Little Fish, Big Pond

by Schorl Tourmaline

Caregiving

Time passed for me, and the young kelpie I now had in my care. As much as I tried to find her mother and father, walking along that same stretch of river, they never approached me again. Day after day I’d go back there, but as Gruff had told me, the kelpie’s parents had already left, presumably to find their child through their own means.

For the weeks that I tried finding them, Anya accompanied me, worried that had I succeeded I’d need someone to protect me from the rage of the child’s parents. This couldn’t go on forever though, as focusing on me detracted from her taking up jobs and earning money she needed to provide for herself. Still concerned for my safety, she made me promise not to continue my search without her, a promise that I had broken several times, with no results for my efforts.

As weeks turned to months, Anya suggested that we look into handing the infant over to somepony who would be better equipped to finding the two kelpies I sought, but I reminded her that kelpies were loners by nature, and constantly relocated their territory, so it wasn’t like somepony else would have any better chance than us. While that was the rationality I used, the truth was that I felt too responsible for the baby kelpie to just hand her off to some stranger. If anyone was going to be the one to reunite her with her mother and father, it had to be me.

Unfortunately, that never came to pass, and I ended up taking care of the kelpie for a long time, with the on again, off again assistance of Anya.I had, in many ways, become a single parent to the foal, caring for her as any father should, giving her to love, attention, and protection any guardian of a young life should.

---

One early morning on an ordinary day in Equestria, I was working in my studio, drawing up copies of maps of Canterlot. An announcement had just been released that Celestia’s royal map maker had been retired, and that the antiquated position would be retired with them, since skilled map makers were more abundant in the modern age of Equestria. However, streets and roads are occasionally added to Equestria, and buildings constructed over time, so updated renditions of city maps would still need to be made, and thus map makers from all around Equestria were set to the task of designing the next official one for distribution to visitors to the kingdom’s capital, in case the Princess called for a commission.

It was more preparation for the possibility that I was the one Princess Celestia came to, rather than an actual job. But no professional left these sorts of things up to chance. So using the current version of the Canterlot map as a base, I set to work adding my own special touches to the layout. The older map might have been a little out of date, but the presentation was what mattered most. Small details could be adjusted later, if and when I was actually selected to serve the princess. Besides, it wasn’t like I could simply go to Canterlot to scout the area, not when I had a certain special little filly to look after.

“Actually, what time is it?” I said, stretching my whole body, from legs, to back, to wings.

Looking up above the door to my studio, I saw that morning had come, and it was time to wake up my ward. Placing my quill down, I got up from my seat, exiting my place of work into my home. Like many ponies, my house doubled as my place of business, where I could do all my business and live my life in one convenient location. All it took was the flip of a sign to turn living space to work place.

“First thing’s first,” I said to myself, walking right into the kitchen after leaving the studio, “Breakfast.”

I always made it an issue to have a nice morning meal ready in the morning, not just for the little kelpie, but for myself as well. It had become a little more complicated, now that I was cooking for two creatures with vastly different diets, but I figured out a routine that made it fairly easy for our separate meals to be made.

First, I went to the fridge, taking out a few apples, celery stalks, and a fresh bass. I was probably the only pony in all Equestria who actually kept fish in their refrigerator, at least the only one who didn’t take care of animals. With these three items on hand, I set forth to chop them up into bite-sized pieces. I started with the fruits and vegetables, knowing from experience that the fish would leave a mess on the knife I’d have to clean off before using again, cutting the apples into fours, then cutting those pieces in half, before turning several sticks of celery into tiny rectangles a young pony could put into their mouth all at once.

After that came the fish, which I had to descale first. Taking it by the tail, I hung the body over the edge of my sink, running the knife along it from tail to head over and over again, each pass flicking a spray of tiny scales off the dead animal. This was fairly easy, but the cutting into the fish, turning its meat into filets, took a long time for a vegetarian creature like myself to get used to. It was one of the things I had to have Anya show me how to do, and to this day I don’t find it pleasant to have to deal with what parts are left over.

Still, for the sake of the child in my care, I deal with it, cutting several slivers of flesh off the fish, before tossing the remains out the window over the kitchen counter, to a trashcan I keep just outside it. Next came the cooking, where I had to grab a pan and a pot, along with a few eggs and a bag of oatmeal. I poured the oatmeal mix and some water into the pot, as that would be part of my breakfast, while cracking a few eggs into the pan, slipping in the fish filets next to the egg innards so I could cook them both at the same time. This made the act of making breakfast fairly quick, optimizing the amount of time I spent getting everything ready.

