Meet Me on the Battlefield

"Meet Me on the Battlefield" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
The cry from the demons across Haligan was unmistakable–it was time to move out. Now. Liam felt the stream of info like a punch to the gut, but one he could see coming from miles away. He knew Nala was getting into trouble, he knew she had been shady when she explained that she was leaving with Stonegit. He wanted to be upset, and jealous, and betrayed. But there wasn’t any time for that. He only had limited energy recovered from his time being imprisoned. He might as well use it.
He and Kendra sprinted into the gently-snowing silverlit plaza to join the stream of soldiers hastily moving out, and they ran straight into the back of a tall scout, nearly bowling him over in their haste. 
“Oh–shit–Dad!?” Liam panted. 
Kendra skidded around his front to sign to him. Did you hear? Do you know what’s happening? she said rapidly. Are you coming to help?
The sudden appearance of his children startled Vox – he wanted to ensure that the two had time to recuperate from their respective incidents over the last few months, and kept a safe distance while remaining informed through members of Haligan who were aware of what was going on with them. Though unexpected, it was a welcomed sight after the last few days.
“Liam! Goodness, are you alright, bud?” He placed his residual limb on the young man’s back, careful not to bring himself too close. Looking to Kendra, he made his best effort to sign with the one had he had. I heard talk of what happened. I am here to do whatever I can. I am very glad to see you both.
“Yeah, same.” Kendra hugged Vox tightly, burying her face in his shoulder, and Liam hovered, not willing to show much extra affection, but still rather glad to have bumped into him. “Is Dario coming too?”
The name cut through Vox’s heart like a knife. He didn’t necessarily regret his actions in their most recent interaction… but the idea of handling it better had crossed his mind more than just a few times.
“I don’t know, bud. I haven’t talked to him lately.” The scout didn’t want to dwell on him too long. “How are you two doing? Are you okay to be here right now?”
Liam shrugged roughly, as though his condition didn’t matter too much to him. “I don’t know,” he said, signing along with his words. “It doesn’t matter. We gotta go help Nala.”
I can go find him, Kendra said, craning her neck to look around as though she would see his tall antlers among the crowd.
“–swear to gods, you can’t just go and–”
One more figure emerged from the stream of rebels in the direction of the healer’s hut, an older woman cradling an old wound in her shoulder, as her cat nose wrinkled up in pain. She looked up through her tousled orange-and-black bangs and her eyes landed on the tallest of them before anyone else. Her paw slowly dropped to her side, and people surged around them as they stared.
“Ah. I see,” Treepelt said dryly. She limped a little closer and stopped, putting her paws on her hips, eyeing Vox. “Going off to be the hero this time, are you?”
“…Tree. It’s good to see you.”
He didn’t move an inch. This was likely going to be the most intimate distance the two of them would share for quite some time, and he was at peace with it.
“I guess I am. At least to make sure these two keep their wits about them.” He gave a slight grin as he looked to their two children before starting back at his wife. He often forgot what it had been like to have the entire family together. “You look wonderful.”
The kids watched nervously as she stepped closer to be able to hear their conversation. Tree looked at him wryly, sniffing, and then down at the group’s hands. As they all spoke, they were signing for Kendra to be able to understand. It was some mechanical, automatic sign of unity between them. Something in her eyes softened.
“You all really think you can do this?”
“Mom,” Liam said in a low voice. “You guys lived through Ragnarok. We can kick the ass of some racist hiding in a skeleton.”
She knew how hard the Jaw had shaken Liam. She’d never seen anything like him directly after their escape. To hear his words gave her a peculiar feeling in her belly, something hot that hadn’t been stoked for a long time. A need to fight back. A need to finish that fight. Maybe not on her terms. Maybe handing this off to the two half-breeds standing in determination before her was something she needed to see happen. Even if they were her kits.
“Hmph.” Tree finally closed the distance and grabbed Vox by the front of the tunic and bent him a little lower–not too aggressively, but not too gently, either. Her claws tugged the fabric of his collar as they extended and dug in. “You better promise to bring them back in one piece.”
