[Kobolt]

OOC: Set in what was Stoneclaw. Open to any ex-Stoneclaw characters, sabers or anyone who can tell Kobolt what happened here - I figure it is probably general knowledge round these parts.

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Home.

It had been so long since he had last sought out this place. He had left in anger and his bitterness had been little abated since that day. No one likes to feel dispensable and easily replaceable after all. His father, and his fathers before him, had been kings, but his mother Coatl had been a lowly concubine. A growl flickered in his throat. After Coatl his father had taken a new mate, Requiem, and named her Queen, even siring a new litter with her. Where did that leave him? Was he a Prince? Or some illegitimate offshoot? He wasn't looking forward to seeing Her again, Queen Requiem, or her brats for that matter, but his sister Mayan had always held a warm place in his heart, even if they did not see eye to eye about the aforementioned Queen. It was for her he was bothering with this visit. 

Something snapped beneath his large paw, the sound breaking his chain of thought, he looked down... An arrow? The feathers were old and tattered, the shaft brittle, but flint head was still wickedly sharp. Humans? He sniffed the air. It was hot and still, the earth baked and dusty beneath his paws. There was no scent of man... Or saber for that matter. He looked around, green eyes scanning his surroundings; rolling grassland, shrubby thickets and spindly trees. Nothing moved. He began to realise with a creeping feeling of disquiet that no one had challenged him. Where were the sentries? Unease gnawed at him as he picked up his pace, ears pricked, fur raised, whiskers quivering. 

Something was not right here.

He had planned a meandering route, a nostalgic tour around his old haunts before a stiff family visit and making himself scarce again, but now he he went straight for the dens. There was something strange going on and he needed to know what; there was bound to be someone there who could tell him. 

As he approached the dens, marked by a rocky outcrop, his heart sank. They were quite clearly abandoned, they were over all grown, the grass between reached nearly as tall as he did and thick twists of brambles clawed as him as he passed. Outside one of the dens bright red lilies, the royal flowers that marked it as the Kings den, bloomed like a blood stain. He ran up to it and looked inside only to be greeted by gloom and damp. The bedding was rotting, the walls wet with water and green slime, and part of the roof had collapsed inwards. No one had slept there in a long time.

Where was everyone?

He backed out the den, heart beating anxiously, and raced to the top of the stoney out crop and looked out, eyes narrowed against the sun, trying to pierce the heat haze. Nothing moved. "MAYAN?" He shouted desperately. "MAYAN? HELLO! ANYBODY?!" He had always thought they would be here waiting for him, he could come and go as he pleased and boring old Stoneclaw would be here waiting. But now... No... Surely not...

What had happened here?

[Kahleb]

There was always good pickings to be had after a forest fire, for a crow anyway. Beneath the layer of burnt grass, the new grass buds and soft shoots of plants trying to renew were lying in wait to be eaten. What a feast that usually was, and this time was no exception. It came with a served side of nostalgia however, as Kahleb was familiar with the surroundings (though now the land looked quite different due to the fire and all). The land had once been the home of a pride of cats called Stoneclaw. Kahleb remembered this, specifically because he had delivered a few messages for their king back when he'd just started on the message delivering service. Word traveled fast among the bird folk, and the crow had been so sad to hear of Stoneclaw's fate that he'd wanted to see it for himself. What a sad sight it was... but just as all things were, others would come to be. Perhaps another clan would establish here once the forest grew back? Or perhaps the neighboring humans would build a village here? Opportunities were abound for the future of the land. For the moment though, it was quite deserted... there wasn't a cat around.

"HELLO! ANYBODY?!"

Scratch that... there was ONE cat still around it seemed. Sending a loud "CAW" to the skies, Kahleb stretched his wings and took off in the direction of the stranger's call. What he spotted was a cat indeed. The crow landed on a nearby tree, who had died from the heat of the fire and was almost as black as his feathers, but somehow miraculously still stood among the abandoned dens of the old Stoneclaw lands. Kahleb observed the cat for a moment, to try and see exactly what he was doing in a place like this alone. He seemed distraught, and lost... or... perhaps looking for someone? Ah... looking for the clan perhaps? It was true that news between land dwellers didn't travel as fast as it did among the bird folk. And also, perhaps they were a little less prone to gossip than his kind was. Stretching his wings, Kahleb tried to get the great feline's attention.

"Hello! My name's Kahleb! Are you looking for something?"

