Now that they were back at the falls, the first thing the boy needed to do was see his family. The tiny winged calico made his way behind the falls, slipping into the cave as a feeling of nostalgia washed over him. The roar of the falls was comforting, like a forgotten song that only reminded him of home. His green eyes were lit up as he rounded the corner of the den, not sure who all he would find still in the den at this time of day, but he was ready to plow into the first body he saw. Which happened to be that of his father. His green eyes widened with cat-like delight, and with a squeal of glee Gavroche dived at Bae-Syl’s forelegs for a snuggle. “Papa, papa!” He was aware some of his siblings were there too, but right now Gav beamed up at his father, tail wagging a mile a minute as he looked up at his sire for the first time in seasons.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

If all of the kings Bae was by all accounts beyond frustrated. His position as bruiser required he should call the pack and teach them all the basics of self defense as well as assess how they all faired on the fighting plane, yet here he was, being told he wasn't allowed to fight and work until his shoulder was healed. His face was scabbed over and healing nicely. He was lucky he didn't lose an eye with the way the cat had scratched up his face. He was well aware he was not immortal or indestructible, as much as Lucy might think he thought so. But she had now been shown just how far he would go for her and their family, including her family by extension. Perhaps she had had her first true glimpse and it had scared her, and in kind perhaps Haydee became terrified for her sister because of his possessive nature. But that was also something that kept Lucy and everyone in Ethne safe. Ethne was his to keep safe. It was his possession, whether he be the alpha or not. He sighed as he moved about the den. He was limping but refused to lay down. Something felt off. Different. He paced back and forth, and had been for a bit. Iki was sleeping in the corner and Baecette was snuggled up with him. But Tani wasn't here, and he had blocked out any other sounds currently. His limping was rythmatic in his pacing. Seven or so paces one way, then back, then seven or more so paces. He'd been doing this for about half an hour now. His eyes were hard as he tried his best to work it out inside himself. Watching Baecette seem to get no better the last few weeks also made him aggravated. Change, he knew it was change in his schedule and workload. But he refused to talk it out. He wouldn't burden Lucy or anyone with it. He would rather be out there fighting big cats and making certain the cat populace was taken care of. His pacing was stopped as his eyes fell on a form as the small boy entered the den. His eyes wide and heart almost stopping as he watched the boy barrel towards him. It felt like everything froze to him in that moment. The boy colliding with his legs sent everything into motion. He dropped and quickly wrapped his son in his embrace. His good leg was supporting him as he wrapped the other around Gav. He knew Lucy couldn't be far since he demanded she didn't go far, so he threw his head back and loosed a howl for her. It was likely going to wake Baecette and Iki but at the moment Bae didn't care. Gav was home! He could feel his cheeks becoming wet but he didn't give a fuck that his grown ass was crying. They had once feared Gav to be dead. And finally their son was home. Walk, "Talk", Think Have their queens on the throne

_{Art by Asena}

Gav didn’t protest or wiggle an inch as his much larger father dropped down and scooped him into an embrace. He was smiling, pressing against Bae as his tail wagged so fast behind him he thought it might fall off. But what did that matter? He was home. He was finally home after so long and seeing his dad again, being in the den he had known at his birth… it almost felt surreal. The winged boy was beaming, snuggling against the older male to make up for the time he’d been gone. He didn’t realize it, but tears had started forming at the edges of his own eyes. “Missed you…” His voice was quiet as he settled. He was content to just lay there with his father, and not leave the den the rest of the day as the rest of his family got to see him come home.

“I don’t want to go flying ever again Papa. It was scary!” He looked up at Bae, and, not realizing his own tears, frowned as he saw Bae-Syl crying. His heart sank at that, his smile falling as he reached a paw up toward Bae’s face. “Don’t cry papa! It’s okay… I’m not going to leave like that again. I promise!” Next time if he wanted to leave Ethne to see Dusk, he would bring his mama or papa. And then he’d bring Dusk back so all his siblings could be friends with her too!

"Speech," 'Thought.'