Del and Vitto couldn’t help picking up their pace as they neared the village.
“Go on, you two,” Nicole said, waving them on. “I know you’re anxious to make sure everyone’s okay.”
“Thanks, Nicole,” Del said. “Bren and Cosette, we’ll get back to you as soon as we see that everything’s alright.”
“We’ll be fine,” Cosette replied. “Go check on Kyron.”
“Thanks,” Vitto said, as he and Del left the group. “We’ll see you at the village.”
They couldn’t help but stop when they saw the cookhouse.
“That’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Vitto said, surveying the damage.
“You should have seen it right after we got the fire out,” Breezy said, walking up. “This looks shiny new compared to that.”
“We’ve put in a lot of work cleaning it up,” Juni said, joining them.
“You can look at this mess tomorrow, right now, you should go home.”
“Is that where Kyron is?” Del asked. “And what about Taniki and the kids? Where are they staying?”
“Just go home,” Breezy said, as she and Juni walked away. “That’s where all your answers are.”
“I don’t know if that was reassuring or not,” Del said, walking with Vitto toward their home.
“Well, everything looks normal,” Vitto observed as they got close. “I think I hear voices.”
“I know those voices,” Del said, smiling excitedly. “That’s the kids… and Taniki too.”
They walked in on a happy family scene. Kyron and Taniki were sitting together, holding hands, while the older kids were on the floor playing with the kittens.
“So, it seems there was more to the story than we were told,” Vitto laughed. “How are you all?”
“Mom, Dad, you’re back!” Kyron said, jumping up to give them a hug. “We’re all doing okay. You must have heard about the fire.”
“And…,” Del raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward Taniki and the kids.
“And…,” Kyron said, gathering Taniki to his side, “the fire made us realize how much we meant to each other. All of us.” He added, waving to the kids.
“So, to answer your question,” Kyron said, standing proudly, “Taniki and I are bonded, and these are our kids.”
“How about that, Hon?” Vitto said to Del. “We’ve got grandkids.”
The next while was filled with laughter and hugs.
Finally, Del stopped and said, “We brought a surprise from our old village; shall we go see what it is?”
“Kyron!” Bren shouted when he saw the group of approaching cats.
“Brendon? How did you get here?” Kyron shouted back. “Why are you here?”
“Brendon, is it?” Bren laughed, striding forward to give his friend a hearty hand clasp.
“Sorry, Bren, I couldn’t believe it was you.” Kyron replied. “Damn, it’s good to see you. I heard you’d gone off to see the world.”
Then he noticed Cosette standing next to Bren.
Bren took Cosette’s hand. “This is Cosette; we are bonded. She’s my wife. Cosette, this is Kyron, my boyhood friend.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Cosette,” Kyron said, even adding a small bow.
“And this is my wife, Taniki,” he stated proudly, gathering her close to his side.
Then, with a smile, he added, “and our kids,” who stepped forward as he called each by name.
“This is Jen, Dev, and Kali, and of course, the kittens that Mom and Dad are holding, Pounce and Rowdy.”
“We’ve got a lot to catch up on,” Bren laughed.
“Enough of this standing around,” Taniki said. “Choose one of the guest cabins to put your stuff in and come with us back to Del and Vitto’s house. I’ll fix lunch, and we can talk.”
As they walked back, Vitto put an arm on Kyron’s shoulder. “Taniki sure knows how to take charge,” he said with a smile.
“That she does,” Kyron grinned. “She’s had a lot of responsibilities, now I can help her with that.”
Back at the house, in the cooking area, Del sat on a stool chatting with Taniki and Cosette as they prepared lunch for everyone.
“This is going to be pretty bland,” Taniki said. “All my spices and seasonings burned up in the fire.”
“I didn’t bring any with me,” Cosette said, adding chopped vegetables into the simmering stew. “But I do have seeds to grow whatever you want.”
“Oh, so you’re a cook,” Taniki stated.
“Well, not like you’re thinking,” Cosette replied. “I mean, I can cook, but nothing fancy.”
“Then why all the seeds?” Taniki asked, slowly stirring the stew.
“I need the seeds to grow things,” she answered. “All sorts of things—vegetables, spices, flowers—pretty much anything you want.”
Taniki stopped to face her. “You may not know it, but you’re meant to be here.”
“She’s right,” Del added. “Isis is going to love you. You see, there’s a special flower here that she’s been studying—trying to learn how to collect its seeds and regrow it in other places.”
“I know I can help with that,” Cosette said. “But I was also hoping to plant some vegetable gardens. It’s always good to have an alternate food source.”
“There’s a whole other tribe who are going to want to talk to you,” Taniki said and proceeded to tell her about the Hungry tribe.
“I’m sorry that happened,” Cosette said quietly. “I’ll help to make sure that never happens again.”
“It looks like the stew is ready,” Del said, setting out bowls and spoons. “We’ve got husbands and kids to feed.”