A small vacation was in order. Most of the events that were put on recently had made Kiba felt as if he had to be on duty; that he couldn’t enjoy them himself. This time he was determined not have work on his mind. This was a party slash barbecue that was designed to allow all the enjoy themselves. The diowolf had snatched one of the available blankets to spread it out on a grassy hill away from the others. Though he was there to have fun, he didn’t need to interact with all of the arrivals.

The sun beat down pleasantly from above as the skyfish migrated through the air above. Kiba sighed lightly as he leaned back to lay down to stare above. Hands were crossed behind his head to prop up like a pillow. He wore no armor that day either. This again was another effort on his part to make sure mentally he was not in work mode. Black slacks and a loose black tunic that was open at the top was donned upon the champion. He was quite pleased with himself that he was able to avoid any kind of interactions that could have led him to going “champion.” No, that day he needed a mental rest from the chaos that was coming to him recently.

Mismatching eyes glanced down at the sleeping fae dragon that had curled up on his chest. Her belly was bloated slightly from the amount of fish she had eaten already. Kiba smiled lightly down at her as he could hear her start to snore in content. He lifted his hand from behind him to poke her little black and red belly before readjusting himself back into a comfortable position.

There were more entities that were finding themselves on Revaliir. Kiba was thankful that he had gotten there as soon as he had from the destruction of DaeLuin. As he thought about it, he wondered at the difference between the transfer. There were those that had arrived only recently, though DaeLuin had been taken into the Void years ago. Kiba let out a sigh while closing his eyes. The sun beat down on him to warm his already tanned skin. Working out in the training yard had yielded him a darker skin tone than before. He was just grateful that it had not been a burn.

Kaya’s outfit

Her entire world had been rather turned on its head of late.

Being in a new world was one thing but actually locating her mother had been another… Kythe had not aged a day – quite literally really given for her mother it had only been a few months since she had been torn from her family in comparison to the centuries that had passed for Kaya, her siblings and their father. She did not know who had felt that blow most of all… Kythe had barely been away from them all that long and discovered that she had been robbed of their entire childhood not to mention the birth of her first grandchildren – for Kaya and the others they had grown up without their mother to guide them and for Kaya it had meant helping her father to raise her younger brother and sister not to mention the responsibilities that had been expected of her mother… so much had been lost between them all and Kaya was finding it difficult to come to terms with it all – especially the revelation that her mother was pregnant…
The one good thing from that unexpected piece of news was that the twins were her father’s – though neither Kaya nor Pol would have blamed Kythe for seeking solace in the arms of another both had been extremely grateful to know that the passage of time had been kind in that sense and that the boys would be her full blooded siblings.

Having heard of the little event going on Kaya had left her parents to get reacquainted with one another; they had spent enough time apart that they did not need their eldest lingering in the shadows like some awkward third party and now that they were all together again it meant she had the prime opportunity to venture out and see the world once more.
Hands clasped behind her back as she made her way through the other picnic-goers Kaya spent the majority of her time staring up at the strange and mystical fish floating through the sky above them. Myna had a great range of weird and wonderful creatures and natural phenomena of its own but even this was a new one for her. More like her father in many ways this was one of the few times that she felt the pull of her mother’s Draconic side – that need to spread her wings and fly through the sky as free as the skyfish did. Ordinarily she found her freedom in her wolven form; flying through the forest as her feet carried her through the brush after a deer or just for the hell of it.

As she wandered through the crowds a scent caught her attention and her lightly tanned face swiftly turned purple as she recognised it – though it was not the recognition that had caused the flush, oh no, it had been the skip of her heart at the realisation that he was nearby. She felt the fool for even remotely getting the way she did whenever she caught a glance of him in the Fort and truth be told she had taken to avoiding being in Kiba’s presence entirely – diving behind walls, ducking down corridors and even once throwing herself into the first room she came across and interrupting two of the Fort’s cadets mid-relations… that in itself had been devastating enough, the fact that he had been the reason for her sudden diversion into their presence had been even more devastating.
It was not that she did not like Kiba; in fact if she was honest it was the opposite – something about him set her heart racing and she had already seen the look in her mother’s eye whenever he was mentioned since Kaya would look away and refuse to make eye contact. She didn’t understand her crush; it was silly and she knew it – but even now she could feel his hand upon her waist as it had been when they had danced, could still see him smiling at her, the touch of his fingers to her chin as she had looked away from him and he had become concerned… and she knew she was being utterly ridiculous! He was her mother’s adopted son. A fact that she was starkly aware of just as she was starkly aware of the fact that she was being a silly child around him.

