World of Ranicke Bk. 03 Epilogue

Lak-Non, he just didn't feel like a James, had finally moved to the caravan and tents which had belonged to this James. He was currently sitting in a chair strumming a Gitturn and thinking about the last few weeks. Lak-Non knew that his arrival had tossed a massive stone into the pool known as the tribes. That had been obvious that time he had woken up and recognized the women.

They had broken down and cried for some time. All three of them had been pressed against his body as they were crying. Of the men one he had discovered was the Tribal Chief of the Soran tribe. Another was the Chief of the Puma Pride. The third appeared to be a friend of this James.

Frankly by the time the women had been done crying he was about ready to lose it. Thankfully some white Kitsune female had come in and chased everyone away. She had come over and sat down on the bed next to him. She stroked his forehead and he could feel a cool sensation flowing from the tips of her fingers. "Relax Lak-Non, you have gone through a rather traumatic experience. I can sense two parts of you. The recovered memories and your existing memories, they are going to take time to integrate. When done you are going to be a different person than either James or Lak-Non. What you end up being is going to be partially up to you."

Lak-Non had to close his eyes as her fingers stroked his temples and forehead. "Lady I don't know what I am feeling. I am so... So lost." He hadn't felt this off since waking up in that jungle. Then he knew what he was supposed to do, or at least had felt the calling to find his former master.

Lia gave him a gentle smile as he was talking. She was gently applying her powers to help him talk to her. "I don't blame you young man. It is something you are going to have to decide. One thing I want you to do is to learn about the women who were in James life. He grew to mean a great deal to a number of people in this tribe. You are the one who is going to have to make the decision on who you are and what name you are going to have to go by." She kept stroking his forehead.

Lak-Non had to lean into her stroking and he knew she was using her powers since he was definitely relaxing and the headache was slowly fading. As he laid there letting her fingers trail across his forehead he contemplated what she was saying and what he needed to do. For the moment he was going back to sleep and take it one day at a time. He quickly fell asleep and didn't realize when Lia had left. He also didn't realize when Sheeha came in and settled down next to him.

When Lak-Non finally woke up again he had to groan since he really needed a privacy tent. He had long since learned many of the terms used on this continent. He slowly sat up and glanced around. When he found a Puma female with a small kit in her arms he felt another stab of pain. When the memory came back he almost wanted to cry. "Hello Sheeha. I am not James anymore but I do have some of his memories." He wanted to look at the child but kept his eyes on the Puma.

Sheeha tensed and looked down at her kit. "Thank you for telling me that. What would you prefer to be called?" She wasn't going to cry but damn it she wanted their kit to know who James was. "What do you need?" Her arms curled a bit more around the kit.

Lak-Non noticed her reaction and he sighed. "For now please call me Lak-Non. Can you tell me about your kit? Is the kit James's? Please tell me Sheeha. I might not be James but I am starting to recover some of his memories." He slowly stood. "I do need the privacy tents and would you mind showing me where the springs are?"

Sheeha kept her eyes down. "He is Jimmy's kit and I was scared at first when I became pregnant but I am proud to say he is ours. His name is Yames as well." She glanced up some though she didn't look at him. "I can do that Lak-Non. I will have a bucket brought as well as some clothes. If you will follow me." She stood up and waited for him.

Lak-Non reached over and pressed a hand on her shoulder. "Sheeha I can tell you that James did care for you." Another surge of pain and he cursed. "By the feathers of the first egg this sucks. Damn it to hell I hate these surges of memory." He had to stand there for a moment before he could continue. "If he had known he would have been proud but..." He dropped to his knees with another surge of pain.

Sheeha tried to support him but he was too heavy and she had her kit. "White Lady, help, James, Lak-Non needs help!" It was a scream.

Almost before she screamed Lia was there and was pressing her fingers against his temples. She focused her powers and suppressed his reactions. "I am going to suppress some of James's memories for the time being. They will be coming back but at a much slower flow. Your guardian spirit is not used to dealing with humans." Once she was done she knew that her fix was working.

