Dichotomy

[DotCom]

Tai went completely still, whatever small bit of rationality she'd picked up from her sister trickling through to make sure she'd heard Kohe's words right.

It took only a second and then she was all but vibrating, eyes wide and excitement unrestrained -- Kohe had said she was feeling better, and Tai could feel it was almost completely true; there was still a shred of uncertainty, but she'd long since learned that as long as Kohe dreamt of things that had and might never happen, she might never be all the way okay -- as she realized what Kohe said was not only true (as usual) but very, very, very good news.

She sucked in an excited squeal of breath, then released it all at once, blurting, "OhKoheReallyYouReallyMeanItWowOhMyGoodnessICan'tWaitI'mSoExcitedWowIHaveToGoAskPapaAboutItRightNowThankYou!"

Whether or not her sister understood her individual words didn't really seem to matter, as Tai knew Kohe would pick up on the meaning, even without her odd abilities. She bolted forward in a blur of purple, white, and black, making it all of two steps before her foot caught in a pair of leggings strewn across the floor. She went sprawling, wings flailing uselessly for balance, then jumped up again, oblivious to the mass of leaves from the 'nest' she'd rescued now caught in her hair. And then she was bounding toward Kohe again and enveloping her in a hug, nearly dropping the two of them to the floor before running out, down the hall, and to her parents' room.

It was still early -- Kohe always woke early now -- but Rora and Mori were used to their younger daughter waking them by now, and while she'd long since broken the habit of crawling into bed with them, she was still plenty excitable. Rora half woke, feeling the jolt of ecstatic energy just before Tai reached the door.

"Goddess, what time is -- "

"PAPAPAPAPAPA!" was all the warning they got before Tai came barreling into the room with no sign at all she'd woken just minutes ago. Rora hid a wry smile and started to wake her mate.

"Mori, watch -- "

And then Tai had taken a running leap to tackle her father in much the same way she had Kohe. The younger of the twins had never quite progressed to Kohe's more mature 'Mother' and 'Father' title, but that suited Rora just fine. Their twelfth nameday was fat approaching, and while she was naturally excited to celebrate, she couldn't help but feel her little ones were growing far too quickly for her. Little Kohe almost reached her mother's shoulder, and Tai wasn't far behind.

"Papa, Kohe told me the good news, and I'm so excited, I can't wait to go flying, I -- "

Tai felt the pang of emotion from her mother like a jab to the side, and instantly, her sails deflated -- at least, a little. It took only a moment to realize that even if Mori had known about it, Rora hadn't. Or she'd chosen to ignore it.

She turned to Mori, half horrified, half expectant.

"That's today?!"

Tai brightened. "Mama, you knew?"

Rora gave no sign of having heard her daughter, and Tai's wings drooped just slightly as she realized she may have gotten her father in trouble.

"Um...Mama, I'll be careful, I promise! I've been practicing."

Rora gave Tai a measured glance. "Yes, I know," she said drily. Everyone had seen Tai at least once, standing out in the center of the courtyard, flapping her wings against any stiff breeze she could find, her face twisted into a mask of concentration as she made jerky, uncoordinated circles behind her. Once, just a few weeks ago, Kohe had found Tai halfway up a tree, balanced on a branch, and ready to jump. Tai had agreed to climb back down only when Kohe threatened to tell Mama.

Tai's face fell into a practiced pout, but Rora was unconvinced. Tai had never been as good at 'the pout' as Kohe, who used it much less often, and with much more efficacy. Tai would always break into giggles before anyone could be convinced of anything.

"Aw, Mama, pleeeeeeeease?"

Rora gave Tai a look before turning her attention back to Mori. "Where are you taking her?" she asked, knowing Tai couldn't listen in, even if she could pick up on their emotions.

 

[Kaisaan]

Kohe laughed outright at her sister's words, her enthusiastic giddiness...and the fact that her twin had fallen flat on her face. Now THAT was worth giggling over and the elder of the two continued to chuckle, spirits rising even further as she was nearly tackled to the floor, more than used to Tai's ways and able to balance pretty well, throwing her tail out against a wall for some support as she hugged her twin back briefly.

"You're welcome, you're welcome, now go strangle Father, why don't you!" she got out with another breathless laugh and then watched in great affection and amusement as her twin did just that, her smile fading down to something small and fond before she headed for the shower, ready to be rid of the sweat...and knowing that not everything would be smooth today.

Or sensing it.

But it would still be a good day....or at least she hoped it would be.

---

Mori barely had time to register his mate's words of warning before a much louder alarm called his daughter was waking him and he grunted at the impact of her small, but far heavier-than-he-remembered body, knocking the air from his lungs for a brief moment. It was long enough for Tai to start going on in babbling excitement and for him to instantly want to wince as he felt Rora's instant reaction to their daughter's words.

He hadn't told the Empath yet and had been planning on doing so this morning.

It would seem Kohe had gotten to Tai and by extension, her mother, before he could. Damn. The black Aavan sighed and sat up, gently pushing his little girl over so he could do so and breathe, but Tai barely seemed to notice and he was smiling at her before he could help it. He'd known this would make her joyful and had looked forward to seeing the excitement on her face, to seeing the brightness in her eyes that mirrored his own. Just as he'd been putting off telling Rora what he planned.

Now there was no helping it and as the two females spoke, he listened quietly and then glanced at Rora when he mind entered his own, but he didn't answer her, not yet as he turned his attention back to Tai and putting his hands to either side of her head, cradling her gently as he gave her a soft smile, a fatherly smile full of adoration and pride, love.

"Taibug, I need to speak to your mother for a moment. Go get ready for the day and then I will take you out, all right?"

He waited until she'd gone before looking to Rora and while there was love and respect, understanding after years together, there was also a resolve in his gaze that he did not often employ on Rora. On others, yes, but not her. It was not something he liked doing, but in this regard...he knew she was being unreasonable and she'd been that way about this topic since before the twins were born.

No more.

"The plains." he answered simply and then shook his head, bracing himself. "Rora, I am teaching her to fly and I know that scares you, but she's ready. She's my daughter, too. Do you really think I would put her in danger? Do you think I don't know her capabilities, that I can't judge as well as you can what she's ready for? I can not teach her regarding her Empathic power, but when you push her, knowing she's ready to expand her ability, I don't interrupt. I know that you're the best teacher for her, that this is something Cerebrae related, something I can't understand."

Violet eyes held green almost sternly. "Flight is an Aavan's birthright, something a Cerebrae can not fully understand or teach, even with a Bond. Kohe will never fly, but Tai will. Those wings are a gift to her, a treasure she cherishes dearly and she's ready to learn how to use hem. I will not deny her that. She is old enough, her wings developed enough and she will do fine, she will be safe with me."

Mori sighed then and he brought his forehead to Rora's, knowing she might be angry with him, but it had needed to be said. "I love you and I know you only fear for both of them, that you want to protect them, but please, little rainbow, trust me about this. I know what I am doing and I will let nothing happen to our daughter."

 

[DotCom]

Tai hesitated just a moment at her father's words, looking back and forth between her parents, uncertain whether she should leave. If Kohe were here, she would say something nice and fix everything all at once. Tai wasn't as good at that, she just had the thing where she could make Mama and Papa worry less, but she thought they were slowly catching onto that, and Tai could feel Mama was in one of her moods where trying to fix anything like that would only make her more angry. So, instead, she nodded at her father and leaned over to kiss Mama on the cheek.

