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The announcement was received with silence, by both the small group and the assassins nearby. Whispers started to flow in the speechless void, everyone sharing with their neighbour this monumental news. It would be spread fast and, in decent order, everyone would know. Kiri, the grey wolf from the Man'ahjit mines in Parai, was grandmaster Khej's son, and Kar'na's brother.

S...son?" Myra asked, hood still up. If they could see beneath her or her brother's hoods, they'd see the reptilian sibling's faces were frozen in sheer shock.

Kar'na seemed like he'd just been slapped. The white wolf was just standing there, a dumbfounded look on his face. His eyes flashed with the flickering emotions dancing behind.

And seeming like his older brother was Kiri, who didn't seem to know where to look or what to do. This was...really sudden for the young wolf. Well, for everyone. But Kiri had gone through his life with only his friends as a family. To have actual blood in the mix...Kiri didn't know how to feel.

As the group watched, Kar'na disregarded his assassin demeanor and ran over to the two wolves, tears glimmering like the brilliance of crystal as he joined Khej and Kiri. At this, Kiri broke down too, and returned the powerful hugs he was given.

The slave group wasn't quite sure what to do. They all wanted to run over and join the three wolves in their hug, celebrating the discovery of Kiri's family, but the fact that they were most definitively not part of that family held them back. Asar, after doing a quick check to make sure no one was looking, subtlely dabbed his eye with an old piece of cloth.

Kytra, however, grinned and elbowed Asar in the side. The painted dog Ch'kiliil glared at the otter, before resuming his former demeanor.

The wolves eventually broke apart, Khej leaning back and wiping a tear from Kiri's face with his thumb.

"Tarek no'dar," he whispered, looking at Kiri. "Kora wulf till."

"Chi'v," Kar'na said gently to Khej. "Kora'an lok'arr vip tu'ari romin."

"Yaxta?" Khej asked Kar'na in surprise, breaking eye contact with Kiri briefly to look at his older son. "Feph lok'ari romin?"

"Falskin," Kar'na answered.

"Is it true, my son?" Khej asked, looking at Kiri. "Can you...can you not understand your native tongue?"

"No...father. I can't speak the wolf language."

"Savages," Khej muttered once under his breath, before smiling. "No matter. I will make do using this tongue. Kiri, my son. You've...you've come home..."

"I have, father."

Khej smiled once and hugged Kiri again, before getting to his feet and looking about the hall at the assassins that were watching this event.

"Feph?" Khej shouted. "Ger chi'v latin tu poi no'dar? Tasa!"

The assassins quickly dispersed, leaving the group alone and heading back to doing what they were before.

"And you seven...to you I owe my thanks," Khej bowed. "For helping my son home. I owe you a debt I feel I cannot pay."

He looked up at Myra and Aryn, still concealed as they were beneath their hoods.

"You two," Khej bid. "Remove your hoods."

"Wait, father," Kar'na said, pulling Khej to the side. A quick whispered conversation took place before Khej stood tall again and muttered, "I see."

He turned back to the siblings. "Please. Remove your hoods. You have my guarantee of safety here. And I wish to see your faces."

Myra and Aryn glanced at each other, before drawing back their hoods, revealing the reptilian faces below. Khej surveyed them, before a small smile appeared on his face.

"To you two I may owe a larger debt than I thought. Myra and Aryn Sanvar'a. The children of Sanvar. For you to help my son and his friends...unexpected. For this, you have my thanks."

He bowed slightly, surprising the siblings, before turning to Kar'na. "Son, show this group where they'll be staying. Then report to my office. I want to hear their story. The _full_story."

Kar'na nodded, and Khej turned to Kiri apologetically. "I'm sorry my son, but business calls me, even now. I will speak with you more later."

"This way everybody," Kar'na urged, heading towards one of the hall's doors. The large group followed him, deeper into the guild, ignoring the stares of the assassins around them.

The door Kar'na led them into led to a thing hallway, which wasn't insanely long, but did boast a number of staircases. Kar'na led them up the one, to a new hallway, where he showed them to a large room on the right.

"Right in here," Kar'na ushered, letting them all pass through. "This is where you all will be sleeping. It's one of the abandoned barracks, so you all should have the room to yourself. Unless something's changed while I've been gone."

The former slaves wandered around the room, looking in awe at what was now considered 'theirs'. They'd never had a bed to call their own before, let alone an entire room. It was definitely...unique, to be sure.

Kiri went over to one of the beds, and was about to sit down, when Kar'na beckoned him over. "Not you Kiri. You're with me."

"What?" Kiri asked. "Why? Aren't we supposed to stick with our friends?"

"You're the son of our guildmaster. As such, you're expected to stay with your family. It's only protocol. Besides, I'm sure father will want to talk plenty with you."

"But...my friends..."

"They'll be right here," Kar'na assured him. "And our room is literally just up the hall. You'll never be far. Come, I'll show you."

Kiri glanced back into the room, where all his friends were now staring at him. Wraith gestured with a paw for him to go on.

Kar'na led the young wolf down the hall, before opening another door on the left. Inside was a much smaller room, with five beds, two per wall, with a fifth occupying a spot under the window occupying the wall opposite the door. The beds weren't even much more lavish, which surprised and relieved Kiri.

