Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ai nods worried, herself. Kero rarely snapped without good reason, well a good reason for him. They didn't always see eye to eye, but she kind of had an idea what was troubling him. So before she teleported them all to the realm she made him come over and make friends with the kit.

"Look at him, poor thing... so small and defenseless. You were like that once. Kero... we could have easily ignored the whole thing, but would it have been better to let her suffer, with him watching and starving... actually, I"m surprised they had made it this far. She'd been in that trap for some time. They were fortunate no true preditor was in the area. By releasing her, you gave her a far better passage than she would have had otherwise. As much as we would like it otherwise, life isn't fair. Things happen. Bad things. And it is up to people like you and me to make those bad things less intolerable."

Ai sighs and picks up the kit, who is clearly upset by Kero's touchy behavior. Leaning against the cat, who is easily twice her size right then, she teleports all three of them into the courtyard of Lyssan's keep where they are immediately surrounded by a trio of mix-matched guards.

"Who the hell are you?" demands the shorter of the three.

Ai chuckles softly. "Can the crap, Heinie... it's me. Talesian. Don't ye recognize me?"

And gets poked, none too gently in return. "The hell ye are... Tam is not a fem... Ye might sound like him but ye certainly don't look like him. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't run ye off."

"Well, as I am now, I won't be chasing after Estelle on ye... is that reason enough?" laughs Ai knowingly. "Besides, Ma would be rather upset iffin ye don't at least summon her... You know the rule, always clear visitors first... don't want to antagonize her, do ye? Better call for Da as well."

She can sense Kero's outrage, fueled by his unhappiness and moves slightly to head him off. "They are only doing they business, Taro. Meet Heinie, Gasper, and Tunk... the three eternal guardsmen... if only because they don't know how to stay out of trouble."

The heavier of the three laughs softly. "He may not look like Tam but he sure the hell talks like him. Go get the mistress...


"I'm Tunk, by the way... " he says once the first guard darts off into the keep, pointing with his spear at the still silent tall skinny guard. "And that there is Gasper."

"Watch where you are waving that thing, Tunk... and the name is Gasperion. I have to take it from Tam, he's older than I, but I don't have to take it from you, little brother." He turns to Ai and frowns. "So are you going to tell us why you appear on the doorstep, rather than your room, looking like something Heinie might go for, if ye didn't have such a mouth on ye... with a kit and Kerobian... it is Kerobian, isn't it? That crescent is kind of a dead give away..."

Ai nods and pushes the kit gently forward. "Not mine, I assure you... careful he's a bit spooked right now..." She adds as the tall thin guard kneels to examine him. "We had to put his mama down... and yes this is Kero... but I doubt he'd remember you. You know how he is from time to time..."

Ai sighs and shakes her head. "Sorry, guys, he's a bit protective right now... better do as he says."

Then she turns to Kero with a frown. "I can protect myself you know... and it was Heinie who poked me, not these two... Sheesh, calm down will you... believe it or not, they helped me get your a** out of a fire a time or two in your past life...."

"Past life? Kero didn't well pass on on us, did he? I mean... well I guess he didn't, he's standing right there beside you, right? He's a bit older than he usually was when he walked on fours... he got amnesia or something..." stammers Tunk nervously.

"Yeah, it's the something..." comes Lyssan's voice from the main hall doorway. "I was wondering whent he two of you might stop by for a visit... what's with the formality though?" She asks with a laugh walking over to where they stood and giving them both a warm hug. Never very big to begin with, it's no trouble for her to hug Kero, but she still has to lean down to give one to Ai.

"I sense a story on the way, son of my heart... or should I now call you daughter?" she asks standing up.

"Call me whatever you want, Ma... just don't call me late to dinner." laughs Ai with a vulpine grin. "Actually we came begging a favor..."

Gasperion stands up and hands her the kit, who has finally calmed down, but only a little. At least the people here smell foxy, even if they don't look the part.

"What's this... one of the lesser kin? Why he's half starved from the looks of him... Tunk, run to the kitchen and ask Champhy for some scraps and then bring it to the garden... Shall we?" she asks Ai and Kero with a nod to the shade strewn path to their right.

Ai nods and they join her as she heads back to her tiny sitting area at it's rear. "Don't worry, Ma... it needs a bath desperately, but I rendered him vermin free as quickly as I could. He should be safe enough to take indoors."

Lyssan nods thoughtfully. "But would he feel comfortable there? He is a wild creature, for all that he seems to be handling this rather well."

"Well, he is rather young and young creatures seem to know when they are in danger instinctively... but he's also been through so much, I suspect he still in a bit of shock..." replies Ai, suddenly she staggers slightly and swears.

"Damn, I... I don't feel so good... this shape is hell to hold... it's like it's fighting me... What's wrong with me? I never had trouble going fox before."

