I nod and hold out my phone. He takes it, punching in the location and then leading me down to his car. I recline the seat all the way back and let him drive me to the place where my brothers now reside.
“I guess you should text and let someone know we’re coming?” I stare at him and then at my phone. He nods, “Text Q. Let him know. I don’t want them to not open the door because they’re afraid.”
My fingers tap noisily on the screen, and when the message is sent, I stare down at it, waiting for Quilliyn to reply. He does not do so for what feels like many first moon cycles. I fear that perhaps he is not ready for us to come visit.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine to just show up,” Dante says, clearly reading the anxious thoughts in my head. “We can knock, and maybe you can say something in Eretharian to let them know who we are.”
I nod, then stare out the window at the passing cars and buildings, and when the car finally slows, and Dante pulls us through a gate, I hold my breath. My lungs scream as he parks and we get out.
I am nervous to see what they think. Earth can be overwhelming the first time you arrive. So much noise and sound. Everything is alive and visceral. You can almost feel everything you see.
I do not know if this will be my brothers’ experience, but I am eager to see them and how they are faring.
We make our way up some steps and then stop at a door. Dante glances at the number and then at his phone.
“Yep, this is the right place.”
He lifts his hand and knocks. My ears pick up movement inside and the clacking of claws on the floor. Then the slide of a lock and the screech of the door opening.
I see Quilliyn immediately.
“I am glad you’ve come,” he says, a smile on his face. He looks tired but also calm. I assume this means that last night did not go terribly, that perhaps things went smoothly. “They have many questions.”
Dante peers up at me and then steps inside the apartment, his eyes wide.
“Damn, this is a nice place, Q. Whose is it again?”
“My friend’s.”
“Well, it’s nice.”
I let their conversation fade behind me as I move forward, my eyes intent on my brothers. They are sitting on the couch, their bodies lax, their legs spread out.Relaxed, I think as I approach.
They peer up at me and nod, Zynath standing. “Brother,” he says in Eretharian.
Our foreheads touch, our tails twining around each other as we just breathe.
“You are safe. How was your first night?”
“It was good. We were afraid that we would be brought back, but Quilliyn reassured us we would not be.”
Alvayn rises to his feet, moving to touch my arm. I incline my forehead, and he taps his against mine before pulling away.
“It is loud here,” Alvayn says. “And bright.”
“It is like the city in Erethar. It is not like the Outerlands.”
Alvayn makes a face and turns away. My eyes meet Zynath’s, and he shakes his head.
“It is a hard adjustment. We miss the Outerlands, but there is no place for us there now. We must move on and make our home somewhere else.”
I feel my eyes sting, a mournful trill working its way up my throat. I feel responsible for this, for the stress they are facing. And it will be hard to make a home somewhere else, somewhere foreign, but it will be good. In the long run, it will be worth it.
I have found Dante. They could do the same. There are so many options here. They have their choice of many humans. And they need to explore and learn what they prefer.
“Have you been fed?” I ask, and Zynath nods.
“Prince Quilliyn has been very kind. I was not expecting that when we got in his…moving iron beast.”
