Feral Kingdoms

The Pashu Valley (Chapter 2)

Days went by in the valley and although the pack was busy exploring, Talm caught himself reminiscing about his life before their departure. Nostalgia swept over him whenever he thought about his family and wondered how they were doing.

As the second son of a lesser Lycan clan, his father, the Alpha, had never expected much from him. Their holding had been small and poor. The fact that they were located at the outskirts, near the wildlands, meant that the villagers often needed their help and protection. That is why the villages paid and respected them.

Although always affectionate to his pups, he clearly favoured his older brother Colt, whom he had groomed since birth to be the heir of the clan. He missed his looming figure and stern voice scolding them over one of their pranks. All the while his eyes betraying him as he seemed to be inwardly laughing, celebrating their prank as well.

He missed his mother the most. Her ever protecting embrace and soothing words. As a younger daughter of an important clan she had made sure to pass her ambition to her children. Always urging them on and encouraging them to dream big.

Next on his mind was his older brother, Colt. Brave and confident, he seemed to carry an air of authority around him, he believed in leading by example and did not shy away from critical situations.

Talm recalled that time when they tracked and hunted down the Saltwater Crocksaur that had set up a lair near a coastal village. Huge and silent, it had acquired a nasty habit of eating fishermen, alongside their boats, when they returned in the evening. His younger sister, Ari had managed to gouge its eyes but the monster could still smell and was able to trap him in his jaws. Without a moment's hesitation Colt came to his aid. He stepped into the jaws and with sheer force managed to separate them while Ari ripped apart its soft underbelly. Father was furious! The scolding they received was epic. Yes, Colt could be reckless and arrogant at times but he loved his siblings.

Then his mind jumped to his sister Ari. Poor Ari...his eyes welled up with tears. In a sense he was relieved of never having to face his family again for he would be unable to deliver the news. He could already see their faces of sadness and disappointment. She had been her mother's apple of the eye. She was the youngest and thus everybody had taken up the task of taking care of her. Intelligent, kind and fierce, she gave either of her brothers a run for their money both in social and fighting matters. No wonder she had gotten along so well with Tara.

As was pretty common, He had first met Tara while fighting a rival clan. She was one of the daughters of its Alpha. They had claimed part of their territory and finally after many failed meetings and negotiations the rival clan mustered a small army and marched upon them.

Although the numbers were small, for Talm it was his biggest and bloodiest battle. He could still smell the blood and hear the desperate cries as the lycan siblings were able to flank the enemy line and mowed down dozens of soldiers. Tara had been part of the group of fighters that covered the retreating troops buying them precious time to regroup and compose.

She managed to set up a safe perimeter which she then proceeded to defend splendidly as his poor uncle and nephew found out. Talm managed to distract her and would have lost that fight had Colt not ended the battle by managing to kill the Alpha and his wife. Per norm, the surviving nobles were to join their clan and after bonding over the incident the pair finally declared companionship. Thus the pack grew and soon enough they enjoyed a period of prosperity. This could be a problem as too much free time made some of the younger Lycans restless.

Shortly after Colt found a mate and with the needs of their pack more than met, the prospect of staying and leading a relatively placid and comfortable life seemed daunting to Talm. Tara, in spite of having lived several years with the clan, had never managed to fit entirely with Talm's family and soon they were speculating about faraway places waiting to be discovered.