Rise.

Four days later, and Róan was mostly back in working order. Still sensitive about being touched, and far too shy to bathe in public, but mostly together otherwise.
Blaz and Euan were working together, bent over a table in one of the studio rooms that faced the South. They were sharing a set of paints between them, the sunlight reflecting softly across the table and Euan's back, and Róan thought of the early mornings he'd spent watching his brother work by half-fire before, toiling away on some little thing or another before Stephen woke up. His brother looked up at him and smiled, and Róan grinned back.
"Come join in. I'm showing Blaszni how to paint braic." Róan peered closer and, sure enough, his brother and Blaz both gripped the familiar white ceramic rings in their hands, Euan's half-painted in the traditional green, black and gold swirls and patterns Róan knew so well. Blaz's was mostly blue with traces of green and red, and was only about one quarter done. Róan gaped.
"Where did you get those?"
Euan smiled wide.
"Loban got them for me. I told him what I wanted, and... he produced." Euan inclined his head and Róan looked to where an entire box of the thin flat bracelets rested by his feet. "Was supposed to be a surprise for you when you were up and at 'em, but I see my brother is an early healer."
Róan grinned.
"This one'll be for you, then."
Blaz looked up from touching the delicate brush to his work.
"So that counts - his Change? As a reason for giving one of these?"
"Healing." Róan nodded vigorously as he pulled up a stool to the end of the table.
"We give them on all occasions - healing, growing, breaking, finding, birth, death, transition, recognition, apology, thanksgiving, and marriage."
"At the time of their burial, most in our clan have upwards of one hundred."
Euan cleared his throat and looked back down at his work, memories suddenly biting at his conscience. Blaszni, too, went back to painting.
"Wow. How do you remember what each one is for?"
Róan laughed.
"I guess we just do. Well, also - different patterns mean different things. Once you know what you're looking for, you can read each bracelet like a story."
Blaz looked down at his bracelet.
"Oh. I was just painting the ocean."
Blaz looked lost in his thoughts for a moment, and Euan looked over at his brother.
"Eaten yet today?"
"Twice. Leave me alone."
"Just checking."
Róan picked one of the ringlets out of the box, fingering it slowly in his hands. Euan watched him.
"I suppose...I should paint one for Marik."
Euan smiled.
"You should paint him two." Róan looked away.
"Three. I should paint him three."
Euan frowned.
"Marriage, your new fertility...what's the third for?"
"For finding me."
Euan met his brother's eyes before taking him into a hug. Blaz looked up.
"Hey, don't leave me out!" grinning, he set down his bracelet and joined in the embrace.

~:~

"So tell us, Blaszni, something about where you come from."
Avion set down his drink on the low table in front of them. Blaszni glanced up briefly at the older man before returning his gaze to the table.
"I was born. I grew up. I was taken. In between, there was the ocean."
Avion tilted his head.
"I think we were all hoping for something a bit more detailed."
There was a curious tone in Avion's voice, and Euan wondered if maybe he shouldn't have brought his friend along here after all. He had hoped the older humans would be able to draw something new out of Blaszni - something his friend, who remained kind but distant - wouldn't tell just him alone. The three of them tended to be gifted that way. Every day since the first day he'd met this group, he had joined in their daily gathering in the Social rooms. Sometimes they spoke, sometimes they didn't. Some days were better than others. Virgil spoke the least. Melbourne had told him once, on one particularly bad day where Virge couldn't seem to manage to speak or move at all, that Virgil had never quite forgotten the taste of freedom. None of them had. Today was a good day.

