[o] A hop, skip, and a jump

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah wasn't sure what he was looking for. After parting from Hadama, he had been intending to head into the center of the Inner Quarter of the Grounds and use the portal to get home. But the moment that he'd stepped into the area, something started pulling at him. The tug was vaguely familiar. It had led him to various bizarre incidences and even the discovery of his companions. Ignoring it never lessened the impact and only made things worse. So, with a sigh and a glance at his wolves, Sah decided to follow his instincts once more.

Much to his confusion, it led him down a path that he'd never been. Lilly and Pad stuck close, watching their surroundings warily as it pulled Sah towards the western edge of the Inner Quarter. Eventually, it led him to a lake. The pull didn't stop however and seemed to be indicating that he needed to go down and into the inky blackness.

With a furrowed brow, the hybrid reluctantly left his two companions behind as he found a fissure in the ground. Shimming down, he landed on solid ground. Probably. It was pitch black. Raising a hand, he let a small fire form in his palm. He stood at the edge of an underground lake. The cavern was vast and Sah's footsteps echoed as he walked the edge of it, following the pull.

Suddenly, it worsened, and he turned sharply on his heel and peered into the darkness. All that he could see was a flicker of movement as something appeared to slip in and out of the shadows. It was almost hopping.

Sah

The day after gaining his new compass, Tal was still buzzing with adrenaline and uncharacteristic cheer. He and Alys had parted ways that morning with a kiss before she'd headed off to see another one of her clients in the Grounds, and Tal had gone to the courier station to pick up the local deliveries and get them to their destinations before their scheduled departure the next morning.

His good mood had lasted right up until the last delivery of the day, which led him on yet another inconvenient trip down to the Black Lake Shrine. He was pretty sure someone was just being an ass at this point since the Temple had a way more convenient Dygra shrine these days, and what was the point of having someone else deliver an offering to a god for you? But he'd take their damn payments and do the job just to be stubborn at this point. The inky blackness was no deterrent to his Goggles, and shimmying down the fissure was more an annoyance than a danger these days.

He was on his way back from the shrine when he heard the echoing footsteps and caught the glow of firelight around the bend of the gem-studded alcove. With a grimace at the awkward encounter he assumed was coming with one of Dygra's other followers on their way to worship - hopefully brief; his Frey quest had left lingering trauma he hadn't finished dealing with yet - Tal straightened his shoulders and eased his way carefully out of the crevice to avoid any scratches on the sharp minerals that studded the walls. "I'm just leavin' so it's all yo--" he started to say, and then stopped, squinting through the light the small palm-fire gave off.

There was a very familiar dark-haired Jester behind that flame, but-- "What in th'hail are y'doin' down here?" he blurted out at his favorite frenemy, utterly nonplussed at the unexpected meeting.

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah's eye tracked the moving shadow until it vanished as another set of footsteps approached. Irked, the Wild Thunder hissed out, "Quiet." A shadow in the corner of his eye flickered and he slowly pointed at it, "That. That's why I'm here." The tug in his chest was insistent. Whatever or whoever that blotch of darkness was, Sah needed to get to them.

As silently as he could, he walked around Tal, gesturing for the man to follow if he wished. The small blob of shadow was moving again but soon stopped. All that Sah could see was a pair of glowing white eyes. They seemed curious but wary and a small black paw reached out and became visible in the light of the fire that the hybrid still held. After a heartbeat, however, the paw vanished into thin air, and the eyes appeared again a few feet away. When they finally locked on Sah's, the Wild Thunder let out a sharp breath. Oh. Same as Lilly and Pad. This small creature was his.

Sah

Tal followed Sah's pointing finger, but though his Goggles could see through the darkness like it wasn't there, he didn't see what the fuss was all about. "You're lit'raly jumpin' at shadows," he informed the other man as slowly and kindly as he could. "There's nothin' there." Or at least there wasn't anything there now.