Lak-Non was panting from what he had been experiencing. Even once she was done he had to sit there and pant for some time. Once he felt capable of speaking he looked up. "Thank you White Lady that really helps." His voice was rough as he was speaking. He finally stood up and he really needed the bathroom. "Will you please show me the privacy stalls?"

Sheeha's ears were low against her head and just in case Lak-Non had another episode called to have Thomas meet them at the tents. "This way please and they aren't far." Since he was in the medical caravan there were some close by thankfully. Once done there Thomas had arrived with buckets for both him and Lak-Non. "Thanks for getting the buckets."

Lak-Non gave him a nod in thanks as well. "Hello Thomas and for now please call me Lak-Non. Till the memories fully come back I don't know who I will end up being." Frankly this was going to drive him crazy since he knew the women and children who had loved James were going to want to talk to him.

Thomas nodded since that made a great deal of sense. "The White Lady talked to everyone last night about not overwhelming you with attention. The youngest children are probably going to want attention though." Where Lak-Non was going to be living till things settled down he wasn't sure. It was something the other man was going to have to think about.

As he was sitting there playing he glanced around the tents and had to smile. All the women were doing their own thing. Several of the kids were in the tent as well listening to him playing. That first morning when he had taken a bath had been interesting since everyone stared at the stylized bear paw tattoo on his chest. When asked about it he finally had a good answer to the question. He had told them since when he awoke he didn't have a warrior necklace the Bear had given him the tattoo. Lak-Non wasn't going to mention it was also to draw him to his former master.

The first evening had been interesting as well since he had decided to join the women and kids for a meal. He had decided for the moment to stay in medical for a day or two. It simply wouldn't be possible to try and stay in the tent with James's family. Even with what the White Lady had done for him his head still throbbed periodically as memories were brought forward. Lak-Non was starting to find as something triggered them each memory was being integrated into whoever he was becoming.

When he had walked into the tent that evening it had been very tense. For the women he assumed it was memories of him as their mate and their biological children. For the others he figured it were memories of James being their adoptive father. It was most definitely awkward for all of them. Lak-Non stood at the entrance and had to clear his throat several times before he could speak. "Hello everyone, I know this is hard but..." What was he supposed to say? "I have some memories of all of you and I am trying to understand them. For now please call me Lak-Non till I figure out who I am going to be."

Sorrel stood up and walked over. She looked up at him and could see some of the features of James though there were differences as well. "We have talked with the children and the older ones do understand. Please come in and have a seat. Dinner will be here shortly." She carefully wrapped a hand around his arm and led him into the tent.

"Thank you Sorrel." He settled down in a chair that was empty and realized it had probably been James's. It was central in the tent and fit his body almost perfectly.

It was awkward till Nasha went had to pick up one baby and wrinkled her nose. "Someone is stinky, Lak-Non would you mind? I need to feed the other baby." Nasha didn't wait for him to reply before she handed him the baby and picked up Eelios to feed him.

Lak-Non had plenty of practice with babies but he pretended to be offended. "I think there is something wrong with this picture, handing your guest a stinky baby." Even as he was talking he grabbed the bag with the baby stuff in them and quickly changed the little girl. Once he was done Lak-Non held her close and gave her a sad smile. "Hello Kerrie. You are a real cutie." That seemed to break the ice and some of the other kids came over and settled down around him. When the ladies laughed at him he had to smile since that was what he had wanted.

Tonya leaned against his leg and gave him a shy look. "What do your necklaces mean?" She had been looking at them and they were exotic to say the least.

He reached over and stroked her hair and ears for a moment. "Well this one", he touched the one from Zephara, "was given to me by my last master when I left his service. It indicated that I am considered a member of his family, was a senior advisor for him, and one of his guards." He looked out the front of the tent and had to smile. "I served in his service for many years before feeling the need to move on. He was a pretty good young man and had grown into being the king of his country."

Nora looked somewhat confused. "What do you mean many years? James has only been gone for one turn." Nobody had really talked to him as of yet and didn't know of his history.

