Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Eyeri sat on the roof, next to Aw'endo, watching the sun go down. The wind blowing about them as the light finally started to dim and the sky lit up with stars instead. It had not been a pleasant evening. Aw'endo was curled, his wings still shaking with grief and Eyeri rubbed his back under the k'nairi's wings. They weren't completely on their own. Some of the guards were about, keeping an eye on the two of them. Eyeri was kind of reassured by their presence. If he fell, someone would catch him.
Nel'os and Dyn'ad had a lover. A lover who Aw'endo had liked and trusted. A lover who Tai'ray did not like and now had banished from court for reasons unknown. Eyeri had tried to talk to Ryraso but the man had only shushed him with sad eyes. No one was giving him any clues leaving Eyeri to try to cheer Aw'endo up.
"I'm here," Eyeri commented gently, not liking the silence anymore. "Fetmar's here too. You're not alone now. Even without Cai'ress, you have friends. Better yet, you have brothers."
Aw'endo looked up, his yellow eyes peeking out from behind dark locks of hair. Eyeri was pretty in the dying light. His blonde hair soft and fluffy and his eyes almost sparking as the sunlight reflected off them. He reached out and grabbed Eyeri's hand, tangling their fingers together and holding it tightly. The human boy blushed at the action but let Aw'endo do so. "I know," Aw'endo said simply. "Doesn't change the fact Cai'ress is gone now. I think it's my fault. Tai'ray didn't like that he had been talking to me." Aw'endo looked away from Eyeri and at the people who were flying in the distance. "I seem to cause everyone I care about problems."
"I'm sure it's not that bad. Plus I've caused my own fair share of problems for people I care about. I think that's just part of existing," Eyeri mused. "Best you can do is try to minimise the damage dealt and hope that the good you bring is worth the trouble. And I always cause a lot of trouble."
Finding nothing to say to that, Aw'endo stayed quiet. Gripping on to Eyeri's warm hand as he watched the k'nairi fly around them. An ache in his chest. Today he had got his closest ally banned from court. He had also got his prime bully exiled. Or rather Fetmar had. Others were still there and there was no telling if they would be friendlier to him now or if someone worse would come along.
"No wonder Ryraso had no problem with returning to Navat," Eyeri whispered, making Aw'endo jolt having not expected them. "No wonder he yearned to return here."
"Um?" Aw'endo looked at the younger boy, though older in mentality. "He seemed to fight enough to me. Why do you think he wanted to return?" he asked, slightly confused.
"It feels like home," Eyeri murmured, his free hand clutching his chest. A warmth filling it, despite everything that had happened in the previous days. In the heart of Namya and now part of the link even if it was still blooming in his mind, he was able to feel more than a normal human, or even k'nairi could feel. Already he had accidentally discovered mates among the guards and manipulated the magic that ran through the rooms without truly understanding what the magic was.
His soul was tainted from its experiences but strong. His heart was still warm with compassion. A strange mix and one which suited the priests of the link. High Priest Ton'eath was looking forward to seeing what happened when the true capabilities unlocked inside of him. Not that he would ever give up being a healer. Not that the priesthood would allow a human in their ranks anyway but Ton'eath had looked at him very strangely. Po'lar had even reminded the priest that Eyeri was already promised to the healer's circle.
Eyeri hadn't said anything to deny that.
"Home?" Aw'endo tilted his head, thoughtfully. "Did you know our word for home is Navat? Returning to Navat literally means coming home," he commented, with an almost dreamy tone to his voice. "Every k'nairi feels it. The safest place for us to be." Aw'endo smiled, his shoulder's lifting from the sad slump they had been in. "Even the humans feel its lost when they are away from it for a long time."
"That so?" Eyeri looked down at where there was a shrine on the ground. "It's beautiful even, stunning really. It's also amazing that people would willingly leave. But I guess even places of beauty have a dark side to them," he murmured. As much as he could feel the good, he could also feel the bad. Fetmar had a new scar. Ryraso was now marked by an exiled goddess. The Winglord was still technically D'mar.
