I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Chapter 652 652: Trip (10)

Kelpie froze. His water droplets stopped falling. His eyes went wide.

"Don't move," Vlad Jr. whispered.

Kelpie's voice came out strangled. "I'm not moving."

"Don't breathe," Vlad Jr. added.

Kelpie took a loud, shaky breath. "I'm breathing."

Vlad Jr. winced. "Don't breathe so loud."

The bird tilted its head and looked at Kelpie's face. Then it pecked his cheek, gently like a kiss.

Kelpie's face turned the color of the bird's feathers.

Drake squinted at him. "It likes you."

Kelpie shrieked, "It's trying to eat me!"

Drake crossed his arms. "Birds eat fish. You're fish-adjacent."

Kelpie sputtered. "I am not fish-adjacent!"

"Your mom and dad are sea creatures," Drake pointed out, counting on his fingers. "You live in water. You have water droplets following you everywhere like lost puppies. Face it, Kelpie. You're basically a very pretty fish."

Kelpie looked genuinely offended. "That's not the same thing!"

Boo floated upside down above them. "Now you have a pet."

Kelpie gently stroked the bird's feathers. "It's not a pet. It's a friend."

Boo shrugged. "Same thing."

Kelpie shook his head firmly. "Not the same thing."

Boo grinned. "Close enough."

Kelpie reached up slowly and touched the bird's feathers. They were soft, softer than anything he had ever felt.

"Hi," he whispered.

The bird chirped.

Kelpie's eyes lit up. "I'm going to call you Peach."

The bird chirped again.

Kelpie beamed. "Peach likes me."

Felix tilted his head, his fox ears twitching. "Peach is a bird."

Kelpie pulled Peach closer to his chest protectively. "Peach is my bird."

They stayed in the meadow for a long time, watching the butterflies and the flowers and the bird on Kelpie's shoulder. Lilith collected wildflowers and put them in her hair until she looked like a small, colorful garden. Sable chased a butterfly and almost caught it, then tripped over his own feet and landed face-first in the grass.

Lucien looked down at him. "Graceful."

Sable spit out a blade of grass. "I meant to do that."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. "You meant to eat dirt?"

"It's organic."

Lucien sat in the grass and watched the clouds, deciding that arguing with Sable was pointless.

Drake tried to climb a tree. He got about three feet off the ground before a branch snapped and he fell flat on his back.

Luna burst out laughing. "That was amazing!"

Drake rubbed his elbow, his wings splayed out beneath him. "It's not funny!"

Luna wiped a tear from her eye. "It's a little funny."

Drake glared. "It's not!"

Luna grinned. "It's very funny."

Drake tried to stay angry, but his tail started wagging against his will. "Fine. It was a little funny."

Luna offered him a hand. "Come on, you big lizard. Let's try a smaller tree."

Drake took her hand and got up. "I'm not a lizard. I'm a dragon."

Luna patted his arm. "Sure you are."

When the sun began to sink toward the mountains, the children made their way back to the cottage.

Kelpie walked carefully, not wanting to disturb Peach. The bird stayed on his shoulder, occasionally pecking at his hair.

Sable fell into step beside him. "You're taking it home?"

Kelpie looked at the little pink bird on his shoulder. Peach's feathers were soft and fluffy, glowing faintly in the evening light. Her tiny claws gripped his shirt and her bright eyes blinked at him, full of trust.

He hesitated.

His hand, which had been reaching up to stroke her feathers, paused in mid-air.

"I... I don't know," Kelpie said quietly. "She's a sky bird. She belongs to the air, to the trees, to the open sky." He looked down at his own hands, at the water droplets that still formed around his fingers, at the small puddle that followed him wherever he went. "And I belong to the water."

The others went quiet.

Peach tilted her head, as if listening.

Kelpie continued, his voice soft. "I can't take her home. My home is full of water. You need open sky and trees. You would be sad there. Trapped…like a fish in a bowl."

Peach chirped. It was a small sound, almost questioning.

Kelpie's voice grew stronger. "But you can stay with me now. While I'm here. While the sun is warm and the trees are green and the sky is wide."

He gently stroked her feathers.

"You can stay with me today. And maybe tomorrow."

Peach leaned into his touch.

Kelpie's voice dropped to a whisper. "But when I go home, you have to stay here. You have to fly free. You have to find your own way."

Peach blinked at him.

Kelpie looked into her tiny eyes. "Promise me. Promise me you won't follow me. Promise me you'll stay where you belong."

The little bird was still for a long moment.

Then she nodded. It was a small movement, barely noticeable. But Kelpie saw it.

He smiled. "Okay. Then you can stay with me now."

Peach chirped happily and nestled against his neck.

Luna watched from nearby, her arms crossed. "You named a wild bird and made it promise to leave you. That's the saddest thing I've ever heard."

Kelpie shook his head. "It's not sad. It's... temporary. Like the flowers. Like the peach blossoms. Beautiful because they don't last."

Boo floated closer, his silver eyes wide. "That's deep."

Kelpie puffed out his chest. "I'm a deep person."

Boo snickered. "You're a water person."

Kelpie waved a hand. "Same thing."

Felix shook his head, his tail swishing. "This is how people become attached to wild animals and then cry when they leave."

Kelpie's face fell. "I won't cry."

Felix gave him a knowing look. "You'll cry."

Kelpie looked at Peach, then back at Felix. "I'll cry a little."

Peach chirped.

Kelpie sighed. "A little," he repeated.

The sun dipped lower, painting the meadow in shades of gold and rose. The children walked back to the cottage, Kelpie in the center, Peach on his shoulder.

Lilith tugged on Sable's sleeve. "Bird stay wif Kelpie?"

Sable looked down at her. "Just for a little while."

Lilith frowned. "Den bird go?"

Sable nodded. "Then bird goes home."

Lilith thought about this for a moment. "Wike Wiwwy? Wiwwy go home soon."

Sable smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yes, Lily. Like you."

Lilith nodded and walked a little closer to Kelpie. She reached up and gently touched Peach's tail feather.

"Nice bird," she said.

Peach chirped.

Lilith turned to Sable with absolute certainty. "Bird say nice to meet you."

Sable raised an eyebrow. "Did the bird say that?"

Lilith put her hands on her hips. "Bird said it wif its eyes."

Sable bit back a laugh. "Ah. Of course."