He'd tip his head to the side then back upright and on to the side again as bird were often seen to do while he observed the fellow. He seemed familiar somehow... was it those green eyes? They reminded him of the kind king who's messages he'd sent. Oh.... what was his name again? He couldn't remember. Oh that was going to bother him all day now. It was almost on the tip of his tongue. How stupid was that.... uhm... si... no.... sar.... no.... it was something short and simple but he couldn't for the life of him remember it. Oh bother. This guy probably wouldn't know who he was referring to anyway.

"You seem familiar. Are you from Stoneclaw by any chance?"

If he responded in kind, then the crow would fluff his feathers and look around a bit uncomfortably.
Boy, would he have some bad news to deliver....

[Kobolt]

Ashes and dust.

The smell of carbon and burnt timber wafted up to him from the plains and forest below and for the first time he took in the scale of the destruction, the tradgedy and raw power that has swept through his home. You should have been here. The reprimad came from his own mind along with a surge of guilt. He'd gone and left Mayan alone, he'd said she was fine and that they had all made it clear they didn't need him. What could I have done? He shot back at the thought with a flicker of a growl. Something. Came the inevitable reply. Something.

He stepped back and felt a crunch under his paw, he lifted his foot gingerly and peered at the crush remains of a tiny skull, heart suddenly in his throat, lead in his stomach. It was a rat. He let out the smallest sigh of relief and hung his head. Only a rat. His imagination still rippled with the worst case secnario but he took a steadying breath, he was realising now that despite the heat he was cold and his legs were trembling. Shock was taking over. No home. No family. No one. He liked to think himself free, unfettered by those mundane bonds and responsiblties that bound others. Now he knew he was as tightly tangled in those threads as any other puppet.

"Hello! My name's Kahleb! Are you looking for something?"

Hello.

A voice, a sound. He wasn't alone. His head snapped up. "Yes! Hello?" It was no saber but it was something. He turned desperately towards the words and at first failed to make out where they were coming from but stumbled towards them like a blind man. "Hello?" The crows black feathers against charcoaled bark blended so perfectly. When he finally could make out who had spoken he bounded to the foot of the tree, paws skidding on the powdered remains of his home, and looked up, green eyes wide and still searching, though for answers now.

"You seem familiar. Are you from Stoneclaw by any chance?"

"Yes! Yes! I am!" He had never said yes so many times in his life. Generally he was surly and disagreeable and liked to give mono-sylabic answers to most questions just to piss the asker off. Right now however he was lost in a desert of confusion and panic and the crow seemed like an oasis, a fountain of knowledge. "Where is everyone? What happened? How'd it get burned?!" He garbled rattling of question after question, hardly pausing for breath. "Do you know Mayan? She's the Queen, is, or was, or - Please you have to tell me what you know." The crow didn't have to do anything, but for once in his life he was begging, pleading. Right now he'd even have been pleased to see Her and that was saying something.

[Kay ✨]

Profile | Speaking

Time has the habit of either moving too slow, or moving too quick. Especially if you aren'y keeping track while attempting to simply survive. A lot a can change, a lot had changed. Including herself. The last memories in that crisp mind were the landslide in the caves she pulled her younger Brother from, finding long lost Rykryk on the beach, and the attempt to find a way to Mom. Sweet sweet Mom, to safety... To Stoneclaw, no, Asgard. The lost Queen had forgotten the order of this all.

During it all, she'd become injured. It caused her previous memories to jumble slightly, feeling fuzzy and confusing. Until a light came on, and her slick lanky figure slipped into the night with a few following shadows. Mayan found her way back to the straits, the stars guiding her way to anywhere familiar. Though no one knew who she was, only stopping for quick conversations with friendly strangers. Who questioned her travels, sharing their own stories.

Moving slowly through the thicket, her gaze cast over her shoulder lazily, bright emerald eyes pausing for a moment before she carried onward. Pink tongue washing over her real sabre, then over the one that had been repaired. The cave in had cracked the old tooth badly, leaving it decaying and painful. Someone had been her hero, removing the painful dead half of the tooth, replacing it somehow with a carefully carved and polished very pale rose quartz stone.

She considered herself lucky to possess it, the pain was gone, and hunting had become possible again. Which she was on her way to do now, searching for something small to bring back. Until her rounded hears perked up "Do you know Mayan? She's the Queen, is, or was, or - Please you have to tell me what you know." Her throat tightened at her own name, at the voice that was so familiar. Suddenly the mohawked Ex-Queen was bolting toward it, eyes welling with tears as she emerged from the bushes.

