By a stroke of luck, Arziros slept for the entire ship-ride. The carriage ride to the airship docks, however, he clung silently to his mother. While it was refreshing to finally have peace and quiet, Taryn hated the cause of it. Elwin had gotten drunk again. Ever since Kieran brought Teu home, and proven himself more fearsome than Elwin, her husband had been increasingly unbearable. This time, he had gone too far. During his training earlier that day, Elwin nearly killed his sparring partner.

Arziros was throwing his usual tantrum, demanding cake before supper. Elwin’s voice filled the kitchen as he was yelling curses and obscenities, a resounding smack followed by the “bloody murder” wailing screams of a child. Taryn tried to pull Elwin off and away from her son and became a punching back herself. By Krizira’s hand, Elwin crumpled to the floor unconscious.

Krizira began moving with a haste Taryn had never seen of the elf before. A suitcase was packed, a quickly scrawled letter addressed to Kieran and a pouch of coins was pressed into Taryn’s hands. Go to Kieran, she said and hustled her and Arzi out the door. The daughter-in-law cried the entire flight to Mamlak, scared and hurting. What had snapped in her husband? So by the time she walked into Teu’s shop, which was easy to find with the generosity of the townsfolk, Taryn appeared before them as a total mess.

Standing at just five foot four, her blonde hair uncharacteristically a curly mess, Taryn had puffy red eyes with a swollen face. A deep purple bruise covered most of her left cheek and her lip was split. In her arms was the curly-haired three-year-old toddler. His left eye was swollen shut and he clung tight to Taryn. Their clothing mid many more bruises they had received so “lovingly”.

Kieran was just entering the shop from the private quarters and his blood ran cold as he recognized the pair at the door. ”Taryn? What the fuck!” As he rushed toward her, Taryn dropped the suitcase and took two steps forward into his arms, sobbing all over again. ”Kieran…” He pulled them into a tight embrace for a moment. He pulled back and inspected Taryn’s face, a gentle hand cupping her uninjured cheek. ”Did he do this?” Taryn nodded and buried her face into Kieran. Arziros just stayed silent, hiding his own face in Taryn’s neck.

Elwin’s face danced in Kieran’s mind and his dragon was restless. It wanted vengeance and blood. An audible growl escaped him as rage boiled inside. ”Damn it, Elwin! This is too far!” he snarled, protectively holding his sobbing sister-in-law close.

The adults were all too busy panicking about the world to really pay much attention to the two sets of twins that lived within the shop; they all spent a little time with the children when they had it to spare and on occasion the older pair would lend a hand in drying what little fresh herbs were still left in the world but other than that the children were left to their own devices - which suited Zion and Cora just fine thank you very much. All adults did was argue all of the time - even when they weren't shouting they were arguing; their mother thought they didn't understand this, Luna was under the impression that the curt words, lowered tones and fake smiles used to distract from the gritted teeth and tense jaws were enough to fool her eldest pair… but neither child was an idiot. While Zion was more hot headed than his older sister and while Cora could be ditzy at times they were far from idiotic, or blind, or deaf in fact - contrary to what the adults seemed to believe. 
Oh yes. The elder twins had seen the dark looks their mother shot at her own brother and they had seen the sneer on their Uncle's face - the man might be blind but he could glare with the best of them it seemed! In fact they had begun to mock their mother and Uncle; whenever they saw the looks they would shoot them at one another behind the adults backs and whenever attention turned towards them they would snigger and run away. 

Sat on the floor of one of the back rooms with their feet touching, legs spread to make a diamond the two elder siblings giggled as they teased the two younger ones. Still too young to comfortably remain in their more human-like form for very long Ivan and Petra tended to remain in their wolven ones, which meant that the two pups very much acted that way. Taking it in turns to roll a ball back and forth between them Zion and Cora kept the two younger siblings entertained - their mother and her siblings might not get on but these four did like a house on fire and that was how it would stay thank you very much. 

Suddenly there was a shout and Cora did not return the ball to her brother as it bounced against her leg - allowing Ivan and Petra to get it and bat it between themselves as she looked over her shoulder. 
"That was Uncle Kieran." Zion muttered softly, picking up Ivan and shoving him under one arm as his brother tried to bite Petra's ear. 
"He doesn't sound happy…" Cora replied as she picked up Petra in the same manner, placing the ball on a nearby table as the pair stood up in unison and listened to the words their Uncle spoke. 

They could physically smell his rage and with a look to one another they put the younger twins on the floor and opened the door to the backroom - watching as the pair bolted immediately for the shop proper. Legging it after them the pair took little notice of the woman and her own child - they had a duty to quell the storm within their Uncle and that was exactly what they were going to do. All four children reached Kieran at once - Ivan and Petra jumped up and down on their hind legs for his attention or pulled at the hem of his trousers while Cora and Zion threw their arms around his (and subsequently the unknown woman's) waist, burying their faces in his torso. "Uncle Kieran Uncle Kieran! Come play with us!" The pair said in unison, knowing smiles upon their faces - what grown adult could resist their charms?

