Onyxkit's presence within the group was still new, but not in any kind of bad way. Rhinestone was just shocked by how rapidly his family seemed to be growing, bigger and bigger as the days went on. Initially, he had been alone, left without the brother who had abandoned him, and the rest of his family unfortunately passed away. And then, Foamkit had come, abandoned by his own family and looking for someone to watch over him. After that, the boardwalk incident had happened, and Rhine had taken in an entire family, watching over Tree, Quasar, and Honeypaw as if they were his children from when they were just babies. Finally, with Onyx's arrival, Rhinestone was left with another addition to the miniature clan that was his family at this point. Her presence had certainly been a surprise, since it wasn't every day that you headed out to the beach and found a massive egg that was nearly the size of you. Still, the tom had immediately known that the vessel needed care, and when Onyx had eventually been able to crawl forth from the hard shell, Rhine had been willing to welcome her. Some would call him soft hearted for how he let so many in with open arms, but he didn't actually see that as a bad thing.

Then, when he had died, things had obviously been difficult. His absence had only been brief – a mere two days, for him to find a new form and make his way back home. Despite this, he knew that there had been a shift in the entire group. How couldn't there be, when their leader had not only died and come back, but also renounced the religion he had so desperately clung to at one time? However, the legate's favorite part of being back had been being able to see his children again. His little family. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, especially when it came to Foamkit, but that was also to be expected. He was willing to give them all the time that they needed in order to adjust, especially considering the drastic difference between his old body and this one. The stark blue pelt, the long and gangly legs, the pitch black eyes that had a tendency to give him headaches... he certainly felt much different. Thankfully, it didn't seem as though Onyx was the type to cling onto his old form for long. Or perhaps, she had already gotten good at hiding her discomfort. Rhine hoped that wasn't the case, since he never wanted any of his children hiding things from him.

The serval had been near the meeting stone, discussing with some of the immunes about upcoming patrols, when the sudden sound of rapid footsteps and dragging tails came from behind him. Turning, Rhinestonestar felt a grin curl onto his muzzle as Onyxkit came running up, obviously excited to see him, and be out of the nursery for once. Chuckling lightly, the tall feline crossed the distance between the two of them, reaching out a paw to help the child balance before he spoke, "Careful, Onyx. We don't want you falling too hard and bruising something." The last thing he needed was another one of his children sick or injured, knowing that it would drive him absolutely frantic. Leaning down to touch his nose lightly to the top of her head, Rhine soon purred to Onyxkit, "Anyways... hello there, little one. Is it finally warm enough for you to be out of the nursery for a bit?" He knew about her issues with cold, and they weren't particularly surprising. After all, she did seem to be at least partially reptile.