"Nothing to do with the city and everything to do with what is happening outside of it, " Aw'endo commented darkly.
Before Eyeri could reply, Tai'ray appeared flying in front of them. His large wings spread wide as he looked them over, his hair flowing free in the air. The man smirked as Eyeri pulled his hand away from Aw'endo, Aw'endo looking a little hurt by the action. "Just what are you two up to?" he asked, landing on the roof.
Tai'ray knew the look in Aw'endo's eyes at that moment. They were very sweet. Eyeri was likely to cause problems because of it. Already he was getting requests about whether the boy could be courted. He was fending them off for the moment but they weren't likely to go away. In many ways, Yerir'o having a claim on Fetmar made Tai'ray's life easier. Fetmar was a handsome one too, if he was a free agent, people would be scheming to court him too. As it was, Yerir'o's name was enough to scare most off.  Once Fetmar was seen as well, the questions about courting Eyeri would likely increase. The two brothers were so similar it was unreal. Eyeri smaller, and obviously younger but he would obviously look similar to his brother once he was older.
Handsome, a healer and connected to the royal circle. Eyeri was going to be well sought after. Tai'ray was going to have his work cut out keeping the boy safe until he was ready for such attention.
"Just what are you two up to?" Tai'ray asked, sitting down and gently pushing between the two boys and wrapping an arm and a wing around both of them. The two boys pressing against him for comfort. His not theirs. Both able to feel his unease with him so close.
"Nothing" Awen'do commented, leaning his head against Tai'ray's shoulder.
"Watching the sunset," Eyeri said at the same time. Awen'do blushed again, hiding his face as Tai'ray chuckled softly. "Winglord?" Eyeri asked softly.
"Yes, young one?" Tai'ray cooed softly.
"Can you tell me a story?" asked Eyeri
"A story?" Tai'ray said sounding almost confused.
"Yes. Anything will do. Just something to break up the time waiting," he pleaded, gripping Tai'ray's robes. They weren't waiting for anything in particular but it did feel like they were waiting for something. The next shoe to drop perhaps.
"Ok," Tai'ray nodded softly, understand the want to have something to concentrate on other than what was going on around them. "Once there was a big city and in this city lived many people," he started willing to help distract the younglings for now. His mates mourning the loss of their lover in the rooms below and Ryraso was tending to his oldest son's injuries. It was better than dealing with the reality of the world they were in. And quite possibly distract him from the nagging sense of guilt for banishing Cai'ress.
The man had begged. Begged to stay at court even if it wasn't as the other's lover. Tai'ray knew some of the noble families could be cruel to submissives who had failed to join a nest who had courted them. He would have to get a servant to check up on the man in a few weeks. But he refused to have that man near his anymore.
------x------
Fetmar cursed as he felt pain shoot up his leg, reaching down only to find wetness. Blood. Cursing more as he saw how badly the white pants which had been given to him were ruined. He had just been doing some gentle stretches before bed but it seemed that had been enough to open the snitches. "Why me," He groaned, pressing down on the leg and mentally trying to come up with a plan. Ryraso was in his room with the Royals, and Fetmar wasn't entirely sure where Aw'endo and Eyeri were at the moment.
Exhaling, Fetmar started to tear up some of the now ruined pants to use as bandages. He needed to stop the flow of blood before anything else before he lost too much.
"Fetmar?" A voice called from behind the door. It opened and Nel'os popped his head around the door. He frowned as he saw the blood on Fetmar's leg, dripping to the ground. "Fetmar," he repeated this time more disapprovingly. "Ryraso, your son needs you," he called over his shoulder, making Fetmar flush deeply. Nel'os walked forward and ripped some more material off his other pant leg to help pad the wound. "How did you do this? I thought Po'lar checked Ryraso's work."
"He did," Fetmar nodded.
