Sun flickered through the trees, dappling her sleek coat with shades of golds and greens. She examined her pack. Her people. 

"Mother!" Loki squeaked, "Something is wrong with Jinx, please come help!"

She sighed, her head dropping. It hadn't been easy, healing from what her brother had done. She still winced when she tried to do to much, the pain an ever nagging constant in her life, but it had been far far worse for the young biped who had tried to help them.

She shifted, evaporating in a cloud of wind and dust, her body pulling apart into a smattering of droplets. They streamed across the rocks, tumbling and turning in a dizzying effect if she had had a head to try to look straight with.

Her son raised his head, tiny for his age, curled in the lap of the poor biped. They'd become close. Very close. But now... She closed her eyes, Kiri's powers surging beneath her skin.

There. Their bond hummed like a live wire. It... She tilted her head. It was very much like-

"You and Bladen or me and D'vala." Kiri spoke softly, his head resting on her shoulder.

"He has more then one split, like Swift." Bladen spoke up, interrupting Kiri before he could even ask. "I don't know if you do or not Kir."

Kiri shot them a pouty look. "I'm supposed to be the mind reader, not you."

"Well you shouldn't be so obvious then."

Loki curled up tighter in the biped's lap, his glare burning a hole into their pelts. "Help him, don't just chat cryptically. His pain is getting worse."

The boy reached out, tilting the kit's face up. "It's ok... I think this was meant to be."

Loki pressed his head to Jinx's, "But I don't want it to be."

Jinx sighed his smile lingering as his breath escaped him for the last time.

Swift's head shot up, "Wait, Fish isn't here. Kiri."

He turned tail, tearing across the valley. His shift took him off balance, his bipedal form sliding chest first across the ground.

Fish jumped up, hiding her face as she tried to hide her giggle. Her fingers twitched, jerky with laughter. "Are you ok?"

Kiri groaned, wiping mud off his face with a flick. "Do I look ok?" he gestures, "I'll need to go wash before I shift back or this'll be skin deep! But." He hesitated, unsure how to even start it. He rubbed his face. "Your brother..."

Fish tilted her head. "He's with your little one."

Kiri shook his head mutely. "His body is empty."

Her legs trembled, dropping her to the floor with a sob. "But... Can't you fix him? He was getting better. He was talking to me. He was asking if I believed in the old legends..."

Kiri scooted closer, pulling her into a tight hug, his head pressed against hers. "I'm sorry."  He whispered, his words strange from bipedal lips. Half snarl, with a low burr to the tone.

She leaned back and pressed her finger to his lips. She gave him a tiny smile. "Can your kind really keep a soul safe like it's your own?"

Kiri stared blankly at her, his shrug uncertain. "I... Don't... Think so?"

She ran a hand through her hair, letting her head drop to his shoulder. She gestured with one hand, her movements choppy. "Brother said that.... He was connected to the baby." She tapped her hand off her heart.

"Swift, Bladen, was Jinx really part of Loki's headmates?"

"Too soon Kir. It'll take a few to really set in."

He pulled Fish's face away from his chest, brushing the mud from her nose. "I don't know yet if he is. We think he is, but it's too soon. Our..." He gestured like he was pulling out his heart and placed it on his head. "It's broken into many so we can learn from all of their experiences. I think Jinx was one of those pieces for Loki, and when he got so sick, he had the chance to go back and still be close by, but I don't know. I'm sorry."

She sniffed and stood. "Is he still in his home?"

Kiri nodded, "Out front in his chair." He watched as she headed towards her last piece of family, his tears finally falling. He ducked his head, hiding his face as he set off in a jog, heading for the water.

