6 Chapter 5

He hadn't expected to be greeted so warmly when he arrived.

He had anticipated being treated like an asshole, or even worse, being booted out of the clan for failing them. No, they all greeted him with wide arms, as if he hadn't left at all. He listened to them all talk about how thrilled they were for the Firewing ceremony, about their expectations and all of their plans. The trip was just postponed for a few days so they could gather themselves and the sanctuary, or rather the altar, in China could be better prepared.

Plutonic was unconcerned. His phone was switched off, despite his best efforts to avoid it. He also avoided using his laptop to avoid logging onto his Gmail account, where he was sure he had a slew of unread messages from clients and coworkers back at the office.

He desired to devote his time to his kin and family. He had a lot to catch up on with all of them, and he needed to understand their lives because he hadn't been there for them. He was attempting and giving it his all.

  The clan understood since they didn't criticize him, despite the fact that he could see them give him angry looks when he asked a specific question, making him feel as if he had intruded on something personal to them. This was clear to him, and there was no place for complaint.

He was going to make amends with them all.

"Lucky! You've consumed far too much candy. Place that Choco bar on the table! ".. He overheard his wife say something sternly to their son while giving him a motherly serious expression.

"Lucky?". He repeated the query, this time to his wife, Ninah.

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess. That's his new moniker, which he likes so much that he refuses to use his real name any longer ".. Ninah stated, a smidgeon of blush appearing on her cheeks. That made him smile. He'd missed her so much, that smile... the flush... everything... and he was going to savor it all.

Plutonic drew Ninah closer to him by wrapping his arms around her waist. "I guess I like that moniker as well, so we can use it."

"What happens when he's in school? He shouldn't make use of it ".. Ninah remarked.

"Of course, I guarantee he'll go by his real name in school." Plutonic promised with a relaxed grin while staring her in the eyes, their gaze locked and no one attempted to break it. 

Lucky helped himself to additional Choco bars when he noticed his parents were lost in one another's eyes, then dashed down the hallway to Rufus' crib to share his candy with him. Rufus treated him as if he were a brother, and they shared practically everything. Their parents had 'prophesied' that they would have a lifelong friendship.

Lucky extended one of the Choco bars he'd snuggled up with his sticky chocolate stained chubby hands to the other boy. Rufus cheerfully accepted it as he hugged Lucky and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Gross". Rufus burst out laughing as Lucky moaned as he wiped the saliva from his cheek with his fingers, smearing chocolate on his face.

"I adore you." Rufus said with a big grin on his face. "After he gave him a piece of cake, I witnessed daddy kiss mother." Rufus simply confessed, unconcerned that he'd mimicked what he'd seen his parents do.

"I noticed daddy dragging mama towards him. With enormous smiles on their faces, they gazed at each other ".. "Lucky stated.

"Oh." Rufus said before settling down next to Lucky, pulling him close and staring him in the eyes. "Do you like it?" He inquired. 

As he peered into the other boy's eyes, Lucky nodded. They all had nearly identical eyes... That was a typical occurrence among the Phoenician clan... Eyes that were emerald with a hint of blue or was it brown? 

Anyway, Phoenicians had multicolored eyes, which had something to do with their abilities. They never knew why, and they never paid attention to it, so they simply dubbed themselves green-blue eyed or whatever! They were unconcerned.

Rufus drew Lucky's attention away from him. Rufus was a pale-skinned young man, his complexion virtually white, as he'd inherited from his white-skinned parents. He  appeared to be more sensitive than his parents.

Lucky was far too intelligent for his age, and whatever emotion he detected from his pal was as potent as the one he detected from their parents whenever they were together.

Lucky was far too intelligent for his age, and whatever emotion he detected from his pal was as potent as the one he detected from their parents whenever they were together. It wasn't right, he knew it wasn't right. Rufus was confident that he was not feeling the same brotherly affection he felt for him. He didn't know much about love and didn't comprehend it, but he was certain that Rufus was too young to comprehend whatever he was feeling.

Lucky remained silent, but he could feel Rufus' eyes piercing him. He was becoming uneasy, and the smell of odd devotion his friend was experiencing was too much for him to bear. He leapt to his feet and dashed back to his parents' quarters. He didn't want to inhale another whiff of that noxious odor.

...….

Normally werewolves would have gone for their running, which would have drained most of them, thus the clan had gone for flying. Except for his parents, who were in his room, Lucky was fast asleep in his room, as were the rest of the clan members who had retired to their chambers as well. Plutonic sat in a chair beside the bed, clutching his son's hand in his. Ninah sat on the bed.

