Chapter 102: Welcome Back
Eventually, Sunny composed herself, gently pushing away from him and wiping her eyes dry with her wrist. She was quiet for a while, paws in her lap and eyes focused on the floor. He let it be, rubbing her back until she felt ready to speak or request some time alone in her new room.
“Apolo—” she choked out, clearing her throat. “Apologies.”
He patted her softly. “Don’t worry about it. Hunt Mother knows that I broke down when Pan held me.”
A wary eye glimpsed at him, her head remaining fixed forward. “You had lost someone precious?”
“Emma,” he answered sombrely. He felt relief when the once torturous pain proved to be lessened to just a sting at the memory. He searched for an appropriate translation, but instead just went with the English terms and hoped context would fill in the gaps. “My ex-wife. She wanted kits, but I’m…broken, in that way. So, she found someone who wasn’t.”
The Grand Huntress flinched, as if the hurt in his eyes was her own. With a slow nod, she stood, bracing herself on her knees and pushing off the bed. “I believe I would like to meet your other mate now.”
He smiled, somewhat strained by revisiting the topic, but was glad that the worst of her suffering looked to have abated. “Of course. She should be in the facilities wing. Do you want to stop and grab Daisy?”
Sunundra smiled. “If Pan is the other who is raising your kit, then I think she would like to meet her as well.”
He joined her in the middle of the room with a grunt, gesturing for her to follow him and enter the hallway. She passed him his bag.
“Do you wish to put this away?”
He accepted it, slinging it onto his shoulder. “Well, my room is just across from Mama’s, so might as well.”
She was actually surprised by the fact that everyone had their own room, most having the door left open. Volta’s was probably the cleanest—while still looking like someone lived there—where Jax’s was the messiest. It wasn’t slovenly, but his equipment from training the security members had been strewn about the room to be retrieved later. Sahari had basically moved into Nalah’s room, so that had been designated as Rose and Cobalt’s room at some point. He never actually kept track of who stayed where before—everyone slept wherever the others were staying for the longest time—so taking a moment to check made the experience as novel for him as it was for her.
They had already passed Harrow’s room as soon as they stepped away from the door, but it hadn’t really been used much. She mostly just tossed on music there and worked on projects that didn’t need the fire or forge, free from the interruptions that came with being easily found by her subordinates. The Wraiths acted as a messenger in those cases, so she would still get summoned whenever it was required, but it allowed her to work on more fiddly tasks in peace.
Pan’s room was pretty much the same case as Tel’s, since she either slept with him, or Mama when he was gone. It had a few of her completed works for the pack stacked neatly on the desk inside of it—the bed doubling as additional storage for fabrics. It was probably closer to a storage closet than a room, but until someone else needed the space, it was fine as it was.
He stopped by his room, entering to drop off his stuff. Sunundra peeked in, eyes wandering the modest space and raising a brow at the significantly larger bed.
“Does your culture value excessive resting space?”
Joseph blinked, laying his luggage on the desk and following her gaze to the massive square in the corner. “Oh, no. The pack likes to pile up. Used to be everyone but Jax and Harrow, though now it’s mostly just Tel, Pan, and me. I drag in the others on occasion, or they invite themselves.”
Sunny tilted her head but didn’t comment further, waiting for him to finish unpacking a few of the items he had stowed away. Free of his burdens, he crossed the hallway and knocked on Mama’s door.
The colossal blue Atmo opened the door, revealing the interior behind her. Daisy sat on the floor trying to sculpt a chunk of palm into something. She wasn’t very good—maybe where Violet was when she first started—but even noticing the skill deficit reminded him that she likely lost the one who was supposed to help teach her things early on. One of the support tablets he had made for Mama and Violet rested on her blade, easing what would have been an extended effort of picking up and rotating her work-piece.
“Hey Mama, Daisy. We’re heading off to go introduce Sunny and Pan. Want to come with?”
The Hatcher scratched on her tablet, clicking and gesturing while assisting the young Queen with the support on her blade. [Of course.]
“What is she writing?” Sunundra asked, deciding that it was becoming common enough to inquire about.
