(From Ashes) Chapter 16

Pride: From Ashes
            Chapter 16
            The Knight of the Storm

Sleep hadn't come easily. Keith had napped more than anything, and ventured onto the path again at the first hint of light. No more time for himself than absolutely necessary.

He could tell no one had walked this trail in ages, if the broken limbs, overgrowth, and the occasional washout of the soil were any indication. Thankfully it wasn't completely impassable—well, so far, at least. As the colors of sunrise filled the sky, the trail was starting to get steeper. He pushed through a tight spot of vegetation, and stopped short when he made it through to the other side.

"Oh, this will be fun."

The trail before him had pretty much been washed out, sliding down into a deep ravine. He could see a narrow ledge—a matter of inches of flat ground before the side of the mountain rose up—that he might be able to use to get across… no other options. Keeping as close to the hill as he could, he began to slowly make his way around the washout.

Slow. Careful. One step at a time. The way he might have preferred, if also the way he hadn't been able to do things for what felt like forever.

"Almost there…"

As if on cue his foot slipped on the edge, a bit of soil crumbling away. With a startled yelp he clawed at the dirt, finally managing to grab the root of a tree that jutted from the slope. Clinging to it, he paused, catching his breath first and foremost. Then he carefully got his footing back before pulling himself back onto the trail on the other side. Looking back over the edge, he grimaced. It was a long ways down. Straight down, really.

"That… could have hurt," he whispered, letting the understatement calm him. Yes, hurt, that was it.

Another cliff entered his thoughts as he stared down into the abyss. Jutting rocks, an angry ocean below…

—"Cadet Kogane."

Keith looked up from the book he was taking notes from and saw a pair of officers. He jumped to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir?"

"At ease, Cadet. Please, sit. We're here on official business."

Just as he went to sit back down, he noticed their badges. One was a chaplain, the other… he swallowed hard. The other officer was a Casualty Assistance Calls Officer.

He'd asked before truly thinking it through. "Who… died?"

The one officer nodded gravely. "Cadet, I regret to inform you that both of your parents…"

Dread and horror washed over him; he barely heard anything else the two officers were saying. He slowly sank back into his seat, the two officers sitting in chairs opposite him. His ears seemed to be ringing and he felt numb.

Soon after that conversation, he found himself packing for an impromptu trip. His roommate Matthias was actually doing most of it, after he'd realized he was just tossing random things into the bag.

"Sit down, Keith. I got this for you."

Had he ever been able to sufficiently thank him for that moment? He'd certainly tried. Probably not good enough.

The flight to Vancouver had been long and silent, lost in his thoughts. The things he hadn't heard were all finally sinking in. His mother had collapsed at work, rushed to the hospital with an undiagnosed tumor. His father had rushed to her side, or tried to, anyway. But in all his haste, he'd never made it.

They'd passed on the same day.

He was met by several close family friends at the airport who had already begun working on the funeral arrangements. It was the first time he really wasn't sure what to do, what he would need to do. This was something he wasn't prepared for—but who was ever prepared for death?

He was the one going into the military. They weren't supposed to be the ones who had to worry about dying too soon!

The funeral was a blur. Handshakes and hugs from friends, colleagues and coworkers of his parents as they filed past him and the graves on that cold, rainy day. He'd managed to not cry, his military bearing winning out. He took the rain as a sign that if he couldn't cry, nature would do it for him. For the best, really. Always for the best.—

Keith shook himself from the memory, finding that he'd slumped down onto the ground. There was a rock in his hand that he'd picked up for some reason. He bit his lip and lightly tossed the rock aside, trying to get back to his feet. To keep moving.

Yet his thoughts weren't ready to stop drifting back.

The rock tumbled down into the ravine, hitting a few other jutting stones with a light, chiming sound. Normally he would have thought nothing of it. But he watched it fall, imagining that riverbank in Vancouver, hearing the chime of the bell that he'd put on his bike later on. A slightly damaged bell…

—In time he'd gone to the police to deal with the impounded wreckage of his dad's motorcycle. It wasn't even recognizable. They'd shown him diagrams and told him where and how it happened, and it had hit as hard as the funeral itself. It had been raining then, too. A car had skidded on the wet pavement. His dad had swerved to avoid it, hit the guardrail, and then…

He'd had to excuse himself before it was done.

And it had been raining the day he'd finally seen the site. The movers had been packing up at his parents' house and he couldn't stand it anymore, there were too many memories. He needed to get away from it for a while.

He had not.

Driving without any destination in mind, he found himself on the road by the water. Maybe his subconscious had brought him there. Maybe it really was coincidence. Either way, part of him screamed to turn around. To spare himself. But of course he hadn't done that.

He'd pulled to the side of the road and climbed from the vehicle, ignoring the pouring rain. Crossing the road, he paused before the dented guardrail, touching a scrape of paint. His throat tightened.

"Dad…"

Ripping his eyes away from the guardrail, he'd looked past it. Jagged rocks littered the side of the cliff and rose from the water below.

Keith closed his eyes and sank down to his knees, resting his head on the hand that was gripping the metal rail. He couldn't bring himself to care that he was getting soaked. Why should he? He'd lost too much here.

And yet, his other hand had touched something beneath the guardrail. What felt like a muddy rock, but the surface was too smooth and regular for a rock. Picking it up, he'd wiped the mud aside and gasped softly at the gleam of silvery metal. It was the safety bell from his dad's bike—the one he and his mother had picked out for his birthday one year when Keith had been young. His father had been so excited to get it…

And that, at last, had been when he'd cried.

The one time.

He had cleaned the bell off when he got home, installed it on his own bike. A piece of his father, with him whenever he rode. And then he'd wandered the empty rooms one last time, falling asleep on the living room floor, before returning the next day to the Academy and his duty.—

He shook himself out of the memory much harder this time. Stop it, Kogane! You have a job to do.

Keith slowly got back to his feet and looked back up the trail, adjusting the bag he was carrying on his shoulder for what seemed like the hundredth time. There was no time for this! He needed to get moving. Too much was at stake.

For this whole journey he'd been feeling the Lion of Storms' presence, watching him. He'd felt the lion's approval at his coming this way, braving the difficulty of the mountain path, but now it felt confused as to why he was forcing the memories back. Why the confusion, though? It seemed so clear to him. I don't have time to grieve. Not now.

No words came to him. No verbal question from the lion. It surprised him and also didn't. Hell, he still wasn't completely sure he believed that what he was feeling and hearing in his head was real, even when the others had been hearing the other lions. Of course now they were outright 'bonded', so he couldn't just be crazy. Probably. If I am, they are too.

No. He was the last one. He couldn't question this, and he sure as hell couldn't fail. This planet needed these lions to awaken again. If they didn't, Arus was likely doomed and his people along with it.

Cursing softly in Japanese at some scorch marks on the stones ahead—no doubt from the Drules' first arrival—Keith started up the overgrown path once more.

*****

Coran was taking in the view from the parade balcony again. A very unusual view, today… it could be a bit disconcerting, given what he knew, but the rare sight of the sunrise breaking over Thunder Ridge was quite beautiful.

Coming up behind him, Allura found herself thinking the same thing, and more. What the light signified here was anything but disconcerting to her. Only encouraging.

"Hello, Princess." He raised his mug of vehka brew in greeting.

"Hello, Coran." She smiled, leaning over the rail, watching the rays of light pour over the mountain peaks. "Isn't it fascinating?"

"Is what fascinating?" Several things could fit that category; he could guess, but not be certain, which she might be referring to.

"The Great Lions…" She looked to the sunrise and exhaled slowly. "I can almost feel it already. What my father hoped to accomplish—to awaken them, to protect Arus—it's so close."

