Three rotations of investigation and searching and we didn't have much to show for it. The package that was delivered to Kine’s Mansion was intact but all the data that should have shown it’s history was wiped. Extensive legwork and question helped us track the package to a Distribution Hub 83 but that’s where we stop. A dead end.

“It most likely came in from outside the city. 90% of Distribution Hub 83’s traffic comes from outside the Capital.” Thane speculated.

Kine had gathered his most trusted team for an update in his home study. The details of the security breach had been kept very quiet, but the investigation clearly indicated something had happened. I sat quietly as the briefing went on, my mind whirring with problems and solutions. What if it was Red Claw? What did that mean? They normally never target anyone but a Myath or a Human, not to kill anyway but…

“The data wipe could have been done three ways, either it was never recorded I the first place, the data was recorded but intercepted and altered before we got to it or it was deleted entirely. If it was deleted, we might be able to retrieve it but if it was either of the other two options, we have no hope of figuring this out and the skills required to achieve this aren’t are rare as we’d like. I’m not sure where to go from here majesty.” One of Kine’s investigators lamented.

Everyone had been working hard to figure this out and it showed. Red eyes that had seen little sleep, fur sticking out at odd angles for want of grooming and a spate of yawns that cracked jaws. Kine could have been killed and we all wanted to find out why… and make sure it couldn’t happen again.

An idea suddenly dropped into my head and I sat up so fast, my back gave a loud crack. Everyone turned to look at me but I was too busy trying to straighten out my thoughts and chase down the idea to speak. The silence didn’t last long as Niah took control.

“Sierra. Speak out, it will help organise your thoughts.” Niah was a little aloof but she was a good sort and knew how to get the best out of people. I’d not spent much time with her and I found her a little intimidating most of the time, but I liked her. And she was right.

I licked my lips, trying to whet my parched mouth and forced out my words, croaky and strained from lack of use. “What if the data doesn’t matter? I mean, we probably can’t get the data back but we know sort of what it said. Right?” I asked, talking more to myself that the others. “We know it had to be addressed to Kine’s mansion. Not just anyone can do that… it takes clearance and security checks… so what if… what if.” I stalled, the thoughts slipping around like fish through the fingers, hard to grasp.

“What if the packages was sent by someone who already had the clearance? Someone who regularly sent things to high profile individuals…” Thane finished for me.

“Yes! Thank you. That would make the data wipe make sense. It’s someone known to us. We should check past deliveries, see if anyone comes up.” I said, the new information giving me an adrenaline rush and making me itch to do something. But my mind refused to obey me, insisting on staying muddled and sleepy so I ended up just quivering in my seat, too energetic to sit still and too tired to do anything.

“…” the room was quiet until Kine sighed. “It’s the best lead we have for now. Go with that and keep me updated. Make sure you all get some rest.” Kine dismissed them and the room emptied leaving only Kine, Niah and I.

We sat in a comfortable quiet, just letting ourselves chill out after three rotations of intense activity. I wasn’t tired but I felt a little weary of the constant changes that my life had become. No two rotations were the same among the Myath, but the route, the communities, the dangers were all familiar. Recently, nothing was familiar and nothing was constant… except perhaps Kine and my few friends here. Change is never easy, so all things considered, I was doing okay. A little fatigue was expected…

My thoughts drifted from place to place, the debris falls, memories of mum and dad, my first meeting with Kine, an old ruin, the Human Territory, Namada, one after the other, each briefly touched before floating away into a soup of swirling colour. Something flickered in my mind, an idea or at least a glimmer of a thought that wanted to make itself known, but it kept slipping around, elusive.

I sighed. If I let it go, it might come back to me so I opened my eyes, not remembering when I close them, and looked around. Kine and Niah were in similar poses of relaxation, tails lazily swaying and snickers relaxed, twitching occasionally. I smiled at the cute picture they made before I turned my attention to the view outside. As usual, it was a lovely rotation, the rain showers scheduled for late eve. Standing slowly so as not to disturb my kin, I wandered over and opened the window so I could take in the scents on the air. I loved the fresh air, not yet used to such long stretched of time confined, but before I could really start to enjoy it, a familiar little bird caught my attention as it perched Ona ledge a few arm lengths away.