"I'll be okay, Mama. It'll be fun! Kohe said." The last part was a lie, but Tai knew it would make her mother feel better...which was good, because right now, all she could feel from Papa was a kind of weary, if understanding annoyance, just brimming over Mama's own irritation.

She decided to leave and go wait for Kohe to help her pick something to wear. Normally, issues of fashion were nothing Tai was concerned with, but this was a big day. A really big day.

A sudden idea filled her head, and she gasped, turning into the kitchen instead of the bedroom, her eyes brimming with excitement.

--

Rora knew what Mori was going to say almost before he said it. She could feel it in the quiet patience with which he'd shooed Tai away. She also knew she'd ceded to his words, because she loved him and she trusted him, and she loved Tai...though 'trust' would have been a bit much on that end. Rora loved her daughter, but she wasn't sure she trusted Tai with anything besides Kohe's safety...and maybe her ability to forget her curfew.

Still, she was a little annoyed Mori hadn't told her...though she understood. She'd have only spent the previous days worried about it, because even if she thought he was wrong -- and she didn't. She knew Tai would be safe with him, just like she knew flying was something far beyond her comprehension -- she knew she wouldn't have been able to hold Tai down forever. It was the same way she'd been fretting over the twins' next birthday, uselessly trying to hide her nostalgia from Mori, knowing she was overreacting out of a misplaced concern for losing her babies.

So, she waited patiently, quietly, even openly while Mori spoke, a faint flush of shame and embarrassment rising to her cheeks as his voice grew sterner. She knew he hated to 'lecture' her, and if she was being honest, she didn't blame him. But she still couldn't let go of the nerves tying her stomach in knots.

"I know," she sighed finally, leaning forward into his touch. "And I know she'll be safe with you. Goddess knows it's all she's been able to talk about for months now, I suppose at least this way we'll get a break. It's just...strange to see them so big..." She trailed off, feeling a fresh and frustrating wave of tears burning at the back of her throat.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," she muttered. She waved a hand at Mori, knowing he'd be concerned, if understanding. "I'm alright, I'm alright. Just the twins' birthday, as usual." She gave a frustrated grunt, then shook herself.

"Okay. But don't complain to me when she's flying circles around you," Rora said finally, green eyes glowing almost smugly. "C'mon, I'll go fix something that'll keep you both okay for a long day." She leaned over and kissed him before standing and stretch, heading for the hallway.

Then she turned back and grinned at Mori. "And you'd better bring her back so exhausted, she won't wake us up for a week straight."

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori smiled softly at her words, the tension draining out of him to feel his mate's acceptance, cautious and nervous as it was. And he knew how she was going to react as soon as she mentioned the twins' growth, not alarmed in the slightest by her tears, or the threat of them, knowing her so well now after twelve years that it was like reading a book you've looked over a hundred times and yet a story so good you never grew tired or bored of it.

The black Aavan absolutely loved it.

Now he watched Rora rise from the bed and growled a slight protest to her for that move, but he didn't try to catch her, not this time, and merely grinned at her words, a chuckle in his throat. "Oh, I plan to! I would be able to sleep in. It would be wonderful!" he called after his mate before shaking his head, black hair unruly and in desperate need of a brush as he dragged himself out of the warm cocoon of blankets.

It was time to face a long day, but with hope, a good one.

--

Kohe dressed simply; shorts that allowed her tail to remain comfortable and a flowy kind of shirt that was preferable in this hot kind of weather. She didn't wear shoes most often, having gotten that trait from her father who seemed to hate them, too, and her hair was pulled back from the center of her forehead, out of her face but plenty of braids loose and falling out around her face, loosely tied back together behind her head. It looked messy and wild, and was about the only thing Kohe allowed to appear in such away about herself.

It was the untamable Aavanian nature within her and Kohe didn't try to fight it, rather working around it, unable to let her hair just stay loose, but equally as unable to confine it severely. This was a good compromise.

She exited the room with a newly developed sway to her hips, nothing dramatic, nor entirely noticeable, but her body was changing, maturing and the Demisan knew she wouldn't be considered a child much longer. It made her both nostalgic for younger days and anticipatory for the coming days.

It was a strange feeling.

It was a feeling she knew her mother shared and Kohe paused in the hallway, scarlet and sapphire eyes glancing toward the kitchen and then moving to the room her father was just exiting. He saw her and smiled, giving her hair a gentle tug that brought a smile to her face, calm and serene, som. ething that made the black Aavan shake his head and give her a searching look.

"Kohe-"

"I know, Father. Don't worry, I am happy for Tai. I can not fly, but she can and she will be beautiful at it. I know this is has been her dream for some time." she assured him and Mori looked relieved, pulling his oldest into a side hug and kissing the top of her head, somehow both amazed about her and nervous for her. He felt he might always be.

"I'm glad. You'll spend the day with your mother then, yes?"

Kohe only nodded and her Father smiled again, glancing toward the kitchen. "Shall we see what those two have gotten up to in our absence?"

Now Kohe did giggle, but she nodded again and walked out with the black Aavan toward the kitchen.

 

[DotCom]

Tai brought out a different side in everyone, and her mother was no different. For most, it was an unexpected, sudden happiness, leaving people almost giddy for minutes or hours after brief contact with her. For Rora, it was the same breathless ecstasy she'd experienced when she'd first learned she was going to have children. It was, for those who had known her before she'd met Mori, an entirely different person who stood before them when Rora was with her daughters, laughing, smiling, indulgent, as if no wrong could, or had ever existed in the world.

It had, this morning, amounted to a pitcher of starfruit juiced smashed on the floor, Tai and Rora perched on the counter, while Tai used a sunlight broom to sweep up the mess. Rora's expression hovered somewhere between incredulous and adoring, and she looked up to see Kohe and Mori and her face broke into a helpless smile.

"Good morning, love," she said, smiling at Kohe. "Stay there for a minute. Watch your feet. Mori -- "

"It's okay, 'setta," Tai piped in, jumping down from the counter, to toss bits of glass away. Then she changed her mind, storing them in a golden box, for Goddess only knew what. Rora had stopped asking years ago. "It's all gone. Um...I spilled the juice, so whaddya want for breakfast?"

Rora smiled at Mori in a way that plainly suggested Tai wasn't telling the whole story -- and neither would she -- before following her down off the counter to give him another light peck on the cheek.

"Whatever it is, it'll have to come up from the cellar if it's going to enough to get my two flyers through a day in the clouds."

Tai's eyes brightened at her mother's new enthusiasm, and she'd forgotten her new collection of treasures for the moment.

"Does that mean we can have the rest of the fruit tarts for breakfast?"

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori laughed outright at his daughter's question, ruffling her hair as he went past and that was as good as a yes. Seeing the delighted look on her sister's face made Kohe smile as well and it wasn't long before the whole family was gathered around the table, talking, eating and planning for the day.

Kohe knew that Tai and their Father would have a wonderful time. Maybe with some mishaps, but this would be a bonding time for them, a memory they looked back on and cherished and she was glad for it. They needed more time together, more memories and Tai needed to understand more about her Aavanian side. She was constantly focused on the Cerebrae part of herself because of her Empathy, but she had other traits, too and though she leaned more heavily toward one side, it was good for her to acknowledge the other.

