honey, i'm home

^^

please let @Hawking post first

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“I’m so confused,” Hawking had said, when the two of them had confessed their love to each other and you know, at first, Archon didn’t question it - but the entire way up to Duskguard, Archon was growing more and more confused. He hadn’t even known confusion to be contagious, but holy crap, he couldn’t stop thinking about certain things.

For instance, okay - how the heck was Archon going to introduce Hawking to his family? “Hello mom and dad, this is my friend, Hawking?” That had been the goal, okay? Before feelings happened, before Archon had gone and made a mess of things.He could still say that, because you know, they hadn’t really… decided where to go from there - but calling him his friend after telling him he loved him might set them back. Archon didn’t want to go back.

He could call Hawking his boyfriend, but if Hawking didn’t love him like that, or if he wasn’t ready for it, that could be a disaster! Which was even worse, okay, then going back. And he was afraid; so afraid to talk to Hawking about it, because it literally took Hawking thinking that Archon had died to even show emotion!

But now they had shared trauma and probably PTSD about caves, boars, and bloodshed. What a couple, huh?

So onward he would lead Hawking, up to Duskguard with a relieved sigh. Finally, they were home.

“S-so, this is home. It's called Duskguard. What.. do you think?”

^^
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 Things were... still confusing as he tried to work through his feelings. He did know one thing... he loved Archon. More than he loved anyone else and differently than he loved his Ma. The poor lad had never had to work through feelings like this and was still trying to figure it all out. He also had to work out what he was going to do when it came to Elkshire. He had responsibilities there and he'd feel like a jerk if he just abandoned them like this. What about little Wapiti? What about the little ones that Celnes had?

 He shook his head, finding that his velveted antlers were starting to get very itchy... Every once in a while he'd even have to stop to rub them on a tree, dislodging some of the soft material. It provided little relief and just felt so uncomfortable overall. This was a really bad time to be trying to work through feelings...

 They hadn't talked about what had happened back at the caves and he still didn't bring it up as he walked with his head full of thoughts and his body feeling wildly uncomfortable. He followed along, shaking his head every now and again until Archon pulled them to a stop. "It looks... cool! Very... pointy." He stepped closer to a tree, scratching at his antlers and ripping more of the velvet off. "Should we howl for the leaders?" Archon wasn't an intruder but he considered himself one.

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They hadn’t needed to howl, for the very second the woman noticed the shift of scents upon a late summer wind, it rang the alarm bells in her head. It was almost as if her subconscious was primed to scent the amber-hued young man, as searching for such has taken up a plethora of her time (that might have been otherwise occupied with the general malaise of women as they near their hour; nesting, and resting and the ilk) that is was now something unconscious within her that breathed him in, and reacted to it. She was halfway to the border before she even knew what she was doing.

The past several weeks had not been easy for the sylph. The puppies grew large and pressed against her organs with their long legs, twisting around themselves as much as they could — some certainly must take after @Tiberius, if not for size alone! The midwife in Olive was astounded to feel in-practice a phenom she knew well in her gravid patients: how the litter eventually ran out of room and grew still. This lack of movement, though alarming to some new mothers, told Olive that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. But how could this be, when Archon had gone off adventuring and never returned? How could she allow the arrival of new life to overshadow the needs of her other child? It didn’t seem fair, and it plagued the pale mother —

Olive released a fortuitous yelp as she sauntered (as best she could) to ascend the heights to the borderlands. Her route was well-practice and she herself was sure-footed, but the bobbing smile that spread across her visage simply oozed relief and satisfaction. This sense of weightlessness could not be shattered even by their battered, haggard appearance. ”Archon!” she cried, cresting over the path and seeing the young warrior stand abreast a most interesting ungulate. The intense wag of her tail ached her back, but she pressed forward, not asking for permission before drawing her tongue across his cheek, brow, chest — any place that she could reach, and taste him, and hold him close.

”What happened? Are you okay? Where have you been?!” began her smattering barrage of questions, looking at Archon, glancing over to the deer, concern rising in her throat as the sheer joy of his homecoming bubbled away. ”Who hurt you?”

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Following far behind, the cat had done his best to clean himself after getting his share of swine. Though bits of red stain suggested that he had been well fed.

Still even at a good distance Archon's friend, smelled particularly edible. The thought of talking prey was even a bit more odd, so the cat opted to make himself scarce.

After eating, all the cat really wanted to do was lay down and nap. Though he found himself lugging along step by step, quite unhappy to be pulled from the feast.