All that was needed once everything was cooked to near perfection was a couple of plates, which I put our individual meals on, and when I finished that, I set them on the table to await my most special guest.

“Time to get her up,” I said to myself, making my way to the room I had set up for her, calling to the door just before reaching it, “Scylla, breakfast is ready!”

Scylla… That word I had seen in Gruff’s book that day I figured out what a kelpie was. After some time of having the child around, it just wasn’t appropriate to keep calling it ‘the baby’ or ‘the child’, and I had to give her a proper name. With how little I knew about aquatic lift, as a pegasus knowing more about the sky than I did the sea, I remembered that mythological creature right next to the entry of her kind in that book, and thought it was fitting.

Making it to Scylla’s room, I opened the door, expecting to find her just getting up, or with her eyes still shut as she ignored my call. What I didn’t anticipate finding was her bed in a mess, having been slept in but not fixed in the morning, with no kelpie in sight.

My first instinct was to check the room, calling “Scylla!” as I thought she might have been just outside of my line of sight. Going into the center of the room, and giving it a thorough scan, I could see that I was the only one present in it at that moment. I immediately went to the next place she could have been, almost going into a sprint heading to the bathroom, thinking she could be brushing her teeth, taking a bath, or using the toilet.

Without so much as a knock, I grabbed the handle, and found it to be unlocked. If Scylla was inside, she’d just have to forgive me later for interrupting whatever she was doing at that moment. Still, I didn’t want to totally invade her privacy, so I at least had the decency to open the door just a crack and called her again from the other side. Again, no response. So opening the door even more, I found the room empty, with no signs of it being used.

At this point, I started to panic. I held a lot of responsibility for the little kelpie’s wellbeing, and not seeing her in the places she should be set off my protective instincts. There were still other places she could have been in the house, but my biggest concern was if for some reason she had gone outside. So without making a stop in between, I zipped to the front door as quickly as my hooves would take me, which I had never flung open faster in my life.

“Scyl-ya?!” I yelled out, first in fear, and then in confusion, as my gryphon partner was standing on my welcome mat, hand up in a fist as she was just about to knock.

“Hey Path,” said Anya, just as bewildered as I was in this face to face encounter, “How’re things?”

I understood how awkward this was for Anya, but finding Scylla was still my priority, so the only thing I could say in response was, “Anya, thank goodness. Did you see Scylla out here? Is she with you?”

“No,” she replied, “She’s not inside?”

“I looked in all the places she should have been,” I answered her, my worries painted all over my face, “What if she’s been kidnapped, or she’s trapped somewhere? What if she’s been abducted by diamond dogs… or wendigo?!”

“Wendigo?” Anya said with skepticism that a long since banished species had come back specifically to take one little kelpie girl from her home, “Look, I’m sure she’s around. You just go back inside and check every room, and I’ll-”

“Mommy!”

Both my and Anya’s eyes widened, both of us knowing that voice belonged to Scylla. It had come from outside to me, and I stepped out just in time to see the filly run right up to Anya from around the side of the house. Anya, a little quicker on the uptake, knelt down to greet the pint sized water pony, catching her in her arms.

“There’s my special girl,” she said, hugging Scylla tightly, “But what have we talked about? I’m not ‘mommy’, I’m ‘Anya’.”

“Sorry…” Scylla replied, a little disheartened by the correction, one she always received from the gryphon.

As a spectator to their relationship, I could understand both of their positions. For Scylla, Anya was the only adult female role model in her life. She might not have been around often, due to her taking up jobs around Equestria as security for several ponies and businesses, but she did at least show up on a somewhat regular basis, and always interacted with Scylla when she was around.

On Anya’s end, she simply didn’t want to take on the label of ‘mom’, or the responsibilities that would come with it. She was her own avian, not bound to anything, who came and went when she pleased. To accept the role as someone else’s mother felt like she would be relinquishing that freedom to someone else, and that just wasn’t the way she did things. That didn’t mean she had to be a complete bitch about the situation though, as she understood that Anya was a little girl who had certain needs, and while she wasn’t willing to be a mother, she was more than happy to be a friend and guardian to the kelpie when she was around.