As for herself and her Mother...that the Demisan did not know, but she knew she'd soon find out. They both would soon find out and for some reason, that made Kohe both excited and nervous, and it kept her from eating much, though, she wasn't unhappy so no one seemed to notice.

--

Kohe watched her sister leave with their Father with a smile on her lips and a knowing in her scarlet and sapphire eyes. Tai was on the black Aavan's back right now, but she soon would be beside him, flying in her own right and Kohe could not wait to see it even if it wouldn't be today. She knew Tai was going to exhaust herself trying, but that only added to her sister's stubborn charm and it would serve her well in learning. It tended to serve Tai well in most things, Kohe acknowledged.

And then she turned her attention to her Mother and her smaller hand slipped into Rora's, leaning into the Empath's side in a show of affection that Kohe honestly seemed to have been growing out of in the last year. It was rare to see her initiating any kind of contact at all if it wasn't Tai she was engaged with.

For an Aavan that was considered strange, but not so much for a Cerebrae. Still, it had been cause for some concern for all the adults that watched the twins and Kohe knew that easily, but it didn't stop her from only initiating affection, contact, and words when she felt like it was right to do so. Nothing was going to pressure her into doing otherwise.

"They'll be all right, Mama." she assured softly, using the more childhood name for her Mother, knowing how it soothed Rora's heart and how much she needed that right now.

 

[DotCom]

Rora was indeed surprised when the older of her two daughters leaned close and took her hand, though she took it well in stride. Tai had always been the more outgoing and affectionate of the two, and it served her well. She made friends easily, and absolutely hated being on her own. She thrived under returned affection, and was forever kissing Rora, hugging Mori, would share a bed with Kohe any time she thought she could get away with it. And where Tai loved people, Kohe loved her independence. Rora knew it didn't mean she didn't love her family any less -- she was as devoted to Tai as Tai was to her -- only that Kohe was, and always had been, a different sort of child.

Rora loved it about Kohe, loved knowing that if anything ever happened to her, Kohe, at least, would not be lost. Sad, yes, of course. But able enough to take care of her sister that Rora didn't agonize about it, or at least no more than usual. But it also broke her heart to know she would never connect with Kohe like she had with Tai. She wondered whether Kohe would ever be able to connect with anyone like that.

But those were not the days worries. Today, she had some time alone with her elder daughter, and even if it didn't go beyond reading in the garden, Rora would be more than happy. For now, she held Kohe close, bending down to plant a gentle kiss on the Demisan's temple, fingers laced around her daughter's smaller, slender hand.

"I know, little one. Thank you. Come now. What shall we do with our peace and quiet, hm?"

--

Perched alone on Mori's back, Tai couldn't stop grinning. She'd flown with her father half a million times, but never without Kohe behind or in front, and never ever with the knowledge that it might be her last time. Already she missed Kohe -- it was strange to be apart from her sister for something so huge -- but she was too excited to let it bother her much.

She kept flaring her wings, testing the air, waiting to see whether the breeze of her father's own aerodynamism was enough to carry her into the sky.

It wasn't...but it didn't stop her from trying.

"Papa, look, I'm doing it!" she shouted over the wind, then, when she realized he probably couldn't hear her, she tried again. "Papa, I can fly! See? Look, I've been practicing!" She beat her wings erratically, still somehow not quite understanding they were supposed to move up and down at the same time.

"Did you see? I did it!"

 

[Kaisaan]

Kohe opened her mouth to answer and then stopped, a smile coming across her face as she said nothing at all and instead looked down the road where a streak of color was fast advancing toward them. It was Aunt Siya, Kohe knew already, and she had barely stopped before she was talking a mile-a-minute, apparently very excited about something and desperately wanting Rora to come see it. It made the Demisan chuckle softly and she met her mother's eyes, calm, happy.

"Go Mama. It's about the Shifting Component."

She knew that Rora wouldn't be able to resist now. The Shifting Component had been Siya's obsession for the past four years. She was trying to isolate what gene it was that made shifting possible for Aavan and why the twins didn't seem to have it. There was also the question about whether or not other children might have it and THAT raised the question of whether or not other Cerebrae could HAVE children, not just Matrons. It was all very fascinating to Aunt Siya.

"I'm going to go look for Aunt Lyra and Uncle Rask." she informed her Mother before leaning up to kiss her cheek, not entirely sure why she felt the need to, but sensing that it would serve some purpose later. "I love you, Mother."

Kohe took off down the road then, her lithe, graceful form giving no lie to the speed that lay within her limbs and it wasn't long before she stopped before her Uncle and Aunt's house, but the Demisan did not go to the door, did not knock for she already knew they were not there, had known even when she left her Mother. She had not lied - she'd gone looking for Lyra and Rask. Just because she had known she wouldn't find them did not mean she'd lied. It just meant she'd already known the outcome of her actions.

Not finding them was fine, though, as Kohe did not truly feel like socializing.

In fact, she suddenly was feeling downright withdrawn and there was a tight kind of coiling in her chest that she had been feeling for a few days now at the most odd of times. Not even Tai had seemed to be aware of it, though, and that alone drew Kohe's interest to it like nothing else. What could be going on in her body that not even her sister could sense?

It made her rub her chest now even as she continued walking, knowing that her parents didn't actively approve of the twins going into the city on their own - and would most-likely be upset if they knew just ONE had gone in - but Kohe was hardly thinking about that. No, she was more focused internally and her feet led her where they willed.

--

Mori glanced back at his youngest and could not help but laugh, the sound rumbling through his body, scales vibrating against Tai's legs with the intensity of the mirth that went through the black Aavan. His violet eyes glanced at her once more when he'd gotten some control over himself and violet eyes smiled into violet.

"Taibug, you need to flap your wings together." he corrected gently. "Try pulling your wings down and then drawing them up until the tips touch at the top. When you feel them come together at the same time, you will know you're doing it right."

It was her first lesson, the first part of it and Mori dipped down in his flight to give her some air, some pressure against her wing-membrane so Tai would have to work at it, strengthening her wings as well as giving her a taste of what it would feel like to support her own body weight. She could do it, but only if she learned to use her wings in tandem and trained her muscles.

 

[DotCom]

Rora watched Kohe go, only half her mind on Siya's chatter. Perhaps it was just strange to see the twins apart, or perhaps she'd been looking forward to spending a day with the quieter of her two daughters. Or perhaps Mori was right -- she was simply too attached, too protective. Certainly nothing that came from Kohe. The smile her daughter had given her had been earnest and wide, not the sort of thing Rora knew her eldest sometimes gave when she didn't want the adults to worry. She wondered whether Kohe knew Rora would always worry. The Empath had been born to worry, and having children had only exacerbated it. And for some reason, she could not help the small bubble of apprehension rising in the back of her throat.

But Kohe was already gone, down the road like a shot, and Rora knew her pia was more inclined to a little quiet alone time, anyway. As far as safety went, there was almost nowhere better for Kohe to be than with Lyra and Rask, so she let her go, watching her until the streak of black and white disappeared around a bend in the road.

"Sorry, Siya, start over. What did you find?"

--

Tai heard her father's laughter, but it never would have occurred to her to be offended, even if she'd thought he was doing anything other than teasing, and only that, just barely. And she knew he wasn't. She could feel his amusement, and just like with anyone, she found their glee infectious and was soon giggling along with him, her laughter riding the wind as his coursed through her veins.