Off in the distance the tiger saw Olive come storming out from the confines of Duskguard. Though it was to far to hear what she was saying over the wind, it had a distinctively aggressive motherly twang.

A weak grin spread over his face for a moment, before drooping his tired head down, lumbering into the woods of the vale. Peeking from the corner of his eye, he looked back back over to the three, exhaling. If they looked his way, his aloofness would betray his intent to avoid the deer.
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^^“Should we howl for the leaders?”

Huuuh?

… Ah, that’s right, Archon had somehow totally forgotten to tell his Hawking that the leaders and his parents were one in the same. Or maybe he had, and simply forgot? He paused a moment in thought, turning to look at Hawking with an arch of his brow. He was only just now realizing that he had said something about howling, together, for the leaders.

Which, you know, was all fine - but only one of them was a wolf, with the vocals to actually howl. He tried to picture it, too, he did, but couldn’t help to smirk. He opened his mouth to speak, to encourage his Hawking to howl for the leaders, but when he opened his mouth, out came a yelp.

A yelp that he had not given..? Confusion was well on his face for a moment longer than it should have been, until he looked around and saw that his very round mother was hurling herself towards them.

She definitely hadn’t been quite that large when he had left to fetch Hawking. What in the hell was Tiberius feeding her?! Mind you, he’d known she was pregnant, and expecting puppies, but he hadn’t known that this is what pregnancy looked like. Perhaps if Meissa hadn’t ignored him for her boytoy, and explained everything to him..

Nonetheless, regardless of his sudden fear of abandonment, Archon ran towards her with a series of happy whimpers and whines, and skidding to a halt in front of her (he would have pounced her, if she wasnt so BIG), to be welcomed with all the affection that she had to give him.

The assault of questions eased his heart. He had feared that if he had died at the hands of the boars, no one would have noticed. Ah, but there was always Ma, and no one could break a mother’s bond to her children. Archon remained silent for awhile, just soaking up the affection that he wished Hawking would have for him, and closed his eyes as he nuzzled her close.

She and Hawking gave him the same sense of security, he realized, as he opened his eyes to look up at her with a deep inhale. He leaned up, gently, to plant a kiss across her jawline. “The Walrus’ furry cousin decided they didn’t like being food for wolves, and decided to capture some wolves - and a deer - to eat!” Archon said with pout, his lower lip stucking out with a huff.

“I went south to tell Queen Celnes that I would be leaving Elkshire, and to ask Hawking”, Archon nodded to his love; the cutest little, velvet-antlered deer that the world had to offer, “ to come with me so he could meet you guys and know where I will be living, so when he comes to visit me, he’ll know where to go… when this little piggie said she was lost, and I thought it would be a quick meal, but they captured us with the silver lady from the festival, and some other girl… who smelled like a pack I haven’t encountered. I was taken and stomped on for not eating a ferret… then released, and that’s when I ran into Uncle Kuhn, and went back for my fri - uhhhh… ” Archon error code 626 ;; Does not compute ;; Archon stopped, glancing over at Hawking, then his mother.

“I had to go back for my Hawking, Ma.”

Archon would explain it to her, with a gentle, though protective huff and another series of nuzzles. “Hawking, this is Ma. You've kinda met Uncle Kuhn, if you need a refresher, he's right there behind you. Guys, this is Hawking. My Hawking.”

Because he didn’t know what else to call him, so this would just have to do.

^^
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 It seemed that they need not howl, for a white wolf showed up to greet them. He knew from her appearance and concern for his friend(?) that she must be his mother. He didn't want to crowd them and gave a small step back to give them room to greet and love on each other. He gave a soft smile and dip of his head, Archon was more than capable of explaining everything and he absolutely did so. The red deer would nod his head every once in a while, agreeing with everything that he said.

 But... there was something distracting. Something that made his head turn... the tiger. The enigma. The one who he should dislike --or shouldn't?-- because of what he was and his disdain for his species... but this tiger had helped them. This one was the special one that he knew was close to Archon. Yet, there he was standing back and aloof. Were all tigers just inherently dicks in some way? He looked back at the striped beast, face blank as he studied the man.

 And then, he was brought back to Archon when his name was spoken. "Hu?!" Oh yeah, that was great, caught being distracted. "Yes, I'm Hawking... it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lotta good things about you." He glanced back at the tiger. "Both of you." Which was why the beast was so confusing.