He frowned as he turned to follow the hunter, the hint of a scowl tugging his lips down as Sah continued to ignore his very reasonable reassurance. Then a flicker of movement caught his attention and he whipped his head around to look at it--

At first he thought it was another Darkling, like Edmund's weird little companion, but on closer inspection through his magical lenses it was definitely dog-shaped, not blob-shaped. "... Huh," he huffed quietly as the glowing eyes focused on Sah. He watched it teleport, brow furrowed in consternation as it ignored him, and drifted to a halt behind the hunter with his arms crossed over his chest. "Where's its mom, d'y'think?"

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah narrowed his eyes, ready to refute Talyson's statement when the courier finally picked up on what he had spotted. Without removing his eyes from where they were, the hybrid hummed, "Not sure. He's too young to be alone." How he knew that when he couldn't see the exact shape of the creature like Talyson, he didn't know. Sah didn't question it.

Just after he spoke, his mind was filled with images of what could only be a void-infected land shark attack a shadowfang pack. The hybrid cursed under his breath, "His pack was taken out by an abyssal leviathan." Dropping to one knee and holding out a hand, Sah crooned at the scared pup. "I know, pup. It's a lot, isn't it?" The images floating in his mind made the hybrid's heart crack. "Come here."

The small shadowfang solidified and stared unblinking at the two men for two, three heartbeats. And then he was sprinting forward and slamming full force into the hybrid's waiting arms. The impact knocked the air out of Sah's lungs, and it was only his other hand slamming into the ground behind him that stopped the hybrid from falling onto his back.

Letting out a wheezing laugh, Sah fully embraced the small canine, resting his chin on the pup's head. "Gods, pup. You're stronger than you look." Running a gentle hand along the shadowfang's trembling back, Sha glanced up at Talyson. "Lilly will be ecstatic, but how mad do you think Pad will be to have a new younger brother?"

Sah

Sah was just as bad as Tal was at picking up stray puppies, so at first the courier didn't question the hunter's focus on the shadowy little canine. Sure, maybe he was a little jealous that he hadn't noticed the pup first, but that was a minor quibble. Hopefully they could help the little one find its pack and--

The certainty in Sah's voice took him by surprise and he looked away from the glowing white eyes to focus on his frenemy. "How d'you..." Eyes narrowed through his Goggles, he took a minute to draw in a breath and then let it out slowly. Ooooooh, so that's what was going on. Feeling suddenly awkward and out of place in the heartwarming moment, Tal took a surreptitious step back, rubbing the back of his neck as the intimate moment between new companions unfolded. He was debating just slipping away and letting them have their time to get to know each other, but Sah glanced up before he could take more than a step towards the exit.

"Uh, on a scale o' one t'ten? He's gonna sulk for daaays." Pad's prickly pride was a well-known target of teasing for Lilly and Boreal, and he already seemed to grumble about sharing Sah's attentions with his big sister! Though the thought of Pad having to deal with a younger version of himself held a certain karmic balance. "...Boreal's gonna be delighted, though," he admitted, the corner of his mouth kicking up ruefully. "Pad's been too big t'mother for a couple o' years now." Not that the black wolf had ever wanted it in the first place! "What're y'gonna call 'im?"

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah laughed, standing and cradling the small pup who tucked himself into the crook of the hybrid's neck. White eyes watched the other man over his bonded's shoulder as he spoke. A name was certainly important. The Wild Thunder thought for a moment. "I named Lilly, but the kids in the family demanded that I give Pad his name to make a lily pad." He sighed, "They'll riot if I don't name a wolf who can literally jump through shadows, Frog."

Sah tilted his head, giving the newly named Frog a nuzzle, "Sound good?" Colorful but indecipherable images flashed through his mind, but their warmth made the pup's happiness clear.

Turning to Tal, the hybrid nodded. "Let's get going. I can already feel Pad's annoyance." Sure enough, there was a grumpy shadow reaching out, almost recoiling at the feeling of a new mind in the bond.

The way back to the surface was slow, but the trio managed. Sure enough, Lilly was instantly on her feet, wagging excitedly and trying to sniff Frog. Meanwhile, Pad watched with what could only be a wolfy expression of horror.

-[FIN]

Sah