#post resurrection

It had been several weeks since their conversation under the tree, and Aym had not invited Maya on an outing of any kind.

Narinder, however, had no need to express his own exasperation as it was already on the Lamb’s face.

“Ask her out already, brother!” And in Baal’s voice. He was needling his twin over their evening meal in the public dining room. It was a sure-fire way to get under the other’s skin.

“Would you lower your voice?! And leave me be!” It was working.

“I’m just saying-“

“Well just don’t!”

“- if you don’t, someone else will!” Baal finished, chipper. A bit too chipper, Narinder thought privately, but did not interrupt.

“I- I spoke with her yesterday.” Aym protested, a touch feeble in the shadow of his brother’s warning.

“Aym… she stitched up your cut in the healing bay after your sparring sessions. It doesn’t count.” The Lamb, however, saw no reason not to chime in and patted the scarred cat’s arm softly. When the tomcat shuffled away, sputtering, it was with less spite than the action would have had soon after his resurrection.

“Uh-oh…” Baal muttered quietly, looking over Aym’s shoulder. All teasing, exasperated or not, was gone. Aym, the Lamb, and Narinder followed his gaze to the far end of the room. Maya was there, either entering or leaving the space. She was not alone, either- a short blue duck was before her, offering a small bouquet of while flowers. If the she-cat’s pinned ears, wide eyes and puffy tail were any indication, the duck had taken her quite by surprise.

Narinder tore his eyes away to focus instead on Aym. His kit was furious, fur raising and teeth bared.

“I told you, brother.” Baal murmured consolingly, placing a hand on his brother’s arm. Beside Narinder, the Lamb winced.

“She doesn’t even like daisies!” Aym spat quietly, hackles now fully raised. He wrenched his arm away and stormed off, away from the doorway where a small grey cat and a blue duck were still talking. Maya now held the bouquet gingerly in her paws.

“An ‘I told you so’ probably wasn’t the best response just then.” The Lamb reproached softly, and Baal grimaced.

“I did, though.”

“You are not young enough to beg off your discourtesy with that excuse any longer. You are also too old for me to order to apologize,” Narinder began, and Baal wilted under his gaze, “but I will be highly disappointed with my own tutelage if you do not.”

“…Yes Master. I will apologize.”

The apology was delayed when the three returned to their hut behind the temple to a note.

Scrawled across it was a message from Aym, letting them know that he had gone crusading and would be back by sundown the following day.

“I am disappointed in Aym.” Narinder confessed to his spouse later that night, both laying awake in the darkness.

“I’m overlooking his decision to leave the cult grounds without proper approval. He was upset, and is more than capable of protecting himself.” They responded, squeezing his hand.

“Not for that, though that decision was not impressive either. For choosing to run away when the consequences of his own inaction became evident.”

“Everyone needs space sometimes, my love. I remember another black cat holing himself up in this very hut for weeks, once upon a time…”

Narinder scoffed, pulling the lamb closer and scent marking them until they giggled helplessly.

“Speak not of my own actions, damned Lamb. We are discussing Aym.”

Their laughter had always been so sweet.

Aym was back much sooner than sundown. From his place behind the altar, Narinder watched his kit sneak into the morning sermon halfway through. He seemed uninjured, just ruffled. Narinder could see flecks of mud on the younger cat’s uniform and cape, both of which were wrinkled.

Aym, though he wouldn’t be able to see Narinder’s eyes properly through the High Priest’s veil, seemed to sense his gaze anyways and sheepishly slumped against the wall. Baal had taken both of their duties in stride that morning; Narinder had listened for, and not heard, much meaningful thought about the second disciple missing.

(Not, of course, that he would ever read their flock’s minds. At least not that he would admit it to his Lamb. The best way to end dissension is to catch it at the start, and so long as the Lamb still refused to use the sacrifice ritual…)

It was easiest to do it during the morning sermon, with much of the flock together, now with the Red Crown’s power split between the two of them. It was…fatiguing to sustain… a fact he was loathe to admit even to himself. It required more focus than it once had.

At least, he wouldn’t have heard any meaningful thought about Aym’s absence if it weren’t for one follower in particular.

She sat in the second row, and for all physical appearances seemed deeply invested in the Lamb’s sermon. The echoes of her thoughts, however, betrayed her to the High Priest. Instead of divine reflection or holy revelations, her mind was filled with worry. She had evidently seen him storm from the dining hall last night, and his absence this morning had stoked the coals of concern. He withdrew from her thoughts quickly, not hearing dissension and not wanting to overexert himself for no good reason.