It's so close. Coran sipped his drink. "It is very exciting," he agreed a little delicately. He still had his reservations about the whole thing, but he wasn't going to ruin her mood with his caution just now. It wasn't that he was not hopeful—just that he'd have liked a little more concrete information backing it. "I don't know that fascinating is the word I'd have chosen, but you are more familiar with the lions than I. What do you find so… fascinating, in particular, about this?"

Perhaps it was a fair question. "I've always known them to sleep," she murmured. "Even before the Drules came, they were so different from anything else, so… magnificent. The thought of someday seeing them moving, even flying, was the stuff of dreams. To have it become reality in our darkest hour… it fills me with hope." She tilted her head. "And curiosity as to what they can do."

It had always simply been an article of faith that the Great Lions could protect them. Allura still had no doubt of that. But precisely how that would work had not played much into her dreams, beyond the thought of Black Lion soaring in the sky…

Coran nodded. "I am interested in that, also. You say we are close." He knew what lay hidden within the Thunder Ridge, and felt certain the clear skies were no coincidence. "Is there only the one lion remaining?"

"Yes. And after that…" She took a long breath, then shook her head slightly. "No, I can't get ahead of myself. I feel like it's taking everything I have not to get too excited. Arus must become safe, first, but I keep thinking of all the things I'm going to want and need to do."

Hmm. "Like what, Your Highness?"

"Rebuilding… and that alone is so much. Securing resources, reestablishing diplomacy, we'll surely have to find new trade partners." She nibbled on her knuckle; improper, but surely she was entitled to a nervous tic or two under these circumstances. "Bringing the people back out into the open—there are so many factors right there! They've suffered so much."

Now that was interesting. Allura had become an exceptional leader of wartime refugees; she could have been forgiven if thinking of more normal royal duties hadn't even yet occurred to her. But it sounded as if her head was spinning with them. It had to be a good sign…

Less so was the thought coming to the front of his own mind. One he hadn't been particularly keen to share with her, but there would be no better time than now. "Princess… about the people."

Immediately her gaze focused on him. "Oh?"

"I'm not sure how… accepting they will be of all this." Coran chose his words carefully. "I'm certain they will be grateful for the rescue, but the offworlders are a lot to handle… and the lions are hard to understand, if not an outright mystery." He'd been one of the few King Alfor shared any information with, and yet was one hundred percent certain even he understood very little.

The princess hesitated, a small frown crossing over her face. "Hmm. I take it the stories of the Great Lions are not told so much in other parts of Arus?" She tried to imagine the perspective of another, someone without her lifelong fascination with the lions or even the Crown Province's old legends.

"They are not, no." Coran had been deployed to several other provinces in his time with the Golden Knights; indeed, the High King had often valued that experience as much as any other advice he could offer. "But even here the lions are just legends, and not always the most hopeful of legends." Almost unconsciously, he found himself turning back to the stone relief of the lions bowing to the Radiant Warrior. "It's possible that not everyone will react with enthusiasm. Some may be grateful, some afraid, some even distrustful."

…It all made perfect sense. All she really had to do was look at Larmina to see the truth of his words. "Mmm…" She clasped her hands behind her back and faced the mountains again, wondering what progress was being made as they spoke. "So there will be work that must be done. Reassuring the people, convincing them to trust the lions. And their pilots, no doubt." It was a little bit disheartening, that the Great Lions that were meant to save Arus might still be looked upon with skepticism… but a fair concern nonetheless. Her own love for them would surely help with that.

Coran blinked. "Yes, I believe so." She'd accepted that far more easily than he'd expected; usually any kind of advising her to be cautious didn't go over very well. Truthfully he wasn't quite sure how to react to being listened to so readily.

"Well, we can do it." Determination filled the princess' eyes. "We may have to figure out precisely how as we go along, but I believe we can bridge this gap."

"Yes, this is probably one of those situations where we… what do the Earthlings call it? Oh yes. 'Wing it'."

"Wing it?" Allura echoed. "Very interesting saying…" She'd have said something more insightful, but was distracted by a feeling of being watched. The feeling wasn't physical. No, they were being watched by someone—a soft growl from the mountains told her that.

"Yes, it means to do something without practice or preparation. I quite like it. Though I do prefer to be prepared, after all…" He continued on a mild lecture—some might have called it a rant—about the importance of preparedness, but the princess was no longer listening.

Lion of Storms, is something wrong?

"No, royal cub. I only felt you should know that the one I have called is nearing the top of the mountain."

Allura's eyes lit up. That is wonderful news—is there anything more I can do? She expected to be told no. After all, she'd only ever been able to nudge.

Instead, the lion paused a moment. "Perhaps, if you would… go and check on the artifact your father once wore. It would be troublesome if it were to become lost again."

The artifact? Thoughts of her father's pendant raced through her mind. Of course. What significance it might hold now, she didn't know, but she had trusted the lions this far. No time to stop. I will. May you fully awaken soon, Black Lion.

Feeling his presence retreat, she suddenly realized Coran was still talking.

"…very little that happens in a day that can't be anticipated or prepared for, but oftentimes you don't know that you need to be prepared for it. Perhaps that's why the Earthlings devised a specific phrase for the purpose…"

"Coran." She put a hand on his arm and leaned in a little, not exactly hugging him, but at least invoking the gesture. "With all these thoughts, with how close we are to the last of the lions awakening, I'm feeling I ought to go spend a bit of time alone with my father and brother."

The old advisor blinked. "Oh! Of course, Princess." He'd kind of been talking to himself by the end of that anyway, admittedly.

She smiled brightly. "Thank you, Coran." Giving his arm a quick squeeze of gratitude, she departed for the crypts.

*****

It felt like about mid-morning when Keith broke out of the treeline onto a broad terrace. He looked up at the sun, then sat down on a rock and pulled out his water container, taking a long drink. It was getting rather warm today already, and he wasn't sure just how much further he had to go. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he looked up at the sun again, gauging his position more carefully, then his eyes went to the meadows in the distance. The valley between this and the next slope over. The view was impressive from up here—he could see for miles in some spots. If one overlooked the obvious damage the Drules had caused, it was a truly beautiful world…

He tore his gaze away from the valley below and looked up to the snow-covered peak. Focus. "Long way to go, yet, Kogane, and you're wasting daylight." He got back to his feet and moved on, thankful at least that the path seemed clearer up here.

What came next, for a moment, made the ravine almost seem safer.

Rounding a bend in the trail, he stopped cold in his tracks. Perhaps twenty feet away stood a creature he'd only ever seen as a myth in old books back on Earth. Black and white feathers and fur, four legs, broad wings, and obviously towering over him despite the distance.

"A gryphon…?"

He swallowed and reflexively reached for the gun that… he didn't have. The weight of the sword across his back was suddenly very prominent in his mind, but would he be able to draw it fast enough? The only other option, and possibly faster, was the knife on his belt. He slowly reached for it as the creature stared at him with crisp, clear blue eyes.

The gryphon squawked and ruffled its wings slightly, watching him. Its gaze went to the knife as if it knew what it was, and he could've sworn it seemed somehow reproachful.

Keith hadn't really gotten his hand on the weapon anyway; he was still busy staring. He'd heard the others mention something about animals watching over the dens of the others: the banewolves, firebombing vultures, Daniel's salalizards, something called a gorca. Was this what guarded the Lion of Storms?

He heard the lion purr in his mind.

…Okay, I'm going to trust you. He had come this way for a reason. I hope I'm not going to regret this. He let go of the hilt of his knife and gave a slight bow to the beast.

The gryphon cocked its head to one side, then bowed slightly in return. With another rustling of wings, it turned and moved up the steep path.

Had that been it? A test? Keith watched it go for a few moments; after traveling another twenty feet or so, it turned back and squawked. When he still didn't move, it squawked at him again, this time somehow sounding irritated.

