ã€ŠPridefulã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Land of Sun and Blood

    Thwack! The axe made forceful contact with the trunk of the coagulant tree, vibrations shivering out of the handle into Leo¡¯s hand.

    Thwack! The hacks continued in a rhythmic pattern, sharp energy pouring from the axe into the tree. Each chop grew steadily more powerful and precise than the last.

    Thwack! Splinters broke free from the tree and flew out in all directions.

    Thwack! Thwack! Blow after blow, the sound resounded. The earthen smell of sap and mildew overpowered the air. A rot had already taken the trunk, it was weak. The formidable white tower began to bend and the blows kept coming. Finally, it was too much for it to bear.

    THWACK! One last great chop and the trunk didn¡¯t have enough support to draw on. Leo watched with an exerted smile, breathing heavily, as the tree¡¯s last band bent apart and snapped. The small giant collapsed to the ground.

    Winded, Leo used one last burst of energy to slam his axe into the freshly made stump, forcing it to hold the battered tool for later use. A cloud of upturned dust hung in the still air.The cream colored axe of tempered bone glowed translucent in the sun. Its blade was chipped and dulling, bruised by weeks of arboreal slaughter. The task was exhausting, especially in this heat, but he enjoyed it. The days were long, and the chopping granted him a respite from wandering thoughts.

    Leo stumbled over to sit on a freshly made stump a few paces beside him and took in his surroundings. A cloudless, pale blue sky hung over endless yellow rolling hills. Granite boulders alive with reddish-brown veins lay strewn haphazardly about the undulating terrain. An oppressive sun mercilessly beat down upon the golden land. Blond wild-wheat drank it all in, glowing with a radiant warmth. Standing tall above the wheat, bleachy barked trees sprouted scarlet leaves in a spire above their heads, offering scant shade.

    These golden hills were all he had ever known. They were all he would ever know. Granger was the harsh mother of all creation.

    From a few paces abreast of Leo, a large, stocky beast trudged up to where he sat, a small cart trailing behind it. It trod at the ground with a weathered hoof and bellowed, looking at him intently with large, drooping eyes. It wanted a juicy korel, but it exhausted Leo¡¯s store long before they reached the hill. Leo flicked his head at his labor-beast dismissively. The rotund creature snorted, as if to scoff, before lowering its massive bony head to graze upon the wild-wheat below. It didn¡¯t seem to understand that Leo didn¡¯t have the power to materialize whatever it wanted.

    Leo rubbed his aching shoulder and hung his head, resting his eyes for a brief few moments. The atmosphere hung heavily upon him, heat covering him like a blanket. Leo imagined his body soaking up the sun like the wheat. But, he wasn¡¯t so resilient. The scorching sun¡¯s rays were unbearable when dwelt upon.

    Opening his eyes to see tan, calloused fingers, Leo¡¯s vision drifted down to his bare wrists. He stared at his network of cerulean veins buried under the surface. His thoughts wandered and a dreadful needle in his brain stung once again. Such soft, thin skin. So exposed, naked¡­ Beads of sweat formed around Leo¡¯s temple. A flood of cold water surged through his skull, crashing against his delicately constructed peace. He trembled slightly as he inhaled deeply. ¡°Come on. Enough,¡± he muttered as he shook his head. He fortified the barrier that held back the flood.

    The sun was reaching its zenith. It would grow even hotter soon. He had a whole tree to chop up and load into the cart. Better keep moving. Ruminating on it won¡¯t save him from his fate. Leo let out a sigh and forced himself to rise.

    As Leo started towards the fallen tree, a white glimmer caught the corner of his eye. Obscured by the sun, a shining, radiant form crested a neighboring hill. Leo glanced over and focused his vision. It was a diner-beast, an elegant, gracefully powerful creature. The ivory necked beasts seemed as if they¡¯d been born from the trees; as if a tree had sprung out of the ground and grown a body with four legs. Its bright red back met abruptly with a long, bone-white neck and underbelly. Two straight, sharp horns stood powerfully above its head.

    The beast stood upon the brilliantly illuminated hill for a few moments, as if to display itself, before raising its head to graze on the scarlet leaves of a coagulant tree. Leo idled, captivated by the image. The beast seemed to have a blessed form, with refined, contoured proportions and magnificently contrasting colors. He had always admired the gentle beauty of the diner-beasts. The divine distraction soothed him. He stood there staring for some time as the burning heat faded into the background.

    But then, a dry crackle was heard, and the wheat just behind the diner-beast parted.

    A large Lion, a Sol, pounced from behind the far side of the hill. The Sol leapt onto the diner-beasts back and dug into its warm hide with two large paws. Its cruel, hooked claws locked in place.The diner-beast¡¯s once tranquil and confident demeanor switched to one of terror and helplessness in an instant. Its death was a brutally protracted affair.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The bleating beast frantically attempted to flee, weighed down by the weight of its imminent death on its back. Visions of a small girl, mauled, arrested Leo¡¯s thoughts. His heart dropped. A gash opened up on the backside of the diner-beast as the Lion raked a rear paw along its prey¡¯s haunch. The Sol¡¯s claws dug further into the diner-beast¡¯s back. Dripping bloody scarlet tarnished the once pure white of the beast¡¯s belly. It was so helpless. The needle stung sharply and a weight pressed upon Leo¡¯s chest. The diner-beast displayed all the energy that it had left to stay living, flailing about in a circle for a hundred heartbeats until it had nothing left to bargain with, collapsing with shame. Leo had seen this before, time and again. He¡¯d had enough of this same old display. The Sol laid upon its dinner and struck the final blow-a deep, sharp bite upon the diner-beast¡¯s slender neck.

