Bird of a Wing - Chapter 40: Chapter 40

As the banquet concluded, Tai'ray watched as Guardian Fl'ex staked his claim on Herymi and spirited him away before the man's suitors could attempt to. Tai'ray was amused by the looks on the young nest's faces as Fl'ex tugged Herymi by the arm, clearly wanting a more serious word with his fostered youngling now that they had been reunited. Herymi went with the grace of a man who knew he was in trouble with his parent and being an adult didn't necessarily get you out of a scolding.
Tai'ray understood how Fl'ex was feeling. He needed to talk to his own charge about running away. Unfortunately, his future foster son's situation was too delicate to ignore for too long and it was better to get things out in the open before Eyeri got too comfortable with them and felt betrayed when things got revealed. Not enough communication was what got them into this mess in the first place.
It was just a shame things could not be kept between him and Eyeri about this matter. Or rather him, Eyeri and Ryraso; Ryraso would castrate him if Tai'ray tried to do anything serious regarding Eyeri without him. Still, Jak was an excellent human to have help explain, the human had already agreed during the dinner to help.
With everyone ending off, Tai'ray caught Eyeri's hand and tugged him back towards the private meeting huts. Ryraso had already gone ahead. The air was cool that night and with the dying fires of the banquet, most of the village people were heading to bed. Such was life in the borderlands, they had things to do early in the morning.
Eyeri's grip on his hand was firm, Tai'ray suspected out of nervousness. The boy didn't smell scared but Eyeri obviously knew what they were about to discuss was serious and also not something he was going to like. Tai'ray smiled back at the boy and squeezed his grip gently, trying to reassure the boy that he wasn't going to die or anything. Eyeri smiled back weakly, fear starting to mingle in his smell.
'Of course, he's scared. He heard the word 'branding'!' Ryraso growled over the link, jolting Tai'ray slightly.
Tai'ray winced inwardly. It seemed that despite not being bonded, or Ryraso even wanting to bond with him, the link was still connecting him. Tai'ray hoped it was a sign Ryraso did want to be connected rather than Tai'ray's own desire to know where Ryraso was at any given moment. It was possibly both given how the link worked sometimes. The link's magic occasionally felt like it had a mind of its own. Tai'ray was the reader of the link, and while he could bend it in ways that most others couldn't, that didn't mean he could actually control it or the will of the people behind it.
'That's what you're thinking about at this time?' Ryraso demanded, still clearly pissed off at Tai'ray for making him have to do this to Eyeri.
'Ry, stop. That isn't going to help,' Tai'ray tried to sooth as they entered the room. 'I have no desire to hurt your younglings, but branding family and people too close not to be considered such was the will of the link.'
Ryraso was sitting at the low table, four cups of tea steaming in front of him. Ryraso glared at him but the anger Tai'ray could feel dimmed slightly, turning sadder. Ryraso could feel the truth of Tai'ray's words after all. It was Tai'ray's duty to uphold the will of the link first and foremost. Everything else, including his feelings for his mates and Ryraso, came second.
Eyeri pulled away from Tai'ray and practically fell into Ryraso's lap as he stumbled on the rug underneath them. Tai'ray had to force himself to cough to hide the bubble of laughter that escaped him at that action, Eyeri shooting a dark look that only an embarrassed youngling could.
"Careful," Ryraso teased gently, more polite about his amusement than Tai'ray. Ryraso ruffled Eyeri's hair as the boy pulled himself back up so he was sitting next to Ryraso on a cushion. "The Zamen in you is starting to come out," he added amused.
"The Zamen?" Tai'ray asked curious, sitting on the other side of the table. Jak had needed a moment to do something. There was a tug at the link at the sound of the name but Tai'ray pushed it aside. There were more important things to be concerned with than a name.
"Eyeri still hasn't had his final growth spurt," Ryraso explained with a fond smile and Eyeri drank some tea to hide his embarrassment. "If he follows his brother's pattern of being late to it, he'll also be a lot clumsier too when it finally hits," he said with the look of a proud parent seeing his child growing up.
"I can't be worse than how Oria was," Eyeri whined not liking where the discussion was going for completely different reasons to what he was expecting.
"That was because Oria is a scientist and was usually tripping up with chemicals in his hands. Or worse in Wiljam's lab," Ryraso said dryly. "Not because he was more clumsy than the others."
Eyeri scowled and muttered something under his breath. Tai'ray chuckled at the sight. Aw'endo was mostly finished growing but he had the potential for another inch or so. Certainly, his adult colors were starting to form on his wings, browns and greys. Tai'ray's wings were white but that came with being Winglord. Nel'os' were yellowish which was unusual but normal among the old blood nobles while Dyn'ad's were black and grey like many warriors. Bright colours sometimes happened but browns, greys and blacks were the more common wing colours.
