Tales of Raiverin: Mayflower

Chapter 13

"Hey, get up..."
He stirred gently, feeling himself roll over as he longed to stay resting.
"Lazy kit, wake up. You're gonna miss it all."
His ear twitched slightly, his eyes flickering open as the bright blue sky welcomed him home. The sky was soon covered by a white cat with bright cyan eyes, they stood above him and chuckled to themself.
"Paris, everyone's here, time to wake up."
He finally managed to wipe the drowsiness from his eyes, realizing that this cat was exactly who he thought it was.
"Ash!" He yelled, suddenly tackling his brother in absolute affection. He hadn't been able to hold him in years, he kept close, taking in this feeling.
"You really have gotten older, look at you... last time I saw you was when you were a tiny kitten."
"Ash... I missed you so much!"
"I know, relax though, you're gonna freak out when you see everyone else."

"My child... Paris..." spoke a soft, gentle voice. It was unmistakable.
"Mom!" Paris cried, running up to her and pressing his muzzle against hers. He began to cry, laughing softly as the two stared at one another.
Osiris nuzzled his cheek, just admiring his features. "I'm so sorry for letting you get captured, son... I-I should've-"
"Mom, who cares?! You're alive, I forgive you, no need for all that..." He smiled, purring happily and wrapping his tail around hers.
She shook her head, wiping her tears and starting to walk forward. "Then let me introduce you to someone, I know it might be awkward, but give it a chance." She said softly, pushing past the small shutter of foliage that separated the Viceroys from the Mayflowers.
A large, lush, beautiful field stood in front of him. A large group of cats were all in its center, although one stood out to him.
A tall Russian Blue sat with a pure white feline, his green eyes soon fixated on Paris. The two felt a sudden connection, which made him realize just who he was.
"Father...?"
Osiris smiled, nudging him forward. "Go say hi, Paris, he's gotten much better at being a parent."

He stumbled forward, bumping straight into Anthony. The two stared awkwardly at one another. Paris had never met his father before and had no memory of him.
"Uhm... hi, dad..?"
Anthony examined him, starting to smile softly. "Hey, uh, Paris, right? Look, I'm sorry for leaving your mother with two kits to raise alone... but-"


"Don't apologize, I don't really know you, so there's nothing to repair."
"Oh! Well, good to meet you then."
That same white cat smacked the back of Anthony's head, causing him to whine and laugh gently.
"That isn't a good thing, Anthony!" She huffed, looking down at Paris. "Sorry about him, he's still adjusting to it all. I'm Aries, I suppose I'm your step-mother."
Paris snickered and smiled, looking at the two of them. "It's nice to finally meet you both, I'm sure me and my dad will figure it out." He nodded at them both before walking over to the next group. One of them was the brown cat he had found deceased when he explored the lab with Leon, the other seemed to simply be a taller and older version of that same feline.
"Hi! My name's Paris, do I know you?"
"Er... I don't think so, Wilbur Satana. This my dad, Joseph. I'm Aries' son."
"Oh! Well, my father is Anthony, so I guess you're my step-brother!"
"I guess? I dunno, sorry. I'm tired." Wilbur yawned, lying down. Joseph sighed and shook his head, ruffling his fur. "Don't worry, he's just like that." He explained, "It's good to know that he's got some more relatives on Aries' side."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to catch up later!" Paris waved goodbye to the two before noticing a group of four cats nearby.
"That looks like... Leon's sister..." He whispered to himself, slowly approaching them.

"Come on, Liam! It isn't that hard, just catch the stick!"
"I'm trying! You're throwing it too high!"

"Liam," Paris thought. "I know that name... that's Lana's brother from Cricket's world..."
As he thought, he walked right into a lanky Korat. He hummed and looked down at him. "Hm? Oh, hey there. Don't think I've seen you before."
"O-Oh, hello... my name is Paris Viceroy, uhm, Anthony's youngest? Are you Hayseed?"
"I am. I guess Dad got busy when I wasn't looking. Good to meet you, lil' bro."
"So are those your kids? They look like they're doing well..."
"Yep, my pride and joy. Lana's a bit of a trouble-maker but she's the perfect daughter, I couldn't ask for more. Liam's my little man. He's shy but he's gettin' better. Once you get him talking, oh boy, he won't quiet down."
"Huh... seems like you got the perfect life, Hayseed."
Hayseed chuckled, nodding slowly and sighing happily. "Sure do, my beautiful wife, perfect kids, and a lovely family."
Paris smiled and looked over at Verona, sitting peacefully with her children a couple feet away. He pressed his muzzle on Hayseed's shoulder before padding over to her. He took a deep breath before putting his paw out to her.
"Hi, Mrs. Mayflower. I'm Hayseed's half-brother."
Verona smiled warmly at him, giggling gently and looking into his eyes. "I could see it, but you know that Hayseed is adopted, right?"
"He is? Oh, I didn't. Interesting."
"Well, I guess you all have some similar traits. You've all got the same look in your eyes."
"What does that mean?"