    Leo stood paralyzed. All he could feel was the weight and the cursed needle. The Lion got up and began to drag the fresh carcass down, down into the valley that separated the two. Then, slowly and with great effort, the Sol dragged the body up the slope of the hill below. Suddenly, Leo was directly before the savage creature. Its blood red eyes glanced quickly up at the frozen youth before refocusing back upon their prize. Leo¡¯s labor-beast stood still beside its master, its grey eyes averting those of the bloody predator. Ears perked up at full alert, it let out a quick anxious snort, but it held fast. The Lion dragged the body past them. Neither Leo nor his beast looked back as it passed. Leo stared at the line of depressed wild-wheat left in the grim march¡¯s wake, soaked in fresh blood-a marking of the event. The wild-wheat would drink this primal energy and grow with a renewed vigor in the coming suns.

    Leo¡¯s chest pulsed and a dejected huff escaped from his throat. He felt as if he had just been slapped in the face. It was hard enough to press forward without having to endure these cruelties. He stared up at the sun bitterly, its flaming form burning itself into his scarlet eyes.

    Something had begun to make itself clear to him. He¡¯d been thinking about it for some time. The sun blinded his vision with white as his eyes bored into it. You relish my unease, don¡¯t you?

    Leo walked over to the fallen tree. A blurry grey impression of the sun remained, staining his vision, but he readied his axe. He brought the axe down in messy and vigorous strokes. The chops were cathartic, wood breaking under Leo¡¯s intent. Shards of hardened bone chipped off the axe and mixed with the splinters coming off the logs. In record time, the freshly chopped firewood was tied into bundles and thrown into Leo¡¯s cart. His staunch labor-beast grunted softly with each bundle added. Once finished, Leo and his beast left, tracing a path behind the rising sun.

    Leo¡¯s labor-beast, bearing the weight of the master atop a shallowly sloping back, trod upon a path of flattened wild-wheat. The cart full of cargo trailed after it, digging deeper shallow ruts in the dirt. Coarse grey hair shimmering in the sun, the gentle beast occasionally snorted bursts of hot breath into the dusty air. Its short, rounded ears made sweeping motions at the sound of rustles in the wild-wheat. A Lion would not attack the creature so long as a Grangari was riding it, but the beast¡¯s defensive instincts remained.

    The landscape unfurled upon Leo as he sat silently atop his mount. The pair was met with a soft, cooling breeze as they passed through a shallow hill valley. When Granger¡¯s scant winds were encountered, it was always a welcome reprieve from the stifling atmosphere. As they ambled along, the soothing, nutty smell of mature wild-wheat filled their heads.

    Granger was a harsh land. But, it was a beautiful one. As the brutal sun shined remorselessly upon the landscape it brilliantly illuminated the warm yellows, reds, and browns of the rolling hills. Cheerful bird songs could always be heard during the day, and small jumping insects added a hypnotic humming to the avian choir. The heat made labor difficult, but when given the mercy of rest and a gentle breeze it warmed Leo¡¯s soul, fortifying him. Times were difficult. The threat of the dreadful needle, its sharp puncture into the brain, never ceased to unnerve him. But, the ride took some of the pain away. Leo allowed himself to fall into a warm trance. The breeze, the sun, the natural harmony-it numbed him. The period after harvesting the lumber of the coagulant trees always felt so serene.

    The pair ambled along, passing through the meandering valleys of the straw-colored hills for a blissful few thousand heartbeats. Flocks of pop-beasts scurried away from the labor-beast as it disturbed their processions, ejecting sudden spurts of noise out of their puffy, orange throats as they waddled away, offended by the hulking brute¡¯s presence. Occasionally, the route would force the labor-beast to hike up a hill. Once the beast reached the top, Leo would allow his companion to graze for a moment. At least, he liked to think he allowed the beast to do anything. In reality, the Chief would stop and start at his leisure.

    During these stops, Leo would look out upon the undulating land from their new perch. Shining pits of white, yellow, and obsidian stardust, melded together into a dizzying tri-colored sand, could often be beheld from the viewpoints. The ash grey demarcation lines of burned wild-wheat that segmented Leo¡¯s village from the other prides stretched off far into the horizon. Granger was made for the Grangari. And the Lions. In these moments he could feel the warm presence of Rathanni, their protector, the tenacious and savage Beast-God, in his heart. He was reminded of his place within this land and he felt at peace. Whatever happens to him, it was meant to be. The heavy anxiety that pervaded him eased.

    The yellow scenes, melding with occasional copper and scarlet blots, swum soothingly through Leo¡¯s vision as the sun rose ever higher in the sky. Finally, once the sun reached its commanding peak and was granted dominion over the entirety of Granger, Leo and his loyal beast arrived at their village.

 Chapter 2: Cradle and Grave

    Chapter 2: Cradle & Grave

    As Leo and his mount approached the edge of their village, the humming of the jumping insects changed pitch to a low droning sound that blanketed the soundscape. His pride¡¯s village was located within a sprawling, shallow indentation in the rippling terrain. He assumed that all villages were located in something similar. Space for the limited civilization that Rathanni allowed.

    The first meandering row of turges, homes made of tanned hides bound around a large log, defined the boundary of the village. Every Grangari that had ever existed lived in a turge such as these. Outside of every turge was a small bonfire, the heart of the home. This was where all meals were eaten, and where people connected with the pride. Leo didn¡¯t much like being inside his turge. It was a welcome reprieve from the sun, but the walls felt like a cage. They strangled him. He preferred to be out in the wilds, horizon enticing his movement forward.

    A pair of middle aged Grangari waved at Leo, shaking him out of his wandering trance. His pridesmates, the people of his village, were hard to miss. The couple¡¯s golden and obsidian black hair were accentuated by two pairs of blood red eyes. Grangari boys were born with shades of vibrant yellow hair, while girls were given a luxurious onyx. Leo smiled warmly and waved back. He had eaten with them many times growing up. Young Grangari were often encouraged to eat at a different family¡¯s bonfire each night. The pride was a family in and of itself. Kash and Kera, he thought of their names together always. It was fitting, they were inseparable. Both of their children had died in Communion, so they eagerly accepted any young Grangari¡¯s wandering interest.