Where she slowed, carefully keeping her distance. Uncertain with the reaction that would be given, Mayan swallowed hard. Heart thudding, a little afraid of what was about to happen despite her own bliss in seeing her big brother again. How desperately had she needed him? Needed to see his face, even if it was in a frown of grouchiness. A hug. A pat. Anything.

"I'm here, Bolt." She spoke with bravery, prepared for any punishment Kobolt might lay on her.

[Tiegan]

So much time had passed since the day she’d begun her life. Never in all her years did she imagine her world to turn out to this, but never for a moment did she ever regret it. The youthful teen had been happily forced into many months of growth, physically but also mentally as she’d followed in tow with the auburn guardian she felt as close as blood.

A certain tingle hit her frame as the air shifted and the sky opened, as if a door was unlocking before them— a key that her caretaker always had, one that over time she learned about. Piece by piece, day by day; now came the possible day she’d have her own stories to tell and tales to form. With vibrant youthful eyes she looked upon the horizon and felt a moment of awe. Could this be it?

Brief eye contact was made when Mayan turned back to look, a gleeful expression filled the young female’s face as they pressed forward. Tiegan found herself a moment of locked excitement, to which she'd nearly immediately forgotten about the forward progress of Mayan. The voices ahead were lost on the teen-turned-kitten, feeling a sense of.. something here, even in the dying roots of what once was. Eyes blinked back for a moment before she squeaked to herself, noticing the sizeable gap now between the two, moving forward as she called to her in haste. “Momma! Wait!” Ti refused to be left behind, not now. Not ever.

When her mother came to a stop, the teen slowed to her heel, cautiously looking beyond to see what has caused such a sudden alert. Glancing up into her mother’s eyes she saw the build of tears, eyes quickly turning to the sandy stranger before them. Tiegan remained silent.

“I’m here, Bolt."

Tiegan was a smart girl, quickly putting the resemblance together and the nickname, forming to what she could only astutely agree is short for Kobolt based on the stories. A gentle gasp rasped from the girl’s mouth, murmuring quietly to herself and her mother. “Momma… is that uncle Kobolt?” Tiegan sensed her mother’s mixed emotions, and so the reserved girl kept herself tucked enough out of the way to avoid attention, but still present enough to be seen by Kobolt and any other onlookers.

[Kahleb]

When the sabre answered his question, Kahleb nodded. Thing made perfect sense. The fellow had surely come here expecting to see the land as it once was, with all of its trees and most importantly the members of his family. What a shock it must be, and it reflected in his eyes as he looked up at him expectantly. The crow fluffed his feathers once more and emitted a sad sound, which sounded like a mixture between a cat's purr and a normal crow's call. He thought it was quite unfortunate that he wouldn't have much to say if the boy asked him questions. Of course, ask questions he did.

"Where is everyone? What happened? How'd it get burned?!"

On a regular day, Kahleb would have laughed and swung to hang upside down on his branch and said 'Well, fire of course!'. But the black bird thought this was no place or time for his usual antics.

"I did not hear of how the fire began, but spread it did, chasing the sabres out of the land."

"Do you know Mayan? She's the Queen, is, or was, or - Please you have to tell me what you know."

"CAW!"

The sabre's words spilled out of his mouth with such speed that the bird barely understood what he had said. The big cat's agitation was contagious, and the crow began to pace back and forth on his branch. His wings would twitch from time to time, as though he was tempted to just fly off and leave the distraught sabre alone. Most crows would have done just that. In truth, most crows wouldn't have struck a conversation with the feline at all. But Kahleb wasn't most crows... Kahleb was Kahleb indeed. So he stayed. And though his gaze darted away in moments as though he harbored the desire to flee (There was always the sliver of a chance that the cat would pounce in frustration and try to eat him), he remained on the branch of the tree. He was determined to help the poor fella find out what had happened, and perhaps help him to figure out where to go next.

"There hasn't been a sabre living here in some time... but few do pass through and linger for some time, searching; quite like you. In fact-"

"I'm here, Bolt."
“Momma… is that uncle Kobolt?”

And just like that, two more felines appeared. Oh what a turn of event this was! Kahleb smiled. From the looks of it even, it seemed that this was just the individual that the other had been searching for; Mayan, was it? She was accompanied by a curious little one. From the look of things, there would soon be a serious conversation unfolding between the two adults. To give them the time and space that they needed, Kahleb decided to entertain the child that kept itself close to its mother. Spreading his wings, he allowed himself to jump off his perch on the branch of the burnt tree and glided all the way down to the ground. There was no need to be wary, this he felt. His only danger at the moment might be the child itself. Some of them did have a fascination with pulling out feathers. He hoped this particular child was a well behaved one. Hopping a bit closer, Kahleb tilted his head to the side and blinked, staring at the little sabre with curious blue eyes.

