[PRP] Welcome Home, Sire (Stalker Owl + King of Shadows)

[Toshihiko Two]

Stalker Owl was completely beside himself. He knew King would, of course, want to rest. There were the ceremonies to attend to. The first, to welcome back their King and for Fair to abdicate her surrogacy, and the second, to transfer the Rites of Spring with the changing of the season. As they hadn't done in three years time.

And oh, he was so glad to have him back.

He stood, waiting for King at breakfast the next morning, to see when he would want to go over the reports. His personal recommendation was immediately.  

[Baneful]

King had rested fitfully and briefly, having spent quite a bit of time getting his bower (not /really/ a bower, more a cave than anything else) cleared out, taking his time to stamp the dead flowers into food for his mushrooms before finally settling down to sleep.

When he walked out into the brisk morning air towards breakfast he did not expect to run into anyone quite so early and when he realised he had company his first reaction was to bristle slightly, a reaction which relaxed somewhat when he realised who was with him.

"Stalker." he said, and it was in an exhalation, letting go of some of his poise and showing just a fraction of the weariness he felt.
 

[Toshihiko Two]

"Sire," Stalker said, bowing his head deeply. He'd gotten word of the return, but hadn't seen King until this moment. He had retreated to his own den immediately, to prepare, and had not slept at all.

He was trying to hold back the floodgates of his emotions, only somewhat successfully, and this was not improved by King saying his name. "I've put together an itinerary for today, pending your approval." The words were strained, and eyes somewhat watery.

He looked like he might actually burst any second.

GIving the King a great big nuzzle would also, he knew, be completely inapproriate.

"After breakfast, of course."  

[Baneful]

King had spent much of his fitful night trying to formulate a plan for going forward without the aid of Stalker and found the goings grim. He had no idea the other kin had endured where so few others had not and had not blamed him for potentially leaving to find a mate and a tribe whose leader did not show such weak resolve. He had abandoned them and expected nothing less than the same in return.

To see him here, still present and still exactly the kimeti he remembered, armed with the organisation and verbal reports he needed to assert order back upon the tribe was a joy he did not hold back.

He had no qualms about what was appropriate or not and the relief so great that it was king who moved forward and nuzzled Stalker, cheek to cheek and progressing to arching his side against him like a territorial cat, tail lingering at his heels.

"Excellent." he purred. "You stayed. Even after all this time, you stayed. I was not certain how I would pull things together without you."

And once again formal he looked the other kin over. "Yet I should have known, should I not? The very fact there was still a tribe at all, no doubt has come down to you babysitting so very many unseelie."

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Stalker's whole body bristled with delight at the nuzzle, tail standing straight up.

He allowed himself to return the nuzzle wholeheartedly, dropping whatever pretense he had of self-control as tears rolled down his nose. He leaned against King gratefully.

"I knew you'd return," Sniff, "It's been chaos without you, absolutely awful. You mustn't judge the state of everything as a representation of my full recommendations."

It had taken every bit of cunning, manipulating, rearranging, and half-truths he could muster to keep the tribe alive (what fraction remained) the stores even remotely intact. Here, at the end of the winter, almost everything was depleted.

He wiped his eyes on his foreleg, straightened again as King looked him over.

"Yes, sire. There is...nothing more important to me."  

[Baneful]

He was not expecting tears and found a deep surge of something affectionate and older than he'd realised. In that moment more than any other time he regretted what he had done to the tribe by leaving.

"You always were such a silly thing." he said and it was with the utmost tenderness.

 

[Toshihiko Two]

"S-silly, sire? I hope not. I tried not to let it effect me, all the...game-playing, and...carousing, and so on. I am only interested in carrying out your wishes. ...And the welfare of the tribe, of course," Stalker mumbled, embarrassed.

He would hurry them along to breakfast, but he didn't mind tarrying just a little longer.  

[Baneful]

"Three years is a very long time to be thanklessly carrying out the wishes of anyone." And it was a ridiculously long time. "Ridiculous. And you are, in your own way ridiculous too, if not in the carousing sort of way." He made a face.

"Promiscuity, frivolity, all of that nonsense is so very wasteful. I am glad you retained your integrity instead."

He seemed to look thoughtful. "I should like to focus on getting my bower in order before we set to business. If I am to receive anyone, it needs to be suitably imposing and not dilapidated. Would you do me the favour of facilitating my desire to break my fast in my own quarters?" he smiled. "I am sure many in the tribe are eager to meet me for the first time or once again but I should like to know where I stand before I run."

 

[Toshihiko Two]

"Yes, of course, sire! I'll fetch it for you! Right back down to business. Very happy to have you back, sire!"