Lak-Non had to scratch his head for a moment. "I can't explain that but I was in his service for close to twenty five years before leaving. I wandered Cerule for almost as long before coming to this continent. I have spent the last five years wandering before I found this tribe. Something wouldn't let me settle down for more than a few years before I would have to move." As he was speaking he was looking melancholy.

After shaking his head he looked back down at Tonya. "Well this necklace was provided to me by the warrior's guild where the ship I was on landed. It seems that they felt my tattoo wasn't enough since it wasn't visible." He kept talking and answering questions. By the end of the evening everyone had relaxed some and the youngest kids had managed to get him to cuddle them.

Since the kids were sitting around not to mention the women he started singing quietly. It was a love song he had written for Zephara and Z'nala so many years ago. As he was singing he was still thinking since it was a song he had played so often he didn't need to focus on it. It was an old friend and made him think about those two. Lak-Non couldn't help but wonder how they were doing. Sometimes he wished he could send a letter to them but the chances of it reaching them was slim. Maybe one of these days he might actually send one.

He had decided to stay in a tent the healers had for the lightly injured for several days. Lak-Non had the memories of James loving his ladies and his children but it wasn't something Lak-Non could just jump into. He was still feeling rather lost and confused and the children didn't need to see that. Lak-Non had made a point of going to the tent for meals and spending a bit of time in the morning playing and singing for the kids. That was actually rather fun since they hadn't heard any of the music he had learned or written since he had vanished.

Lak-Non had gotten to know James' baby with Sheena as well as the twins and Morgan. All four were lovely children as were the others that James had adopted. He had also met Dan and the Mystic as well as their three children. From what he could tell James had been well loved and had been a damn fine man. Thinking of James as a different person was the easiest way to deal with the memories.

By the end of that first week he had talked to the four women about moving into the tent. He had made it clear he wasn't looking for any action at the moment. As confused as Lak-Non was that wouldn't be a good idea. They understood though they did ask if he would mind sharing the large bed with them. Lak-Non had to think about that for a while and tentatively said yes. It was going to be a case of trying it and seeing how the memories were impacted.

The first few days had been rough but he had to admit something had called him back to the beds. It very quickly started to feel right to sleep next the women. Lak-Non had quickly decided it was from his memories of being James. He didn't fight it though since it quickly started helping with the memories coming back. There was still that stabbing pain in the temples but it wasn't nearly as bad as when he was curled up with them. It was much the same with the children. If he was holding one and a memory hit it wasn't as bad though by the end of the second week he was feeling rather confused.

Even with the White Lady slowing down the recovered memories they were coming often enough to make them hard to sort through. On top of that the memories weren't chronological. They could be brought back by a conversation, looking at something, or even as he played. Lak-Non was thankful that the Chief had decided till he was cleared by the healers he was not to work as a warrior. That was very understandable since even though they knew James they didn't know Lak-Non.

Lak-Non had made a point of visiting both Chief's before leaving for the high grounds. He had started telling him some of what had transpired in his past. Lak-Non had found it rather interesting in a way since some of what he had to say was rather out there. One memory was when the augur went up in flames before telling him that it was time for Lak-Non to move on. Both males gave him a rather neutral looks since they weren't sure he wasn't jerking their chains. Other times he left them shaking their heads in wonder at what had transpired.

Both seemed to have wanted to ask if he felt he had lost out when he had left but thankfully they didn't. As he had been talking about Zephara and Z'nala it had made him rather introspective. He did miss the young pair and their baby. When he had brought the battle axe and his jewelry out they had looked very closely at them and asked a number of questions. That had been rather amusing since they kept glancing at him and back at the jewelry and the axe. Piquel finally shook his head and summed up what both had been feeling. "Good lord what little you have told us is an incredible tale. I am trying to wrap my mind around going from an advisor to a leader of many tribes to just a traveling warrior." Lak-Non had laughed but didn't say anything in reply.

