Edit: I finally got the proper first chapter up! Ugh, these last few months have been a slog. Family related hospital visits just kill my muses... Thankfully that has mostly stopped, I won't go into details.
There will be multiple chapters, but it will be a smallish fic compared to UE or SotB. It crept up on me last night and before I knew it I had the first chapter done. There will not be any slash, but there could be bromance further in. IMPORTANT! For those of you that don't know, bromance is a totally PLATONIC relationship between males that develop an unusually close friendship, resulting in hugs, pats (even the odd cuddle) and other instances of physical and emotional closeness that most men feel too awkward to engage in, but is none the less totally innocent of ANY sexual undertones. Thus endeth the lesson.
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David was more than used to Rush being gone for weeks whenever he went on his little 'errands', so to see him back in Athlum scarcely five days after he left was pleasantly surprising. To see him cradling what looked to be a bundled up child as he walked into the audience hall was more than a bit shocking.
Striding down the plush carpet David met Rush halfway, noting his particularly scruffy appearance. He looked like he'd barely had a moments rest in the past two days, if not longer.
"Dave! D'you know where Torgal is? I really need his help with something, she's been weepy and acting off and I think it was something I did, so I need to know if I did anything wrong...""
Eyebrows steadily rising David took in the slightly panicked look on Rush's face.
"Rush, is that a child you're holding?"
Shifting his grip to resettle his burden the teen nodded, his secure, experienced hold at odds with his expression.
"Yeah, you remember I was going to help this merchant guy plot a shortcut to the Sandsea through the Gaslin caves? Well I kinda got sidetracked..."
Rush then spun a long, convoluted and almost fantastical (and thus very likely true, if a little embroidered) story that involved jhana, demons, a spiders nest, a buried ruin and a humming room. Now, David had known Rush for long enough to tell when he was lying or omitting certain information, and those characteristic moments of hesitation sprinkled through the story told him there was quite a bit Rush was leaving out. David didn't comment on it however, he was a patient man by nature and could wait for Rush to feel ready to tell him.
"... luckily I found one of those pseudo-remnant transporter thingies not too far from where I got the kid, so I didn't have to spend ages getting out of there."
Eyebrows now firmly ensconced in his hairline, David couldn't resist a quip of some kind.
"Are you sure you didn't miss out anything, ancient monsters from the deep or an underground civilisation or two?"
The deadpan look he got in return was cold enough to fell a Yama at fifty paces. David just smothered a grin.
"Oh not this again, it was one time! Once! Just wait until you see a spiky eyeball monster the size of a house, then you won't be laughing..."
The bundle in his arms shifted, a small hiccupping mewl halting any thoughts of throttling David with his own choker.
"Oh crap, she's waking up! Dave, go get Torgal quick, before she starts crying again."
"Is she hurt?"
Rush just shook his head, shooting a quick glance at David before returning all his attention to the child.
Summarily dismissed a bemused David flagged down a passing servant to fetch Torgal, not willing to miss the spectacle Rush was presenting. Looking surprisingly competent the teen was swaying gently, speaking softly to the child he held and stroking her back, rubbing in small circles.
Thinking about it David shouldn't really be surprised; from what he could gather Rush had essentially raised Irina for a large part of their lives, what with their parents being absent much of the time. It was one thing to know he could take care of children, but another thing entirely to see that experience in action. He found it surprisingly endearing, especially when David himself knew next to nothing about such matters.
Not willing to interrupt Rush in case he set the girl off, David still wondered why she was swathed in a blanket. Not an inch of skin was showing, and Rush was being especially careful to keep it that way.
While waiting for Torgal to receive the summons and make his way to the audience hall, David took a moment to study Rush. His appearance certainly suggested he'd been through some battles, clothes covered in a layer of dust and rents visible in the material. Showing through the dirt were splotches and streaks of dried blood, his clothes under the reinforced leather jacket probably reeking from a combination of sweat, dried blood and other fluids from dead beasts.
The teen, despite these signs of previous injury was looking surprisingly healthy, save for a little sleeplessness and worry.
Torn from his musing by Torgal's arrival, David saw Rush visibly perk up at the sight of the Sovani before giving the hall a furtive glance.
"Not here, we need somewhere a bit more private for this."
So saying he strode over to a side door and vanished through it, a parting "Dave's study should do" prompting the two bemused Athlumians to follow.
Sending a long suffering look at the Sovani David followed Rush's swift departure, wondering if he wasn't more affected by his ordeal than he appeared.
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During the walk to the study David informed Torgal of the current circumstances, sans the fantastical tale of adventure Rush apparently took to find the child. When they entered the study they found Rush already seated on a deep red settee by the window, blanket clad child still in his arms.
"I'd have asked Caedmon or Leucetius first, but they're not in Athlum right now, so I've only got you to ask, Torgal."
Ignoring mention of such a politically sensitive subject as the leader of the silver falcons being in Athlum, David took a seat on the settee opposite Rush.
"Well? Why so secretive about a child, Rush? Why do you need Torgal? I'm afraid I find myself quite sceptical that you just found her in a ruin with no signs of people nearby."
