Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

His hands were caked with dirt, he could feel it under his fingernails and the moistness of the mud sinking into his skin. It was not a bad feeling, far from it. It was the kind of soil that you could feel life teeming in.  He reached up and wiped his brow, his back ached slightly. It had been a long time since he had done this kind of work. His father had stopped insisting he help with the harvest when the village healer had protested losing his assistant for such a long period of time every year.
"Tired, Ryraso?" a voice called, sounding vaguely amused.
Ryraso looked over and saw his mentor flying above him, looking at him with a slight smile. "Slightly," he admitted, smiling back at his mentor. Umin had given him this job to make him complain and be generally unhappy. Most healing apprentices who came to Navat were above working in the fields. "The others were fighting again last night so I didn't sleep much," he added so it was clear it was not the work which was tiring him.
"That so?" Umin hummed. "You really should move into my place instead of sleeping in the dorms. Do you have any complaints?"
"About moving in with you?" Ryraso asked innocently. "If it gets me away from the fighting, I'll happily move in with you," he smiled warmly. "As for helping to grow herbs, well. We are healers. It is important to know how to make the tools that we use," he said matter-of-factly. "Also we have to deal with blood and gore sometimes. If you can't get your hands dirty with soil, just what kind of a healer are you?" he added with a disapproving scowl.
"Just so," Umin nodded, a wide grin on his face. "Keep at it. I'll have your things moved to my cabin."
Ryraso woke up to the smell of damp and the sound of rain falling through leaves. It was a lovely soothing smell that was very much Navat. Big city or not, Navat was made from treehouses and when it rained the city smelled of wet woodland. He opened his eyes and found the room was dimly lit, it was obviously not quite sunrise yet but it was no longer night either. He shifted slowly and took count of the nest. Aw'endo was still next to him, no longer clinging however but Eyeri was gone.
Blinking slowly, Ryraso removed himself from the nest, grinning as Aw'endo curled into Dyn'ad's chest with him gone. Dyn'ad hugged him in his sleep, covering the boy with his wings. One child safe, Ryraso walked over to his own room, for some reason getting a feeling that Eyeri was not in his own, and found Eyeri inside. Eyeri was curled on the window ledge, looking out over the garden.
"Da," Eyeri murmured with a soft smile. "Morning."
"Morning, aren't you cold?" Ryraso asked gently, reaching over to his bed to pull a blanket off the foot. He walked over and threw it over Eyeri who willingly wrapped it around himself. "Were you dreaming again?"
"Oddly, no," Eyeri said quietly, pulling the blanket up to his chin. Quiet or not, the tone of mild surprise was clear in his voice. "I just woke up when the rain started and couldn't settle again," he explained, drawing his knees up slightly so Ryraso had room to sit next to him.  "I didn't want to wake anyone up."
Ryraso hummed, sitting down and looking out of the window himself. He could see some gardeners working despite the drizzle, lanterns lighting their work in the early morning gloom. Eyeri's window overlooked a flowering garden but Ryraso's was overlooking the herbs and crops. The scent of damp soil was strong as they worked. Ryraso wondered if it was the smell of the soil or the memory of Umin which had inspired the dream. Possibly both, all things considering. The underneath of his nails began to itch.
Then a face appeared in the window, surprising both of them. "Good morning," the k'nairi greeted cheerfully, lifting his hat slightly. It was a straw hat with a large brim to keep the rain off his face while he worked. Ryraso could see the guards in the background clearly watching, one moved to the window slowly, clearly ready to intervene if necessary but Ryraso doubted it. It was just Kit'z. He was mostly harmless, if not slightly socially inept. While the windows in Navat were open, people typically didn't fly up to windows to greet others. It was considered rude.
"Morning," Ryraso greeted in k'nairi, Eyeri parroting the word seconds after, with a clear unease while saying the word. Nel'os, while accompanying him the previous day, had taught him a few phrases in k'nairi.