 My Hawking. It sent a thrill of joy inside of him, joy that made his tail wag without him really registering it. My Hawking... he liked it. Was this a permanent thing? "Sorry it took so long for us to get here, the boars caused a lot of grief... but they won't be bothering anyone anymore." He grinned, and stepped back closer to Archon, subconsciously brushing himself against the other boy.

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Olive was immediately pleased to see that Archon was not alone. He was only a young boy, and the thought that he had been battling the world all on his lonesome was more than she could bear. But here was valiant Kuhn, and there was a seeming warrior-deer too, that both seemed like stalwart soldiers compared to the exuberant yearling who received her affections, albeit somewhat hesitantly because of her delicate condition.
 
The unfortunate tale was then quick to unfold, and it took Olive on a rollercoaster ride. Boars had taken wolves hostage, and the entire event was likened to her own prison amongst the walrus harem. It sickened her to know that Archon had suffered as she had suffered; and she was continuously perturbed by the realization that simply knowing it had happened to his mother wasn’t enough to prevent it from happening to him. It felt, for a moment, like a horrifying cycle that she could not escape from. Had she somehow doomed Archon to this fate by going through it herself, as if she had written such an event into her own karmic lineage, and now her children were all forever cursed?!
 
“Stomped on, by boars?” she gasped, the flutter in her thoughts was reflected in a light-headed flutter of her eyelids. Olive immediately knew her irrational thinking was a result of the cocktail of hormones she had been steeping in for months, along with a near-chronic type of discomfort. This was about Archon and this Hawking, Archon’s Hawking, and their own suffering, not her own — so with a weak and tired smile, the pale fae attempted to compartmentalize her own trauma response, and aimed to sort out some facts.
 
Stepping backwards, she released an exhale so large one might had thought it was a sob. “Oh, Archon! I am so relieved that you are whole…” she attempted, her voice hot with emotion — and Olive found that she must attempt to change the subject again, for the thought of Archon suffering was too much to bear, so with some effort she choked out “The Silver Lady… Valeska?” realizing with a similar amount on intensity what this meant for the new family of Elysium. “Goodness, how are her puppies faring?! Has she been released too?” Tears welled up in her eyes, entirely unbidden, so Olive pulled herself away from Archon’s embrace and turned away to compose herself.
 
Dry her cheeks. Dab at her nose. Take a deep breath. Pretend to be fine.
 
With another deep breath, she turned around again, vaguely aware that she was making a fool out of herself. With a small smile and a knitted brow, Olive looked back towards Archon.“I must evaluate you,” but he wasn’t the only one who had been in a battle. She looked at Hawking, “both of you — all of you,” then finally at Kuhn, whose convalescent body she was becoming far-too-familiar with. “Hawking, thank you for guiding Archon and keeping him safe,” she extended her gratitude, ivy gaze bouncing between the two creatures, predator and prey. “And Kuhn… as always,  I am indebted to you.”

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Still keeping himself at a distance and backing up slowly into the brushline, that stiped cat was intent on slipping away.  Full of food and tired, his mood was starting to sour.  Trying to figure out what to do with Hawking was another complication that the cat seemed like he had no energy for.  

Olive, looking like she was ready to pop at any moment, still took her mothering. If she could, she would likely pounce on Archon right now.  It seemed like everyone was distracted. 

Taking another step back, the cat's ears pinned themselves back, and his tail practically tucked: Olive had mad eye contact with him.  In response, he gave a small blushing grin as his tail lashed, unsure how to take the compliment.  Hoping that she wouldn't see the obvious blood matted gash on his forearm, holding nervous eye contact, he took another step back.
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^^Archon was a young boy that was slowly transitioning into a young man. He had been dropped into Canis without any family, and found by Meissa, who would eventually introduce him to Olive - who introduced him to Ben - and the trio did a lot of traveling, thus giving Archon’s love for adventure and wanderlust.

In all that time, Archon had never truly felt so damn important. He felt safe with Olive and Ben, sure, and when Archon and Olive had reunited in the tundra, she’d made him feel loved, and now she was making him feel important, especially as she was thanking Kuhn and Hawking for keeping him safe.

“Valeska?” The name was familiar from the wedding, when the dark lady said their marriage vows, though Archon had not officially met her. He nodded anyway, assuming Olive would know. Though at the topic of her puppies, Archon’s ears lowered. He recalled the horrors; the screaming, the smell of milk and blood; more blood than Archon supposed there should have been.