Oh.

"Uh, yeah. I'm… I'm coming," he murmured, moving with something less than complete alacrity to follow it up the path. Shaking his head slightly as it gave a squawk of acceptance, he whispered, "They did not cover this in basic training."

The path was becoming ever steeper, and some of the rocks were slippery; the lack of rain in the sky didn't mean the ground up here was fully dried. He slipped and went down once, wincing at several cuts on his hands and a gash in his pants, but quickly got back to his feet. He slipped again a few steps later—the path was becoming more loose stone than anything. At least this time he managed to keep his footing.

The gryphon paused, watching him with what he felt was a very judgmental stare, and he grimaced. First a lion was judging him and now a gryphon. "I know, I'm slow. I'll get there. We don't all have talons and wings, you know?" He was rewarded with a harumph-like growl.

It was another long stretch of slipping, sliding, and cutting himself on loose stones before the gryphon stopped and loudly squawked again, but this time it wasn't facing him when it did so. Keith looked up at the steep cliffs surrounding him and his eyes widened. Several other gryphons, in varying shades of brown and gray, were appearing from various hidden perches above the path. A slight feeling of dread slid down his spine as he wondered if he'd just willingly walked into their nesting area to be tonight's dinner.

No. He had to trust in this journey he'd undertaken, he had to… he'd come too damn far not to.

He looked around at the faces of the new griffons, and they stared at him with what he hoped was just curiosity. A few began to chatter back and forth with his guide in a series of growls and chirps. It went on for a couple of very anxious minutes before his guide raised both of its wings and let out a loud roaring squawk, silencing the others.

For an instant, the mountain seemed to become deadly silent.

Keith heard it then. A soft growl, almost a purr. A rumbling sound like thunder. It was close, he could feel it as the static he associated with this lion slid over his skin and down his spine. It was the sound he'd sensed in the back of his mind so many times, the sound he'd felt, but now for the first time he truly heard it.

The first gryphon looked at him and squawked, nodding its head towards a path that ran a bit further up the peak. It seemed to lead into a stretch of shadow and pure darkness between the rocks. A cavern?

"Up there?"

Squawk.

Keith exhaled slowly and nodded. "Guess that's a yes." He slowly walked through the nesting area, looking at some of the other gryphons in fascination. He shivered as a couple of the adults he passed ruffled their feathers and squawked harshly at him. Encouraging him to move faster? He wasn't sure. A few of the young ones chirped as he passed their nests, and he nodded to them with a faint smile. They were downy and fluffy and kind of cute, if they weren't in fact going to be eating him.

The trail brought him to a short ledge, and sure enough, a huge cavern opening that seemed almost like an endless stretch of void space. He was reminded of the lion's words overnight, about facing either the storms or the darkness. Pausing for a moment, Keith turned back to the gryphons. They all were looking up at him expectantly, arrayed so that they were blocking the trail.

"…Right. No turning back now."

He climbed up to the ledge, faced the cave, and slowly walked into the darkness.

*****

Return to your Pride.

It was echoing in Lance's head as he made his way back from the castle. Had he gone back to Red's den after retrieving his key? Yes. Had he insisted on getting a look at the lion's cockpit? Oh yes. Had he tried, with no success whatsoever, to convince the lion one little flight wouldn't hurt anything? Fuck yes.

Had he spent another night in the volcano, on purpose this time, until a highly amused Red Lion woke him up and told him to leave? Obviously.

Now he raced up the Falcon's boarding ramp and to the common room, his eyes flaring red as he stepped off the elevator. "Hey, fellow glowsticks!"

Hunk jumped up from the couch. "Yo! Glowtorch!"

"Dude. I was FIRE."

Sven had looked up with significantly less exuberance, and narrowed his eyes. "You lit me on fire."

"Huh?" That was something Lance felt like he should remember doing. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you bonded and in response my body tried to boil itself."

Smirk. "Aw, did I light your fire?"

Off to the left, Pidge had poked his head out of the bunkroom where he'd been trying—unsuccessfully—to get some straight answers out of Green. Upon hearing that, he promptly shut the door again. Not getting in the middle of that.

Not that he was going to get away with it. As Sven seriously considered, for the first time in his life, pulling rank on someone and demanding about a million burpees, Hunk went over and pushed Pidge's door back open. "Oh no ya don't, ninja. We've got questions for you, too." That seemed to be where this was going…

Pidge glowered. Emphatically. But he didn't refuse.

The commotion had drawn some other attention. Romelle had been in her room in the castle again, thinking over what she'd learned lately, and had followed Lance back when she saw him out her window. Vince had been flopped on his bed hoping to delay today's weird, but clearly that wasn't happening, so he headed out to see what was up.

Lance looked around at the gathering team. "Anyone seen the kid?"

"Not yet?"

"I'm here." Daniel had, in fact, been on his way out of his room—it was just hard to fumble with the door while he was holding Toast at eye level and trying again to demand answers. "We're not done with this conversation," he whispered as he placed the salalizard on his head; the other three trailed out behind him.

Lance grinned at the voice, but it immediately turned into a frown as he actually got a look at the kid. "What the fuck happened to you?" His eyes flashed red again.

"What do you m—" The glow cut Daniel off. It really was fiery red. "—That's kinda awesome."

The grin returned. "Fuck yeah it is, my name's Firestriker, wait—did you get in a fight with a boar-cheetah or something?" Surely Arus did not have those.

"Firestriker, cool!" Looking down at his hands, Daniel realized he wasn't getting out of this and made a face. "No, no uh, boar-cheetah. I just had an altercation, and if we could talk about it later that would be great." There was no reason everyone needed to know he'd lost a fight with a tree.

Lance gave him a look, his eyes glowed again, and he decided to let it go. For now. "Okay, but that conversation will happen."

"He's being kinda mentor-y, don't you think?" Hunk whispered to Pidge, who responded with a deadpan scowl. He wasn't getting in the middle of that, either.

"Yeah, fine. Look, it's fixed, that's the important part. Is your lion awesome?"

A fix was good, and probably the best he was going to get right now. "Red is fucking awesome. Still a cryptic bastard, though—" Red growled slightly at that, "—but wait until you see the cockpit!"

Daniel winced a little at that; it kind of felt like that was just dangling candy right in front of his face, but he also had kind of asked for it. "Can't wait." Be positive! He glanced back at his salalizards. You've got a mystery to figure out and… apologies to make. No reason for everyone to hear about that, either.

Mercifully, Hunk chimed in on that. "Yeah, the cockpits are great. Just close enough to Alliance standard to tell it's a cockpit, not close enough to figure out what much of anything actually is…"

"You're telling me," Sven snorted, and felt Blue chuckle.

"I haven't seen mine yet," Pidge admitted, and briefly wondered why he hadn't seen that as a higher priority. His mind went back to what little cross training he'd had. "I hope there aren't too many pedals." Fractal cockpits weren't really built for Baltans.

"They aren't bikes, ninja." Lance shook his head and remembered that he was the only person here actually excited about flying, except maybe Keith—where was Keith, anyway? No, he could make a pretty good guess at that answer. "I've got a few ideas about the controls, on mine at least, they're all probably pretty similar aren't they? I tried to get Red to let me stick the key in but he said he's not awake enough yet."

"I vote you figure everything out and then tell the rest of us," Sven suggested.

"Know what," Hunk countered, "I vote we talk about stuff that ain't the piloting, if the lions don't wanna talk about the piloting, because guys—what the FUZZMUFFINS."

"What he said."

"Yeah, a lot of fuckity-fuck going on."

Romelle, Daniel, and Vince exchanged bemused looks, but didn't say anything. Romelle felt almost comfortable with all this team's weirdness by now, and Daniel would be relieved to talk about something that wasn't piloting.