“English,” he provided. “Violet can write Lilhun on top of that, but Mama only learned the one.”
“Can everyone in your pack write it?”
He shook his head. “Just Harrow, but she wanted to use the terminal, so she picked it up.” He paused. “Surprisingly quick, if I’m honest. It’s pretty weird.”
The Grand Huntress gave him a curious tilt of her head. “I do not recall such a script on my own terminal.”
“Custom software,” he explained, backing away from the door as the two insects finished freeing Daisy from the sculpting plate. “Rob set up my pod with some experimental tech for communications, and I brought it along with me when we moved. It’s patched into the system here—uses the outpost terminal as a shell. You guys probably just used the baked-in software.”
“Communications technology?”
He held a hand up preemptively. “Don’t ask. All I know is that it lets him call me every few suns to make sure I’m not dead yet.” The Grand Hunter led the way back towards the hub, placing a fist to his lips in thought. “Actually, we’ve been due for another call for a while now.”
He stopped when he noticed that Sunundra wasn’t following him, her furrowed brow covering the wandering eyes. “I had thought your communications with him were irregular or exceedingly difficult. You can contact him at will?”
Joseph shrugged. “He calls whenever his side of things is ready. We tried calling out, but Harrow spent most of a sun replacing the electrical she burned up in the process.”
The pale-furred female slowly rejoined the group. “Is he aware of your location?”
He shook his head. “He’s looking, but there’s only so much to work with.”
“I see.”
Letting the conversation drop, they passed the rooms again, Joseph peeking into the cracked door of Harrow’s out of curiosity. He backed out, a finger to his lips and a mischievous grin dimpling his cheeks. Sunny frowned but watched as he pushed the door open to reveal the orange-furred female asleep on her bed. Daisy almost rushed to greet the new person, restrained by Mama’s understanding of his gesture. The Human nodded approvingly.
Silencing his steps, he walked in slowly, approaching the bed and sizing up how exactly he wanted to scare the absolute shit out of one of his best friends. She was on her side—partially curled up, but not enough that it would be an issue—and an arm limply dangled off the edge. Her hooded vest was partially undone to combat the excess heat. If he had to guess, he would’ve put money on her taking refuge from the sun outside and ended up dozing off. Considering she had about the same fur properties as Tel, she was better off than Sahari or Pan, but she still hated the heat as much as he did.
Joseph backed up a few steps, crouching slightly to line up. With a quick breath, he bolted forward.
Human collided with Lilhun, the Grand Hunter rapidly—though carefully—wrapping Harrow in his arms as he ripped past her from the side of the bed, rolling with the startled bundle of fur towards the other side. A hand wrapped around to cover her muzzle so that the distraught yelp wouldn’t freak out the pack. Her arms were pinned to her sides, her legs trapped by his own, and her back was tightly pressed into him. The female’s eyes flicked open, pupils wide as breathing powered through the slight obstruction of his hand.
It only took a few of those breaths before she calmed down—much to his disappointment. Her panic turned to annoyance, the deadpan expression complimenting the irritated glare that locked onto him from the corner of her eye. Her tail wrapped around his leg as muffled speech vibrated against his palm, followed by a nip when he didn’t free her mouth in time. He shook off the sting of sharp teeth pinching his finger.
“You asshole,” she chastised. He snorted a laugh. “What happened to being nice to me?”
He feigned ignorance. “Giving my friend a hug isn’t nice?”
“Scaring me with high impact affection isn’t,” she moaned in protest, closing her eyes now that her complaint had been voiced. She nuzzled into the imposed embrace forcefully, abandoning arguing for the pursuit of going back to sleep. He unceremoniously released her, ignoring the groaned whining as he got off the bed, taking extra time to unwrap the fluffy appendage attached to his thigh.
“We have guests. Get up.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“Come on before I drag your fluffy ass out of bed.”
“Then drag my fluffy ass out,” she challenged, grabbing for the sheet to cover herself. “I’m not getting up.”
“Not going to welcome me back?”
“Welcome back. Go away.”
