Sion's eyes slowly opened. The smell of lavender and cedarwood danced beneath his nose. His ears twitched along with his body as a hand made itself comfortable against the top of his head. The touch was gentle, forcing a purr to come from his chest softly. A gentle hum accompanied the soft strokes to his head and he slowly opened his eyes. The sun's rays were peaking between the leaves and branches of the trees. The air was fresh and the forest was full of the songs of birds nesting in its bountiful shrubs and conifers. The sound of rushing water could be heard nearby, making a mental note of it.
The lap his head laid in felt familiar, his eyes moving to gaze at them. Sky blue hair greeted him. Soft crimson eyes and a light umber skin. Feline-like ears and a tail to match. The woman held a healed over scar that led down her throat and collarbone. It was his Mother. His nose began to burn and his eyes watered uncontrollably. Tears began to soak and roll down the sides of his head as a hand lightly reached up to touch her face. He was an exact replica of his mother. It was almost like looking in a mirror. His lips parted to speak but his voice cracked and lips quivered too much to allow the words to flow freely.
"Hush child." His mother's voice whispered softly. "You've endured so much. Yet you help so many."
She ran her hand through his blue gentle curls. His breath began to catch softly as he slowly calmed himself down. How did she even find him? That thought pinged at the back of his mind and grew louder and louder as he evened his emotions.
"How…How did you find me?" He spoke between swallowing back his tears. "Where are we?"
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"We're among the eastern forest my darling son. I come here when I leave the district. Gives me a moment of peace. Allows me to think. You were out cold in the grass when I saw you." She smiled softly. "Thank goodness I found you."
Her hand went down to touch his chest lightly. He was bandaged and well tended to. She had taken the time to clean his wounds and dress him accordingly.
Slowly, he sat up. The images of the previous day flashed across his mind. The emotions that began to surface soon replaced his overwhelming sadness with regret. His eyes closed for a moment as his left hand cradled his head.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, anger building up within his chest. The anger was directed at himself. "I caused all of this. I just wanted to help people and I couldn't even start the way I wanted." His eyes opened. "I formed the group and was getting ready to rally everyone. But before I could even get started, the others took the matters into their own hands by blocking trade and terrorizing merchants. Stealing supplies and even gold." He gazed back at his mother.
"What kind of a leader am I? We don't even have a proper name. The most we've done was given to those in need and petition for change. Make sure our villages won't starve. And yet, we're wanted by the military. I was taken in. But then rescued by one of the only friends I ever had."
Sion's mother didn't offer a word. Not yet, she just listened. Nodding along to show that she was listening to her son. Her expression dared not change. It remained the sweet and soft smile she wore around all of her children.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
"Then. I left him. I left him behind to save my own hide." Heated tears began to roll down his cheeks once again as he choked out the words. It was a useless fight to keep his composure and he ended up in his mother's warm embrace. Her hands rubbed his back slowly and gently as she shushed him ever so quietly.
"Darling. I know it's hard. At times, it can seem like everything is crashing around you. Like the tides of fate seek to tear you from your destiny. But you have to hold on. You have to stay strong. I know that you can overcome this. You were born...different from the rest." She eluded as she lifted him from her shoulder. Her hands lightly caressing his cheeks, wiping away the tears.
Sion shook his head a few times. "No I'm not. Everyone's going to end up dead because of me. I'm the reason they're after us. They may even be after you and my sisters. Momma, what am I going to do?" He asked her. For the first time in his life. He felt truly lost. He thought he had it all figured out, but with his current options, they were all wearing thin. He feared that if he did nothing, everyone would die. And if he was successful in raising an army, the outcome would be the same.
He was more than capable of holding his own, but others of his kind were not as merciful as he was. He knew many innocent people would quite possibly be tortured, starved or forced into harsh manual labor. He knew the King would stop at nothing to keep everyone suppressed and unfeeling. Forcing them to act in line with their natural instincts. They were all finally becoming just a bit more civil, capable of trade among other races, being kinder to one another rather than displaying their own selfish desires wrapped in kindness.
A hand struck across the back of his head. It was not hard or meant to cause harm but it snapped him back into reality.
"Sion. You are different. Instead of falling into a pit of your own sins and debauchery. You rose above your own desires and began to help others. You were born with a heart that most would envy. You were born to bring change." His mother spoke in a mild-mannered tone.
She took his hand as she began to stand up, helping him onto his feet. "Come with me."
He didn't fight it. He simply nodded and followed her as she led them through the trees and forest, towards the direction of the rushing water.