"So why did this one open up?" Nel'os demanded, his frown deep as he pressed hard on the wound. Fetmar blushed again, eyes on the floor, not really wanting to admit he had pulled it too far while stretching.
"That is a very good question," Ryraso commented as he walked into the room, wearing only some loose trousers and carrying his bag with him. "Get your leg up! You should both know that," Ryraso ordered, yanking over a wooden chair harshing and forcing Fetmar to put his leg up on it.
"Sorry," Fetmar murmured, blushing deeper because he knew that statement was true. Nel'os murmuring an agreement.
Ryraso looked at the wound and sighed. The blood was clotting and the wound wasn't too deep but the it was clear it was going to take longer to heal up now. "Right, Fetmar, I want to avoid walking at for the next few days. We'll have to do our best to keep your leg elevated until the wounds healed a bit better as you seem unable to keep it from getting worse. Nel'os, can you?" he asked as he got his supplies out again.
"Going," Nel'os commented, moving from the room and returning moments later with a bowl of water and a cloth. Cleaning down the leg as Ryraso looked over it. Nel'os winced as he saw the wound. It may have been only a knife but it was going to scar.
"Fetmar," Ryraso said idly.
"Yes, Dad?" Fetmar blinked innocently.
Ryraso hit him over the head lightly. "Don't get cute with me kid. You're about 5 years too old to be pulling off puppy dog eyes. How did you do this? Those snitches were well done."
"Well, I was feeling really stiff so I did some stretches," Fetmar admitted sheepishly. "But they were only gentle ones. I know I'm injured," He kept looking on the floor, gripping the bed sheets. Blood was starting to spread on them now too. This was really embarrassing.
"Fetmar," Ryraso said firmly, "Next time you pull this off, I am going to be whipping your ass, forget Tai'ray," he warned as he wiped some paste on the wound to numb it. Fetmar nodded in acknowledgement and bite his lip as it stung. It was not good to whimper in front of Ryraso when he was annoyed at you. "I thought I'd trained you out of stunts like this" Ryraso grumbled, as he became re-stitching the wound. Fetmar shrunk in on himself slightly.
"Yes, Dad" Fetmar blush deepened. Nel'os laughing as he helped Ryraso bandaged up the wound.
"Any more cuts I should know about?" Ryraso demanded as he finished, fixing Fetmar with a dark look.
"No, that was the worst. The others are all bruises." Fetmar commented. "I won't try stretching again until it's healed. Thank you," he murmured, looking at the state of himself. He was just going to have to put up with the stiffness he was feeling. It didn't seem like there was any other answer to it.
"Not a problem. Try not to do it again," Ryraso ordered, before tugging on Fetmar's trousers. "Let's get these off," he said kindly as Nel'os went to the door to retrieve a new set. Fetmar struggled but helped Ryraso get his trousers off best he could. Dyn'ad appeared and picked him up of the bed, letting Nel'os strip the bed easily. Dyn'ad holding him half naked was slightly embarrassing but not as embarrassing as the man proceeding to help put fresh trousers on him before dumping him back on the bed.
"Please, do try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the night," Dyn'ad said dryly, patting Fetmar's head. "Sleep well, youngling."
"Goodnight?" he offered weakly as Dyn'ad left the room, Nel'os pressing a kiss to his cheek before dancing away too, leaving him with just Ryraso. Ryraso pulled the bed sheets over Fetmar and sat down next to him. "Ryraso," Fetmar said rather stunned with what had just happened. "What happens now?"
"I'm not sure," Ryraso shrugged. "But I think you've been officially adopted into the nest now," he smirked. "It's a good thing, trust me."
"It's all I can do," Fetmar commented offhandedly but there was no heat behind the words.
Ryraso smiled sadly and kissed Fetmar on the cheek himself. "Sleep well, Fetmar. We'll see where this leads in the morning," he promised. "This isn't going to be easy for any of us but with a bit of luck, we'll make something of it.