He crossed his arms, smirking as he tried to think of what would work best to resolve the issue. For all his worrying about how she had taken his off-handed remark, she seemed fine, if grouchy. The only part assuring him that she was genuinely glad he had returned was the tail trying to reestablish its hold on him. He took another step back, forcing her to adjust if she wanted to do anything about it.
“Even if I tell you that I missed you?”
Her tail twitched. “No.”
“What if I said that I fully intend on dragging everyone into a pile for rest on this moon?”
More activity from the appendage. “I hate you.”
“You love me, admit it.”
Harrow growled in annoyance, more to continue complaining than anything. “Asshole.”
He frowned, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “So, what if Mama was watching you behave like a kit?”
“She’s Mama. Everyone is a kit to her.”
“True,” he allowed, tilting his head as he remembered Mama making the joke about him. “What about an Atmo kit watching you be less mature than her?”
“I don’t care.”
“A visiting Grand Huntress who’s currently smirking at your shit?”
The orange-furred female’s ear flicked.
“And the new Atmo kit being Violet’s sister?”
She turned her head, opening an eye to gauge the sincerity of his explanation. Catching sight of Sunny looking both conflicted and amused in the doorway—as well as Daisy quietly chittering her enjoyment of the display with Mama—she buried herself again, though this time curling up in an attempt to hide from scrutiny.
“Couldn’t have started with that?”
He nodded. “Nope! Now come on, we’re going to say hi to Pan.”
She groaned her disagreement but pushed herself upright anyway. A paw did up her vest, hiding away the orange fur of her chest. With a final glare of annoyance, she got to her feet, her eyes softening to concern when she looked at him.
“You look like shit.”
“Thanks, I try,” he returned dryly. A paw reached up to cup his jaw, her gaze inspecting him as she fought to wake up.
“No, I mean you look like you were beaten half to death and are somehow still walking.”
His weak chuckle intensified her frown.
“What happened?”
His hand removed her paw, giving it a brief squeeze to thank her for the consideration. “We can talk about that later. For now, meet Grand Huntress Sunundra and Daisy,” he instructed, gesturing to the two silent participants. Sunny had a curious tint to her expression, while the yellow insect was just interested in the new person related to the pack—and probably whatever the hell that exchange was.
“Ah, hello,” the orange-furred female greeted blankly, still not fully processing everything. Joseph wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing and using his other hand to pat her firmly.
“This is Harrow, Jax’s mate. She’s the Head of Technology, and in charge of helping me prototype new devices and whatnot. She oversees Heralt and others when we’re producing things. Minus her hatred for working in extreme temperatures, you can count on her to make whatever dumb idea you have into a reality. She’s also the one responsible for hooking up music for the whole den, but we haven't used the feature much.”
“Were it not for your clarification, I would have assumed her yours,” the Grand Huntress remarked teasingly. Harrow’s ears flicked, eyes coming to life with the prolonged consciousness.
“Nope, but she’s a good friend. Most of our equipment wouldn’t have been possible without her.” He freed the orange-furred female, giving her a gentle shove. “Let’s go round out the introductions, shall we?”
Harrow caught herself, blinking rapidly as she mentally caught up with the situation. “Do I get a say in this?”
“Nope!” he proclaimed proudly. “I’m back, and that means you have to deal with me.”
She groaned one last time to make her displeasure known, situating herself by his side and claiming his wrist with her tail as she trudged along with them. Sunundra’s eyes fixed on the point of contact, slowly shifting back when he led the way.
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Tel had gone straight into the kitchen, the sounds of her knife on a chopping board muffled by the closed door. The sewing room was the same—probably to keep the temperatures consistent for the materials Pan and Violet oversaw.
Sunny seemed curious about the medbay, splitting off to inspect it. She recognized the healroot, and even lingered on the pre-cut portions that were organized by size. Some of the medicines that he had brought from the pod drew her eye, but she didn’t go around touching anything. He made a mental note to mention whatever the Grand Huntress had stuck him with to Harrow and get her opinion on what he still had kicking around.
The cyanide was pretty damn fatal, but some of it had to be useful, right?
