Chapter 61: Father Knows Best
Joseph sat outside the walls, trusting in whichever Blade that was keeping an eye on him to let him know if something wanted to eat him. He wasn’t doing anything in particular, he just needed time to think.
The night was spent holding Pan and trying to reassure his quiet daughter, the latter politely excusing herself to spend time with Mama and the other Atmo after she had absorbed all of what was shown to her without warning.
His mate proved to be even worse off than he was, though there was no saying if his emotions made it harder for her to deal with. Either way, she fell asleep after crying in his arms after a while, Tel waiting until she had drifted off to join them for the night.
The three slept alone, Sahari and Nalah abiding by his soft-spoken request for some space. Sahari seemed worried, though Joseph now knew that she was privy to how he was feeling about things, so it was likely just the lack of context for his state of mind that irked her. Nalah ended up dragging her away with a conflicted expression when he said that he would tell them about what happened some other time.
So, there he was, hidden from all but the single female that thought her spot in the branches a few trees away would allow her the same.
He wasn’t depressed about it anymore, he surpassed that and fell into a muted state some time ago, his anger for the Union fading to be locked away for the time being. He wanted to sort out the information in his head, as much as he could anyway, without anyone interrupting over something that didn’t absolutely need him.
His daughter was a Queen. Mama was a probably a Hatcher, instead of the young Atmo’s actual mother. The man, Adam, had died with his family while they tried to deliver the request for sanctuary. Joseph’s own cruise ship was redirected to be sacrificed in an effort to cut down the remains of the Atmo people. Lilhun translators were reverse-engineered from a poorly reverse-engineered Atmo translator the Union had either stolen from the Atmo planet or acquired from a ship.
So many questions were answered, but so many more remained.
How long ago did the Union shut down Adam? Violet was said to have been transported off planet as an egg, and based on the fact that he had been chosen as a parent for her, it had been long enough for her to reach the appropriate age. That’s to say nothing of the Union having access to prototype translators when they started their attacks on the Lilhuns.
How many ships have been hunted down, and how many are close to reaching Sol? Are any? How many Atmo survived the crash here? How many were accepted by those like Volta, and how many were killed just because they look dangerous? Can he save more? Save them so that Violet might have more of her kind, an Atmo family to supplement the Lilhun one she has grown to love?
He sighed, letting himself flop back on the ground and stare at the blueish clouds in the orange sky.
Mama was Violet’s guardian, in a way, until she had decided that Joseph was qualified to teach the young Queen how to lead. A laughable thought in his mind, but it made him worry if he was raising her right.
He wasn’t upset that he had the responsibility foisted upon him without him having any knowledge of the event. If anything, he would have broke down crying again knowing that Violet truly considered him a ‘father’, of sorts, instead of just writing a line that Rob taught her. It meant that she not only knew what the word meant, but actually believed it to be an accurate moniker for the Human she had spent so much time around.
It would have been the closest thing he could ever have to what he had always wanted, but the moment was scarred by what was around it.
He eyed the branch where the Blade sat, the female watching him and his surroundings with a bored expression. He let out a quiet whistle to call her, a trick they developed during the walk back to the settlement. Her ears perked towards him, a long exhale given as she flitted through the foliage to drop next to him with skill far less than his gunmetal-furred pillow.
She knelt next to him, eyes impassively staring at the ground. He returned his own sigh and patted next to him to invite her to sit, digging out some jerky and offering it once she cautiously acquiesced to his request.
He didn’t really care who was around, or if they could understand him, he just wanted to feel like someone was listening without the pack knowing. He looked the female up and down for a moment to jog his memory of which girl she was, noticing the slight scar under her eye. It seemed like she was the only one to be tasked with keeping tabs on him, though Tel denies having assigned her to do it.
Scar... Scarlet. The thought made him smile, naming the assassin for his own coherence. The female’s fur was a deep shade of red, seemingly black in all but bright sunlight, making it a fitting moniker, if nothing else. She wore dark leathers that had been hardened somehow as protection, a metal dagger sheathed on her hip. She stood a bit taller than him, he guessed, but since she was always crouched or kneeling, it was hard to tell.
Joseph watched as she silently ate what he provided after performing a brief check, for what he assumed to be poison, by nibbling the corner and waiting a while for something to happen. Mollified, she started consuming it normally, her ears rotating like radar dishes as her eyes scanned in front of her.
“I was chosen to be Violet’s dad,” he started, an exhale taking the form of his words.
