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"De-Aging and Aging Up"
When Keith woke up in the nest, something didn't feel right. He couldn't quite figure it out until he opened his eyes. There were five kits and two adults in the nest gathered around him. There was one female kit and the rest were male, all of whom looked familiar. Keith maneuvered out of his place near the female kit, who was curled around his head. He didn't remember falling asleep with a kit curled around his head. He remembered falling asleep tucked under his Mama's chin. He looked around at everyone, his eyes widening in surprise.
The kit that had been curled around his head was purple with darker purple cheek stripes and purple headfur tinged with magenta, making her look like a kit version of his Mama. The next set of kits were curled up with each other. One was lavender with a white strip down the middle of his head, and the other one was a violet purple. The next set of two were the adults. One was a female with short, blue fur and darker blue headfur, and the other one was a male who looked like Regris, being the same color as their pack leaders and had pointed ears and headfur like Thace's. The last two kits were both male and looked to be approximately the same color. The one with a tail also had a scar across his left eye, large furry ears, and a strip of white fur on the top of his head. The other one had red markings on his head, a scar across his right eye, fluffy ears, and white headfur tied into a braid.
Keith supposed he was older as well and couldn't help the chirp he made at the realization that his pack were the opposites ages they were supposed to be. The result was instantaneous. All five kits and the two other adults woke up and looked at Keith.
Krolia cocked her head. "Keith?"
"Mama, what happened?"
Krolia looked around at her pack and finally down at herself. Her eyes widened. "I-I don't know."
"Why are we kits?" Thace asked, his ears drooping.
Ulaz wrapped his arms around his mate. "I don't know either, Thace. I could run some tests."
"You aren't going to be running any tests," Regris spoke up. "You are a kit."
"But how are we going to know what happened?" Ulaz questioned.
"We could think of what all of us went through recently," Acxa suggested. "It can't be that hard, since the eight of us usually don't do the same thing."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be at the same time. The adults, well kits now, would have to go through the event at the same time as well as the three of us," Keith mentioned. "Wait I know! It must have been during that mission last night!"
"The one where we were looking for information on the delivery of the weird quintessence?" Regris asked.
"It must have been. We had split up with you three going in one direction while the rest of us went in the other direction," Kolivan mentioned. "We were covered in a blue quintessence."
"It was hard to get it out of my fur," Thace grumbled.
Keith scooped up Thace and gently nuzzled him. "It's okay, Thace. You did a good job getting it out."
Thace melted in Keith's arms and purred to him. Keith purred in response though it sounded more like a rumble than a purr. Krolia looked at what Keith looked like as an adult. He did have a few more Galran features than he did when he was younger. He had her purple cheek stripes, fangs, and large, fluffy ears. His hair was also longer. Acxa scooted over to her twin and started braiding his hair. He relaxed and continued his rumbling purr.
"How long is this going to last?" Antok asked, wrapping his tail around Kolivan's waist.
"If someone would let me run some tests, I'd be able to tell," Ulaz retorted.
Thace slipped out of Keith's lap and over to his mate. "It'll be okay, 'Laz."
"What about if I go with Ulaz and help him?" Keith asked. "Since I worked with him a lot."
Ulaz perked up. "I like the sound of that."
"Everyone else stay here, and Ulaz and I will get answers," Keith said before adding under his breath, "Hopefully."
Keith held his arms out in case Ulaz wanted to be carried. Ulaz blinked at Keith's offer. "Kit, why are you..."
Keith lowered his arms. "I don't know why I did that. I think it was my instincts."
Acxa rumbled to her twin. "It's okay, Keith. Go with Ulaz to the med bay, and help him run the tests, but get dressed first."
Keith looked down at his clothes and noticed his usual long shirt wasn't as long or as loose as he liked it. The five kits were swamped in the casual clothes their adult selves wore to bed. Since they didn't have clothes small enough for the kits, they had to wear long shirts until clothes could be found.
