He was quickly becoming Ischia's very own welcoming party. He was typically the first to sense new travelers, feel their thoughts brush against his mind long before anyone could lay eyes on them, though his magic was kept secret. Only his two sisters and one of his fathers knew of it, and he intended to keep it that way. He'd seen how easily it could hurt people, and it was best not to spread the knowledge. Any knowledge.

So he wasn't surprised to be the first to find this wanderer either. He walked with unusual grace he'd probably inherited from his father, caught at an age somewhere between a boy and a man. In most places, his medium-length hair still stood on end, tousled by the salty sea breezes. An iron medallion hung heavily about his neck, a work of art displayed proudly against his chest.

He smiled easily when he saw her, a girl with similar colors to young Allure. She romped about the shore in carefree joy, beautiful in a wild and natural way. He was entirely at ease as he paused to watch her, taking comfort that her thoughts were so pure and kind. It was so rare that anyone thought so simply in genuine happiness. Even the sweetest people had the occasional corrupt imaginings, but she had yet to think of any such things and he was content just to watch her enjoy herself.

He understood. He loved the island too.

He half-rose on his back legs, lavender and white wings flapping with her infectious excitement, then launched himself downhill to join her, racing enough distance at her side to allow his wings the freedom they needed. They always pumped at the air as he ran, an instinct that hadn't yet manifested in actual flight. But he kept that a secret, too. It was embarrassing to have such glorious appendages and not know how to use them.

When they stopped, he paused, watching her with smiling gray eyes.
"Hi. You're not from here, huh? Are you visiting?" He was a little breathless, and curious, and he offered his name next. "I'm Kharon. And the other that looks like me-" He glanced around to see if his twin was near, but quickly returned his attention to her. "-is Kylin, my sister. I bet she'd like you. What's your name?"

"What gave it away genius?"

He was startled by her sharp humor and his smile slipped away as he stared at her. It didn't last long though, and soon he was grinning easily again. His mother was much the same, and Father too. And even Reilly at times. So he was used to it, though he didn't seem to have learned that humor himself.

His expression fell away again though at the mention of the invasion, and he looked a bit sour. "Uh.. yes. Well, he's long gone, guess he didn't want the island after all, and the queen is returned with her family. They prefer to keep to themselves, I think, but I'm sure I could introduce you to Allure sometime if you wanted. She looks a bit like you actually, but anyway, she's pretty cool." Rambling, he was rambling. He tended to do that sometimes.

"My name's Zhenga; my dam thought it's meaning was nice apparently."

She won his attention again and his eyes lit up with interest. "Oh? Better for a princess? What's it mean?" His name had a meaning, too, after all. It just probably wasn't quite as nice as hers. He was pretty sure it most definitely wasn't as nice as hers, actually. Mother had been in such a dark place. Kylin's name was much better, but then Reilly had chosen it so that made sense. Maybe Mother would be better at names now, but he probably wouldn't know for a while since he was the one to name their baby sister.

"I'm Kharon. He's the ferryman to death. So when people die, he's in charge of taking them to the underworld unless they can't pay the fee. Or, that's how I heard it anyway. Mother thought I'd take her to her death. But really, I'm not all that bad, she was just in a really bad place. She's better now, I think. Mostly."

He blushed, suddenly feeling a bit awkward and like he'd said too much, and fell silent.

”Queen? Oh, you’re mother is a ruler? That’s neat! My mom, too, and my dads! They lead here, actually, so the queen could live in peace.” His voice lowered conspiratorially as he glanced around for listeners, ”There was some betrayal involved in the invasion. I think it maybe hurt her more than she shows,” he finished regretfully, absently lifting a wing in the air. He and his twin had been quite little, but Mother had told them of the queen Ea and he liked her. And her daughter Allure was pretty cool, too.

”You’re rambling, again,” Kylin teased as she came to his side. He grinned wide for her as his raised wing draped over her naturally and he pulled her to him with a hug, briefly burying his nose in her hair and breathing her familiar scent. ”And your name is gorgeous,” she continued to Zhenga. He gave Kylin a light squeeze before he released her as she introduced herself, her muzzle extending in greeting that the other met easily with her own. Soft, gray eyes settled on Zhenga again as she answered Kylin, telling of how she already enjoyed the island and its unique features that set them apart from the other lands. His smiled dimmed, though, at her next question.

”Why would the king leave, do you think? If I ruled this place I would not want to let it go so easily.”

"Not much of a king," he grimaced in disgust. "More like a band of marauders sweeping through for the sole purpose of disrupting perfectly peaceful lives, and displacing everyone from their home without care. Most had lived here their entire lives and didn't know anything else."

He blushed and quieted again, realizing he was back to rambling on and on. He changed the subject instead. "So, would you like to see more of Ischia? I'd take you to meet Mother, I think she might possibly like you one day, but she's terribly snippy with our baby sister still so very little. She won't like strangers coming near Kali, especially after the invasion. Dad's fun, though! Both of them. Maybe you'll see them around sometime." Oops, rambling.

He turned a smile to Kylin, "Where should we take her to see first?"

Kylin nipped at his shoulder to break his rambling again, and he smiled at her, giving her a playful tug at her mane. She agreed it wasn't such a great idea to take their new friend to Mother, though. And their dads were probably busy, but the twins were practically leaders too, sort of, right? Or something. So, he decided Zhenga should stay with them. She was cool. And funny!

Ky suggested they take her to one of their little clearings, and Zhenga seemed eager to see it. She came around to stand next to them and he lightly draped a wing over her in reflex with a brief hug before he started walking. They were an affectionate family, and hugs were entirely normal for him, not at all aware that it might be unwanted by some.

"The meadow is really cool," he said brightly, guiding them away and up a slope that shifted from sandy beach to spongy grasses covered in leaves of the deepest green. He nearly slipped a moment, but caught himself with a soft grunt, continuing forward. "Oh, sorry. Some places are slippery on these steeper parts, so be careful." He pressed further until he reached it's little summit and paused to make sure they were able to overcome it too. Then he beamed proudly at them and guided them on.

"You should stay here too," he told Zhenga. Was she old enough to be on her own? Well. She was on her own, so she must be. "It's mostly just the family, and then the Queen and her family. Sometimes the dragon prince too. And then also the bone-man and his... uuhm. And Luster. She's really nice. The bone-man hasn't come back yet though. He's been missing since the invasion," he added with a grimace. He was dangerous, but he was also added protection for the island. Or, had been. He'd protected the Queen before he vanished so he must be sort of good, maybe.

"Probably best to avoid him if he ever comes back though," he added, directing it at both of them. He didn't want Kylin anywhere near that guy, even if he didn't believe he'd hurt them. "He kills a lot," he shrugged, and turned back around to lead them further. He also avoided children since losing his only child, but Kharon didn't think that was necessary to add just then.

Ah, finally! He paused as they reached the clearing, soft grasses sweeping gently against their legs. He leaned into Kylin as she came to his side, brushing his muzzle against her cheek. Sometimes she smelled like these flowers that surrounded them. The bright pink ones rimmed in a fire-orange, or those fluffy purple ones, or the deep blue ones. He walked forward and sank to the ground, rolling to his side and feeling all the soft cushion of warm flowers and grasses. It was one of the best places on the island to eat, too, but he wasn't hungry yet.

"Do you like it?" he asked from his place, lounging freely in the sun with an easy smile.