Painted Flowers

Chapter 33 - The Return

All across the bleak, desolate surroundings, buds of life were sprouting, dotting the ashy ground with the tiniest speckles of beauty. The earth was already pushing through its hardship, struggling to move on but determined nonetheless. Even still, it would never return to normal, back to the way things were before the devastation. Zain's pack was safe back home, and the greenery of their territory would regrow with time, but he knew that some scars would never heal.

Shani, Jabari, Ode and little Kioni had remained in the area they had spent the night, leaving Layali and Zain to carry on. Shani had immediately begun digging an indent in the ground for her to nest while the others reunited with the Pack of Falling Ash, refusing to meet any Ash dog unless absolutely necessary. Zain didn't blame her, and even shared her misgivings. He was growing more and more apprehensive as they walked, and was taking in every step of the way, every landmark, noting how much the land has changed from what he had grown up with. Hardened lava encrusted the grass, leaving patches of dark charcoal color scattered throughout. Most of the trees had been scorched or toppled over, and he knew for certain the watering hole hadn't fared, last seeing the dry bed slowly filling with boiling liquid.

His mind buzzed, and he tried his best not to worry about how the Ash dogs would take to seeing him again. He had abandoned them, after all; did they assume he ran off like some sort of coward? Did they think he was dead? Did any of them even care where he ended up?

Layali had sensed his tension, and trotted a bit closer so they would walk side by side. "Don't worry...it's your family. They'll be happy to see you alive and well."

Zain swallowed as he nodded timidly. Family. Only Zahra was his family. Ode was his mother, sure--his real mother--but reuniting with her as a young adult and only properly knowing her for a few weeks didn't leave her feeling very motherly. Nuru had adopted him at least until his untimely demise, and Cyrah had nursed him, but never in his life would he have called the neglectful and unhappy caregiver his family.

He honestly doubted any Ash dog would care to see him again--the invisible, foreign orphan, returning randomly from his journey with some Meadow dog to wherever they had gone. On top of that, without his sister. He flinched at his own thoughts again.

To those who truly knew her, Zahra was fairly beloved among Ash dogs. Feoria and Zahra had been particularly close, the best of friends. How would he be able to break the news to the mamoyo when he saw her? He had already had to explain everything to Ode, and while she was certainly distraught about it, she never truly knew Zahra. For a long while he had forced himself to put Zahra to the back of his mind--the memories of her were just so painful. Surely Feoria felt a similar sort of agonizing torture, knowing she may never see her dear friend again, if she felt even a fraction of the love for her that Zain had.

"As for me, well..." Layali chuckled nervously. "Well, I hope they'll be civil towards me at least."

Zain looked over at her with a frown. Would they even believe Layali when she spoke of her travels, why she had run away during the eruption, only to return months later? His instincts told him to just turn around, to simply not show his face to the Ash dogs ever again, but of course that wasn't an option. This was something that had to be done. They needed all the support they could get if they were going to confront the royals of the Pack of Bright Meadows, and speaking with Xenia would be their best option. Despite the distrust the queen was sure to feel towards them, she was a kind soul deep down--and, being a healer, might just have additional insight on the spirit world, more so than any other dog Zain could think of.

A rustling and a small squeak made the pair jump in surprise. Zain was so wallowed in his own pity and the disturbing destruction of his home territory that he never bothered to pay attention to anything else. But now that he was focused, there was nobody else that could have made such a feline-like noise.