She was still giggling when he quieted, though when he began to share advice, she, for once, calmed almost immediately and leant forward to hear. Almost nothing -- save for her mother's Empathy, and her own ability with light -- came naturally to Kohe. Her charm, yes, her smile, her kindness. But she lacked her sister's knowing, and her grace and determination. Unbeknownst to Tai, Rora had fretted for weeks over Tai learning to fly, if only because it was so normal for Tai to be excited about one thing only to lose interest two minutes later.

She was too eager and too often forgot to watch what she was doing, amounting in half a dozen bruises scattered over her arms and legs at any time as she seemed able to trip over everything from tree roots to grass roots to her own two feet.

But somehow, little Tai had always been comfortable in the air. Even as children when they took their first flights on Mori's back, she had giggled as the wind whipped through her hair, delighting in the sensations of Mori rising and falling through the sky. Her balance on earth left something to be desired, but the moment her feet left the ground, she became a different person entirely. And while she had not yet grasped the basics of her own flight, as she crept forward to view her father's wings from a different vantage point, she showed no fear despite a somewhat precarious pose. Perhaps it was only that she knew Mori would not let her fall, but she crept forward on his neck and stood up easily, wings pressed close to her body to keep the wind from tearing her away as she watched the steady rise and fall of his wing beats.

When she was ready, she crouched down close to his body again and lifted her own wings in experimentation, brow furrowed, tongue poking from the corner of her mouth, precisely as she did when she was building something for Kohe. Careful, slowly, she raised both her wings at once, making jittery, broken motions as she did, but ultimately rejoicing when she felt the tips meet over her head.

She squealed in delight, feeling the wind tear at her wings. Oh, how she longed to be in the air now!

"Papa, I did it! I can fly, can I try now, can I, please?"

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori watched his daughter carefully out of the corner of his large, violet eye as she stood on his neck and he was sure to keep his pace constant, even as she was perfectly balanced at the moment. He knew if Rora could see this, she'd have a heart attack - still might when she saw this memory in his mind - but the black Aavan had watched Tai her whole life, seeing things even Rora could not about her daughter. Like how very graceful and sleek Tai was when she was off the ground. She was like an Aavan in that regard. A young, clumsy Aavan that needed to feel the grace of flying, to build confidence in the air before her feet would follow suit. He'd seen it many times in pure Aavan and had no doubt that Tai would be similar if not entirely the same.

So he watched her and chuckled again when she managed to do what he'd wanted once before asking for more.

The black Aavan rumbled in amusement and shook his head, starting toward the small canyon that had split through the earth sometimes during the twin's near twelve years of life. It would work for what he needed today. "No, Tai. Not yet. Your wings are not strong enough and you have managed to make them move together once. It is not enough, sweetie." he answered gently, finally landing on a drop-off into the canyon and letting Tai slide from his back, keeping to his large form as it was the only one that had wings to show her what she needed to learn.

"You need to practice working your wings together, in the same motions, like this."

Mori swept his great black wings into a circle kind of pattern, each mirroring the other perfectly, touching at the tops only briefly in an exaggerated kind of gesture to make sure his young daughter knew what he wanted. "You want them moving together or you will never fly straight or at all." His warm breath caressed through Tai's white-purple hair then, affectionate. This lesson is about strengthening your wings today. You'll be doing this exercises and I will teach you how to glide."

Hence the need for the canyon.

--

Kohe wasn't sure where she was.

She'd never been in this part of the city and she felt lost, and she calmly acknowledged that she probably was. Mother would not be happy once she found out and Father would cut short Tai's lesson and Uncle Rask and Aunt Lyra would not let her out of their sight for two or three weeks at least and Tai....Tai would be so disappointed about her lesson and so worried about her sister.

But all that would only happen if Kohe let herself feel distressed. And she didn't want that, so the young Demisan tried to think more logically, trying to think of the last recognizable thing she'd seen was. Maybe if she could find it, she could go back until she found the next thing she remembered.

Spotting a sign that looked about right, she smiled to herself in relief and started in on her plan, heading back, wishing that her knowing would sometimes be more useful to her.

Kohe never noted the group that followed her, having no reason to fear the Cerebrae on these streets. What she did not know, however, was that there was a problem here. There were ONLY Cerebrae, no Aavan in sight. It was that way for a reason, those here disliking of the Aavan, tolerating them in the other parts of the city because they had to, but never able to give up their old way of life and their anger at some Aavan who'd killed a friend or a sibling, a parent during the years of captivity. It was sad, but also dangerous.

But Kohe, focused as she was on getting back to a place she knew, didn't head the tiny buzz in her mind that tried to warn her, pushing it away in favor of serious thought as to her next marker.

 

[DotCom]

Tai frowned in disappointment, but quickly rebounded as her father finally found his target. Once more, she crawled away from the hollow where his shoulders met his neck to peer out over the shallow canyon, eyes sparkling as she pictured herself turning flawless figure eights in the narrow chasm he'd found for her. As per usual, her mind wandered as he spoke, something she knew he wouldn't like -- Mama hated it, too -- but how long could he possibly expect her to sit still?! She was going to learn to fly today, and then after that, she'd be able to go everywhere with Papa and Uncle Rask and Gramma Anesa, and everyone!

She slid from his back the moment she felt his feet hit the ground, running to the edge of the canyon to peer over the side, and feeling another whoosh of excitement go through her. She spread her wings again -- this time without noticing she kept them almost perfectly even -- and had actually lifted to her toes without even realizing before it occurred to her Mori was standing directly over her, his breath tousling her hair.

She dropped back a bit, half sheepish, half disappointed, and grinned up at her father, as close to a pout as she would ever get.

"What's glide, Papa? Is it like flying? I can do it now, look!" She glanced over her shoulder as she showed him her wing circle again, and she really had improved in such a short period of time, bringing the tips of her wings up to meet overhead. The underside of her wings seemed almost to glow a soft purple in the sunlight, and she giggled in delight, half convinced she was now a professional. She brought her wings back down hard, and then up again, and down, standing on her toes to emphasize her height from the ground.

"I'm strong enough, Papa, see?"

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori gazed down at his daughter with a fondness that went beyond words and pride for her improvement already. She'd be a great flyer, he could tell that already, but he also knew she was not quite ready, no matter how she wished to be. Her wings were strong, but not trained well enough. They had learned to support their own weight, even a bit of Tai's, but never had they fought the wind while holding her entire body. Never had they had to keep flapping continuously, deal with updraft changes, gusts that wanted to throw you off course, never had she tried to travel over distance.

No, it would take practice and muscle building, but she would be very talented soon enough.

The black Aavan's tail swept out to poke the Demisan gently in the side as he chuckled and shook his large head. "You are indeed strong, Tai, but you're not ready to fly yet. You need lots of practice first. How fast you learn all I have to teach you is up to you, though." he corrected patiently, gently, knowing how distracted Tai could get and how filled up with ideas that she didn't listen to what was being told to her.

Which is why Mori did subtle things like blow in her hair, poke her side, gaining her attention even as he continued speaking. "Now, gliding requires that you keep your wings out to the side, like this. It's not easy. It takes great control of your wings, of the muscles. When you feel your own weight only held up by your wings, they will want to fold, to give in. You have to keep them straight. Now, I am going to show you, but I want you to stay here until I come back." Receiving affirmative that she would, Mori spread his wings and launched off the drop and into the canyon where the hot air was rising perfectly. He spread his wings, straight to either side and let the wind catch them, halting his fall. It didn't take much effort to tilt his wings just slightly to start spinning downward in lazy circles and when he'd nearly hit the ground, Mori gave a strong surge with his wings, back legs just hitting the ground and launching him up again to fly back to Tai.