    Towering above in the distance, a black ziggurat marked the center of the village. The Blood Temples looked like nothing else in Granger. The ordered mass of solid black stones, rising in perfect geometric order to meet a hollowed cubic chamber at the top, dwarfed the fragile turges below it. Rathanni¡¯s influence was inescapable, Grangari would not even exist without his guardianship. They lived hand-in-hand with his will.

    Leo¡¯s beast trudged on into the dusty dirt roads of the village. It was time to begin the final stage of their daily work, delivering fresh firewood to every turge. Leo would dismount at every turge and carry a bundle of coagulant wood to the familial bonfires. All along the way, he warmly greeted everyone he passed from atop his mount.

    As the sun began its slow descent back to Earth, Leo at last reached the inner core of the village. The matte black ziggurat rose up out of Leo¡¯s vision. All around it, channels of blood stained midnight stone grew out of the temple. Some of these canals crept along the earthy brown streets, out of sight. These canals lead out to key points in the village, providing a certain vigorous elixir to suppliers who needed it. One of these channels led to the bone-smith¡¯s workshop.

    The forge stood out from the collection of sloping hide turges that surrounded it. An open-air structure, seven thick white wooden columns held up a triangular log roof. Directly below the roof, a large patched hide was tied near the top of the logs, allowing it to slope inwards like a water droplet. Smoke coming up from the blood-pool would travel along this inverted bell and be carried out of the workshop.

    After giving his lowing companion a series of soothing head scratches, Leo pulled his labor-beast up to the side of the forge and dismounted. He came here often. The bone-smith Ajan was like Leo¡¯s second father. In fact, perhaps Leo had a better relationship with Ajan than he did with Tavr. At one time, to the smith¡¯s great delight, Leo considered becoming Ajan¡¯s apprentice. The pair had forged a number of works together. Hammers, axes, maces, and shields were always needed in the village. In particular, Leo savored the forging of maces. Something about shaping the form of the weapon-polishing the ball atop its long handle and hammering out the dents-was so captivating. Bone-smithing was satisfying work, visceral and immediate. But, the forge was so small. It was suffocating.

    A portly man of about forty, wielding large muscular arms covered in wispy golden hair, clutched a small hammer before a cream colored anvil. He wore a tattered hide tunic and brown fur trousers. At the sound of the labor-beast¡¯s approach the man looked up from his work. His sunken, blood-red eyes glimmered and he wore a broad smile upon catching sight of Leo. ¡°Ah, my boy! Back from the wilds so soon then?¡±

    Leo ambled up to a table behind the open-faced front of the workshop and tossed his axe onto it with a rattle. ¡°I need time to train with Tavr.¡± As Leo looked up, he couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit at the beaming, bearded man in front of him. ¡°Besides, the village is comforting. And the heat out there, it¡¯s brutal these days. Summer¡¯s going to drive me mad Ajan.¡±

    Ajan raised an eyebrow at the worn tool. ¡°Working hard I see.¡± He chuckled as his eyes looked the axe up and down. ¡°Who taught you to chop. You know, you¡¯re supposed to cut the trees, not the axe boy.¡± Ajan laughed raucously at his joke. He picked up the battered implement and gave it a spin in one of his massive, hairy hands. ¡°This ain¡¯t even worth sharpening in this state. Like trying to polish dirt!¡± Without hesitation and with great gusto, the burly man threw the tool into a large blackstone pit in the center of the forge. Leo winced at the sudden demise of his trusty axe as it sank into the depths of the pit, consumed by a bubbling whitish-ruby liquid. ¡°Oh don¡¯t look so glum, boy. It¡¯s a tool, they come and they go.¡± Ajan clapped his hands as he turned to the side and faced a wall adorned with an array of formed bone. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ve got another one ready for you. Can¡¯t keep a young man from his work, can I boy?¡±

    ¡°So, am I a young man or a boy then, Ajan?¡±

    Ajan ignored the question. He picked an axe off the wall and swept the side of the finely honed blade with his fingertips, examining the edge. Ajan frowned. ¡°You know, For the life of me, I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯d rather be out in the scorching sun chopping wood all day than working here with me. Nothing more satisfying than tool work, you know!¡±

    Leo gave a slight smirk. Every time he stopped by the forge he got the same lecture. ¡°Lumber harvesting is important work! What would you do without wood for your bonfire? Besides,¡± Leo looked around the messy workshop as smoke billowing out of the pit filled the air, ¡°all this smoke can fog up a man¡¯s mind. You know what I mean?¡±

    With wide eyes, the portly man looked Leo up and down, flabbergasted. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be ridiculous boy! A sharper man they couldn¡¯t find in the whole village if they tried! In fact¡­¡± the large man trailed off into a fit of coughing and wheezing. Leo¡¯s smirk widened a bit as Ajan looked back up at him with an embarrassed look, hands on his knees. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve survived this long haven¡¯t I? Not just anyone can make it to my age you know.¡±

    Leo¡¯s smirk disappeared and his eyebrow twitched at the thought.

    Ajan stood silently for a moment, an oddity for the vigorous smith, before seeming to be struck by an idea. He turned his back swiftly and returned the fine axe to its original mount.

