[TGB] | Homebound.

The totems were odd. Approaching them, Firo was hesitant, staring at this strange new addition to his home. He knew the Spirits had returned, and that tattoos had been bestowed upon those who met them at the Breathing Caldera-- Mar and Neytiri had gone for that purpose alone. But what else had happened to the tribes since his injury, Firo had no clue.
This is his home, though. Where he belongs. So he steps up to the entrance of camp, and between the totems, slipping through the entrance. Walking through camp, he feels naked as the only cat without a tattoo, and goes straight for Alcina’s den. “Silver-Earth?”

She was . . . worried. She knew that things were to change soon, so perhaps there was no reason to go rushing into appointing the heads of their ranks, but to keep her cats waiting might arouse suspicion, or even ill will. Yet . . . those three were still missing. And she knew she shouldn't but she needed them to be here. Firo . . . she didn't know him well, but she trusted him. He'd been here far longer than she had, and she was well aware of his relation to Mar—her most volatile cat. He was like a wildfire; nearly impossible to tame, and if you tried, you'd just get burned. But Firo had managed to get past those flames, and for a reason even Alcina was unaware of, she had a burning desire to be able to do the same.
And now, as though the Spirits themselves had heard her woes and delivered him straight unto her—he was here.
Immediately, she leaped to her feet and raced to the door. Softly, "Firo." Hopefully, her expression said what she couldn't—'I was worried, where have you been, where are the other two, are you okay now?' All she did say was, "Welcome home."

Relaxing marginally, he offered a tired smile to his leader. ”Alcina.” He’d lived through many Silvers, but he never veered from them. He looked at Alcina with the same respect, the same loyalty, as he always had. ”It’s good to be home...”
He wanted his tattoo back. He wanted to know what had happened to the Spirits. He wanted to know so much.

He seemed a little lost. But of course he would be—just how long had he been gone, again? It wasn't long before their tattoos came back, right? There was a lot of explaining to do. Alcina started off with the biggest thing. "The . . . the Spirits were reborn. They're not exactly the same as before, but . . . they're still our Spirits." She gave a slight smile. "Which means, you can get your tattoo back. Right outside the camp, those totems . . . they can grant it to you. Please get it now . . . and then, if you could tell me what happened, I would be very grateful."

His tattoo. He could get his tattoo back. The look of relief on his face was almost heartbreaking, and he nodded, closing his eyes. ”Please,” he sighed, glancing to make sure she’d follow before heading towards the exit. ”We... have a lot to talk about.”
Standing before the totems, he has that same hesitant expression in his eyes. Their eyes glow, and he recognizes the light of the Spirits in them. It helps soothe him slightly, calming his heart as he’s drawn forward. The flower in the bowl bends towards him and, closing his eyes, he feels the power pour through him; warm, maternal, like love. Exhaling slowly, he opens his eyes again, glancing down as the totem’s eyes dim.
”O-- Orange!” Orange?!

Following him silently, Alcina felt herself calming down a bit. It would be alright. Firo was okay, and he'd soon fill her in. She smiled warmly as the tattoo appeared on his shoulder, his exclamation causing her gaze to glimmer with amusement. "Oh . . . I forgot. The tattoo colors changed a bit." She laughed. "It just represents your skill tree now, so there's no need to be alarmed."

”Oh.” He’d... honestly wondered if the Spirit had misread him. His mutation did make him-- ah, but it didn’t matter. Primary tattoo. It... looked odd to him, on his own fur, but...
”So much has changed.”

She let out a quiet sigh. She understood completely how he felt. Even for her, it was still hard to process everything that was changing . . . and it seemed that change would become a constant thing now. "I know."
For a moment, she felt sorry—even more changes were soon to come, this time by her own decree. She only hoped it wouldn't be too much.

For a while, Firo was silent. Then: ”Let Mar and Neytiri come home with me.”

Alcina stared. "I know what they have done. You know even better." She could not deny that she wished it hadn't been so. If only they'd stayed with the tribe . . .
"So why?" She took on a nondescript expression. "Plead your case. Give me a reason. Explain their actions on their behalf." Whatever you have to do.

