Leander listened eagerly to his antlered cousin’s every word. He smiled when she mentioned their grandmother, saying she hoped she was making Kagerou proud. “I’m sure you are,” he intoned, a warmth in his brown eyes. “For one, you seem to be following in her footsteps when it comes to leadership. And after everything mom told me about her, I have to believe that being granted her markings speaks volumes, too.”
It was the memory of his mother that saddened him more than that of the grandmother he’d never met, though within his quiet smile it only showed at the corners of his mouth. For the most part, Leander had accepted the grief over his parents’ death, letting it become a piece of himself – one that lessened in sharpness with the passage of time. He knew that neither Rayelle or Riagan would have wanted him to live in constant sorrow. It was a comfort that they had crossed together in old age, stewarded peacefully by sleep’s gentle embrace; and theirs had been a fulfillment of a lifelong love so rare and so simple, that even in death there was beauty to behold.
After they had shared a look of understanding, Kagerus went on to depict his uncles. He blinked and chuckled a little, trying to picture them as they were now rather than how he had always imagined them. “Let’s do that,” he said confidently, a wide grin appearing as he resettled his wings. His cousin’s lack of information regarding his sisters does not dampen his spirits – after all, he had expected roadblocks, and the elation of having already discovered living relatives kept him quite hopeful.
Leander nodded as she told him of her own brothers, making mental notes as he added them to branches of the family tree which he’d had memorized since boyhood. “More cousins,” he murmured to himself, still somewhat astounded. He had to laugh at her next comment and responded teasingly, “What gave me away?” As she continued his smile remained steadfast, broadening all the more once she’d admitted to her own excitement.
“Kagerus, I want to meet everyone. I’ve been looking forward to doing so for the better part of my life. So to find you – to find out that I still have family – I can’t tell you what it means to me.” The stallion was surprised at the raw emotion that rose within him as spoke; yet he couldn’t help but think of what it would have meant to his parents, too. Briefly, Leander closed his eyes, in that moment allowing his heart a small pang as he thought of them. Miss you, mom and dad. He took a breath before meeting Kagerus’ nutmeg gaze again, this time with renewed vigor.
“So,” he grinned, “I say lead the way, cousin.”