Scarlet glanced at him, but seeing his total disregard of her, she went back to keeping an eye out while the Human allowed his thoughts to flow out.
“I don’t even know if I’m qualified to be one, if I’m honest. I didn’t exactly have the most stable upbringing. It wasn’t a broken home or anything, but mom got sick pretty early on, and dad had his hands full paying her medical bills and trying to make sure I didn’t starve, so I don’t really have much to work off of. It’s not like I haven’t kinda taken the spot myself, but that was mostly me just living out a fantasy at the time.”
He sighed, watching a particularly fluffy cloud slowly pass by. “Maybe Jax would have been better for her. I mean, I know that he’s going to treat her like the daughter of a close friend, if not take a role as her uncle or something, but he’s helped his younger siblings, he has his priorities straight, and he knows who he is. Harrow might make a good mom, once she gets over her obsession with trying to blow out the fuses with every idea.”
A laugh escaped him, the open venting already helping him sort out his thoughts and stave off the numbness that had plagued him. Scarlet had started looking at him, her expression as flat as always.
“Then there’s the issue of her actively using me as a template to work off of. A model of how she should lead her own people when the time comes. What have I taught her? Throw yourself into danger? Disrespect everyone you meet? God knows my language is as dirty as it comes.”
He rested an arm on his forehead to block the sunlight peering through the atmosphere. “I didn’t even think to teach her how to write. That was a pretty fucking obvious solution that I just skipped for no reason, and apparently it was one of the first things the pack considered, but dropped since their ‘Grand Hunter’ must have already ruled it out. The only thing I actually taught her was the same shit that got her entire race nuked from orbit. Pan taught her leather-working, fabric processing, and whatever else she had time to. Jax is teaching her his language, Harrow taught her how to make some of our weapons when Mama was too busy, and Nalah is letting her help with the settlement whenever she wants to.”
Scarlet glanced to his pouch holding the extra jerky he had on-hand, prompting him to pass her another to pay for the ear she was lending him.
“And now what? I come back from a trip with assassins and bad blood between me and the guy who tells them what to do. Half of what Violet has seen me do is either violence or causes it. That’s to say nothing of the other shit on my mind. How in the hell do I find the other Atmo? What do I do about the other packs? How long of a haul should we prepare for before Rob finds us and gets us home? Will we ever get home? Is there another Queen like Violet on the planet? How do I help? Should I?”
He covered his face with his hands, rubbing at his eyes to ease the stress. “Then there’s more tiny bullshit I want to figure out. What about Sahari’s bond? Can I help her and Nalah? Does Tel resent me for insisting I stay with Pan? Is Pan actually fine with everything, or is she using the bond as an excuse to put up with it? Is she just staying with me because of it... because it would tear her apart otherwise? Am I actually worth a damn? Will Mi’low cause issues because she doesn’t like how I carry myself? Will the people we have coming fit in? Will the report that Tel accepted me as her... ‘Sheath’, piss off Trill? Will he do something about it?”
Joseph dropped his arms and watched Scarlet idly keep her regard outwards as he had his moment to vent. “When will I stop thinking of Tel when you guys are around spreading that peppermint scent? It sucks, because I miss when she used it... Just something about the smell makes me feel comfortable when shes there.” He sighed again, sitting himself up and patting his sounding board on the back, surprising the Blade with the contact. “I probably shouldn’t disappear for too long or someone’s going to panic. Thanks for listening Scarlet, even if it was all gibberish to you, it helped to just get it out there.”
He got to his feet, stretching out his shoulders and taking a deep breath before starting back towards the gate so that he could do whatever someone dragged him around to do. There was a few things around the bathhouse and Hall that needed his input, and Harrow still needed him to help her with her new toys, so getting his thoughts out in the open cleared his head enough for him to actually focus.
One last glance back proved that Scarlet had taken to the trees again, a nod given to the empty space in a final thanks for her assistance ended his break.
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She dropped from the wall, carrying more information than just an answer to where her male had disappeared to.
It had been a fairly confusing moon for her, the two being so distraught and isolated from the rest of the pack after they spoke to the avian. Tel had assumed that they learned something they would have rather not, but even Joseph seemed to radiate that he would like time alone to process what he had experienced as Pan seemed to want nothing more than to seek comfort in her bond.
It left the Blade in a difficult position, but she decided to rejoin them once the Paw had exhausted herself sufficiently enough to rest.