Taking a deep breath the young woman braced herself – if she was going to get passed this and grow up she would have to face him eventually… Weaving through the crowd she followed his scent until she found him lying upon a blanket away from the majority of the others. ”I see you’ve found a decent spot out of the way.” She said teasingly, gulping as she already felt her cheeks begin to grow warm at the mere sight of him. ”Though I must say it’s nice to see you look less like you’re ready to spring into action.”

The diowolf would not admit that he had fallen asleep. Admitting such a thing would have meant that he had admit that his guard had been down. Dreams weaved in and out of his consciousness as he lingered between a deep sleep and a doze. Kiba could not remember the last time that he had taken a mid-day nap. With all the work that had been going on lately, it was a surprise he had not fallen asleep on his feet. Trainings were becoming more intense. Not only that, his Aunt Liara had again appeared before him. Life was becoming quite hectic for the man. He had wanted to visit with his daughter and family more, but things were straining for all of them. Thankfully, there were able to correspond via letters. Alairia took great joy writing to her grandfather; Dae would add in a few lines from time to time. It would not be long before he made his way to the fort for additional training. Teu was busy running her shop, but always made time to write a letter or two a week to her father.

All seemed well, and yet Kiba felt unease. Kaya’s words startled him back into full consciousness. Shil took no notice to his flinch as she continued to sleep heavily from overeating. Kiba opened up his blue eye to see the woman standing not too far off. There was a bit more confidence in her voice that made him smile through his squinting at the sun. ”This is the best spot there is no matter what anyone else can say.” Kiba inhaled deeply and then exhaled. He was extremely relaxed.

”Come here,” he said while motioning with a hand. The diowolf waited until she came closer to reach up and quickly pull her down to the blanket. ”Perfect, I need a better pillow. This was just not working before.” He had moved Kaya in order to use her lap as a pillow for his head. In this way, Kaya would not have an opportunity to run away from him this time. Too many times she had dodged him at the fort. It had confused him quite a bit why she had continued to avoid him. There had been nothing odd that had happened; at least that he was aware of. All there interactions had been pleasant. Besides Damon’s constant laughter at his awkward behavior, they had shared a pleasant dance upon their first meeting. After that, Kaya had been distant.

Kiba looked up at her with a boyish grin on his face. ”I appreciate your time, miss. Now, you have no choice but to talk with me since I have your full attention.” Right hand lifted to tap the side of her arm. ”How are you liking the fort? Are my cadets treating you well?”

Despite the way he made her heart leap just by existing (Kaya chided herself for her pathetic childish crush that she knew she had developed on the man who was her adopted brother by all rights) it did amuse her to see him with his guard down; especially given their first encounter at the ball where Kiba had been anything but relaxed. To think that she had caught him asleep! She might have to tell her mother that one; it was some sort of recompense for the fact that one smile could make her weak in the sodding knees at least. "Is that because it's the best spot here or because you chose it and therefore by your arrogance it must be the best spot?" She asked with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at him, trying to ignore the racing of her heart and the fact that her lungs threatened to cave in as he looked up at her. 

As he motioned to her she hesitated for a moment before complying with his request… she had approached him after all she could not ignore him now… and she certainly could not run without there being some serious questions as to why she had suddenly legged it in the opposite direction. As he grabbed her and pulled her onto the blanket she let out a surprised yelp before becoming utterly motionless. 
His. Head. Was. On. Her. Lap. 
Swallowing hard Kaya's hands clenched into fists as she willed her heart to slow down before it gave out entirely and she closed her eyes tight as she begged the ground to swallow her whole because her entire body was hot and felt as though she must have been purple from embarrassment from head to toe… Biting her bottom lip she managed to stifle what would only have been the most soul destroying squeak as her throat tightened and gave in entirely at the fact that he was now using her as a pillow. There was no quip from Kaya; the girl did not dare speak lest she trip over her own tongue or drool on him or something equally mortifying. It was taking all of her strength to resist the urge to run her fingers through his hair now that his head was on her lap but Gods above if she did that she might really be in trouble… 

