Altair glided into the cavern and fluttered into his nest, sitting down to straighten out his feathers. Just as he was finishing up one wing and starting on the other, Luthe walked in, dragging a small antelope. A bag slung across his back held several smaller preybeasts, combined with fish he'd be set for several days at least. Seeing his friend/designated messenger had returned, Luthe immediately dropped his kill and all but rushed over.
"Well?" Altair blinked down at him for a moment, as if the question had no meaning to the falcon.
"Oh! You wanna know how it went!" Luthe's expectant expression turned droll as he sat down, the bag sliding from his back.
"Of course not, I asked the question to fill the space," he replied, causing the bird to tilt his head in confusion.
"Really?" Luthe sighed and rubbed his forehead. Hard.
"No, not really. Did she have anything she wanted you to tell me?"
Altair ruffled his feathers, looking for all the world the perfect image of indignation.
"You could learn to ask a bit nicer, you know? Mama-shi is always nice. I get enough of that kind of attitude from Hermes." He huffed as Luthe rose one eyebrow.
"You know you deserve most of what Hermes gives you, right?"
"That doesn't mean I have to like it, though!" Altair snapped, his beak clacking as he spoke. The bird really did sound indignant, and it only half made sense to Luthe. Despite the fact that Altair was grown, he was still in a way a bit of a hatchling. Hermes had always been a rather mature individual, at least from what he'd seen of the raptor and heard from his mother's stories. Altair on the other paw was still working on the mature aspect of being an adult. Mostly he was just impulsive and lacked a sense of responsibility.
Still, the eager to please part of his personality was a perk.
His ire rising at Altair's stubbornness, Luthe's ear flicked back and he growled. "I'm sick of this game, Altair. Stop playing around and give me the message," he snapped. Altair responded by opening his beak for the sole purpose of pointedly snapping it shut. "If I have to ask you again-" Luthe hissed, but was interrupted by a new voice.
"You really shouldn't be so hard on him. I did tell him I wanted to surprise you, after all." Luthe's head whipped around to the entrance of his den, eyes wide as he beheld a vision.
"Soteria..." Tory smiled at him, her broad, guileless smile and he still couldn't believe what he was seeing. She had left, she had gone to the mists, to learn from his mother's pride like she'd spent her life trying to do.
"I'm not a ghost, Luthe," Tory replied, her heart swelling at the frozen look of surprise and awe. If she'd had any doubts that he had missed her while she was gone, they vanished with that look. She watched him blink once and shake his head, as if clearing his thoughts before he stepped towards her, putting a paw to her cheek as if to reassure himself that she truly was there.
"No, you're not," he whispered and his brows drew together in confusion. "What happened? Why are you back?"
"I learned so much with them, but I also realized that I missed you too much to stay any longer." She kept her eyes on him, watching his reaction unfold. It seemed to take a moment for her words to sink in, but when they finally did, his face softened and his paw gentled against her cheek. "Luthe, I-"
"Tory, please. Don't say those words unless you're certain. I... I watched you leave my mountain once before. I don't think my heart could take it if I had to do it again."
"You won't have to. I love you and I'm never leaving. You're stuck with me," she replied, her smile soft and open. His shoulders seemed to slump a little, as if a weight he'd long carried had finally been taken off.
Luthe's breath caught when Tory moved to him, cuddling close and tucking her head beneath his chin. Mama La had been right, following her heart had been far more important than following her head.
"Does my mother know?"
"No, I don't think so. I haven't seen her since we arrived in the mists. She spent some time with the oracles and the royals, but then was called away suddenly." Luthe might have been worried at that news, but he knew what had probably called her away. He had a brother, a second brother he had never known. A brother who'd been abused by his foster family, a brother Mzaa had found first and kept a secret. Styxx.
"My brother called to her, that's probably why she left."
"Your brother?" He saw her glance at his history on the wall and shook his head.
"No, not that one. I didn't know, she gave him to another family before she met Nyanya."
"Has he come here? Where is he? Will I get to meet him?" Luthe chuckled at her small flood of questions, pressing a paw to the back of her head and taking her scent in deeply. Gods, he'd missed her.
"No, he... Mzaa said he needs time to process that he has a family. He'll come when he's ready."
"Good, then we'll have plenty of time for just us."
"I'm still here, you know." The couple looked up to see Altair giving his best attempt at a pout. They'd forgotten about him and he was puffed into an indignant ball of fluff.
Tory took in Luthe's messenger friend and it only took a heartbeat, maybe two before she broke out in laughter. Yes, there would be time for just them and time for all three of them. For the first time in a long time, she had a family again. It wasn't exactly what you'd call a conventional family, and goodness knew that she and Luthe wouldn't always see eye-to-eye. But staying with him, being here and sharing their lives and knowledge with one another, yes that was all worth it.
(WC: 1,036)