Egaran Stars - 68. Galen- Monsoon

Rain streamed down the windows of the kitchen, Galen leaning against a counter as he watched the water whip around through the violent winds. This wasn’t even the same storm as the night before. The winds were so strong, they seemed to blow clouds by without a care for the tigers below, drenching the islands before retreating, only to drench them again an hour or two later.

It was his least favourite time of the year, a season that would last nearly three months, locking the entire city down as tigers tried to ride out the waves. Life went on regardless, and he still had work that day, but for now, the Egaro just watched the rains wash nearly all signs of life from the island.

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, Aedan offering the brooding tiger a gentle smile as the Cervidas set his chin between Galen’s ears.

“So starts the porn season,” the deer chuckled quietly. “Visitors will be somewhat sparse for a while. It is a welcome break.”

Galen offered a noncommittal grunt. He didn’t know enough to judge Aedan’s assessment, and at the moment, he really didn’t care.

Breakfast sat at the table, eaten, but not yet cleaned. He would get to it in a moment, the tiger just needed a second to reflect on the storms both outside and within. He missed the fox that had forced his way into his heart. The night had been long, too long, and Galen wondered if he could get Reinard to come back with him. He didn’t know if he could be without the Faro again tonight.

“With Iason out this week, I think Themis will have you working with me. That is, if that is agreeable with you,” Aedan added a moment later. “You could work on your own too, or do something with Themis. Maybe mix it up.”

Galen bit back a sigh, heading over to the table. He really didn’t want to think about any of that right now, he just wanted to… be sad.

Suddenly Reinard’s words made a lot more sense. The melancholy in his gut and chest was like a comforting blanket.

“Well, if you’re going to be depressed, there’s no sense in doing it alone,” Aedan said. “Let’s get going to the studio. It’s early still, but we can get there, dry off, and set things up for later. It will give you something to do.”

The tiger sighed, turning back toward the table. He cleared it in a few minutes of work, rinsing off the dishes before tossing them in a washer.

Heading back to his room, he reorganized the sprawling pillows and bedsheets. Aedan was a messy sleeper, and while Galen was grateful he had come over, he was not looking forward to the amount of cleaning he would have to do later.

The tiger dressed swiftly, a waterproof jacket covering his clothes and fur in hopes of avoiding at least some of the rain. He doubted that was possible, but Galen needed to hope.

Through it all, he listened to the pounding rain, the howling winds that carried storm after storm to batter the Hephaestus Isles. It was cold and wet outside, and he was not looking forward to having to walk in the weather.

“Galen.”

He startled, glancing back at Aedan in alarm before realizing he was standing in front of Reinard’s dresser, staring at the empty drawers.

“You are not okay. Anyone can see it. Why don’t you stay here for the day? I’m sure we can cover you,” the deer said gently.

“No,” Galen sighed. “I need to go. He’s going to be there, I need to be with him.”

His poor fox, all lost and alone in the storm. Galen knew the thought was ridiculous; Reinard was with Themis. Maybe he was just pushing his own insecurities on the fox. It was so weird; the tiger had never felt like this before.

Closing his jacket around himself tightly, Galen stepped around Aedan, guiding him toward the door. They left the safety of the house, and were instantly engulfed in a blinding cascade of water, Galen fighting a gust of wind as he grabbed Aedan’s arm for protection. If they got lost, a frighteningly likely possibility in this weather, they would at least have each other until the storm cleared, however briefly.

Their feet sloshed through cold water, Galen pushing against the wind toward a bridge. Thirty minutes. They had thirty minutes of walking through this mess, if they were lucky. If they weren’t forced to take shelter from the storm first.

A strange tone faded in and out of the storm, Galen frowning as he fished an earpiece out of a pocket. Shoving it into his ear, the tiger smacked his pocket, praying he had hit the right button.

“Galen? Stars above, are you walking right now? Oh forget it…”

Themis’ voice cut through the howling winds, pushed directly into the tiger’s ear with all the worry and fear of a new mother.

“I don’t want you to panic, but Reinard is missing. He’s likely either at the station or on his way back to your house.”

“What? Why? What did you do?” Galen demanded, yanking his phone out and damn the rain.

“He stabbed Ryan in the eye last night!” Themis snapped through the phone. “He broke the law of hospitality and I told him as much!”

Galen’s pace picked up, the tiger’s tail whipping behind him as he hurried toward the studio.

“He’s pregnant, Themis! And you threw him out in the monsoon, are you insane?!”

“He almost killed Ryan! I’ve done everything I can for him Galen, you cannot lay this on me!” Themis snapped. “Ryan’s already lost the eye and the healers think his other is going to follow. I can’t deal with Reinard right now, as it is, I barely held it together long enough to tell him to go. How many times have we told him he doesn’t need a dagger?”

“Look, I’m on my way to the studio with Aedan. We’ll start looking for him when we get inside. Call a rescue team, there is no way a small fox is going to survive a storm like this.”

Galen smacked his phone again, shoving it into his pocket. He was absolutely livid. How could he not see this coming? All the times Reinard woke up screaming, the fact that he carried the dagger even to bed, this was just an accident waiting to happen. And it had happened finally.

Turning toward Aedan, the tiger scowled through the storm.

“Come on, Reinard’s missing. I need to get inside so we can figure out where he is.”