    Leo started at the gesture. ¡°Oh, come on Ajan, I¡¯m just kidding around. You know I respect the craft! I¡¯ve enjoyed the work we¡¯ve done together. I just don¡¯t want to be cooped up in a building all day long.¡±

    Ajan seemed not to hear. He walked over to his anvil on the other side of the workshop and grabbed a horned disk hanging off of it. Then, he ambled over to Leo and handed him the shield. ¡°I almost forgot, made it specially for you. You don¡¯t need a new axe right now, boy. Don¡¯t distract yourself. Focus on your training.¡±

    <hr>

    The shield of hardened bone rattled restlessly at the side of the labor-beast¡¯s saddle as Leo exited the village center and continued on his delivery route, sweeping through the far half of the village. Leo once again fell into a trance. A pair of giggling boys ran past him. One was wielding a small stick, holding it up like a weapon. Leo reflected upon what these roads used to feel like when he was younger. Back when his biggest worry was how much longer he had to play before the sun went down. Time marched on. How many more nights did he even have? How many more¡­

    The still, dusty air remained abuzz with the droning of the jumping insects. And they were getting louder. It sounded as if they were all around him, as though they must have covered him completely to make such an omnipresent noise. Their relentless hum seemed to burrow into Leo¡¯s mind, binding him. The still air pained him. There was no wind to free him from the suffocation. Leo scratched at his hair restlessly. He was trapped within his body, trapped within this damn village.

    ¡°Leo, hey Leo!¡± A bright, nasal voice suddenly wrested Leo away from his needling thoughts.

    At the sound, Leo¡¯s labor beast chuffed and halted abruptly. From below, Leo saw a scraggly young man appear by his mount''s side. ¡°Ah, Pait! Hah, you, you startled me.¡± Leo took a deep breath and recomposed himself, patting his spiky golden hair down. His focus redirected, the frigid water was locked away once again. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you. Although¡­ since when do you hang around the village in the middle of the day? Shouldn¡¯t you be in the pasture?

    Pait shrugged his narrow shoulders, ¡°My fathers got it handled for now. Too hot for the milk-beasts to be giving us much trouble today, they just want to lay around.¡± Pait patted Leo¡¯s huffing labor beast on the flank. ¡°Wanted to see you and the Big Chief as you came in. He¡¯s not giving you any trouble I assume?¡±

    ¡°Yeah he¡¯s¡­ oh you¡¯re not talking to me are you¡±, Leo chuckled. Pait¡¯s first concern was always the beasts. They hearkened to him even when they wouldn¡¯t to anyone else. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Pait, I couldn¡¯t make him do anything he didn¡¯t want to anyways.¡±

    Pait cocked his head, ¡°Well, yeah. He¡¯s the Big Chief for a reason.¡± Pait looked over at the cart full of firewood and frowned. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll help you two finish up.¡± Pait climbed aboard and gave the labor-beast a big clap on the rump. The great beast snorted a large blast of warm air out of its flared nose and trudged on. Stolen story; please report.

    The newly formed trio went along from turge to turge, dropping a large bundle of bleached firewood at each. The task went more quickly with Pait¡¯s help, but his pace was only half of Leo¡¯s. Eventually, nearly halfway through the final arc of the route, a turge marked with an crimson symbol nearly a hundred paces behind the Blood Temple came into view. The blood priest Grath and his daughter lived here.

    Pait grinned sheepishly, scarlet eyes glimmering under his unkempt, moppish blond hair. ¡°I¡¯d wager Aella¡¯s out there training right now. ¡°Grath doesn¡¯t even try to keep that girl to her duties these days! Every time I pass through here I can hear her.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡±, Leo smirked. ¡°Alright, Pait. I get it now. I thought your offer to help was strange. It¡¯s not like you to volunteer for any extra physical labor. Why don¡¯t you just tell me the truth next time?¡±

    Pait flushed. ¡°Oh come off it. Not as if you can blame me Leo. Everyone can see you gawking at her during the ankhfires.¡±

    ¡°Yeah well, don¡¯t we all? At least I¡¯m direct about it¡±.

    Pait gave Leo a soft punch on the shoulder before he walked ahead in embarrassment.

    Indeed, as the trio drew closer to the marked turge they began to hear repetitive, shrill grunts of exertion. Rounding one side of the turge, they saw the back of a young woman shimmering in sweat, pounding relentlessly at the air with her mace. Her long, glossy black hair swayed back and forth in a dizzying arc as she moved.

    Upon hearing their approach, Aella turned around and smiled wildly. Dimples formed to the side of her full lips. ¡°Boys! I¡¯ve been waiting for someone like you two to show up!¡± Her mace made slow circles in the air as she stared at the trio. Aella¡¯s eyes opened wider, long black lashes accentuating her large scarlet irises. ¡°Either of you up for a quick duel? You¡¯d be shocked if you knew how long I¡¯ve been out here. But, training with the air isn¡¯t the most exciting thing.¡±

    Before they could answer, Aella had dropped her mace and approached further, making quick paces towards Leo¡¯s labor-beast. The shining white disk hanging upon its saddle had caught her moving eye. ¡°Ah! Is that newly forged?¡±

    Leo and Pait idled, struck by the whirlwind that had just approached them. Leo momentarily looked directly down from upon his labor beast to see the top of Aella¡¯s shimmering chest, before righting his gaze forward. She wore what most every woman in Granger wore in the summer, a grey fur skirt and a strip of soft hide around the chest, but her clothing seemed especially tight on her. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Yes, it¡¯s new. I just got it. Ajan just finished it.¡±

    Aella shuffled over to place herself into Leo¡¯s gaze again and stared up at him, her smile holding wide. ¡°Can I hold it? Please! I¡¯ve never handled one this fresh, you must understand.¡±

    Leo fidgeted in his seat, ¡®Go ahead.¡± He dismounted and walked over to his labor-beasts side, standing next to Aella. Leo took the pearly shield off his mount and handed it to the wide eyed girl in front of him.

    Aella traced a hand over the shield and tapped its dull horn. ¡°It¡¯s so shiny. Guess it pays to cozy up to the smith, huh? You¡¯re a lucky man Leo. But, shields are made to be used, not shown off like a trophy! You¡¯d better roughen this thing up. So come on then, duel me!¡±

    There was a devious glint in her face. Leo got the sense that she was playing with him, testing him in some way. She looked at him with a piercing glance, masked with a friendly coyness, when she said certain things. She was thinking about something that remained an open mystery.