Landing again, Mori looked down at his youngest with a smile.

"It's harder than it looks. Do you want to try?"

As if he didn't already know that answer.

 

[DotCom]

Tai's eyes widened until it felt like they'd consume her face. She'd seen her father fly many more times than she could count, but somehow, it seemed so much more impressive this time. Perhaps because, as he'd said, she knew now what to look for. Or maybe it was only the proximity to her own lesson, her coming ability to be able to perform the same feats of strength and grace.

By the time he returned, she was literally shaking with excitement, rooted to the spot, but dancing back and forth, and holding her breath to keep from squealing. They were all techniques she'd adopted to keep from running off when Mama or Papa used the serious voice that meant she'd get in trouble if she didn't listen. They'd been hard lessons to learn -- Tai hated being in trouble with her parents, because she hated it when they were unhappy. She could always feel the frustration and worry that colored their words, even more strongly than the words themselves. It wasn't the normal way to get in trouble, she knew, but for Tai, feeling someone else's unhappiness was more than punishment enough, especially when she knew she'd caused it.

So, now, as Mori landed beside her, she looked up at him, eyes wide with excitement and disbelief.

"I can try?" she repeated, almost squealing. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, please! I wanna try!"

And she tried to wait. She really did. If he was angry with her later, she would tell him that, how hard she'd tried to wait, until it had felt like she was going to explode and then she couldn't anymore.

"Papa, thank you!" she gushed, and then took off sprinting across the short distance between herself and the edge of the dropoff. She was less than half a foot away when a bare foot caught on nothing and sent her tumbling over the side.

It was then when Tai really understood that she was Aavan as much as she was Cerebra. Even as she started to fall, her wings seemed to take on a mind of their own, flaring out to halt her fall no more than a few feet below the lip of the canyon. They jerked her to a rough halt she might have guessed she'd feel later, if she was thinking about later, but of course she wasn't. Because she'd spread her wings, and they were holding her up, and she was flying!

Well, almost. She was doing that thing Papa had said...gliding. She was gliding.

"Papa!" she shrieked, as she struggled to keep her wings open. He'd been right, it wasn't easy. But somehow, keeping them level was, it was so easy, it felt almost natural, like she'd been doing it her whole life. "Papa, Papa, looking, I'm gliding!"

And it was true. Every once in a while, she'd throw herself off balance and dip or weave suddenly, but she could always correct herself. And she hadn't yet mastered the subtle wing movements that would allow her to angle pretty circles like Mori had, so she followed the canyon straight, gliding slowly away from Mori on gusts of rising air that kept her bobbing in and out of sight like a fish on the wind, a smile spread across her face. Tai could feel the strain in her wings and back already, but it was nothing compared to the almost giddy delight of flying. She was flying! She couldn't wait to show Kohe.

Kohe.

The thought sent a pang through her, and for just a second her wings threatened to buckle, dropping her several feet before she gasped and straightened them again. She caught herself once more, and the feeling overrode the subtle apprehension that had arisen at her sister's name, forgotten once more in the excitement of flying.

She turned back to shout at her father over her shoulder, barely able to see him around her black and purple wings, which she was sure had never sparkled so much or shone so warmly in the sun.

"Papa! Papa, look, I'm -- oops -- " She found herself abruptly sandwiched against an outcropping of stone, and then her wings really did give up, unable to recover from the shock of the sudden change of position. She dropped the last foot to the ground, winded and sore, and unable to stop laughing. At once, she was back up on her feet, oblivious to the dirt and dust now covering her face, hair, and clothing.

"Again, again, again!" she said. "Papa, I glided!"

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori had never felt prouder in that moment of Tai, watching her take her first awkward and yet instinctively elegant first steps toward being airborne. She was so full of excitement, joy and it warmed his heart, spreading through him from the inside out as the black Aavan smiled to himself and finally took off from the ledge himself, gliding smoothly and quietly for a creature his size after his daughter, his massive size making her look like a leaf in the wind.

But she was doing well, so very well and even with her sudden drops and mistakes, she was beautiful to behold, as if she had always belonged up in the air. Mori knew the feeling and he reveled in the happiness of being able to teach even one of his children that joy, that buoyant, exhilarating feeling he'd found as a child just a year or two younger than Tai.

He was getting to teach his little girl to fly and Mori couldn't have been happier in that moment.

The black Aavan laughed as Tai popped back up from the dirt - never having been worried for her in the first place, watching carefully and sensing no danger to the Demisan - and landed with a grace that made nary a sound, dust stirring with his wings, but nothing more than that as he folded them and shrank down. His arms came around his daughter then and Mori laughed as he picked her up and spun her about, kissing the top of her head before he set Tai down, beaming down at her.

"You did so well, my Taibug! I am so proud of you. You'll be a wonderful flyer in no time, little one, I promise."

Mori was so very proud, but above that, he was thrilled that Tai was so happy, her smile enough to light up the world.

--

Rask couldn't shake the feeling away, but nor could he explain it accurately to his mate. It wasn't fear he felt, nor pain, not panic or distress. It was just this small, nagging feeling of apprehension, as if he knew something was going to happen...but not what. It kept him somewhat jumpy and he knew that it was starting to rub over Lyra's nerves, but the gold Aavan couldn't help it.

Something was wrong, but...he didn't know what.

Not yet.

But his green eyes kept searching as they walked, kept scanning...but for what, he wasn't sure.

--

She was being followed.

Kohe had taken note of it two minutes back, having found three more markers to lead her back to the part of the city she knew. The closer she got to leaving this place, though, the more Cerebrae who seemed to make themselves known, seemed to watch her, some trailing behind. There were twelve now. She knew it without having to try and count.

And she knew what they wanted.

Kohe wished she didn't, wished that information had chosen to stay out of her head because now she was trembling, trying not to panic, to remain calm. If she could only find that last marker, she could run then. She could get to an adult Aavan, protection. That's all she needed to do. She just had to get to the marker and everything would be fine.

Mama wouldn't have to hurt anyone and Papa wouldn't have to keep her in control while wanting to do the same himself. Tai would get her lesson, have a happy day. That's all she wanted - for her sister to have a good day.

Everything would be fine. She just had to get to the marker. The young Demisan picked up her pace.

 

[DotCom]

Had Rora been with her mate and younger daughter that afternoon, she would have rejoiced -- as would anyone who had ever been put in charge of Tai's care for more than a few minutes. It would have been difficult, perhaps, to watch Tai take those first steps off the cliff edge every time. Rora would have paled and gasped and dug her nails into her hands to keep from just running after her, but she would have managed. And then she would have beamed with pride for her daughter, and love for her mate as he did the same. She would have teared up and grunted in frustration at her own traitorous emotions. She would have laughed and held Tai close, feeling the joy and pride bubble up in her daughter's soul.

But above all else, she would have been relieved. It seemed they had finally found the one thing that could hold Tai's attention for hours on end -- and knock her our for a solid night at the end of every day.

