Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy

Chapter 299: Grave of the Fireflies

Once Jojo opened his eyes again, he had returned to the garden where his mother lay to rest. She was still beautiful and gentle, albeit looking frail and pale. She had closed her eyes, and there was no sign of life coming from her.

Jojo’s heart began aching again, because he thought that the Moon Goddess Selene had lied to him.

Thus, his tears continued flowing as he hugged his mother’s lifeless body, while Grandma Tree held back her own tears as she knew there was no time to grieve. The old woman was trying to calm his baby sister, who kept crying over her mother’s death.

"Oh no, what to do... she keeps rejecting water from the Origin Tree," Grandma Tree muttered as she conjured a small ball of water from the Origin Spring and tried to feed it to the half-faerie, half-beastman baby girl, but she refused and continued crying.

It was so strange for Grandma Tree, because all faeries naturally loved the water from the Origin Spring, as it could replace the milk from their mother’s breast. Sisi was fed this way until she was taken away by her father back then.

Then, Grandma Tree heard a familiar whisper from the Goddess, her creator, about the situation, and her eyes darted towards her deceased dearest.

Jojo kept on crying. His golden tears flowed freely and seeped into his mother’s skin until Sisi’s skin started to turn golden, just like Jojo’s eyes.

"Little Dawn Star, look! Your mother, she—"

Jojo wiped his tears and opened his eyes, then witnessed how her body began to glow gold, and like thousands of puzzle pieces, every inch of her skin turned into small fireflies that flew around Jojo, Grandma Tree, and the baby sister, as if trying to tell them that everything would be just fine.

Sisi’s corpse was no more, but thousands of fireflies continued to fly around the garden as if they had been set free, until they flew far away and were never to be seen again.

However, three fireflies remained on Jojo’s open palm. They didn’t seem to plan on leaving, and slowly they formed into one bigger firefly.

As the bright light from the firefly died down, it fully vanished into thin air, leaving a golden seed that was about the size of Jojo’s pendant.

"Little Dawn Star, do you want to see your Mommy again?"

"Mm, I want to see Mommy. I want to see her every day, and she will see me growing up to be big and strong, just like Daddy!"

Grandma Tree smiled as she walked towards Jojo. "Then, you should plant that seed in the courtyard where you usually spend time together with her. Trust me, you will see her again that way."

Jojo nodded. He held the seed tightly, since this was his only way to see his mother again.

"Then, about your baby sister..." Grandma Tree gently kissed the baby’s forehead, and a small flower mark appeared on it before disappearing completely. Then, she slowly handed the baby to Jojo to hold.

Even though he was only five, Jojo remembered how his mother or father often carried him in their arms, so he imitated it and carried his baby sister carefully.

The baby sister actually stopped crying after being held by her big brother, and even cooed before opening her mouth and drinking nectar from a flower that had been infused with the water from the Origin Spring by Grandma Tree.

"Our new Darling truly wants to live with you and your father, Little Dawn Star..." Grandma Tree sighed. "Maybe when that time comes, she can go back and forth between the Beast Kingdom and the Faerie Land, because just like her mother, she also has the role of being the Darling of the Earth. Until then, she can stay in the Beast Kingdom."

"Do not worry about feeding her. She is still a faerie, and the Darling of the Earth. She won’t be hungry as long as there is a root she can connect to me."

Jojo had no idea what Grandma Tree was saying, but he asked, "Then, can I return to Daddy? He... he must be sad..."

Grandma Tree recalled the devoted Dusk Star and sighed even deeper. "Parting is such a sweet sorrow. I hope he can eventually get back on his feet."

Grandma Tree then opened her palm, and a giant rose appeared under Jojo. It slowly closed its soft petals, as if trying to shield the boy and his baby sister from impact.

The old woman smiled. "This will be the last time you’ll ever see me. Goodbye, Little Dawn Star."

As Jojo was swallowed by the giant rose, the flower then went back underground, transporting the boy back to his father.

Once she was alone, the old woman began sobbing again. She was so old that it would’ve been strange to cry, but she couldn’t hold it, knowing the painful fate of her dearest granddaughter.

"My dearest... why do you have to leave me again?"

*

The entire faerie land had been in a state of panic. Every faerie, both outside and inside the faerie land, gathered in the Courtyard of the Ancient Tree, waiting for news about their Darling’s safety.

They kept waiting for hours while looking up at the ancient tree, until a single blue petal fell from the sky, followed by thousands of them, until the faeries realized that Grandma Tree was weeping over the loss of their Darling.

All the faeries began weeping as well, especially Crush Tutu, who hugged her grandpa.

They only had about nine months with their Darling Sisi, and she was so lovely—strict with her duties as the Darling, but also caring for the faeries’ needs.

During those short nine months, the faeries became obedient and fulfilled their duties according to what their Darling told them.

The faerie land flourished once more, but good times never lasted, and just like the most beautiful flower would be plucked first...

That very night, the faeries mourned the death of their Darling.