CHULANE
let's set the world on fire
The journey to the portal had been interesting but ultimately uneventful - he'd discovered a new shift, one that called to his homeland, one that flew, but otherwise he'd simply enjoyed the company of Kia, feeling the excitement of the Grounders who were finally released from the confines of Halo and able to return to their home. He felt it too, if he was being honest, for it meant he was able to have a break, a change in pace, and with Kia by his side, he felt like he was ready for the world before them.He hung back when the monolith of a man became visible, when the excitement in Kia informed him who it was. He smiled easily at her grin, watching as she ran towards him - purposefully finding something else to do, helping others where he could, unwilling to venture too far away from her but not wanting to intrude on their moment.
He'd met Deimos before, though neither of them had been wearing these skins then. He'd been a leopard, still new to this world and the shift he wore, still unknown, mostly lost, seeking guidance and help from others who'd so graciously given it to him. Now he was a member of society, helping others, given a job, a purpose, daring to have hopes and dreams to achieve. And he'd met Kia too, met her and gotten to know her very well, so much so that she had become a part of that purpose, those hopes and dreams within him. Then there was Deimos, the mountain of a man, the hellhound on the night they'd met, the steady figure in Kia's life, who he would have to meet, to impress, to thank for their first meeting all over again.
Something was wrong, though. And it didn't take long to figure out what. As he helped a family of Grounders reunite, carrying packs and handing them to those who had remained here, those who waited for their loved ones to return, he heard talk of what events had unfolded here.
Everyone had said to him that Longnight was always hard, Deimos included, in their first meeting. Chulane had been naïve, confident that they would all survive without knowing. 'The Queen is dead,' he heard, 'the door was cursed.'
It took a moment longer than it needed to, as his mind tried to knit things together, to understand the implications of everything he heard. It was all said not directly to him, and that is why it took so many moments for realisation to hit, for understanding to dawn. Shit, he thought, standing tall to redirect his gaze back to where the woman and the man stood, now apart, conversation having evolved, information having been given, the tide of devastation soon to arrive.
He moved quickly now, all thoughts of first introductions fled; he only thought of her now, of being there for her, supporting, comforting, being whatever she needed him to be in this moment. "Kia," his low voice said, as he came up behind her, close and familiar, a nod given to Deimos. He had wanted to do so much better, to greet the man with smiles and handshakes, but it wasn't to be - he had to be here now, for her, for Kia. A hand reached out, to rest on her shoulder, to gently pull her into his embrace, to be her strength in this moment where her world was tilting, to offer her a place of comfort and solace in amongst the chaos of the moment.
we can burn brighter than the sun