Firo’s eyes drifted, his mind wandering back. Finally, he met her gaze, staring. ”They’re strong. They have to prove that to themselves all the time. When the tribes were falling apart, they did what they had to, to feel strong. Stronger.” Looking towards the east, the direction of Light Tribe, he said, ”I love them. And they-- they love me. They needed me. So they took me. It’s how they are. I was angry. But... when the Spirits called for us, Neytiri said they’d take me. They’d take me to get my tattoo, and they’d let me come home, if that’s what I wanted. I’ll always come back to Earth Tribe. I would have convinced them to come with me. But I was too weak to travel. I told them to go. They... they’ve accepted their powers. And their place in our tribes, whether they know it or not. They thought depending on powers made a cat weak, but they’ve come a long way. They’ve changed. They’ve stayed the same, too, but... they’ve changed.” Exhaling, he looked at Alcina. ”I...” And his voice cracked, suddenly fighting back a surge of-- of fear. Grief. ”I’ll always put my tribe first. I knew that with Sky, and Mouse, and Mai, and-- and everyone else I ever cared about. I knew that with everyone I loved. But that’s... no way to live, Alcina. Never loving someone fully, knowing you may not be able to pick them someday. With-- with them, it felt... I felt safe... truly loving them. Opening my whole heart and loving them fully. I’m-- I’m afraid of choosing between them and Earth Tribe, Alcina. I’m so scared. I don’t know what I’ll choose if I have to. I-- I never thought I’d have to make that choice. I let myself love them this way because I thought I’d never have to choose.” Shaking his head hard, fighting back the sting of tears in his eyes, he takes a trembling breath. ”They want to be strong. They can make Earth Tribe strong. If they’re given the right incentive, the right goals, the right... They can do good, Alcina. Their ways, their nature, they can be good for Earth Tribe. We can learn from them. They can learn from us, they have. I... I need them. I can help them, I can make them good for us. Alcina, I... please...” But it all boils down to it: ”Please don’t make me choose.”

Alcina listened to each and every one of his words wholeheartedly and in silence. She resisted the urge to laugh at herself, for deep down she knew that even if his argument was complete garbage, she'd still probably say yes. Why? Because she, too, cared about them far more than she should. It wasn't that she loved them, and she wasn't sure why she even was so fond of them. To her, they were like a puzzle that couldn't be solved—but at the same time, she realized that perhaps they were just missing pieces to one which hadn't yet been completed. But they seemed to be trying very hard to stop her from figuring it out.
She remembered the raw emotions she felt when Basil had decreed she would not agree to she and Niamh's mateship, and her brow creased. "I know what it's like, to be told you must choose."
She smiled.
"I couldn't do it, either."
She turned slightly, letting her gaze fall to the grass. "So how could I make you." She tensed slightly, collecting herself before lifting her head once more. "They've given me too many reasons to distrust them. But what you say is true . . . so long as they stay in line, they have much to offer for Earth-Tribe." Her eyes met his with all the resolve of a trailblazer. "Can I trust you to teach them your loyalty?"

”I can never guarantee anything with them,” he said quietly, almost hoarse. Even expecting the worst in them-- that night returning to his mind, Mar’s...-- he was always surprised. Expecting the best rarely yielded favorable results. ”They’re always a surprise. But I’ll do my best, Alcina. You can always trust me to do that.”

The Silver-Earth shifted slightly. "Alright." Admittedly, she was still bothered. She shouldn't have to rely on Firo to keep those two in check, yet she was still willing to. "But if I said they wouldn't be on thin ice, I'd be lying. They don't have room for mistakes anymore." Alcina sighed reluctantly. "The tribes have taken up some new ranks. First, Scholar. These cats will be the innovators, working towards new ideas, new uses for our powers. Second, Soldiers. Guards and Warriors have been combined into one. And lastly . . . Heads. Every rank is to be appointed a 'leader', so to speak." She paused, brows furrowing again. "Anyway, my point is . . . there's no arguing that Mar would be the most favorable candidate for Head Soldier—or General, if you will. But . . . I'm sure you can see why that's impossible. Unless," she proffered, "you would be right up there with him. As equals . . . but you could still take charge of him." Curling her tail over her paws, she watched him curiously—perhaps you could even go so far as to say anxiously. "Do you feel that might work . . . at all?"

Of course they’d be on thin ice. After what they’d done?
Scholars. Innovators. He could imagine a few cats well-suited to that rank.
Soldiers. Where he belonged. He would always be a warrior at heart.
Heads... Heads? /Mar/? Leading the Soldiers? He would be ruthless-- to apprentices and enemies. They’d be strong. And foes would fall.
”With... me?” Him, a-- a General? A leader? A leader of anything-- of... the warriors of Earth Tribe. Of the Soldiers.
He’d never expected a promotion. He was a warrior. A fighter. Good for little more than that. He hadn’t even mentored an apprentice since Kyle! Yet she-- he was being offered this kind of position.
The tribes were changing. It made him breathless to think it-- Scholars, Soldiers. Generals.
Maybe--
Maybe it was time to change with them.
Maybe it was time to... to take on a new apprentice. To finally try again.
”I--” He could do good for Earth Tribe. He could-- he could. ”I’d... be honored.” A voice of reason for Earth Tribe’s warriors. And for Mar.
He’d already taken up that role long ago.

"That settles it, then." Alcina concluded. "Mar and Neytiri . . . can come home."