Vince wanted popcorn.

"None of that narrows anything down," Pidge muttered, and was rewarded with Hunk rounding on him.

"Okay, you first then!" He'd gotten out of it yesterday, they'd been distracted with water. "Have you been talking to wind?!"

One of the ninja's eyebrows slowly went up, and he had the distinct impression Green Lion was laughing. Or crying. With laughter. Could robots do that? He hoped not.

"Talking to what?" Lance asked blankly. Clearly he'd missed something here.

Sven shook his head, but he wasn't really sure how he could have asked it any better. "Wind," he explained. "You're too new, but I'm assuming you'll be able to talk to fire sooner rather than later."

Pidge finally found words. "…Should I have been? That doesn't seem productive."

"We think it's an ability from the lions." The navigator shrugged. "Hunk talks to rocks, I talk to water—well, it's not so much 'talking' to the water as sensing everything about the water. Connecting to it, if that makes any sense."

Aha. "So you're not asking if I've been talking to wind. You're asking if wind has been talking to me."

"Yes."

"Elemental control?" Vince asked, looking at his hands and frowning. It sounded better than uncontrolled sparks.

"Not so much control." Sven shrugged again. "More like communication and connection, at least for me."

"What… actually wait, maybe that tracks. I mean, I stood in a volcano and it felt like a day at the beach." Lance gave a sly smirk. "Fire talking, I like it. Always knew I was hot."

Sven and Daniel both rolled their eyes.

"Okay, look." Hunk crossed his arms. "Over the last couple days I like, communed with a rock pile and SAW DEAD PEOPLE IN THE DESERT. And you people are worried about piloting!"

"You saw dead people?" Lance was really starting to feel like he'd missed a lot. "I thought Vince was our ghost whisperer. Oh and you too, Princess."

Blushing a little, Romelle put aside the princess in favor of focusing on Hunk. "You're seeing ghosts now, too?"

The big engineer grumbled. "The Earth is patient, and claims the dead, and doesn't talk about piloting stuff cuz who would wanna know about that—"

"I can hear you, Earthwarder."

"—AND can hear me bitchin' about him."

Lance snorted. "Sorta their thing, isn't it? Being in our minds and all."

"…Yeah, okay."

Even Pidge snickered a little bit at that. Then he sat on the arm of a couch and looked around at the others, frowning. "What are we asking here, exactly? What the lions are capable of? Because we didn't expect this, but we should've expected something, kir sa tye?"

Lance cocked his head, thinking back to the metal. Red's metal. The metal they'd known since before leaving Earth was actually magic. He probably should've asked Red how that scrap had gotten to Kithran, not that he'd probably get an answer. "Ninja has a point."

"Whatever more they're capable of, I'm fairly certain we're not going to be able to guess." Sven considered asking Blue directly, but didn't expect he'd get an answer to that, either.

"Well we know Voltron put a hole in a mile-long monster, yeah?" Hunk dropped onto the couch next to Pidge. "And beat up on a thing that wiped out a whole civilization. And had magic metal and freaky elemental temples that tried to kill us, which by the way had to have been there for a few hundred years and still worked." He made a face. "Yeah uh, why did we think this was gonna stop at 'lion spaceships'?"

"All that is fucking true," Lance agreed. "And seriously, I think we lucked out that none of us landed in Red's murder gauntlet." He wondered if his lion would answer if he asked about that.

Then again, he didn't really want to ask about that.

"I bet Yellow's woulda taken patience," Hunk muttered.

Much as Sven was glad to have not fallen into a gauntlet of fire, remembering the lightning chamber didn't make him feel particularly lucky. Nor did he particularly want to dwell on it any further. "So, what all of that should tell us is that they're extremely strong, are magical, and are tied to the elements. None of which is new information. I feel as if there should be new information."

"They're sentient beings?" Lance offered. "In robots?"

"…True." I don't know how I forgot to mention that one.

"Neither do I."

Sven rolled his eyes.

"Voltron was never going to be a conventional weapon. We clearly weren't ready for just how unconventional." Pidge exchanged glances with Vince, who just nodded quietly. He was more and more glad none of this concerned him. "A failure of imagination."

Hunk nodded. "For that matter we're still waitin' on an explanation of exactly what Voltron is, yeah?"

"Good point. Hey Red?" Lance paused a moment, then rolled his eyes too. "He's laughing."

Sven was laughing also. He'd been laughing at the mere idea that they might get an answer out of the lions; he was only laughing that much more at the results.

Is it even worth asking you? Pidge inquired of Green, who growled softly.

"When the time comes, you will understand why we could not tell you."

'No' would've been shorter.

Hunk himself had gotten a reproachful purr. "I have already told you."

Oh, right. He closed his eyes, gave his most theatrical sigh of exasperation, and went for a pious tone. "Yellow just said he's already told me that, cuz I asked him if the lions were Voltron and he said somethin' like 'yes and no'."

"Oh well that's fucking crystal clear."

"You're not the only ones asking that question," Romelle offered hesitantly. "The Arusians don't even remember the name Voltron, and the story they've passed down about it is… different. Apparently they had some kind of… holy war where their current gods saved them and beat back a different group of gods? And the lions sacrificed themselves to save them."

Hunk nearly jumped off the couch as Yellow roared. Not so loud in the brain, dude!

"I don't think that's quite right." Lance could feel Red bristling, but it was tinged with confusion.

"And I don't think the lions like it," Sven agreed as Blue growled.

Pidge could feel Green's confusion, but he was also intrigued. "That's the War of Golden Revival that Larmina mentioned?"

"Yes." She frowned. "And it doesn't feel quite right to me, either. Lady Larmina was showing me some artwork related to the legends, on one of the balconies. Some of it seemed to have been altered." But it was the other piece of information that the team might find most valuable. "She also said that the war was the first time Arus was invaded by aliens."

The first time? Pidge nodded slowly. "It's not surprising that sentient telepathic elemental robots would have some myths surrounding them."

"Not just here either, yeah? The Terinians still think the beasts from the sky are keepin' an eye on things there, only difference is they actually are here." Hunk hesitated. "Which uh, big difference now that I say it."

"A big difference, but the point isn't wrong." Sven looked back at Romelle. "Did she say who these original invaders were?"

"No. She couldn't recall them even being named in her studies. But if I had to guess… it could only have been the Galra."

Lance bristled about as much as Red had earlier. "Those fuckers do want Voltron."

"That actually makes sense." Pidge's momentary optimism didn't last. "That's something new."

Green sounded frustrated. "I think… it was more complicated."

You're talking without saying anything, he retorted, then realized who he was echoing and wrinkled his nose in confusion.

Daniel had been listening carefully, hoping for any hint of an answer that might help him—he was glad he only had the one mystery to worry about. His salalizards were less interested. Finally he picked up Kermi, who was scratching and hissing around his shoes, and handed her to Lance. "Here, take her before she bites me."

Lance accepted the salalizard and winked at her, and the gunner made a mildly irritated noise. Why did one of his salalizards only behave for Lance?

But why did Red's salalizards hang out with him?

"Where does this leave us?" Sven asked after a few moments of silence.

"Confused?"

"What else is new?"

"That's what I thought."

Watching the salalizard exchange, thinking about what Green had said about ghosts and banewolves, Pidge raised his head slightly. "It leaves us with the understanding that mystical cat spacecraft we had to 'bond' to are going to have capabilities we haven't even imagined yet, and we may as well start to expect it."

Hunk eyed him. "You make that sound so logical while still also so freaky."

"I mean, it's creepy but it's true," Lance agreed.

Looking around at the others nodding, Romelle finally got around to asking a question that perhaps should've come up sooner. "Where is Keith?"

