Chapter 25: Still Recovering
#25 of The Mating Season 3
Chapter 25: Still Recovering
After everything he had done to reunite his father with Zaldon, Kilyan didn't know if he could bring himself to visit his father that morning. Kel was bound to be angry with him for his disobedience, and though he was well beyond being too old to receive a parental spanking, Kilyan was still afraid of ever displeasing Kel. He hated any time when those green eyes looked upon him in disappointment or anger, and not because he feared Kel but because he loved his father.
Kilyan stood in the front room of his hut, applying war paint, his spear leaning on the wall nearby. He could hear his boys chattering over their breakfast, could hear his wives admonishing their sons. He knew Yuri was kneeling beside the boys, giggling at their antics, and Kilyan smiled to himself that Roan and Zane -- who usually behaved themselves any other morning at breakfast -- were showing off for Yuri.
Having finished applying his war paint, Kilyan turned to face his family. It was bizarre to him suddenly that he was heading out this morning for home patrol duty, bizarre that after everything that had recently happened, he was settling so quickly back into the routine of things. Maybe it had all been a dream. But of course it wasn't. There was evidence of his venture right there: Yuri was kneeling near his sons, smiling with twinkling sable eyes over the head of her doll as they flicked oatmeal at each other.
"Boys!" Kilyan barked, and his sons froze and looked around him sheepishly. "Pushups. Now!"
Roan and Zane groaned but daren't disobey. They rose and each took up a spot near the wall, where they knelt down and started pushing. Kilyan watched with satisfaction: if they were old enough to misbehave then they were old enough to start their warrior training.
Kilyan was taking up his spear when his wives came to him and gave him the usual kisses on his cheeks in farewell.
"Would you walk Yuri with you over to Zalia's?" Lea said to Kilyan, pressing his lunch in his paw and smoothing her other paw over his neck and chest fur, almost as if she was adjusting him. "I mean, you're going anyway to meet Keeno."
"It's just, the boys would behave if she wasn't here for a while. And maybe she should play with a female for a while too," added Ohana, glancing fondly over at Yuri.
"Of course," Kilyan answered. "I'll take her before I stop by my father's."
"Thank you, Kilyan," Lea said, kissing her husband on the cheek.
Ohana did the same, and Kilyan smiled at his wives as they both started smoothing his fur now: they were always so fussy over him.
Shouldering his spear, Kilyan moved across the room and offered his paw down to little Yuri. "Kilyan take Yuri to see Enya. Would Yuri like that?" Kilyan said, speaking slowly.
Yuri frowned a moment as she followed the foreign words, but when she realized she was going somewhere with Kilyan, she didn't hesitate to rise. Taking that tiny paw in his own, Kilyan wondered sadly if Yuri didn't remember how close he'd become to Yana, if only for a little while. Certainly Yuri had smelled them that night they were searching for her on the ship. She had probably huddled down in that little room, had probably smelled them both standing outside the cabin, sniffing her in return. And she probably knew that Kilyan had tried to help her and Yana as much as Keeno had.
Kilyan smiled down at Yuri and was warmed to see her smiling back at him. He thought of his boys and how they both seemed so fascinated by her and thought to himself that it wouldn't be a bad thing if Yuri loved and married one of his sons. Not a bad thing at all.
"Let's go," Kilyan whispered to Yuri. He led her to the curtain but paused and called back to his sons, "I want you to do fifty!"
Roan and Zane, who were still pushing, groaned again and chorused breathlessly, "Yes, Father!"
Kilyan smiled and turned with Yuri from the hut.
When Kilyan arrived that morning at Keeno's, it was to find his sister Zalia washing the dishes from breakfast over a basin. Every now and then, she darted fond glances over at Keeno, who was on his back on the floor, lifting Enya into the air. Enya was squirming and giggling wildly, and the father and daughter's tails were flashing in their happiness.
Zalia looked up when she saw Kilyan standing in the doorway and licked out her tongue at him. Kilyan did it right back, of course, and the brother and sister smiled at each other.
"Keeno," Zalia sang, "my obnoxious big brother has come for you."
Keeno sat up, and Enya clung to her father's neck, staring at little Yuri with wide eyes -- much the same way Roan and Zane had. Kilyan felt Yuri duck bashfully behind his leg and he massaged her ears to comfort her.
"Ah, you brought Julyan's little angel to play with my little Enya, huh?" said Keeno, grinning.
Kilyan was relieved to see Keeno already had his war paint on. Good. Then he still had time to stop by and see his father.
Kilyan took Yuri's paw and led her into the hut, kneeling beside Keeno, who little tan Enya was still clinging to.
"Yuri, this is my niece Enya," Kilyan said, clamping a heavy paw on Enya's head and ruffling her ears until she giggled.
"Enya?" repeated Yuri, and her sable eyes stared at Enya unblinking.
Enya giggled.
"Enya, this is Yuri," continued Kilyan. "She's staying with us for a while. She's a moon wolf and she's still learning our tongue --"
"So be patient with her, booger-breath," said Keeno, poking his daughter playfully on the nose.
Enya closed her blue sapphire eyes and laughed at her father's teasing. She let go of Keeno's neck, and taking up her look-alike doll from the floor, she offered it with twinkling eyes to Yuri. Yuri stared at the doll uncertainly, but Enya was sweetly insistent, so she took it with a smile and offered her own in return.
Kilyan, Keeno, and Zalia watched this doll trade and exchanged smiles.
"Mother says there's first grass up in the pastures," said Zalia quietly. "And it's so warm today, we're going to let the sheep out to graze. I'll probably take the girls with me."
"Then I'll let Zaldon know," returned Kilyan with a nod.