He couldn’t help but be reminded of many, many moons ago. Even in her current state, he could still see the beauty in that not-so-menacing glare she gave him. An even bigger grin broke across his face. The flashing images of the dungeon… the pit… Ragnarok…
“It’s the least I could do. I would never let anything bad happen to these tw-”
His words cut as he remembered; there was too much he wasn’t there to protect them from, but the past had to stay in the past. He dropped the smile and looked directly into her eyes.
“I won’t let anything happen to them. I swear this to you.”
Tree stared right back, her pupils narrow. Her lips pursed.
“Well, I knew you once. And I remember you were really, really bad at lying.”
She yanked him down further, making Liam and Kendra jump, and their lips met. The kids’ mouths dropped open, and the few seconds they kissed seemed like an eternity, until a distant triumphant shout echoed from the plaza ahead of them on the street.
Tree leaned back, and thumped him with a flat palm against the chest in a kind of firm, friendly way. “Don’t get used to it. It’s just in case you die.”
Vox’s face had not been this red in years. His heart swelled in a mix of disbelief and rekindled nervousness; he had banked on a lifetime of bitter acceptance at best, and a kiss had ruined that in the best way possible.
“You can’t rid yourself of me that easily.” He leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I think our history has proven that time and time again.”
He stepped back towards Liam and Kendra, who were still wearing awe-struck faces. The group passing them was dwindling, and they needed to get moving. Time wasn’t on their side this time.
“I love you, Tree. We’ll see you soon enough.”
Tree looked at Kendra and put two fingers to her own eyes, and then two fingers at Vox. Kendra looked at her father and back at Tree, and nodded firmly. 
Dario clasped Milae’s hand tight, in full acknowledgement of his long strides being nearly impossible for the goat to keep up. He didn’t want to lag too far behind the rest of the group as they funneled themselves across the plaza, and dragging his partner in tow was a necessary evil. The chaos of footsteps and bellowing was deafening; the cacophony had overwhelmed his senses to the point of not seeing the young woman he would inevitably knock himself into. Staggering sideways, he quickly turned to apologize.
“Oh Gods, I am so sorr- wait, Kendra?” He signed her name only, just realizing who he was looking at. I didn’t expect to see you here! Are you on your way to-
His hands slowed as his gaze shifted around, taking in the presence of Liam, Treepelt, and… Vox.
“…hey, everyone.”
The kids waved at him, and Tree nodded, but Milae’s hoof immediately tightened around Dario’s hand, almost as though he meant to tug him away. “Greetings,” he said, while glancing up at Dario to judge his reaction. It was difficult to tell. The bruise had barely faded.
Vox couldn’t break his attention from the stag. The damage he’d done to his face was so obvious, and he knew that it would be addressed.
He had just hoped it would be any other moment than now.
“Dario.”
The deer felt the coldness of his friend’s single acknowledgement of him, and the pain of that was resonating worse than his eye was. The grip Milae tightened on his hand felt faint as he swallowed, trying to find anything to say that wouldn’t jeopardize the already sensitive situation.
“Vox.” He looked to the ground, still brimming with shame and an inability to feel anything other than remorse. “I wish you all well in… all of this. It’s going to be tough, but if you need us, we will always have your backs.”
The scout continued his focused glare at Dario. The last thing he wanted to hear from him was any show of support.
“I think we’ll fare just fine. Keep an eye out for yourselves.”
“Dad, wh–”
Kendra grabbed Liam’s arm before he could finish. With her uncanny emotional perception, she quickly figured out what had happened, though she couldn’t understand why. Dario practically worshipped Vox, and their father had hit him?
We’re here for you too, she told Dario. Tree was watching everything with a shrewd eye, but it was clear she didn’t approve of Vox’s treatment, either. The crowd had mostly thinned out around them by this point.
Dario couldn’t express his defeat in hearing Vox’s tone, even having anticipated it. The assurance from Kendra helped bandage the wound for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before it would be addressed.
“Well, we’re falling behind.” The stag motioned towards the group still moving forward, followed by a motion to take Milae’s hoof again. “We should get moving. We’ll keep watch if any of you need us at all.”