The gym was a minor curiosity for the pale-furred female, her regard for the room only lasting a moment since it was pretty obvious how it was used. He didn’t mind—for all the interest she had in everything, a room with its most notable feature being the absence of things made sense to ignore.
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He knocked on the door to Pan’s workspace, motioning for his guests to step aside. Harrow blearily disregarded his silent advice, suffering for it immediately as Pan returned the orange-furred female’s favour by throwing herself into him and taking all three of them to the ground. Harrow made a valiant effort to remain standing, but her tail latched to his arm sealed her fate.
“Hi,” he wheezed, Pan crushing him against the floor, her tail flailing in her excitement. She pushed off to kiss him, separating once she was temporarily satisfied.
“When did you return?”
“Scarlet didn’t tell you? I just got back.”
Her ears wilted in response to his confusion, dismissed entirely as he got a better view of the almost gossamer dress she had on. It was Idee’s creation—that much was certain. They had managed a light blue colour somehow, the thin straps just shy of completely hidden by her white fur. It tightened under her bust but draped over her hips loosely, flowing with her form. He didn’t even need to say anything, the slight blush at the unspoken compliment warming her gaze.
“You look amazing,” he informed her anyway, driving home just how much he appreciated the view. Her cheeks doubled down on their attempts to turn her fur pink.
“Thank you.”
“That’s great and all,” Harrow protested, opting to lay on her back until the anchor keeping her grounded was released. “But can I get up now? It’s bad enough for this to happen once.”
“Do not feel the need to restrain yourselves for my benefit,” Sunny teased from the side, only now getting the attention of the bonded mate. Pan tilted her head, relaxing from the unexpected voice.
“Apologies, I was unaware that we had guest...s.”
Her eyes widened as she noticed Daisy, the young Queen watching the Human bemusedly spectating next to the orange-furred female reluctantly participating in the reunion.
“Pan,” Joseph started, gesturing limply towards the group from the ground. “Meet Grand Huntress Sunundra and Daisy—Violet’s sister.”
The white-furred female snapped her head back to him, blinking her disbelief. “You found her?”
He returned a grin. “They have a nest at Sunny’s place. And a hatchery. It’s rough, but they’re managing. She’s been taking care of them.”
Tears of joy welled in her eyes as she got to her feet, carefully approaching the Atmo instead of acknowledging the other Grand Hunter in the hallway. She stopped in front of the young Queen, extending her arms in invitation.
Daisy accepted, hugging the adoptive parent of her sibling. Pan held on tightly, her paws wandering the insect’s back as if to check that she was real. Mama chittered her amusement, as well as clicked out a few words for the smaller Atmo’s benefit. Harrow used the opportunity to get off the floor, offering a paw to help him up as well. With everyone back to standing upright and able to actually converse, he addressed the Grand Huntress, gesturing to the melting pile of fur and carapace that seemed intent on ignoring everyone else.
“Sunny, this is Pan. She’s my other mate and Paw. She runs things when I’m not around, as well as oversees most of the clothing here.”
Sunundra nodded, warmly watching the white-furred female meld into the yellow Atmo. “I take it that this is your opinion of Daisy?”
He stalled in his attempt to speak. “Yes?”
A giggle slipped from the pale-furred female. “You surely have noticed by now, no?”
The Human scratched at his neck. “I mean, she’s a pretty good barometer for how I’m feeling about things, but...”
“But she also mirrors your affections,” Sunundra finished pointedly, gesturing to his fiancee finally noticing others in the area. “To see her so overjoyed would imply that she carries not only your fondness for your kit—and the prospect of her sibling—but also harbours her own attachment.”
“You know of my bond?” the Paw questioned, flopping an ear with a tilted head.
“Sunny is a defect,” he supplied, waiting the beat for his words to register. Sure enough, her eyes lit up like Christmas trees, the female excitedly switching the target of her embrace to the surprised Grand Huntress.
“Is this also your opinion of me?” she asked jokingly, politely removing her new white-furred assailant after a few seconds. Pan looked undeterred by the requested distance and, more importantly, ecstatic to meet another with her affliction.
“Apologies, I was unprepared to know that there is someone else like myself here.”