Joseph had welcomed her with a weak smile, though it was obvious enough that he was burdened with much on his mind after denying Sahari and Nalah from his room in favour of a moment alone. It didn’t seem to be enough for him, however, as he had left the settlement in pursuit of solitude.
After requesting that the other Blades inform her when he was to leave and detail whom it was with, finding out that he had left alone had worried her enough for her to follow, leading to her overhearing his plights. Much of it was not something she could assist with, but some of it she may be able.
His insecurities about being a sort of blood-father aside, he had voiced his desire for control, albeit in different words. He wished to assist more Atmo, discover the motives of or tame Mi’low, receive information on the other packs, and sort out the specifics of a romantic arrangement that bent his values much the same as her own, though he seemed far more distraught by it than herself.
Tel could accommodate the Paw, if only because the female herself wished it so and was willing to meet whatever requests she could. The issue was ensuring that Joseph would be protected at all times. If she lapsed in her vigilance—either during or after confirming their affections—and something were to occur during their moment, then it would be as if she doomed him herself.
It was not something she was willing to allow. It was perhaps paranoid, but there were no security measures too great to defend against those whom breathe infiltration like herself.
So, she was teaching Pan as best she could, the difference in goals meaning that she need to adjust much of how she herself was taught when she first picked up a dagger. The white-furred female wished not to raze the dens of those who thought wise to target her mate, but to stand as a bulwark at his side so that he may exist as he was—bearing his burden so that he might overcome his struggles—as opposed to having her clear them from his path.
It was a difference in approach that irked Tel’s origins, but soothed the ingrained unease of another sharing a bed with her male.
She gave a short whistle, gathering the three Blades whom were not watching the Grand Hunter. Though she did not really understand why that particular female felt it her duty to oversee him, it may be to understand why the heiress reacted as she did when it was suggested that Tel claim his position as her own. Regardless of the reason, it was a layer of protection for him, and Tel was at least somewhat thankful for the slight reduction in her worries.
The dull ones appeared from the shadows, far from silently, though proficient enough for their task.
“I wish for you to target the Paw, though do not harm her,” Tel started, glaring into the eyes of each of the assassins. Some confusion was returned with the conflicting instructions, but they remained silent. “We must ensure she is aware of what harms may befall my Sheath, and you will be my tools in which I work upon her. For now, observe her, and do not be caught. For every opportunity you may have ended her without notice, you will detail where and how in a report to me before the moon. Worry not if she begins to foil your scouting, for it is only when you find no faults that we will move on.”
A single Blade raised a brow, a question waiting to be voiced. Tel nodded in their direction.
“What of other orders from such as the Grand Hunter?”
Tel cycled a breath, knowing that specifics would need to be cleared before a Blade may carry out their orders for ones such as these. “Obey all else before this, but adhere when otherwise unoccupied. Inform me if he himself requests you to cease.”
“Yes, mistress.”
The heiress waved them off. “Go. When she is outside the walls of the den, you will align yourselves to strike. Once you are either discovered or are allowed sufficient time in which you would be able to act, retreat and attempt again at a later time. Report your ‘success’ and failures in equal parts.”
The Blades scattered into the settlement to return to whatever they were doing before or to seek the Paw to begin their newest assignment.
This would train her observation. The next phase will train her ability to defend him. All Tel would need to do for her directly is to get her accustomed to the rules of true combat. The Blade knew not of how Trill might react, much as Joseph feared, so it would be prudent for the Paw to become a perfect counter to those whom would likely be sent to take him from them.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
It would be a lie to say that Tel didn’t also wish for the bonded one to survive whatever may come as well, the female extending the same kindness that her Sheath did was a disarming experience, for what it was. The desire to provide Tel with whatever may help her please the male had since subdued the trepidation that the Blade held in allowing her inclusion, allowing the two to speak more candidly and share something beyond the mere presence within the same pack like before.
Learning of her male’s past through the lens of one whom has sought it before her—and it being delivered with a shared sorrow as if it were the tale of the Paw herself—had given Tel an appreciation for what the female might add to her own interactions with the Human. Though his scent betrayed much of his emotions in great volume, whenever he steeled himself it became a neutral and uninformative marker of his distress. Pan, however, openly displayed even the more subdued changes in his demeanour, allowing Tel some semblance of knowledge in how her male was feeling.