Tai managed three more canyon runs, each time increasing in length and smoothness, until by the last, she landed, beaming and red-faced, on her feet. She was panting, sweat stinging her eyes and soaking into her clothes when she turned to Mori, still vibrating with excitement...but less so this time. She had stayed in the air for nearly two minutes on her last run, and she could barely keep her wings from dragging on the ground, let alone hold them upright. They trembled when she did, and her back muscles had begun to cramp and spasm.

"P...Papa!" she called as she saw him glide near, still catching her breath. "Did...did you see? I...I landed good this time! I wanna...wanna go again!"

But it wasn't nearly enough to stop Tai. She wanted to see how far she could go, wanted to learn how to circle like her father had, wanted to get her wings strong enough to take Kohe flying, too.

Kohe.

Again, the name sent a pang through her chest, this time accompanied by the dull awareness that she was anxious, had been for several minutes, though she didn't know about what. The flying was hard and she felt her heart in her throat every time she forgot herself and dropped a few feet. But it didn't scare her. She loved it.

She frowned in thought as she waited for her father to land beside her again and fly her back to the lip of the canyon to try again. She wanted to keep going...but maybe only two...no, three more runs. And then she wanted to go home to Kohe. She didn't like being away from her sister for so long.

--

Lyra was just returning early from training some of her Keepers when she ran into Rora. It had been a good session, but there was something bothering Rask, and it bothered her that she didn't know what. She couldn't feel him in any danger or pain, so she was in no hurry. But whatever it was, it had been growing for a while now, and she was beginning to feel too jittery and short-tempered to work with any of the newest recruits.

She was just a few minutes from the open air market where local Aavan and Cerebrae traded meats and fruits in the afternoons on some days, when Rora called her name.

"Lyra?"

Lyra turned and waved. It had been, oddly enough, a few days since she'd seen the Cerebrae. Rora had been working on something with Siya the last time she and Rask had dropped the twins off, and they were becoming more and more inclined to walk between the two houses as it were, anyway. Lyra took it only as part of their getting older, approaching, according to a proud and nostalgic Rora, puberty for the Aavan species.

"Don't look so surprised," Lyra joked as Rora drew near. Neither of them stopped moving. "On your own today?"

"Sure," Rora answered, though she sounded a little distracted. "I'd have thought Kohe would have told you."

Lyra frowned. "Told me what?"

"About Tai's lesson? With Mori?"

"That's today?" Rora laughed, though again, the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"That's today," she muttered. "And Kohe said she wanted to visit you, so -- "

Now Lyra stopped, two things coming together in her head. "When did she say this?"

Lyra's tone set off every last warning bell in Rora's head. If the growing feeling of apprehension hadn't been enough, this was.

"What do you mean?"

"When did she say she was going to come visit?"

"You mean she hasn't?"

Lyra could sense the panic in Rora's voice and wanted to keep her calm, putting up her hands in a gesture of supplication. Still, though. For Rora and Rask to be so nervous at the same time? It could really only mean one thing.

"I've been training for an hour, I -- "

"I sent her to you this morning! She's not with you? With Rask??"

Lyra didn't have to say anything, and together, the two Cerebrae began to jog toward Lyra's home.

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori rumbled gently at his youngest, dipping his head to nuzzle her hair affectionately. "Yes, I saw it, Taibug. You're doing very well, though, I think you should take a small break." He wouldn't tell her to stop, not until she felt she was going to drop, but he did see the tremble in her wings and knew that giving them a breather would be good in the long run. Dealing with wing-cramps was painful.

As it was, Mori shifted down again and approached his daughter, his hand finding her back, where her wings connected with her shoulders and his fingers started to knead there carefully, feeling the quivering muscle beneath, the knots forming. "You need to learn when your body is wiser than your mind. Give yourself a few minutes and we'll do it again." he advised patiently and then smiled, looking down at her with a smile.

"So, what parts do you like about gliding the most?"

--

She'd found the marker.

Kohe felt such a profound run through her that it nearly made her legs weak, but she couldn't afford that as she forced them to move, to work, to gain speed. She had nearly reached a sprint when the concussive blast of a Telekinetic's power hit her and the young Demisan went flying, sprawling, rolling on the road, uttering a sharp cry of pain as she hit her side and felt something crack within. When she stilled, Kohe let out a sobbing breath and curled around her middle, tail wrapping around her body, the black and white scales battered just as she was, trying to breathe properly, shaking with fear and adrenaline, with pain.

And then a shadow was falling over her and mismatched eyes looked up into several faces, at least seven, that she would not soon forget. Two males, five females, six of them Keepers, one a Prodigy. It was a female who directed her hand at the Demisan and Kohe was forced to uncurl, a force sending her pressed to her back, making her cry out with pain again, terror surging through her veins as she suddenly knew their intent.

The world started to grow fuzzy then, dizzy and a loud hum started in her ears, and Kohe felt the oddest pulling sensation not from without, but from WITHIN, from that coiling feeling in her chest. And just as suddenly as it had contracted, it released and she felt as if she was hurtled into empty space as her vision went dark.

The seven stared at the ground, at the empty space where the Demisan had been moments before, disappearing in a shimmer of light.

--

Rask knew Lyra was looking for him almost before she started to and the gold Aavan sped up, searching her mind out, focusing on where she was until he was running without even being aware that he'd started. Once he was, though, Rask didn't stop...not until he was within seeing distance of the two females coming down the road...and not until a sharp, intense stab of pain erupted in his side, a jolt - one, two, three - running through his body sent him down to his knees with a voiceless cry.

Six years ago, when Tai had nearly drowned, Rask had placed just a trickle of his life force into them, so that if something like that happened again, he would know about it, would be able to help even if he wasn't physically present.

Now it told him that one of the twins - and after a moment, he knew it was Kohe - was in danger, was in pain, was scared. It awoke an instant rage in Rask and he rose to his feet as the Cerebrae reached him, fangs grit and his tail lashing through the air, gold eyes with slit pupils. He held his side, even knowing his body wasn't broken

"It's Kohe. I think someone's attacked her."

He started to move...and then abruptly stopped, eyes widened in abject alarm, the emotion streaking through his mind like an inferno and the gold of his mind scrambled to comprehend, to find the connection that had suddenly been stretched so tight between him and the elder twin that it was nearly invisible, thinner than even a hair's width. It almost felt like it wasn't there at all and for a moment Rask felt raw panic, the thought that Kohe was dead flashing through his mind.

But no.

The connection was there. It just....wasn't at the same time and gold eyes looked to Rora and then Lyra, wide and scared, completely uncertain and lost for the first time since the twins' birth.

"She's...gone. Not dead...she's not dead, but...I can't feel her."

 

[DotCom]

Tai sighed, but for once didn't argue with her father. She was kinda tired, and his hand felt good on her back. She leaned into him with an unconscious sort of mind-purr sound she'd picked up a few years back whenever she felt Kohe start to play with her hair, or any of those other affectionate touches.

When she asked his question, though, she frowned and looked up at him as if he'd just grown a second head. Baffled, she paused.

"What do you mean, Papa? I like the gliding part," she answered, as if this were the most obvious answer in the world. She looked at him with a small chuckle at his silly question, then back over the canyon, subconsciously bringing one hand up to rub at her chest. That funny feeling hadn't yet gone away, and --

Tai yelped and doubled over suddenly as she felt a sharp pain spike in her side. Anything else would have baffled the young Demisan, but not this. Tai felt her violet eyes go almost as dark as the indigo strands of her mind, instantly dilated with pain and fear.