Oh by Father's cruel hand he had noticed her avoiding him… not that she had exactly been subtle in her attempts to steer clear of him she had to admit - there was no way Kiba had not seen her squeak and throw herself headlong through the nearest door that opened when she tried it… though she really had hoped he hadn't seen that. "Its… different." She managed to say after a moment. "Don't get me wrong the Fort is lovely it's just… not home." She sighed softly and then she did find her fingers stroking his hair as much out of habit as anything, how often had she sat like this with Luna when they had been younger? Especially when her sister had first started courting Marcus… 
Oh but his hair was so soft… ignoring the shiver of pleasure that threatened to run down her spine she continued to answer his questions. "Your cadets are extremely polite and it has been lovely to speak with them, they have made the transition into your home far easier for father and I and I can only thank you for that." She added softly, smiling down at him. "You don't really know father or I so you were under no obligation to open your home to us as you and Lord Lokir have done."

It was highly irregular that anyone caught the diowolf taking a nap during the course of the day. He was always known for being on duty or having his guard up. The fact that Kaya had found him in such a compromising position amused him. Out of all that could have found Kiba taking the nap, he was glad that it had been her. She had been dodging him too much and this gave her an upper hand so to speak. That tone of her’s sounded more like the one he had encountered while at the Ball. He could feel a grin twitch at the corner of his mouth as he closed his eye again to the sun. ”I have not quite decided on that yet. Could be just straight fact…or it could be the arrogance. Either way, this spot is the best. Come enjoy it with me.”

Kiba knew that he was pushing Kaya to her limits. With the continued attempts at avoidance of his sheer presence, this was going to push whatever issues she was having him to the front. The diowolf was determined to find what was her cause of not wanting to be around him. Truthfully, he wanted to get to the bottom of it a while ago considering she had moved in with the rest of the family. Their interaction at the Ball had gone well…at least that is what he had thought. Since her arrival at Scarwood Fort that confidence had dwindled greatly.

He adjusted his head on her lap to lay more comfortably. One eye opened again to see her reaction, but almost couldn’t contain his laughter. She looked quite petrified to the entire situation. Kaya had shut her eyes tight as Kiba looked up at the woman. The diowolf lifted a brow and was beyond amused with her response. It was like he was putting her some social torture. Again, he didn’t know what was making it so odd for her, but the effects were amusement for the grown man-child.

Gaze was shifted away from her to look out at the blue sky above them. The fish were flying in their migratory patterns. Children laughed as they ran about playing their games. Adults soaked up the sun while conversing pleasantly with one another. It was certainly a perfect day.

For a moment he didn’t respond to her words. His eyes closed slowly as he fingers ran through his hair. It was a comforting gesture that he was not about to decline. Kiba smiled softly while enjoying the attentions he received. ”I understand that. Truthfully, it still does not feel like home to me either. I doubt there will be any place that I could call truly home ever again. Too much had been lost.” The diowolf hadn’t admitted that to anyone before. He had been blessed to have Lord Lokir as a patron. Not only that, but he had been Chosen. What kind of insult could be taken by the Champion not feeling at home in the fort? His family was coming together again, and yet it had a giant hole that would most likely never be filled again.

He looked up at Kaya as she smiled down at him. Kiba returned the smile that reached even his eyes. ”I may not know you or your father well…but Kythe is my family. That means the same for the rest of you.” Instinctually he reached up and traced her jawline with the edge of his index finger before letting his hand drop again. ”I would like to get to know you. Somehow you keep disappearing as I start to get closer. Is there a particular reason for that?”

She felt so awkward with him in her lap and yet she could not help but feel somewhat happy at the interaction between them; as embarrassing and foreign as this was it was comforting in it’s own way… Kaya had never quite dared imagine herself with a man before, too busy with fulfilling her mother’s duties in Kythe’s absence she had not allowed herself the chance to fall in love, she had too much to do to spend time with men.
She had been jealous watching Luna with her Markus, the pair had been well suited and watching her younger sister fall in love had warmed Kaya’s heart as much as it had pained her. Kaya had been happy for her sibling; happy that at least one of them could open up and allow themselves to take the risk of falling for another – Kaya had seen the devastation in her own mother’s eyes from the losses that Kythe had felt over the years and sworn never to suffer that way… but one look from Kiba and she had found herself weak at the knees and giddy like any teenager with a crush! It was pathetic and she knew it was wrong but she could not deny how being around him made her feel.