“Thellip!” I mumbled, surprise in my voice. “… that was fast.”

Thellip hopped over to my window, flitted inside and shifted into his Resting Form, seemingly ignoring the other two occupants of the room. I saw Niah tense when she realised there was another individual in the room, Kine either indicated something or contacted her telepathically, because she quickly eased back, relaxed but alert, and watched us closely. I payed then little attention as I was consumed with Thellips presence.

“I didn’t expect you back for at least another two rotations.” I commented finally.

“They turned me back at the border.” Thellip said, his tone his usual no-nonsense, as if he didn’t have a are in the world.

Turned back? I took a closer look and realised Thellip was holding himself a little stiff and guarded.

“You’re hurt.” I exclaimed as I grabbed his biceps and started a gently yet firm exploration, trying to find his wounds. His wings should have been fine since he flew all the way back, but I was more worried about internal damage. “MACC, initiated emergency complete scan.” I instructed and tagged Thellip mentally so MACC could get to work immediately. “Stay still Thellip, so MACC can work but you can talk. What happened? Did you have a chance to pass on the message?”

MACC’s remote scan beeped to indicate it had begun the diagnosis, but we didn’t pay much attention.

“The borders guards were highly aggressive, more so than usual. I’m not exactly favoured aback at home but this was extreme. I suspect the recent unrest has them worried. On my way back, I heard that one of the nesting sites was hit by debris so they are all agitated. A few chicks were killed…” A heavy, sad pause filled the room before Thellip continued. “I fought them off long enough to transmit the message to several of my contacts who came to the border and interceded for me. I still wasn’t let in but I was told to wait while they conferred with the Elders and the King. Eventually I was given permission to represent the Avaness at the Gathering, as they refuse to leave the territory, and was given the data the Avaness have compiled. It seems news of the your Gathering has already spread, even to my isolated homeland.”

That was the most Thellip had ever said in one setting, as long as I’d known him. But this was news. Good news or bad news? I wasn’t entirely sure but it was another piece of the ouzzzle in place at least. I nodded as I considered everything he’d said. “Thank you Thellip. You’ve worked hard, traveled hard and gotten a lot ackomlished. I’m sorry you’ve been hurt.”

Thellip humphed and I thought I saw a corner of his mouth lift in his version of a smile. I gave him a quick click of my toungue, one of the signals we had to remind him to stay still but smiled back at him. “I’ll probably be the lone representative at the Gathering, but an open invite was announced for anyone of the Avaness who wanted to accompany me. I doubt anyone will join me though.”

“Mmm” I hummed absently, still focused on the medical scan that MACC was conducting, the progress of which was being sent to my personal screen. So it was no wonder that I jumped when Kine spoke from right behind me.

“So we have data from the Icanthie, the Drakes and now the Avaness. That means the Gathering will defiantly go ahead, even if none of the others join us.”

I sound in the spot and scowled at my cousin. “Kine, stop doing that!” He just grinned at me before continuing.

“Now the Gathering is certain to go ahead, I need to visit the Neutral Grounds to oversee everything. As the organiser, it’ll be my responsibility to make sure everything goes smoothly… or at learnt that nothing goes wrong.” Kine ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck, a rare demonstration of his worries. This was huge after all and a lot rested on him. “I leave in the morrow, barring any delays but no later than the morrow after. I shouldn’t need a large group to get everything done so the main Icanthie delegation can join me later. Do you want to come with me or with the official delegations Sierra?”

“You’re not returning before the Gathering starts at you?” I asked, nibbling on my lip as I tried to decide what was the best next step.