Melbourne had brought a plate of sliced melons and Blaszni had dug in with vigor, only pausing long enough to politely introduce himself.
Virgil twisted a glass between his fingers.
"In between, there was the ocean. You lived on a shoreline, then?"
Blaszni laughed shortly.
"Island. I haven't heard of a safe shoreline since before I could walk."
Virgil laughed a little at himself.
"My mistake, friend." he took a long swallow of his drink. "Sometimes, I'm afraid, I tend to forget." things were quiet again and Euan was afraid that maybe today would not be such a good day. Avion broke the silence.
"An island, then. The Pacific?"
Blaszni brightened, smiled.
"You still call it that."
"It will always be that." Euan wrinkled his nose.
"What else would it be called?"
"Since the Invasion, they've begun renaming things. Your Pacific Ocean is now offically known as the Sea of First Light. It marks the location of the first touchdown of Wolfish ships to Earth."
Melbourne seemed to find this darkly humorous, so Euan mustered a half-smile.
"We should not encourage this dissidence, gentlemen." Virgil grinned a little. "So, Blaszni," he continued, his peculiar accent making the name sound sing-song, "If you are not ready to talk about home, then at least tell us how you came to be here."
Euan looked at his friend with interest. Blaszni swallowed the melon he was chewing, cupped his hot tea and sat back in his chair.
"I was a gift."
"A gift?" Avion sat forward in interest. Blaszni laughed bitterly.
"A bribe. My people - well, not my people; our ancestors made decision - they offered me as a gift to the Empire. In exchange for their silence about our home."
Euan frowned.
"I don't understand."
Blaz glanced his way, then to each of the faces of the men before him.
"I am not sure I can speak of this."
"All men have secrets, Blaszni. We are elders of the old style. We do not tell lies, nor do we break confidences to serve some Wolfish end."
Blaz was apparently satisfied by this, because he went on.
"My people lived inland - very far inland, and because of this, we were the last to be discovered. We saw them disappear - each of the other tribes before us, those along the shoreline and in the woods. When our time came, we sent our wise man into the forest to pray to the spirits for guidance and help. I was the solution they sent."
Blaz's audience was captivated.
"Dorano was the first wolfe to arrive. Leader of his recon team. He found our tribe waiting, all of us, in homes and by village posts - awaiting his arrival. He told me later that something different was in the air when he came. He hid away his weapon and walked straight on into our centre, and there, I was waiting for him. Bound and gagged and ready to be his wife." Blaz took a sip.
"They offered me in exchange for his silence. He would go home, go back to his soldiers and leaders and tell them that the other tribes were all he found. He would tell them the interior was clear."
All the men exchanged looks of confusion.
"What wolfe would agree to this? He could take your whole tribe, clear the island, and claim you as a mate with or without your tribe's consent. Why take a silly bribe that serves no Empire purpose?"
Blaszni chuckled, bit his lip to control himself.
"He said the same thing at first - planned to do just that and told us so in no uncertain terms. Even raised his weapon to our holy man. Old Antrizil - who speaks to the spirits of the ancestors of our tribe - he just told him to go into the forest. Well, more like he tricked him into going. Pretty simple deception, actually. We shifted the markers while the two of them were speaking. Dorano thought he was taking the same way out he'd come in; he went into the forest, and when he came out, he agreed to our proposal."
Blaz glanced away.
"I was terrified; I'd sort of hoped a little bit that it wouldn't work, that he would go into the forest and never come back out, or come back and it wouldn't work, but...it never doesn't work. Dorano was a new wolfe when he returned; humbled and suddenly very frightened of Old Antrizil." Blaz grinned, remembering. "So of course I chose him to be witness at my entering. Dorano was so anxious he could barely perform."
Eight inquisitive eyes were looking at him now.
"Entering?"
"Yeah, you know, when you mate, for the first time."
All eyebrows shot up.
"You have witnesses for that?"
Blaz was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed by his friends' reactions.
"Yeah, but I mean, just to make sure you're doing it right."
Melbourne snorted laughter and Blaszni looked offended.
"Sorry! Sorry, kid, I was just - just hadn't heard of that one before."
"Well, I think it's better than stabbing in the dark."
Now Avion joined Melbourne in laughter at Blaz's choice of words. Virgil didn't say anything, and Blaszni just crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. Euan furrowed his brow, still fascinated by the story.
"So what happened to him in the forest?"
Blaszni shrugged.
"Only Dorano, the spirits, and maybe Old Antrizil know."
Blaz took another long sip, watched the clouds move outside of the window.
"But I do know that when he returned, before he took me, he told me we would not be bearing a litter for a while." this seemed to strike a hurting chord within, because Blaz's voice changed minutely. "I don't know why."

~:~