"You look well," Kit'z smiled warmly, his wings fluttering happily. "Gar'kin wants to know if your boy can garden?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
"I don't think so, no. No room to have a garden on a warship," mused Ryraso, not surprised by the question at all. Gar'kin was one of the gardeners, in particular, the one responsible for the herbs and crops; he was also Kit'z's mate. The k'nairi man was famous for roping extra helpers in when he needed them. Healer apprentices, needing to learn their herbs and how to grow them, were usually first in line. "He doesn't speak k'nairi yet, though," Ryraso warned.
"Then this is the perfect time to learn," Kit'z said cheerfully. "Mostly we are just weeding this morning and preparing the ground for planting. We are going to put in some marigolds today to scare off some of the pests. Get him dressed and I'll help you down in ten minutes," Kit'z said calmly, bowing low before leaving Ryraso bemused. Kit'z was another person who had not changed then.
"Go get dressed," Ryraso chuckled, rubbing Eyeri's knee before opening his closet to find some clothes he could get dirty. "We're being conscripted."
"Oh?" Eyeri said curiosity filling his eyes. "For what exactly?"
"Planting marigolds it seems. Use yesterday's clothes. You'll get dirty out there," Ryraso smiled, pleased to see the look. The look showed no fear or wariness just interest. Eyeri's eyes brightened at the news and he quickly got off the window ledge. Ryraso chuckled as Eyeri almost fell over as he ran out the room. This was possibly just what Eyeri needed at the moment. Something practical to do.
A few hours later, Tai'ray woke up as Aw'endo was tugged out of the nest to train. Iss'tine herded the boy to his room quietly but Aw'endo had stumbled over him while getting up. Tai'ray smiled to himself, snuggling against Dyn'ad, glad not to be the one for once to have to get up. Aw'endo was feeling slightly pouty about the sitution, he didn't want to go train. Tai'ray let his mind drift, the link at peace for the moment. He was where he belonged with his two mates. Only...
Tai'ray sat up quickly as he realised what was wrong, or rather who was missing, disturbing Dyn'ad.  Neither Ryraso or Eyeri were there.
Dyn'ad groaned with the sudden movement unhappy, opening an eye and glaring at this mate slightly. "Relax," Dyn'ad grumbled, pulling Tai'ray back down and kissing the back of his neck. "We can still feel him," Dyn'ad murmured into Tai'ray's ear and tugged the Winglord close so his body was melded against Dyn'ad's, his arms wrapped around Tai'ray's waist. "He's not gone anywhere."
"But..." Tai'ray murmured, still concerned with not having Ryraso nearby when he had gone to sleep with him. Now Dyn'ad had mentioned it, he could feel Ryraso in the link. He could also feel that the man was currently happy. Not over the moon happy but certainly content with the world. The kind of happiness which boded well for the day and also for Ryraso settling back into Navat happily. "He was here," he said softly, Dyn'ad kissing his shoulder again. It would have made Tai'ray feel a lot better if that happiness had been caused by him.
Tai'ray reached down and grabbed Dyn'ad's hand to tangle their fingers together. Ryraso wasn't trying to run at the moment, Dyn'ad was right. The palace guards were no doubt watching him and Eyeri closely. Everything would be fine but that didn't quite calm the uneasiness in his stomach.
"He loves us," Dyn'ad smiled sadly. "He is still himself though. We can't expect him to always wait for us. Espeically at the moment. Don't forget, he hasn't had a real relationship in a long time," Dyn'ad reminded.
"We waited for him," Tai'ray muttered darkly, feeling slightly more childish than normal. They weren't talking about the same kind of waiting and they both knew it.
"We did," Dyn'ad agreed softly. "Mostly. We have had several options along the way. We have one now," Dyn'ad pointed out. Cai'ress was not the first noble who had slipped into the Royal circle's interest for a time. "We have also kidnapped his youngling. No doubt Eyeri couldn't sleep again. The palace has plenty of ways to distract a child from sleep."
