"Thank you so much for meeting with me Delphi." The red panda directed the wolf to sit across from her at the desk. "I've heard a fair bit about you from our little Melody, but it's good to finally meet in person. I've only ever met her uncle, Mr. Robertson. You two aren't, uh, married, I understand."
"No, absolutely not. I try to limit my interaction with him as much as possible. While he is her legal guardian, we've all agreed that it would be best if I raise Melody. We have been in contact with a lawyer in the city trying to officialize the adoption."
The teacher nodded and pretended to write something on a pad, "I see, so you are serious about this. Wouldn't she be better…"
"Ms. Shang, there is no thing or person in this world that matters more to me than Melody. I may not have been trained and prepared for it, but I am learning everything I can to take proper care of her as her parents wanted. I am bound by oath, Ms. Shang, and I will not let her, nor them, down."
The red panda winced as the corner of her desk broke off in the wolf's clenched fists. Following the teacher's gaze, Delphi looked at the piece of wood and held her forehead. "Sorry, I'm, I'm still not used to feeling so much. My previous work was high stress, the kind of job you have to numb yourself for. I'd rather not talk about my past, but being here in the slow country life, I think it's doing a lot of good for Melody and I. And even if he's not good for much else, at least Mr. Robertson is letting us live in his house while I establish a new source of income. Feeding a growing bunny isn't cheap, and I can't exactly go out hunting for her."
Ms. Shang pulled a drawing out of her desk and passed it over. "I was curious if you know what this is." The house was rather easy to identify with it's tower and eves, even if most of its Gothic style was lost in the crayon rendering. But the teacher was obviously meaning the black wolf figure with wings and what must have been big tits watering the lawn.
"Oh, that's adorable. Melody drew this? Do you mind if I take it, I'd like to put it on the refrigerator."
"Is that monster you?"
"Monster? That's not a monster. That's what Melody calls my 'super hero costume.' In our game, I think the lawn was lava, so she had me pick up a watering truck to put it out."
Ms. Shang wrote some real notes. "I see. And what is home life for Melody?"
"Well, I usually wake her around 7, we play a bit while I get her ready for school. Her uncle drives her into town to the nearest school bus stop. As soon as I get a driver's license I will be bringing her to school. Once she gets off, I pick her up, take her home, and we work on her words and numbers and talk about her day. Then we either play outside or watch a movie till it starts to get dark. That's usually when she starts crying about her parents and asking me to 'be her mom'. On really bad nights I hold her until she cries herself to sleep. That's happening less and less the past few weeks. I'll never be able to truly take their place, but I do all I can."
"I see. And what about you? Do you have any healthy outlets, hobbies? It is important as a parent to keep yourself grounded as an individual."
The wolf smirked, "Prolonged interaction with adults, in my condition, tends to be problematic. It's really hard for me not to end up fucking up the situation, so I try to limit that kind of exposure, for Melody's sake. But I do have a few people in town I hang out with on occasion. I often stop off at the library to talk with Chenek, or their home to chat with her husband. They've seen me at my worst, so they are 'safe' to be around. And no, I really don't want to go into what that condition is. Melody specifically asked me not to share it with you, but if you are concerned, you can ask Chenek."
"Chenek is a good friend of mine, as well. If she trusts you in her home, then that is high praise for your character. Now, you mentioned you don't have a licence, but,..."
"But I being Melody home. Yes. I was worried you would pick up on that. It seems I'll have to tell you more about my work than I'd wanted. Mr. Robertson and I know each other through, let's say, mutual circles of interest. We both participate in the mystic arts. When I said I am bound by oath, I meant it. I am bound to Melody, and through that bond, I can teleport to her at any time. I also have a magic circle at the house where I can teleport. So I go to Melody, pick her up, and go to the house. Obviously, that doesn't help in getting her to school, and I doubt your principle would let us place a circle here, so I have to learn to drive."
The red panda's eyes widened and narrowed with skepticism. "And, I don't suppose you could show me this magic?"
"Well, yes. I can. Melody did not forbid me from showing you this." Immediately the wolf was gone in a blaze of black and purple flames. As the classroom door opened, her voice could be heard reassuringly. "No no, dear. It's all right. I'm just showing your teacher how I pick you up after school. She's just concerned that you are being taken care of."
The wolf walked back in, her inky black fur slowly returning to the previous grey hue. "See. Perfectly safe. Any time Melody needs me I can be there in an instant."
Ms. Shang opened and closed her mouth repeatedly trying to say something. Eventually she managed to sputter out, "Why, how, telling me?"
"Because Melody ordered me not to lie, and to reassure you that she is safe in my care. I really need to teach her to understand the consequences of her orders to me. But she is safe, I ensure she is safe, always. I cannot speak to the safety of any who would try to harm her, though, and in my reading up on children, I am concerned about the frequency of school bullying. I'd hate for someone to start bullying my little girl, necessitating my intervention."
She tossed the corner of broken wood onto the desk, a few deep claw marks gouged into its surface in the shape of some ancient runes. "I think I make my stance on bullies clear? Make sure it doesn't happen, or I will. Use that to contact me if you must."
She opened the door and Melody rushed into her waiting arms. "Ready to go home, sweety?"
The little bunny nodded with a big smile. "I wanna watch the princess movie."
"OK, love, we can watch it once you've had your bath. Have a good evening, Ms. Shang." Winking, the two departed in the swirl of flames leaving no more trace than a whiff of sulfur in the air.
The runes on the wood suddenly glowed causing the lone teacher to throw up her hands in surprise. From the runes emanated the wolf's voice. "Oh, and I expect you understand what a bad idea it would be to tell anyone about this. Goooood niiiight."