As second in command, Sven had, in fact, been informed of what crazy journey their commander was on right now. "He's been climbing a mountain overnight, I assume in order to earn his lion."

And that, Lance thought with a snort, was about what he'd expected to hear. "Of course he is."

*****

Tanner's tomb was small, tucked in a chamber just near their father’s. Simple paint made up for the traditional carved and enameled trim the royal tombs had. When Arus was secured—could such a thing finally be so close to being true?—Allura planned to cover his tomb with all the required adornments, and if she could be so daring… even a bit more. His dream was coming true, but he would never with his own eyes see this wondrous event occur. It seemed so cruel…

While she did plan to go and look over her father’s tomb, as Black had suggested, the seals she'd placed in certain key areas were still unbroken. It was clearly undisturbed. The pendant would still be there; she could spend some time by her brother's side first. If his spirit could hear, she would weave tales of all that he was missing. Stepping into the small side chamber, she knelt next to the small stone casket to be close to him.

“Oh Tanner, I have so much to share," she murmured. "So much is happening—if anything, it makes me miss you more and more. I’ve met him… the one who can wake the Lion of Storms. The ones who can wake them all, but I know you loved Black Lion best. He seems so interesting, if not what we ever expected. An alien soldier… the group he is with already escaped Zarkon's clutches.”

Allura looked about the crypt as she spoke, perhaps rambled. She wondered if Tanner was listening or if he had found rest after his brief, yet frightening hardships within his final days. “I wish you could see this. There is so much more to the lions that even our family knew. They are part of something so much greater.” We have so much yet to learn of them. She lost track of time, just for a bit, as she wove tales and dreams of all the things she thought the lions could be.

Slowly, she felt her voice fading and her racing mind beginning to calm. With it came another pang. They would learn so much soon, and still her brother would be robbed of it.

The Drules had cost them this. No, technically they hadn't killed Tanner. Only driven him into the caves, like so many others, where the lurking danger of the cave-mold could strike down peasant and prince alike. For every act of direct destruction the invaders had wrought, there was an equally terrible indirect loss in its wake.

It would be so easy to give in to rage, to revenge. Allura would be lying if she pretended she felt no desire for either. But there was so much more than just vengeance that she wanted; the word didn't even scratch the surface.

She wanted her people and her world to regain their former glory, and so much more. She wanted them to no longer live in fear—to never again have to fear death from the distant stars…

She looked back at the tomb, and smiled sadly at the thought of his very last moments. He'd heard Black Lion's voice. That she knew. Through all his suffering, he'd had that. The Drules hadn't taken that moment from him, and wouldn't take that knowledge from her. They had killed so many Arusians, but not broken them. And now…

"Just watch us, l'il lion," she whispered.

*****

It was remarkably cool inside the cavern, and surprisingly dry. Keith slowly made his way further into the darkness, swiftly becoming almost blind to his surroundings. Fumbling a little he pulled a light from his bag, flicking it on. He shined it around cautiously, moving deeper into the cavern. It was massive; the light didn't even hit the far walls. He could feel more than see that the floor was sloping back down a bit, and the cavern itself took a gentle turn, until the daylight from the entrance had vanished entirely.

There was no judging distance, and with all his senses on alert there was not much judging time either. But suddenly he caught sight of a faint light in the darkness ahead, seemingly getting brighter the closer he got. As he got closer, it seemingly divided, but in uniform fashion… he realized abruptly that it wasn't a light, exactly. It was a reflection of his own light off something shiny. More than one something. Metal?

Taking one more step forward, Keith froze. He could feel it. A looming presence somewhere ahead of him, and the static—like the black metal they'd retrieved from Terina, but this was stronger. Much stronger. Some of his hairs were standing on end, and he could feel the static surrounding him, not just a sensation beneath his own skin.

"You're here," he whispered.

"I am. Come closer. Present yourself, that I may finally look upon the cub I've called to me."

Cub. It wasn't the first time the lion had called him that, but it was still a bit disconcerting. Really, that's what you're going to be disconcerted by? Keith shook himself out of the thoughts, focusing on the static and the deep, rich voice of the lion, far stronger than he'd ever heard it. He took a couple more steps and golden glowing light flared, looking like a pair of eyes shining from above him, illuminating the cavern.

And the massive black, red, and silver lion seated within its depths.

"…Wow." He looked up at it in awe, the pinpoints of his light reflecting from its paws and muzzle almost lost in the light of its eyes. "Impressive."

"Indeed." A grumbling purr echoed around him. "You are injured."

Keith blinked, then looked down at himself, grimacing at the dirt and bits of blood. A couple of the cuts were deeper than the others; nothing too bad, but they would need to be cleaned and probably bandaged. "Uh, nothing serious." The gryphon had already judged him enough about that. "Just slipped and fell on the way up here a few times."

"It is a hard climb," the lion agreed. "Not many dare to venture up my path. I do hope my friends didn't frighten you."

His friends, of course. Keith paused a moment, not really wanting to admit that he'd always known gryphons as only a myth… or that he'd been afraid he was tonight's dinner.

The lion chuckled. "You know I can hear your thoughts, cub. They are quite real, and generally unlikely to eat people."

"Right." That wasn't the most convincing reassurance, but it would do. Shaking it off gazed up at the lion, taking in the details more carefully. He stepped to one side, seeing the black sigil from the temple etched into its shoulder. Two large red protrusions extended from its back, giving the impression of wings; why would a lion spacecraft need wings? He wondered what they were really for.

"You will see in time, cub."

Keith grimaced. "There really is no hiding my thoughts from you now, is there?"

"No. Our abilities will become stronger as the Pride becomes whole, though not everything in your mind is so easily seen."

Nod. In other words, get used to it, Kogane.

"Ko-ga-ne?"

He froze for a moment, another voice echoing his name, then winced and pushed it aside. "It's my family name. We use them to refer to each other at times, where I'm from. But my first name is Keith."

"Ah, yes. I suppose proper introductions are in order." The lion purred softly. "I am the Black Lion, Lion of Storms."

Keith stepped back and took in the entire lion before him, nodding slowly. "Nice to finally meet you." Had that been the correct way to say that? Really? It was met with silence, in any case. "So, uh… I made it here."

The lion's rumbling purr echoed through the cavern. "That you did. The last to reach one of us, yet this was proper. You are the alpha of your pride as I am to mine."

Alpha? Pride? He frowned, thinking that over. It wasn't exactly wrong, it just sounded strange. But dealing with lions… accurate? He thought? Stop it. I'm not here to discuss vocabulary with an ancient sentient mechanical lion. "I am. Though, we don't use those particular words for it."

Black chuckled. "I would imagine not. But, as you were thinking, accurate."

Grimacing, Keith nodded. Was he ever going to really get used to this lion speaking in his head?

"In time you will."

He'd almost been expecting that, so perhaps it was true. "Honestly, I feel like… you've been judging me."

"Not inaccurate. There is much we both must learn of each other, if you are to be my bonded. I am the alpha. The leader. One who does not hold respect and care for his pride would be a poor partner for me."

Keith exhaled slowly. "You've not exactly agreed with me on some of my choices."

"No, perhaps not. However, I can understand them. There are difficult decisions to be made in every aspect of life. A leader must act with wisdom and care, but no leader can always be correct."

That was very true… much too true, sometimes. No sense taking that any further. "So, what happens now?"

"That is up to you, cub. The choice facing you must be yours and yours alone."

Keith stared silently into the lion's glowing eyes. His mind was churning with questions, but did he have time for those? No, I can't worry about those. People need these lions. Arus needs them.

"Curious." The lion growled quietly. "Why do you constantly reject yourself?"

That was not what he'd been expecting Black to ask. But why not? He'd said something like that before… "What do you mean?"

"You worry and care for others, yet deny your own right to your feelings. Yet your needs are just as important as those of your pride; an alpha who rejects himself can not empathize with others."