"Cai'ress..." Tai'ray murmured, trailing off not quite sure what to say. He was still very nervous about Ryraso learning about him. "You guys really need to tell Ryraso" he added. He was not going to do it. Cai'ress was polite and sweet but Tai'ray had no interest in him. Not the way Nel'os did. To Tai'ray the man was just another submissive noble who had a nice arse.
"I know," Dyn'ad nodded. "I've told you before Tai. If you really feel nothing for him, we won't take him further. Bondeds should be loved by everyone in the nest and we love Ryraso. You have no interest in even getting to know Cai'ress at the moment."
"Then why is he still here if that is the case?" Tai'ray asked with a strange bitterness in his voice. Why was Cai'ress still there and a potential danger to Ryraso's acceptance of them if Tai'ray had no interest in him?
"I guess, we had hoped once Ryraso was back you would look at him at least," Dyn'ad said sadly.
Tai'ray twisted and kissed Dyn'ad on the lips. It wasn't quite an apology but Tai'ray did feel a little guilty. Dyn'ad and Nel'os did really like Cai'ress. "When Ryraso knows, I'll look at him again. I promise," Tai'ray offered gently. He didn't think that his feelings would change but stranger things were known to happen. Plus, there was a small chance Ryraso would like him too. Assuming his reaction was not too negative. Dyn'ad held him tightly as a wordless thank you.
"It's raining," Nel'os murmured sleepily with a feeling at the observation was important, though he didn't expand on it.
"It is," Tai'ray exhaled, not really following Nel'os mind and just putting it down to the weird things that happened when you first woke up.
All three were quiet for a moment, Nel'os out of sleepiness, Dyn'ad and Tai'ray were just enjoying the nice moment of being in each other's arms. Dyn'ad rubbed Tai'ray's side gently. "I can hear you thinking," Dyn'ad said through the link. "Let me in," he ordered softly, pressing their foreheads together.
"You won't..." Tai'ray started before trailing off at the look Dyn'ad was giving him. He exhaled and lifted his shield up. Dyn'ad calmly buried himself in his mate's mind. Smoothing over jagged edges and pressing mental kisses to scars which were starting to hurt again. Then Dyn'ad paused at one particular scar. His own chest twinged unhappily at the reminder of that fear. Nel'os joined them mentally and kissed them both.
"It is not the same thing," Nel'os murmured gently, shifting so he was curled around both of his mates tightly.
"Isn't it?" Tai'ray asked.  Dyn'ad shifted somehow closer and kissed his neck again. Nel'os kissed Tai'ray's forehead from where he was above him. "I mean, everything turned out well," he added to reassure his mates. "But... is this really the best way?" he asked with a doubt.
"Possibly not, but it is not just us anymore to think about. The link feels determined to see this through now after the damage that was done," Dyn'ad pointed out. Several memories of Tai'ray's mindscape deteriorating filling his mind. Tai'ray felt slightly embarrassed at the memories. His mindscape was still heavily scarred. "It's not just the people either, you must have felt the Goddess' powers leaking through into the link too."
"It wasn't your fault," Nel'os murmured, choosing to ignore the Goddess comment and focus on the damage in Tai'ray's mind. "And it still isn't."
"The hole is closing. A fair few caw have taken off their seals to ask for extra time," Tai'ray admitted. Not everyone was ready to come back. It was as simple as just waiting to be captured but for some there were families and jobs to think about. For civilians, if the prize of a few extra weeks or months was to take off their seals they would happily do so.
"Still very big," Dyn'ad mused darkly with a dose of helplessness. He wanted to be able to help his mate so badly but at the moment all he could do was support him.
Tai'ray shifted and kissed Dyn'ad again. "I love you both more than I could have ever dreamed of," he said out loud, tilting his head back to give Nel'os his own warm kiss
"And I you," Nel'os beamed happily.