I was relieved to see Scylla in Anya’s arms, but also upset that Scylla had snuck outside, seemingly on her own. “Scylla, what are you doing out here so early in the morning?”

“I wanted to check up on Mr. Caterpillar.” she replied, as if she was talking about someone I should know.

“Mr. Caterpillar?” Anya said, as curious as I was about the comment.

“Yeah, I was out in the flower garden yesterday, and I saw a caterpillar while he was wrapping himself in a cocoon. Daddy called me inside before he could finish, and I wanted to check on him to see if he turned into a butterfly yet.”

“Scylla…” I said, understanding that it was just her childish curiosity guiding her actions, “I’m glad to see you taking interest in things, but you really should have come and let me know you were going outside first. I had thought something back might have happened to you.”

“I’m sorry daddy…” she said back, truly sounding sorry about making me worry.

“Oh come on Path,” Anya said, embracing Scylla in a hug from behind as she stood up, picking up the kelpie in the process, “You think anyone is gonna mess with a scary carnivore like Scylla. If any creature came around to try and do something, she’d bite them on the butt.”

“I wouldn’t do thaaaaat.” Scylla replied, giggling as she knew Anya was just being silly.

“Ah, right,” Anya said, looking down at the child in her arms, “You’re more of a thigh girl.”

“Noooooo,” Scylla playfully refuted, always finding it funny when the gryphon treated her like a ferocious beast, despite how tiny and harmless she was.

I could see that I wasn’t going to get any further with my scolding, not when Anya was there to take Scylla’s side, and honestly I didn’t want to have to do it in the first place. I just always worried about the kelpie, and preferred to know where she was at all times.

“Scylla it’s ok that you wanted to go outside,” I said, making sure she realized that wasn’t the problem, “But Daddy needs to know when you leave the house, just to not worry him.”

“But you were working,” Scylla replied, “And I didn’t want to interrupt cause you said you were gonna be working on a special project for a while.”

I had said that, but that was a few days ago. I couldn’t blame the girl for not being considerate with a reasoning like that, or say that she didn’t listen to me. “Ok, I get,” I said, giving up for the time being, “Let’s just go back inside for now. I got breakfast ready, and you’re welcome to join Anya.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” the gryphoness said, carrying the small creature in her arms past the door frame, before setting her down so the filly could run over to the table. “Really though, I don’t understand why you are so worried,” she added, as she followed after Scylla, “Equestria is one of the safest places in the world to be in, and it’s been that way for almost a thousand years.”

Anya was right about that, for the most part. Equestria was, at the time, nearing the thousandth year of relative peace, after our Princess saved the kingdom from a threat so far in the past that the history of the event had practically faded into myth, the whole incident reduced to little more than a holiday to scare children and pass out candy. It would only be another decade and a half before that milestone was reached, all thanks to Princess Celestia’s guidance and protection.

“Just because we are in an era of peace doesn’t mean there aren’t creatures out there that would hurt a defenseless child if given the opportunity.” I said, going to the fridge to grab another fish to filet, “Something could come around and try to kidnap her, sell her into slavery, and ship her off to some place far away.”

“Oh come on, Path.” said Anya, “What are the odds of that ever happening?”

I probably was just being overprotective, but when you’re in charge of the wellbeing of someone so young, who depended on you, you often came up with the worst case scenarios.

“If anything like that happened, I’m sure Daddy or you would be there to save me.” Scylla said, shoving a piece of fish into her mouth.

“Of course we would,” Anya agreed, “You wouldn’t believe what I’d do to keep my favorite monster out of trouble.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Anya would ever let anything bad happen to you, sweetie,” I confirmed, as while the gryphon was often distant, she also was possessive over the ones she loved, in a way that she wouldn’t allow anyone to take them away without bloodshed.

As the two girls continued their conversation, I whipped up another plate of food, handing it over to Anya as I took a seat at my own plate. It was a pleasant scene, the three of us together, forming something that might resemble a family to anyone who ignored that we were three completely different species. In some ways, I did share Scylla’s sentiments about wanting Anya around, to share more moments like this, but despite being her occasional lover, I could tell that I wouldn’t be the one to tame the gryphon and get her to roost, if any creature in Equestria could ever accomplish that impossible feat.