A heavy sigh escaped the shopkeeper as she worked in the back room on the stock that had to be preserved. Things had gone back to normal (for the most part) for the herbs that were in the greenhouse. Her fresh store had taken quite a hit. Thankfully, Michael had formed a bond with a clan called Jiyu. The Matriarch had sent some of their stores to help make sure that her shop did not go without. There was no telling what else was to come their way with what had already happened. Teu had not been convinced that this would be the end of it. Hands were diligently to handle the already dried herbs that had been dried quickly with the help of Luna’s children. Having some dragons to help around the shop was convenient. She smiled down at her work as she thought about the size of the family now under her roof. A house full of wolves and dragons. The elf was quite pleased at the mix, though it was an interesting mix considering the personalities.

Brows furrowed together as she heard Kieran curse just as the front of the shop door opened. She turned to move into the shop’s main section while wiping her hands upon her apron. ”Kieran?” The woman gathered up her free flowing brown hair into a low bun at the base of her neck as she finally took notice of the blonde haired woman in her mate’s arms. The toddler was visible as well that spark Teu’s memory. That was Taryn, Elwin’s wife. As she walked around to see what was upsetting her mate, she could finally see the woman’s face.

The children all came out in an effort to help reduce their new Uncle’s agitation. Teu smiled lightly while moving over to where now a small crowd had formed. ”Cora and Zion, I need you to get me a bowl of warm water and towel please.” She picked up Ivan and Petra in her arms to hold against her chest. ”Kieran, bring her to the healing room in the back. I will tend to her there.” Her voice was calm and welcoming. Even so, she was firm with her tone that he was to settle himself. ”Are you going to help me littles?” Teu snuggled her face into them before setting them on two stools that were in the healing room to watch her work.

Her sleeves were rolled up while she pulled down some tonics to use for healing Kieran’s sister-in-law. She didn’t want to use magic since there was no telling what her response would be. Teu kept her back to the pair as the woman was situated on the table for examination. It was difficult for her to hold her own temper considering Elwin had been the one to do the damage. She had hated Kieran’s twin from the beginning. It had taken everything in her not to clamp her wolven jaw around his throat when they had first met. ”Arziros, what else did he do besides the evidence on your face?” The question was blunt, but Teu was already placing a poultice that would help the bruise clear quickly.  Teu had a difficult time believing that this was all that he had done considering his rage.

Instantly, with the arrival of the children Kieran's heart softened from the hardened rock of rage it had become. It was so very difficult to resist them, with the cute wolf pups and the active children, it was surprising he was ever able to get any work done. Still, he had to make sure his sister and nephew were tended to. "In a minute, kids…" Teu's voice cut through, a gentle concern that lifted his resolve. Taryn and Arziros would be fine. His precious woman had come and picked up Ivan and Petra as she began to calmly give directions to the children for assistance.

Never taking his arm from around Taryn's shoulder, Kieran led her towards the back healing room. "Krizira did something to him, Kieran. He crumpled…" He frowned at the thought of his mother making Elwin crumple to the ground, knowing that the best way for her to do it against a trained young man would be magic. She never used magic on them, and the fact that he fell to her rose several questions about their resistances. Yet, he soothed her quietly, directing her to sit on the examination table. "We will deal with it later. But you are our priority. We can't allow you or Arziros to go back, Taryn."

Tears swelled in her eyes. "But Kieran! That is my home! My husband–" "Beat you. For what? No, Taryn. For your son's sake, stay here where I can protect you." Taryn broke down into sobs again as Arziros climbed into Kieran's arms. Surprisingly, he gazed upon Teu's kind face without the usual snobby attitude. "Daddy hit me… Here, and foot hit me here and here and here." As he spoke, Arzi pointed to several spots on his body. His face, his chest, his stomach, and his side. "Then daddy start hit mommy, and mommy cry and cry. Why daddy no like us?" The poor child broken into tears all over, causing Kieran's anger to surge once more.

Kieran attempted to soothe the toddler with a light bounce. "It's okay, Arzi. Auntie Teu is going to fix you and mommy all up. And when she's done, you can join me. I'll be with Zion and Cora, Petra and Ivan. We can do something together, doesn't that sound fun?" He gave a forlorn look to Teu. Something had to be done with his brother, and fast. Sending mother and child to Kieran was the best thing for Krizira to do, but it was sure to cause a staple in his brother's side to be without his favorite punching bags for long. What was his mother planning? Taryn began speaking between her sobs. "You're so lucky, Teu! He's a monster! It's hard to believe my husband looks like yours but is the complete opposite!"