Summer, one year later… somewhere in a little hidden forest in the province of Quebec…

“Hello?”

“Jae? It’s Ama. I’ve got news for you.”

“What kind of news?”

“You’ll see, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“All right, on my way.”

I put my cellphone away – I was surprised I even had the network out here – and put down the deer I had just finished eating. I then got up and headed home, smiling when I saw the little house that stood there, far away from civilization and yet close enough for it to have all the commodities one would need. I crossed the barrier I had made with my powers to prevent bugs from entering the area around the house – since Ama had a pure hatred towards those – and went inside, spotting Ama on the couch. I wasn’t able to decipher her expression, so I got closer, sitting next to her, taking her hand.

“What is it?”

She looked at me, not sad, not happy. I wasn’t too sure what she was feeling like.

“I uh… I’m pregnant.”

I was speechless. Ama was… pregnant? Holy . I was happy, personally, but what about her? I knew she didn’t like kids all that much…

“Are you… unhappy?” I risked, looking at her.

She had a soft chuckle.

“As much as I prefer a quiet life like this… having a tiny you would be amazing.”

I couldn’t help a smile. Okay. So she didn’t mind. She seemed to want a boy, judging from her words, but we couldn’t force nature.

“So… are you… happy?”

“Yeah. But only because it’s the child I conceived with you.”

“Good.”

As long as she was happy.

**

But let me tell you about what happened between my birthday and the present moment.

I hadn’t gone that far away. Just a forest in the middle of nowhere, far enough from Montreal. I had changed my appearance yet again, going back to my blue eyes and black hair. There, we had built a house and we were both living there peacefully. I had started working during the day again as an arts teacher despite my missing hand, since I could still teach despite that. Ama had her job as a photographer; she always went to her clients’ place, never letting them know of our little paradise.

I also had a second job. A night one. It was much nobler than what I had been doing before, however. Instead of hunting preys given to me by the Brotherhood, I would protect the humans from the hunters. I never ate the bodies, only burning them, leaving my old symbol close by afterwards to let the humans know that I was back, but that I had changed. Now I’d only eat animal meat and I was always surprised that Ama could bear with the blood taste that never really left my mouth. I was lucky that she did; I couldn’t imagine a day without tasting her lips.

And so life was great and sweet. When I would see Ama being happy, I would understand part of the prophecy. The snow had been attraction, the cold had been my cold self, my distance. When everything had melted, it had been because of spring. Because of Ama. I loved her so damn much.

**

“Can you feel its presence?” she asked, making me smile a bit before I touched her belly. It was still flat, obviously. I perceived a tiny spark of life and my icy blue eyes turned sapphire blue out of pure happiness.

“Yeah. I can feel… him.”
“So… a boy? A tiny you?”

“Yeah.”

“Shadow spirit?”

I laughed a little.

“Not very probable, but it’s a possibility. I’m not sure what I’d rather him to be.”

“I would love him either way. A tiny you can only be adorable.”

She smirked a bit, looking at me.

“You’ll be such an overprotective father.”

“Yeah. I have that feeling too,” I replied with a smile.