Family Matters

Akira strolled into the village, flanked by Percy and Diego, startled to see her herd huddled, Manny glaring at three clusters of different shades of grey. Northern sabres. They leapt into action almost immediately, snarling warningly at the intruders. The two Northern sabres of the odd herd faltered in seeing familiar faces.

"Mom?! Dad?!" "Willow." Akira's had been of astonishment, Percy's resentful.

"Argentis!"

"Percy!"

The parents of both stepped forward but Diego and Manny also stepped forward, the sabres faltering as they eyed the mammoths and Southern sabre warily. Akira nudged Manny's leg with her head reassuringly, the mammoth glancing down at her before stepping back as silently requested.

"Your daughter is far gone, Lucien. Look at her making friends with what's meant to be eaten." Willow, the sabre who had acquired Percy's resentment right off the bat, said. Akira snarled at her and she was pleased when her mother and father did as well. "So much as look at them the wrong way and we'll have a problem."

Willow glared, tensing as if to pounce. "Watch your mouth girl, I don't take orders from you. You aren't above me."

Akira's eyes flashed, standing to her full height where she was bigger than the other female. "You don't scare me. I've faced worse than you." Quite the understatement.

"Willow, back down. She has as much authority over you as we do. She's still our daughter." Her father growled at the sabress who whimpered in reluctant submission, taking a step back. Lucien looked back at the herd, gray eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. We recognized our daughter's way of marking her territory and got hopeful. We mean no harm."

Akira huffed an amused breath, never thinking in the past three years that her intricate way of clawing grooves into tree bark would reunite her with her family. Warily, she advanced, eyes fixed solely on her parents though, she was still untrusting of the sabress behind them. "We lost you and your brother during the avalanche," Her mother sniffed, looking at her with glistening eyes identical to hers. "I thought I lost my only babies left."

Akira faltered, tears pricking her eyes at the implication. One of her brothers was gone. Dead. It had been different then, having nothing to go off of—no hope—but when they were before her now, Akira had hoped that just as her parents were alright, so was everyone else. It was a little foolish of her to believe that all would be well but Akira wouldn't have tolerated an alternative like the one before her now without proof.

"Jace fell ill. We lost him in the caves shortly after we lost you and Lucas. Lucas found us but you. . . we thought it was the end." Her father smiled softly, resting his head atop hers. "But I know my baby girl. She doesn't go down easy. Your mother and I never gave up looking."

Akira sighed softly, relishing in the warmth of her parents' embrace, something she hadn't had the opportunity to do in a long time. She was chilled by suddenly learning Jace was dead but she refused to believe it. All her brother had ever done was prove them wrong being the runt of the family. He proved he was stronger than most, proved he could survive and exceed all expectations and completely discard all the doubts of the other sabres. An illness wouldn't have been his downfall. Akira wouldn't believe it as not even her parents knew what had truly happened to him—they were just assuming. Akira wanted and needed proof before she'd accept that her brother was dead. She'd been too close to it herself a few times to just take it at face value.

"Mom," Akira glanced back at Percy, inquiring but she turned back to her parents and the sabress accompanying them as the latter cried out in what seemed to be outrage. "You are not his mother." The youngest of the three sabress' narrowed her eyes, suddenly aware of why Percy had reacted the way he had with Willow's initial presence and just who she was.

"But, by blood, you are." Akira's eyes were cold, remembering the young cub she'd found all by himself, so close to drowning in the flood or getting devoured by the monsters in the water. "And you abandoned him, for all that title is worth to you."

She didn't give the sabress another glance, returning her gaze to her parents as Percy pointedly joined her side, settling down next to her. Akira huffed, amused by his presumed defiance in front of Willow and nuzzled him fondly. "Mom, dad?" She grabbed their attention from Willow—her father was glaring at the sabress, their abandonment of Percy the first it's been spoken of, she assumed—"This is my herd."