Rush looked irritated, but didn't raise his voice.
"I told you, there was nothing nearby. She was in a sealed room all by herself, though that's not the reason I'm being careful. This is."
Torgal had barely taken a seat before he was rising again, obviously stunned when Rush pulled back the blanket to expose a cream furred head, oversized ears folded flat.
"A Sovani kitten?!"
The overly loud exclamation caused the tiny face to scrunch up, big blue eyes turning to look at David before the kitten buried her face in the crook of Rush's neck with a stifled whimper.
The noise seemed to break Torgal out of his stupor and he nearly pounced on Rush, eyes only for the kitten he held. He obviously wanted to take her but held off for now. Barely.
"A female kitten... No Sovani mother would abandon their baby, especially a female so young. She looks only a year old, barely old enough to be crawling..."
David blinked at that, before remembering Torgal once told him Sovani offspring matured more slowly than the other races. Tuning back in to the conversation David realised he had missed something.
"... you sure there were no signs of recent activity?"
Rush stroked one silky white ear, face a picture of seriousness.
"I'm sure, I looked all around the area once I found her, but there was nothing, not even monster tracks."
Torgal looked briefly perplexed, sinking into the chair nearest Rush.
"Torgal? I didn't know if she could take bovi milk so I didn't look for any on my way here, should I have?"
The dark furred Sovani briefly bristled, looking alarmed.
"Bovi milk would only make her sick, but surely you must have given her something?"
Giving Torgal a small glare that said 'd'you think I'm stupid?' Rush nodded.
"Of course I did. I gave her some water and a few sips of my blood when she would take it, along with a little boiled and mashed divain marrow."
Torgal's ears flicked back in surprise but he nodded thoughtfully. David however had stalled on the words 'a few sips of my blood'. Eyes zeroing in on Rush's hands David briefly cursed the presence of the teen's gloves, hiding any evidence of cuts or recent healing.
"I didn't expect you to know to do that, though the marrow might be a bit rich for her. You didn't give her any divain blood did you?"
David was still feeling vaguely repulsed by the idea of feeding any baby blood, but he didn't want to seem ignorant so kept his tongue for now.
"So that's why she's been fussy... Eh, no just mine, and only a little. You can thank Caedmon for me knowing the details, I asked him ages ago how Sovani handled their kids. I was hoping for some tips on keeping Irina out of trouble without resorting to house arrest. Heh."
As though sensing she didn't have her current carer's attention, the little kitten mewled quite loudly, upper arms fighting free of the blanket to knead at Rush's jacket, tiny claws sliding futilely on the leather. Not getting the pull-stretch sensation she was looking for seemed to upset the little girl, oversized ears flopping about as they struggled to emulate the stiff canted ears of an irritated adult Sovani.
Before Rush could begin undoing his stiff outer jacket the kitten was plucked from his arms, blanket and all by Torgal, eliciting a quiet. "Oi!"
Positively yanking off his leathers Rush was up and facing the older Sovani, looking more than a bit miffed.
"You can give her back now."
Torgal ignored him, staring wonderingly at the kitten.
"Hey, I didn't say you could take her, I just came to see if you could help."
Reaching up to take her back Rush was quickly rebuffed, blocked by the Sovani's lower arms while Torgal continued to admire the baby. As though sensing his growing frustration the kitten turned her head to fix wide blue eyes on Rush. After a moment of staring she turned back to Torgal, blinked slowly then started to squirm, twisting enough to make clumsy grabbing motions for Rush.
Again, strangely it was only her upper arms she used, the lower obscured completely by the blanket. High, almost birdlike chirps accompanied the movement, eyes looking pleadingly from Torgal to Rush.
David was little more than a spectator at this point, but even he could see what she wanted. The elder Sovani wouldn't budge however, resettling her whenever she moved and showing no inclination to give her up.
"It was a miracle that you found her Rush, but she needs to be with other Sovani, not Mitra. She mustn't get too attached to you if I am to find her a new mother."
That just made Rush make the leap from annoyed to angry, the stubborn set to his jaw speaking volumes.
"That'll probably take months, I know how thinly spread Sovani are and what if she gets attached to you? You're too busy to give her 24/7 attention. Why can't I take care of her?!"
The near immediate reply and narrow eyed look decided it.
"Mitra are not suitable carers for raising a Sovani child, you won't be able to provide for all her needs, Rush. The matter is closed."
Before Rush could do more than affect a look of outrage at the terse reply the much contested kitten opened her little mouth and wailed. Tears spilled over round cheeks and soaked velvety fur as the high reedy noise made everyone flinch. David actually stood up to take her himself but Rush beat him to it.
Faster than Torgal could stop him, Rush had plucked the kit from his loosened grip and retreated behind David, green light betraying the source of his speed. Within seconds of that happening the thin cry warbled into nothing and the young Lord turned to see the baby quite content in Rush's arms, rubbing her head unsteadily along the underside of his chin.
A bright unnatural gleam in his eyes told David far too much about how angry Rush was, and across from him Torgal was almost as bad. The only difference was one had a very powerful, versatile Remnant and the other didn't. David decided to intervene before blood was shed, acting as the logical party.