“No, we don’t have long and I don’t see a need to return.” Kine wave a hand towards his sister, who still sat comfortably, eyes avid with curiosity but otherwise stoic as usual. “Niah will be my Regent as she has been before so I’m not worried about the Capital. I need to be there, especially when the delegation start to arrive.”

“Have you heard from any of the other Monarch Nations?” Thellip piped up, still confined to his scan. He certainly decided to be the social butterfly this rotation. I opened my mouth to answer him but Kine beat me to it.

“Nothing of final from them, just rumours. The Illofra are illusive but we believe they may show up, though we aren’t even sure if they have data to contribute, not that I mind that. The Fey/Fae put us on hold, saying they were in discussions. We’ve not heard anything else from them. The Igidoe are silent but we’ve heard from various groups, small communities that are not technically Monarch Nations but basically act as miniature versions, like the Ursa. None have officially confirmed yet but there’s a lot of interest. Sierra might have better knowledge on some of them.” Kine and Thellip both turned to look at me questioningly.

“… When did you two get so friendly?” I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at them. The two looking at me with almost identical expressions was a little unnerving, my past and my future colliding in a unexpected yet happy way. I wasn’t sure I trusted it. And just when did they even know each other that well? They refused to speak, no matter how long I waited, so I just huffed at them, whipped my tail to show my mood, before readdressing the point. “The Igidoe are difficult but I’ve done what I can. Don’t expect much but don’t show surprise if the turn up. I can help you with the different customs of the smaller communities but I can’t join you right away Kine.”

“What? What do you mean?” Kine asked confused, a frown marring his brow.

“IIIIII… have an idea.” I paused, second guessing myself but Kine just cocked an eyebrow in question, so I decided to take the plunge. “I might know where to find a little more data. So I’ll visit a couple places then head to the Gathering. I should still have a few rotations to help with the final set up before it starts, don’t worry!” I hurried to add.

“I’m not worried about that Sierra. I’m worried about you going off to unknown places. Even with your guards, it might be too dangerous, what with the recently attack on the Mansion and this renegade group you mentioned.” Kine fretted.

“I can’t take my guards.” I responded, my tone low because I knew he would be happy about it.

“Why not?” Kine’s tone was less agitated and more resigned now. He was getting to know me. “No, let me guess, secrets you can’t tell right? Loyalties to others…” I didn’t say anything, worried I’d just upset him more. The longer this continued, the more divided I felt. I didn’t expect the Myath to warm to the other races overnight, but I needed to start to build that relationship, because if I didn’t, I’d be torn between them and lose more than I could imagine. “I understand but I still worry for you. I will never stop you from making your own decisions Sierra, but our bond means I can’t not care. Please be safe.”

I nodded a tear threatening to escape my eye. “I will be. I always am. Thank you Kine. You’ve been so patient and I’m working on it. I don’t want so many secret either but I have to be careful. I’ll make sure to send secure message so you know I’m okay.” I promised and Kine grunted, pulling me into a hug and scenting my head with his chin.

A beep announced the end of MACC scan.

“Emergency Scan complete. Avaness male, guest. Minor contusions and sub-dermal bleeding detected. Strain of left wing muscle detected. Trauma to left fourth and fifth ribs detected. No threat to life. Please utilise medical facilities for treatment.”

MACC finished his diagnosis before disappearing and Thellip stretched carefully, probably hating to stay still for so long.

“I accompany her.” Thellip stated. And it was a statement, not an offer. I knew nothing I said nor did would change his mind. I dropped my head into the hug Kine still held me in and sighed.

“Fine.” I grumbled, but secretly, I was happy and a little relieved. I found that I didn’t like being alone as much as I used to. “If you’re coming with me, I need you in tip top shape. Come on, I’ll take you to Kine’s Healers Hall. His mansion has the best.” I quipped.

I gave Kine a squeeze before pulling away and tweaking Thellips long hair which earn me a lazy swipe and a snap of his teeth. I laughed before leading him away, quickly throwing over my shoulder, “I’ll be back when he’s fixed up.”