Stalker had made sure a whole, fresh fish had been set aside for King's morning meal, and he went to get it where it was still wrapped up in a leaf (and not yet dead) with strong-smelling herbs at his place in the banquet circle.

He pushed through some of the early-risers (of which there weren't many), to the King's place with a few, "Excuse me, on errand from the King, thank you, excuse me," to get to the fish.

Everyone had put up with Stalker to a degree while King had been away, although there had been a lot of eye rolls and ignoring him entirely.

When he returned, he set the fish carefully down on a rock.

"Very wise, sire, the banquet circle is no place to give you the...ahem, full report."  

[Baneful]

King was back to kicking out some of the old plants and flowers with his hind hooves when Stalker returned. He gave a surly little huff at the pile as he turned around, only to resume his dignity when he noticed Stalker.

"I have no idea why she thinks that I'd want flowers in my bower."

He made his way over to the fish and swallowed it whole, bones and all, licking his lips with satisfaction. "I missed the bounties of the lake, that much I will admit, and look forward to honey again in the summer time. If we still manage to coax the bees back into the territory with all the new fools eating the foliage."

Stalker got a thoughtful look. "How many litters of fools has Fair managed to prove the catalyst for in recent months? What are the numbers we are dealing with? Approximate is fine."

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Stalker, who did not deal in approximates, answered thoroughly.

"...The Queen herself only had one litter. There were five, and among them only one unseelie. Their number sired is 43, although the youngest, Love-In-Idleness, has another clutch on the way. ...Not all have stayed."

This, however, was not uncommon. The folk of the Fairy Court wandered as they pleased.

"Only a few stonesworth of the Tribe remained in the territory. Once we're stronger, some may find their way back. At the current Camp there are..."

Stalker flinched, slightly, "14 Seelie, including the Queen. 13 Unseelie, including you and myself. And the wandering entertainers. 7, currently." It was their custom, to accept performers into their lands. As long as the kin kept up their performances, they were a welcome presence. "It was a kin from that company who...sired the litter in question."

34 was a paltry amount. They'd once boasted ten times as many. Their territory had shrunk to what they could defend.

"Bumbling is who you'd be looking for. He's certainly..." Stalker looked for a diplomatic term.

"Robust." He added dryly, "and aptly named. But...loyal. To the Queen. But in a battle of wits...it would hardly be a competition."  

[Baneful]

King listened with an expression which started off grave and only grew moreso as the other kin went on. He was relieved only to hear that most of the many many offspring had wandered off into the lands. Their present numbers were slightly concerning.

"So we have around twenty or so completely useless individuals at the moment to carry through next winter and likely more by the time we get there." He shook his head. "Some things do not change it seems, ever the same as far as proportion goes."

He wrinkled his pink nose. "I am not looking for him I assure you, but thank you for updating me on what fool provided the stuff that the current predicament is made of." he sighed before smirking slightly at Stalker. "You don't fancy siring oh, I don't know, about six litters in the next few days?"

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Stalker looked flustered, and cleared his throat.

"I'd....of course strive to fulfill any commands of yours, sire, but the current itinerary is...crowded. I mean. I'm sure, with multi-tasking..."

Although embarrassed, he was already trying to work out the technicalities. Maybe if they planned the...siring in the stores, he could count inventory during, although truth be told he'd been far too busy for any siring since...ever.

There was only one sire he was concerned with.

Not that Fair hadn't hinted for him to loosen up a bit, but he wasn't very popular at festivals. Not even the...really enthusiastic ones. He always had the vague, naggy feeling he should be doing something useful.  

[Baneful]

The genuine and pleased laughter that Stalker's response elicited from King was possibly the first time he had laughed in what felt at this point like literally years.

"Oh my dear stalker." he said with a trailing chuckle. "You are more loyal than I deserve. Don't fret your silly head about it. There are plenty of other individuals around who are good for nothing but multiplying. You are of use to me personally, you'd be simply wasted on it all."

He stretched lazily, curling his tail as he widely yawned. "No, you have much more important uses to me and the swamp always balances itself out, there can be no Seelie without Unseelie also emerging through the simple balance of the world. We will have more, they will have more, we do not need to try to manipulate anything."

He chuckled again, unable to help himself. "My only regret on monopolising your time is that I will not get to see exactly what you mean by multi-tasking."


 

[Toshihiko Two]

"Well," he said, seriously and still embarrassed, "surely it couldn't take up all of my attention. ...Not that I would not give any order of yours anything but the necessary attention, but...if I had permission to use the stores, I wouldn't get behind on stocking, or," he continued quickly, "in my own quarters, I could still manage the record-keeping..."

He scanned King's expression, then grew even more embarrassed.

"Oh. You were, joking. Yes. Haha. ....Did you...want the inventory reports?