It all made the heiress far more receptive in regards to Pan’s inclusion in the relationship with her male, framing the female as a part of her Sheath, rather than another Blade whom seeks to occupy it.
It also allowed her to turn her attentions to the rest of the direct pack, her constant search for one whom might wield her having kept her socialization sparse as she needed to judge if they were suitable. The worry of abandonment due to the Paw’s objection having been dispelled had erased the last of what might motivate her to remain distant, and Joseph seemed to wish her better integrated, thus an effort may be made in such direction during her ample free time.
If nothing else, it may quell his worries some. Tel might not be bonded to her male as Pan is, but her temperament lent itself to acting more directly on what she did notice.
All she needed now was to shore up those whom are charged with ensuring his safety, and she might act personally to raise his spirits.
Her tail began its usual pattern as her anticipation for the moment she would take him simmered in the background of her mind.
Perhaps she may have an idea for as how to apply the scent he is so fond of without obscuring her mark...
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Harrow passed the treated ironwood strip to Joseph, the Human slotting it into place with a fair bit of difficulty. A light knock on the gym door caused him to flinch enough for the modified spring to snap onto his knuckles.
“FUCK...ing... ow.” He nursed his struck paw by cradling it with the other, wincing as he looked to see who had interrupted. Harrow waved lightly to Pan, the female looking guilty for causing pain to her mate.
“I’m sorry.”
Joseph shook his head, releasing his paw and shaking it with a stiff expression. “It’s fine. Not the first time it’s happened.”
“Four times so far,” Harrow added with a bit of pity.
“And yet I’m still doing it.”
“You have more grip strength.”
“And more bruises,” he mumbled in response, glowering at the offending spring before cycling a breath to look towards the Paw. “What’s up?”
Pan glanced between both of them, tightly folding her paws over her lap. Her voice fell meekly. “May I speak to you for a moment?”
He raised his brows, handing Harrow the piece he was working on. “Shoot.”
The white-furred female closed the door behind her as she entered fully, an uncertain look in Harrow’s direction prompted her bond to follow it.
“Is it private?”
The Head of Technology knew when she was being asked to leave, getting off the floor to fetch the various components to continue the task in her room for now. Pan raised a paw to suggest it was fine. “You need not leave on my account, Harrow. It isn’t particularly exclusive.”
The orange-furred female checked with the Grand Hunter, the male shrugging in response. Satisfied, though confused, she made herself comfortable again and started trying to install the counter-wound springs to retract the blade of her modified bracer prototype.
Joseph watched for a moment before leaning against the wall and crossing his legs under one another. “So, what’s up?”
Pan took a deep breath, closing her eyes to focus herself. “It’s about Violet.”
The statement hardened his expression as he leaned forward again. “What about her?”
The Paw broke eye contact, staring at the floor. “I believe I may have been selected as an Advisor.”
Harrow looked up from her task, the spring recoiling from the sudden freedom gained by her lack of attention, though luckily not striking her. Joseph furrowed his brow, his eyes scanning the floor as he processed her words. His voice took on a tone of confusion.
“When?”
She kept her gaze downwards as Harrow found herself slightly more interested in the conversation involving a position she didn’t know about than her project at the moment. “Before you left for your journey. Mama and Violet performed the same ritual as was displayed in the video, I just was unaware of the significance.”
“Really?” His brows shot up, a smile slowly forming. “That’s great!”
Pan lightened up under the effect of the bond, though her own hesitation remained as an undertone. “You are not disappointed?”
“For what? Violet sees you as one of her parents.”
She tensed her face. “I worried that you may feel hurt.”
He leaned back against the wall, the once building stress evaporated. “Hurt?” He chuckled lightly, the increasing effect on his mate confusing the female further. “I’m happy for you. It might not be what you were dreaming of, but you have a daughter now, I guess. Well, as close to one as you can get here.”
Pan blinked, a wetness to her voice bubbling under the surface. “I worried you would be disappointed.”
Joseph shook his head. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have put into the position with me than you, Pan. It... It actually makes me more relieved than you could ever know.” He stared warmly at his feet, pausing once he remembered something. “Actually, I suppose you’re the only person who wo-”
Harrow jolted backwards to dodge the flying female, Pan having thrown herself into her mate with tearful eyes. He grunted as she landed into him, catching her on reflex.
She pawed into his chest in an attempt to hold him ever closer, her tone carrying a fragile wish upon her tongue. “You were selected as well?”
The Grand Hunter fixed his arms to embrace her properly. “Before we met you guys, yeah.”