"Rush, calm down, the baby can stay with you for now, she clearly won't be happy with anyone else for the foreseeable future. Torgal, you'd better get started on tracking down eligible Sovani, the sooner you start the sooner you'll find someone suitable for her."
Growling, the Sovani nodded curtly and stalked out of the room. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, David waited until he could no longer hear Torgal's rapid footsteps before he turned back to Rush, admonishment on his lips. The words died on his tongue under the measuring, green tinted gaze that shocked him to stillness. The look lasted only seconds but it was so alien compared to the normally carefree, energetic boy that it gave David the shivers just thinking about it.
Seeming to realise the effect he was having, Rush blinked and the glimmer faded. Looking down in mild embarrassment he hitched the kitten up so she could lean against his shoulder.
"Sorry Dave, I guess I might have been a bit ticked off at Torgal..."
Snapping out of his stupor, David read the roundabout apology for what it was and sighed. He knew perfectly well Rush wasn't sorry, he was just chagrined David had gotten involved and been forced to play mediator between the two.
"Rush..."
Whatever David had been going to say was cut off at the sight and sound of the sleepy kitten. Tiny sharp milk teeth flashed in a face splitting yawn, pink tongue out and curling at the tip as big blue eyes squeezed closed. Barely a year old and it already looked like she could take your finger off, though David assumed Rush was probably having very different thoughts.
The young Lord knew from the look on Rush's face that they'd probably have to pry the baby from him when they found a proper surrogate. The expression of near parental amusement when the kitten went cross eyed trying to look at her tongue made David think it was far too late to avoid attachment...
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Having left David in his study, Rush was now relaxing in a hot bath, kitten sleeping nestled in a pile of cushions nearby. The water was turning a rather disturbing shade of red-brown, and Rush knew he'd have to run fresh water soon if he wanted to be properly clean. Thank the Gods Athlum had piped hot water, unlike Eulam.
For the moment though, Rush was free to relax... or at least try to, because he was feeling a little guilty about shocking (he really didn't want to use the word scaring, even if it was more apt) Dave like that. He hadn't meant to, hadn't even realised his agitation was showing in such a visible manner until he saw Dave freeze like a startled rabir, eyes a smidge too wide and the pupils dilated.
Torgal had just got his back up with his holier-than-thou attitude however, and Rush had been too angry to reign in his reaction before David noticed. As much as it pained him to think about it, Rush knew he was different than normal Mitra. Hell, if his suspicions were true he might not even be a Mitra...
Stopping that train of thought cold Rush busied himself with changing the water, giving himself a last scrub before reluctantly leaving the baths comforting warmth. Scrubbing the towel through his hair to remove the worst of the moisture he padded quietly past the kitten, not wanting to wake her prematurely.
Towelling himself off he pulled some underwear and a pair of clean trousers on, leaving the rest of his clothes for the moment. Fishing a small dagger from his pack he laid it on his bedside table, then padded over to the kitten, lifting her from her pillow nest.
"Right, up you come. It's about time to get you fed."
Climbing on to the bed he leaned back against the headboard, sitting the kitten in his lap. Picking up the dagger with his right hand he pressed it to his left, carefully making a shallow slice on the pad just below his thumb.
Discarding the dagger he presented his bleeding hand to the kitten, supporting her while she suckled at the cut. After about five minutes he pulled his hand away, ignoring her sleepy mewl of protest. Rather than fetch his jade orb, he decided to experiment and try to do deliberately what he'd done accidentally before. Tapping into his hidden power was surprisingly simple and within moments both he and the kitten were watching with rapt attention as the cut healed itself.
Blue eyes wide with wonder the kitten stared at his hand, then up at him, question obvious even though she was too young to speak.
"Yeah, that was weird, wasn't it? I don't really know how I did it, I just... wanted it to happen, and it did. I don't think I could do it with anything bigger though."
Wiping his hand on a spare handkerchief, Rush then gave her mouth a quick clean before her fur could stain.
"There, now that's done... Yeah, I think you have the right idea."
Taking his cue from the kitten's yawn Rush turned her so she was facing him, letting her cuddle up against the bare skin of his chest. Contrary to expectations she didn't seem perturbed by his lack of fur, nodding off within seconds. Looking down at her, Rush found himself remembering Caedmon's mini lecture on Sovani children.
Unlike Mitra children, he'd said, male and female Sovani kits are very different. Males are archetypal Sovani, four arms, long bodies and large ears. Females he'd said only had two arms and were much smaller than their male counterparts, little taller than the average male Mitra.
Female Sovani also matured quite a bit faster than males, taking a scant 40 years to reach sexual maturity, compared to the males 70 years.
Looking at the sleeping kitten, Rush briefly wondered how he could feel so attached to such a strange little creature after only a few days. Maybe it was because of the circumstances he found her under...
Well, he could think of that later, after he joined the kitten in her nap.
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Edit: I have her name! Much thanks to Mimic for pointing out something I honestly didn't consider, even though it was staring me in the face. XD