Kipo and the world beyond

Seeing red

Kipo pov

Rook listened to the message and immediately went into an emotional break down. He's flown up to the roof and hasn't come down. I'm worried, normally people seek comfort, but he doesn't know how to. "I want to go see him." My parents look at me. "Kipo I think he just needs some alone time." My mom says. "Alone time? Mom that's all he's had since he lost Mid, he's been all alone this whole time, that's the last thing he needs right now." My dad looks like he can relate. "Your right, he someone to be there for him, I'll go with you." I'm surprised, my dad doesn't usually volunteer for these kinds of things. "Alright... lets go." We walk out the and my mom rushes after us. We make our way outside, while everyone else is asleep, I morph into the jaguar and my parents climb up my back, after getting to the roof we see Rook perched at the edge just looking out into the distance. I'm the first approach and sit next to him, I don't say anything, just being present. 

"...Rook..." I see him holding Mid's helmet, tears falling from his eyes. "...Kipo... can I ask... what is it like... to have a family?" I wasn't expecting that. "What do you mean?" He take a deep breath. "Mid told me what a family was, he told me that a family is someone who loves you, and is suppose take care of each other. Mid called me son... A man who could chose to leave, stayed and thought of me as a son... but why did he have to take care of me? Why couldn't have my actual family taken care of me!?" Rook is crying harder now, I'm at a loss for words on this, and I look to my parents for help, they look at each other and my mom take a deep breath before walking to us. She sits on the other side of Rook, and suddenly pulls him into a hug, his head on her chest. "Wh-what are-" "Ssshh... just breath, you've been holding it in too long just let it out..." I'm shocked, Rook just cries in her embrace, I don't hesitate to join in wrapping my arms around Rook, Dad joins in and we all just hold Rook. Rook spreads his wings and wraps them around us all. "...Thank you..." Is all he says. 

(Small timeskip)

Rook finally calmed down after that, he just needed to think things over. Soon he came down wearing Mid's helmet. "Alright, lets get moving." He says in a calmer now. We finish up with breakfast and work towards our original goal: Find Emilia. Wolf steps to Rook. "Hey uh... how you feeling?" Rook looks at her and shrugs. "...Just... needed to think... and I learned I really like hugs, hehe." I don't know but Wolf being so close to Rook made me feel... jealous? I shake my head is frustration. I can't be thinking like that... but something about makes me feel upset. "Hey Kipo, you alright?" Molly walks beside me. "Oh hey Molly, yeah I-I'm alright..." I try and change the subject. "Hmm, yeah like I'm buying that, what wrong?" Molly is my friend I can trust her, right? "Well..." "Does it have something to do with feathers over there?" I panic a little. "Uh... if I said yes, would you make fun of me?" "HA! Kipo it's fine, trust me, I understand." My interest is peaked. "You do?" "Yeah. Trust me, I get it, my first heat was pretty bad too." I freeze. "HEAT!?" She just chuckles. "hehe, yeah it's not as bad as you think." "M-Molly I-I'm not going into heat!" "Kipo, one cat to another, the less you deny it the easier it is to deal with it." I'm at a loss, my mind is going 90 miles an hour. "Molly, how can I be going into heat? I've never had it before." Molly puts her ax away.

"Some times, heat cycles don't go into effect until a certain age, other times they can be triggered. You said you only started feeling this way when you got here, right?" I'm both shocked and embarrassed. "You heard that!?" "These ears aren't for show, ya'know. You said you had tingling feelings?" I nod. "Is it low, like around you stomach?" I blush, and cover my face with my hands. "Ha! knew it, looks like feather's scent must have brought it out of you." "How do you know so much about this?" Molly looks down and her tail droops as well. "Hey are you alright?" I'm concerned, I haven't seen her this sad since Yumyan. "I was like that too... with my husband..." "Wait what? You're married?" She her lips curl into a sad smile. "Yeah... back when I had just grown out of being a kitten, I met my husband, we were inseparable... he passed a year before I met you guys." She looks to the sky, I place my hand on her arm. "I'm so sorry, Molly." She chuckles one last time. "It's alright, I just hope he's in a better place now."