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It was late morning by the time Scout laid eyes on home again. Almost a whole day had gone by since he'd last been home. It made his skin itch with worry. He didn't like to be gone so long, even when he had to be. So much could go wrong, and if he wasn't here, who would take care of it?
Certainly not his disabled father, who had trouble getting out of bed most days, or his mother, or the young ones. It would fall to Auria, but she was only twelve, and it shouldn't be her responsibility. It was Scout's responsibility to take care of his family. But he also had a responsibility to the Foxclaw Scouts, and when one of their own went missing it was everyone's job to help track them down. They'd been too late, but at least they weren't left with questions.
Scout's shoulders already felt heavy.
However, the burden was lifted when he opened the front door to a chorus of, "Big Brother is home!"
"Yes he is," Scout agreed easily, a grin slipping into place as he leaned down amongst the limbs of his siblings to pick up Litus and save him from being trampled.
"He's smelly," Valeria said, her nose scrunching as she spoke, but she didn't pull away from clinging to his arm.
"You run around in the forest all night and see if you don't stink," Auria defended him, which made Valeria stick her tongue out at her older sister.
"Kids, leave your brother alone, he must be exhausted," their mother said as she came around the corner.
Scout looked his mother over, who thankfully only looked tired. He worried when he wasn't able to walk her home from The Root. They shared a look and Scout shook his head. Her face turned sad. That was all they would discuss of the lost hunter while the children were awake, though Scout was sure Auria saw and understood their exchange. She was too smart for her own good sometimes.
Everyone released their hold on him and took a step back, but strayed no further.
"Why were you gone so long?" Varro asked, standing at Valeria's elbow. He'd always been the shyest of the five of them, and Valeria was the opposite, so he clung to her for safety.
"Oh, they're just making me work extra hard is all!" Scout said, ruffling Varro's hair as he squeezed past them to find somewhere to sit, depositing Litus in his lap. "But I don't have to work again until tomorrow, so now I'm free for the whole afternoon!"
"You should be resting after such a long night," Falx cut in as he slowly walked into their tiny living room, voice rough like gravel. The kids quickly moved to make a path so their father could walk to his chair and carefully lower himself into it.
"But I'm bursting with energy, pops! And besides," he went on, accepting his ukulele from Valeria's tiny hands. "Who would entertain this lot if I went to sleep?"
The instrument had been a gift from his father years ago, and Scout had always made sure to take care of it. He’d spent many nights learning how to play from his father. He wasn’t the best, but his siblings obviously didn’t care. All any of them cared about was spending time together.
The morning slipped by unnoticed into the afternoon. Eventually Maelia brought out sandwiches for lunch, and in the magic of a warm room and a full belly the younger ones eventually drifted off to sleep.
“What happened?” Falx asked quietly, so as not to wake anyone.
Scout shook his head. “No one is sure. Just that a pair of hunters showed up dead, and they weren’t slain by any beasts.”
“You must be careful, son,” Maelia said, wringing her hands in worry.
“So do you, walking home at night when I’m not there. We don’t know who it was, and maybe we never will. It could have been someone from town.”
“No one is going to bother with me-”
“That’s not the point, I could be sent out on longer missions soon, the kids are going to need you.”
“I know. I’ll be careful,” she acquiesced. “But you have to be careful, too. We’ll be devastated if you don’t come home.”
“I’m always careful,” Scout promised.