    Leo shuffled his feet. His arms ached. He was tired after this long day of laboring and he didn¡¯t want to embarass himself in front of her. It was a risky game, dueling a woman like her. He got the sense that she wouldn¡¯t play easy. ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Pait suddenly appeared next to them with eagerness in his eyes and wrenched the attention of the whirlwind off from Leo. ¡°I¡¯ll duel you Aella! Leo¡¯s tired, let him rest.¡±

    Aella flipped the large shield around in her small hands and looked back up at him excitedly. ¡°Yes! Good! Let¡¯s get started then, shall we?¡± She tossed Leo¡¯s shield back to him and quickly strode back up to her mace. Its solid, round wooden head glimmered in the sunlight, promising a harsh impact to those too slow to dodge it. ¡°Oh, well I suppose I shouldn¡¯t use this. Wouldn¡¯t want to kill you, would I Pait?¡± She chuckled and motioned the two to come around to the front of her turge.

    ¡°One moment,¡± Aella briefly walked inside, before coming out with two large, straight sticks. ¡°Here Pait¡±. Aella tossed a stick to Pait with a quick, fluttery motion.

    Pait fumbled it in the air for a few seconds before finally subduing it with his clammy hands. ¡°So, uh, what exactly are the rules here?¡±

    Aella gave him a quizzical look. ¡°We¡¯re training for the real thing here. What kind of rules do you imagine you¡¯ll have to hide behind when you¡¯re down in that pit?¡±

    Pait squirmed a bit and gave a sheepish chuckle. ¡°Well¡­ yeah, sure. But, I¡¯m not looking to go to the temple tonight.

    ¡°Fine Pait. I won¡¯t try to cripple you then. But you had better man up.¡± Aella¡¯s large, black-lines eyes narrowed upon him. She looked at him the way Leo did just before delivering the final hack that felled a tree.

    In that moment Pait seemed to recognize the reality of the situation. The excitement in his eyes faded, but he held his head up. He knew he couldn¡¯t back out now. Why must the whirlwind be so alluring?

    Both fighters took their places and began to circle each other slowly, large polished sticks held up to the shining sun. A bolt of vigor seemed to hit Aella suddenly. Her breathing quickened and her eyes began to dart about with an erratic fervor. Impatient, she charged the unsteady youth. Pait blocked the opening flurry of Aella¡¯s strikes, pivoting a back foot back and forth to properly defend against the salvo. His eyes remained locked on Aella¡¯s cruel stick; that which promised pain and humiliation. After fifty heartbeats Aella seemed to tire of his defense. She stepped back, legs jumping in place to maintain her battle intensity.

    Leo ''s eyes remained focused on the form of only one of the fighters. Aella¡¯s olive skin shimmered, the sharp contours of her jostling body on full display. Her stomach curved back and forth with each bounce, a different muscle rippling at every part of her springing strokes. A hot steam filled his head, numbing all his senses. Time slowed as a tension filled his veins.

    Aella looked at Pait with a mix of disappointment and morbid excitement. ¡°I do hope you plan on fighting back at some point. Show a little enthusiasm!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ whoa!¡± Pait began to respond, but was interrupted by Aella¡¯s next volley. This time, Aella switched up her tempo. Pait tried to block, to pivot and weave, but he was getting overwhelmed. There was only so long that he could maintain his focus and energy.

    Aella unleashed an overhead strike. As Pait blocked it his stick reverberated into his aching wrists. He lingered as he moved his stick to his side with a pained look. Aella grinned predatorily before stepping back and performing a thrust. To this, Pait had no response. The hard stick hit him in the sternum, knocking the wind out of him. As Pait attempted to catch his breath, Aella went low and knocked Pait off his legs with a fast and fluid sweep. Pait fell and hit the ground hard. Encouraged by this, Aella rose her stick, preparing another harsh barrage.

    ¡°Aella!¡± Leo barked.

    Aella seemed struck by a foreign thought. She lowered her weapon and turned away from her fallen pridesmate. Her jittering eyes normalized upon Leo as she walked up to him. She stared at him with a desirous gaze. ¡°Ready for your turn then?¡± At her approach a sweet, intoxicating smell like fresh berries mixed with the anesthetizing vapor in Leo¡¯s head. Aella¡¯s scarlet eyes were locked upon him. It seemed as if she had forgotten that Pait existed as he moaned on the ground.

    The heady steam saturated Leo¡¯s thoughts, but they focused past the girl in front of him and onto his friend''s prone body. ¡°Uh¡­. Not this time Aella.¡± He shook his head and walked past her.

    Leo stood above Pait and offered a hand. ¡°You alright? Any broken bones? Maybe we have to go to the temple after all.¡±

    ¡°No! No, I¡¯m ok. I¡¯ll shake it off.¡± Pait¡¯s face was bright red as he took Leo¡¯s hand and stood himself up. We¡¯ve got more to do, don¡¯t we? Let¡¯s go.¡± Pait stared ahead and walked off towards the labor-beast.

    ¡°See you boys!¡± came a high-pitched voice as Leo followed after.

    Leo and Pait finished their work in silence. The numbing droning of the flying insects continued to grow. After the last turge on their delivery route had been attended to, Pait waved Leo a goodbye before limping up onto the labor-beast and riding off up to the hills. Leo was left with one last bundle of wood, which he hoisted onto a broad shoulder. He had one final turge to visit-his own.

    <hr>

    As his turge came within view, Leo saw his father sitting on a large log by their bonfire, staring at the ground. His once dark blond hair was taken by white, a symbol that commanded great respect. A long, white beard hung from his square jaw. The color of his hair signaled his growing and earned resemblance to Rathanni, with his brilliant silver coat.