“So it’s a weekday,” Anya stated, after slurping down one of her fried eggs, “Has Path put you into school yet?”

“Kinda,” I said before Scylla could reply, “Since I’ve got a lot of free time here, and since I work on commissions and ponies don’t need maps all the time, I thought it would be best if I taught her stuff here.”

“Home schooling, huh?” Anya said, giving me a concerned glare.

“Yup,” said Scylla, “Daddy has been teaching me math, and about pony history, and how to draw like he does.”

“Hmmm…” Anya hummed, putting a piece of fish into her beak.

“We’ve been doing fine,” I assured, “I might be a little dumb at times, but I can teach anything a first grader should know.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Anya said, “You do have the free time and the minimum amount of brains to teach a little girl.”

“Geez, thanks.” I replied, biting into an apple slice. It was a joke, but Anya’s belittling humor stung sometimes.

“I think Daddy is a really good teacher,” Scylla said, coming to my defense, “The best one I’ve ever had.”

“The ONLY one you’ve ever had,” Anya corrected.

“And that makes him the best,” Scylla re-confirmed, reaching around the table to give me a hug.

“I see her indoctrination is complete,” Anya said, still joking, a small smirk formed at the ends of her beak.

“In… doc… ree… nation?” questioned the kelpie, having never heard the word before.

“It means she’s jealous.” I slid in quickly, wanting to get back a little for her previous comment about my intelligence.

“I am not jealous,” Anya said, folding her arms as she turned away, “I don’t need hugs all the time like a certain pegasus.” Anya had closed her eyes, pretending to be standoffish, but I could see the tiny slit she kept open between her eyelids, keeping an eye on Scylla to see what she’d do next.

What happened was to be expected of a child as pure hearted as Scylla, and she got out of her seat, ran around the table, and right to the gryphon to freely grant the avian the blessing of her embrace.

“Don’t be jelly,” Scylla said, knowing what ‘jealous’ meant, but not yet being able to pronounce it correctly, “I’ll give you and Daddy as many hugs as you want.”

Anya couldn’t help but to laugh, patting the filly on the head, “You’re a good kid. Maybe a little too good. I’m starting to think your dad is right. Somepony is going to snatch you up someday, and there’s not going to be anything he can do about it.”

“Noooooooooooooooooo,” Scylla said, playing along, while burying her face into Anya’s lap, flicking her dolphin-like tail side to side, exposing how happy she was just being around Anya.

While Scylla was enjoying the attention she was receiving, something about what Anya said struck a chord with me, and I pouted a little. I understood she wasn’t talking about kidnappers this time, her double speak alluding to a more wholesome method of somepony taking Scylla away, but the thought still dampened my mood. It didn’t go unnoticed either, as Anya spotted my face turn to a slightly grim expression.

“Hey munchkin,” Anya said to Scylla, “Do you mind going to your room and playing with your toys for a while? Your dad and I need to talk about some adult stuff.”

Scylla lifted her head up from the gryphon’s lap, her mouth forming a flat line. She didn’t want to be left out, but whatever Anya wanted to say wasn’t for her ears.

“Come on, just one little conversation, and I’ll spend the rest of the day with you.” Anya added.

“Okaaaay…” Scylla said, accepting Anya’s terms half-heartedly, before walking to her room, shutting the door behind her.

“Something you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked after the door was closed.

“It’s not the reason I came today,” Anya replied, downing what was left on her plate, “I really did just come to see what you and Scylla were up to. That aside, I think you and I need to talk.”

“Ok then, talk.” I said, as there was no avoiding this conversation now that Anya was set on having it, whatever it was.

“Not in here,” Anya said, “I know a CERTAIN LITTLE RAT IS LISTENING IN!”

As Anya said that aloud, the sound of quickly moving hooves came from the direction of Scylla’s door, the kelpie apparently wanting to know what the two adult figures in her life were talking about without her present.

“Let’s go outside,” the gryphon directed, getting up out of her seat, and heading out the door.

I got up and went after her immediately, curious as to what she felt we needed to talk about.

---

“So…” Anya said as she leaned against a tree, the two of us now far away from the house, “How are things for you, Path?”

“Is that what you wanted to talk about?” I asked, not seeing how that was something Scylla didn’t need to hear.

“No, but I want to break the ice a little bit.” she replied, “You and Scylla look like you're doing well. Your shop been paying the bills?”

