was a concerned grandfather who wanted the best for his grandkids, after all. “So kids, how’s school going?” The warmth of Oguma’s wide smile was dampened by the narrowed eyelids beneath his glasses.

“Oh oh, Grandpa! I wanna talk first!” Bela’s excited little lupine voice caused the adults at the table to chuckle and Legosi to reach across the table to ruffle her hair. “Not fair, Papa!”

“Oh honey, you just get really cute when you’re all excited about school, that’s all.” Legosi joked. “Now why don’t you tell Grandpa your story.”

“Oh yeah! My story.” The wolf pup’s tail was wagging vibrantly. “We learned how to multiply fractions today!”

Oguma did his best job to act impressed. “Oh wow! You learned to multiply fractions already? I don’t think I learned that until 5th grade at least. Then again, you are Grandpa’s smart little pup, aren’t you?” Bela’s giggles of pride indicated that Oguma was nearly as good an actor as his son. 

“Yeah! My teacher said we’re going to learn to divide fractions next week! I don’t understand how that works, but I want to know.” 

“Oh I’m sure you’ll be a natural at it, Bela. My little mathematician, just like your Daddy -- he was always good with numbers.” Oguma retorted. 

“Oh Grandpa, we also learned about bugs this week.” Luke exclaimed, prompting Bela to nod her head, Legosi to perk up, and Louis to check his phone for emails. 

“Oh did you now?” Oguma asked, quite interested with his grandson’s passion. “I know your Papa likes bugs too.”

“Yeah, isn’t it so cool?! Papa already taught me everything that our teacher talked about! Bela took a nap during the lesson because she said she knew everything already.” Luke looked dejected at his twin sister’s disinterest. 

“Now Bela, you really shouldn’t sleep during class. We’ll talk about this later.” Louis chided his daughter.

Legosi was aghast, looking at his daughter who didn’t share his interest in little critters. “Bela if you want to know more about bugs I can teach you sometime. I’m sure Luke would love it.”

The male wolf pup cheered at the prospect, while his sister rolled her eyes. “ Daddy I just don’t like bugs like you and Luke. I don’t like Science class.”

“That’s enough, you three.” The commanding voice of Oguma put an end to the conversation. “Now Charles, why don’t you tell me about how you’re doing in school, you’ve been awfully quiet all day.”

Louis realized his father was right -- he hadn’t heard his son speak more than a few words all meal. He seemed to be caught in his own head. 

“Uh...well, I guess nothing really to report. Just, uh...going to class and practice.” Charles stumbled over his words, seemingly unfocused on the conversation at hand.

“Chuck was named the starting quarterback for the JV team as a freshman last week, Oguma. We’re very proud of him. Hell, I didn’t even make the JV squad ‘til I was a sophomore.” Legosi beamed in pride.

“Oh, well, it’s nothing. I only got it because Brandon tore his ACL in practice.” The red deer’s cheeks blushed a lighter red than normal.

“Nonsense, Chuck, I watched your first practice, you were a better athlete than that lion no matter his age. I honestly think you could be the Varsity backup by the end of the season, that tiger kid wasn’t that much better than you.” Legosi’s voice was filled with a fierce determination.

 “Sorry guys, I’m not feeling too good. I think I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” Charles got up and left the room, leaving his meal half eaten. Oguma excused himself and followed his grandson. Louis remained at the table, wondering when his son had been promoted to JV.

Oguma cornered Charles just as he was exiting the bathroom. “Grandpa, I…”

“No, Charles, something is wrong. You’ve been unusually quiet today.” Charles sighed as Oguma lectured him. “Let’s go to my study and have a chat, grandfather to grandson.”

“Grandpa, I just want to go back to the dining…”

Oguma cut him off. “No, Charles. We aren’t going back to the dining room until we talk about this.” Oguma began walking towards his study. “Besides, there’s something I’ve been meaning to speak with you about.”

Left without a choice, Charles followed his grandfather through the house until they reached his study. The dark oak bookshelves flanked a desk of solid mahogany, a proud office chair sitting prominently behind it. The family legend was that Oguma had modeled it after the Oval Office, but he refused to confirm or deny such a statement.

“Sit down, Charles.” Oguma lowered himself into his chair, folding his arms in front of him on the desk. The younger deer remained standing. “ Sit, Charles. I don’t bite, I just want to have a little talk.”

Reluctantly, the teenage buck followed his grandfather’s orders and sat down on the couch across the room.  The atmosphere of the room was stifling as the silence hung in the air. 

“Charles,” Oguma broke the silence, his proud rack of horns shimmering in the light of the window at his back. “Every buck reaches a time in their life where they must make a decision as to what they want to be. While most need to pick from the endless variety of choices, some, such as ourselves, are blessed by Jesus Rex himself with a noble calling that we inherit from our forefathers.” The elder deer turned towards the wall of his study, its dark green paint lined with portraits of proud stags, the honorable line of the Horns Conglomerate. 

“Charles, the Horns has been around for more than twice my lifetime. My great-grandfather started the company with ten dollars in his pocket and a dream. He sold wheat and grain and straw and anything he could think of to make a few bucks before purchasing a local mill. He continued on, reinvesting all of his money into booming industries and growing the company. Thirty years later, he passed the thriving conglomerate onto his son, who continued to expand the company. This tradition has continued for over a century. My grandfather passed the company to my father, who in turn passed it to me, who in turn passed it to your father. I have no doubt that he will want to pass it on to you.”

Charles was silent, scratching the base of his horns instead of responding. Oguma admired the antlers; the young buck still had a long way to go to match the gnarled forest atop Oguma’s head, but the horns his grandson carried were impressive for a deer of his age. “Uh, Grandpa, Dad has told me this before.”

“I know. I just wanted to remind you of your heritage before I ask you this question.” Oguma stared his grandson in the eyes, the young deer twitching in discomfort. “So Charles, what do you want to do with your life?”

Chuck stammered. “Uh...Grandpa, I…”

Oguma didn’t let him finish. “Charles, you’ve reached an age where you need to start planning for your future. With the Horns alumni donations to Duke you should be a shoe-in legacy there, I’m sure Louis will know the right program for you. We could probably start having you shadow some managers at the Horns in the next year or two, get you into debate and government clubs at school…”

The young deer’s growl silenced his grandfather’s ramblings. “Grandpa, I don’t know what I want to do.” 

“Charles!” Oguma was shocked.

Chuck didn’t let his grandfather’s yell interrupt him. “Grandpa, I don’t know what I want to do, but I do know one thing, I don’t want to live like my Dad.”

Oguma was appalled. The elder deer stood up, his eyes narrowed between his bifocals. “Charles, do not say that about your father! Louis is a good man!”

“Grandpa, he didn’t even know I made the JV team! I’ve been talking with Papa every day for the last month about how excited I was for football this year and Dad hasn’t even asked me about it once. All he does is work all day, fly home in his fancy helicopter, eat dinner, and then ‘take a quick look at his computer’ while we hang out around the house! I reckon I haven’t seen him for more than two hours a day during the week since I started middle school.

“Last year he made ONE of my games all of last year. I’m not just counting the football games, he missed all of those, but also the basketball and baseball games. He came to one single game over three seasons of sports and it was one where I didn’t even play a single minute. I’d pitched the day before and my arm was resting. Papa and the twins haven’t missed a game since I started Peewee football.” 

Charles was frantic now, his eyes welling with tears. Like a car crash, Oguma couldn’t look away from his crying heir.

