— He arrived. Bound in subtly, the youth rebelled against his cumbersome size and moved with predatory ease. Ease, but this was far from poetic, far from a
glissade or a float, a drift. This was the sleuth’s pace, of a sneak thief ready in the night. And in the distance, he had found her – the one who made him, the one whom carried this boy wonder into existence. And by this favour alone, he’d been
ingratiated to her. He was her willing pet, her plaything. She was mother, she was warmth. She was nourishment, she was strength. She was all of these things, and so much more: mentor, teacher,
Issumatar. These were just snippets, just pieces of a whole truth. Alone, they carried the weight, the wealth of well-told lies.
But together, together they were… Well, they just simply were.
They were greatness, fame.
And he, my dear Sitamat, he was only a worm, an ant staring up at such greatness. He was a slave, happily bound to servitude, and love, and worship. A smile, a wolfish imp’s grin, graced the line of his mouth, the corners drifting into an upward coil at the sight of her. And his heart, just by looking upon her alone, warmed the ragged edges of his simpleton heart. His stride abandoned concealment, abandoned effort to look half as great, and leaped. It reached, and pulled him greedily towards her. Behind him, his tail gave into a pendulum sway. And upon reaching his mother, he slipped along her side, driving his nose into the warmth of her dark pelt. He spoke nothing, yet. It wasn’t necessary then. No, with his nose reaching to nudge her chin in greeting there was little else needed to be said. She’d understand, she’d know. Her little boy was just happy to see her.