“Ahh, yeah. You know the map making business isn’t going to make me rich anytime soon, but it gets us by. That and…”

“And what? You didn’t take out a loan, did you?”

My eyes widened with that accusation, “Are you kidding? The only thing I have of value is the house, and I’d rather starve to feed Scylla than risk having her without a home.”

“Then you’ve found something else?” Anya questioned.

“Some ponies have been asking me to try sketching some other things than maps,” I said, “Just small projects, like linework for art. Some even asked me to paint some pictures of landmarks for them.”

“I wonder why. Not that I don’t think you could do it, but you’re not exactly a painter, and you ponies usually hire other ponies based on their special talents… Or on stereotypes.”

“Ya, you’re right…” I agreed, knowing the work was outside my dedicated field of expertise, “But honestly, I think they feel the same way you do. Friends and locals worried about my living conditions.”

“And… do they know about Scylla?” Anya inquired, not knowing how I have been handling the situation. “You’re not hiding her away every time the bell over your door rings, are you?”

“What? No.” I replied, being honest, “Everypony in town knows about Scylla.”

“Do they know why she is living with you?” Anya pressed further.

I took a deep breath, “Not exactly. They just know that I’m her guardian, and that I’ve been looking for her real parents for a while.”

“That might actually be for the best,” Anya said, agreeing with how I handled the situation, “Probably wouldn’t be a good idea to say you kidnapped her, on purpose or not.”

“Yeah…” I likewise agreed, “And because they know I’m taking care of a child, they’ve been trying to help me out. I don’t accept handouts, but I said that if they want to give me money, then I’d happily do work for it.”

“Look at you,” Anya said, a smile appearing on her beak, “In a position a gryphon would be happy to have, and you turn it down for hand cramping labor.”

“We ponies just like to do what we were born to do,” I explained, “And I’m not personally fond of taking things for nothing.”

“I have something else to ask you, since you seem ok financially.” said Anya, “What was going on when I caught you at the front door?”

“I told you what was going on.” I said back, “I couldn’t find Scylla, and I got worried about her cause it wasn’t even breakfast yet. I think a parent has a duty to worry about the wellbeing of their child.”

Anya sighed, “That’s the thing. You’re not a parent, and that’s not your child. As much as I like Scylla, the fact still remains that she had real parents out there, and…”

“And what?” I said, now a little annoyed with my avian friend. I didn’t get mad over much, but matters concerning Scylla often sparked my emotions.

“Do you still take walks with her down that river?” Anya asked, sounding really concerned.

My emotions started to well up with that question, but I choked them back down in order to say back, “Yes. I make it an issue to go back at least once a week.”

“So you still have it in your head that you might still find her parents, and return her to them. It’s been four years, Path, and what if you actually find them?”

“Then I’ll give her back.” I said without hesitation, that always having been one of my goals with Scylla.

“And if you do that, what does that mean for both of you?” Anya replied, “To her, you’re the only father she knows. She calls you ‘Daddy’, and you allow it, knowing she’s not really your daughter. How do you think she’d feel now if you just handed her over to a couple of monsters just because you happen to run into her parents again?”

I couldn’t disagree with what Anya was saying, because I always had the mindset that I would just give Scylla back to her parents the moment I found them. At this point though, I was the only real parent she knew, a role I took because I believed that every child should have some sort of parent they grew up with.

“You know kelpies aren’t monsters,” I said, the only response I could think of to object with what she had said, being put on the defense.

“You are basing that on Scylla,” Anya said, “But you remember what Gruff said. Kelpies are killers, and if you do give her back, odds are Scylla would be raised to be a killer too.”

Again, I couldn’t argue with that possibility. Many creatures kill to survive, from kelpie to chimera.

“But that’s not even the issue I’m worried about,” Anya said, “If you gave her back to her parents, and she was to grow up to be just like the book said, then fine. That’s just how things are. The problem is how attached you are, while still following through with this plan. Let’s say she was kidnapped earlier. What would you do?”

“I’d go and look for her, of course.” I answered, saying the reasonable response, “And then I’d bring her back.”

“Even if the kidnapper turned out to be her parents?” Anya said, “If you’re still looking for them, then there is a good chance they are still looking for her, and if they ever found out where she lived, then they’re probably not going to want to have a nice conversation with her kidnapper. They could just snatch her back, and if that happens…”

For a moment, Anya fell silent, thoughts going through her own mind as she processed what that kind of event would mean to her.

