Dick realized that Komi is scared of being rejected by his family, and he spoke, "Pardon me, ladies, but I must comfort my intended soulmate.", and the group of Amazons looked quietly at each other, and the leader spoke, "Proceed.".
Dick replied with a bow, "Much obliged.", heading to Komi, and she whispered, looking at Dick, "I...I know Carrie and you told a lot about me, but what if they don't like me?", with a worried lip.
"That's what you're worried about?", Dick asked as Komi nodded. "I know, how ridiculous, right? After everything that's been my life, what I've done here at times, how we met in our dreams, for Hera's sake, but right here and now? Now I'm actually scared...", Komi gave a small chuckle at herself for just how pathetic it was.
Dick took her hand warmly and kissed her cheek gently, "You trust me, yeah?", and Komi spoke, "Of course, I do!". Dick smiled at her, "Then come on, Komi. I really want them to meet you, the love of my life.", and Komi teared up at his last comment, nodding, "Okay...", squeezing his hand back as she went with him.
They walked up before Dick took a deep breath. "Everyone, this is Princess Komand'r, of Tamaran and Themyscira." Dick properly introduced her. "The woman who has taken my heart...", he added as he gently rubbed her hand.
Komi blushes, and smiled, looking at Dick's original family, feeling still nervous, "Hello, everyone. Please call me Komi.". "As you wish, Komi.", Poppy smiled as she walked up before wrapping her arms around her.
Komi was a bit surprised by the action but almost within a second later, she reciprocated it. "Sorry, thought you might need one. Carrie and Dick told us about your ceremony with Hera, about your parents. They were fools, Komi...". Komi realized that Poppy was wanting to be like a mother to her to make up for the time that her real one turned away from once Komi was considered an invalid.
Komi gave a little sob as she sniffled, "Thank you, Poppy.", smiling in relief, and Poppy let go of her a couple moments later, "You're the woman who loves my eldest son, and I couldn't imagine him having anyone else than you, for you did so much to reform yourself by your own will. Welcome to the family. Is that right, boys, Waylon, Daphne?", looking at the others.
The others nodded as Waylon walked up. "May I ask for a hug too?", Waylon asked as Komi broke the hug with Poppy to hug him. "Don't expect me to be calling you Father any time soon...", Komi teased as Waylon chuckled.
Waylon replied, "You don't have to be proper with names like that, you can always call me Waylon next to Papa, Dad, Pops. It's nice to meet you, Komi.", smiling as he patted her back gently, letting her go.
Daphne asked, "I get that your and Kori's names means Blackfire and Starfire, and your energy resembles fire in a way, but is that like a traditional name of sorts?", as the leader of the escort cleared her throat, and they started walking on.
Kori replied, "For the royal family, yes, in tradition...It depends on appearance or personality, right, Komi?", and Komi nodded, "For me, it was my hair, and for Kori, it was her bright personality, shining like a star, right away from birth.", with a chuckle, "And our brother...he was wild from the times he started to kick in the womb and all, and it was the same after birth. He eventually settled down some, but he was still mischievous and all...Naming him Ryand'r, aka Wildfire.".
Sean grinned, "Cool! I wish we could've met him, Carrie and Richie told us about him. Bet he's happy for you and Komi.", and Komi smiled, "Thank you, Sean...", slowly getting more comfortable, as Jason asked, "So, what kind of mischief did you get your sister in, Komi?", with a grin.
Kori blushed as Komi smirked, "Well, my most favorite shenanigan was when there was this boring party and...", getting into the conversation, and so, the guided family was happily getting to know the sisters for at least a steady 40 minutes, though the jungle and such on a well-grounded trail, with the usual sounds before a distant scream was heard.
The escort immediately held out their spears and all, looking around, as one replied, "Is that one of the monkeys caught by something?", and another spoke, "Don't think so...Sounds more like-", before Damien shouted, thanks to his superior hearing, recognizing it immediately, "Tessa!", already running and shifting into a snarling, protective panther, unknowing of the incoming changes in him, leaving the trail.
"Hey!", the leader of the escort shouted in anger and confusion, "Grr, all of you, stay with us, don't go anywhere else! Let's go!", running on, as the family ran with them, worried for Damien and with Komi and Kori and Carrie horrified for Tessa.
Damien moved as fast as he could on his paws, desperate to reach Tessa as something was very wrong; a parental instinct flowing through him as he tried to find her.
He sniffed for Tessa's scent in the air, following it as he then heard another closer distant scream, and ran faster, hearing faint thuds of a tree, with deep growls and thumps, picking up a musky scent, a wild, dangerous scent, familiar like the farm pigs, but far more different.