Pan’s words came off as a disbelieving whisper. “We have a kit.”
He stroked her head softly. “I guess we do.”
Harrow couldn’t help but smile as the female silently allowed the tears to roll off her fur, the emotions causing them the polar opposite from what seemed to be behind the ones the moon before. She waited for them to settle into a peaceful moment before she voiced the question she held on her tongue. “So... What’s all this about an ‘Advisor’?”
Joseph snapped out of his own little world, remembering that his friend was still within arms reach. “Oh, right.”
She slipped some faux annoyance into her response as she forced a flat expression. “Yeah, right. I’m still here.”
“Shit, Harrow. I’m sorry. It’s just a bit of a moment and-”
She held up a paw to stop him, a fond smirk colouring her response. “I can tell it’s a good thing at least. Does it have something to do with why you two were so down?”
He took a breath as he chewed his cheek, Pan deflating within his arms. “Yeah. Think everyone is around?”
Harrow thought for a moment. “Jax and Nalah are probably with their people taking care of security stuff and construction. Sahari might be around, and Tel, I think, is napping in the hub.”
Joseph nodded. “I’ll send Scarlet to grab Jax and Nalah. Sahari too, if she’s out.”
“Having a meeting?” she asked, raising a brow in time with a flicked ear at the unfamiliar name, but figured it would be mentioned later. If not, she could always bother him about it later.
His expression darkened. “Yeah. I think we should go over what happened to the Atmo.”
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Harrow waited for Joseph to return from asking ‘Scarlet’ to grab Nalah and Jax, her arms resting on the back of the couch as she watched Tel sleep. Or more accurately, try to remain asleep as Harrow poked her face every so often. Pan, though still wearing an unusual mix of joy and trepidation due to her bond’s lingering influence, seemed to find some amusement from Tel’s attempt to play dead despite the prodding.
Sahari was still within the den and seemed almost as anxious about what had caused their Grand Hunter to become so despondent as Pan looked to be, though the Paw would seemingly be part of the two explaining it. The black-furred female sat on the edge of one of the couches, only mildly aware of the annoyance Harrow was being to sate her own boredom.
The click of the exit opening drew her attentions away from bothering the cook, the female reluctantly turning to see who had entered, followed by glaring at Harrow for ruining her nap as she sat upright. Joseph walked through the doors with a concerned Nalah and Jax, the two looking to the rest of the pack for an explanation for the gathering, only to give the Human another look as they sat once no one could offer anything besides a shrug.
The Grand Hunter kissed Pan on the head and sent her to fetch Violet and the other Atmo, their presence apparently being necessary. She asked if Volta would be joining them and was told to offer, but not to mind if the newest of the pack didn’t want to be involved for this discussion.
Harrow raised her paw as Joseph sat on the table across from them, much like he did when he assigned them all their positions within the den. Once Violet had returned with Mama and the two other Atmo in tow, Pan took a place beside him, the Human taking a breath after smiling weakly at the den-kit and accepting that Volta would like to use the time to finish her cleaning of the baths.
“So I guess you guys are wondering what in the hell happened for... well, both of us to be in such a bad way,” he started as the rest of the pack got seated. Harrow noticed Nalah sit next to Sahari, her paw subtly resting upon the ex-Grand Huntress’ lap.
Tel frowned at being left to sit rather than taking a place at his side, but dismissed it as she asked her question as a statement. “I take it that the Atmo are involved.”
Joseph nodded, his lips pressed thin as Pan gave him a worried glance, taking his paw in her own. “It does. That brings us to a few key points.” He raised his claws on his free paw as he spoke. “One; The Atmo home-worlds are gone. Like some of yours.”
“The Union got to them?” Harrow interjected, being scowled at by most of the pack for interrupting. Her ears dropped as she sheepishly apologized and asked for him to continue.
Joseph averted his gaze, but gave a curt confirmation with a tilt of his head. “Yeah. Humans were brought in to see how things went. We taught them combat. Shit went up in smoke. Two; Violet is a juvenile Queen.”
He allowed that statement to sit in the air for a moment in case anyone had any questions, though the raised brow from the pack prompted him to elaborate anyway. “She’s the ‘Grand Huntress’ of the Atmo, I guess. Well, in training, would be an appropriate descriptor.”
Jax seemed oddly proud of the clarification, Harrow’s tail swaying in approval under his influence, though being doubled by her own once she accepted that it was likely good news.