    Tavr looked up as Leo came closer. ¡°Ah, son.¡± One of his knees popped as he got up unsteadily. Leo¡¯s father had been known as a great warrior his whole life, you must be to reach the age of an elder. But, he was getting old. He was not nearly as mobile as he was when Leo and Sier were little.

    Tavr stood aside as Leo dropped his final bundle of coagulant wood next to their bonfire, adding to an ever growing pile. Leo and Tavr¡¯s fire pit always had a surplus of firewood, proof of Leo¡¯s occupation. ¡°¡±Good harvest then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Hot though,¡± Leo said. He turned his back and motioned to go inside their turge as Tavr knelt beside the firewood to examine it. He didn¡¯t ever find much conversation to be had with his father. Especially so since Sier died in Communion almost one year ago.

    ¡°Leo.¡± Tavr¡¯s tone arrested Leo¡¯s movement. Tavr¡¯s eyebrows lowered into their familiar furrow. ¡°These cuts are unclean. They¡¯re imprecise.¡±

    Leo let out an imperceptible scoff before turning around to face his father. ¡°It¡¯s wood, dad. It¡¯ll burn either way. Or did you expect them to be in perfect rectangles?¡±

    Tavr ignored his son¡¯s sarcasm. He had gotten used to it. Tavr held up one of the scarred blocks as he got up. Chaotic, shallow cuts were hacked into its faces, and frayed splinters entwined with bone shards stuck out at sharp angles. ¡°This wood looks like it was mangled, Leo. It¡¯s as if you cut them blind. What gave you such a panicked haste?¡± Tavr looked at Leo piercingly, his eyes dressing him up and down as if to discern for themselves the answer that would satisfy them.

    The still air remained abuzz with the low droning of the jumping insects. Leo wavered for a few moments. He looked away from his father, instead staring at the dormant fire pit. ¡°Do you really want to know, dad?¡±

    Tavr said nothing, but his stare made it clear that he wasn¡¯t going to let this go. Of course he wouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Fine. A Sol killed a diner-beast in front of me. I wanted to get home.¡±

    Tavr tensed up where he stood, motionless. His brows remained furrowed as he looked away from his son. ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    The tension further infected Leo. He waited a few moments for a response, but he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to get one. He turned his back once more before drawing the hide entrance of their turge and going in. The dim light inside was a welcome sight, he¡¯d had enough of this day.

 Chapter 3: Weight

    The heat awoke Leo as it always did. Sunlight pushed its way through the hide walls, causing them to glow with a warm light. As he stirred, Leo was reminded of his tenuous reality. He attempted to drift back into the sedation of sleep, but the heat and the sun refused his retreat. Time pushed him ever forward. It was time to get up.

    Something about today felt strange, Leo felt it immediately upon opening his eyes. In truth, something had felt strange before he was even conscious of noticing it. A sliver of a scarlet stained dream came back to him as he sat on his bed, and he shuddered violently.

    Leo tried to stretch the feeling away. As he did, he was reminded of a different sort of pain. His whole life, he had been teased for sleeping in contorted, unnatural positions. It was involuntary. In his sleep he would stretch his spine to one side and his legs to the other, one arm pushed up above his head and the other protruding at a sharp angle from his chest. When he awoke he would feel his body¡¯s screams from the torture he had just put it through.

    Motivated with a burst of sweat stained will, he hoisted himself up off his pad. His body responded to him well. Despite the aches, he felt strong. His muscles had grown rapidly since he began his occupation in earnest. Working out was fun with an axe. He flexed his bicep and grinned. He would be a man soon. A man¡­ If nothing else, he would come close.

    Leo wondered if his father had noticed his changing physique as he got up to his feet. He looked around the stagnant, cramped space. Tavr was gone. Likely he had woken up with the sunrise, as usual. He never spent much time in the turge. Only after the moon came out in full did he grace their home with his presence, long after Leo had gone to sleep. He expected his father would be in the Pride Hall, looking after his duties with the other four elders.

    There was near silence outside. All that could be heard was the droning of the flying insects boring through their walls. Why did the birds not chirp this morn? Usually their choir was in full swing by now. Leo¡¯s breath stuck in his chest. The sunny day felt trapped in time. He drew the entrance and walked outside into the harsh daylight.

    And there he was. Tavr sat where Leo last saw him, sitting on his log, staring at the entrance of the turge as Leo came through.

    The reality struck Leo immediately. His muscles tensed hard enough for one of his legs to start cramping. ¡°Dad¡­ what are you still doing here?¡± He did not need to ask, he doesn¡¯t know why he did.

    His father¡¯s forehead was wrinkled into strained knots. His red eyes sunk underneath his bushy eyebrows. ¡°I received the vision last night¡±, Tavr said. ¡°The time has come, son.¡±

    Leo¡¯s heart beat out of control. His lungs still could take in no air. A ringing filled his ears to alleviate the silence between them that followed. After twenty rapid heartbeats, he gave one tense nod of his head.

    Then, he walked away, away from the rising sun. He had to find Pait.

    <hr>

    Everyone in the village expected it, of course. It was that time of year. The sun was out in full force during these late summer days, and the long rains were on the horizon. It had become a simple question of which coming night the blood moon would come. In some layer deep inside him, Leo had been waiting for the relief of the vision¡¯s arrival. There was nothing else to wait for. Life could not be enjoyed until his Communion had passed. Perhaps he should simply feel an appreciation for the pleasures that remained. Oh, perhaps. But, these days held not the time for happiness. He was as of yet undeserving.

    Only the elders received the nightly vision. They would not tell anyone what they saw, only that they saw something. They would have begun to tell the first few members of the pride. It would easily spread from there, fathers and mothers rushing to break their children¡¯s warm ignorance. But, Pait and his family lived in the hills, with the milk-beasts and the fur-beasts. His family would be among the last to know.