Nasha looked at him as he finished the song. "That was lovely Lak-Non. Did you write it for Zephara and Z'nala?" Her eyes were moist looking since she could feel how much he had cared for the two.

He took a sip of juice before replying. "I wrote it for their handfasting. Much like how James felt about Alon I felt about Zephara and Z'nala. They weren't my kids but by the time I left they meant much to me. They even named their first child after me, well my old name." He leaned over and stroked Alon's ears. "James loved and cared for all of you very deeply." He glance at Farion and shook a fist at him. "That was for James."

Farion blinked and before he realized it he was nailed by a guffaw and fell over holding his stomach. He was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. By the time he was able to breathe again a number of the others in the tent were laughing as well. "Ah... Ah... Oh man that was good." Just for good measure he coughed a few times as well.

"I have to admit I am coming to care for all of you as well. I know it has been a difficult month for everyone. Thanks all of you for giving me time to come to terms with knowing my past." He felt Alon lean into the caress and start purring.

Sorrel came out of the caravan and she had a pensive expression on her face and a package in her hands. "Lak-Non we have been waiting to show you these items." Her hands were shaking slightly as she handed the package to him. "These were all that was left of Yimmy when he vanished. I think it is time for you to have them. Even though things are going to change simply because of how many years it has been for you they belong to you." Lak-Non had long since proved to her that he was or had been James so these belonged to him.

Lak-Non looked up at her and when he reached out his hands were shaking as well when he took the package from her. He handed the Gitturn to Farion and set the package on his lap. His callused fingers stroked the heavy waxed paper wrapper. To be honest he was almost scared to open it and see what was inside since he had a feeling this was going to be the final step. How he knew that once opened his life was going to change he didn't know. It was just that simple. He was going to become a new person, not James, definitely not Theik-Lekal, and not quite Lak-Non.

With a sudden decisive movement he undid the tie and carefully opened the package. As he had expected there was an axe in the package with a finely scrolled sheath. There was a second much plainer sheath as well which was a work sheath from the looks of it. There was a belt with some weapon and a large metal knife, several heavy bracelets, and three necklaces. He took the axe out and looked at it and memories of wielding it came back. It had been used to cut down trees, trim branches, and chop wood for the rare fires. There were memories of having killed with it as well. It felt so comfortable in his hands much like his other axe which was almost an exact duplicate of this one.

After looking at it he checked out the belt and weapons. James knew what to do with and how to use the pistol but Lak-Non didn't have any experience so he left it alone. When he pulled the knife out he was impressed since it was a rather mean looking blade. It was also made of metal which was vanishingly rare. He examined it for a moment before putting it back. Those two items didn't bring back nearly as many memories though why he wasn't sure.

The jewelry he was scared to touch since he knew this was going to define his future with the women and clan. The first one he picked up was obviously his totem necklace with the teeth and carved bear's head on it. He lightly stroked it and memories of saving Tonya from the bear. As they came back Lak-Non had to smile at Jim's reaction to getting the bracelet and even being given the warrior's necklace. "Did he really insult Piquel with that song?" When that memory came back he was almost horrified since memories of the images which went with the song came to him as well.

All four women had to cover their muzzles to keep the laughter down. Sheeha's eyes were dancing in merriment when she replied. "Oh yes Yimmy did. I talked to him later about it and he was most definitely not amused by Piquel's reaction to his being given the totem necklace. Piquel was rather irritable for a few days afterwards as well. That had been the first time he had his tail kicked that badly for a long time." Alon was frowning at her and Sheeha shook her head at him.

Lak-Non had to shake his head at that. Since this was his and that had been proven to him he removed the one given to him back in the town. When he slipped it around his neck and settled on his chest a sense of rightness settled over him as well. It felt right to be wearing it and he knew it. He also picked up the heavy silver bracelet Nora had gifted to him and with a smile slipped it on as well. "They both feel so right to have on again. James has such fond memories connected to both. Not the pain he suffered but of saving Tonya and cuddling with her. Nora meant a huge deal to him as well." As he spoke the room remained quiet.