“Three; Pan and myself have been selected as ‘Advisors’. In short; we’re her parents, for all intents and purposes. She looks to us for an example to use when it becomes time for her to lead her own people.” He closed his eyes, displeasure painted over his face. “I hope she takes after Pan more than me.”
The snort from Harrow and Jax brought a bit of levity to the Human, Pan easing by his side at both his words and lightened mood. Tel seemed interested in the exchange, glancing to the den-kit with a question in her eyes. “What of Mama? Is she not an adequate figure?”
Joseph took a breath, looking to the largest Atmo. “Mama, you were... or are a ‘Hatcher’ for your Nest, right?”
The insect tilted her head, offering a small nod in response. The Human turned back to the pack. “She’s not Violet’s mom. Not biologically. Though I will personally beat the face off anyone who says she isn’t every bit as important.” He smirked weakly, his regard wandering. “Think of her as a ‘den-mother’, rather than anything else. She’s the one who decided to trust us with her upbringing directly. It’s a part of their duties, I suppose.”
Violet walked across the hub towards her spare tablets, Joseph continuing as he watched. “Violet’s mom, a Queen like her, stayed behind to buy her people time to escape. All in all; we’re the closest thing she has to family now.”
Nalah spoke up after Sahari seemed hesitant to voice a thought. “Were we not her pack anyway?”
He shook his head. “I mean she has lost her parents, her siblings, her home... Even the ship she escaped on went up. There might be another Queen that survived here, the closest thing she has to a sister, if not an actual one, but we have no idea where she would be. This,” he gestured broadly to the entirety of the den, “is no replacement for that.”
Harrow felt a pang in her chest, a numbed sorrow preceding the faint smell of ash and sterilized oxygen. The long forgotten feeling of the mask pressed to her muzzle, the subtle hiss of pressurized air saturating her smoke-filled lungs with life as her eyes blearily searched her surroundings for familiar fur.
“Four; The translators you guys use are, in all likelihood, derivatives of an attempt to reverse-engineer the one Atmo made when they learned Humans have so many languages.” He gave a hollow chuckle. “Leave it to the walking weapons to make something no one else could because they didn’t like the idea of not talking to people.”
“The Union stole the Atmo technology and eliminated them?” Tel queried, a passive interest in her expression.
“Yeah. The Atmo sent eight seed-ships and an advance ship to seek refuge with the Humans in Sol. Given that the information we got came from Sil, and the fact that Violet is old enough to need Advisors, we’re looking at—assuming the best—seven ships unaccounted for.”
Sahari spoke for the first time since Joseph had entered. “You believe the ship that impacted with your own was theirs?”
“It’s the best I can figure. We ended up here, despite it being so colossally off course that no one knew how the hell we got here. Add in the warp-spike, and I’d say they caught wind of their direction and dropped us right where the spike would rip them out of warp. Like slamming a door in someone’s face as they’re running.”
Nalah raised a brow. “Would they not be able to change course?”
“It takes time to adjust,” Harrow clarified, Jax nodding in agreement. “Going from warp to normal space would be jarring enough for the pilot. Suddenly having a ‘door slammed in their face’,” she waved a paw limply towards the Human as she used his simile, “would be more than anyone could reasonably react to, let alone any attempts to slow down further or change course. The fact that they managed to get the escape shuttles launched is enough of a miracle.”
“What does that mean for our own inclusion in the effects of the warp-spike?” Sahari inquired further. Joseph shook his head.
“I don’t know anything about it, past what you guys told me. It could be a planet-side installation, or it could be a free-floating deployment nearby. Why is it here? No clue. Maybe someone wanted whoever came close enough stuck here. Maybe they put it up preemptively for the Atmo and you got caught in the crossfire. Maybe it was put up for you, and the Atmo just picked a convenient path. There’s no saying right now.”
“What do you intend to do?” Tel asked, though something in her voice made Harrow wonder if she already knew the answer.
Joseph took a breath as Violet returned with her tablets, scratching something into them, but shaking her head when he asked if she had something she wished to say. He frowned, but accepted the den-kit’s denial as he looked towards the adult Atmo.
“I want to gather the rest of them, I think. I want Violet to have an actual family of people like her, instead of a poor excuse of a parent like me. She deserves that much.”
Violet finished with transcribing her message, Harrow catching a glance as she held it for Pan and him to see, the female translating with a pain to her voice. [Don’t want to be father?]
