This is the fourth book of "Stories from Chakona" serie set in the concepts and ideas created by  Goldfur
The present story is titled "Ties of Life" and tells the continuation of previous three books. As always, the illustrations were kindly done by  sethtriggs
I hope you enjoy it.

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CHAPTER 02

While they walked calmly, Lilethe tried to leave behind the bad times hy had experienced in the hands of Faise and Grosh. But hys sensitive mind, like that of all the skunktaurs in the Red Paw house, was difficult to control at times. The atmosphere in the city of Amistad was pleasant, with a thermal sensation suitable for wearing light clothing. When they reached a small shop that sold ice cream, they both smiled. They quickly chose their favorite flavors: vanilla and chocolate. Esteban preferred a glass, like the ones he used to eat at Terra since he was little, while Lilethe opted for an edible cookie cone. Afterwards, they sat in the shade of a large tree in a nearby park.
"Are you feeling better, honey?" Esteban asked with a smile.
"Now that I'm tasting this delicious ice cream, of course. Hehehe," Lilethe responded, wagging hys fluffy tail.
"I guess Grosh deserved that and more for what he did to you. It all happened so fast that night that..."
"No, Esteban. Love, I don't want to talk about that," Lilethe interrupted suddenly.
"Okay," the boy agreed.
After enjoying the exquisite flavor of their respective ice creams, they both gave each other a tender kiss on their cold lips. Lilethe smiled as hy licked the corner of Esteban, to remove the remains of it. The boy, for his part, couldn't stop getting excited when he looked at Lilethe's beautiful green eyes. Those eyes that captivated him from the first time he saw them at the airport, upon his arrival in Chakona when the pretty skunktaur nurse had to vaccinate him per protocol. Four Chakonian years had passed since then.
Lilethe, after meditating for a moment, felt that the place where they were found had a familiar air. Then, she took Esteban's hand and declared:
“I haven't been to this neighborhood in a long time. Love, I have an idea. Would you accompany me to a special place for me? I want to show you something."
“Of course, Lilethe. Let's go,” the boy responded happily. They both got up from the bench and continued walking, entering a residential area. It was a place with numerous individual houses surrounded by beautiful gardens.

***

At the other end of the city, Regthar was driving the personal transport vehicle or PTV through the avenues towards the airport when the on-board communicator began to ring, a call input signal.
“Regthar, my love. Has the court hearing ended? My parents and I await your arrival,” Sorah spoke from the other end of the line.
“Sorah, are you waiting for me?” the burly Renzar asked, somewhat disconcerted.
"That is right sweety. Did you forget that we have an appointment with Dr. Briann today? It’s the therapy session you agreed to attend,” his wife responded in a stern voice.
“Grrr... Damn! Sorah, I'm deeply sorry. I forgot it from my mind completely,” Regthar admitted somewhat embarrassed.
“Regthar, I know that the idea is not to your liking and you will find a way to avoid the visit with the therapist, but we agreed that you would go as reparation for having gone to duel with that skunktaur without my consent,” Sorah reminded firmly.
“Oh, I know, I know dear. No worries, I leave immediately for the consultation. I'll be there in a jiffy,” the burly male responded, typing on the control panel to redirect the route to the new destination. He didn't feel entirely comfortable agreeing to therapy, but he had given Sorah his word to try. He internally reproached himself for risking his skin without informing his life partner. Furthermore, deep inside him, the tough Khudok fighter harbored the hope that everything would go better within the family thanks to the long-awaited reconciliation between Avik and Varta. He couldn't help but smile when he imagined that.
After a few minutes, the vehicle finally arrived at its destination. Upon entering the building, he saw that Sorah and her in-laws were waiting for him in an anteroom next to Dr. Briann's office.
“Welcome, my love,” Sorah greeted him with a tender kiss on the lips.
"Hello darling. How are you Avik? Hello Varta, how is you doing? ” the burly renzar greeted.
“Hey boy, how did the court hearing go?” Avik asked with marked interest.
“No setbacks. That despicable raccoon was sentenced to 12 years behind bars,” Regthar reported.
“Grrr... It seems like an appropriate punishment,” the old renzar noted in a serious tone.
“How did Lilethe and Esteban cope with the verdict?” Varta inquired in turn.
“Without any major surprises. Although Lilethe lost control and sprayed that cretin with hys stinking fluids, just like in Berdoovia that time, remember that, Sorah?"
“By Grom! Did Lilethe do such a thing?” Sorah inquired, bringing her hands to her face in a gesture of surprise.
“That's how it was, but there's nothing to worry about. In the end everything went well. Now they both went out to enjoy their day off together,” Regthar clarified.
“Grrr… Heh heh heh… That skunk has guts!” Avik said with a satisfied smile.
“Yes, hy has them, heh heh,” Regthar admitted, then immediately regretted the disapproving look that Sorah gave him.
“Eeeeh... Well, have you already spoken with Dr. Briann?” asked the burly Renzar, seeking to quickly change the topic of conversation.
“That's right, we had a revealing group session. But now it's your turn, she wants to interview you privately,” declared Varta while she smoothed her son-in-law's uniform with her hands.
“Alone with me?”
“Indeed, love. We will wait out here,” Sorah added.
Regthar, with obvious signs of nervousness, stated:
"By Grom! Okay, I'll go to the consultation.”
“Wow. A powerful Khudok fighter like you wouldn’t be afraid of a little arctic fox, would he?” Avik muttered sarcastically.
Regthar only managed to make a gesture of resignation, just before crossing the threshold of the office where Dr. Briann was waiting for him.

