"A Phoenix! It must have been a Phoenix bloodline!"
Out loud James concluded.
Thoughts of lost opportunities filled his mind even while his young heart was filled with love and adoration. So many stupid level coincidences had to happen to make this possible. The mouse had to be interested in the egg and it had to approach just at the wrong time. The half formed chick with the egg had to have a Phoenix bloodline and its egg had to break.
James shook his head.
'Why couldn't all these coincidences have happened to let him tame the Phoenix egg?'
Instead he was stuck with a mouse for a pet. He looked behind him at the door. For his entire life that door had been just a normal door. Brown, with white trimming, and a metal knob. Now it represented something more. It represented a turning point in his life.
He looked back at the baby mouse snuggled within the ashes. A thought went through his brain.
'What if I killed this mouse?'
If he did he would suffer a backlash. For a week maybe less considering how weak the mouse was he wouldn't be able to use mana. But there were other eggs in the nest. He could still have his Bluebell songbird with a Phoenix bloodline. Because he was sure now, the bloodline was a Phoenix. There was no other way to account for the ability to raise the dead. Only a Phoenix could do that or at least in that specific way.
'I can't though. Dad said that the first taming would define the rest of my life.'
His Dad had a lot of esoteric thoughts on being a good person. The problem was that right in this moment James did not want to be a good person. He didn't want to be the laughingstock of his peers, the poor relation, or the useless employee.
It would be so much easier to put this behind him. And for a moment that is exactly what he decided to do. The knife was right there. The mouse was asleep. It would be easy.
'Son, the man you will become isn't defined by the great accomplishments you will perform in your life. You will be defined by the little things you do everyday for good or for evil.'
Just when he was about to act something his father had said to him so many times it was engraved on his memory.
"Okay little fellow. It would probably be easier for both of us if I put you out of your misery right now. But instead, ... I, I am going to spend a life with you."
Reaching out his bloody finger he touched the pup. It shifted and somehow its tiny little paw ended up on James' fingernail. At the touch a tear welled up and rolled down his cheek. Surprised at his own tenderness James wiped at his eyes.
They stayed there for an hour as James had to think and plan what to do. All the gear he had bought to incubate an egg and feed a baby songbird where no longer needed. Instead he would sell it all and buy whatever a mouse pup would need.
Finally someone knocked on his door. Startled James looked at himself and his desk. Little bits of blood and ashes were all over him. The carpet was wet with egg fluid. The body of the baby Bluebell was there and shell was scattered all about.
The door opened and his immediate family members were standing there.
All three of them were holding their own first pets. His little sister had her bee, his father had his calico cat, and his mother had her goldfish in a bowl under her arm.
"Are you okay?"
His little sister Emily asked. They weren't able to see the mouse and because of the mess Emily thought weird thoughts.
"Oh, honey, I know how much this meant to you!"
His Mom ran into the room, put her fishbowl on his desk next to the array, and gave him a big hug. She didn't mind the mess at all.
He hadn't told his family his plan, only that he was going to contract his first pet. They had probably thought to celebrate with him. Only despite how it looked his contracting attempt had not failed. Right this moment he really should celebrate he actually had contracted a pet.
"Hey, Mom, it is okay. I am fine. No worries."
James comforted his Mom.
"Son, is everything okay?"
James' Dad asked matter of fact. With his Dad's question a way out of this mushy emotion fest was given.
"Yeah Dad, I am fine, see? I have my new pet."
James carefully brushed away the ashes so that it was easy to see the red mouse pup against the black array board.
All three members of his family gasped, but only Emily didn't know what it was.
"What is that? I never thought you would be interested in pink!"
His sister teased him and mistakenly said the pup was pink.
"This is Wilber, my pet mouse. Well, I mean he is still a pup, so he will be pink for a while."
James explained and just went with the color because there was no need to force it.
"That's great, honey!"
Mom said, happiness on her face in the form of a smile, now. James knew she wasn't faking. Her goldfish's gift to her was serenity. She was always poised and able to deal with any circumstance.
His father had left the room when James looked up and was only now coming back in, without his cat.
A little forced his Dad swallowed dryly while saying,
"Good for you son. This is great."
Realization hit him as he looked at his Mom and sister seeing that they were comprehending too. His choice of pet directly conflicted with his father's and many of his relatives.
Their house was big both in the normal dimension and in spawned dimensions. The entire family lived here. All the branches and every single one of the kids, grandkids, and great grandkids of their shared ancestor.
While it was a minority, more than thirty percent of the family had continued the terrier bloodline. Especially in James' branch of the family. Dad didn't opt for the terrier, instead he had bonded with the complimentary cat species that had a bloodline for ratting as well.
No one knew where to look, least of all James. Caught up in the moment he had not truly been able to think about all the consequences of this event.
Finally his Mom said something,
"James, what happened. I can see the broken egg on the floor."
Taking a deep breath James started to explain.
"I meant to contract the egg, but accidentally I made this mouse my pet…"
They just looked at him. And then Emily broke into tears and ran from the room. Somehow knowing there was an accident was all the more terrible.
This set his mother into tears as well. She hugged him tight and cried into his shoulder.
Eventually she stopped and spoke while hugging him even tighter,
"Everything is going to be okay. It is going to be okay!"
Then she stood up and sharing a look with her husband she picked up her fishbowl and also left the room.
"Son, I …"
"Don't say it Dad, I know. Just listen for a second."
James proceeded to explain about the glasses and the Bluebell songbird's outside his window. As he spoke his father started to comprehend. Nodding his Dad left to get some rags and together they cleaned up the mess.
"Go take a shower. I will stand guard while you do."
Someone had to guard the pup. The terriers and cats weren't bloodline endowed fantastic beasts for nothing.
Quickly James cleaned up and came back into the room. While he was changing he spoke.
"Thanks for packing a bag for me."
Said James. His Dad had busied himself while watching out for any ratters.
"No problem. Son, I didn't expect for life to happen this way. I am sorry."
Putting his hands on both of James' shoulders in a father's recognition, Dad squeezed tight.
"Dad, this isn't forever. I will find a place nearby, I will still be around. And even though I can't tame those Phoenix eggs right now, you can. There are four left and if you keep it quiet that mating pair will always be there."
"Thank you son. The whole family will become greater because of you. Now get out of here before an accident happens."
James scooped up the mouse pup, put him into his shirt pocket and left without saying goodbye.