Kicked all their asses? Well, that sounded nice.  He just returned the smile granted at the comment, “well, enough of them at least.”  He'd survived all and won enough to be confident in his abilities.  The last question was the big one.  What to do now.  Technically nothing had changed yet except knowing more about his past.  There was one change, and it was a big one in its own way, he had gotten to see Alastor again.

Kichi didn’t answer right away, thinking about it seriously.  Emotions and impulses could make for poor life choices.  Right now Kichi had lots of emotions raging under the surface.  Kichi was calmer right now but he knew all it took was traveling down a wrong line of thought to let surface that raw pain.  “I think I’m going to go see my parent’s graves.  Maybe it'll help them rest in peace.  I’ll tell them I learned the truth and that I’m ok.”  It would also give him time to get a better reign on his emotions.

“I’d like to be able to tell them something else too.”  The words had turned more hesitant now, Kichi hadn’t bothered letting down his own stone walls for a large portion of his life.  “I’d like to tell them I was going to stay with someone.  There’s one wolf who actually cared about me.  He accepted the titles of best friend and big brother,” there was no denying sincerity in the thick voice and staring gaze at Alastor, “and while I refused to give anyone a chance at the title, there is probably no wolf alive who could have done a better job at a role of a father either.  I’d like to tell them I’m going to stay with him and his family.”  

Kichi had dropped a wall of protection never meant to be dropped.  The shredded heart was laid bear and ready to be destroyed.  Alastor had his own life now and a mate.  Kichi hadnd’t asked about kids but there had been more than enough time.  If he had them then those kids were lucky.  What if Alastor’s family didn’t want Kichi in their life?  They would be the priority now.   “I never did thank him for all he did,” Kichi added softly, “Thanks Al.”  


"Speech"

Kichi explained that he was going to go visit his parents' graves, pay his respects, let them know that he was all right and surviving. Alastor wished he could empathize with the young wolf in that regard, but it was hard for him to when he'd killed one half of his parents and been abandoned by the other. The only thing he ever wished for his parents was that he had the chance to kill them twice. Perhaps that was what drove him to be such a protective father figure—his own shit upbringing. A terse nod was all Alastor could give; it had been too much to hope that Kichi would want him to remain in his life after the revelations he'd laid bare. It hurt, but he'd heal. He always did somehow...

But Kichi didn't finish speaking there. The gray wolf hesitated, considering his words. This wasn't like him, and it brought Al's attention back to the lad. Kichi spoke cryptically, but the riddles were thinly veiled, and it didn't take long for Alastor to catch on to what the young man was implying. He wanted to come stay with Alastor. Alastor, who wasn't one for emotions, found himself actually choking up the longer Kichi praised him. His efforts to care for him as a boy, to raise him and build a life for them, they hadn't gone unnoticed. Maybe by Lurid they had, but not by Kichi. What finally broke Alastor down was when Kichi tanked him—truly, genuinely thanked him. A simple notion, but one that held more impact to the dire wolf than Kichi would ever know. All his life he'd served Lurid and her family, and never once had they thanked him for anything. He'd been beaten, chastised, scolded, spoken down to. But never thanked.

There was no hesitation in Alastor. He moved forward to throw a strong foreleg around Kichi's shoulders again, sparing the boy the affectionate nuzzles he wanted to cover him with in favor of not embarrassing him or hamming up the moment, but the affection was there all the same. He kept his head above Kichi's, lest the young brute see the tears springing up in those abyssal pools. "My home will forever be your home, Kichi," he replied in deep, resolute tones that rumbled from his chest. "You're my family. You're the little brother I never had." For Kichi, Alastor would always have room in his family. He knew Manea would give him no issue about bringing Kichi into their fold, nor would he have accepted any answer other than yes from her. Kichi was as much his as Avacyn and Saracyn were.

After a long moment, he released his surrogate brother, giving him a knowing smile and nod. "You go take care of what you need to. The band lives on Alias Island for the time being. When you're ready, make your way there. I'll be waiting to introduce you to my mate and welcome you home." He had some preparations to make; Kichi would need a den, bedding, all the essentials for living amongst the Elysium Band. Patting Kichi's shoulder, Alastor motioned with his head toward the northern forests where Kichi's parents had been laid to rest by their own murderer. "I'm so glad I found you again." A small, but genuine smile touched Alastor's lips. Not the smile of a madman, but the smile of a brother, or a father.


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Kichi didn’t pull away this time.  Kichi had never really opened his heart up that much before, never wanted to risk the chance of being hurt.  Lurid had never been called or thought of as mom, Alastor had been great fun and offered a sense of security but Kichi had never let him replace some hole in his heart.  The small pup had wanted no one to replace mom and dad.  He had grown closer to Alastor when they had traveled without Lurid for a short bit of time.  He had felt it was different than being with Lurid but the difference was something the naïve child couldn’t pick up on.

Even this embrace from Al now was different than other embraces he could recall.  Lurid’s had been possessive but this was more than that.  Kichi’s mind filtered through memories and those emotions that were normally choked off.  Alastor spoke words that were a balm on a scarred heart, not that it could remove the scars, but it was the best he’d felt in a long time.  The rage from earlier was drained out.  Kichi obviously wasn’t very good at catching a lie since he’d been deceived for so long but this didn’t feel like a lie.  Alastor had always been different and this embrace was different.  

Kichi looked up at his ‘bigger' brother as he told him to go ahead and do what was needed and then where to meet them.  Kichi nodded, stepping back and starting to walk off before glancing at Alastor.  The giant wolf had given him so many kind words and was Kichi going to walk off in silence?  It was a lot to take in!  Alastor hadn’t shut him out, had invited him to see his mate, and accepted him so quickly into the family.  The words ‘I love you’ seemed suiting, right?  Family loved each other.  Kichi had faint memories of parents that ‘loved’ him but they were dead so early and such memories fade so that he couldn't really say what ‘love’ felt like to know if anything he felt was love or friendship or whatever.

“I’m glad I found you also,” the words quiet and sincere, “I’ve been lost a long time.  Finding you, I don’t feel lost.  I won’t be overly long.”  He’d already been long-winded enough a moment ago.  He’d go and make a clean cut from the dead then come back to his brother and work on a future.

"Speech"