Ulaz waited for Keith to get dressed. He actually had to wear Thace's clothes, which were a little baggy. The two Blades walked to the med bay, Keith's hand landing on Ulaz's headfur. Ulaz tried to resist the urge to purr at the motion but failed. Keith couldn't fight the new instincts as well.
"Sorry, Ulaz," he whispered before scooping the kit up. "My instincts were screaming at me to pick you up."
Ulaz snuggled against Keith's shoulder. "It's all right. I understand. I don't recommend trying that with Kolivan or Antok. They may not appreciate it."
"But Thace and Mama would?"
"Why do you still call Krolia 'Mama'?"
"She's still my mother. It just feels right." The two Blades made it to the med bay with Keith carrying Ulaz into his office. He set the little kit on the chair, him scrambling to rest on his knees to see over the desk.
Keith exited the office in order to collect the items he knew Ulaz would need. Helping Ulaz in the med bay had its perks. It was fortunate that the med bay was quiet and mostly empty so no one was around to see the adult Blade that looked so much like the youngest kit of the leader's pack. Once Keith was done collecting everything, he returned to Ulaz's office. Keith let the kit run tests on himself and Keith to determine how this happened and how long this would last. True to what Keith and Kolivan had suggested, both Keith and Ulaz showed a small amount of the weird quintessence their groups were exposed to. The duration was fortunately quite short, only for the rest of the quintant was Ulaz's guess.
"That's a relief," Keith stated with a sigh. "Let's go back to the nest."
"You go back, kit. I should stay here and do some work."
"Oh no you don't, Ulaz. You're not allowed to work." Keith scooped up the kit and carried him out of the med bay and into the nest room. Keith was pleased to see his pack dressed and still in the nest. He set Ulaz into the nest next to Thace and stepped into the nest himself, noticing that Krolia was snuggled in Regris's arms and purring softly.
Strangely, Antok was in Acxa's arms as the adult female seemed to be stopping him from leaving. Seeing her twin's confused look, Acxa explained, "He was trying to leave to go train."
Keith chuckled and held his arms out to the group of kits. "Anyone want to come here?"
Ulaz resolutely cuddled against Thace, intent on not being in Keith's arms again, even though he liked it. Keith noticed that Kolivan was fidgeting slightly like he wanted to but was fighting his instincts. He crawled over and settled next to Kolivan, pulling the kit onto his lap. He rumbled to the kit. "It's all right, Kolivan. We all have these new instincts to get used to. If you want to be held, you just have to ask."
Kolivan sighed and cuddled against Keith. "What did you and Ulaz find out?"
Keith nuzzled Kolivan. "It was as we thought. When we were on last night's mission, our respective groups got doused by weird quintessence, causing this change. Fortunately, Ulaz said it would only last for the rest of the quintant."
"Kits," Krolia said, looking at Regris, Acxa, and Keith. "We need to eat."
Regris tickled Krolia lightly. "Are you hungry, Mama?"
Krolia giggled. "Yeah."
"How are we going to get food when we all look like this?" Keith asked.
"We put an order in and one of us goes to get it," Thace answered.
"I can do it, especially if I wear my mask," Regris volunteered. He pulled out his data pad and opened a message to the kitchen staff. He explained that Krolia's twins were ill and the entire pack was taking care of them along with the fact that he was going to collect the food. He typed up what he wanted and got Keith's, Acxa's, and Krolia's orders. Kolivan and Antok gave theirs as did Ulaz. Thace leaned over to Regris and gave his order. Surprisingly, it contained a lot of vegetables, making Regris frown. "That's not a good idea, Thace. You need a bit more variety."
Thace pouted slightly and modified his order. Regris sent the message and waited ten doboshes before he put on his uniform and mask. Keith smiled. If he didn't know any better, he would think it was normal Regris, not aged up Regris. It didn't take too long before Regris returned carrying all eight containers. Krolia rushed over to help her kit and was handed her container and her twins' containers. Regris handed out the other containers to the de-aged Blades.
