Page 104 of All That Has Flown Beyond
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Warmth. A sharp, dry smell. Lemons as they rot, turning white with mould.
“Kaiyo?”
Kaiyo opened his eyes. He tilted his head. He blinked, and a face came into focus.
“It wasn’t my fault this time,” he said. His mom laughed wetly.
“I know, kid. You get a pass on this one,” she said, running a hand through his hair.
Kaiyo breathed deeply and there it was, filling him up. All around him, alive and welcoming. His land. His Ousía, melding with the world around him.
A sob ripped through his throat.
“Fuck,” he said. He never wanted to be without this, he realized.
Never. Never again.
Tears slipped down his temples from the corners of his eyes.
“You’re okay now. You’re okay,” his mom soothed. Kaiyo nodded, but spring wouldn’t last forever.
There was a noise at the doorway. Adeline turned, leaving Kaiyo’s view unobstructed. Thea, Ahmik, Isla. Beyond them, the rest of the pack.
“Sorry. We know he just woke up. We just wanted to…” Thea said.
Kaiyo slipped a sore arm from under the sheets, extending it towards them in invitation. The pack didn’t hesitate. Adeline stepped aside as they piled in. Isla ran forwards first, throwing her arms around Kaiyo.
“Hey, buddy. Thanks for finding me,” Kaiyo said, trying to hug her back, but his arms shot through with pain every time he moved them. He settled for a loose grip.
“Steve found you. I, I got him from your contacts,” Isla said into his neck, referring to the Yuxa seer he had helped all those years ago. Kaiyo had kept in touch with the Norwoods. Steve, no longer trapped in a cage of hypersensitivity, had been eager to go out and explore the world, as much as it had frightened him.
“Well, thanks for helping,” Kaiyo said and then grunted out a laugh as Thea also piled on top of him.
“Am I hurting you?” she said, drawing away slightly.
“Nah. Sore arms,” he said, and Thea wrapped around him again.
“We were worried,” she said wetly.
“Yeah,” Kaiyo said.Me too. “But you know me. I’m practically impossible to kill.”
“Thank God. Enough things try,” she admonished.
The rest of the pack took turns to scent and tell him off. Amaya pressed a sloppy kiss on his cheek that had him laughing. Emil gave him a hug to contend with Thea’s. Lars squeezed his hand shyly.
Ahmik paused at the side of the bed. There were dark bruises under his eyes, his hair greasy and limp.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Kaiyo said. He wasn’t even lying.
Ahmik laughed, the sound cracking in two before it could completely leave his lips. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against Kaiyo.
“Don’t do that again,” he whispered.
“Then how am I going to get Amaya to kiss me?” Kaiyo replied wobbly.
“You can find kisses somewhere else,” Ahmik said and pressed their lips together.