“And she’s a Grand Huntress,” he added.
“Sunny... Sunundra?”
“Yep.”
“Ah.” The Paw smiled sheepishly, her ears falling back in embarrassment.
“She’s also the only other defect alive who knows what a bond feels like, if I had to say,” he added, his tone falling as he remembered the documents he had to read through on the Lilhun blacklisting. Pan’s eyes widened.
“Then you have...lost?” she pressed the grey and yellow-furred female. Sunundra shrunk a bit.
“I have.”
A second hug enveloped Sunundra, this time one of comfort and sympathy, rather than joy and welcome. The fear within Pan’s tender touch made the subtle shaking obvious; she was picturing if she would still be standing in the event she lost him.
“I know not how to convey my condolences fully, but I pray that the Hunt Mother has made the pain bearable.”
Sunny patted the female in turn, unbothered by the additional comfort. “It has been torturous, yet I still draw breath.”
“I do not know if I would wish to,” Pan whispered, the mood of the hallway sinking. The Grand Huntress returned a wry smile.
“I do not, but I must. For him. For his wish,” she explained tiredly. Her voice grew firm. “For recompense.”
The white-furred female pulled away when Sunny politely requested freedom, her ears drooped and smile forced. “Seeing my mate must be difficult.”
“It is, but it is also a reminder of what I had,” Sunundra admitted, glancing at him with a thankfulness in her eyes. “Perhaps I am blessed again to be given something other than fading memories and contradictory ruminations.”
Pan nodded, looking lost as to how to help another like her in a situation she never wanted to be in. She looked back at Joseph, the Human watching the exchange sympathetically. Answering her own unasked question, she returned her focus to the pale-furred female.
“Would you like to join us for our rest? I know it would never truly emulate what you had, but perhaps it would help soothe some of your loss; contact with those who see beyond our affliction is a salve all its own.”
The Grand Huntress raised a brow, tossing Joseph a questioning expression. He held his hands up.
“Don’t look at me. She’s made up her mind, and I’m inclined to agree with her. It’s not like I haven’t forced it on you before anyway; you’re more than welcome to join the pile.”
“Pile?” Pan asked, ears perking with the mention of a cuddle-puddle. Her own fondness of the den-wide act of companionship further increased her mood, allowing her to clear the morose tone she had taken prior.
Harrow snorted, reminding everyone that she was there, but tired. “Joe promised it. Who’s going to join? The bed isn’t big enough for the whole den.”
The Grand Hunter shrugged. “Everyone, if I have things my way.” He scratched at his neck, averting his eyes as a mild embarrassment passed. “I kinda need it, if I’m honest. It’s been a rough few suns.”
The white-furred female frowned in reflection at the admittance, mercifully leaving her concerns unvoiced. She nodded her agreement with the proposal. “Then I will ask for the Atmo to assist.”
Mama scratched onto her tablet, seeing a moment in the conversation where her and Daisy were relevant. [Shall I ask Rose and Cobalt?]
“Sorry to bother you,” Joseph sighed, remembering that they did indeed need to make the already huge sleeping spot bigger to accommodate the whole den.
[Violet would be sad if she couldn’t be a part of it, anyway.]
He thought for a moment. “This is going to be a massive bed, isn’t it?”
[Maybe I should join, too?]
The large blue Atmo chittered when he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Fuck it, why not. Let’s just stuff everyone into a lump and hope I don’t touch anywhere I shouldn’t.”
Pan giggled into her wrist. “I doubt any would complain.”
Harrow barked a laugh. “Finally thinking about taking me and Jax up on our offer?”
He glared disapprovingly at the orange-furred female, his faux annoyance falling flat when he spotted the tell-tale signs of her hiding her anxiousness. She was concealing it well, but there was still something lingering in the back of her mind, and it was probably his fault. He needed to pull her aside later and explain himself. Apologize, too.
He sighed, directing a pointed gaze in Pan’s direction. “You and Tel are making sure I don’t poke people I’m not supposed to, okay?”
She smiled, rolling her eyes. “We will be sure to be the only ones whom you fall asleep with in your arms.”