“You know what else? Every day Papa picks me up from the high school and then we drive down to the elementary school to pick up Bela and Luke. We sit in the parking lot for twenty minutes, just talking, as we wait for them to get out. Papa has done this every day of school, and he still has time to tend to the horses and the farm. Dad used to drop us off in the morning, but ever since 6th grade he’s said that the Horns needs him in the morning because the European clients don’t want to wait. Apparently some suits across the ocean are more important than his kids.” Chuck snuffled, his right ear flapping quickly.

“Or take what happened last week. Papa reads the twins a story every night before bed. On Tuesday Papa wasn’t feeling too good so he went to bed early. When it was the twins’ usual bedtime, they refused to sleep until Dad read them a story. So he went to one of the bookshelves and grabbed the first book he could find. He hurried through it, his rushed monotone not eliciting the usual giggles that Papa’s wild storytelling could bring out of the little pups. Neither of them had the heart to tell Dad that he had grabbed the book from Papa’s ‘Finished’ shelf, so they went to bed dejected after hearing the same story two nights in a row.”

The young deer wiped his arm across his large, round eyes. Oguma remained silent, his mouth agape. He hadn’t realized the extent of Louis’ work-life imbalance. 

“But Grandpa, you know what I think was the worst? It wasn’t seeing Bela and Luke cry themselves to sleep, or looking over at a trio of wolves in a grandstand saving a seat on the bleachers that will never be used; it was seeing Papa holding a bouquet of roses and watching the sky, waiting for his husband to come home on their anniversary -- only to wake up the next morning and find him passed out on the porch, flowers strewn about the ground. Dad didn’t come home for three more days; he had decided to buy an apartment in the city so that he could work more. I still don’t think he knows he missed their anniversary.

“So yes, Grandpa, I’m sure Louis is a good man, but he’s not a good father, and I sure as hell don’t want to be like him when I grow up.” The young deer collapsed into the couch, his body wracked in sobs. Oguma stood up halfway from his chair before falling back into its leather caress. There was no way he could comfort his grandson right now -- he saw too much of his own son’s upbringing in the teenager’s story.

“Charles, I…” the stag’s voice caught in his throat, “I, I want you to know that your father loves you, even if he isn’t always there to show it.”

“I know you think that Grandpa, but I’m not sure it’s true. It’s just not fair. I wish that my horns didn’t always itch and that I was born a wolf and that I didn’t have the whole world asking me when I’m going to take over the biggest company in the state!”

That prompted Oguma to stand up and move towards his kin. “So you don’t want to carry on the family legacy then? You want to see your family’s hard work fall into the hands of someone else less capable?”

Chuck laughed between his sobs. “No, Grandpa, you’ve got it all wrong -- I do want to carry on my family’s legacy, just not the legacy that everyone else wants me to carry on.”

Before Oguma could respond, Legosi’s low baritone wafted throughout the house, announcing that it was time to go back to the ranch. Chuck looked at his grandfather one last time, turned around, scratched his antlers, and left the room. Oguma stared at the cherry red of the closed door. It was the same color as Louis’ fur.

Chapter Text

Even in the age of the Internet, colleges still loved to send acceptance letters the old fashioned way. While the younger generation of animals felt the same giddy anticipation from pixels on a screen, the elder generation who ran the colleges recalled the days of their youth where finely printed characters on official letterhead welcomed a student into the collegiate brotherhood. Hence, the tradition of sending packets with letters, stickers, and instructions lasted long after the decline of traditional snail-mail.

Thus, Charles the red deer found himself sitting at the dining room table, waiting in boredom. He knew where each of the two packets were from -- the fancy seals in the corner revealed that. He also knew that he had already been accepted to both schools, which he discerned from the size of the packets (colleges didn’t send a rejection letter in anything larger than a simple envelope) and the fact that the admission portals had notified him two weeks prior. If anything, Charles was annoyed about having received the packages because his fathers had decided to make a huge deal out of it.

He looked around the table. Legosi and Louis sat to his left, holding hands and looking on eagerly. The twins sat opposite them, annoyed that they had to sit through this ceremonial confirmation of something they’d been hearing about for the better part of a month. Across the house, the horses relaxed, their nightly film sessioned cancelled. Right now, Chuck would have preferred to be shootin’ the shit with the athletes rather than sitting around the stuffy table.

 Legosi looked about ten years younger than normal, his eagerness washing away the white specks and wrinkles on his muzzle that time and ranch work had worn into his face. The wolf’s tail wagged viciously, generating audible wind. Although he had never gone to college himself, Chuck swore that Legosi was the biggest college sports fan east of the Mississippi, and his love was centered on one team -- the University of Kentucky. The teenage deer glanced at the packet to his left that displayed those letters in a deep blue script.

For once, Louis wasn’t looking at his phone (or on his computer, or talking on the phone, or thinking about work, or…). His father was looking directly at him, his tail also wagging in anticipation (or, at least as much as a deer tail could wag; Legosi’s claims that Chuck was a better tail wagger always made Louis mad). Louis’ face was also weathered, although it was hidden behind the small spectacles that hung off of his nose. The gnarled forest of horns atop his head carried a weight that signified his prominence. Chuck scratched his antlers, his ear flapping quickly. The young deer knew why his father was excited and it had to do with the second letter on the table: Duke University, the alma mater of his father and grandfather before him.

Completing the set of excited family were his two younger wolf siblings. Even though Chuck was at the stage of life where most animals were “too cool” for their younger siblings, the deer felt a certain loyalty to his pack. Maybe it was because he was raised by wolves, but the siblings knew that their stories would be intertwined for the rest of their lives, so they might as well love each other. The lupine twins, barely teenagers themselves, understood the significance of the two letters before their cervine brother -- they wouldn’t get to see much of him for the next four years. 

Legosi broke the silence. “Go on Chuck, open the letters.” He squeezed Louis’ hand as the stag encouraged their son to open the packages.

“Papa, do I have to?” the teenager whined, “I already know I got in.”

“Of course you do, Charles.” Louis’ voice was stern. “Your father and I are very proud of you and want to see you open the official letter in person.”

“Dad, I already got the official email.”

“Charles, an email does not carry the same weight as a letter.” Louis huffed.

“You’re just mad because you were out of town when I got into Duke.” Charles spat.

“Charles!” Louis began, only to be cut off by his husband.

“Both of you, that’s enough!” Legosi stared at the two deers, disappointed in their behavior. “Now let’s just continue this like a normal family. It’s almost the twins’ bedtime and we need to get through with the cake too.”

“Papa, do I really have to go to bed this early? It’s summer!” Bela whined.

“Yeah Papa, Bela and I want to stay up late!” Luke pleaded. He and his sister both did their best attempt at puppy dog eyes, but Legosi was not swayed.

Louis was fed up with the teenagers of Cherryton Ranch. “Both of you, shut up! Just because you’re 13 now doesn’t mean that you can disrespect me like this in my house.” Bela and Luke both shrunk into themselves, ears laying flat. Louis let out a sigh. “Now let’s just be quiet and let Charles open his acceptance letters so that we can all be well rested for Grandpa’s luncheon tomorrow.” The elder stag beckoned for his son to open the letters. 

Chuck reached towards the first letter, the seal of the University of Kentucky plastered proudly on the corner. Using his fingernail, he tore open the envelope, fishing into the packet and pulling out the paper inside. Chuck quickly read the header, his wagging tail and smiling face betraying his emotions. “Dear Chuck, Congratulations and welcome to Big Blue Nation! You have been accepted for admission as a freshman to the Athletic Training undergraduate program at the University of Kentucky!”

