Bird of a Wing (Bow 1)

Chapter 49

'I don't know if this is a good or bad thing,' Tai'ray admitted over the link as Nel'os broadcasted his talk with Ryraso to his mates. 'He's scared to lose the people he loves by making the wrong decision but what decision could he be making which could end in such disastrous consequences?'

'Given Isst is also someone Ryraso loves and he is on the other side?' Dyn'ad mused, thinking about how important Isst was to Ryraso. Ten years living with the k'nairi hadn't changed that and four years of serving on the same warship had only made that stronger. The two men were as close as friends could be.'He's caught between us and the Namya.'

"I guess we can only watch things pan out and trust that things will work out," Nel'os said both through the link to his mates and also out loud in a reassuring tone to Ryraso. "We can't predict the future Ry, but we can try our best to affect it and make it the best we can. What do you want to happen?" he asked softly, trying to work out if Ryraso knew what he wanted.

"I don't know," Ryraso answered truthfully, his eyes watching his foster sons sadly. He was going to be the cause of pain for one of them either path he took. Emotional for Aw'endo, emotional and physical for Eyeri. Nel'os frowned but wrapped an arm around Ryraso and gave him a quick but tight hug. Ryraso resting his head on Nel'os shoulder and relaxing for a moment before steeling himself up again. "How is the flood defence work going?" he asked changing the topic and shifting away from Nel'os while refusing to look Nel'os in the eyes.

Nel'os gave him a sideways look at the topic change but let it happen, rubbing Ryraso's back gently. "They are probably going to need my help," he admitted. "Can I get your word that you will stay here?"

"And miss the chance to escape?" Ryraso said dryly, giving Nel'os a look of 'what do you think?' Even if he had pretended that he was ok with staying put, the link would have sung with the truth of the matter.

"Ryraso," Nel'os sighed tiredly, not sure if he should leave Ryraso and Eyeri on their own or not. "You know if Tai'ray catches a whiff of you trying to escape, he will come and catch you before you can go OR run far. He is paying very close attention to your end of the link," he warned, really not wanting Ryraso to attempt anything.

"I know," Ryraso shrugged, with an air of willingness to take the chance.

Nel'os gritted his teeth but nodded. He knew he couldn't argue Ryraso out of this, not without Ryraso getting defensive and ruining the relatively warm friendship they had at the moment. "Fine, can you at least promise you won't do anything stupid?" Nel'os pleaded, taking Ryraso's hands and looking him in the eyes.

Neither man missed the fact that the two boys were watching them, Aw'endo translating for Eyeri. They had slipped into k'nairi without noticing and Eyeri wanted to know what was going on above his head.

"I promise I won't do anything stupid," Ryraso said truthfully, meeting Nel'os' eyes easily.

"Good!" Nel'os declared before leaning over to give Ryraso a kiss on the lips. It wasn't deep or passionate but it was claiming in Nel'os' own way. "I love you Ry," he murmured after, kissing Ryraso's forehead. Frozen in surprise, Ryraso just nodded mutely, his cheeks slightly red. Nel'os grinned at the rare expression on Ryraso's face and bumped their foreheads together before ruffling both Aw'endo's and Eyeri's hair. "Behave younglings," he commented before leaving the hut to go help his mates.

The boys and Ryraso were silent for a moment, the only sounds being the wild winds outside of the hut and the rain bouncing on the roof. With the adult k'nairi gone, the sounds of the storm had returned. "Ryraso?" Eyeri offered gently. "Want to join in on our game?"

"Yes, please," Ryraso nodded, taking advantage of the distraction and moving over to the boys and letting them deal him in. It would be a while until Ryraso could even attempt anything anyway.