Everyone started eating from their containers. Krolia sat between Keith and Acxa, both of whom had a kit in their lap. Antok looked comfortable in Acxa's lap, especially since he wasn't being restrained. Kolivan didn't look like he wanted to leave Keith's lap anytime soon. Thace and Ulaz sat beside Regris, a kit on each side.
Once everyone ate their food, Kolivan and Antok snuggled against the adult holding them, their eyes drifting closed. Thace and Ulaz laid against Regris with full bellies. It was only Krolia that was fighting her nap. Keith looked down at Krolia. "Mama, why don't you get some sleep?"
"I don't." Krolia yawned. "Don't want to."
Keith reached over and petted her headfur. "Why don't you lean against me and close your eyes? You don't have to sleep, just relax."
Krolia nodded and did as her youngest kit suggested. Just as Keith figured, it didn't take long for Krolia to actually fall asleep. Acxa looked down at their de-aged mother before addressing her twin. "How did you know that would work?"
"The pack told me the same thing when I was learning about my kit needs. I would deny that I needed a nap, so they said for me to close me eyes and relax. I would invariably fall asleep not long after I closed my eyes." Keith noticed the kit in his arms shifting slightly and softly rumbled to the kit, soothing him and allowing him to rest easier.
Several vargas later, the five kits woke up. Keith nuzzled Kolivan, who purred at the affection, and petted his Mama's headfur. Antok slipped off Acxa's lap and reached for his sword that was in a pile to the side of the nest. Kolivan let out a questioning noise at his mate's actions. Antok paused and huffed. Kolivan growled, and Antok whined.
Keith and Acxa were watching the interaction between Kolivan and Antok. Acxa scooped up Antok and sat him in her lap again, while Keith unbraided Kolivan's white strands and ran his fingers through it. Acxa sighed. "Antok, you can't train. Your blade is the same size you are at the moment. It won't be safe."
"Kolivan, I know you are the leader, but your kit instincts are more prevalent. Let us take care of you five until this wears off."
Kolivan didn't immediately respond. He didn't know if he should agree with Keith. Krolia looked over and climbed into her son's lap. She hugged Kolivan. "Keith's right, Kolivan. We are kits right now. We can trust them."
"All right." He looked over at Antok and whimpered a little. Antok looked over and let out a questioning noise. "I'm sorry, 'Tok."
"It's all right, 'Van."
Kolivan reached out to Antok, who slid off Acxa's lap and climbed into Keith's. Keith was knocked backwards due to having three kits in his lap. The three kits looked over at Keith in concern and smiled when Keith laughed. Acxa reached over and plucked her Mama out of Keith's lap, allowing Keith to sit back up. Antok wrapped his tail around Kolivan's waist and his arms around Kolivan. Kolivan relaxed in his mate's arms, purring.
Thace and Ulaz were sitting in front of Regris, cuddling and whispering. "I want to go to the med bay and get some work done. I know it's piling up."
Thace tightened his grip on his mate and replied, "I know, my mate. It's not a good idea."
Ulaz buried his face in Thace's shirt and whimpered a little. Regris was watching them, and Ulaz's whimpering broke his heart. He didn't like hearing any kit whimpering. He reached out and stroked Ulaz's headfur, rumbling to him. Ulaz looked up, and Regris could tell that he wanted picked up but also wanted to still be held by Thace. Regris solved that issue by scooping up both kits and cuddling them. Regris looked over at his siblings. "We should have these kits do something other than stay in the nest."
"I don't know. We don't need the base to learn what happened. None of us look completely different than we normally do, so it's pretty easy to figure out what happened," Keith replied.
"We can let them tumble and play fight in here. That's what they let us do," Acxa brought up.
"That's an idea, but how do we get them to agree?" Regris asked.
"We can hear you," Kolivan muttered.
Keith tickled Kolivan a little. "Then why don't you do it?"
Kolivan chuckled, buried his face in Antok's fur, and mumbled something.
Keith's ears twitched. "What was that?"
"I'm comfortable."
Keith grinned. "That's okay. I can watch over any kits that don't want to over there." He pointed over to the far section of the nest. "I know Kolivan is coming with me. Is anyone else?"