Zalia nodded, rubbing a cloth inside a wooden cup. "Then get out of here, the two of you. And send Dad my love, Kilyan."
Kilyan grinned and nodded. Keeno gave his wife and daughter and Yuri all a quick kiss on their cheeks, then rose and took up his spear.
Kilyan ruffled Enya and Yuri each on their heads and bopped his sister playfully on the forehead. Zalia made a snatch at him as Enya and Yuri giggled, but Kilyan was too quick. He darted out of the hut after Keeno while Zalia shouted mock threats at him, sending a splash of dishwater in his wake.
"So you're in a good mood," said Keeno when he and Kilyan were walking up the slushy streets to Kel's hut. "I take it your wives pleased you last night."
"Last night, this morning . . . probably this evening," said Kilyan airily and shrugged.
Keeno laughed at his friend's mock nonchalance and elbowed him. "You're gonna tell me all about it at lunch! Every last juicy detail."
"Of course."
They walked on in silence before Keeno said quietly, "So . . . you worried about your dad?"
"Nah. I think Zaldon took care of him. He's pretty powerful -- and I don't just mean all those goddamned muscles of his."
"Yeah," said Keeno with a laugh. "If one of us was half as buff, maybe all that crap wouldn't have happened to us."
They turned up another street and came to Kel's hut at last. Keeno said that he'd wait outside for Kilyan and for him not to take too long: they didn't want to be late for patrol. Kilyan nodded and ducked inside.
When Kilyan entered the hut and set his spear against the wall, it was to find the sorcerer Zaldon and Ohana's father Lynny sitting beside the fire in the front room. The brothers looked up and smiled when Kilyan entered. Kilyan smiled back, thinking that it was almost comical to see such big wolves sitting in chairs that were built for wolves much smaller in size. Zaldon especially made his chair look miniscule.
"Kel's in his room sleeping," Lynny told Kilyan. "Or he was. Loryn went back there to look in on him. I guess we can expect Aliona next."
"So he's all right?" asked Kilyan, sitting in another chair beside the fire.
"Just fine," answered Zaldon, smiling to reassure him. "His legs will take a while to get their strength back but besides that, Kel is recovered."
Kilyan breathed a sigh of relief and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
They looked up when Loryn came in, grinning broadly. The striped wolf clapped a paw on Zaldon's shoulder and surprised everyone when he kissed him hard on the mouth.
"Thank god for you!" Loryn whispered in Zaldon's ear, who was patting Loryn's back and looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"Next time, warn me before you do that," Zaldon whispered breathlessly to Loryn. "I think I about lost control!"
Loryn laughed and went for his spear, which wasn't leaning far from Kilyan's against the wall. As he was resting the spear on his shoulder, he glanced at Kilyan and said, "I had claw marks on my shoulders like that once. Weren't from a female, though."
Kilyan felt his face burning and knew it was red when Loryn ruffled his mane with a laugh and withdrew.
"I would have faded them more, Kilyan," Zaldon said apologetically as Kilyan was rising.
Kilyan shrugged. "No, it's all right. I think they would have noticed them anyway. And I can't hide anything from Ohana."
"That's my little girl," sang Lynny proudly, rising as well. "I think I'll drop over there now. See if I can't whip some warrior strength into those boys."
Kilyan grinned as Lynny moved past him and clapped a fond paw on his shoulder before following Loryn out.
"Yuri is with Zalia now, Zaldon. She's going to take the girls up to the pastures today, just so you know," Kilyan said.
Zaldon smiled and nodded. "Go and see your father, Kilyan. I think I'll step out too. Maybe go with Lynny to see Ohana."
Zaldon rose, but Kilyan caught him before he reached the curtain.
"You didn't hurt him, did you?" Kilyan whispered earnestly. "Because if you did, I'll march in there right now and tell him that you love him!"
Zaldon chuckled and patted Kilyan's shoulder. "No, Kilyan, Kel knows the truth. Maybe that's why he's recovering so quickly." He winked at Kilyan, then moved past him out the curtain.
Standing alone in the front room of the hut, Kilyan moved down the hall at last, but he was shocked to find his father standing in the doorway of his bedroom, holding himself up in the frame. Kilyan halted. Kel looked livid. Kilyan knew that look well. It was the you're-in-for-a-whipping scowl that Kilyan had grown up in fear of. He wanted to shrink into himself at the glittering anger in those green eyes but resisted the urge and instead took his father's arm when it was offered to him and led Kel slowly into the front room. Kilyan helped his father into a chair, then the father and son sat around the fire together.
As they sat in silence, Kilyan stole a few glances at his father and was deeply relieved to see that Kel did indeed look ten times better. Here was the solid middle-aged warrior Kilyan loved and knew so well! Sitting there with a serious frown, his black fur glossy, his muscles rippling. Kilyan breathed a deep sigh of relief. So except for his shaky legs, Kel was back to his normal self. Thank god! Kilyan suddenly didn't care if his father was angry at him -- at least he was alive!
"Kilyan," said Kel stonily, "you have disobeyed me. You have disobeyed your father and faced many perils to reach Zaldon -- I know. Zaldon didn't have to tell me, I can see it in your eyes! What you did was foolish and reckless and --"
Kilyan leapt out of his chair before Kel could finish, and Kel was startled to find Kilyan kneeling in front of him, hugging him tightly around his middle. Kel looked down and saw Kilyan squeezing his eyes shut in his earnest, smiling, his ears flat on his head as he clung to his father and gave a happy little sob. Kel's ears went flat on his head too. He smiled and held Kilyan back, closing his son tightly in his strong black arms.
"And," whispered Kel into Kilyan's mane, "I have never been so proud in my life."