***

After a few minutes of walking, during which Esteban and Lilethe sometimes stopped to tenderly caress each other and kiss each other, the skunktaur stopped in front of a house as she turned a corner. It was traditional in style, like those typical houses in the harmonious neighborhoods of Chakona that seem straight out of a story.

"This is!" Lilethe exclaimed with overflowing emotion.
"What do you mean, my love?" Esteban asked, intrigued.
"Esteban, this is the house where I was born and lived a large part of my life with my family. What immense joy I feel seeing it again after so many years!" hy responded.
The skunktaur felt hys heart pounding. Hy approached the house almost timidly and caressed the exterior walls of it, trying to find between the cracks old forgotten memories of hym. Hy then stood in front of the front door, while a cascade of memories flooded the meadows of hys mind. Esteban, thanks to his mental connection with hym, was able to glimpse part of those images of yesterday.
While they were both absorbed in that nostalgia, the front door suddenly opened, startling them.
"Good morning! How can I help you?" asked a kangaroo morph dressed in sportswear. Lilethe took a step back in surprise and then said hesitantly: "Oh, I'm sorry sir. We didn't mean to disturb. It's just that you see..."
"Wait a minute... I think I know you, young man," the kangaroo interrupted, approaching Esteban. He looked at Lilethe bewildered, not sure what to answer.
"You've probably seen him on television," Lilethe was quick to say.
"Yes, of course, then... You, aren't you the adopted son of Regthar Sivem, the champion fighter of Khudok?" asked the kangaroo, moving his long ears.
"Eh... yes, that's right," Esteban responded, now calmer. "Do you know my father?"
"Of course I know him! I know every renzar fighter in Khudok. I am a referee in the annual Amistad League tournament. My name is Rengo Kenet. It is a pleasure to greet you, boy. How is Regthar doing after capturing to that delinquent raccoon and skunktaur? No offense miss," he said, looking at Lilethe.
"He's fine, thank you," Esteban responded laconically.
"I'm glad! Do you know why I recognized you? Because of the ceremony of redress that the Renzars did for you in the stadium a while ago. But how rude I am! Please, come inside."
"We appreciate it, sir, but we wouldn't want to intrude," Lilethe said shyly. "You see, I had a little mishap with my bodily fluids and I need to clean up a bit."
"Oh, that's not a problem at all. Feel free to use the bathroom in the house," Rengo responded affably. "Harriet, love! Come, I want to introduce you to some visitors."
Immediately a female kangaroo appeared next to Rengo dressed in an airy two-piece dress. In her pouch she was carrying a small newborn baby.
"This is my wife, Harriet. My dear, this is Esteban, the adopted son of the famous fighter Regthar Sivem, the champion of Khudok! And Miss Skunktaur is his patner, Lilethe."
"Nice to meet you Esteban," Harriet greeted, carefully removing her baby from the bag to show her. "This is our little daughter Nathira, she was born just a few days ago." The mother kangaroo proudly watched her offspring.
"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Harriet. I present to you Lilethe, my lifemate. Your little daughter is beautiful," Esteban smiled tenderly.
"Oh, thank you very much. Welcome, Lilethe."
"My dear, could you show Lilethe where the bathroom is so hy can clean hymself a little? In the meantime, I'll take care of little Nathira," Rengo intervened solicitously.
"Don't worry, I know perfectly well where it is. I lived in this house when I was just a child, a long time ago," Lilethe said with a nostalgic smile, heading directly to the bathroom.
The pair of kangaroos looked at each other in amazement at this surprising revelation.
"That's right, Mr. Kenet. Lilethe's parents were the owners of this property in the past, more than twenty years ago," Esteban explained before the astonished gaze of his hosts.
"Wow, what a coincidence... Just today I didn't go jogging as usual in the morning. I think it will be very interesting to talk to you for a while, if you don't mind," Rengo expressed enthusiastically, cuddling the little girl Nathira tenderly in his arms.
"It will be a pleasure. And thank you very much again for such kind hospitality," Esteban responded politely.