“Y-yeah, uh, K-kuhn — he and the dark lady from the wedding, and some other dark lady, had me rescued early, somehow, and we met up with the rescue team to get everyone back home safe!” Although Archon had only cared about Hawking at the time..

“I didn’t know Valeska had babies.” He said softly, though he did not recall most of the fighting, and only the confessions of love, to have been aware that Valeska had been a recent mother.

The tears in her eyes were noted, though he’d allow her to turn away; he was used to emotions being hidden from him. It was then that Archon wondered if he was weird for not hiding his emotions like Hawking and Olive did. Should he start doing that?

Olive thanked Kuhn, and Archon peered over to him as he looked very… distraught? Ears pinned and tail tucked and lashing, stepping back. He didn’t know enough about cats to recognize this behavior and he wanted to express his concern, but wasn’t sure how Kuhn would feel about it; to be called out on his behavior in front of them. He made a note to seek the big cat out later to question him in private. Instead, he’d nod a silent thanks to the cat, (assuming he had not already departed), turning back towards his mother and brushing his coat up against his lover.

“Is it okay if Hawking stays for a bit, and visits me often? I also told him I would also visit him, too, sometimes. Is there a place to go for a swim? I’d like to wash off and get some rest, if that’s okay.. ”

After their ordeal, all he wanted to do was to lay down and relax, with Hawking at his side.

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 Distracted. That's what he was. It was hard to keep his attention on the pair before him when the tiger lurked in the back... in his blind spot. "My cousins..." The stag said to his friend's softly spoken words about Valeska. He wasn't sure if he'd even told Archon of his relations to the wolves of Elysium. Of his cousins. He needed to visit them too when he had the chance.

 When Olive turned her attention to him he simply nodded, stepping closer to his friend. "Of course... he's my," Best friend? That hardly seemed to fit now... "My Archon." The other boy would understand. "If you allow me to stay, I'll pull my weight. I'm adept in hunting and can help patrol the borders." The young man promised. He wanted to be taken seriously and would not be a burden. He would make sure of it. Although a nice relaxing swim did sound nice...

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Both Kuhn and Hawking seemed to be in a world of their own, but so were Archon and Olive. The parent and child related their own experience of such horror, Archon first-hand and Olive second-hand. Despite only just hearing about such events and not actually having gone through them herself, it still affected her greatly; she could feel her body become flush wish stress, and an all-too-familiar feeling of helplessness.

At least Archon was home, now.

The ponderous stag mentioned that Valeska was his kin, and Olive had to marvel at the relations that blossomed here in this world. Not only was everyone separated by far less than six degrees of separation, but there was no boundaries to what species could mean to one another. A mountain lion could be an uncle. A tiger could be a lover. A deer could be...

Well, Olive wasn't really sure what they meant by all of this "my" talk, but it was clear that they were bonded, and what that meant mattered naught. Archon looked happy — for all intents and purposes, a man. A man who had seen the worst the world had to offer and not only survived, but found a deeper sense of love because of it. Just like she had. Just like she had.

Olive looked again at Hawking. "Your cousins are not far from here,” she said with a small, hope-filled smile. "You must go and check on them, once you are well.” It was a request as much as it was an instruction; clearly, it would be impossible for Olive to make such a journey in any timely manner, but perhaps Archon and his Hawking could do it. "I must profess that I am worried for their welfare.” Certainly Hawking must be similarly worried about his family. If the two smitten young men needed another reason to galavant off on another adventure, let it be this! 

For the first time since their arrival, Olive felt as if her diaphragm loosened, and she could take a full breath. "Of course you may stay, and truly... you have already pulled your weight. Allow us to be an aegis for you, as you have been for Archon.” she bowed her head in subtle deference, because she was simply a women in her home, honored to offer her hearth to those who deserved it. With this in mind, she looked at the great orange beast. 

"Kuhn... How did you find them?” It was impossible to ignore how the cat found himself at the epicenter of every great tragedy. Either he had the worst luck in the world, or the best.

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More focused on his escape plan rather than listening to what the others where saying, he only caught bits of the conversation.    He wondered how it was even possible that Archon befriended this talking food creature.  Hearing enough to know that 'Hawking' would be staying around, Kuhn just wanted to keep his distance.   

Attention snapped back to Olive when he heard his name called.  "Archon... he found me", he answered, taking a another slow step back.   

With his battery for social interaction and new things reaching zero, he hoped desperately that his bad explanation would be enough.  He could tell her all about it later.
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