As Kiba spoke Kaya’s fingers halted in their movements; her jade coloured gaze fixing on his face, it surprised her to hear him admit such a thing and it all but broke her heart. In that moment she wanted to take away that pain; to show him that there could be a home again… but that was not her place and she knew she was being foolish to even think that she could offer him such a thing.
Kythe had told her of Kiba’s loss; her mother had spoken rather fondly of her adopted son’s lost wife and Kaya had once again felt herself withdraw from wanting to get close to someone romantically because of that very reason. Just as Kythe had lost husbands and lovers in the past so too had Kiba and here he was admitting that no place would be home to him without her in it – why would anyone risk that heartache? Why would anyone want that burden…
Before she had even realised she was doing it Kaya had let her fingers trace along Kiba’s cheek as she looked at him sadly. ”I’m sorry for you loss. Mama told me about your wife; I would have liked to have met her.” She said softly, her words genuine despite the jealousy she felt towards the woman who had captured this man’s heart.

And then it happened… he touched her. The sheer ecstasy of that simple interaction was almost immediately negated by the words he spoke however and once more Kaya’s entire body tensed, the young woman freezing in place as she tried desperately to think of a good enough lie to hide the real reason for her ducking down corridors and diving through doors in order to avoid speaking with Kiba.
Closing her eyes she took a deep, steadying breath and forced her words from her throat. ”Because being around you makes me nervous.” She managed to force out, her voice cracking from her nervousness as she grimaced at herself, feeling all the more foolish as her face flushed. ”At the Ball you were just some handsome man who danced with me; someone whose company I enjoyed. I’ve never… never…” She stammered, gulping again as she looked for a way to tell him the truth without feeling the fool… only to realise that there was no way of that and she was going to have to just be honest. ”When Mama vanished it fell to me to help father with Luna and Raith but it also fell to me to shoulder Mama’s responsibilities, I was the eldest; Luna wanted nothing to do with anything associated with Mama and Raith… Raith’s a law unto himself so he was useless, so it was up to me. I didn’t have time to interact with men socially… and a long time ago, when Mama had still been with us in Myna, I had sworn never to let myself fall for anyone to save myself the loss I know she had suffered… the loss you’ve expressed yourself.” She opened her eyes to look at him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
”And then I met you, you infuriating man.” She laughed, hiding her face in her hands as she shook her head. ”One dance with you and I found I couldn’t stop thinking about your smile, like some stupid child! So… I started avoiding you.” She admitted from beneath her hands, not quite daring to look at him now. ”It’s silly I know, I’ll grow out of it I’m sure, I’ll have to! You’re Mama’s son for crying out loud and I know it’s just a silly crush and oh by the Gods can I stop talking now?” She groaned.

As the admittance was made there was the sense of surprise internally that it had been verbalized. He could feel the light weight of the ring that remained on a chain around his neck. No matter where he went, his wedding ring was always with him. Kiba had tried to go without it to move forward with his life. Nothing in his heart could allow him to go forward with that gesture. Now with all the different people coming back to Revaliir from DaeLuin, it was harder for him not to have hope. It was the most miniscule amount. It dwindled with each day, but he felt as if he was being unfaithful if he attempted to really move on. Those thoughts made him feel even more guilty in regards to a relationship that he had entered into. The diowolf was feeling that it had been premature on his part in hopes of moving forward. It had also started when his memories had still slumbered deep within. Now those memories were awakened and everything felt as if it were changing for him.

The trace of his cheek made him glance up at Kaya with a sad yet appreciative smile. ”Thank you for the kind words. Nami had been genuinely a good and giving person. The World Tree had chosen her to be one of the deities of our world. Not only that, she opened her doors to all that needed her help. Damn, was she a skilled hunter when we ran in our wolven forms.” He smiled at the sky then as he remembered how wonderful her form had been as they would run to get their prey. Their connection had happened long ago that had remained over the years. Kiba was unsure if he could open up again to another. Though, he had to admit that laying on Kaya’s lap was certainly more forward than he had been before since Nami.