"My name's Kahleb, what's yours?"

Hopefully, he would keep the child entertained and occupied long enough for Mayan and Kobolt to talk in peace.

[Kobolt]

"I did not hear of how the fire began, but spread it did, chasing the sabres out of the land."

Kobolt looked around at the expense of charred earth and brittle charcoaled trunks, seeing how the blackness lapped right up to the mouths of dens. He swallowed, imagining the roar of it, the red heat of burning tongues. Anyone in those dens... "Did they all get away or...?" He tried to swallow again but found he couldn't, his mouth felt like it too was full of ashes and his throat tightened. The crow cawed and shuffled on the branch in agitation. Concerned Kobolt might turn on the messenger? Perhaps with good reason, the birds answers seemed to be coming so slowly! Get. On. With. It. Kobolt willed it silently, flexing his claws, digging them into the burnt earth and gritting his teeth not to snap at the bird to just give him the damn answers he wanted already.

"There hasn't been a sabre living here in some time... but few do pass through and linger for some time, searching; quite like you. In fact-"

"I'm here, Bolt."

And just like that she was there. As if his need for her had conjured her into existance in that very time and place. She had always been his north star, one point of reference in his life that always guided him back home. It was only home because Mayan lived there. His grip on the earth relaxed and he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. His star was still shining. He still had a home. His sister was alive.

"You're safe." The relief was evident in his voice but he didn't know what else to say, he wanted to say something more, to explain, to say sorry, sorry for not being there when they had needed him, sorry for being surly and angry and pushing her away. Sorry. Sorry for everything. But he couldn't. He just stood frozen, mouth slighly open, no words coming out. Sorry for the silence. Sorry.

The crow was totally forgotten, he hadn't even noticed the other shape that shadowed Mayan until it spoke, breaking the silence.

"Momma… is that uncle Kobolt?"

He blinked at the cub, then looked from Mayan to the cub and back again, eyes going wide. "You-You're a mother now?" He asked hoarsely, realising how much he had missed, had chosen to miss, while he was away. He had assumed that time would practically stand still in Stoneclaw, that he could walk in and out, as if it was a mere set and he the main character in the play. He was wrong. "I'm an... Uncle?" He asked slowly, brain still processing. "I'm an Uncle!" He announced his shock slowly turning to a smile. He beamed at the cub, she was a spark of life, sprung up like a weed where he had thought there were only ashes.

"Come'ere you." He said gruffly to mask the emotion in his voice as he reached out to Mayan. If she let him he would pull her into a bone crushingly tight bear-hug. It was not the conversation they needed to have, or compensation for the time he owed her, but it was a glimpse of the brother he had once been, before everything else got in the way.

[Mayan]

Profile | Speaking

It wasn't the upset she had expected. There wasn't a shout, a glare, a commotion. Kobolt and Mayan had never had a negative relationship, he just had some rough edges. It had been so long, it was hard to know what had happened to the older Brother in their time apart. "You're safe." Her smile grew, allowing him to process all the new information that was being thrown at him.

While he stood there frozen, Mayan glanced to her Daughter with the crow. Who was kind enough to draw her attention for a few minutes for the siblings to reunite. “Momma… is that uncle Kobolt?” Her heart melted at the voice of her child, beckoning her over the join them. "You-You're a mother now?" A laugh came, proud emerald eyes casting toward her girl. "Yes, Tiegan was barely wigglin' when we set off."

Remembering the too-young Mother that sought Mayan out during a stay in the mountains, they'd kept one another company in her sticky situation... and in the end Mayan took the cub off the paws of someone who just wasn't ready to raise a family. Especially alone. Mayan wrapped an arm around her Daughter, pulling her closer gently and motioning to Kobolt.

"That's right, this is your Uncle Kobolt. Kobolt, this is your Niece Tiegan."

"I'm an Uncle!"

"Come'ere you."

A second later she was being crushed into a hug she desperately needed from him. Her own arms hugged him back hug as hard, giggling as the breath was smushed out of them both. Relieved to be with him, suddenly feeling so safe despite being able to hold her own all along.

@ypput @Kahleb @"Arkyls"