Akira grinned knowingly at the bizarre looks she received. "We get that a lot. This is Manny and Ellie and their daughter Peaches," The young calf waved for both herself and her mother as the sweet, little ball of fuzz was held securely in her mother's trunk, both tucked into Manny's side. "Crash and Eddie." The possums were bold, scrambling off Ellie's back and onto hers with curious expressions. They were sure in their safety, however, knowing they were safe with Akira.

"Sid," The sloth waved with a wide grin, waddling forward, unafraid. Akira watched Willow pointedly though she was also cautious of her parents' every move as the sloth shook their paws excitedly in their bewilderment. "Your daughter's amazing. An absolute terror, she is." She'd been smiling as she watched them but at Sid's words, she exclaimed, reaching for the sloth with a playful growl when he narrowly dodged her, stumbling away with a laugh.

The moment seemed to ease the tension a little, Manny relaxing quiet noticeably and her parents smiling warmly at the exchange. "And Diego and Percy." To Willow, she received curt nods from both but her parents received a warmer greeting. Well, as warm as Diego could get with strangers.

Calora looked at the herd of mammals with a small, thankful smile. "I'd like to thank you all for taking care of my daughter." Akira snorted, "Like they've—" She cut herself off, suddenly, frowning. The look on her mother's face. . . her father's. . , "you—no."

All this time Akira let herself fantasize about reuniting with her family, she'd fail to realize that it would only ever be natural to return home with them once they were found. But she couldn't. She had her own family now, a herd of her own—she couldn't just up and leave them. Even if it was her parents. . . other than them and her brother, there was nothing left for her in the mountains anymore. Everything she'd come to build for herself was here in this valley with her herd.

Her mother was hurt by her abrupt rejection, her face crumbling in a way that incited a wave of guilt in Akira as she watched. "Sweetheart, don't you miss home? Your friends? Us? Your brother? Sapienta? Because we all miss you." She averted her gaze, swallowing the lump in her throat.

She felt a warm weight on her back. "Hey, Tiger, this is your family. This your chance." She looked up at Manny through glistening eyes as he gently patted her head with his trunk.

"Hey, whoa, you're my family. I'm not—I can't up and leave like that. I—" Manny barely cracked a smile as he shrugged, a little helpless. "It's up to you, Tiger."

"Everyone will be so happy you're back, honey." Her mother misjudged the implications as Akira sighed, resigned and began ranting about what she'd be doing upon her return—who she'd be seeing again, how many celebrations would be planned but Akira listened to none of it as she looked over at her father. He smiled softly, gray eyes gentle as he seemed to know just what was going through her head—he always had. "I support you in whatever you choose."

"Mom." The sabress barely took a breath as she approached, still going on about her return—much to her disgust, a sabre named Idris she had set aside for her because Akira had forgotten, arranged marriages were a common thing in their family history. "Mom." She certainly hadn't breathed in some time. Akira heaved a sigh, nudging the woman insistently, "Mama." She stopped then. Akira hadn't called her 'mama' since she was old enough to go out of the caves on her own but Calora loved it—it made her miss the older days and it was a good way to get her attention, and to get what she wanted some days.

"I'll come home but only to visit. I'm happy here with my herd—I've got everything I'll ever need, including I mate who I chose and love very much. And a cub I'd give the world for." Akira knew her mother wouldn't take it well—worse, since Jace was gone. The sabress would feel as if she was losing her babies, as grown-up as they were, and Akira loved her dearly but she couldn't be smothered for the rest of her life.

The sabress faltered, looking a little betrayed as she looked back at the mammoths, sloth, possums, and mismatched sabres. "But. . . we're your family. You're my baby girl, I. . . I can't lose you too." Beside her, his expression pained for a moment, her father pressed his flank into her mother's. "Let her go, Cal. Our baby's all grown-up now. She's not two anymore. She's found her home—we're not all that she's got anymore."

Akira was thankful for her father, voicing as much as her mother, resigned, nodded reluctantly. The older sabre grinned down at her, looking several years younger. "Anything for my favourite cub."

