The Light of Dusk

Chapter Ten - Pack

They spent the rest of the day learning about ranks and behavior. Well, Dusk did. Mist was teaching him, and she was an expert on it. He wondered if she had been in a Pack before. But he wasn't just going to ask her.

This Document hath been made, in the case of if any poor soul happened to forget the Rules of the Pack and what binds them together. Read more at your own risk!

The Alpha is the leader of the Pack. They are to be treated with the utmost respect. Disobeying or disrespecting the Alpha is sure to come with consequences. They are terrifying fighters and excellent healers.

The Beta is the second in command of the Pack. They are the Alpha's right hand cat and should be respected almost as much as the Alpha. They can be considered an Alpha in Training. In the case of the Alpha being gone, the Beta steps in as Alpha.

The Gammas are elite warriors. Only the best of the best can claim this Rank.

The Deltas patrol the territory and hunt for the Pack. They are crucial to the Pack's structure.

The Zetas are Deltas in Training. They are each assigned a tutor to train them.

The Kappas are kittens four months or younger. They are not allowed out of the Camp without permission. They become Zetas when they are four months old.

The Omega is the worst Rank imaginable. They do all the dirty work of making nests and fetching food and water for the high ranks. Being Omega is often a punishment.

Now, onto the Laws of the Pack. These ten laws must be followed or punishment will be delivered.

1. Cats within the Pack may kill other cats only if they are not part of the Pack or an ally.
2. Cats within the Pack must not fight with one another ( outside of challenges ).
3. Cats suspected of having otherworldly claims that are not constitutional will be executed.
4. Cats who choose to live with humans are to be scorned.
5. You may not cross into enemy territory without permission.
6. You eat in order of Rank; the Alpha eats first.
7. Cats affiliated with another group will be executed upon their second warning.
8. The Alpha must be obeyed at all costs and will not tolerate backtalk or disrespect.
9. Defend your Pack, even with your life.
10. When the Alpha dies, the Beta becomes the next Alpha. One of the Gammas becomes the next Beta.

Next, Mist quizzed him on his Pack trivia. He had a little trouble pronouncing the Ranks at first, but he soon got the hang of it. His head was full of knowledge and he was maybe the happiest he had ever been since Squirrel had died.
"Mist," Dusk meowed at the end of the day, laying on his back. "If I made a Pack, would you join it?"
"Of course," Mist replied immediately. Dusk purred and said no more. They fell asleep together under the stars.
The next day, Dusk decided he couldn't exactly never see his father again. And the prophecy.. he had almost forgotten it. "Do you want to meet my father?" Dusk asked Mist excitedly. "Sure," she smiled. "It'll take a little to get there, but I'll help you," Dusk meowed.
That was how it was. Halfway through, Dusk asked conversationally, "Did I tell you he's a lynx?" "N-no," Mist stuttered fearfully. Dusk began to doubt his father's reaction. What was he doing?! He was going to get Mist killed! Well, it was too late to go back now.
When they finally reached the cave, Mal wasn't there. Dusk guessed he was hunting and sat down. Mist looked around curiously.
"You have no nests," she noted, looking at the bare ground. "And the cave walls drip. Aren't you cold?"
"No. My fur is way thicker than yours, you softie," Dusk gave her his charismatic grin.
When Mal finally came, as Dusk worried, he was not happy. He had leaped on Mist and would have torn her throat out if Dusk hadn't tackled him off of her. "She's with me," he growled.
Mal looked confused for a moment, then shook Dusk off of him. "Of course," he laughed. "Of course. What's her name?" He turned his eyes on Mist, who was trembling in the corner.
"Mist," Dusk rumbled, taking a protective stance in front of her. Mal looked between the two coldly, but he put his mask back on and appeared to be all smiles. "I was wondering when you were coming back. But I didn't think you'd come with a she-cat!" Mal roared loudly, his way of laughing.
Dusk said nothing, eyeing his father carefully. Eventually, Mal settled down. "Come here, she-cat. Take a seat. I'll call you Mis, if you don't mind."
Mal sat down as well, and eventually Dusk sat down too, still watching his father warily. "So how'd you meet Kil?" Mal asked conversationally, as if this was his every day meeting.
Mist looked dumbfounded. "Don't tell me you never told her your name!" Mal roared again, and had another fit of laughter.
"She brought me to her den, and took care of me," Dusk said smoothly. "Ah," Mal rumbled, looking at the two. "Well, Mis can stay the night. Kil, why don't you go hunting with me for a bit? I'm afraid my last elk got away from me." He gave him a clear warning, and Dusk reluctantly agreed.
"Stay here, alright?" He asked Mist, looking into her eyes. She nodded and looked right back.

* * * * *

To make it short, Mal was not happy. He beat Dusk for all he was worth, yelling curse words and insults at him. Dusk did not fight, laying in a defeated heap on the ground. When Dusk felt he could take no more, Mal prodded him. "Get up," he grunted. "We have a deer to catch."
When Dusk failed to catch the elk, and Mal had to kill it for him, this prompted more beating. "No son of mine is going to be mates with a cat, weak as he is," his father hissed over and over. Dusk could barely walk straight, let alone carry the deer back. But Mal made him anyway. By the time they reached the den, Dusk was sure he could take no more. But of course, he had to.
Mist was speaking to a tom in the cave. Dusk backed up and crouched down just out of sight, listening. Mal was doing whatever.
"You're with a lynx?" The tom hissed. Mist sounded cold when she responded, harsh. Nothing like how she had talked with him before. "Of course not! You know I would never love anyone but you. He means nothing to me. He is just as savage as the rest of them, and just as dumb too. How could he possibly believe someone like me could love someone like him?"
Her words cut through him like the bitterest winter, colder and sharper than anything he could ever imagine. Her words hurt him more than any wound his father had ever given to him. This couldn't be real. Mist was just joking.. She was going to turn around and shout "Surprise!" and it would all be just some sick prank.. But no, Mist was not kidding.. Dusk deserved this, with all he had done.
He ran forever. The scene gave him a sense of Deja Vu, a cruel sense at that. The first time, he had ended up in Mist's care. He wouldn't​ trust anyone ever again. He wouldn't love anyone ever again. He killed all of the cats he came across, which weren't too many, of course. Just two. The she-cat reminded him of Mist and the tom reminded him of his father. He ran so far he entered the Traitor Forest and collapsed. There would be no more Mists in his life.. No more..