Legosi let out a small howl, prompting the other two excited wolves to follow suit. Soon, their cervine brother joined in. Louis looked on with disapproval. “Honestly, you wolves are all so crass.” The rabble quieted. “Now enough of Kentucky, Charles, why don’t you open Duke.”

“But Dad, I want to read the rest of the letter.” The younger deer pouted.

Louis’ eyes narrowed behind his glasses. “Son, read it later. Let’s read Duke now so I can respond to some emails before bed.”

“Fine.” Charles placed the other letter back into its envelope and rested it on the table. He gingerly reached for the Duke packet. It was similar in size and weight to the Kentucky envelope, although the paper felt fancier and the font was more regal. Chuck tore it open. His voice was flat. “Dear Charles, Congratulations! Duke is now your university! You will be joining a most impressive group of students in the Economics program at Duke University.”

“Just like your father. Oguma will be so proud when I tell him tomorrow.” Louis beamed. The table was quiet. “Go on Charles, read the rest.”

“No Dad, I really don’t want to. I’ll just read it later.” Chuck deadpanned.

“Charles, you need to read every word sent to you by your future university.” 

“Hey!” Legosi spoke up. “He hasn’t committed to Duke yet! He still could go to Kentucky. Or Louisville, he got in there last week! Hell, even Alabama wanted him -- they gave him all of that scholarship money! He doesn’t have to go to Duke.”

Louis stood up, furious. “I did not donate all of that money to Duke so that my son would go to Alabama because they gave him more money,” the deer spat.

“Dad, Papa’s right! This is my decision.” Chuck stood up, looking down at his smaller father. Years of sports had made the buck tall and strong, and he dwarfed the other red deer.

Louis was undaunted, getting up into the face of his son. “You think I wanted to go to Duke? You think I wanted my father to drop me off in Durham, give me a gun, and tell me not to come home until I graduated with Honors? College taught me that it’s not about what I want to do, it’s about what I need to do. You might not want to go to Duke, but it’s what the family needs you to do.”

“Louis! That’s uncalled for! He’s just a kid.” Legosi snarled, hackles raised and fangs bared. 

“No Legosi, he’s 18, a legal adult, so it’s time for him to act like one.”

“Dad, I’m not just going to go to Duke because you want me to. I’m going to pick whatever college fits me and my desires the best.”

“Like hell you are! You’re going to go to Duke just like your father and grandfather and when the time comes you’re going to send your kids to Duke too!”

“Dad, I…” the young deer stammered.

Louis grabbed his son’s shoulder. “Charles, I know this is hard…”

“Don’t call me Charles!” The younger deer shook his father’s hand off of his shoulder and took a step back. “No one calls me Charles! Not Legosi, not Luke, not Bela, not Grandpa Scaley, not Grandpa Horsey, not Aunt Haru or Uncle Jack, not my friends at school -- no one! Just you and Grandpa, the only two deer in my life. It’s like Duke didn’t teach you enough to learn what someone’s name is.”

“Your name is Charles.”

“Really? I didn’t know. Maybe next time you can tell Bela that she’s named Annabella and Luke is actually called Lucius. I’m sure they’ll love that.” The teenage deer sighed and looked towards Legosi. “Night Papa, I’m going to go to bed before I punch someone. Let Bela and Luke eat my slice of cake.” 

The young deer turned and walked down the hallways towards his room, slamming the door as he closed it. Legosi winced. When he turned around, he saw Louis slip into their bedroom. 

After he ate cake with the twins and kissed them goodnight, Legosi spent the night on the couch.

◆◆◆

Legosi woke up the next morning with the sun from the living room window shining in his eyes. His fur felt matted and patchy, small tufts jutting up at odd angles. His neck was sore. The wolf got up and made a small pot of coffee before starting on breakfast. He cooked a simple meal -- scrambled eggs and toast, the perfect fixings for an egg sandwich -- as he heard the other animals of the ranch starting their mornings.

Legosi’s ears swiveled around, standing at attention. He heard the horses chatting as they went about their morning stretches on the lawn. He heard the faint clatter of fingers on a keyboard. He heard Luke snoring. He also heard footsteps approaching him from behind. The wolf spun around.

“Mornin’ Chuck. Eggs’ll be ready in 10. Why don’t you start setting the table?” 

“Gah, Pops, am I ever gonna be able to sneak up on you?” The deer laughed, walking around his father to grab the plates. 

“You deers don’t understand the power of lupine ears. I bet Bela and Luke can hear this whole conversation.” Legosi heard laughing coming from the twins’ room. “Told ya so.”

“One day I’ll getcha Pops, one day.” Charles huffed as he shook his head in amusement. The deer continued to set the dining room table as Legosi cooked. “Papa, I think I know what I’m gonna do.”

“Oh, what kiddo? Like what you want to do today? I thought we were fixin’ the barn door.” Legosi asked absently as he focused on the stovetop.

“Oh, well, yeah, I’m still going to do that,” the red deer rubbed the back of his neck. “But I was talking about college.”

“Oh,” Legosi raised an eyebrow, “are you sure you don’t want to wait for your Dad before you tell us?”

“No -- he won’t be happy either way, so what’s the point?” Chuck grinned. 

Legosi looked up from his pan, his tail starting to wag. “You mean…”

“Yeah Pops, I just sent in my money for Kentucky. After I get my degree, I’m gonna become a horse racing coach, just like you.” Chuck smiled bashfully. Legosi beamed in pride, dropping his spatula and pulling his son into a hug. 

“Oh baby I’m so proud of you! You’re gonna do so great!” Legosi spoke quickly, holding his son close. “I’ll call Yahya after breakfast, I’m sure he can get you a practice certification exam booklet. Oh! And we should go watch the 2012 NCAA Basketball national championship game! I’ll go put on my Andrew the Pelican jersey. I can get you one too -- everyone respects the throwback jerseys…”

Chuck laughed. “Pops, chill. We still have months until I need to go.”

Legosi whined. “Son, I just want you to know the history of your school. Wow -- ‘your school’ -- I still can’t believe you’re actually going to Kentucky. After all of these years...I’m so proud.” Legosi’s voice trailed off as he snuggled into his son’s shoulder. 

Legosi heard more footsteps coming down the hall, prompting him to look up from his cervine son’s shoulder (he had to watch for his antlers though, lest he poke an eye out). Louis stood in the hallway.

Chuck jumped when he heard Louis’ voice. “What’s with all of the hugging this morning? I feel like I missed something.” The elder deer questioned, entering the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Legosi’s tail wagged, his smile stretching across his face. “Well, Chuck here has something important to tell us. Go on, son.”

Sheepishly, Chuck began. “Well, uh, after I woke up I sent the money into Kentucky for Athletic Training.”

Louis set down his cup. “I thought we talked about this last night. Duke is a better fit for a Horns CEO.” He rubbed his forehead. “I guess I can pull some strings to get you a position, but it’ll be hard to gain the executive board’s respect without a top tier business degree. Maybe we can at least get you an MBA. Todd has a connection at Harvard that we can swing…”

“Dad, stop.” Chuck’s voice was stern. Louis looked at his son, meeting his gaze. Chuck’s antlers curled in knots beyond his years, the morning sun glinting off of their dull bronze form. His neck bulged under their weight. “I don’t want to work at the Horns. I’m going to coach horses.”

“Oh no you aren’t son! You’re going to Duke and you’re going to replace me as the Horns CEO and that’s final! It’s what an heir does for his family!”

“Dad, just because it’s what you did doesn’t mean that it’s what I want to do! I am my own man; I’m not just you if you had a six inch growth spurt!” Chuck crossed the room towards his father, standing chest to chest with the smaller deer.