“After that is fair game,” Harrow quipped, thumping him in the arm. He wrapped it around her shoulder, tugging her in and grinding his knuckles between her ears.
“I take no responsibility for my actions once I’m out cold.”
“Ah,” Pan voiced, looking back towards Daisy and Sunundra once the muffled laughter from both caught her attention again. “Will that be imposing on yourself? I did not wish to imply that it was decided.”
Joseph released Harrow from the noogie, dropping his hands onto his fiancee’s shoulders, and started kneading the muscles tenderly.
“Sunny knows that we’re not forcing her to do anything, don’t worry. She’s going to be staying here for a few suns while she sorts out what she wants to do in regards to the UM, assuming you’re fine with it.”
His white-furred mate turned her head to look at him, confusion settling in her expression. “Would I not wish to accommodate her?”
He considered it. “Well, I just figured you would like a chance to have a say. Though, I guess it’s pretty obvious you’re in favour of it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Our kin is always welcome, Joseph. If she is friend of yours, then she is friend of the pack. We will oblige her needs as if she was one of our own.”
Sunundra raised a brow at the confidence in her statement, but any subsequent question was cut short by Pan remembering something.
“Has Tel returned as well? Where is she?”
The Human snorted, resting his head against hers as he struggled to fight off the laughter. “Yeah, she’s in the kitchen making us something to eat. Miss her?”
“Of course. She is as much a part of you as myself,” the Paw proclaimed, not hiding the joy in having the grey-furred female back. She kissed him lightly before bowing to Sunundra. “I hope you enjoy your stay, Grand Huntress. If you will excuse me, I must speak with my other.”
Sunny nodded, fondness in her eyes as Pan repeated the sentiment to Daisy and disappeared into the kitchen before closing the door behind her quietly. Joseph reached out and bumped the pale-furred female’s shoulder to gain her attention.
“You doing okay?”
“I am well,” she replied wistfully. “I am merely reminded of my own bond.”
“That similar?”
“Quite,” she agreed fondly, turning her head to regard the mostly silent Harrow. She looked down at the orange-furred tail loosely coiled around his leg, but cycled a breath instead of mentioning it. “I believe you wished to introduce the two kits?”
“Harrow, you know where Violet is?” he asked, biting his cheek when she shrugged.
“Sorry, I was out for a while, but I think she was with Rose and Cobalt last.”
“Eh, it’s fine. I’ll get Scarlet to bring us.”
“The servant?” Sunundra queried. He waved a hand dismissively.
“She’s the one who watches over her most of the time. Violet usually has two Atmo with her, but Scarlet is the one who takes care of the sun-to-sun stuff while me and Pan are occupied.”
“I see. Shall we?” The Grand Huntress gestured towards the hub.
“Food should be done by the time we finish up, yeah,” he agreed. “Coming Harrow?”
She yawned, stretching out her back. “I’ll stop and see what Jax is doing.”
“Works for me. Let’s go see Violet freak out.”
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Scarlet brought them to the security member’s training area, Violet apparently in the process of teaching the Atmo how to spar properly. He already expected it to propagate through their small population, but the activity becoming how they wanted to spend their free time surprised him.
Sunundra’s interest in Joseph using a whistle to summon the Wraith was only secondary to her surprise when the dark red-furred female appeared almost immediately; the pale-furred female’s questioning gaze fixed on the servant.
The sounds of cheering burst through the air as they rounded the corner of a building, Rose flashing back her blade to block the training sword of one of the Lilhuns. From the slight limp of the attacker, it seemed like the end of the spar was near, their exhaustion ignored for the persistent desire to win.
Unfortunately for them, the silver streak of the Atmo’s protective sheath connecting with the furred stomach led to the female falling—coughs and resigned laughter easing any worry. With the match settled, spectating insects rushed forward to crowd around and voice their excitement, several checking to make sure the other combatant was okay before helping them to their feet. With a grin and a paw to her stomach, the security member exchanged a fist-bump against the wooden protective equipment before taking refuge in a shaded area.