"Kohe's hurt," she said, her voice remarkably calm as she started to uncurl, wincing. "Kohe's -- "

And then, all at once, for the second time in her life, she couldn't feel her sister's mind anymore. She wasn't dead. Tai knew that, and it was all that kept her sane, conscious. But she was gone.

There was a moment of calm, and then Tai was launching herself off the edge of the cliff again without thinking, her mind a blank canvas of terror. Kohe was gone, gone, gone, gone --

By the time Mori caught up with her, she was a tangle on the canyon floor, all bruises and bloody knees, screaming it over and over again.

"She's gone! Kohe's gone, and I can't reach her. I can't hear her! I have to go, we have to -- She's gone!"

--

Rora felt Rask's panic flare inside of Lyra and was screaming almost out once. Not aloud, but over the connection she shared with Mori. And while there was fear in her voice, she managed to stay upright and breathing, somehow. Because if she didn't remain calm, she knew, it might be too late.

"Mori! Mori, where are you -- Tai? Is she with you? Oh, Goddess, Mori, something's happened, something's happened to Kohe, Rask says he doesn't...she's gone! Come back. Please tell me you have Tai with you -- "

Whatever she'd been about to say next was lost as she heard Rask's words. Something hadn't happened to her daughter. Her daughter had been attacked, and such a powerful rage rose within her, that for a moment, there was nothing else. Not Mori, not Tai, not the ground beneath her feet, just Kohe and the thought, the knowledge that someone had dared to attack her daughter --

"Someone's attacked her," she sent Mori, in a calm that terrified even her. "Keep Tai safe. Bring her home. I'm going to look for our daughter. And her attackers."

--

Lyra knew from the instant she saw Rask collapse to his feet that off the four of them -- Rora, Mori, her mate and herself -- she would once more be the most levelheaded. Especially if what Rask said was true. The thought that someone, anyone had hurt her little niece sent a spike of protective rage through her, but she suppressed it for now, forcing herself into her old role as a Keeper. This was, she told herself, she made herself believe nothing more than a crime. A grievous crime against a child, but a crime nonetheless, and she was a Keeper. She would remain calm and objective. She would find the target, return her to her family. And she would deal with the punishment of the offenders rationally. Legally.

This last part was important. Because if she did what she wanted to do, they would be removed from her care. And that was not going to happen.

"Do you know where she was last headed?" she asked Rora, who had gone frighteningly quiet, her face blank. Rora shook her head once, and Lyra turned to Rask.

"Can you track where she was? Somehow? Can...Can he?" She knew she didn't have to mention she meant Ras'K. If Rora was paying attention -- and she wasn't -- she gave no sign.

 

[Kaisaan]

Mori heard them both screaming at once, mate and daughter, one mentally and the other in his ears and he felt a moment of overwhelming terror, looking at his youngest's grief, fear stricken face and hearing the panic, desperation, and rage from his mate. And both their tone's held a horror unimaginable. For a moment he froze.

He was a warrior, a leader, he had helped save this entire planet and everyone on it, but in the face of this? In the face of his daughter being attacked? In the face of her being gone? Of his mate's chaotic - rightfully so - mind and his other daughter's hysteria....he didn't know what to do. Nothing had trained him for this, no training could have come close enough.

But Mori finally moved, scooping Tai up in his claws, not trusting her on his back, and he sent his voice back to Rora - no he FORCED it, knowing she would be beyond listening if given the choice. "I've got Tai! Rora, I have Tai! I'm coming. I'm coming back. Stay with Lyra and Rask. Stay with them, Rora!"

The last thing he needed was her alone, hysterical and furious. Rask and Lyra couldn't do much against the Maiden, but at least his mate would not be alone. Mori had to think about things like that. He had to think logically even as there was a scream rising up within him, held back by a control that was already crumbling little by little. He had to think of these things lest he think of Kohe and everything he couldn't do right now.

---

Rask was hardly aware of Rora's anger because his own was deadly, too. Perhaps his power was not a match for her own in the long run, but they wouldn't be fighting each other. He wouldn't stop her. If she chose to go on a rampage to find Kohe, he'd finish those that she missed in her wake. The thought, the commitment had not come to him in such a way before, but it emerged now, ugly and brutal.

Ras'K.

Lyra barely had to ask her question because the gold eyes that flickered to look at the Keeper were filled with more of his past self than they'd been in twelve years. There was a coldness there, a smoldering, intense rage that had only one goal in mind; protect the twins, keep them alive. And he'd already failed partway about that today. He would not fail the second half.

His gaze flared an intense gold and his fangs bared in a voiceless snarl as his eyes rolled back into his head and blood started to seep from his nose. Rask didn't stop, though, searching and searching quickly until he found the trace of Kohe that was left. "She was in the Eastern District." he informed both Cerebrae, about to let the trance go...and then something else caught his attention, something that sent a shudder down his spine and had him gasping as he came back to awareness.

No. That was impossible.

A Time Trail. He'd detected a Time Trail where Kohe had been. But that could only mean... Rask nearly lost the contents of his stomach, but worked it back and then his eyes met Lyra's and his words were for her alone, a stark horror in his eyes. "I think...I think someone has taken her...taken her to another Time."

--

(Two hours later...)

Dark crimson stains left a clear trail through the house, on the floor in drops and lines - and a long smear created by something dragging - on the walls in streaks and clear hand prints. It led from the door - beyond the door and on the street - through the living room, past the kitchen where it seemed there was a great deal of smearing on the floor, as if someone had fallen and struggled to rise again. The trail continued then, down the hall and to the bathroom, the doorframe heavily coated in red.

And the culprit lay on the tiles, pale and breathing shallowly, the life-giving red continuing to seep from the slashes that littered a lithe body. Kohe's clothes were torn, claw-marks on her stomach, deep on the top of her thigh and long and jagged on her back, running from shoulder to hip in a diagonal line. She was dirty and appeared battered, as if she'd been batted around by a large cat, a helpless mouse in a predator's grasp. Her shoulder seemed to be dislocated and she'd hit her face on something, cheek bruising and her forehead sporting a cut that dribbled blood past her scarlet eye, as red as the blood was and hazy with pain.

Kohe slowly, sluggishly pressed a towel to her thigh, losing the most blood from there and she whimpered, biting her lip at the streak of fire that traveled through her arm when it moved even just a little. Each breath made a flare of fire erupt from her side and her tail spasmed with each jolt of agony.

Her sister. She wanted her sister.

She'd been calling to Tai ever since she'd come back, but she couldn't focus to answer her twin's questions, knowing she was scaring Tai and unable to reassure her. Kohe just needed her. She needed Tai...and their parents and....a healer...yes, she supposed she did need a healer quite badly.

And sleep. She wanted to sleep so badly.

 

[DotCom]

Tai didn't have to say a word.

She hadn't for two long, grueling hours, and Rora had stopped trying after the first thirty minutes. Mori had returned from the canyon flight in record time, and there had been a moment, a chink in Rora's anger when she paused to clutch her daughter to her chest, fearing for the worst, because for only the second time in her life, she felt nothing from Tai. Not that burgeoning warmth that followed her youngest around like the heat of a lantern. That the bubble of laughter that seemed to perpetually stay in the center of her chest. Not the curiosity or winded excitement she'd expected when her daughter had learned how to fly. Just...nothing.

