Homecoming

The thrum of war had never left.

The echoes of marches thundered like a beating heart through the barracks, a camp that had seemed frozen in a pocket of time. The air; humid, acrid on the tongue still tasted the same. The lines of soldiers guarding pathways. Perhaps even the wrestling pits still had the same indents? Churned by sand, mud and earth.

Shocked faces, to a woman thought lost. Confusion, marred with respect. Muttered whispers soon grew into a frenzy. Tiamat.

Dark ears flickered, eyes of ice scoured the path before her. Nodding to faces familiar... yet worn. Older..

And of course they would be, years had passed since Ismailia had stepped paw into camp. She left a girl, now a woman grown.

She had spent her time with Iah training, scouting. Strict orders from above to watch over patrols further south. How she had hated it at first, she wanted. To be on the front lines. Right at the heart of the action, proving herself. Proving her worth. Becoming Captain...

And it had all been taken from her. All within a second. Because she had been too good at teaching. Guiding the green recruits.

And oh, how many new faces stared at her now.

lieutenant, this way!

A solider called, a curt nod was given as ice-tipped paws found a familiar path, winding through the many tents. Right towards what she assumed would be her own.

Perhaps, she would share now? Perhaps the war had taken its toll. She had yet to have a debrief... It was strange that one of her own was not there to greet her.

But why would they?

A small click of her tongue dismissed the words her heart spoke. A short thank-you to her guide was given, before a familiar chirp brought her back to the present.

"Iah!"

The one soul to bring joy, a wag of her fiery tail grew more rapid as a familiar slender shadow emerged from the corner. Miss-matched eyes wide. "I see you have already made yourself at home?" Dare a smile twitch at her lips as her companion slinked around her legs, tail curling around her right elbow.

A small, perhaps contented sigh flared from her dark nostrils. Taking a moment to familiarise herself with her surroundings.

And yet... it did not feel like home.