Keith hissed softly, looking away. Of course he knew what Black was referring to. Pain and loss had been staples in his life for some time and they always lurked just out of sight. He knew that. It was his burden, and it couldn't be permitted to interfere. "If I dwell on my own problems, how can I lead and be responsible for the others' health and safety?"

"If you cannot care for yourself, how can you expect to be there when others need you?"

"I'm not what matters."

"I disagree."

The words shot through him like a thunderclap, and he shook his head slightly. How did he counter that? Every intellectual argument he'd ever used to convince himself seemed to pale before the leader of the lions.

"It is your way to think of others' needs before your own. While it is noble, kind, and generous, it can become dangerous. It can be exploited. A mortal cannot truly live by giving everything they have to others. One must save something for themselves as well. One's own feelings must be explored and dealt with for a soul to truly flourish."

Keith winced. Would he have said he was flourishing? Ever? Certainly not since that day, at least. It wasn't his focus. Only to fulfill his duty and get through the days…

"Yes. You have great pain in your past, as do others within your pride. You have forgone your own grief and suffering to help them, but when do you face your own? Heal your own? And will you accept their help, when that time comes?"

Unbidden, images raced through his mind. His parents. The lost crew from the Vesuvius. Jace. Flynn. Cam… he bowed his head. No. "There will be more, if I don't succeed here. If I don't bond with you, more will die. That's what matters."

"There will be more deaths whether you bond to me or not, cub. Loss is a part of life. It is the way things are and must be. You cannot carry the weight of all the living and the dead; it is too much a burden for one soul."

That was true. But, I am responsible for those under my command…

"There is only so much you can do. Burdens must be shared, cub. It is within our bonds where true strength lies. It is why our pilots must be a Pride… it is why we must test and bond to those we call, rather than form simple alliances of convenience. The strength to endure. To flourish. Do you see it?"

Keith sighed, thinking that through, and nodded hesitantly. There was untold truth and wisdom in the lion's words and he would be a fool to not admit that. Leaders have to listen, too. Adapt. Believe in their people.

The thought echoed in his mind again. We're all we've got. What the lion was saying seemed to resonate with that. Our pilots must be a Pride. And yet he had held himself apart, just a little, believing it was what command required of him…

"It's like I told Daniel," he murmured. "I'm only human."

"Indeed."

Turning, he paced for a few steps, mind racing. He was hurting as much as the rest of his team—if not more, since he kept pushing it aside. He knew that. And he knew some bits of psychology, nowhere near enough, but enough to know he did have to deal with it eventually. They'd told him that at the Academy, when he'd simply thrown himself back into his studies as if it were a substitute for processing the pain.

Of course, the words of Alliance psychotherapists somehow carried a little less weight than the ancient magical lion robot who could read his mind.

But there was one thing he knew for certain, and right now. "You're right. I know you're right, but. Grieving and… healing… takes time—time that the people of this planet don't have."

Black Lion growled. "True. And you will not turn your back on them… you must be truly strong to succeed with the burden you would bear. So. Will you choose to allow yourself the same concern you give to others, from here on?"

There was no choice, and he nodded. He understood. Either he dealt with the grief and the struggles with his team, or it would all come crashing down around him. "As best as I can."

"I will accept that for now… and I will hold you to your word. Come." The lion lowered its head and growled again, pushing one huge paw closer to him.

Keith watched the lion move before hesitantly stepping towards the paw. The static was so strong now, enveloping him. He reached out and touched the cold, smooth metal.

—He'd expected to feel the static of the black metal fragment but this was different, massively different, it felt like he'd been struck by lightning and deafened by a sharp crack of thunder, unable to breathe, unable to cry out, and yet he heard roaring lions almost seeming to answer the crack of thunder, and thrown about by the sounds he felt weightless, towering black thunderheads stretching before him with lightning dancing and arcing, more beautiful than anything he'd imagined, and the storm washed out his vision—

Keith stumbled back, gasping for breath, still feeling the vestiges of lightning shooting through his veins. He could see his reflection in Black Lion's claw, and as he looked he saw his eyes glow a brilliant electric blue. Cyan? It wasn't what he'd expected, but then—the prospect of glowing black eyes had seemed a little impractical. What had the others said? Their colors washed out everything else when it happened. Black would have been a problem.

Not to mention I'd probably look like I was possessed.

He slowly became aware of a chuckling purr that seemed to fully flow through him. "You will be called Stormsoul. Knight of the Storm, Paladin of Honor. And as you have been, so you shall stand as the Alpha of the Pride."

It was… a lot, but the word honor seemed to pull him back to his senses like another crack of lightning. Of course he was.

"…There is no escaping that damned Crystal Spur, is there?"

"What is a Crystal Spur?"

Keith blushed. Of course, he was going to have to explain that. "A medal. From the Alliance. Something I was awarded for…"

"Ah. Exceptional chivalry."

Sigh. "Yeah. That."

Black chuckled again, and it made the hair on the back of his neck prickle slightly. "Our bond is far more than a mere medal, Stormsoul. And much like my siblings' bonded, you have one more challenge to face."

"A challenge?"

"Yes. Involving my key."

Right. He remembered what he'd heard of the others' and frowned. "It's not in some temple that's going to try and kill me, is it?"

"No. It is in the crypts under the castle."

"Crypts," he echoed, cocking his head. "Under the castle? Shouldn't be too hard."

Black only chuckled, and something about that chuckle did not make Keith feel any better. Par for the course, wasn't it? But his eyes glowed again and he took a deep breath. This was the last step, it wasn't as if he would refuse.

"You will at least be delighted to know," the lion offered, "that you can finally travel my tunnel now."

Despite himself, Keith laughed.

*****

The silence aboard the Falcon had lasted for less than a minute when the jolt shot through the room. All four lion pilots' eyes flared, and a wash of electricity flooded between them, drawing startled jumps and an outright yelp from Hunk—it felt an awful lot like that time he'd stuck his finger in a capacitor, which he'd promised to never do again.

Vince jumped too, retreating from the light show and partially hiding behind a bemused Romelle. "Nope, nope, creepy, creepy!"

"Wow." Daniel just looked around at them, then down at Crouton, who burped at him. "Check it out, the glow freaks all glowed at the same time."

"…Synchronized Glowsticks would be a sweet band name," Hunk declared as the glow in his eyes faded.

"We should get a t-shirt," Lance snorted, looking around at the others and immediately understanding. If he'd set Sven on fire… "That was Keith, wasn't it? Like a hard jolt of static?"

"Must've been, yeah?"

"I think so." Sven sighed. It wasn't as bad as the temple had been, but it was more the principle of the thing. "I'm so over fire and electricity."

Daniel's eyes darted between them; despite his deadpan observation, his mind was racing. They all felt it, but I didn't. Neither did Vince or Romelle, it seems like, but… I need to start taking notes or something. The mere thought of taking notes spurred him to more drastic action, and he raised his hand. Like a dork, but they were way beyond worrying about that.

"So uh, can I ask the non lion pilot people a question?"

Both Vince and Romelle gave him looks in response that didn't exactly seem receptive. Vince felt certain he was going to hate this—what question he wouldn't hate could possibly start out like that? Romelle tugged her jacket a little tighter around her and watched the gunner warily.

Neither had said yes or even encouraged him, but Daniel wasn't really waiting for an answer, either. "So when Lancey-Pants over there," he pointed, "bonded to his fire-cat, all the other pilots felt a wave of heat—"

Sven made a very indignant noise.

"—Except Sven, who was apparently roasted like pulled pork and is bitter about it."

Lance and Hunk snorted and Pidge rolled his eyes, but Sven just shrugged and nodded. It was significantly more accurate.