Calora's head abruptly jerked up at this, her eyes narrowing at her husband. "So you do pick favourites. And you called me out for it." The sabress huffed and Akira laughed, grinning at the pair. It was reassuring that, after so many decades, her parents were still at the prime of their marriage, able to bicker as playfully as they did when they were younger. "We'll be visiting, young lady," the sabress sighed wistfully, "Idris was one of a kind—quite like your father. I'll have to talk with Luke about his sister."

Lucien cried out, offended as he looked down at his mate, "In all my years I've never been so insulted. And I'm old, lady."

Akira could hear Percy snickering behind her, smiling to herself. "Tell Luke good luck." She snickered, knowing the sabre would hate it just as much as she would. Calora brushed off her words, "He'll be willing. I need grandcubs before I die or I'll be rolling in my grave—I'd like to settle peacefully." Akira huffed, shaking her head fondly as she looked over her shoulder at her herd. "I'm walking them to the edge of our territory."

"Back an hour before curfew." Akira groaned at Manny's demand, nodding with a partial grimace because after all these years, he still gave curfews like that, before bounding off, her mother following after her with an approving glint in her eyes and Willow quietly trailing behind.

Lucien lingered, eyeing the odd collection of mammals with an expectant gaze. "Take care of my daughter."

"As if you have to tell us." Manny quipped and the sabre grinned, deciding he liked the mammoth's sharp nature almost immediately. "And you," He looked pointedly at Diego, "Hurt my daughter and I'll just let her deal with you herself." It was almost as if he knew that the prospect of being on the receiving end of Akira's rage was scarier than anything else. "She's got my temper." Diego knew then that he certainly did.

"But I'm trusting you, Diego. She's my baby girl." The Southern sabre nodded determinedly and Lucien's stern expression melted away. "Glad it's you and not that Idris." For dramatic effect, Lucien shivered as he spoke the name and Diego cracked a grin. Lucien mirrored his expression before looking to Percy. "I'll keep your mother away, Squirt. I'm sorry for what happened—we had a whole different story—but I think it was good in the long run. You got a better family. Take care of them, Perce." The cub nodded, puffing his chest proudly and Lucien grinned before he turned away, breaking into a sprint so fast he was a blur. Akira seemed to have gotten a lot from her father, speed included.

Akira watched her parents leave from the edge of her and Diego's territory and several times, she felt the impulse to run and join them just for a few more minutes because suddenly, she had the fear that if they got out of sight, she'd never see them again. Her mother had the same sentiment, running back to a waiting Akira a total of three times before they got out of sight and no one came back, not even for her to see a faint outline.

When the sabres finally vanished from sight, she turned and began the mile-long walk to her and Diego's cave on the south end of the lake. There was a cluster of them near the frozen solid lake and Manny, Ellie and Peaches were situated in one on the northside, Sid, Crash, Eddie and Percy rooming in the one East of their caves. When she arrived, Diego was sitting at the entrance of their cave and upon seeing her, stood and met her halfway.

She purred contently as he nuzzled her. Akira could practically feel his worry radiating off him, shaking her head fondly. "So much faith in me." She scolded, nipping his jaw gently before she brushed past him and into their cave.

The sabre followed after her with a frown. "Well before I nearly made the biggest mistake of my life, I did tell you to attempt to find your family. I thought you'd go with them—hell, even Manny was telling you to."

Akira glanced up at Diego, heaving a sigh. "He was telling us both, Diego. And you know where we go, Percy comes."

"I know. . . but I don't want to leave."

Akira smiled as he settled beside her. "Wait till I tell Manny you're so attached to Peaches and Sid you passed up a sabre pack."

Diego grunted, "They had nothing to do with it."

"Lies. You adore them just as much they adore you. It's cute." He huffed, faking annoyance as he turned away from her.

"Careful Diego, you're sulking. And males don't pout."

He snorted, glancing at her, "Uh, Sid."

Akira cocked her head thoughtfully. "Nothing ever applies to Sid nowadays. He's special."

Diego turned back to face her, eyes shining with amusement, as he stood and joined her. "Understatement." He snickered, smiling contently to himself as Akira curled in close.