Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"I wanted a piece of you with me." Fiona said softly as Sam gathered her close. "Even if we didn't work out, you are special to me."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam simply held her for a long moment, and Ronan let them be as he returned to the fire. There wasn't much that could leave Sam speechless, and there wasn't much that he let himself get sentimental about.

 

[heartofcourage]

"So, maybe now I've earned my leaf on your tattoo?" Fiona asked softly with a chuckle, teasing him as he held her so tightly in silence.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You earned that some time ago," Sam murmured. "I want Suara to do it, though. I've always 'ad 'er make mine."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona grinned and hugged Sam a little tighter, kissing him sweetly. She adored him and she hoped that he knew just how much. Afterwards, she redressed and they rejoined the fire ceremony. Later that evening, the family and Owen had returned to Oleg's house to feast and enjoy the company. Fiona was the center of attention and her family gave her gifts for her birthday, much to her embarrassment. Still, she happily opened each one, thanking everyone profusely.

Anya watched happily from her spot by the fire, happy that her granddaughter seemed so happy and content. "It does my heart good to see her so happy. She reminds me of her mother, cheerful but with a better head on her shoulders." She commented to Sam who was sitting next to her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam looked on as Juno seemed to make a game of teasing Fiona and Yul, and Sam wasn't able to help a little smile of his own. "I still can't believe I found her. We've known of each other for some time... and I never gave her much thought until she outright challenged me and my black-and-white view of my job."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Tatianna always loved to challenge people too." Anya said with a chuckle, patting Sam's hand with a fondness that told him how much she thought of him. "She enjoyed a challenge and saw it as her mission to make those that were the most serious see things a different way."

"Tell me, Sam, because my heart wants to be happy today. Do you see yourself with Fiona for the rest of your life?" Anya asked him in a soft voice.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can't predict what th'future'll hold fer us..." Sam murmured, his gaze straying back to Fiona. "But if she'll 'ave me... I can see myself by 'er side through all th'hard winters an' the lean times as well as th'good."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I have something for you then." Anya said as she stood from her seat and disappeared for a moment, coming back from her room a short time later with a small box in her hands. "I trust that you will keep this safe until you decide that you would like to use it."

She handed it to Sam with a smile. The box contained a gold ring with a beautifully carved white stone in it. It was simple, understated, and in perfect condition.

"It belonged to my grandmother. Her name was Nara. She gave it to me when I mated with Oleg, but I knew I would be too rough for something so delicate. I wanted Tatianna to have it, but she was gone before I knew it." Anya said softly. "It's a moonstone. My grandmother loved moonstones."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam wanted to tell Anya that it was far too precious to leave to his care, but he understood that in trusting him with the ring, Anya was trusting him with Fiona's heart and her well-being. Slowly, he took the box and carefully slipped it into a secure pouch on his belt. "I'll always take care of her, no matter what happens," he promised Anya softly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're a good man, Samuel." Anya said with a soft smile on her face as he took the ring and tucked it in his belt. "I know you'll protect my kit."

Fiona was oblivious to the conversation that her grandmother was having with Sam. Her uncles took joy in teasing her as her cousins made sure that she was spoiled with her gifts. She kept glancing towards her father, making sure that he was still there and having a good time. He seemed content with everything that was going on around him and that made her incredibly happy.

"Please no more gifts." She said, turning red as Rhett placed another in her lap. "I can't handle any more gifts."

 

[KieranSoares]

Rhett wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, giving her a gentle nudge. Inside the simple wrapping were two lovely bolts of cloth that Rhett had probably chosen after hearing what Sam had gotten her. Rhett wanted to help her get started in her new career. One bolt was wool, dyed a rich blue with some lighter-colored patterns. The second was proper silk in a forest-green that almost seemed to shimmer in the light.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Uncle Rhett, it's beautiful." She said softly as she looked down at the silk fabric with a lump in her throat. "It must have cost a fortune. Where did you find this?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Rhett simply shook his head, making his brothers chuckle.

"He wouldn't tell anyone, not even Channa or Unvim," Yul told her with a smile. "He wanted to make sure he could surprise you. But I think it's Indian silk if you really want to know."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, you might have a green silk vest coming to you in the future." Fiona said, always thinking about how she could repay those that gave her lovely things. "It's beautiful, Uncle Rhett. Thank you."

She stood, placing her cloth to the side and wrapped him in a tight hug. Out of all of her uncles, Rhett was the one that she connected with the most. He was a gentle soul, he loved his family, and he supported her when she wanted to falter. She loved him dearly and it was clear that he loved her and had loved Tatianna just as much.