Aym was the first out of the temple, and Maya was nearly the last. Narinder scuffed a fistful of Baal’s cloak as he tried to rush out after the grey cat, eager to see what was about to transpire.

“I think he deserves some space, don’t you?” Narinder said pointedly and his eldest wilted slightly.

“Indeed.” The Lamb smiled benevolently for a moment, before rushing to the door, “but perhaps not too much!”

Baal whooped and squirmed out of his hold, and Narinder groaned. Sometimes he wished there was a god other than his spouse that he could pray to for patience.

Thankfully, Aym and Maya were not near the temple doors but further down the lane. From the temple steps, they could be seen clearly but not heard over the wind and chatter of the meandering followers drifting by them.

The Lamb had to reach up and clamp a hand over Baal’s mouth to smother his excited exclamation when Aym pulled a handful of camellias out from under his cape. It was hard to tell from a distance, but to Narinder the flowers seemed to be in good health despite their confinement.

Aym offered them to her, tail perfectly still. Waiting to see the outcome, Narinder noted fondly. The boy’s tail never failed to expose his mind. Maya pressed the fingertips of one hand to her lips, and took the bouquet from him to immediately press her face into it. His ears flicked forward and a small smile spread across his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. His mouth was moving, and even Narinder wished he could hear what was being said. The Lamb clutched his hand tightly, and he squeezed back reassuringly.

But then Maya was nodding eagerly, and reaching forward to grasp one of Aym’s hands in one of her own. He nodded once, hesitantly, but she nodded with an even larger smile.

Then, as Narinder was beginning to believe was going to be a habit for the two of them, a period of silence. Neither let go of the other’s hand.

Before relinquishing it, Aym took a half step back and bowed at the waist, much like he had the day Narinder had suggested he act on his affections. This time, the tomcat pressed a chaste kiss to the she-cat’s fingers before rising to his full height again and stepping fully away. Maya cradled the bouquet to her chest and also took two steps away, down the path, before turning her back and hurrying back into the village proper.

Aym watched her go, tail swishing and he ran a hand through is already mussed hair. When he too turned, this time to return to the temple, he stopped dead at the sight of his spectators.

He scowled, an expression that only deepened when Baal let out a small cheer.

“Would you shut up?!” Aym hissed, looking over his shoulder as if Maya would be right there to hear.

“Well, what did she say?” The Lamb pressed eagerly, though with a more dignified enthusiasm. Aym paused for a moment, looking away. Slowly, a smile replaced the hostile glare.

“…I’m to meet her outside the healing bay after lunch this afternoon. For a walk.”

Baal cheered again, and tackled his brother to the ground where they scrapped as though they were small kits again.

“Get off of me you child!” Aym yowled as Baal bit down on his ear, reaching around to pull on his tail in retaliation.

Narinder watched them fondly, processing the morning’s revelation. Aym had not run away from his heartbreak, but instead turned it into motivation. Had Maya refused him for the duck, he knew the tomcat would have accepted her decision without quarrel- but he had put in effort to secure her favoured flowers from their natural habitat instead of merely picking them from the crop fields available. Those did the trick in the healing bay, of course, but as a decoration held nothing to the wild variety. Warmth spread in Narinder’s chest, and he moved forward to help Aym up as he escaped the roughhousing of his brother.

“I am proud of you, Aym.” He said quietly, knowing it didn’t need to be said to the masses to mean more to the other cat. Aym stared at him in awe for a moment, an expression Narinder had seen copied over the years with each piece of meaningful praise offered to his disciple.

“Thank you, master.”

“Might I make a suggestion?” He asked, just as softly. Amy nodded eagerly.

“Consider taking the path down the south side of the river. I found it… suitably private for conversation.” He advised, memories of warm walks in the sun with his Lamb, away from nosy or incompetent followers with demanding requests.

“Thank you, master, that is a very good idea. Your advice is appreciated!”

“Go and clean yourself up, then perhaps consider apologizing to the Lamb for circumventing their missionary policies.” Narinder pushed him gently towards the path that would take him to their hut, and it was a sign of the cat’s happiness that he didn’t express even a token complaint about the suggested apology.

“Oh, and Aym?” Narinder called, and the other turned in question.

“I am too young for you to be having kits. Use that privacy wisely, so I don’t regret telling you about it.”

Baal, who had just gotten back up, tumbled back down into the dirt with gales of laughter. Aym’s entire body seemed to bristle in shock before he turned bright red beneath the thin spots of fur on his face.

“Master!”