The fire had leveled the camp. Such a distaster was so unexpected that in the aftermath, the whole camp seemed to be in a state of shock. Everyone put their energies into searching for wounded survivors, and for those that were not so fortunate to have made it out of their wagons in time. It was a time where raw emotion flowed, and no one tried to hide it. Such devastation was hard to look upon and it wasn't limited to the camp..many bosk and kaiila fell victim and their owners felt the losses for thier beasts as intensely as they did for their family and friends.
It was during this time that everyone set aside any differences and worked side by side, giving all to those that needed them the most. Tribe Above All....these words never rang truer than they did during this time of grief and loss.
For the healers it was a busy and often emotional time as they worked to save the many that were brought to their healing wagons. So many had fallen victim, and their agony was difficult to witness and just as difficult to treat. Many non-healers were called upon to assist and anyone that had a spare moment was put to work. Kaeli herself was offered a helping hand by none other than the young Spex, Mezoo. This surprised the healer in that they had had many differences of opinion in the past, and their friendship up to this point, had been tentative at best. With the past forgotten, the two were able to work side by side amicably, and Kaeli found her quick to catch on to what she needed. After one long day of tending to the wounded, Kaeli found herself at the main fires with the younger woman, taking a break and drinking a much needed mug of blackwine. It was during this time that their talk turned to mates and she asked Kaeli how she dealt with a mate who was absent for long stretches of time tending to the duties that were required of him. Kaeli had heard whispers in camp that the ubar and spex were no longer courting, but she was not prepared for confirmation to come from the young woman herself, and was equally surprised when the younger woman poured forth her heart on the matter. It wasn't beyond Kaeli's ability to understand the reasons, and she tried to comfort the spex the best she could. She gave the woman credit for seeing beyond what her heart felt, to the reality of what her future would hold, and realizing it would never be enough. She was a different breed from the Spex and Kaeli wondered if perhaps her being raised without a family had given her an altered perspective on relationships and love. Kaeli's love for her mate was intense and fierce, but not premised on a need for him to be at her side constantly. She had learned from her experience as Ubara of the Kataii, that Ubars bore the weight of the camps needs and that tribe before all became more than mere words. It was perhaps fortunate for her to have had these experiences because it gave her insight and greater understanding and patience for those times her mate had to be absent. Still there was more to it and Kaeli sat at her fire later pondering how to put into words how she felt. Her mate was her sky..he was all that she needed, and her love for him was deep and unfaltering. When he was with her, she felt it was a gift and when he was not..she missed him terribly, but had the children as constant reminder of how much she truly loved him. Theirs was a solid coupling, and she never was in doubt how he felt about her-he told her. As their children grew, she saw more of him in them than she did herself. Both had his exquisite green eyes, his jet black hair and the stubborness and will he possessed. Kus was growing fast and she could see he would have his fathers build and strength. He was quick to flash his fathers smile and already was mimicking his fathers walk and laugh. He stubbornly refused to play with the toy hammer she provided him and took to dragging around a cast off one that his father had used in the forge. It was far too heavy for him to wield properly but he took it with him everywhere and worked at hefting it and she was proud. Her daugher was definitly his daughter, and Kaeli didn't mind that she was more attached to him than herself. She was dainty, but had his will and fearlessness. She learned early on how to defend herself against her sibling and nephew and made sure they lived in fear of her reprisals. She had his quick sense of humor and his smile, and it make her mother proud. With these two around she was never truly apart from Jai because they were pieces of him and she loved them with the same fierceness. She was never truly without her mate, and he was always in her thoughts when he wasn't in her furs...