Verona thought for a few moments, pacing back and forth. "Hm," She muttered. "Well, I suppose it's determination. You all look like you've got somewhere to be."
Paris giggled, remembering how he felt about Ashton. He felt the same way about Leon, he didn't like either of them, but he had to give them credit for being so focused. "Yeah, that sounds like a Mayflower. Speaking of which, I don't think I've met your kids before. You ever think of names other than Liam?"
"Not really, we thought Leon initially, but it didn't sound right to us."
Paris nodded, starting to walk over to the two young cats, though Lana was about his age. He stood beside Liam, the small cat looked a lot like his father, gray pelt with his mother's brown patterns adding soft highlights. His eyes were fixated on him, they looked like the color of fresh spring leaves.
"Hey there, I'm your uncle Paris." He spoke softly, trying to not frighten him.
It didn't work, Liam scuttled quickly behind his sister. Lana nudged him a bit before approaching Paris herself. "Hi! I've heard of you before, Uncle Ashton told me 'bout you!"
"Ashton... how is he?"
"Uh, I dunno! He's with his kids, but how about you?"
"I'm good, great actually. Can I ask your brother something?"
"Sure!" Lana chirped, stepping back and pushing Liam forward. He shivered a bit before opening his mouth, whispering anxiously. "H-Hi..."
"Hey, don't worry. I'm not gonna do anything that you don't want me to."
Liam nodded slowly, looking into his eyes.
"All I wanna ask is if you've ever felt lost in life. I know it seems strange but... a friend of mine was, and I wanna help you out."
Liam didn't understand, shaking his head and turning away. Paris took this as a sign to move on, the final group was waiting for him. Even if his theory was correct, he was still anxious to meet Ashton again. It was impossible to wipe the memories he had of the possessed feline that claimed to be his brother. His heart sank as he began walking towards them, seeing the tuxedo calmly sitting with his mate and children, it just didn't seem possible. He shook his head, hoping that his doubt wasn't visible on his face.
"Hey, Ashton!"
"Hm? Hello, are you one of my mother's relatives?"
Paris sighed in relief, his thoughts were correct. This wasn't his Ashton, it was Cricket's father. He knew that Ashton wasn't always the way he was, but he was nervous that the thoughts still lingered.
While relief ran through his mind, he was a little hurt that this Ashton had no idea who he was. He wanted a connection with his half-brother, but it wouldn't feel genuine anymore. All these thoughts went through his mind in just a few seconds, he blinked rapidly and sat beside him.
"No, actually, I'm Anthony's son. I guess he had two more kids after you. It's nice to meet you."
"Huh. No wonder Mom was so mad at him for a while. Oh well, what's your name?"
"Paris Viceroy, who's that?" He asked, pointing at the calico that rested on Ashton's opposite side. He had never seen her before, but he figured that he knew who she was.
"Hey," She said softly, lifting her head for him. "I'm Faron."
"Alright, uhm, hello."
"You seem shy, Paris."
"I'm not, there's just a lot of people to meet. I guess I'm getting tired."
"Why not take a rest? You can hang out with us."
"No, well, I will, just not yet."
There was an awkward silence in the air, Paris knew what he wanted to do, but he wouldn't be able to explain it. He needed to talk to Cricket and Ant, but he couldn't just ask, he technically had never met them before.
"Hi, Paris!" shouted the familiar voice of a hyperactive kitten. Ant bumped into him playfully, his tail flicking quickly. "You're here! I can't believe it!"
"Huh? He knows you?" Ashton asked, tilting his head a bit.
"I- well, we met earlier today. I introduced myself to him and his sister."
"Oh, maybe we just didn't notice. Happy to know he's got friends though."
Paris motioned for Ant to follow him, walking away from the two with their kitten beside him. "So," he began. "Those are your parents? Where's Cricket? I just saw her."
"Yeah! That's my mom and dad! Cricket shouldn't be far, she just wandered off. I think she said that she wanted to test something."
"Right, well, have you seen Leon at all?"
"No, I'm hoping he's not here."
Paris sighed softly, laying down in a patch of tall grass. He rolled onto his back, staring at the sky. "I wouldn't worry about that, he isn't." He said quietly, bathing in the sunlight. "It's been a while since the sun's been out, yeah? Usually raining or snowing in your world."
Ant giggled a little, lying beside him. "I guess so, I never noticed! It feels nice..."

The two remained still for quite some time, not speaking and simply enjoying the sunlight that seemed to never fade. Yet each time Paris closed his eyes, he kept seeing brief visions of Leon reaching out to him, telling him what he already knew. This still wasn't his home, he didn't belong here. He knew that his brother was from his world, but it didn't feel like the future he idealized each moment in his capsule. He wondered just how much of his family's history had carried over, and how much of it had been overwritten. Paris cringed at the thought that his life was entirely different here, he just wanted a normal existence.
He thought of his ancestors, just how far back did the Mayflower line go? How much of it was still true here? Was their history entirely replaced? He'd never know.

"Paris?"
"Cricket!"

He shifted onto his feet, smiling at the feline in front of him. Cricket stood in front of him, she had a soft grin on her face. The two solely stood in front of each other, a spark flying between their hearts. Paris knew inside that it may not be his world after all, but he could make it so.
As long as he lived with his family, the Mayflower name would never die.