“Charles! You have a family legacy to uphold!”

“I am following the family legacy!” Chuck snarled. “And don’t call me Charles.” The deer turned towards Legosi. “Pops, I can’t believe this is happening again. I’m gonna go hang with the horses before I strangle Dad.”

The wolf nodded, prompting his son to storm away. Louis turned towards his husband. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“No!” Legosi raised his hands in surprise. “I swear! All I told him was that he should follow what feels right.”

“Of course he thinks athletic training ‘feels right’! He’s a lazy teen and Economics takes more work.” Louis spat at the dog. “You dumb fucking mutt, this is all I ever wanted in life. I wanted an heir to take over for me at the Horns! You’ve fucking ruined that, you free-spirited redneck hick!” 

Louis pushed away from the wolf. Legosi was bewildered, his voice filled with venom. “Louis, Chuck is more than just an ‘heir’ -- he’s our son. He’s our child. We should encourage him to do whatever he wants to do.” The wolf sighed. “If you can’t understand that, then I think you don’t belong at Cherryton Ranch. Go to your apartment in Louisville. Call me when you’ve cooled off.”

“Oh, is that how it is? Think you can kick me out? I own you Legosi. Without me, none of this would be here.”

“Honey, I think you should leave before one of us does something we’re gonna regret.”

Louis huffed before turning down the hall and storming towards the exit. Before he could leave, a young female voice interrupted him. “Wait! Daddy, wait!”

“What, Bela?” Louis spat, turning around and looking at the young wolf.

“I’ll go to Duke for you. I can take over at the Horns.” Bela’s voice was innocent and calm, pleading for her father to stay reasonable. 

“Grow a pair of horns first, pup .” Louis slammed the front door as he left. It didn’t take a pair of wolf ears to hear the SUV’s tires kicking up gravel as they raced down the path out of Cherryton Ranch. Inside the house, three animals let out bellowing sobs.

Chapter Text

The day after Louis walked out of Cherryton Ranch was a Monday, so the red deer found himself at work. Frankly, the day didn’t matter -- even if it was a Sunday the red deer would have been seated in his penthouse office overlooking the bustling city. He needed to clear his head and the place where he felt most comfortable recently was his office. It fulfilled the raw need of his to work, to ensure that the family legacy was protected.

But now, with his heir rebelling against his gilded path, Louis was unsure about the legacy of the Horns Conglomerate. Maybe he could remain the CEO until his death, at which time Charles would have come to his senses and realized his true destiny? No, he’d die at 65 if he kept up his schedule (even at 48 years old, the long hours were starting to get to him). 

Maybe he could sell the Horns or give control to one of the executives? No, that wasn’t the family way. Well, at least Louis could wait a few more years and get the company affairs in order before the stress gave him a stroke. 

Ah, yes! That was what he should do! Check on the company affairs! Charles would go to college in three months. He could spend at least four months traveling the world to audit the Horns international investments. If he spent a week or two in each country, he would probably also have enough time to optimize the workflow at each regional office. 

Louis pulled out his phone and called Legosi, who he knew would be out training the horses. The wolf hated being called during training. The phone rang twice before his husband picked up. 

“Hey, uh, Louis, can you call back? I’m out training.” Legosi stammered.

“I know. I’ll be quick. The Horns is asking me to audit our international offices. I’ll be out of town until October.” Louis deadpanned.

“But Lou, Chuck moves in at the start of September.” Legosi pleaded.

“I know. It’s a real shame, isn’t it?” Louis laughed. “Anyway, I’ll see you in October. You know how to reach me.” The deer hung up. He didn’t have time to talk; he had a trip to plan.

◆◆◆

Legosi heard a knock on the front door. “Gimme a sec! I’ll be right there.” The wolf put down the table he was carrying and scurried to the front door. The house was quiet save the impatient rasp coming from the porch. “Oh hold yer horses, I’m comin’ as quickly as I can.” Legosi chuckled as he opened the door.

Louis stood on the porch, his eyes shrouded by dark sunglasses and his body adorned in a gray suit. “Louis! I thought you weren’t coming back until October!” Legosi gave the deer a hug. “You should have said something in your last call.”

“Plans change. The last part of my trip got cancelled. Turns out that Martha already went to the Thai office last month and straightened them out, so they didn’t need me to make the trip.” Louis pushed his way into the house.

“It’s a shame you missed Chuck, he moved in yesterday.” Legosi helped the deer carry his bags into the house.

“Oh did he? That’s a damn shame?” Louis replied absently. “To think I only missed it by one day...maybe the trip could have been a little shorter. Oh well. So it goes.”

“You don’t seem very broken up about it. He is your baby, y’know. You’ll have gone almost half a year without seeing him.”

“I’m not worried, Legosi, I’ll see him when the time is right.” Legosi gestured towards the canine. “My bags, please, mutt. I’m quite tired from the flight and could use some rest.” Legosi reluctantly obeyed, dropping the suitcases in the foyer. Louis looked at the suitcases and laughed. 

“I’ll get to them after work tomorrow, Lego. I need my sleep now. Why don’t you say hi to the kids for me?”

“They’re at school today, Louis…” Legosi trailed off as Louis walked into their shared bedroom, obviously ignoring the wolf. He remained still, looking at the door, until the twins called to remind him about picking them up from school.

◆◆◆

After waking the next morning, Louis couldn’t find his car keys. He also couldn’t find his phone and he noted that Keith wasn’t at the garage getting his helicopter ready. Reluctantly, Louis left the bedroom. He did not note that the other half of the bed remained conspicuously empty.

When he entered the kitchen, Louis noticed Legosi sitting at the table, a stern look on his face. His hands were crossed and his elbows rested on the rich mahogany. A pair of glasses rested on his muzzle. “Morning, Louis.”

“Morning, Legosi. When’d you get glasses?” Louis questioned as he poured his coffee. 

“About two weeks after you left.”

“Oh, well, they look good on you.” Louis took a sip from his mug. “Have you seen my keys, by any chance?”

“These keys?” Legosi opened his palm.

“Yes, perfect. I need to head into the office.” Louis walked over to the wolf, reaching for the keys. Legosi closed his hand and pulled away from the deer. “Hey, give me my keys!”

“No, Louis. We’re going to have a discussion like adults first.” Legosi sounded like he was scolding a bratty child.

“Legosi, I really don’t have time for this. I need to get to work.” Louis whined. 

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I took your keys so that you wouldn’t scurry off before we had this discussion.”

“Legosi, please. I really need to go.”

“NO!” Louis jumped as Legosi banged his fist on the table. “No, Louis, you are going to sit down in that chair and we are going to have a conversation about how your actions are affecting our family and you’re not going to say a lick.”

“Legosi, I…”

“Be quiet and sit .” The canine spat. “I want to talk to you about how you’ve been a failure of a father and husband.”

“Legosi, that’s uncalled for! There’s nothing to talk about. I am not a failure! I am a hardworking animal. I’m just trying to put food on the table and protect my family legacy.” 

“Is that the truth? The whole truth? Nothing but the truth?” Legosi questioned. “I don’t think it is. Chuck doesn’t think it is. Bela and Luke don’t think it is. Even without the Horns this ranch would make enough money to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. 

“But enough of the business talk, I’m sure you’re doing great there. Let’s talk about family. Let’s talk about how you left your husband of two decades because he wanted your son to follow his own dreams. Let’s talk about how you ignored your children for a decade in favor of your company, a company that would run smoothly without you. Let’s talk about how you decided to go on a mother-fuckin’ world tour instead of driving an hour back home to apologize to your son! Let’s talk about that you cowardly little doe.” 

