Jungle fever

Chapter 16

Raion, chieftain of the Kagami tribe and father of Taiga stood at the entrance to the village. He had his arms crossed over his broad chest and watched with his burgundy right eye, the other was disfigured by a long scar, as his son and his three friends walked up to him. "So you are back. Took you long enough don't you think so?" His voice was low, much different to the roar which normally echoed through the little collection of huts. One could formally see how Taiga shrank down. It wasn't a good sign if his father spoke in that low tone. "To my tent, now!"

The chieftain spun on his heels without looking back whether his son followed his command and walked up to the big tent in the middle of the village which was decorated with the symbols of the Kagami tribe. He held the entrance open for Taiga to walk in.

The redhead hung his head. That would be a long-ass night for him, being interrogated by his father. A clap to his shoulder let Taiga lookup. "You will manage. Good luck." Teppei smiled at him and walked off to find Junpei. Ryouta poked him in his ribs. "He was worried about you. I will catch you later, Taigacchi." The blonde waved and Kazunari stepped in front of him. "Should I come with you?" The raven peered up at the redhead. "No, it's fine. He wouldn't let you in any way." Taiga sighed and bumped his fist at the smaller males shoulder. "See you later, Kaz." Kazunari watched as his best friend trotted past his father. He was a bit worried but Raion gazed at him and what he saw dancing in the chieftains eye put him at ease. The big, boisterous man had been really worried about his only son and the raven saw that he cared a great deal in his own way.

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Taiga squirmed on his seat. His father hadn't said anything since they got inside, only pointed out a seat to him. Now he was watching the broad back as Raion made his special herbal tea and fetched some flatbread from one of the baskets.

"Where were you for the past days? Do you even know how long you were gone?" Raion sat down and handed Taiga the bread and a wooden bowl. "I'm ..." The redhead started to explain but was cut off. "First you eat and drink then we'll talk."

The chieftain himself didn't eat, only watched his son as he dug into his food. Has Taiga always been this big? Something had changed within his son in the past days. He had seen it first when he laid his one remaining good eye on him as he walked into the village with his friends earlier.

When Taiga was done, Raion didn't pry into him. He waited for his son to find his own words to explain what had happened. His late wife had always held it to him that he was too rash sometimes and he had painfully learned his lesson about that issue. He stroked his thumb over a jagged scar on his forearm and smiled as he was reminded about his first encounter with the woman he had loved beyond reason.

"Dad ... how did you meet mother?"

Raion looked surprised at his son. "From where came that question now?"

Taiga squirmed around and looked anywhere but at his father. "Uhm ... I ... I met someone ... and ... I think that maybe ... they are more ... then just a friend to me." The redhead's voice got quieter with every word he mustered out and a vivid blush was creeping up his cheeks.

Suddenly Raion laughed and clapped his son's shoulder. "Is that why you were away that long? Indulged yourself in the pleasure of the flesh, huh? My little Taiga is becoming a man."

"Dad! I didn't ... urg." Taiga slapped his father's hand away and averted his eyes. 'Yeah, well I did! But I can't tell him with whom.' He clutched at his hair. 'Why him? Why?'

"So? Who is the lucky lady that caught your eye?" The tall man grinned and was really curious about the answer. Finally, his son had found someone.