There was a knowing that what he had asked would possibly trigger a reaction, but Kiba had been unaware that it would be as intense from her. The diowolf finally sat up to look at her while she attempted to get her thoughts together. He put the sleeping fae dragon on the ground, as she did not notice any change. Brow lifted with a curios tilt to his head as she made the attempt to put together a phrase. He waited patiently, though he had a boyish grin on his face when she stated that he was handsome.

As her confession began to pour out of her mouth, he realized that his mouth had fallen slack in shock. The answer he got was not one he had expected in the slightest. Kiba knew that if he tried to reply right then that his words would be stuttered out and make no sense. There was an instinctual ‘Ah’ that tried to leave him that he worked hard to keep inside. How could he respond to a heartfelt statement? Considering he had just told her essentially that his heart was still with his deceased wife.

After several minutes of silence he lifted a hand to pull her hands away from her face in order to make her look at him. ”I don’t know what to say. First….I just want to say how deeply flattered I am to have a beautiful woman such as yourself say such things about me. I don’t feel that I deserve such kind and heartfelt thoughts about me.” He couldn’t hide that there was a slight blush to his cheeks at the thought of someone having a crush on him. ”I was worried that I had offended you in some way. It is good to know that isn’t the case.”

There was a sigh that he released while moving slightly closer so that his left leg was stretched out outside her right side, and his right leg tucked up against him. ”At this time I cannot reply to your feelings….there is still much I am trying to work through. It wouldn’t be fair to you. To anyone…I am not realizing.” He pulled at the chain around his neck to expose his wedding ring. It felt like it hung heavy with emotions that still remained. ”I wear this every day, and one day I know that I won’t. It is rude to ask for someone to wait for another. I find you quite attractive, and know that you are an amazing person. I need to work through my issues. Would you be willing to wait on an answer? During that time I want to get to know you better; that means no running.” He took his left hand and cradled her cheek while fingers were beneath her hair to lightly grasp around the back of her neck. ”If you say no, I understand completely. There are two people here. I just know that there are things that I have to get straight in my head. On top of that, I have my daughter and grandchildren…..which is still odd to think about. I want them to get to be around more. Does any of this make sense?”

Kaya felt somewhat honoured when Kiba opened up about his wife; she knew from experience with her mother how hard it could to speak of loves lost but she was grateful that he felt he could tell her such things. Smiling she listened to what he had to say and wished all the more that she could have met the woman. The thought of Kiba and Nami hunting together as wolves brought a genuinely happy smile to the young woman’s face and she chuckled. ”That was always one thing that I enjoyed doing with my father. I’ve always felt more comfortable in my wolven form than in my Draconic one… which I know hurt Mama when I was little, she wanted so desperately for Luna and I to connect with her in that form but we both felt happier as wolves… though I’ve felt a little less conspicuous with having my wings present of late, I never even liked to show them off like Mama does until coming here.”


She felt rather than saw Kiba shift from his position in her lap; she couldn’t really look him in the eye as she confessed how she had been feeling. As Kiba pulled her hands away from her face she forced herself to look at him despite the awkwardness she felt between them in that moment. She laughed and dismissed his comments about her beauty and not deserving her feelings with a wave of her hand, what absolute nonsense. ”No… no offence.” She smiled softly as she tilted her head to one side slightly. ”Embarrassment but no offence.”