He soon came into a wide meadow, his eyes immediately landing on a wild boar, with a spear barely pierced though its hide, thudding and crashing into a young tree, hearing another scream, seeing Tessa holding into it on a high branch, near the trunk, with a quiver of arrows, seeing the pieces of a bow on the ground, and he narrowed his eyes, seeing a boulder in his sightline, and ran up it, and leapt with great, powerful legs he suddenly had, as his panther form became from a young adult panther to a full adult panther, roaring in anger, intimidation, and fierce parental instincts, aiming for the wild boar.
Tessa obviously screamed again in fear; unaware it was Damien at that moment she watched the two animals fight. Damien didn't take long to take care of the boar though; as his claws tore through the flesh, weakening the swine.
Yet the hard-headed and aggressive boar didn't give up, fighting back with his tusks and hooves as well, earning Damien some wounds too, yet Damien fought back with his claws and fangs, lasting swift several minutes in the dust and grass, blood dotting and splashing through the air into the ground, unnoticing Kori grabbing and embracing Tessa from the branch, flying over to the incoming group, yet staying far out of harm's way.
Finally, Damien crushed the wild boar's spine by twisting and adjusting the broken spear in his fangs, ripping the throat with his claws, and with a squeal of death, the boar faded. Damien gave out a victorious roar, and chuffed with a sniff at the dead boar, and turned around, seeing the group, and relief came to him as he saw Tessa, and he shifted with grimaces and groans to the wounds on his body, and the family, the escort, and Tessa widened their eyes as it wasn't the 17 year old boy body of Damien, but a strong, tall man body of Damien, standing shockingly similar to Bruce and Waylon between their heights, like 6'1", looking like 25 years old, and if Diana was next to him, it would be more or less equal as Diana is 6 ft tall.
"You okay, Tessa?", Damien asked in concern, and Tessa blinked, "Damien?", and he nodded, and she smiled, "I'm not hurt, I'm okay...".
Damien smiled, "That's good...", starting to walk before he stumbled with a groan of pain from his bruised ribs, and Tessa shouted in worry, "Damien!", as Tim moved to catch him, and he smiled, "Thanks, Tim...Hold on, you look shorter.", as he knew that Tim is around 5'8", as he's still growing, since it seems like the Wayne family stops growing around 21, after vigorous training and all.
"Yeah, no kidding.", Tim said. "Because you're taller...", he told him. Damien blinked at him as Poppy took a deep breath, "Damien... I think you went through a rapid growth spurt like I did all those years ago...".
Damien gaped at Poppy as he leaned on around Tim's shoulders, taking in everyone's staring looks, and spoke, "She's not lying, is she?", and they shook their heads, and Tessa came forward to get close to prove it since she's still a child, and Damien widened his eyes as she hugged him by the side gently, as compared to him, she's adorably small, even for a preteen/on the cusp of teenagerhood.
"Thank you for saving me, Damien...I was old enough to do a solo hunt on my own, and I thought I'd take that boar down with my spear, but he moved, and I missed, and he got angry, and I tried to shoot a couple of arrows as I ran, turning around a couple times to shoot as he chased me, and he came too fast for a third time, and I had to dodge, losing the bow, and ran, climbing the tree as he destroyed the bow...He kept coming...", Tessa explained as she shivered, remembering as she thought she was going to die if she couldn't hold on much longer to that branch, and if Damien wasn't there...
"It's okay, don't worry about it.", Damien said as he held her closely. "I'm sure you'll get another chance to do it right, am I wrong?", he wondered as he looked to the other Amazons. Surely in all their history, there had been some mess ups with the hunt.
The leader of the escort said, "No, you're not wrong. Some of our Amazons had mess-ups upon their first hunt, but they learn fast. Perhaps, Princess Tessa, you must try something less aggressive, just for the sake of your mother.".
Tessa nodded, "Yes, Malva. Perhaps I will stick to a red deer or a hare next time.", and Damien replied, "That's far better and you will have more distance there for safety...Now, I believe we have a city to get to, and your mother will be wondering, next to the queen.", walking forward before wincing with a hiss, "That boar gave its best on me...", noticing a few cuts that is not threatening, but enough to become scars, next to bruised ribs.
At least the pain and the astonishment of his newfound appearance, until he finds a reflection in a river or pond sooner or later, is distracting him from Diana's scent on the wind, feeling his panther hormones in angst yet smoldering patience.
Malva replied, "We're lucky that we are covered in the basic aids. Princess Kori, go get some fresh water in your search on your flight, and Princess Komi, get the medicinal herbs on the sides of that mountain near us, in your search on your flight.", as she and a few other Amazons took out bandages and lotions to look through, and some small bowls, which is handed to the Tamaran girls.
Kori nodded, "Right!", heading out in one direction, while Komi replied, "Looks like you got the approval of those Amazons, Damien.", before heading out to the mountain.
"Yeah...", Damien nodded. "Still having confidence issues?", Waylon asked as Damien gave a small nod, "Kind of, I don't know why, part of me suddenly feels more... confident, ready... matured.".
