Tough Little Boys (Kendall)

[Denen Sunsinger]

The night of 16 Fall, 511 AV She had always been a shadowy shape to him, lingering on the fringes of his dreams. A sort of warm, secure presence. But Yew had never spoken to him before. Not in dreams. Oh, he'd tried to picture his mother for years, knowing only that he was a near replica of her. He'd imagined her with his face, though perhaps a bit softer, if such a thing was possible. To see her now was strange, as he sat near him, with Reth rolling about in the long grass like a colt. He laughed to see him, and listened to her as she spoke to him. He had always been able to hear in his dreams. It was a small comfort when compared to the world in which he'd been robbed of sound. She held a sprig of rosemary in her hand, and held it out for him to smell. Her eyes were soft, and the smile on her lips was tender. There was such comfort in the muted skies, in the tall, waving grass. He could see tents in the distance, as though Endrykas was truly so close. Could be reached by more than just dreams. “The smell is unmistakable,” she informed. “Rosemary is for remembrance. It was my favorite of all herbs when I was a little girl.” She brushed back his hair, fingers lingering against his pale brow. “My little boy,” she murmured. Her smile was sad. “You are strong enough to survive this. I will always be here with you. It will not last forever.” He leaned against her hand, finding comfort in the mother that had been torn from him, murdered the night of his birth. She was said to have hemorrhaged and bled to death. None knew that a carefully placed knife had been the true cause of such bleeding, that she had fought as long as she could to protect her tiny baby boy. Reth snorted, lifting his head. His ears turned forward, and both Yew and Denen turned their attention in the direction he faced now, whinnying into the wind. Someone was coming.

[Kendall Saarinen]

There was so much between Kendall and Marie that hurt. The woman had thrown her daughter out on the streets after the unimaginable happened. The one person Kendall thought he could always count on had deserted him on the day he needed her most. He begged and pleaded with his mother. Anything for her to except him. Marie had her reasons for doing what she did. She was keeping it to herself though. She seemed strangely open as they walked upon the water's edge. Almost joyful...

"Mom…" The words were hard for him to say. He had learned things about her that she did not even know. The words sat on his lips, waiting to be released. He held them back though. She did not need to know. Not yet at least. She could keep looking down on him, like his father did, for his mark. She did not need to know that the Azenth blood ran through her veins. That without her, he would have never had the blood connection to Ivak's followers. She was happy right now though and he did not want to ruin it.

Marie looked at him, a light smile on her face. She seemed completely at peace, not a hint of the disgust that she had once had for him. "Hmmm…?" She looked at him with a confused look. She did not remember his female form. At least not in the dream. As far as she knew, she had always had a son named Kendall. He shook his head. "Nothing mom… I'm just glad to be with you." He tried to keep himself from crying has he wrapped an arm around her. She didn't remember anything but Kendall remembered everything.

Kendall held tight to his mother as they walked. "Ken, are you okay?" His mother looked concerned, as she should have been. Her "son" was toiling over something in his mind when there no reason to worry. Kendall shook his head, trying to let some of his mother's happiness soak into him. "I'm fine. I just missed you." He smiled lightly before kissing her on the cheek. She smiled and kissed him back before patting his cheek. "You're getting a bit of scruff there Kenny. Do they not have razors where you have been hiding away at?" Kendall smiled awkwardly as he looked out towards the horizon. The fact his mother was making comments about his facial hair made him completely uncomfortable. He couldn't say that to her though. He didn't want to break the illusion. "I've just been busy…"

As they walked Kendall found that he had to keep looking down at his mother. It was strange since before his accident, he had been shorter than her. They spoke idly about their lives. Marie spoke about the family and Zeltiva while Kendall talked about Hadrian, Ethan, and all of the sights he had seen. He had been scared to speak of Hadrian since his mother saw him as completely male now. She turned to him after he spoke about his lover. "You love this Hadrian, don't you?" He blushed slightly at her words. He had not said they were lovers but his mother could always tell the truth from his tone. "Yeah… I love him with all of my heart." Marie hugged him and he could tell she was crying in the embrace. "Mom… I can't say that I am sorry but…" She pulled away and looked at him, wiping away her tears. "No, I am just happy that you are happy. You might not give me any grandchildren but your brothers and sister can do that." He chuckled slightly as he looked at her before hugging her back. "Thank you mom… That means the world to me." Marie ruffled his hair, kissing him on his cheek. "I'll love you no matter what. You are my son after all." Kendall nodded slowly. The words sounded so strange to him. "Thanks Mom..."

As they walked the pair noticed the sand was slowly giving way to rolling grasses. With a tug on Kendall's hand, Marie pulled him through the grasses. Everything felt so strange. The way she looked at him, the way she spoke to him, it was all different. "Where are we going?" She smiled, pointing forward. "Through the grass." She chuckled as he walked beside her. "Any particular reason?" Before his mother could answer their eyes fell upon a woman, a boy, and a horse. "Hello?" He backed up slightly when he saw the woman and boy seemed to be having some sort of personal moment. "Sorry if we are intruding. My mother wanted to walk through the grass. We just left the waterside."

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen held his mother's hand, finding comfort in the action. He wanted Sam, but he could not find him here. Reth and his mother were here, and in that, he was relieved. Between flickering moments, he felt stabs of pain in his scalp, unconscious reminders of what his body was experiencing beyond this realm. Oddly, when the man and woman spoke, he was not disturbed by them. Instead, he looked up with a quiet, almost sad smile. Here, in dreams, language meant very little, and he could hear as clearly as though his ears had never ceased in their duty. “Welcome,” he answered. He studied them both with earnest curiosity. “The men took me from the water.” It was an odd thing to say, but he said it anyway. Perhaps this person could help him find or contact someone from Endrykas. Anyone. Surely, his father would forgive him with such events having happened. “Did you see the ship?” He looked down to the beach, where, for him, appeared the bloody, hulking vessel, the crude figurehead still sagging against the ropes that held it. His nose wrinkled, and he shuddered in disgust. The sensation of blood oozing down his skin returned, and he paled. Reth, the wise, old horse, snorted and munched at the grass. “This is...my mother, Yew Brokensong. I'm Denen,” he introduced, holding out a thin hand to gesture to Yew. She smiled, an expression that mirrored her son's almost eerily. His blue eyes turned to the Strider. “That is Reth.” After all, Reth was as important to Denen as any family member. Yew patted the earth, as if beckoning them to sit, and smiled knowingly to Marie. Denen's eyes turned back to the sea. “The water made Sam sick,” he said quietly. “I made him tea.” He sighed, and his eyes turned down. “I want...my Sam.” Slowly, his gaze returned to Kendall. “What is your name?”