Jax wasn’t in sight, but he was probably speaking with Harrow or on patrol. That didn’t mean that the event was unorganized, however; the other person who would keep everyone in line was still present.
Violet checked on the participants, holding up a sign to congratulate the Lilhun for doing so well before speaking with Rose.
“Violet!” he called, grinning when the purple Queen stiffened, her head snapping towards the sound of his voice. “I have someone I want you to meet!”
Scarlet stepped out of the way, letting his adoptive daughter tackle him. True to form, he braced himself and accepted the affection without landing on his ass. He scratched at her, enjoying the affectionate purrs and bouncing excitement.
“Hey, Vi. Check who I have with me.”
Violet obliged, snuggling for a brief moment longer before retreating a step to see what he was referencing. The two Queens locked gazes.
A blur of purple bolted forward, actually succeeding in knocking Daisy over. Joseph held out a hand to stop Sunundra from fussing about it; he knew how resilient the Atmo were to this kind of roughhousing. The two clicked, chittered, purred, and nuzzled, both over the moon to find each other.
“Violet, meet Daisy,” he managed through chuckles. “Daisy is the Queen of Sunny’s nest. Speaking of, meet Grand Huntress Sunundra.”
The pale-furred female waited for the two to separate before hesitantly offering greeting to the young Atmo in the only way she had seen them do it—her invitation for a hug accepted, though much gentler than Joseph had gotten used to. Violet penned a message, duplicating it for her father’s benefit.
[It is nice to meet you!]
“You as well,” she returned, a smile playing at the corners of her muzzle. “I am glad to see more of Daisy’s kind.”
“I don’t know how it works—as far as genetics and labels—but I took to calling her your sister, since it felt like it fit,” he mentioned, eyes turned skyward as he put some thought into it. “If there’s another descriptor, then let me know.”
[We have different mothers,] Violet confirmed, not deterred in the slightest. She quickly wiped the tablet free of previous messages and English duplicates, scratching down more in a smaller space. [But I feel like ‘sister’ seems right. I’m very happy to meet her.]
He blinked. She didn’t often directly reference his relationship with her, but the bashful way she held the sign in front of her face—mixed with the familial title—melted his heart all over again.
“Your ship must have been huge for you guys not to see each other before now, huh?”
[We were raised in separate sections.]
“That seems...odd,” he admitted, trying to keep the judgment out of his voice. He didn’t know what the conditions were like on the craft, so he shouldn’t force his opinions on a situation he didn’t understand. Luckily, Mama offered some insight, Violet transcribing for Sunny.
[It was for food distribution. Where our population could be sustained for quite some time on the ship, the concentration in one area would cause problems. It also assisted in the event a disaster occurred, since both Queens would be less likely to come to harm at once. I was not told the specifics, only that the Kuoori warned of it.]
“Sorry to bring it up,” he apologized, hand fixed to the back of his neck at mentioning the now extinct sister-species of the Atmo. Both Mama and Violet were quick to reassure him, trapping him between purring carapaces. It made sense that they would keep their two most ‘valuable’ people far away from each other, even if they would be happier otherwise. Having an accident—or worse, attack—take out half of the ship wasn’t an impossibility; having one incident kill both of the limited Queens would only ruin what work went into getting the Atmo away from the Union in the first place.
“What is a Kuoori?” Sunny asked.
“Another species that evolved with the Atmo,” he explained, gently rubbing the two affectionate insects. Daisy took a spot next to the Grand Huntress, curiously glancing between them. “They...they stayed behind when the Union took out their homeworld.”
Her ears flattened in a mixture of rage and sorrow, the two emotions she still had being heightened by the rest falling mute. Based on the snarl exposing her teeth, they were as active as ever. “More sins to be repaid.”
He held up a palm to stop the train of thought. “Not now.”
“But—”
“Not. Now,” he repeated, flicking an eye to the Queens. She followed his direction, grimacing as she swallowed her ire. “This sun is supposed to be a happy one. We have new friends and new Atmo. Two sisters meet, and you get welcomed to my settlement with open arms.”
He placed a kiss on Violet’s head, prompting her and Mama to rejoin Daisy, the three having their own conversation and giving him and Sunny a moment of privacy. He kept his voice low, his tone sympathetic—angry, but controlled.