Poppy replied warmly, "Perhaps it will make sense to you once you see for yourself. You have grown into such a beautiful young man, Damien, and yes, I'm biased, but it's true...", smiling gently as she ran a hand through his hair.
Tessa nodded, "Yeah, you really are good-looking, Damien! Mother is going to be really surprised, but she is going to like it really much.", with an encouraging smile, as sure, she remembered her father, Steve's appearance, and he was attractive and handsome, but Damien, he's different as he's really good-looking and mature.
"Thank you, Tessa...", Damien felt his heart skip a little bit at just hearing her say that sort of thing. Like a warm feeling of a father to a daughter. He wondered if that's how Waylon felt with Daphne over the years at times.
Soon, Kori and Komi returned with their given bowls, full of fresh, clean water and full of medicinal herbs, and Poppy, gratefully trained by Thomas, went to clean and nurse Damien's wounds and bind his bruised ribs, treating him like a patient, maybe with a bit of seeing her little boy looking hurt, not bothered by Damien's new abs or muscles, truly being Damien's mother.
And with Malva's instructions with the herbs, Damien exhaled, blinking in surprise, "That feels better...", and Malva replied, "It will heal the ribs steadily as we walk on to the city. Do you think you can keep going, Damien Wayne?".
"Please call me Damien when we're not in the vicinity of your queen, Malva. And yes, I am sure I can keep going. And the wounds?", Damien got up, stretching his sore bones, as it took a bit of time, while some of the Amazons went to bind up the dead boar into its pole by its hooves, with all the blood out for less weight, intending to use it all for a few meals in the palace menu, as it was Tessa's boar before she messed up, and then Damien's boar, and since he's the intended soulmate of Princess Diana, it made sense for the boar to be dined on.
Malva replied, "I'm afraid it's not like Epione and her healing halls, as those wounds will become scars as well, otherwise if we were much closer to the city, you would be clean off of those scars.".
Damien replied, "I see. Well, it will remind me of how Tessa is important to me, and that I couldn't imagine life without her and Diana.", glancing at Tessa who smiled with tears, feeling warm at the attention, realizing that this is familiar, like how it was with Steve that day.
"Well said, Damien. That would earn some respect and approval from my queen. Now, if there's not any more delays, let's resume our path on!", Malva called for order, guiding the family back to the trail, knowing the island beyond their memories since the island is as old as them, perhaps more.
"Quite a bit of a journey.", Jason admitted. "For protection.", Carrie explained. "It makes more sense to build the city a bit more inland than, say, on the shores where it would be left more open to wider attack. At least this way, we have a chance to meet any invaders at the beaches and shore before they come any closer to the city.".
Jason blinked before smiling, "Ah, that was Artemis's idea, wasn't it? A brilliant strategy.", and Carrie chuckled, "More like Mother and Artemis working together, along with someone else who unfortunately had died in Heracles' betrayal, among a few others...Her name was Antiope. She would have been my aunt...", with a sigh.
"Oh, my...That must have been horrifying to lose family like that...We had family who passed away in old age, along with a dear friend who had died in his sacrifice.", Poppy said, and Malva replied, "Dorji, right? And how your family went through insane adventures to die and revive with magic and gamma genes. Carrie didn't tell us too much to us, but she told everything to the queen and the others who explained it all to us.", with a nod.
Waylon nodded, "Insane is the understatement of our lives, that's for sure, and yeah, Dorji was our dear friend. He gave a lot, and he didn't have to, but he wanted to, to see us free again.", with a small smile as he comforted Poppy with a kiss on the temple.
Malva replied, "A noble sacrifice, indeed. Now, with our pace, we will be there in perhaps a half hour.", with another nod, and so, she was right, for after a half hour more, they finally made it to the city, with the family gasping in awe and amazement.
"Like Greece at its height...", Tim whistled. "Almost like stepping through a time machine to the past.", Jason nodded. "It's beautiful.".
"You truly do live in paradise, Carrie.", Waylon said as she gave a small smile. Dick whispered to Komi, "It's beautiful, and you thrive here as you're beautiful, my queen of my heart...I'm sorry I couldn't get the chance to see the true view of Tamaran, but at least your towel, your map-globe helps.".
Komi blushed, smiling, kissing him on the cheek, whispering, "Having you here is more than enough for me, Dick.". Tessa smiled at Damien, "What do you think? Damien, are you okay?", looking at him in concern.
Damien replied, smiling down at her, "I'm alright, Tessa, just forgot to breathe for a moment as this place, this...no wonder why your mother truly loves Themyscira...It's stunning.", hiding the other truth of that he can smell Diana's scent far closer now, and he's mentally snarling at his panther instincts to keep it down, as he's not going to mess anything up for Diana if she's there by the Queen's side, needing to keep things proper, just for a bit longer.