Bird of a Wing (Bow 1)

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.