And Tai didn't even seem to notice Mori had landed, was oblivious to all of them, Rora and Mori, Rask and Lyra, the forces Lyra had gathered, even if Ras'K insisted Kohe was beyond reaching -- it was better than doing nothing, and she would not let the search party rest until Kohe was found. Tai saw nothing, said nothing, seemed a pale ghost of herself, her breathing shallow, her hair a windswept mess, her hands and knees bleeding from the tumble she'd taken into the canyon when Kohe had gone.

For two hours, they had looked, while Rora stayed with Tai, the only thing keeping her anger at bay her concern for her daughters. Her oldest, missing, her youngest unreachable, catatonic.

It was so bad that when Tai finally lurched to her feet and started running, Rora nearly wept with relief, knowing Kohe had returned, and fearing the absolute worst.

--

Tai found Kohe on the floor and smiled, the sincere expression belying the fear and nausea and something else rising within her. She had sprinted the whole way from the Eastern District -- where Aunt Lyra still was, still looking for the people that had...had...

She'd cried the whole way, and now her chest ached almost as bad as the rest of her body. Kohe's hurts were so bad, Tai felt almost sick, but the second she saw her sister, none of it mattered. The blood in the hallway had scared her, made her feel something awful in the pit of her belly she couldn't identify, something she had only just barely begun to recognize in the others she shared emotions with.

But then Kohe was there and she was sitting by her side, and everything else was gone.

"Hi, 'setta," Tai said, as she sat next to her sister, oblivious to, or ignoring the blood. "I'm glad you're back. I missed you." Her eyes wandered up and down the length of her sister's body once, but Tai's expression never changed. She could feel her sister's mind, rigid and trembling in fear, and she spread around it warmly, calmly, as though there were nothing in the world to be afraid of. In Tai's world, right now, there wasn't.

"'Setta, I'm gonna help you, okay?" Tai went on, still in a tone of voice she might have used to tell her sister about the weather. "Tell me if I hurt you." She slipped small fingers into her sister's hand. "Squeeze hard when it hurts, okay? Hard as you can."

Already Tai was building a warm blanket of light to go over her sister's body, and beneath that, a small platoon of warmed bandages to go over cuts and bruises, slow the bleeding, even without a healer's hand.

"Mama and Papa are right behind me," she explained casually, feeling almost as though she were standing in a doorway, watching herself lean over her sister. It was an odd feeling, but she preferred it to the cold knots overlapping in her belly.

"They're bringing the Healers. And then it won't hurt anymore, and you can just go to sleep, okay?" There was a noise behind them, Rora's voice first, high and reedy.

"Kohe? Kohe, baby, are you here? Tai?"

"We're in here, Mama. I found Kohe. She's back."

And then Rora and Mori and three Healers were bursting into the bathroom, Rora clutching the reddened doorframe to keep from collapsing to her knees.

Tai looked up at them all, with just a glint of something unfamiliar in her eyes. Rora caught it and was nearly taken aback, wondering, for just a moment, if Kohe had brought something back.

"Mama?" Tai said, her voice sounding strained for the first time since she'd arrived in the bathroom. "They can't come in. They're scaring Kohe." She pointed at the Healers, her voice almost eerily calm.

Rora rounded on them, eyes manic. "Stay in the hall," she growled. "You -- " she thrust a trembling finger at the nearest Healer, a Whisperer named Daya. "The pain. Take it now. Don't. Move."

"I...I can't -- the light -- " she pointed at the warm blanket of gold resting over Kohe's trembling body.

Rora was about to answer, to tell the Cerebra to deal with it or suffer, but Tai got there first. "I'm not moving it." The words were simple, but something awful hid behind them.

The Healer hesitated a moment, then closer her eyes, and both Tai and Rora breathed a slight sigh of relief as they felt the worst of the pain lift from Kohe's small, broken body.

Tai's smile returned and she looked back to her sister. "See? See, Kohe? It's gonna be okay." She reached out a gentle hand and pushed her sister's hair from her face.

"You're back. You're back now."

 

[Kaisaan]

"Tai."

Tai was here and suddenly Kohe knew everything was going to be all right. It wasn't logical, she knew, but right now, she hurt too much to think logically, to care about what her knowing might say or what her body wanted to tell her. All she cared about was her sister's face, hovering over her own, her twin's words reassuring as warmth wrapped around her, inside and out.

Kohe let it, protesting nothing, fighting nothing.

She needed this. She needed her sister and she needed her Mama and Papa, too. The Demisan felt further relief at seeing them burst into the hallway and partway into the moderate sized bathroom. She smiled softly at them, but knew she wasn't comforting. She couldn't be like Tai. She couldn't get them to smile in return and her Father....oh, he looked like he was going to be ill, pale and his eyes holding horror he could not hide, and a haunting kind of pain she knew the reason for, even if her parents didn't realize she understood.

Some part of Kohe wanted to explain that she was fine, that she'd heal, that everything was going to be all right. But the truth of the matter was that she didn't feel fine at all. She felt the furthest thing from fine. She HURT in a way she'd never hurt before and even the Whisperer taking the brunt of it away did not negate what she'd felt before, did not change the blood loss she'd sustained, nor the shock to her system and certainly it did not wipe away the memory and the fear.

And oh, how there was fear, a terror not even Tai could fully soothe. It kept Kohe's mind tense, vibrating like a coil being stretched too far and she whimpered to her sister's words, wanting more than anything to curl into Tai and sleep, to let herself be safe with her sister, but she dare not move. The pain was bearable now. She didn't want to move, but she knew she needed to get to the Healer's Den.

But she didn't want to move.

"It hurts." the young Demisan whimpered, her hand tightening on Tai's even as her sister brushed her hair back, reassuring that everything would be fine. It would, Kohe knew, but not until she moved and that thought scared her.

In the end, she didn't have to as Mori came in without hesitation, spurred into action by the words she'd spoken, and his fingers found her hair just as Tai's had done before him. It was a shaky gesture of affection and worry beyond comprehension, and Mori spoke softly. "Kohe, little one, I am going to lift you, all right? We're going to get you help."

A slight nod was all the black Aavan got in return before he carefully, very carefully, picked his daughter up, listening to her stifled, sharp cries with a shattering heart. He didn't flinch when her fangs sank into his shoulder, not enough to draw blood, but enough to bruise. Kohe did it to keep from screaming as his arm had to come in contact with the slashes on her back and Mori had never been more enraged and horrified as he was in that moment, holding the body of his shaky child in his arms.

Then he was moving out the door, passing Rora and giving her a glance. "Get Tai." The younger twin would follow anyway, but they'd already nearly lost one twin. He wanted to keep the other close.

--

Rask knew the moment Kohe was back and it shocked him so completely that he stopped speaking mid-sentence to Lyra, staring into space as the knowledge that she was here again, that he could feel the child sank in and the implications with it.

She was alive. That was the first and foremost.

She still had a Time Trail. Kohe HAD traveled in Time.

But she was not with anyone, was not reborn. No, she was in pain.

That came to him, sank in rather quickly and Rask felt his breathing grow shallow, agony sweeping over his body before it dulled to a constant, but tolerable throb. The gold Aavan ignored it as he looked back to the Northern part of the city, where their home was located, his eyes wide and dilated, shocked and angry, hurting and horrified all at once.

"Lyra, she's back." he rasped.