"Remind me never to invite you to the volcano, Viking."

"Grilled Viking is a no-no."

Now Sven scowled, and Romelle decided to move this right along before the team could do… well, the sort of thing they normally did. "So what is the question, Daniel?"

"Well, I'm not a pilot—" He stopped and sucked in a sharp breath. "Okay, that sentence kinda hurt but we're gonna move on. The point is that I felt the heat too, so my question or I guess questions is, did you guys feel the heat too? Or any other kind of elemental bullshit? Or have you guys gained any alien animal friends lately?"

Neither of them got a chance to respond—not that a quick response was really forthcoming—because Lance got there first. "You felt the heat?!" Red? Answers?

"It is not yet time."

He attempted to glare at the lion, which mostly resulted in him seeming to glare at the room, but nobody really had to wonder too hard about what was happening there.

"Yep." Daniel shrugged.

"That's… weird?" Possibly awesome?

"Yep! And seeing as how these lions don't like to give answers, I'm going to try to figure it out on my own."

Well, there was that. "Red was, unsurprisingly, not forthcoming."

"I'm shocked," Sven scoffed.

Pidge frowned. "Wasn't that a few minutes ago?"

Glare. "I'm unsure if you're joking or not, but either way, fuck off."

Shrugging, Pidge looked at Hunk, who was staring at him in total disbelief. It had been a joke; he was still working on the concept. "Fair."

Shaking his head, Vince decided to answer the question so he could stop having to worry about it. "I didn't feel any heat."

"No, I didn't either," Romelle agreed.

Daniel was not about to give up that easily. "Have you felt any other elements? Obviously not lightning 'cause that just happened, but wind? Water? Earth?"

Vince started to shake his head, then stopped halfway through. Wait… no. No, that was nothing, it's nothing, that was just more YOU weird.

He had not kept his thoughts from his face, and it just so happened Daniel was paying attention to that right now. "Hey-hey-hey-hey! Vince, what's with that face?"

That, understandably, resulted in him making another face. An even less enthusiastic one. "It's nothing. I just had this thing where I felt something like I was standing on earth even though I was lying down, but I sparked, and just—it was a me kind of weird, you know?"

"Wait, you what?" Hunk looked over at him. "When?"

"Uh. I don't remember exactly, I was focused on the ghosts." And other weird stuff. And maybe mushrooms.

Daniel watched him, wide-eyed. Earth. "Didn't you react badly to the yellow bracelet thing, too?"

"No I didn't! …Did I?"

"It literally knocked you over, mechka."

Vince shot the ninja a mildly betrayed look, then shook his head again. "But that was sparking, wasn't it?" Maybe if he just kept shaking his head, they would stop asking him questions. He'd been perfectly happy listening to other people having weird things happen for once.

"You had a reaction to the yellow earth-y Voltron bracelet." Daniel was not even hearing any objections. "And you felt earth here."

"And Yellow said some cryptic lion stuff about you yesterday when I asked him about the ghosts," Hunk added. The hell is going on here? The bracelet. He'd forgotten all about Vince's problem with the bracelet—the bracelet that had Yellow's symbol on it. Yellow, c'mon, dude. Give us something here?

"I cannot, Earthwarder."

Well at least that was a straight answer. Ish.

"He what?" Vince gave Hunk a much more betrayed look then the one he'd given Pidge; at least he expected things he didn't want to hear out of the ninja. "No, no, and nope. Look I have my own weird, I don't need any lion weird."

"The lions don't care if you need their weird," Pidge muttered, and felt Green give a small purr of indignation.

And there was the ninja with things he didn't want to hear. "Nope," he muttered again, grumbling it a few more times under his breath for good measure.

Daniel heard all of the nopes, but he was having none of it; he was absolutely convinced that Vince had something to do with Hunk's lion whether he liked it or not. So he turned his attention to Romelle. "Hey Romelle, you're also making a face." It was more thoughtful than guilty or in denial, but it could mean something. It had to mean something. Please!

She had been thinking. Mostly, much like Vince, her interaction with the supernatural here had been limited to ghosts. Real magic was not something that Polluxians encountered often—if anything, it was looked on with suspicion. An element of Arusian culture that had not accompanied them into exile. But…

There had been something.

"Maybe?" she said hesitantly.

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Okay, what did you maybe feel?"

"It was a bone-chilling cold." She frowned. "I've felt a few chills here, from ghosts passing by, but there was one that was… not quite the same as the others. Stronger."

Hmm. A chill? He could work with that. "So would a chill be water or wind?" He had no plans to even entertain it just being a ghost. Absolutely not.

Romelle was a bit more cooperative about it than Vince, at least. "If we're associating this with the lions, I don't think Pidge had… bonded, yet." When had it happened? She tried to remember. What she remembered distinctly was where she had been. Finishing with the grill. Which meant… "It was before the cookout."

"Cold is kinda mostly what it felt like when Sven did the lion thing," Hunk offered. It felt like forever ago now.

"So water." Daniel was getting more excited. Something was actually happening. There was still more magic lion bullshit to be confused about! …It seemed weird to be thinking of that as a good thing, but here they were.

"And you felt heat," Lance said again, looking at the kid and remembering what Red had said about him being important.

"Yeah." He nodded. "And your fire-lion's pets follow me around."

"They do like you." Lance grinned. "No fucking clue what any of that means, but I like it."

"I… I don't not-like it." Daniel needed more information before he decided if he really liked it, but it seemed like a pretty good start. "Anyone else making animal friends?"

Vince was still muttering nope to himself in a corner, so Hunk fielded that one. "The vultures don't seem as uh, portable as the salalizards." They were pretty big birds.

"Nor are the gorcas," Sven agreed. "Being aquatic, and all."

"I've gotten the distinct impression that the banewolves do not usually make 'friends'," Pidge muttered. Relatable. Though there was one exception to—oh no. He pushed that thought aside before it could finish, and quickly changed the subject. "So, we have a whole list of new questions again?"

"Yep."

"Seems like!"

"Great. I have one more: should we be doing something now that the Commander is bonded?"

The others exchanged looks. It did seem like a fair question, but… "Like what?"

"Besides admit that the mission is beyond fucked?"

"The shottiest mission in the history of missions being shot."

"Hasn't the mission kinda been fucked since, oh I don't know, the voices in your heads?" Daniel pointed out.

"…Yeah, true." Lance shrugged. "Find Keith and repeat this conversation?"

Pidge didn't think that sounded terribly efficient. "We could find him and ask for orders." The team didn't usually favor that course, but it was worth a try.

Daniel definitely didn't favor that course. "Do I gotta be there for that?" he muttered under his breath; he would be able to give Lance his apology if the opportunity presented itself, but he wasn't sure he was quite ready yet to apologize to Keith. He probably shouldn't have said anything at all, but fortunately nobody seemed to have noticed.

"I am pretty sure Yellow said…" Hunk stopped, realizing what he was about to say, and groaned. "…that once they're all awake they can try to fly."

Crimson light surged in Lance's eyes for a solid several seconds. "Really?!"

"I'm sorry I said anything," Pidge grumbled.

"Do you guys think Lance is excited to fly?" Daniel asked, smirking. If he couldn't be a pilot he could at least snark at someone who was.

Lance glowered and his eyes flashed again. "Am I really the only one?"

"I'm an engineer!" Pidge protested. "And a ninja! I fix machines and break people, flying giant robot cat ships was not even an elective!"

"Okay, but they are giant robot cat ships!"

"Dude." Hunk shook his head. "The glowing red thing is the freakiest yet, you know that, yeah?"

Smirk. "Yeah, but it's totally fucking awesome, too."

"Wait." Vince was thinking back to the colors associated with this Voltron thing. Specifically, the color they were still missing. "Ugh, will Keith's eyes like, go all jet black?"

