Quote:
For sake of timeline, because I had a hard time doing much for a while;;;; This takes place mid Big Cats Between Lessons
Curled within the hold of Khamaith’s wings, the brooding gold had done everything in her power to close off the bubble of the world. She hadn’t been keen to let the blue and his rider go anywhere -- not like X’ael nor Cucuaranath had seemed keen to move. Indeed, it was all Khamaith could happily do to flex her wings wide, curl her tail around the dragon, his rider, and her own, and use the bulk of her own body and size to give them privacy.
The worry had not drained from her eyes, even if her hearts no longer stuttered with aching panic and claws ready to rip between apart herself for possibly taking one more so dear to her away before their time had even truly begun.
The ache of Lishanth’s loss was still raw, for her handsome brother should be rising with them to meet thread, to have met such wonderful baby dragons that had hatched after their half of the class had come to Western. Her thoughts still find themselves flickering back to him, if rarely, to keep his memory alive.
Yet today…
Between lessons were a perilous mountain to scale. While she could certainly remember how Ezyzu had stressed herself out studying for the first solo runs, to the point where she began to shut her friends away in order to make certain her coordinates were correct, Khamaith had little love for the drills. Now? Repetition had given them a sense of mastery -- at least enough to feel accomplished and confident in their abilities. But she would never gloss over how hard those beginning lessons had been.
Checking in on Cucuaranath and X’ael hadn’t been intentional -- for she would never want to distract or be potentially detrimental. Yet she had made an almost habit of checking on the dragon whose rider was the love of her own. Her own feelings of the equally lazy, cheerful blue had Khamaith fostering some blurry mixture of love akin to a little brother, almost verging on a nephew. She adored the dragon who she happily shared her wallow with, and with the toughest lessons just on the horizon for him and his clutchmates… Khamaith had been worried.
Feeling Cucuaranath there, and then… Not, had had Khamaith on her feet instantly.
It had been a blip, one she truly wondered if she would have felt if she hadn’t been keeping track of Cucuaranath that she would have even felt those brief heartsbeats of the pair being beyond her reach.
’They’re here with us right now, and that’s what we need to focus on for them.’
It takes all Khamaith is worth to keep her muscles trained and relaxed, and not startle at the fact she hadn’t even felt Ezyzu wake. ’This.. is true.’ Wing stretching to its fullest, she carefully drapes it once more over some of those most precious to her. ’But I’d be just as equally powerless to try and stop it from happening, to help. Just like I wasn’t able to with Lishanth.’ Misery dripping from her words, her claws gently churning the sands beneath her paws.
Though tucked in the curve of Cucuaranath’s side, with X’ael but a hair's breadth away, Ezyzu poured love and support unending through their bond. Losing her brother so early--earlier beyond the drills they were warned of--had left an impact on Khamaith. The drive to do, to help, so deeply ingrained like it was her own personal problem to fix things that weren’t her sole responsibility.
’I love you Khamaith.’
The shimmering depths of love returned helped to settle some of the unease in Khamaith’s mind. ’As I love you, my darling girl.’
Ezyzu smiled, raising a hand to gently run through X’ael’s unkempt locks. ’We can’t do their lessons for them, as much as I near wish. Only welcome them home during these tough months. Their first blooding will be.. tougher.’ She brushes a gentle kiss to his forehead, before leaning a bit more against Cucuaranath to feel the blue take another deep breath. ’I’m just..’ Thoughts were a bit harder to string together, even as she takes in her love and his lifemate as they both slept.
...we have them here, and that’s to be thankful for. Khamaith finished, perhaps an iota more calmed as she sent the softest, calmest waves she could to the trio in her grasp. Let them rest, for tomorrow's problems could wait.