Jak entered the room looking slightly confused at the amusement and Eyeri's red face but didn't say anything. Instead, he bowed lowly. "Greetings Winglord, it is an honour to meet you in person," Jak said respectfully. Tai'ray smiled and gestured for the human to sit down. The man was smaller than Ryraso, a handy thing in his profession as it allowed him to get into parts of machines that the k'nairi were unable to because of the wings on their backs. He was also very skinny, his entire appearance screaming that he wasn't a threat.
"It is nice to meet you too, Jak. I was hoping for your help explaining things to Eyeri," Tai'ray smiled softly at him, trying to ignore how Eyeri flinched at that. The scent of burning flesh filled Tai'ray's noise for a moment before disappearing. He blinked confused but waved it off. Like Inai, he could sometimes pick up on things that others couldn't about another person but it was very unusual for it to happen to him with someone not in the link. Eyeri was remembering the last time he had seen someone branded.
The thought made Tai'ray's stomach sink as the idea of Eyeri having been forced to watch it, knowing his turn would be coming washed over him. Forced to watch with the knowledge that once that brand touched his skin, any chance of freedom was gone.
Ryraso wrapped his arms tighter around Eyeri as he felt the thought move through Tai'ray, kissing the boy on his forehead. Jak's smile was sad as he read the current running through the room even if he didn't understand the full context.
"You are safe here," Ryraso said gently. Something which was mostly true and Ryraso knew it. Eyeri was possibly safer in Navat than anywhere else but that didn't make it right that Eyeri was being forced into being k'nairi. "The k'nairi are very protective of what they see as theirs. You are safe but there are things that will happen which are unpleasant." Things that would happen because of Ryraso. "I know you were listening in on my conversation with Inai and Aw'endo. How much did you hear?" he asked, ignoring as Tai'ray shot him a look.
'Inai?' Tai'ray asked mentally.
'Not now! I'll explain later,' Ryraso mentally promised with a clear undertone of 'it's not important right now. Politics can wait.' "About what it is to be caw?"
"Not a lot. I only started when I noticed Aw'endo was missing from the campfire," Eyeri admitted sheepishly. "I know 'caw' is the k'nairi word for traitor. I believe it's mostly used at the moment for the people who left the k'nairi at the start of the war because they didn't want to be D'mar."
"Pretty much," Tai'ray nodded. "You understand that Ryraso and Herymi are caw?" he asked.
"Yes..." Eyeri nodded, hugging Ryraso tighter, and trying not to look at Tai'ray. "You don't kill traitors," he added shakily, unsure if that piece of knowledge was true or not.
"We don't kill them, no," Tai'ray nodded. "That doesn't mean there is no punishment, however. Do you know what that is Eyeri?"
"I know that those who fight and run will get worse punishments that the original but I don't know what that is. I assume Herymi and Ryraso count. I believe they get a whipping on top of the normal punishments? I've heard the other soldiers talk about how the K'nairi have a way of stopping people leaving k'nairi land. A charm bracelet or necklace?" Eyeri asked uncertainly.
"Mostly correct, little one," Tai'ray's voice dropped down a little but became gentle again. "There is a charm bracelet or necklace we use. We call it collaring. It stops the wearer from leaving k'nairi lands unless given my permission. Sometimes we can charm a ring or a piercing depending on what the wearer wishes." That was true. If the person was calm enough, normally he let them choose the jewellery. They would be wearing it for the rest of their known existence after all. "You will be receiving one as well. You are also correct in assuming that Herymi and Ryraso will be receiving whipping for fighting. As someone who isn't technically caw, you won't."
Both Ryraso and Eyeri sighed relieved at that statement, sparking a glare from Tai'ray at Ryraso. "You didn't seriously think I was going to whip the boy did you?" he asked rising an eyebrow.
Ryraso shrugged. "You weren't exactly the most stable on the ship or in the clearing," Ryraso pointed out gently. "The decree only specified that the kin of caw would get the original punishment, not anything about the whipping for running and fighting."
Tai'ray flushed slightly. He hadn't forgotten how in the clearing everyone one, including his bonded mates, had thought he had been about to hurt or kill Eyeri. It wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility that Ryraso had thought Tai'ray would whip the boy alongside him.
"What do you mean?" Eyeri asked hesitantly at the mention he would be getting the original punishment.
"The original punishment is something, well..."Tai'ray trailed off, not finding the human words as easy as he normally did. "Jak..." he turned to the man. It would be easier just to show Eyeri and explain from there.
Jak nodded, having been watching silently and pulled his tunic off, much to Eyeri's surprise. Jak turned around and let Eyeri see his back. Or rather the brand on his back. The colour from Eyeri's face drained away. "Human k'nairi are branded to show they are k'nairi. As a reminder to their place and also as a mark to show others where they belong," Tai'ray settled with watching Eyeri closely for his reaction.