    Leo dreaded telling him. He dreaded seeing his face upon hearing the words. But, he needed to know. The time for playing around was over. They must prepare.

    As he walked in the direction of the pastured hills, past the turges that made up the outskirts of the village, his pridesmates bowed their heads at his crossing. They did not try to make their usual conversation with him, allowing him his peace and mental preparation. His desire for connection should be directed to Rathanni. But, he could feel them. They were anxious and proud, excited and fearful. One caught Leo¡¯s pace and silently offered him some bread. Leo took it and thanked him, he had not even thought to eat before he rushed off.

    Leo stared up at the behemoth Bulwarks as he walked towards the hills that they dwarfed, munching on his warm bread. Their white spires melted down to a smooth, gray wall of rock. He walked for thousands of heartbeats. After some time on the path, he remembered something that made him wince. There will be a Bloodletting tonight. He would have to walk this distance back to the village before the sun had set.

    The droning of the flying insects slowly faded out. The rich, warm yellow of the wild-wheat gradually faded to a more immature green, and the air filled with a grassy fragrance. The alpine wild-wheat up in the Bulwarks¡¯ foothills grew more slowly. As he walked steadily upwards into the thinner mountain air, it felt as if he was walking back in time, back to the easy spring.

    As he hiked up a steep green slope, he noticed two human figures shining darkly at the top. They were sitting with one another, hands entwined. He didn¡¯t expect any Grangari to be out here. His red eyes narrowed. They weren¡¯t moving. All bodies should be taken to the Pit of Reincarnation at the Blood Temple. What were these doing here?

    As he got closer a smell answered his curiosity. Flecks of rancid, black ash swept down the hill with the wind. These must have been the bodies of Jorn and Laci. The damned. Disgraceful. They must have come here together to die. Rathanni cursed them with illness for their transgression of the sacred partnership. Leo passed Jorn¡¯s cracked, ashy body and spat. Once you mate, it¡¯s for life, as it should be. Unless there''s a Pride War, there¡¯s no room for more than one love in a man¡¯s life. The putrid odor pushed Leo to quicken his pace towards the pasture. He wanted to find Pait. Walking pushed his thoughts upon him, and it had long become undesirable.

    Upon reaching the pasture, Leo found Pait by the sound of a herd of milk-beasts. They bleated with a grating hoarseness. He found these beasts to be insufferable. They lacked the dignity of the diner-beasts, the grit of the labor-beasts, and the strength of the Lions. But, of course, nothing aside from Grangari could compare to the Lions.

    As Leo crested one final hill he saw Pait and his flock in the distance. Pait turned his head towards him. The bleating beasts gave him away, their tone changing to one more urgent as they smelled his approach. They did not like Leo either, Pait constantly voiced his amusement of this. He¡¯d tell him ¡°You think too little of them, Leo, and they know it. But, the beasts are pure. They live more pleasantly than us.¡± He could tell that Pait was jealous of their stupidity.

    By the time that Leo finally made his way to Pait and his herd, he was breathing heavily from the many inclines and declines. His face was flushed. He usually didn¡¯t have to walk this far without the help of a labor-beast.

    ¡°Leo,¡± Pait said with a grin. ¡°Come to repay yesterday¡¯s favor? Unlike you, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t see any beautiful girls on the job. Hope you didn¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± The lanky milk-beast at Pait¡¯s side bleated in objection.

    He clearly had no conception of the day he found himself in. Was it not constantly on his mind? Leo loved Pait like a brother, but he couldn¡¯t understand him.

    Leo idled. Instead of responding, he broke eye contact with Pait to look at the rolling hills below. From this vantage, he could see the Divine Lake and the steaming Founding Fragment. Far in the distance, the shimmering lake extended to the horizon. It was so vast. Rising up in the middle of it, the Founding Fragment¡¯s omni colored stardust glittered white, yellow, and obsidian above the still, cerulean water. Rathanni lay dormant in the star, but they were told that he remained conscious in the land, watching his subjects.

    He looked back at his friend and exhaled. ¡°Pait, listen. My dad received the vision last night. We have two days left.¡±

    To Leo¡¯s shock, Pait¡¯s face remained placid. ¡°Hm. Yes, well, we all knew it was coming. Nevertheless, work still needs to be done. Now, come on Leo, help me with the beasts.¡± Pait turned his back and focused upon his herd.

    Leo shook his head and frowned. This isn¡¯t what they should be doing on what could be nearly their final day. They should be preparing, training. Somebody else, Paits father or someone from the village, would happily handle their day''s work.

    Before he could speak, Pait looked back at him and spoke. There was a gentle glow in his eyes. ¡°You will have your time to train, Leo. But right now, you should be reminded of what¡¯s worth fighting for.¡±

    As he looked upon Pait¡¯s gentle face, his drive was defused. Maybe he could hold his reality at bay for a while longer. For one last,  certain morning he would try to enjoy life, to exist in these beautiful green mountains, with his dear friend.

    <hr>

    The two spent a long stretch of the day watching over the flock. Despite the emerald mountain¡¯s wistful beauty, their work was not as relaxing as he had hoped. Herding was not physically exhausting, but it took another sort of toll on Leo. The herd was loud and unruly. At any given moment, a milk-beast was threatening to break off from the herd, prone to be swiftly snatched up by a pack of sneer¨Cbeasts in waiting. Leo and Pait never saw the orange spotted sneer-beasts, but they knew they were there. They could hear the wretched predators whining and cackling behind neighboring hill slopes as they led the herd to fresh pasture. One consolation; the herd was safe from Lions so long as the milk-beasts each had a blessed, scarlet tipped twig around their neck. The blood priests specially graced these twigs with offered vigor. Lions would never attack a beast bestowed with Grangari blood. And what a blessing it was. Sneer-beasts could be handled with bravery and a sharp crook, but Lions¡­

    Pait wore his own sprigged collar around a meager neck, giving him a limited control over the herd. When necessary, he would thrust his crook into the air while staring at a wandering milk-beast to command its movement back into the herd. Vigilance was Pait¡¯s strength, he always kept a close watch on his flock.

