Late Night P2 | Rough Draft | Fin

Search and Destroy

Jake is covered in orange and black, painted up and suited together so he stands out alone from the others, even if Toruk is not near him.

He groans as you sit up to kiss his lips, your hands both dipped in black paint as you press against his waist.

A subtle marking in return from what he's done to you. He is yours, and you are his.

As you two pull apart, he finds himself back to the night of the dream hunt.
His painted fingers slipped under your hip strings as he finishes marking you.

It's only when he reaches up to paint your face, that it changes again — Niikeym now sitting on his ankles as he looks up at his father.
Smiling so beautifully at how he honors him by painting his face for his own dream hunt. His last step to earning his waist-garment and becoming more like his parents.

"How do I look?" Niikeym asks, finally standing as it's finished now.

With tears in his eyes, Jake pulls him in for a hug.
"You look good, son." His face is in his hair as he holds him so tightly.
"You're gonna do great."

"Father." He overhears, and although it doesn't come from Niikeym — he expected a higher pitched voice from one of his other sons.

"Father."

And there it is again, still not quite matching the voices he knows.
He lets go of Niikeym, and turns around fully to look from where it comes.

"Father, wake up, please. We need you."

He's saddened by the way his mind finally starts to pull him from the scenery, and next thing he knows — his eyes are opened as he catches Da'mik and Lo'ak staring down at him.

"Dad, dad." Lo'ak says, and he sits down beside him as he leans forward to help him up a bit.

"Wake up, come on, wake up." Da'mik says rather impatiently.

He takes his time as he does, and he'd have remained just as slow if not for hearing what sounded like Kiri a room over.
Talking to Tuk about something that he can't quite make out.

"What?" He barely whispers, unsure he's hearing things correctly.

He pushes past both of his sons as he forces himself up, and hangs on to the doorframe as he leans against it.

Sure enough: Kiri, Spider, and Tuk are all here.

"Dad!" Kiri calls out, and she rushes over to him before he can even comprehend what's going on.
"Dad, I was so afraid I'd never see you again."

"Kiri." His hands instinctively reach down for her, his palm pressing to the back of her head as she leans into his chest.
"Oh, Kiri. Are you okay?"
He looks over to Spider, and thankfully sees that he's unharmed as well.
"What happened? Where's your mother?"

She starts crying once again, and sobs against his warm skin as she tries to speak between heavy breaths.

"She's in danger." Da'mik comes up behind them, and squeezes his way out between the doorframe and Kiri as he joins spider in the living room.
"I know where she is.
But, Dad, we need you. We can't go by ourselves, we need Tonowaris men.
We have to go get Mom."

————————————————————-

The ground almost burns the soles of your feet as they walk you on it.

What's left of the greenery is only becoming further from you, the last bit of hope you had when it came to a safe covering should you manage to escape.