Joseph’s eyes widened. “No! No, sweetie, it’s not that. I... I just want you to be happy.”
The den-kit quickly scratched a new line. [I am.]
The smile returned to his face, though it seemed forced. “It’s okay to not be okay, Vi. You learned... Your mom is gone. No one expects you to power through that.”
Violet deflated a bit, but resolutely scratched a new message, flipping the tablet for more space. [I have a mother.]
His brows furrowed until Pan started tearing up again, the female accepting the embrace when Violet offered it to her. His expression softened immensely at the display. “Pan... I see. As long as you’re okay. Just talk to us if things get too hard, alright?”
Violet nodded as best she could as the Paw struggled to maintain composure against her.
“So what does that mean for Rose and Cobalt?” Harrow asked tentatively, curious about the power dynamic at play.
“Who?”
She gestured to the two Atmo who were relying on Mama for the English translation.
He tilted his head. “I thought you guys didn’t name them yet.”
Harrow tapped her claws as she looked away. “I thought you might appreciate me doing it for you.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than okay with it, but... Why those two?”
She patted down some fur on her thigh as she answered sheepishly. “Cobalt is used in diamond-carbide tools, which I thought would fit given their blades, and it’s blue. Rose... Pan mentioned you used a flower as inspiration for Violet’s name, so it felt fitting. Plus, she told me it was one of the suggestions you had for her before she decided on her current name.”
Joseph tilted his head as he considered it, bobbing in agreement after a moment. “Cobalt and Rose it is.” He nodded again in their direction. “Nice to have you here, Rose, Cobalt.”
The two Atmo, once Mama had caught them up, chittered in excitement, bowing to the Grand Hunter in thanks. He smiled, glancing at his mate still hugging their kit as he returned his focus to Harrow. “So what about them?”
“Well, Violet is a Grand Huntress, kind of, so will they fall under you, or her?”
He thought about it for a moment, raising a brow at Mama to request she pass on the question or provide an answer. The clicks directed at Violet prompted her to release her chosen blood-mother, scratching a message into the small space remaining. [Father knows best.]
He snorted, almost dropping off the table in his surprise, Pan brightening further in reflection of his joy at again being referred as a sire. “Not how I would have put it, but I’m glad the illusion hasn’t worn off. So, yeah. I guess they’ll keep going as they are, helping out whenever they want to.” He turned towards the two. “Thank you, by the way.”
They nodded in return, Joseph smiling as he addressed the pack again. “We’re going to need to learn about the other packs, see if anyone has taken in Atmo or... if there are less than I hoped.”
Tel stood, sauntering over to her mate with a confidence inspired by her field of expertise being proposed. “May I have permission to assign scouts?”
“Scouts?”
She giggled, her tail running up his chest. “We must learn, no? Why do we not simply send our own informants such as the ones Mi’low seemed to disdain so much?”
He placed a fist to his lips as he thought about it. “Flavour it as a small trade mission, yeah. Issue is our numbers.”
“Do we not have more arriving soon?”
“I mean, yeah, but we can’t ju-”
Pan’s face flushed as Tel forcefully silenced him with a passionate kiss, the bond likely mixing with her own reaction to the unexpected action.
The Blade separated after a moment, licking her lips as she gazed into his eyes. “Wish it, and I shall make it so, my male. Be it making the mountains bend the knee or making your presence ephemeral, I will be your means to such ends.”
Joseph blinked, stunned into silence along with much of the pack, Harrow leaning more against the couch to get a better angle. “You’re not going.”
“You are in possession of four Blades besides myself, and members whom would not mind the distance.”
His eyes narrowed as he considered the suggestion. “Who do we have info on?”
“We could begin with Toril. Mi’low is aware of where his settlement lays, if her idle complaints of the male’s informants are any indication.”
The Grand Hunter scowled, a slight question to his expression. “I want the details before we make any moves. Who Toril is, what he does, and what to expect. I’m not sending anyone anywhere without some semblance of security.”
Tel gave him a peck on the lips before turning to the pack, her demeanour shifting to that of a machined predator. “Harrow, expedite your prototype. Have Heralt begin work on shields, though the new forge installation will have to wait. Jax, assign three of your people to advanced stamina training and Joseph’s CQC. Sahari will assist when you are otherwise occupied.” She glanced over her shoulder to Pan, a sadistic smirk building on her muzzle. “And you, dear bonded one, must practise.”