“I just don’t want this to end up with either of you getting hurt,” she said, somber in her tone, “I would gut anycreature who’d even try it, but right now I think that you’re the one setting the two of you up to feel some pain.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I said, seeing Anya’s point, “Maybe I’m getting too attached, but it’s like you said. It’s been four years, I might never find her real parents, and I can’t just tell her to stop treating me like a parent when I’m the only one she’s ever known. I’m not like you. I can’t just keep her at a safe distance when I’m always around her.”

“Then perhaps it’s time you looked into the idea of just keeping her,” Anya said, “And I’d support that decision. To tell the truth, she’s probably better off with you than anypony else, since you’re being so responsible with her.”

“I… Don’t know if I can make that call yet.” I said, “It would be like admitting I failed her.”

“You haven’t failed her,” Anya said, dismissing the thought, “You’ve done more for that filly than most would have, and the fact that you are taking care of her so well shows that you care.”

“You’re still right though,” I conceded, “If her parents tried to take her back by snatching her up, It’d probably devastate me. As much as I would want her to be with her real parents, I’m always afraid that one day she’d be gone… and I’ll never be able to say goodbye.”

“Oh, Path…” Anya said, removing herself from the tree she was leaning on, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as she lead me back towards the house, “You just keep convincing me that you’re the best father that little mare could ask for.”

---

As we went back inside, the first thing that caught our eye was Scylla in the middle of the living area, crayons in hand, using them on a picture in a coloring book I had gotten her. She had gotten bored, and since me and Anya went outside, there was no reason to stay in her room.

She was the first to notice us though, and said, “Welcome back,” as she looked up from her freshly filled in image of a dog being taken for a walk. “Are you two ok?”

I wasn’t sure if Scylla could pick up that we were both a little sullen from our conversation, or was only wondering if said conversation was the result of something bad that had happened between us adults.

“It’s nothing, sweetie,” I told her, going to our livingroom seat, finding a spot on it, which Anya then took the next space over, “Anya just wanted to make sure we were both doing well, since she hadn’t seen us for a while.”

“If you’re worried about us,” Scylla said, looking at the gryphon, “You could always stay to look over Daddy and me.”

“Sorry munchkin,” Anya said rejecting the offer, “I’ve got a new job that’s gonna take up some of my time starting tomorrow. Some mare wants me to go with her to some old pony temple to make sure nopony interferes with her while she’s exploring it. You know those adventurous types, always going at it with one another on their treasure hunts.”

“Then maybe we can come with you!” Scylla said excited, a sparkle in her eye at the idea of exploring an abandoned pony landmark.

“No can do,” Anya refused again, “It’s too dangerous, and I don’t think my employer would like me bringing tagalongs, especially one so prone to danger as your dad.”

“Anya’s right,” I agreed, “A filly your age shouldn’t be putting herself in danger. Leave that kind of stuff to adults, ok?” Scylla’s face puffed up a little at my answer, not liking that the adults had coordinated their responses against her. “But how about this. Anya will stay here all day to make up for the time she’s missed out with you.”

“I will?” Anya replied, this becoming one of the rare moments that I managed to say something that put her off guard.

“Like you said, the job isn’t till tomorrow, and you can at least stay till nightfall.” I said, having realized that the reason Anya stopped by was to see us before she left, in case something happened to her, “But we’d both be more than happy to have you stay the night, if you could.”

“Pleeeeaaaassseeee,” Scylla said, picking herself off the floor to jump up into Anya’s lap, “I want to show you everything Daddy has been teaching me.”

“Fine, fine,” Anya relented, “But just for today. I really will have to get going tomorrow.”

“YAY!” Scylla yelled, twisting her body around to hug the gryphon.

As I took in the scene of the two interacting, I couldn’t help but feel happy. It was the kind of happiness I never wanted to let go of, and I knew that I could only ever feel this way with Scylla around. Perhaps it was time to just accept her as my daughter. I had spent so many years with no results, and Anya might have been right that living with other Kelpies would only ruin her. I’d have to give it some more thought, but I was really starting to lean towards that option.

At that moment though, I didn’t want to come to a final decision, and instead just wanted to bask in the adorability of this little girl who had brightened my life so much.

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