"Now gifts for everyone else!" Fiona said with a grin as she looked around at her family. "It's Solstice and we're here to celebrate, right?"

 

[KieranSoares]

All four brothers exchanged glances before Yul slipped away into Rhett's room, soon returning with a medium crate. "We all planned on this gift together for Chana and Unvim this past summer," Voluun told Fiona, watching his parents both fix their sons with confused looks.

"I thought parents were supposed to spoil the kits, not the other way around," Oleg chuckled as Yul set the crate before Anya, the top already loose so she could open it.

"Well, Juno and I are parents, and Yul and Rhett aren't little kits anymore. We all have the little ones to spoil, and we want to give you back a bit of what you gave us," Voluun insisted.

Inside, Anya found a huge tapestry that was clearly stitched by her sons' own hands. Rhett was the finest at sewing, but Juno and Voluun were quite good too from years of making and repairing their own clothes so not to bother Anya or their mates or have to pay a tailor. Yul wasn't quite good at sewing yet, but the design was clearly his, guided by Rhett's expertise and filled in by the other two brothers.

The tapestry was split into two stories until the bottom third. The left half was filled with legends and stories from Oleg's side of the family, many of them shamans and spiritual leaders, intertwined with legendary figures and spirits and religious symbols. The entire side was overlooked by the Lunasian Goddess Chloe whom all spiritual leaders followed and asked for guidance. The other half was Anya's side, warriors intermixed with Viking werefolk and ships and sea monsters and Leviathan, the Lunasian God of Water who was Anya's family's patron god.

At the bottom third, the two families joined at the hands of a beautiful silvery-white werefox and her handsome, tattooed, fiery-furred mate, their only similarity being their golden eyes. At their feet gathered many foxes of different colors, some smaller and some larger, dancing and chasing around a fire that the mates protected. Among the foxes was one larger adult and more powerful like a wolf, and one smaller adult with a tree mark on his shoulder. One seemed to be more energetic than the others, dancing on his back legs, and one watched silently but happily from the side. One, a beautiful white with silvery edges, stood behind the silent fox with a lean, orange mate beside her. Around all of the adults and their mates were little kits, and next to the silver-white fox sat a little kit whose fur was golden, the same shade as Fiona's blonde hair. Even on such short notice, Rhett had made sure to stitch Fiona into the story.

 

[heartofcourage]

Anya was lost for words as she looked over the beautiful tapestry that her sons had put together for her and Oleg. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at them all, a soft smile on her lips.

"I know that you all worry about my health." She said softly, running her hands over the fine stitching. "But I promise that I will be around for many more years to come. I have too many little kits to spoil around here to simply pass on."

She was strong than she had been in years, and it was all thanks to the four of them. They each did things for her that helped to lighten her load and ensure that she and Oleg would enjoy their twilight years together for a long time.

Fiona looked over her grandmother's shoulder at the tapestry, smiling as she saw her own little kit perched next to the white fox. It warmed her heart to know that her uncles had accepted her into the family without hesitation. She knew that they didn't have to, but no one seemed to want to make her pay for her mother's own sins.

"I think you'll like what I got for you, mormor." Fiona said as she disappeared into her own room and appeared with an armful of packages. "They aren't the only ones who have been sewing."

Fiona handed her grandmother a package that contained a lovely skirt that she had made, one that was colorful and had shapes and symbols that would mean something to her. "Same for you, Uka."

The package that she handed Oleg contained a new tribal sash. Voluun had helped her to pick it out and she had stitched little foxes on it in great detail, one for each of his kits.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You all have done far too much," Oleg murmured as he looked at the tapestry and the sash.

"Well, let me add t'tha'," Sam spoke up as he rose to get his bag he'd brought the night before.

"Oh, not you too," Oleg chuckled.

"It's no' jus' from me. Y'see, my Ma an' Da are pretty welcoming folks t'say th'least... An' when I told 'em about you in my letters 'ome, they wanted t'send their own well-wishes fer Solstice t'you all, bein' Fiona's family. I've got some things fer th'kits too." Sam drew out some bundles, several of them being fine furs for making warm clothes, some wooden toys for the little ones, a fine hatchet as a gift for Per for his coming of age, some new pieces of cookware, and other such useful and thoughtful things that were less about material wealth and more about just being helpful and showing a genuine care for Sam's love's family.