Daniel brightened almost as much as when the others had become part of the lion bullshit. "I fucking hope so."

"That sounds like it would be… disconcerting?" Romelle murmured, not that he was listening.

"I could call him Demon-Man. Black Hole."

"Komora…?"

"Commander Soulless!"

"Nope."

"Make jokes about the sword up his ass poking out his eyeballs."

"Wait, dude, who said anything about swords out his eyeballs? Eww."

Lance snorted down a laugh. "Can I be there when you do that one?"

"Sure." It wouldn't be near as fun without witnesses.

Though he had no idea what was going on—which, to be fair, wasn't unusual at times like this—Pidge was sure of one thing. "We really should go find him, though." Sigh. "If we're supposed to fly magic robot lions to fight the Drules, I'd like to have at least some idea of how they work before the Drules show up."

"…Okay, when you put it that way I'm with ya."

"That is a good idea. Though I propose we wait until he gets down from the mountain."

"Guess we'll wait up." Lance frowned. "Or maybe he'll head back via the tunnels?" Climbing up a mountain to earn a lion's respect seemed about on brand, but having to climb back down it seemed less so.

Hunk, who had still been sulking a little at the prospect of flight, cheered up immediately. "Someone say tunnels? Like the tunnels with the super awesome shuttles in 'em? I say we go wait up there."

"…Shuttles?" Pidge echoed blankly. "What shuttles?"

"Ninja engineer, you're gonna love 'em."

Even Vince perked up. "Those shuttles are cool."

"They're amazing," Sven agreed.

"Oh sure." Lance threw his hands up in mock frustration. "Shuttles are awesome, flying badass robot lions is MEH."

"Somethin' for everyone, bro!" Hunk grinned at Pidge. "Though hey, maybe we'll get to do diagnostics on badass robot lions? They do keep sayin' they've been asleep for awhile. That would be cool." The ninja nodded excitedly, all his grumpiness forgotten. That could only be fascinating.

"You're all hopeless," Lance declared, feeling Red's amused growl in the back of his mind. "But I'm down for waiting at the tunnels. Maybe Keith will properly appreciate that we're gonna be flying."

"Maybe," Sven agreed with a shrug. He wouldn't bet against it, anyway. "Works for me."

Sighing, Vince looked around the room and decided he really didn't want to be left out of the shuttles. "Can I come, even though this has nothing to do with me?"

"…It clearly has something to do with—"

"—What he means," Hunk interrupted, "is the disabled shuttles are totally gonna need an electrical engineer, of course you're comin'!"

"That is not what I—" This time it was Hunk's elbow that interrupted Pidge, and he sputtered indignantly. All the more so when Green chuckled. Whose side are you on?!

Vince decided just ignoring that was best. Because nope.

"Me and my salalizards are coming too."

"Fucking right you are."

"And you too, Romelle." That got Sven a startled look, then a small smile. It was good to be included…

"Yes. Explorer Teams stick together."

"You got that right, sister." Hunk grinned. "Let's rock this!"

*****

Hanso had finally been freed from the shelter's makeshift infirmary. He'd been released with strict orders to take it easy, and of course he had wasted no time in disobeying them.

"Come on, Captain, just one little patrol? Please? I've been stuck down here forever."

Sarial just shook her head in fond exasperation. "Under what theory do you expect going out there and overtaxing yourself to get you un-stuck from down here? No patrols." Turning around, she'd glanced back over her shoulder and added, "You'd rather go hunting with Larmina and Allendar anyway, I'm certain."

He'd started to argue before fully registering what she said. Then he'd shut his mouth. And that was how he found himself sitting on a wooden sled, being towed through the meadow by Allendar, keeping an eye out for anything he could snipe from his position while Larmina took the lead.

Over the course of the Drule occupation, most of the sleds they'd used to transport game and supplies back to the shelter had gone through several rounds of repairs. The militia was used to dealing with broken skids and rough travel. They'd picked the one in the best condition, but it was still a bumpy ride.

Probably would've been less so if Allendar weren't trying to drag it with one arm and keep his slingbow leveled with the other.

"Hey Larmina, you think you could get a couple of your banewolf friends to pull this thing? I don't think Allendar is giving it his full attention."

"You know," Allendar suggested sweetly, "I could just leave you here and have both hands free for aiming."

"I'm trying to help free up your hands!"

Larmina shook her head, grinning. It felt weird to be nostalgic about the good old days of venturing out with these two into the hostile wilderness, but… it was easier, more comfortable, than the new phase the offworlders had brought with them. Right now that was the best she could ask for.

As for his request… "I don't think they do that sort of thing, but I can ask." Smirk. "If they get offended I'll just let them eat you."

Hanso blinked. "Uh, know what? Point taken. Bumps are fine."

The silence that fell after that was something of a reflex. This was familiar, and they were all falling into old habits—talking too much when a Drule might have been across every rise hadn't been the best of ideas. But the tension over this trip was coming from somewhere far above, and as they neared the foothills they were relaxing again.

"How did you get friendly with banewolves, anyway?" There had been very little opportunity to ask her about that when he'd been stuck in a crowded infirmary.

Allendar glanced back at him. "She won't tell you. I've tried."

"I told you the truth," Larmina protested. He had tried. Repeatedly. "I didn't do anything but get knocked out in the forest, and they decided they wanted to be friends."

"Legendary killer wolves just like you? Sure, fine." Hanso shrugged. "At least they're good judges of character, imagine if they tried to buddy up with the High Priest? So many regrets. Or so much dinner."

…He'd accepted that a lot quicker than Allendar, actually. "So true."

As they moved into the hills, Hanso hopped off the sled; he'd only promised to take it easy as much as possible. His eyes darted up to the distant mountains, and the clear sky above where there should have been clouds.

"That's really creepy," Allendar murmured, mirroring his thoughts. Thunder Ridge was supposed to have thunder.

"Does it really never clear up for a few hours?" Larmina asked, eyeing the peaks curiously. She hadn't been at the castle long enough to learn all the intricacies of the weather, and spending most of her time since the attack underground hadn't helped. "Auntie said the weather was weird, too."

Auntie had said more than that, but Larmina knew she wasn't supposed to share the part about it being a sign from the Great Lions, or whatever it—

A low growl echoed from the mountains, and she froze.

"…can thin out a lot," Allendar was saying, "but there's almost always something. And we should be able to hear it from here, even if it's too low to see."

She almost laughed at that. What she'd heard was definitely not what he was talking about. The same growl as she'd heard so many times in the forest—no, not quite the same, but similar. And the one she'd heard once before in the foothills, echoing from the Burning Ridge that time instead…

She wasn't even going to ask. No. She was going to enjoy this little bit of normal—weird normal that it was—and ask Aunt Allura about it later. When she was ready, or at least more ready, to deal with offworlders and lion stuff again.

"Well, the rolis aren't going to wait for us to try to figure out the weird weather patterns." She drew her bow and winked at Hanso. "And they're not going to wait for you either, but I like to play fair. We can count each of your rolis as equal to two of mine, just this once."

He sputtered indignantly and readied his own bow. "Excuse me? You've never beat me before, and I'm not gonna need a mercy rule to keep that streak going!" He started to charge forward into the underbrush, only to nearly fall on his backside as his upper body refused to go anywhere.

Allendar had an iron grip on his collar. "We can still make you guard that sled, you know."

"Dovoyat…"

As the three headed further into the foothills, still cheerfully arguing, the clouds began to gather over Thunder Ridge.

*****

*Sorry for the delay on this one, this chapter was literally cursed. There was health trouble, there was logistical trouble, there hasn't been a modem spontaneously combusting yet but until actually pressing the post button we were not ruling that out... but here it is! A chapter of just a tiny bit of importance! Heh.