He slipped in, strong arms pulling him out to sea, rip tide pulling him under in one smooth motion. He ran his hands across pale skin, rubbing hard at the stubborn patches of muck. The ocean welcomed him, greeting him like a lost brother with every day he spent sinking into it's embrace. "Take me where I'm needed."  He whispered, letting the waves lull out to sea.

~~~

Lana stumbled, her legs weak as she paced the shoreline. "Swift... Kiri... Can you hear me? You said to call if I needed you... Please, I need you." 

Kiri jolted upright in the water, immediately sinking below the surface. He struck out, reaching for shore with every stroke. His mind reached out, brushing over hers. "Lana, Lana! What happened, where is your pack bond?" 

He shifted, pulling himself free from the water to catch her, dragging her close. "Lana." He pulled the kit away from her, its misty red eyes telling him the whole tale. "Where is Sunny? What happened to your daughter?" He tucked the kit tight against him, sinking his claws deep into his own skin.

She shuddered, her legs going out from under her. "Will you be her pack? Please. I thought I could just let her go, peacefully but she's... She's perfect. There is no insanity here, please Kiri. Please. Asylum for her." 

He shoved his paw forward, his blood welling freely. "Seal our pack Lana. I'm not losing either of you."

Her tongue brushed across his blood, her teeth sinking in deep with just a taste. Kiri leaned close, dealing her to his pack. "Talk to me, Lana. What happened??"

He crouched, poking the kit until her little growls grew. She snapped at him, little teeth catching the tip of his nose with a fierce shake.

Kiri carefully raised her paw, nipping it just hard enough to bleed.

Lana let herself slump, her tears staining the ground. "She died.... We didn't have the means to get her to any of the larger facilities. There was so much blood Kiri, something exploded, inside. They let us stay at first, hells they would've still let us stay but it wasn't safe. Firestorm was supposed to be coming by soon, so I took her and ran. I thought.... Maybe I could just let her go. Let her pass away peacefully. Thank you, Kiri. Thank you."

"Swift. Lana is coming home with me." Kiri announced, his tone booking no arguments.

"Where the hells did you go?! And Lana, like our Lana? How's Sunny? Did she have the little girl she expected?"

Sadness struck the bond, his words failing him. "She had a beautiful little girl with pinkish red eyes. A new friend for our pack to hold dear."

Leaves crunched, Kiri spinning towards the sound as he dropped into a crouch. His eyes darted across the brush, searching for what he missed before grabbing the kit between his teeth. Energies shifted, creeping through the swaying stems in silence. He growled, placing himself defensively between Lana and the greenery.

Grasses parted, bringing faint red eyes to a glow in the evening light. Feline ish, with dark chocolate stripes and a slightly lighter base coat, the Dukari dropped his head. "Sir.... I saw what you did... For the lady and her red eyed kit... Can, can you let me join too? And my friends?"

Kiri tilted his head, "How many of you are there?"

"Almost 100. I'm Ryker, the self proclaimed alpha, even if my mind doesn't work for that. In a proper pack, I think I have the mindset of a second. It's good enough not to break right away, but it's getting bad, sir."

"Swift... Do we want a pack?"

"What?"

"A pack. A real, proper pack. Because if so, I've got around a hundred little helpers who wish to join our party."

Swift glanced around at the people around her. "We may need to set up fast transport to other lands to actually make this work. This island may not be able to support that kind of people."

"So, yes?"

"Would you let me say no?" She teases, "You've wanted a pack since you lost yours. I'd be a fool to say no."

Kiri relaxed with a sigh. "Alright. Amazing. Yes. It's just going to take us a bit to actually figure things out. Both the alphas we have, we've never been part of a pack. So we are figuring thigs out as we go."

Ryker grinned, "Hey, maybe the ones of us who actually had a bit of a life in the packs can help! I stayed until I was 12 or so, my mother managed to teach me to keep my eye colour hidden for that long."

Kiri winced, "Sorry they found out."

"Yeah, me too. Alpha Firestorm found out after I threw up a flame wall. I was keeping my little brother safe from a rogue." He tapped on a scar across his side. "The alpha gifted me that for my troubles. I only got away because my brother hid me and begged me not to ever go back."

"So she knew you were a flame focus and still attacked you?" Kiri's tail flicked.

"Yep. My eyes were too red to be just flames. At least according to her. Yet, 4 years later in the wild and I'm still here! Still mostly sane. Still really bloody annoyed."

Kiri shook his head, "I will warn you, my partner bares a striking resemblance to her, but she has no love for Firestorm."

Shadows split, Swift slipping through like a devil. "Loki said he'll try to arrange things for-" She tilts her head at Ryker as Lana, headbutts her. "I have perfect timing don't I?"

Kiri shouldered her, "Swift, Ryker. Ryker, Swift. Come on, show us your pack Rye."

Ryker glanced at her again, "People are going to be worried. With the way Firestorm has stepped up her game, many of us have scars from her."

Her lips curved up into a distinctive smirk as her green iris began to burn. "I think I have some doubts about that." She purrs, her red eyes meeting his.

His tail wagged, "I like you two already. Come, this way!" He leapt through the brush, crashing his way forward.

Kiri waited a second by Lana's side, "Are you comfortable going home? I can have Swift's son come pick you two up."

Lana nuzzlwd against him. "Please."

"Loki, new pack friends, can you take Lana and her granddaughter home please? Open the shadows to me."

Loki stepped out, trails holding him firmly to the shadows as he examined them. He nuzzlwd the kit, his fur on end. "Come on. We have a bipedal family too. They'll love to cuddle with your little one. Does she have a name?"

Lana stepped up to his side, watching him with pride. "Her name is Daffodil, but I call her Daf."

Kiri turned from them, tracking Swift's every step. He reached the clearing, gazing out on the sheer number of tents and makeshift dens.

Ryker's voice carried, his words dancing with his delight.  "Pack! We have been claimed. We are Dukari once more. Come, meet your new alphas."

Swift chuckled. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, don't we?"