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“You really should have been more careful though. I told you that if you were going back to my world you needed to keep yourself hidden,” Kara said, brushing a long braid of hair behind her ear as she wiped the blood away from the wound.
“How is she?” Volkan asked.
“I think she’s going to be okay. She probably just needs some rest,” Mom said. She then turned to us. “I really wish this hadn’t happened. It’s going to complicate things. If she wakes up and sees this place… I don’t know how we’re supposed to explain it. She doesn’t have the lion inside her.”
“You say that people in your old world have stories all the time. This is just going to be another one. See Naaro, I told you there was nothing to worry about,” I said.
Naaro continued looking straight forward. “I made a mistake. I should have let her run away. Because I was cautious, I ended up frightening her and caused her this injury. I will take whatever punishment you see fit,” he said. I shook my head and sighed. He would never learn.
“We shall discuss it,” Volkan said, and led his son away.
“Let me know if you need me to take her back. I’m going to get some food,” I said, turning to head outside. All this traveling made me starving.
“Wait,” Dad said. My heart sank. He came up to me and I could feel his looming presence. It made my skin tingle, and I knew that nothing good was going to come from it. “Tania said you have not been attending your studies.”
I cringed a little. I knew this had been coming. I turned and flashed him an impish grin. “I’ve been studying in the real world! You’ve always said that I can learn more by doing.”
“Not about walking through worlds. You need to learn all you can so that you are prepared for any eventuality,” Axanar said.
“Okay, look, I’ll go and see her in the morning, I promise, but I really feel as though I’ve learned all I can from her. I mean, only Mom and I know what it’s like to walk through worlds. What else am I supposed to do? Maybe I should start writing my own book and everyone else can study from that.”
My tone was light, but Dad did not seem amused by the joke. He continued to glare at me. “You need to learn. If you are to lead this pride one day then you need to understand the power you have. It is not enough to do these things, you must understand why,” he said.
I had already stopped listening.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go and see her,” I said, although I didn’t make a point of saying that I would do so only after I had gone and fetched something to eat.
*
I ventured downstairs and walked out of the tower to the village outside. There were huts and cabins made of wood and stone dotted about the landscape, with everyone hard at work. There were blacksmiths forging weapons, tanners fashioning leather armor, as well as the chefs standing near the pyre with spits, roasting meat that was cooked all day long, for the lions of Orestes had fierce appetites. Hunting parties roamed the plains, bringing back all kinds of meat for us to feast upon. Naaro was a skilled hunter, having led hunting parties from a young age. I had never been given that privilege. My skills were too valuable to risk in a hunt. At least that’s what Mom and Dad had decided. I was unique among the lions as I was the only one of them who could walk between worlds. It was something that I shared with Mom, giving us a kinship that went beyond most, but it did mean that I missed out on a lot of things. There was an easy camaraderie that existed between the hunters, a bond that was forged out there in the wild as they tested their skills and sometimes risked their lives in the hunts, while I was sat in the dusty old library burying my head in a dusty old book with dusty old Tania…
I sighed heavily. I was going to lead this pride one day, and yet I did not fully feel a part of the pride because I had been denied so many things. It wasn’t fair, and yet neither Mom or Dad seemed to understand. Every time I went to them with my concerns, they brushed me off, saying that I had something special and that I needed to protect myself.
Even now I looked with envy at the group of men who were sharing stories of the hunt. I knew that if I went over there, they would treat me with grudging respect for I was the son of the Alpha, but they would not include me in their conversation, nor would I have anything to share with them. It wasn’t as though I could create a story out of something I could do just as easily as breathing. I mean, yes it took some skill to open a portal and make it go where I wanted to go, but it wasn’t easy to explain to other people. I wasn’t even sure I understood it myself. It was just something that I could do. It’s not as though I go around explaining to other people how I could blink. I imagine it’s like trying to explain the nature of shifting to monoforms. To be one thing and then turn into something else, yet retain the essence of a soul is not something that is easily grasped, and yet here we are, a race of lion shifters who have conquered their planet and now stand tall and proud above the plains of Orestes, knowing that there is none who can challenge them.
“I was wondering when you’d get back,” Char said. Her blue eyes possessed their usual playfulness, while her hands were clasped behind her back. She wore loin cloths that exposed her midriff, while long golden hair cascaded to the middle of her back.
“Well, I could hardly stay away forever,” I replied smirking towards her.
“Well, I’m always afraid that you’re going to find some princess and fall in love with her.”
I laughed. “You never have to worry about that.” I made my way to the spit and collected a few slices of juicy meat. The flavor sizzled in the air and my stomach rumbled as I prepared to eat. Char collected some of her own. “Although I think Naaro might have found someone he’s fond of.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nodded and swallowed a chunk of meat. “Some girl from Mom’s world. She knocked herself out. I don’t know what he sees in her frankly. She’s not even a lion, and she’ll be taken back soon enough. But he wanted to bring her back to make sure she’s alright. He always did have a soft heart.”
“I don’t really care, as long as I know that you only have eyes for me,” she said, and then lowered her voice as she pressed herself against me. I was aware of her intoxicating scent rising through the air, as well as the glorious curves of her body squeezing against me. It was enough to make a man scream. “I’m still so excited about the future. Have you thought about what we talked about?”
My gaze darted around, worried that someone might overhear. “You really shouldn’t speak about that when we’re outside.”
“Oh, don’t be so cautious. You’re going to be the Alpha one day. There’s no stopping you, there’s no stopping us,” she said. She ran her hand up my spine and rested it on the nape of my neck. She twirled her fingers through my hair, which made me tingle. She leaned in so that her warm breath touched my skin and I felt myself ascending to heaven. I had no idea how she did this to me, but she always had a potent effect. “One day we’re going to be able to do whatever we want to do, and we’re going to make this pride stronger than it has ever been before. You’re going to leave your mark on this world Divad, and I’m going to be right by your side when it happens,” she said in a breathy voice. A dreamy haze appeared in my mind and I smiled towards her, a smile that was only interrupted when Tania came up to us. The prim woman was dressed in a long white robe, while her greying hair was pulled tightly back from her scalp. Her vicious gaze fell upon Char and she arched an eyebrow, indicating with words that Char should leave. There was a waspish, silent exchange between them, but in the end Char left.
“Your father told me I should come and fetch you. Apparently, you agreed to continue with your studies,” she said.
“I was just coming. I wanted to get some food first. There’s no sense studying on an empty stomach,” I said, flashing her a winning smile. It had never had much effect on her, not even when I had been a child.
“Yes, I can see how your appetites control you,” she said, turning her gaze to follow the path that Char had taken away from us. “I should warn you about giving your heart away too easily. There is much demand for your hand because of the unique position you hold among us.”