The other four kits looked at each other and shook their heads. Antok nuzzled his mate and slipped out of Keith's lap. Keith shuffled over to the far section and let Kolivan lay across his lap. The young kit watched his fellow kits tumble and play fight across the nest, unconsciously whimpering softly. Keith's enhanced hearing caught the soft whimpers partially hidden by the playful growls of the play fighting and looked down at Kolivan. "Kolivan, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"That answer doesn't work when I say it, so it won't work when you use it. Try again."
Kolivan sighed. "I'm comfortable, but I also want to join in."
Keith nuzzled him. "I understand. I get that way sometimes, and I remember what you guys told me."
Kolivan looked up at Keith and saw the smile on his face, his fangs easily seen. "We've told you a lot. Which one?"
Keith playfully growled and tickled the kit in his lap. "Cheeky. It was 'do what feels right.' If it makes you feel better, all of us can play fight."
"Yeah?"
"Of course." Keith stood up and walked over to the group of kits. To Keith's surprise, Kolivan sprang from his arms and tackled his mate.
Keith locked eyes with his twin and smirked, flexing his fingers. She grinned and tackled him. They were careful to make sure they didn't get too close to the kits, but their play fight ended when Krolia tried to tackle her daughter. Acxa managed to catch her Mama. That seemed like the catalyst to cause the rest of the kits to play fight with Keith and Acxa. Regris watched over all seven members of his pack until Keith called out, "Join us, Reg. Lock the door, and come have some fun."
He did just as his brother asked and tackled Keith. The eight pack members were having so much fun that they lost track of time and missed lunch. By the time they realized it, it was too late for lunch, but they still each ordered a slightly larger snack than normal, and Regris also put in their dinner order early.
Regris retrieved their snacks and dispersed them. The pack ate their meals quietly, satisfied with how the day had gone so far. It had been a long time since they had all had a quintant off to spend with each other. After their snack, Keith tugged Kolivan back into his lap, remembering how Kolivan wanted to be held. The kit snuggled into Keith's lap, not noticing that Keith yawned. Krolia had noticed though. She rubbed her head against Keith's arm. "Kit, why don't you get some rest?"
"But, Mama-"
"No, kit. You're tired."
Keith ducked his head. "Yes, Mama."
Keith shifted and relaxed with Kolivan still cuddled up on his lap. Krolia snuggled against her kit and purred to him, relaxing him even further. Keith struggled to keep his eyes open, but when Kolivan started purring too, he let his eyes close and fell asleep. Acxa and Regris grinned as their brother purred in his sleep. They weren't surprised that Kolivan and Krolia were asleep next to Keith but turned their attention to the three other kits.
Acxa watched as Antok glanced from his blade to where his mate lay and back again. She tensed in case he decided to try for his sword again but needn't have worried. He moved over to where Kolivan was laying and curled around him. She grinned and turned her gaze to the two kits near Regris.
Thace and Ulaz were cuddling near Regris. Thace was grooming his mate's short headfur. Seeing as the two awake kits were preoccupied, Regris locked eyes with Acxa and stood up. "Keep an eye on these two, while I go get dinner."
Acxa nodded and watched the two kits as Ulaz turned around in Thace's arms and started grooming Thace's chest, paying attention to his starburst scar.
It didn't take long for Regris to return with the eight containers in his claws. By that time, Keith, Kolivan, Antok, and Krolia were awake and scattered around the nest. Acxa was running her claws through her twin's now unbraided hair. Regris handed out the containers to the kits before he approached his siblings. "Are you okay, Keith?"
Acxa answered for him. "This situation is hard for him. I hope it's really over tomorrow morning."
"Well, the sooner we eat, the sooner we can get everyone to sleep. Hopefully, this'll wear off while we sleep." Regris handed the other two containers to his sister and brother, the latter of whom sat up.
Regris looked around the nest at his pack members, who were eating. He opened his container and started eating, hoping he was right in thinking that it was going to wear off while they slept.
Fin