The Terran Enclave - Klithian Chronicle 1 #Wattys 2016

Chapter 15 - Heading towards where they belong

Cindy hadn't caught his comment about 'hard for all of us', *I know it hurt Ray but what about Hands? Who did he have to help support him? I know he was at the temple but shouldn't he have been at the pack? Shouldn't he have been there for them to support him?*

He sipped on the drink for a short time as he gathered his thoughts. Was it possible Cindy still didn't quite realize what pack meant? That Hands had been forming one before the shit hit the rotary air displacement device? To be honest it was very possible, *He did have a pack though it wasn't formalized at the time. All the girls in his first section at the temple were becoming his pack. When Flitter died he was taken to the temple. He woke before expected and staggered into his section and collapsed crying. The girls in that section came over and supported him. When they took him to medical and tucked him into a bed the girls curled around him and supported him.* He took another sip as he worked on remembering what Hands and others had told him. It had been part of the therapy to explain how the pack supported a Pack Father, *The next day a slightly older section invited him and his section to theirs. It was so the girls in his pack could sleep and start to recover from helping their Pack Father. Eventually that section became part of his pack as well. He did have a pack to help him which helped Ray's pack. It allowed Ray's pack to support Ray and focus all their energy on him. Misty had her section and some other friends as well.*

Cindy tried to understand what he was saying. It just didn't quite make sense to her since she didn't have any reference to what Pack was. There had been so much information over such a short time that she was wallowing in mental mud, *But what is pack? I just don't understand. I can see Hands with the females in his section or the pack property but what is pack? I don't have any idea what it really means.* If she had been thinking family it would have made better sense but other than the few pups nobody was related other than belonging to the temple.

Rain had to stop and think, *Hands, Cindy doesn't get the concept of pack. I am not sure what to say but for those who are here could we do a sleepover for her? Have the Pack comfort her and talk to her? She is dealing with the records of Flitter's death. I don't think she had gone beyond that thankfully.* He hated thinking back to that time and he had lived through it.

Hands had noticed Rain going to comfort and talk to Cindy which was good. He and Cindy were to close at the moment to really be able to talk. It was the old/new culture and relationship, *That is a good idea and give me a few to set it up. I am too close to really talk about this. Thank you for helping her.* He sent to Savory, *Set the house up for a sleep over. Cindy needs the help understanding what pack means and how pack supports pack. Love you.*

*Pack is... I am not sure what term human's would use. Pack is... Related though not always. When a pack member is hurting we comfort that pack member. When Hands was hurt, as I said, all the girls gathered around him and supported him. They curled up next to him, allowed him to cry, rant, scream, and sleep.* Rain hoped that helped.

Cindy tried to parse what he was saying and it was hard. When he talked about related but not always she thought about her and Hands. Then she thought about all who had been to the funeral of their parents, *Do you mean family? Aunts, uncles, cousins, and even people like me? Related through a mating or marriage?* She had seen them curl up together much like she had started to find Zahria tucked in against her back at times.

Rain blinked and stared at the greenery across from where they were sitting. Was it actually that simple to explain it to her? He called up the term family from the Earth database and quickly scanned through it. To the humans a family could be as small as parents and children to an extended set of relations, *Um, I think that might be somewhat like that. In this case none of the pack was related to him. I think a section could be loosely considered a family in a way. Section sisters are always close though not related by DNA. They might date, have relationships, or simply be friends. Does that sound like what you are asking?* He really hoped he was doing a decent job on trying to explain this.