“I want them to burn as much as you do, Sun, but right now, we need to stay solid.”
“I wish them to bear witness as their kin char before them.”
He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, his expression hardening to impress how important his words were.
“And right now, all that will do is make Daisy forget about her excitement at meeting Violet.” He rubbed his thumb on her collar gently. “Don’t take away a kit’s joy over our grudges.”
The Grand Huntress held his stare, wrath fading as guilt took place. She broke eye contact, not bothering to remove his touch. “They have wronged so many.”
“They have.”
“They deserve the worst our ire could possibly impart upon them.”
“Some do,” he agreed, clarifying his stance on things. Her eyes flicked back up in challenge to meet his upheld finger requesting a moment to explain. “Not everyone had a say in what happened to us, Sunny. There are plenty of people out there talking like you and me; two or more entirely separate species, allies and friends—families and lovers. People who would take up arms if the news was released to the public.”
“Then why do they not?” she growled through a whisper, struggling to maintain the level of privacy. He shrugged, unable to look at her with any confidence.
“I don’t know, Sunny. As far as I understand it, we can’t just open fire. We need to know who made the order, who is responsible for accepting it, and how to hurt them. If we just glass planets like the Union did to the Atmo…tried to do with you, then are we any better? Will we feel good about ourselves knowing that billions of innocent lives were ended, just because someone of their species did something horrid?”
She clenched her paws, claws digging into the skin. He forced his hand into them, making her injure him if she wanted to keep doing it. The attempt to ground her worked, her seething fury cooling further as grip turned to accepting the gesture of solidarity and comfort.
“Then what do we do, Joseph?” she whispered, the fight removed with her strength. “My existence since I lost him has been of vendetta and perseverance. How do I avenge him if I cannot strike my enemies?”
She flinched when he released a paw to ruffle and scratch between her ears. “You live, Sunshine. Be happy, find people who care about you, and never let them go. You have a young kit who looks up to you, a pack who needs you, and the power to see them safe. Now you just need to let them do the same for you.”
“Would any truly care for a further broken defect?” she murmured, wetness staining both voice and fur as her driving purpose was invalidated. The pang scorched him—a desire to set things right inside of her being crushed under the reality of his words, then a hopeless fantasy proposed to replace it.
He pulled her in for a quick hug, patting her back. “I do, Sunny. Pan does, Tel likes you—surprisingly—and the pack here is more than happy to have you around when you have the chance.” He gave a final squeeze before gesturing to the two Queens having become too absorbed in their conversation to notice that they had started wandering away, Scarlet and Mama overseeing them. “If all else fails, and it gets too hard to keep going…when the Void seems warm and welcoming... You’ll have a den here, Sun. A place to belong. For telling me about Dad, for bringing my daughter her sister...and for saving my ass, I guess. No matter what you face, we’ll be here to help. As far as we’re concerned, you’re already kin.”
The pale-furred female nodded, drying her eyes with the back of her paws before looking up with a warmer expression. It felt less forced than before, and the gratitude in her eyes spoke volumes.
“Of course, Joe. Thank you.”
“Any time, Sunshine,” he returned with a wink. Unlike when he first called her by the old nickname, she didn’t seem pained by the memory—instead fondly replacing the wooden smile. “Let’s go. We have a bit of time before the celebration, so I think you’d like the chance for a nap or relaxation. It’s been a rough sun.”
She nodded, cycling a breath. “I think I would like that.”
He guided her towards the sound of Violet and Daisy enthusiastically greeting the pack members, a few crowding around the two Atmo, cooing and accepting the young one’s hugs. Violet looked absolutely radiant, joy expressed through simple gestures and tapping legs. She was quick to translate conversation between her sister and whoever wanted to speak with her, allowing the other Queen actual conversation with the species her nest resided with. The sight felt right.
He sighed internally. It wasn’t a bad thing, but the circle of those he considered family grew just a little bit more today. He really didn’t know how Rob would react to it, nor did he care.
He was happy with them, and that was all that mattered.