"He was lightning fast." Plutonic remarked, his gaze shifting from Lucky to Ninah and back to Lucky.

"He was," Ninah smiled in response. "I am pleased with him."

"I consider myself fortunate to have him as a son." He said this while still staring at his sleeping son, his heart swelled with pride and love for the boy on the bed.

"I guess you have a hint now as to whence we acquired his moniker," Ninah chuckled.

He nodded but was about to say something when the door opened and Rufus walked in, sleepily massaging one of his eyes with his hand and carrying a plush little teddy bear in the other. In comparison to Lucky, the boy was a little shorter.

Plutonic and Ninah sat there calmly watching Rufus make his way to the opposite side of the bed, climb in, and lay beside Lucky.

"Does he do that on a regular basis?" Plutonic inquired, feeling as if he'd been overlooked. Ninah giggled gently once more.

"When Lucky was upset and missed you, he used to do that. They're like brothers, and he offered him comfort and affection "..

"I had a feeling he'd show up!" From the doorway, Amina exclaimed. Before entering the chamber, she smiled down at Plutonic and Ninah, while her husband Hamlin trailed after her. Rufus curled over and nuzzled closer to Lucky, snuggling with him.

"Oh, that's the first sign that he doesn't want to return to his room." With a false rage in his voice, Hamlin said.

"Come on, he's better off staying here." Amina said as she was going to twirl away and leave, but her nose smelt something.

"Do you guys get a whiff of that?" She inquired, turning to face the boys on the bed and inhaling deeply to catch another whiff of the peculiar odor she had detected seconds before.

"Can you tell me what you're smelling?" Ninah inquired, knowing that she was only human and couldn't sense people's emotions or chemicals the way her friends and husband could.

"Rufus..." Aisha trailed off, a little perplexed by what she had just learned. "But he's too young for that!" you could say. Plutonic was caught away by the fragrance that permeated the area as well.

"Are too young for what?" Ninah was the one who inquired.

"Do you suppose Lucky is aware of this?" Hamlin inquired, oblivious to Ninah's query.

"Lucky knows what?" Ninah inquired once again, looking at her best friend, Amina, to explain what was going on. Being left out on things just because she wasn't a supernatural creature like them who could smell out things was something she despised. It was always a source of irritation.

Amina's pulse rate accelerated as she saw the anguish and shock on her face. Ninah gave Plutonic a sidelong glance, but his gaze was fixed on the lads on the bed. She looked at Hamlin, who was also not looking at her.

  What exactly was going on? Was Lucky all right? Her heartbeat was racing and her entire body felt tense, as if she was about to suffer a panic attack if none of them talked.

Amina took a deep breath as her husband rubbed her shoulders in little circles with his fingertips to calm her down. Plutonic may have noticed the mounting tension and unexpected increase in Ninah's emotions because he reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Rufus is head over heels in love with Lucky." Amina made the announcement.

"Of course they love each other," Ninah chuckled. As she surveyed the grim features around her, the amusement in her voice faded.

"It's not just that." Hamlin explained. "Rufus is not experiencing brotherly love. There's more to it "..

"Isn't he, however, too young for that? Isn't it true that they're too young for that? ".. Ninah was the one who inquired. "Do you believe they're going to date in the future?"

"That's what we're not sure about.. if they're mates, I mean," Amina murmured. She took a long breath in and exhaled slowly. "However, there is one thing that draws him to Lucky. Something powerful that reflects his feelings in this way "..

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Ninah was perplexed by what Amina had said.

"Lucky is in possession of the three jade pieces." Plutonic remarked.

Ninah grumbled angrily, "Why then were they speaking in parables?" "What exactly did that imply? Was it  possible?"

"This indicates Lucky will live for three lifetimes." Hamlin explained. "This means he'll reincarnate three times."

"Do phoenixes have the power?" Ninah questioned, not surprised by the news. It wasn't something new; after all, all Phoenixes resurrected.

"We reincarnate twice, not three times," says the narrator. Hamlin gave a quick explanation.

"Only one Phoenix could reincarnate three times." Amina asserted unequivocally.

"Which one is it?" Ninah inquired, her brows wrinkled in perplexity and inquiry, her gaze fixed on her too silent husband, who had suddenly let go of her hand.

He inhaled deeply and stared at her square in the eyes. "The Golden Red Fiery Phoenix," as it is known.

She let out a gasp.