Louis was silent, his rage steaming off of his like a boiler. Before he could respond, Legosi started speaking again. 

“The funny thing is, you’ve never changed your phone passcode in all of the time we’ve been together. HORN isn’t the safest password; you could have devious wolves steal the contact info for a Horns Conglomerate Executive.”

“You wouldn’t.” Louis sneered.

“Not would -- did. In fact, I contacted the whole board. Took a few hours to pull off, but this farm boy has a way with words. They had a conference call last night where I explained how you’d been actin’. Turns out that family-run businesses don’t take too kindly to being shitty towards your family. Officially, you’re recharging from your trip and a sudden illness for the next six months. Unofficially, they’re suspending you until you get your act together.”

“You can’t do this. It isn’t legal!” Legosi walked over to the wolf and snatched his phone back out of his hand.

“That’s the thing -- I didn’t do this, the board did, and they are well within their power to remove the acting President and CEO of the Horns Conglomerate for a maximum of a year for any reason as long as three-quarters of them agree to do so.” Louis’s phone began to ring. “Ah, that’ll be them. I wanted to talk to you before they called. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a ranch to run.” 

Legosi stood up and moved away from the crying deer. “Legosi, you’re a monster!”

The wolf sighed. “I know you may think that now, but hopefully one day you’ll understand why I had to do this.”

Louis chucked his phone at the wolf. The phone missed, hitting the wall. It stopped ringing as it clattered to the ground, the black screen shattered. Legosi walked out of the front door, leaving Louis in a silent room. His yells filled the empty halls.

◆◆◆

Louis sulked for the whole first week. The deer locked himself in his room. Legosi would bring food to his door and try to engage in conversation, but the deer would simply grunt in acknowledgement and take the plate from his hand.

 Louis was annoyed by how thoroughly Legosi had neutered him; not only had the wolf taken his phone, he’d locked away the deer’s computer, both tablets, all of the kids’ computers and tablets, every set of car keys, the tractor keys, the heli keys, and even put a lock on the athlete wing. The only way Louis was able to leave the ranch was if he broke into a car and hotwired it. While the deer was sure that he could break into a car, he had absolutely no idea how to hotwire a car and without access to the internet, he had no way to find out. 

At least Legosi brought him books. The wolf had brought a whole bookcase full of novels, histories, and textbooks while Louis was asleep. While it appeared to be Louis’ normal bookshelf, the deer noted that Legosi had meticulously removed all of the books related to business, leaving him with action thrillers, romance novels, and biographies. At least most of them were interesting. Thus, Louis found himself wasting away his days reading, pages turning much faster than the hands on the clock moved. When he finished half of the shelf by the fifth day, the deer awoke to another pile of books sitting outside his door.

However, when he opened the door the next day, he found something much larger than a pile of books. The giant panda in front of him had to be nearing 70, but he still possessed a beefy build and carried himself with an air of confidence. “Gouhin, I never expected to see you here.”

“Well frankly Louis, I never wanted to have to be here. But Legosi tells me that you ain’t left your room in nearly a week and that you’ve been a right asshole to your whole family so I had to come set you straight.” Gouhin pushed his way into the room. Closing the door behind him. Louis settled on the bed while the panda pulled up a chair.

“Gouhin, I think you need to talk to Legosi, he’s the one holding me here against my will.” Louis flipped through a magazine on his nightstand. He’d already read it a dozen times.

“Louis, I already talked to Legosi about all of this. I agree with him on most of it, although he shouldn’t have taken your computer. The rest of the board is going to prevent you from checking your email anyways. Your wolf said he’s going to bring it back tonight after dinner.” Louis hummed in agreement. 

Gouhin snatched the magazine from Louis’ hands, causing the deer to jump. “Now Louis, how is your relationship with your father?”

Louis snickered. “Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?”

“Yes.”

“Freud was a crackpot.” Louis rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to have sex with my dad.”

Gouhin sighed. “Son, having daddy issues doesn’t always mean you want to fuck your father. Sometimes it just means that you never learned how to be a good parent.” Louis’ eyes narrowed. “I’ll ask again, how is your relationship with your father?”

“Fine, I’ll play ball with you. Not like I have anything better to do.” Louis laughed. “My relationship with my father is very good. Before I went on the business trip, we had lunch every week.”

“Was it always that way?” Gouhin lit a cigarette.

“You’re not my therapist.” 

“Well I am now you dumb little shit.” 

“I never signed consent forms. You’ll lose your license for this.”

“Gave up the license three years ago. I’m technically here as a friend.” Gouhin moved his chair closer to the smaller deer. Louis snarled. “So, why don’t you tell me about your abandonment issues as a child.”

“I didn’t have abandonment issues!”

“That’s not what Oguma said.”

“When did you talk to my father?”

“Why do you think I didn’t come until your fifth day of quarantine?” Gouhin took a drag of his cigarette. “Oguma really gets to talkin’ when you tell him his grandkids are involved. Apparently, he was a royal asshole when you were growing up.”

“He tried his best!” Louis defended his father half-heartedly. “He was a busy man who had matters much more important to attend to than my activities.”

“You both thought that at the time, but those memories tear him up looking back.” Gouhin opened his backpack, fishing out a small box. “Do you know what this is?” Louis shook his head, prompting Gouhin to throw him the box. “Huh, didn’t think you would. It’s a little worn out because Oguma’s been watching it so much. It’s a DVD of your high school Adler performance. Your father missed it because he ‘had’ to go to Texas to meet a potential new client. You know what happened the next day.”

Louis nodded. Of course he remembered, even thirty years later. His throat was dry as he answered the panda doctor. “He always said he’d come to the last play my senior year if I was the star. Adler was the last play, a special two-night performance. He skipped the first night to meet with an oil company who ended up giving a bad deal, so he left that night. He didn’t hear about my broken leg until the plane landed in Louisville. He never came to a single one of my plays.”

“He watches the recording every year on the anniversary.” Gouhin casually mentioned.

Louis became enraged. “Why didn’t he ever tell me then?”

“How could he? You were in college while he was still busy at work and sorting through his feelings. But with an empty house filled with only servants and sycophants, he quickly realized that he’d wasted his son’s whole childhood on an empty dream.

“What was there left for him to see? He missed the first steps, the first words, the first lead role in a play. Hell, he barely made your high school graduation and even then he left early to make a call. By the time he came to, you were an adult deer making your way at college and he was an old stag wondering where the years had gone. The Horns Conglomerate had grown and he had an heir, but he didn’t even know if you liked chocolate or Vanilla ice cream.”

Louis was silent. Finally, he whimpered out a little breath. 

“Hmm, what was that? You need to speak up, deer. My hearing is going in my old age.”

“Chocolate. I like chocolate ice cream. Although growing up, I liked vanilla.” Louis wiped away a tear. “Chocolate reminds me of Legosi and the ranch after a good rain.” 

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Gouhin spoke up. “Louis, how many of Chuck’s varsity football games did you go to?”

“None.”

“Luke’s Little League tournaments?”

“None.”

“Bela’s debate competitions?”

“Uh, one?”

Gouhin shook his head. “No, you’re thinking of the speech you gave at her Business Professionals of America event at the Horns office.”

“Oh.”

Gouhin crossed his arms, his face stoic. “Yes, ‘oh’ is the perfect reaction.” Gouhin reached into his backpack again, pulling out two small boxes. “Louis, I have two cartons here. One is chocolate ice cream. One is vanilla. Across the hall, Luke and Bela are sitting in their rooms, working on homework. If I made you pick who likes chocolate and who likes vanilla, could you do it?”