"An' I also brought some letters fer you, Oleg, but don' worry about 'em fer now," Sam told him, handing him a small bundle of letters that looked rather official. There was something for everyone among what Sam had brought. Rhett was particularly chuffed with the cooking implements as they'd make his life much easier caring for his parents and fielding large family dinners.

"This one's especially fer you, Anya," Sam muttered, bringing Anya a little box. "It's a Skye shell. They only show up whole around Skye an' the little islands around it. My Gran had one when she was around... Y'remind me o' her, so I sent a letter t'my great-uncle an' asked if 'e could find one fer you. Consider it my thanks fer th'earrings."

Silver earrings were a very quiet welcome gift to those who were not formally members of the tribe, but beloved and welcome. It was an ancient custom that tribal folk knew well, but those who hadn't grown up in the culture wouldn't know at a glance.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona was stunned that Sam had gathered gifts for her family as well. Each member got something and the generosity of the Ghis family would never cease to amaze her. She knew Sam would help her picking things to send back to them later and she intended to make sure they knew how she felt about them.

Passing out the rest of her items, Fiona chuckled as each uncle received a new shirt that she had made. She tried her hardest to make them sturdy so that they would stand up to cooking and carving. She had made similar items for her cousins, smaller shirts and skirts for the kits, and skirts for Hanni and Ericka.

As the gifts continued between the family members, Fiona took a seat next to her father, giving him a soft smile. "I know I gave you your gift last night, but I got something for your drake too." Fiona said, handing him a package that contained a wide leather collar that had his name stamped into it. "I know how much he means to you."

 

[KieranSoares]

Owen smiled down at the fine leather collar, his fingers tracing the letters. "Kesh isn't a vain beast... but he does enjoy looking handsome. He'll appreciate it." Owen looked to Fiona then with a smile. "I think it's time I introduced you to him. He's outside digging in the snow right now. I let him roam as he likes, and he tends to follow me even when I'm not going anywhere."

Owen welcomed Fiona to follow him outside, bundling up against the cold before they went. He let out a sharp whistle and Kesh's huge head poked out from around the side of the house, bits of snow in his dark mane and the patches of fur at his elbows and the beard that rimmed his lower jaw. He stepped over, flicking his tufted tail slightly as he saw Fiona. His mannerisms were quite a bit different from Roman, but very similar to Kennah. Where Roman was more dog-like in most respects, Kennah and Kesh were more feline despite how burly and blocky Kesh was. With a black mane and strange blue scales and lighter blue eyes, Kesh seemed almost like an anomaly of nature. Blue simply wasn't a color that occurred much in most natural things save indigo plants and certain flowers.

 

[heartofcourage]

"He's a handsome drake, Da." Fiona said as Kesh came around the corner of the house to greet them, his tale flicking as he saw her standing next to Owen. "Sam bought a collar for Kennah and I think she looks smart. I intend to get one for Roman sooner or later as well. Sam even offered to make one for him, but I think I'll be picky when it comes to Roman."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Here," Owen said softly, giving her the collar. Kesh stepped up and snuffled at Fiona, probably able to smell Kennah and Roman. When Owen stroked his neck, Kesh leaned into his hand with a soft rumble, sitting down on his haunches.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I would love him to meet Kennah and Roman, but I'm afraid Roman is too protective of the egg at the moment." Fiona said, taking the collar and allowing the drake to sniff at her before he rumbled in contentment when Owen patted his neck. "Something for you, Kesh. Happy Solstice."

She smiled as she buckled the collar around Kesh's throat, admiring the way that the fine leather lay against his scales. He certainly was a handsome beast, she thought to herself as he stood almost proudly with his new gift.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kesh held still as Fiona began to wrap the collar around his neck, clearly well-trained to sit still when equipment was being buckled on, like a saddle or harness. When she pulled away, he shook his head slightly to settle the collar in a comfortable place before touching the leather surface lightly with his agile fingers that were so like a human's. He stood and looked at Owen, and seeing his keeper's smile, Kesh lifted his head high and almost seem to puff his barrel chest out a little more knowing the collar was a handsome addition.

"Now, what do you say, young man?" Owen asked softly, and Kesh immediately circled round behind Fiona and tucked his head up under her arm, hugging her against his shoulder with his powerful neck.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You are very welcome, beastie." Fiona said softly as the powerful drake hugged her tightly in thanks. "You keep my Da safe, you hear? He's the only one that I've got."

She heard the drake rumble deeply as she said that, almost as if he were agreeing with her. Fiona glanced up at her Da then, giving him a soft smile.

"Happy Solstice, Da." She said softly.