Tala sat down beside Bryan.
"What exactly did you tell him?" Tala asked.
"Nothing," Bryan said, laughing the same defeated laugh he had with Kai, "I tried to explain some of the things, me, you, him… it didn't work out how I thought it could… what I thought it would turn out like I don't even know," he explained, rolling over on his side to face away from Tala's piecing ice blue eyes.
"...He didn't have to hit me so hard though..." he complained, as he ran his hand through his hair where Spencer had hit him until he felt Tala's hand on his.
Tala lay down on his side behind Bryan, wrapping his arms around his companions waist drawing the younger boy in closer to his chest allowing him to share his warmth as the snow began to fall around them.
"I said I wouldn't abandon you… you've just got to understand that Kai seems to still love me and that I love him as well as you… I'm trying to keep us all happy here. If Kai decides to come back with us and all goes well you could have both of us if you choose to accept his love like you did mine…" Tala said, softly in Bryan's ear.
"So it would just be the three of us… do you think Kai would actually feel that way towards me? Would you even want to share his love with me?" Bryan asked, in slight disbelief.
"The first one I don't know… we'll see how he adjusts to pack life tonight when I have the chance to explain everything to him. The second part… I would rather keep you both to myself and share you with no one but if for me to have you both means I have to share your love I don't mind," Tala responded sincerely.
"We should consider ourselves lucky that Spencer and Ian are more content with each other's company," Tala said plainly, after some time. Bryan nodded his head slightly, despite his up brining Tala had a good heart and had still found time to pay attention to his other pack members throughout the past weeks of searching for Kai.
"You'll like Kai… he's not like he was when he came back during the championships… more like when he first came to the Abbey though you were still young so you mightn't remember…" Tala added, slowly sitting up and shaking the fallen snow off of him; Bryan did the same.
"We should get going, the others are waiting," Tala told Bryan as he looked up at where Spencer and Ian where waiting for them half way to the cabin.
……….
Kai sat eye's closed, arms folded on one edge of the couch, Rei sat beside him content with reading his book while Tyson and Max played cards on the wooden coffee table. He opened one eye and glanced towards the front of the cabin as the sound of the large oaken door being opened reached his ears.
"SHUT THE DOOR!"
Kai heard his team-mates yell as Tyson and Max tried futilely to stop their playing cards from blowing all over the place; at least none went in the fire.
Kai watched as Tala and the Demolition Boys walked in through the gap in the door before Spencer shut it as they shook off the snow that covered them. He stood up making his way to the opposite side of the lounge room just as Spencer and Ian disappeared within the door in the living room wall. Kai arrived just in time to pull Bryan aside, though Tala gave him a slightly curious look but simply smiled, andnodded his head slightly before also disappearing beyond the door and down the hallway it concealed.
"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble with Tala and…" Kai began, before Bryan cut him off.
"It doesn't matter, Tala's a reasonable leader… and I'm grateful for whatever it was you told him, I was out of line trying to explain these things to you," Bryan informed Kai, watching as the younger boy nodded his head.
"What about Spencer?" Kai asked, sightly concerned, he had never seen anyone attempt to hit Bryan besides Tala.
"I'm still standing," Bryan said, with a shrug, "he doesn't care now that Tala doesn't," he added, as he looked over Kai's face, Kai's eyes, clearly seeing the contrast of what he was now compared to what he had been at the championships. Tala was right, Kai was different; changed for the better.
"Happy birthday Kai," Bryan said, quietly as he leant over Kai so as not to alert the others of what today was.
"You can come in if you want, we don't mind," he added, opening the door in the living room wall once more.
"Kai?"
Kai cringed slightly at the sound of Rei calling him, Bryan just smirked and walked into the hallway closing the door behind him; they'd have to do something about that boy.
……….
Kai ended up having to help Rei and Hilary prepare dinner, why exactly Rei needed the extra assistance he couldn't guess, the Chinese boy had made more difficult meals withouthis or Hilary's help. Now he sat with the others at the kitchen table, quickly and quietly finishing off his small meal eager to escape Tyson's question's of where he had gone today which he knew had been spurred on by Rei.
……….
It was night, andit was dark, but his keen eyesight could pick out the smallest and dullest things located within the darkness that surrounded them; even in human form. Bryan led the way up the stairs, careful to not make to much noise as Tala trotted up the stairs behind him only passing him on the walkway. Bryan watched as his golden-bronze leader sniffed out witch door belonged to Kai. He knelt down in front of Tala and the door he had chosen, giving the wolf an affectionate scratch behind the ears.
"We'll see you outside then… be careful," Bryan said, as he stood and quietly opened the door letting the wolf through before closing it again and looking down the walkway at the three other doors. 'Be careful' ...if Kai was to freak out and wake the others they could both be in danger. Bryan turned and slowly walked down the stairs to go and get Ian and Spencer...