 Louis broke down into tears.

Chapter Text

The days passed much quicker for Louis once he started going outside. While he began his unwelcome time off hidden within the dark walls of his bedroom, the deer found that he quite enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his fur. For the past few years he had viewed the star with a chilly hostility; its rays made his suits sweaty, dried out the paint on his car, and forced him to buy a new pair of prescription sunglasses. All in all, the sun was something to loathe rather than love to a working deer.

But seated on the porch, dressed in a polo and jeans, book in hand, the sun felt great. It breathed life into the world, into the ranch, and brought with it luscious greens and steamy nights. Of course, the day was still quite hot and Louis did still have his eyes obscured by sunglasses, but that was neither here nor there. A vast majority of Louis’ days were now spent baking beneath the fiery orb and Louis was fine with that. It was certainly better than the darkness of the bedroom.

On this particular day, Louis had done nothing special. It was well into his third week of his punishment and the deer had fallen into a routine. Legosi would usually make the athletes breakfast and have them out on the track by eight o’clock, so Louis would saunter out of his bedroom at nine. The deer would pour a cup of coffee, turn on the local news (Legosi had restricted CNBC and his favorite business shows), and start his day with a few slices of toast. Eventually, he’d wearily select a book from his shelf and drift to the patio for a long day of doing nothing. 

The book today had been a perennial favorite of his college English professor, a massive tome that wound a tale of love, loss, and labor in twelfth-century Britain. Louis couldn’t stand it. The author was an arrogant dolt who inflated his ego by using big words and loquacious verbiage. The deer was bored out of his mind by ten o’clock. 

Louis put down the book and looked out over the ranch. He’d been doing that more and more lately, choosing to soak in the sights of Cherryton instead of escaping his prison through the written word. The green of the hills was straight out of his favorite fantasy novel, the horses roaring through the fields plucked from a cheesy sports novella. Some days, the deer would spend his afternoon gazing upon the fields, watching as cicadas meandered through their days. 

But most of all, Louis would watch Legosi. He’d watch the great grey wolf command, joke, and play with his athletes. He’d watch his fervent whistles and loping gait, his energetic claps and wagging tail. Louis would look at his watch and realize that he’d spent two hours watching his distant husband at work, a stone’s throw away physically, but miles apart in spirit.

While this day had started as unimportant, Louis realized that it would be anything but after he’d traveled over halfway down to the racetrack. The deer was slightly concerned that his legs had seemingly made the decision instead of his brain, but his steady gait bolstered his confidence. By the time he sat down on the fence next to the wolf, Louis’ mind was more settled.

At first, the wolf was too focused on his athletes to notice the deer’s presence. “C’mon Jordan, you can run faster than that! Stay on Bobby Joe’s tail!” Legosi’s head swept around, watching the horses round the bend. “Better, Chris is lapping with the big boys, might have to think about moving him...AWW SHIT, LOUIS!” Legosi screamed as he finally noticed his husband.

“Hey, Legosi,” Louis deadpanned.

“Well shit, Lou, if I’da known you were gonna come down I’d’ve grabbed you a chair. I know you don’t like sitting on the fence all too much.” Legosi grinned, his tail wagging gently.

“It’s fine,” Louis whispered, “I just wanted to come down and say hi.”

Legosi’s smile continued to split his face. “Ah, thanks honey. It’s great to talk to ya again. You feelin’ a little better?”

Louis closed his eyes and nodded slightly. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“I can send the boys in for a bit if you want to talk.” Legosi offered.

“No,” Louis spoke quietly, his words measured in drawn out breaths, “I just want to sit with you while you coach for a while.”

“Alrighty then. You got one serving of Coaching Wolf comin’ right up, you cute little deer.” Legosi tipped his cap at his husband, eliciting a giggle from Louis. The wolf’s tail was wagging wildly. 

The deer watched his wolf silently for another hour before excusing himself and stowing away for the night. The next day, Louis sat by the wolf for two hours, then three hours. By the end of the week, he was waking up at dawn and making the trek out to the track with the rest of the weary company of animals. While Louis thought his biggest win for the week was getting his sleep schedule back on track, Legosi thought it was when Louis held his hand for three hours without realizing it.

◆◆◆

Bela didn’t realize that her Dad was changing for nearly a month. Of course, Papa had told her and Luke that Dad was doing his best during the day, but by the time they got home from school the deer was usually squirreled away in his bedroom, exhausted from socializing with Legosi and the horses. 

But when Bela and Luke spotted their cervine father in the school parking lot, they knew something was up. Between Bela’s assortment of clubs (debate, math team, and mock government were her current standbys) and Luke’s smattering of sports (football in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring; just like his brother), they usually couldn’t take the bus home. Fortunately, their activities finished around the same time, so Legosi was able to pick them up from school with minimal annoyance. However, today their Papa’s truck was nowhere to be seen while their Dad’s SUV was illegally parked by the main entrance.

Luke hopped into the front seat of the vehicle, waking their sleeping father, while Bela climbed into the back. The male wolf spoke first. “Didn’t expect to see you today Dad. Where’s Pops?”

“Your father thought it would be good for me to pick you up instead today, although I’m sure none of us particularly agree with that statement.” Louis grumbled, letting out a slight sigh as he finished. 

“I don’t know, Dad,” Bela laughed, “Papa insists on playing his crappy old country music so any day I don’t have to hear that on the way home from school is a good day.” 

Her brother nodded in agreement. “Rex, he won’t listen to any of the good music on the radio anymore, just that oldies channel. I’ve heard enough bluegrass already, I don’t ever want to hear another banjo on the drive home.”

“Perfect,” Louis snapped, “because I don’t want to hear anything on the drive home.” The twins went silent as their father put the vehicle in gear and drove home.

When Louis was there to pick them up the next day, the novelty of the deer had already worn off. Sure, they didn’t have to listen to Papa’s bad country, but was Dad’s silence much better? The twins got into the SUV with muted emotions. 

“Hi Dad,” Luke mumbled, sliding quietly into the back seat with his sister.

“Hello Lukas. Hello Bela.” Louis deadpanned. “Luke, why are you in the back today?”

The young wolf gulped. “Uh, I thought you didn’t want me sitting up front with you. And I wanted to talk to Bela about our English test and thought you wouldn’t want to hear us.”

Louis sighed. “You can talk with Bela while I drive.”

“But Dad, yesterday you…” Bela started but the deer silenced her.

“I talked with your Papa last night. He wasn’t happy that I made y’all sit quietly. We think I should loosen up during these drives.”

“Well shucks Dad, if you want to loosen up then I can play you some of my music.” Luke barked out a laugh.

“Oh oh, Luke, you should play that new song from I-42 to Cherryton. Or that one from The Leftovers new album.” 

“Oh yeah,” Luke perked up, “that one is really good. The guitar solo is pretty fire. I wish more people knew about them.”

“Nah, I like that they’re just local. You see a lot of indie bands grow up and go corporate. If anything they’ve gotten better now that they’re old.” Bela nudged her father. “Dad, did you know their guitarist is gay? He’s a hyena who teaches music at a high school a few counties over.”

Louis shook his head. Kids and their modern music. “I might have heard of them a few years ago. Uh, how about we just drive home while you two talk for now.”

Luke shrugged. “Yeah whatever. I’m fine as long as you don’t play Pop’s oldies channel.”

The next day, Bela and Luke were unsurprised when they saw Louis’ SUV in the parking lot waiting to pick them up. However, they were surprised when Luke opened the door and spied a cable plugged into the radio sitting on the front seat. 