***

“The star that illuminates our world is called Bolang. And that day, it shone like never before in the sky of Eria City, the capital of Gromnia. I worked as a worker for a company that was building an elegant building in the civic center. My job consisted of carrying heavy materials from one place to another on the site. Sometimes I used a small transport vehicle. But most of the time, I used my own strength. That helped me a lot to maintain good physical condition, you know?” Renzar said while his enormous claws rested on his legs and his sad eyes stared at the ceiling, lying on the couch that occupied a large space in the therapist's office.
"Understand. When you feel ready, please continue," said this one, a white-furred arctic taur fox, in a calm voice as shi made a note on hir work PADD.
The Renzar sighed deeply, letting out the weight he carried inside him. He continued speaking with a trembling voice, about that fateful day that had marked his life forever.
"That warm morning, my little son and I decided to take a walk in the woods near our home. I remember him telling me about the challenges he was having at school that week. It was a perfect day. He was a boy full of energy and curiosity, always exploring every corner of our world. As we walked together, he ran back and forth, laughing and playing.
The Renzar paused, his eyes filling with tears that threatened to fall. The therapist handed him a tissue, and the patient gratefully took it before continuing.
"When it was time to go to work, Tanyio insisted on accompanying me. He wanted to be like his father, and I couldn't say no. He got on the bus with me, his little eyes shining with excitement. When we got to the job, Tanyio helped me to carry some light materials. It was a normal day until we heard a chilling crack."
Regthar closed his eyes, reliving the terror of the moment in his mind. His voice was shaking more, but Briann encouraged him to continue.
"While my son and I were arranging materials, a part of the building under construction above us suddenly collapsed. It crushed several workers. It was a nightmare come true. I screamed my son's name, and everything turned into chaos. After that, The rescuers arrived and pulled us out of the rubble, but my little Tanyio... was not breathing. The paramedic team made great efforts to revive him. But nothing worked. And at the hospital, they couldn't do anything either."
Regthar's tears were flowing freely now, and Briann gave him a moment to vent. After a while, he continued with his voice breaking with grief.
"Despite the time that has passed, I still feel guilty, Briann. Sometimes more than others. I constantly wonder if I could have done something to prevent it, if I should have said no to his desire to accompany me. And I know that the answer is that I couldn't have prevented it, but that doesn't take the weight off my heart.”
Briann nodded understandingly. "Regthar, losing a child is one of the most painful experiences anyone can go through. It is important that you share your pain and guilt. I know that you and Sorah have faced it alone these last few years. But know that the healing process is long and it is more effective when the whole family participates. I will help you, and also the rest of your relatives. We will work on it together. It will be easier to carry that burden.”
Regthar wiped away his tears and nodded. Although he had dealt with pain for years, along with Sorah, he knew that he had taken a big step toward healing by accepting Briann's professional help. After finishing the session, Regthar stood up and gave the arctic fox a warm hug.

“Thank you Briann… Thank you for listening to me.”

“Don't thank me, Regthar. Everything will be better. You will see." Briann responded, waving his furry tail. Outside the office, Sorah, Varta and Avik were waiting for him. The three approached him when the door opened. Sorah noticed the tears in her husband's eyes and tenderly received him in her arms. Varta and Avik also comforted him with warm hugs. For Regthar's heart, knowing that his father-in-law had changed his attitude and now understood and supported him, was a great relief.
“Are you okay, boy?” Avik asked warmly.
“Yes… I'll be better now. I guess I just have to be patient.” The Khudok fighter responded. The old Renzar put a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

The four Renzars then left the building that housed Briann's office, heading towards Regthar's PTV parked at the edge of the street. As they walked, Regthar said to old Renzar.
“Before you and Varta leave Chakona, I want to invite you to Silver Lake. I would like to spend some time with you. It is a place very similar to the great lakes of Grom. There are delicious fish. You’ll like fishing there.”
"Thank you son. It would be a real pleasure. Varta and I will return to Grom in another week or two. So there is enough time.”
"Excellent! I will prepare everything. I will invite Esteban and old Dolkun too.” Regthar said excitedly.
“Hmm, I suppose you will invite your wife and your beautiful mother-in-law too?” Varta suddenly said mischievously. The male, somewhat displeased, responded.
“Heh heh… Of course. I wasn't going to leave them at home, heh heh heh… Also, there's something I want to give Avik when we get home.”

“Okay, son, let's go!” The old male said, shaking Regthar's head as if he were a child.