"Why five beds?" Kiri asked. "I mean, if you weren't expecting me?"

"One for me, one for Khej, one for Tes'ali, one for Syph'ari...and one left open in remembrance of you and your mother."

Kar'na scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Khej never got over losing you," he explained. "It was...well, he viewed it as a personal failure. That you were taken from him before he even met you. In his mind, if he'd been there, at Winterwrath, he never would have lost you or our mother."

Kar'na kicked the edge of a bed half-heartedly.

"And he probably wouldn't have," he confessed, hanging his head. "But, I mean, work and all..."

"Don't worry, Kar'na," Kiri grinned, surprising the older wolf with a hug. "I don't blame him. Not one bit. No one could've expected something like this to happen."

Kar'na hesitated, before returning Kiri's hug. It felt kind of weird to both of them to know that they were each hugging a brother. That neither of them had known about until this time. Kar'na's frame, lithe and muscular, felt strange to the thin, semi-malnourished Kiri. When he'd hugged people before, it'd been his slave friends, when they needed it or when he did. Or once with Aryn, when he had to witness the atrocities of his father.

"It's good to have you home, brother," Kar'na whispered, his hug growing briefly stronger. "We have so much catching up to do."

There was a knock at the door, and Kar'na stood up quickly, drying his eyes. "Come in!"

The door opened, revealing a grey-furred wolf-fox. The individual in the door grinned, happy tears in his eyes.

"Is it true?" he heard, stepping through the door. "Do we have a new brother?"

He looked at Kiri and grinned. "Hey kid. Welcome home!"

"Thanks Tes'ali," Kiri said, as the two embraced. "I'm glad to be here."

"I'll bet you are," Tes'ali said, apparently unable to stop smiling. "Anything's better than that pit of hell you managed to get free of eh? You and your friends."

"Aye," Kiri agreed, thinking back to the mines.

"Also," Kar'na mused, head tilted. "You can't really call him kid...he's older than you."

"Ah, sheesh, really?" Tes'ali asked, ears folding back. "I was hoping that I'd get to be an older brother. Not an even younger brother."

"Cheer up," Kar'na grinned. "Now, come on. You're supposed to be getting the apprentices ready for tonight. And I need to go report to the grandmaster."

"Tonight? What's...oh kadjul, tonight! It's the apprentice graduation! I need to go talk to the masters right now! I forgot that was tonight!"

He grabbed Kar'na's wrist.

"Come on, we need to go!"

"I'm coming!" Kar'na protested with a laugh, being almost dragged by his half-brother. "But you look like an idiot!"

A knock at the door awoke Kiri from his slumber, and he sat up, blinking dizzily. He wasn't even aware he'd fallen asleep.

"Come in!" the young wolf Ch'kiliil called out. As though waiting for that announcement, which he probably was, Grandmaster Khej entered the room.

"Father!" Kiri exclaimed, getting quickly to his feet. "My apologies. If I'd known it was you, I'd ha-"

"Relax, Kiri," Khej chuckled warmly, embracing the younger wolf. "You don't need to stand big on ceremony with me. I'm just...so...happy is the wrong word. I don't know how to describe it!"

"Me neither," Kiri admitted, as Khej pulled away. "It's all so...sudden. I go from having no family, to having a large family!"

"What of your friends?" Khej asked, as he and Kiri sat on the bed. "Are they not your family?"

"I suppose," Kiri conceded. "I mean, in a sense. But they're not blood."

"And blood is a special connection," Khej agreed, resting a hand on Kiri's bare back. Suddenly he recoiled as though struck.

"Father?" Kiri asked in alarm.

But Khej wasn't listening, as he leaned around to look at Kiri's back. His back...and the myriad scars that decorated it.

"Kiri?" Khej asked softly, touching one of the scars. "What...what is this?"

"My scars?" Kiri asked. "Uh...my life as a slave wasn't very merciful. Every mistake would earn you the lash. And though you tried not to make mistakes...they are somewhat inevitable."

"You mean they_did this to you?" Khej growled. "I would tear them apart with my bare hands! To do this to _anyone let alone my son, is unforgiveable. I executed the monsters who scarred my eldest's eye. To these monsters, I will do worse."

"Father," Kiri said in alarm, surprised by the sheer hatred in Khej's voice. "Calm down! I'm free of them now! Must they suffer?"

Khej took a deep breath, before sighing softly. He squeezed Kiri's shoulder once, a sign of fatherly affection.

"You're right, Kiri. I apologize for my outburst. I'm just...well, I'm really happy to see you again, but...I also feel guilty."

The older wolf's face dropped slightly.

"You and your mom were kidnapped, while I did nothing. They almost killed my eldest, and they stole you from me. While I did nothing. I've never been able to forgive myself, just as I will never be able to forgive them."

Kiri stayed silent. He didn't blame his father. He needed to let this go. Khej's hand rested on Kiri's shoulder again, before he turned to look at the wolf.

"Is this...a brand?"

"Yes father," Kiri said, shivering slightly as he recalled his branding. "They gave that to me when I was young. So they would always have an identifier."

"Those animals..."

But Kiri wasn't listening. He was too busy thinking about his past. About the day he got his first scar. His brand...