“I, uh…, thought it would be a good idea to listen to that music you were talking about.” Louis stammered out, blushing as he finished his sentence.

Luke’s tail wagged energetically. He and Bela traded control of the AUX cord back and forth the whole ride home, playing song after song for their cervine father. When Louis showed up at school the next day, he saw that both of the twins had smiles on their faces, excited to see him. That was the first time since his dismissal from the Horns that Louis cried happy tears.

◆◆◆

Six weeks into his break, Louis found himself inside a large stadium. The deer was no stranger to being at sporting events, although usually he attended horse races and not college football games. He also usually sat in corporate suites and not upper deck bench seats, but Legosi had wanted to make his family’s first Kentucky football game as normal as possible. 

Of course, Louis’ Duke polo made the game a little more uncomfortable for the group (Kentucky fans really did not like seeing a different team’s fans in their stadium, especially given that the Wildcats weren’t even playing the Blue Devils), but the family managed. Legosi wore a nice Kentucky polo (Louis had picked it out for Christmas three years ago) while Luke and Bela wore matching jerseys. Luke’s already had a nacho stain on it.

Louis watched his eldest son scamper along the edge of the field. Although a star in high school, Chuck knew he wasn’t good enough to play D1 football and instead applied to the team as a junior athletic trainer. Less than two months later, he was fully engrossed in the job, ferrying water to players, wrapping ankles and fingers, and replacing KT tape, all with a wide smile across his face. 

Louis turned to his husband. “Charles looks happy.”

Legosi nodded, his focus still on the game in front of him. “Yeah, I was really glad to hear that he’s liking his position. He was concerned that he wouldn’t fit in.”

The deer turned his head. “When? He seemed quite confident when we took him out to dinner last night.”

“Oh, uh…” Legosi rubbed the back of his neck, “that was when you were still on your...business trip. He applied to the team over the summer.”

“Oh. I guess I missed that.” Louis deadpanned. Legosi nodded sadly. “Well, at least Chuck’s happy.”

“Yep! That’s all that matters.” Legosi stopped as a cheer spread through the stadium. The running back had found a hole in the defensive line and broke free for a Kentucky touchdown. The wolves around Louis were hootin’ and hollering’, howling up a storm in excitement. When he calmed down, Legosi laughed. “I guess Kentucky football matters too.”

Louis snickered and gave Legosi a kiss on the cheek. “Oh, you dumb dog.” 

◆◆◆

When the executive board of the Horns Conglomerate finally reinstated Louis after a six-month hiatus, the deer tried his best to take it slow. The company hadn’t changed much in the time he was gone. Their investments were still growing and their companies were still posting profits. In fact, the whole operation had seemingly run as smoothly without the deer as with him. The board had informed him of some slight snags, but all in all the ship was sailing on the right course. 

As Legosi often reminded his husband, this was a good sign. It meant that Louis would have more time to spend at home, go to his kids’ activities, and generally have some life outside of work. 

As the initial feeling of being overwhelmed with work began to wean away, Louis found himself hopping on the helicopter home earlier and earlier. He found himself helping Legosi cook dinner for his family and for the athletes. He found himself regularly attending Luke’s sporting events (basketball was his favorite to watch) and volunteering at Bela’s competitions (he became a legendary Business Professionals of America judge; most other schools referred to him as “The Buck who Doesn’t Give a Fuck” because of his notoriously harsh scoring).

He also found himself rekindling his relationship with his husband. Sure, they weren’t twenty-somethings full of energy and perpetually horny, but they were sleeping in the same bed again and having grown-up conversations where they each tried to communicate effectively with each other.

So yes, in a way, coming back to the Horns Conglomerate had been good for Louis, although it was good in a very different way than he would have thought when he initially left. 

◆◆◆

As Louis watched his son cross the graduation stage and accept his diploma, he recalled the path that had led him to this point. It had been filled with hard days, long nights, and much soul searching, but all in all he was grateful for the road he had travelled, his family at his side every step of the way.

“Rex, I can’t believe how big he’s gotten.” Legosi’s voice nestled its way into Louis’ soul. The deer nodded. “I still remember the day you brought him into our bedroom for the first time. He was so small, so fragile. And now here he is. They grow up so fast.” Legosi looked like he was about to cry.

“I know honey, I can’t quite believe it either. Life is moving fast.” The deer cuddled into his husband, the wolf’s tears staining his shirt. 

It was true -- life had moved quickly over the last four years. Chuck was graduating college. Luke and Bela would be starting college in the fall. Luke was planning to follow his big brother to Kentucky, where the deer had gotten him a spot as trainer for the football team and put in a good word to his fraternity brothers. Both of them were helping out at Cherryton Ranch as full time horse racing coaches over the summer and Chuck was partnering with Legosi now that he had graduated. His paperwork from the IHRA was due to arrive any day now. 

Bela would be majoring in business at Duke, just like her father. Louis beamed just thinking about it. He couldn’t wait to show her around Durham, take her to the local haunts and dine at the fancy restaurants that students frequented whenever their parents showed up to treat them to an expensive meal. Even if he hadn’t been able to make her brothers into Blue Devils, Louis was content to know that at least one member of his family had shown some smarts after all. The deer had already lined up an internship for Bela at the Horns for the summer.

But for now, Louis was seated in the stands of a large football stadium in Lexington, Kentucky watching his son Chuck graduate from college. If you’d have asked Louis how he’d feel in this moment four years prior, the elder deer was sure that he wouldn’t have responded with the resplendent joy that currently ballooned his soul. Louis thought back on the last four years of his life and smiled.

Chapter Text

Chuck tugged at the tight collar gripping his neck. He hated dressing up. Fitted shirts and suit jackets always made him feel claustrophobic in his own skin, like they were suffocating his bulky form. Every day he thanked Rex that ranch work let him wear a flannel and jeans. But today wasn’t a typical day on the ranch, so Chuck found himself seated in the Horns Conglomerate Auditorium, surrounded by hundreds of employees and reporters, and dressed to the nines in a high-end suit.

Two wolves flanked the 29-year old deer, both sitting awkwardly in their dress clothes. His father was the elder of the two. Still bright and chipper at the middling age of 58, Legosi maintained that his mind was young enough to enjoy coaching on the ranch and his body old enough to detest it. However, Chuck’s younger brother Luke, now a 24-year old ball of energy, was practically jumping in his seat. The pup (as his brother and father still called him, much to the canine’s chagrin) hadn’t sat in one place for this long since he’d graduated from Kentucky two years prior. 

To be honest, Chuck was surprised that Luke hadn’t left the press conference yet. The annual State of the Horns meeting was dry as ever. Sure, the speaker boring them to death was their dad, but even love for the deer couldn’t prevent Louis from sounding dull. He had been bringing his whole family to the talk for years and simply being uninterested in sales figures and marketing reports wasn’t enough to get out of the family tradition.

However, even though the setting was familiar, one thing was different about the Cherryton Ranch group this year: Bela was not seated with her siblings and lupine father. Instead, the young wolf was seated on the main stage with the rest of the executive board of the Horns Conglomerate, her interest barely wavering. Less than two years after graduating from Duke, she had already worked her way up to VP of Marketing. 

Louis maintained that he hadn’t pulled any strings, but everyone around him knew the truth. The Horns had always been a family company, and that wasn’t going to change just because the CEO’s daughter was a carnivorous wolf instead of a deer.

Chuck let out a slight yawn. He’d been working extra hours trying to help one of the athletes work his way back from an injury and wasn’t getting much sleep. Legosi elbowed his son in the ribcage. 