As he moved to sit closer to her she placed a hand against his extended leg, mostly to assure herself that she hadn’t entered some horrific nightmare and that yes, she had just confessed her crush on her adopted brother, as much as to show Kiba that she was alright with it all. ”Oh no no!” Kaya exclaimed, suddenly worried that he believed that she was expecting an answer. ”Kiba you asked me what was wrong and I couldn’t lie to you about it… but I never expected you to reciprocate my feelings! Let’s be honest, we don’t really know one another - not helped by my diving into occupied rooms to escape you I admit - and I could never expect you to feel anything for me when you barely know me. As I say… I’ve never been with anyone in any capacity before, I’ve never given myself the chance to feel anything for anyone either so when I realised I had developed a crush on you I felt ridiculous and took to avoiding you!” She smiled awkwardly.
His words however caught her somewhat off guard. He had asked her to wait? As he placed her hand on her neck a soft shiver of pleasure ran through her and she smiled at him, placing her own hand over his and entwining their fingers together as she looked at him. ”I would rather spend our time getting to know one another than risk losing you entirely Kiba; whether anything comes of our time together in that capacity or not you are my mother’s son and will therefore always be a part of my life - I would rather we were close and knew one another than not know one another at all. I will wait and in waiting I have the chance to get to know you and your family since my mother sees them as hers also.” She chuckled. ”If anyone understand the importance of family it is I, after all I’ve got to get to know my own mother again don’t I?”
Moving his hand from her neck she kissed his fingers gently as she grinned at him. ”It makes perfect sense. I will wait and as I say I hold no expectations from you so long as we can learn more about one another and each other’s families. Though I realise you know more of mine than I of yours!” She laughed. ”And never take off your ring.” She added almost sternly. ”Whether it is I or another wear it.” She said as she placed her free hand on his chest where the ring lay. ”Nami will always be a part of your heart and even if you move on there is no reason to have to remove it; any woman that loves you should understand what she meant to you and should have no issue with her remaining with you always. But you have to make me a promise.” She continued, mischief dancing in her jade coloured gaze. ”That we will go hunting one day together in our wolven forms so that we might bring back a prize for both our families to share as a meal together.”

He laughed softly as he turned his gaze down to the green grass around them. The talk of Kythe made him feel slightly awkward. Things were changing in the way that the family was coming together. It had always been easy for him to look up to the winged woman as a surrogate mother; as his mentor to help him through the hard times. There had been his aunt Liara that had been his adoptive mother with his uncle Delox. Many had stepped up to be there for him despite the lack of his core family ever being around. Father had never been there…and there had been explanation for that. Mother, had died while attempting to keep him alive. Kiba had known little of what it was like to be loved by a biological mother, but others had worked diligently to make sure he never had the lack of love. Kaya spoke of her connections with her family as if it were the most simple of relationships. She had lacked a mother for a long time, and yet she was still happy with their connection. So what was the relationship between them all now?

There was a gentle sigh of relief as she stated that there was no offense to his words. The very last thing he wanted was to make her feel more distant from him than she already had been acting. The act of him moving closer was one that even he had not expected. He could feel a slight smirk forming on his face as she mentioned diving away from him. ”Yea…that was a little odd to see you do. I didn’t want to push the topic, but I appreciate you opening up to me about it. I was worried that I had done something wrong, but now I know the truth.” Kiba was curious how she had developed a crush on him since their interaction had been only a short while. Granted, it had been at a Ball and their dance had been not only amusing but sweet. He could still see her in the dress she had worn.

Lose him entirely? The diowolf wouldn’t allow for such a thing, but again this entire situation was rather quick for his mind to attempt to wrap around. He couldn’t even think of the guilt that would wash over him later when it came to someone else he had tied himself to. Family was something that they both understood in a deep capacity that helped him with it all. Their families were tied to one another even if now all of it could be made that more complicated.

He watched as Kaya moved his hand to kiss his fingers carefully and gently. There was an inhale that he couldn’t control as if he was trying to catch his breath from the contact. It had been a while since he had felt such a thing, but Kiba couldn’t think on it further. ”You don’t know the appreciation I feel for the understanding. Everything is just a mess in my head and heart at the moment. You understanding my family situation…it means more than you know. I need more time with my daughter and her growing family. I want them to know my life and those that are in it. Right now, I exchange letters with Teu…little else is available. She is engaged again. This time, I hope she can find true happiness. Two grown children that were influenced by a god back in DaeLuin. They have been altered to their very core. Now we are seeing the results of those changes.” Kiba dipped his head for a moment. ”I just need to actually be there for them. I hadn’t had the opportunity to be a real father to Teu, and now I am not there for the grandchildren.”

If anyone would be supportive of that, it would be Kaya. He looked down as she touched where the ring lingered on the chain around his neck. It didn’t feel odd for her to touch it like it did others. She didn’t feel as if she was violating the memory or what he had had with Nami. ”We can do that,” he said with a laugh. ”It would be good to go out for a hunt again.”