Lyssan frowns. "When did this all start? Only this morning? Were you feeling poorly or anything before this? And if that shape is so darn hard to hold, drop it for heavens sake."

Ai looks at Kero and sighs. "She asked for it... I don't think she's ever seen me like this...." And with those words slips back into her lioness form. Stretching with relief, she gape grins at Lyssan and laughs. "Ma, you are going to catch a few flies iffin ye don't close yer mouth."

"I... I better warn the others that we've another lion prowling about... " sighs Lyssan standing up to go warn the keep's staff. "But why a lion, why not just slip into you kitsune form?"

"Because this is the one I"m most comfrotable in these days." retorts Ai testily. Then she sighs and shakes her head. "Sorry, Ma, but that's the truth... That and to be absolutely honest... I never even thought to try any other... I wanted to be me and well.. this is what I got." She looks at the kit who is trying it's best to hide behind Lyssan's skirts and sighs. "I went foxy to avoid frightening it any further. Better take him with you if you leave... I really don't want to try and force myself back into that shape and Kero's not all that familiar with shapeshifting just yet."

Lyssan nods thoughtfully. "That would be something my better half would be more apt to locate for you. I tell you what. Let me go alert the staff and see that his little one is made comfortable in the stables... don't glare at me so, Kerobian. He is far better off there than in the keep itself. He'll have a warm bed, food, people to play with... and plenty of mice to learn to hunt on. We've raised many a stray in there. Anyway..." she says thoughtfully, eyeing her adopted child with a worried look.

"You really don't look too good, Tam... rest here. Until people know what you look like right now, you will be seen as an invader. Kero, would you stay with him, just in case it is something serious? I will find Amestru and send him out. Perhaps between the two of you, you can winnow out the cause of this malady."

Ai watches her mother walk away with a sad look on her face. "I really didn't want to upset her like that. Kind of hoped we could drop off the kit and head back to Silver Falls with none the wiser...." Curling up in a sunny patch, she flashes Kero a sad grin. "Never let a mother know you're not feeling well.... unless you want to be mothered to death. Knowing her... I'm going to get the four star treatment, once everyone knows who I am..."

Ai nuzzles him back. "Wish I did know... honestly. I can't say I've never been sick, because I have... been injured many a time, over exposed to the elements and such, and had several bouts of a magical flu like illness growing up when one of Da's experiments went wrong. We all got sick then, all but Champhy... poor horse... she ran herself ragged taking care of us... and we'd get better only to come right back down with it until he managed to track down the source... something that was kind of hard for him to do while he was up chucking all the time..."

She giggles, her eyes dancing with amused memories. "He had enhanced some form of bacteria, hoping to create something beneficial... imagine his chagrin when it turned out to be the reverse.... Now his labs are no where near the keep. Not that it kept us out... we all had ways of getting in and nothing intrigues a child's imagination more than a keep out sign..."

Stretching slightly she pats the ground beside her with her paw. "You were up hunting all morning to amass that mound of kill you put out before me this morning... why not take advantage of the quiet and rest. Knowing Da, he'll be raiding the library for a bit before he come storming down here to see what he can do for us... If Ma was smart, she'd just tell him to go see us, but knowing her, she'll mention I"m not feeling well and that it's odd... he'll asked how odd and she'll say something and he go digging first....."

Kero chuckles as he curls up next to her. "I like your family and I"ve only met one so far."

Ai sighs. "Actualy, love, you've met them all... you are practically one of the family here... This is where your older self and I had some of our finer escapades."

"Tell me about them..." begs Kero with the eagerness of a child.

"The escapades or the family?" teases Ai snuggling close and resting her head upon his back.

So Ai begins to tell him of the things they had explored and done in the realm and on her mother's ship, of the midnight raids on the kitchen pantry, taming the night mare, of battles fought and misunderstandings resolved. of the long hunts on the preserve and the silliness they had contrived between them to prank her brother and sister.

But try and he might, Kero cannot get her to speak of anything outside of those two places. She refuses to tell him of the void or anything they may have d one as adults, leaving him to wonder if perhaps they had never done anything of the sort. So he asks point blank. "Dulcha, did you know my grownup self?"

She smiles and nods. "Aye, I did, knew him quite well and for far longer than he thought I did. I was assigned to watch over him long ago. But that is for you to find out as you grow older... capiche? Consider it a treat to look forward to... a secret knowledge to uncover."

Ai sighs and nods. "I know... and I am sorry I left the task to you. But I didn't think the young one should see it and knew that between the two of us I was probably the best equipped to deal with him. Which left only you to handle the other. It is a hard task no matter what the situation is, but even harder I think when you are faced with the task unasked and on such a quick notice. Forgive me for handing it over to you?" she asks nuzling him back.