“Chuck, be quiet,” the wolf hissed, “we don’t want to disrespect your dad.”

“Rex, Pops, I know,” Chuck whispered curtly, “but Dad can’t even see us back here. We’re like five rows from the top of this place.”

Legosi looked sternly at his son. “Charles, it’s the thought that counts. This is a big day for your Dad. I know you think you’re too old to be grounded, but I won’t hesitate if push comes to shove.”

“C’mon Papa,” Luke started, pushing into his father, “cut him a break. Chuck stayed up ‘til 3 last night helpin’ Kevin out. That kid just can’t stretch out his ankle right. Besides, Dad’s talk is boring as hell this year.”

Legosi gave his lupine son a swat on the backside of his head. “What I said to Chuck applies to you too. I’ll put you on track raking duty if you don’t be quiet -- no tractor allowed.”

“You wouldn’t.” Luke gasped.

“Try me,” Legosi dared, “I am your boss.”

The two brothers exhaled irritably and went silent, their attention and ears turning back to the stage. It appeared that Louis was nearing the end of the speech. Even though he played the good husband in chiding his sons, Legosi was quite happy to hear the deer starting to wrap up.

“In conclusion, the company prospects are as good as ever. The stock price is climbing, profits are growing at a nominal rate, and the overall consumer approval rate is at an all-time high. In short, this is a great time to be involved with the Horns Conglomerate.” The crowd clapped politely as Louis closed his notes, slipping the papers back into his suit jacket. The animals in the auditorium began to speak in a low murmur, chatting to their neighbors as they stood up and began to look for the exits. 

The sound of Louis clearing his throat brought the whispers to an end. “Sorry, I’m not actually finished yet. There’s one more thing I’d like to discuss. Please be seated, this won’t take too long.” With a collective sigh, the animals throughout the room plopped back down into their chairs and patiently waited for their CEO to finish his ramblings.

Louis reached into his jacket again and brought out a single piece of paper, laying it out on the podium. The elder deer hesitated slightly before speaking, sweat lining his forehead. Legosi noticed the light reflecting off of his antlers, the horns gnarled from years of regrowth. 

“As I was saying, this is a great time to be involved with the Horns Conglomerate. However, starting next week, I will no longer be involved with the company that I have run for over three decades.”

A gasp tore through the audience. For most of them, Louis was the only CEO they had ever known. A select few of the Horns lifers had been around during Oguma’s reign, but most of them had retired or were high-level executives. 

Equally stunned were the two young horse racing coaches that sat near the back of the room. Chuck and Luke were scrambling to understand what their dad had said. He had seemed so normal on the helicopter ride over from the ranch, but now...this didn’t seem like the Louis they knew. But yet, he had said it and they had heard it and there was no denying that within a few days, their cervine father would be retiring to their ranch in the hills of Lexington.

There were two wolves in the building who were not surprised by the announcement. 

Louis hushed the crowd and continued. The elder deer looked at his speech as he adjusted his glasses. “Where was I…? Ah, yes, here. As I was saying, I will be retiring from the Horns Conglomerate next week. I have already informed the executive board of my decision and they know of my chosen successor.”

Louis turned around, facing the executives sitting behind him. He nodded at one of them, prompting her to rise and approach the podium. “Effective immediately, Bela the Gray Wolf is the CEO of the Horns Conglomerate. I assume that you all know her already. Treat her no differently that you would treat myself. With that, I will take my leave. Thank you all for a fine 30 years, it’s been a pleasure.” Louis took a bow and retreated to the now-empty chair that his daughter previously occupied. 

Bela looked out upon the room. The emotions were mixed, ranging from abject fear to outright hate to utter shock. The room was silent, with slight murmurs rushing around like current in a wire. 

Bela cleared her throat, silencing the room. Once quiet, she began her speech. 

“First off, I’d like to thank my dad, Louis the Red Deer, for an incredible three decades of service to the Horns Conglomerate. Without him, the Horns would not be at the dizzying heights that we now regularly reach.” Bela paused and applauded her dad with the audience quickly following suit. After about a minute, the group quieted enough for her to speak again.

“Next, I would like to thank all of you for your wonderful work. The Horns is a family company and y’all are the family that makes the Horns go. Without your combined effort, none of us would be here today.” Once again, the wolf stopped for audience applause. 

“Now, for the elephant in the room, and I’m not talking about Vice President Barry.” A nervous chuckle flashed through the room. “Yes, I am young. Yes, I am a woman. Yes, I am a wolf, a carnivore leading a predominately herbivore company. But this should not affect how you view me. At the end of the day, I’m just another CEO. The biggest transition you’ll see from Louis to myself is that I sometimes wear pantsuits.”

Even as murmurs spread through the hall, Bela was undaunted. Whispers had followed the wolf everywhere she went in the Horns building. Since the birth of the company, every child of the CEO had eyes constantly watching them. Of course, she looked considerably different than most of them, trading antlers and testosterone for fangs and a female figure. Not only was she the first carnivore executive and one of the few female executives, but she was also the youngest executive in the history of the Horns. Now, she was the first CEO who wasn’t a male deer. 

“Another question you may be wondering about: how will I, as a wolf, carry on the legacy of a company named after the most prominent feature atop the heads of all of our past CEOs? I admit, it is a fair question. As I said before, the Horns is a family company and we hold our legacy dear. From my great-great-great-grandfather’s mill to our recent horse racing success, the Horns has always clung tightly to its history.

“As CEO, I wear the weight of this legacy like the horns I never had. Every day, I carry these horns atop my head, guiding my decisions in such a way to preserve the traditions of  honor and integrity that have kept this company standing for centuries. While my dad, my brother, my grandfather, and all of my forefathers carried their horns physically, the horns I carry are purely mental, yet sometimes I find myself tilting my head slightly to compensate for their size.”

As his sister talked, Chuck pensively rubbed the nubs from which his antlers had just fallen. Legosi casually leaned over and whispered into his ear. “By the way, I scheduled a press conference at the ranch tomorrow. You and Luke better both dress up again.” His father pulled back before changing his mind and returning to his cervine son’s ear. “I’ve always wanted to check out Bermuda this time of year. I wonder if Louis will wear that swimsuit I bought him…”

Chuck pushed his father away, not wanting to hear about his parents’ retirement plans. Instead he focused on the current situation. Louis and Legosi loved to plan surprises like this behind their kids’ backs. Finally, Chuck understood the weight of the situation he now faced.

Oh shit, we’re in charge now.

“Hey buddy, don’t worry,” Legosi’s soothing voice whispered in his ear, “I know you’ll do great. I love you, Chuck.” 

The deer let out a sigh. “Love you too, Papa. I know we can figure it out.”

It was true -- Chuck and Luke would figure out how to run the ranch, just like Legosi had figured it out when Gosha left it to him. Bela would figure out how to run the Horns, just like Louis had figured it out before her and Oguma had figured it out before him. They’d find families and have kids and one day be in the same position as their fathers were now. 

But at this moment in time, the world was still and the children of Cherryton Ranch were breaking out of that obsolete title. Legosi and Louis knew that their kids would find their way in the world and the couple was content to leave them on those terms. After all, they had places to be, sights to see, and sunsets to walk off into, hand-in-hand. 

The celebrations on the ranch that night were subdued and tearful, but the air was filled with familial love. The future was as bright as the full moon shined over the rolling greens of Cherryton Ranch. Content with this future, Legosi and Louis cuddled up in their bed and slept free of worry. The kids would be alright.