    Leo did not have such influence on the inept beasts. Any direction he walked, the milk-beasts walked in the opposite, dragging their long floppy ears with them. He got in the habit of insulting them whenever he got the chance, much to Pait¡¯s vexation. He¡¯d even begun to name some of the particularly mindless ones. ¡°Dust Brain¡± and ¡°Drooly¡± were his favorites to mock.

    After Leo had spent a series of moments attempting to chase Drooly off a steep ridge, Pait called after him. ¡°Leo, this isn¡¯t exactly what I envisioned when I asked for your help. You¡¯re only making this more difficult.¡±

    Leo turned around, releasing Drooly from her torment, and cocked his head. ¡°What do you expect from me, Pait. I¡¯m not a herder for a reason.¡±

    As Leo walked back to Pait and the herd he realized something. He was smiling. These dolts were frustrating to corral, but they were mildly entertaining. They took his mind off of the impending Communion. He looked at Pait¡¯s placid face, framed by the setting sun atop a hill behind him, and realized something else: Pait had been nothing except distracted.

    Suddenly, the sneer-beasts quieted. A large, mature Sol appeared in front of the sun crowned hilltop, blotting out the light. Leo¡¯s breath caught in his throat. Pait turned around to look at whatever had captured Leo¡¯s expression. They watched as the Lion slowly strode down the hill.

    The pair¡¯s eyes were locked onto it. As it drew closer, the pair observed its divine form. It was noble, but wretched. Its long, pale face was violently unsettling. Two blood red eyes stared searchingly over its land and its subjects. Its muscly, bony chest drooped below its shoulders, ribcage quivering with each slow breath it took. Lions often had an unbothered look upon their face. But this one, it had the caustic look of depravity. It was hungry. It began its slow descent down the hill, compelled by the herd of animals it walked into. The milk-beasts began to bleat anxiously. The Lion walked up to the closest one and sniffed it. The milk-beast shook its twig adorned neck quickly and the Lion recoiled from the smell, striding on further into the valley.

    The Sol slowly came ever closer to the Grangari. Its long, yellow mane shimmered in the sun. It breathed heavily with deep, gravelly snorts. Its breaths had an edge to them that the labor-beasts didn¡¯t, as if its voice itself had claws. As it walked, the two observed its powerful, muscled arms ripple across its fur. It had more strength than any Grangari could ever hope to attain, weighing more than double the largest man.

    Leo looked back from the Lion to Pait¡¯s face to see that his placid expression had melted away into one of fear and agony. He turned to Leo, looking at him for answers he knew he didn¡¯t have. ¡°How¡­ how are we supposed to fight that thing? Pait began to shake, then he began to whimper as the lion passed next to him. ¡°Leo, look at me! Take the smallest Sol out there and put it in that pit with me, I still don¡¯t stand a chance!. Fuck man, I can¡¯t even stand to fight a girl!¡± Pait¡¯s voice broke. ¡°Leo, I¡¯m going to die. I¡¯m going to fucking die!¡± He gripped Leo¡¯s arms and stared directly into his face, tears drowning his eyes. ¡°Leo, damn it, I don¡¯t want to be mauled! I don''t want to disappear! I want to live to see my brother grow older. I want to know what it¡¯s like to have a partner, to raise our kids. But, what can I do! I¡¯ve never seen someone as small as me enter that pit. I can¡¯t bear the weight of a Lion, it¡¯ll take me however it wants! My sides will be split open and my throat will be ripped open. This isn¡¯t the fate that I deserve, do you understand! I wasn¡¯t born to fight!¡± Pait lifted a thin arm off of Leo¡¯s shoulder and threw it in front of his face. ¡°Why would Rathanni give me a body like this?¡± What fucking purpose could there be for this? I¡¯m just a cruel joke. Oh no, no, damn it¡­¡± Pait voice choked and trailed off as he dropped to the ground, sobbing.

    ¡°Pait, stop, please. Rathanni gave us our lives for a reason, you¡¯re not a joke. We¡¯re all given a chance. I know it¡¯s hard, but we can¡­¡±

    Pait raised his voice to a shrieking tenor. ¡°Oh shut up Leo! You think there¡¯s a reason for this? Do you know what the damn reason is? Communion is just the way that Rathanni culls the weak. You and I, we¡¯re just fodder. I¡¯ve always been too small, you¡¯ve always been too stupid, too uncoordinated! I¡¯ll be crushed and you¡¯ll be eviscerated! You know it just as well as I do. Rathanni is taking away our right to exist, that¡¯s what Communion is.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Leo¡¯s breathing quickened as he endured Pait¡¯s verbal barrage. The weight on his chest cracked his ribs, crushing his heart and collapsing his lungs. The force of it all was overwhelming. The cold water surged past and drowned him. He¡¯s right damn it. I¡¯m too clumsy, too slow. My own father doesn¡¯t even believe in me. I can¡¯t do this. Ulni died, Sier died, and I will die. He¡¯ll watch his last child be sent to slaughter. Leo imagined his dad watching him fall to the Sol, his neck in its jaws. He imagined him crying like he did last year. He could not remember his dad crying any other time in his life. The steady man, brought low. Tavr wouldn¡¯t survive next year.

    No, damn it. This isn¡¯t alright. Darkness began to creep through the corners of his eyes and his head spinned. The image of Tavr crying the night of Sier¡¯s death imprinted in his brain.

    In the distance, Leo watched the Sol stumble on a small rock. A jolt of lightning hit his failing heart, and he felt a flash of anger. If he would die, he didn¡¯t want to go out crying and screaming. His father had raised him with that much strength, at least. He coughed up a sharp, unsteady breath, like a shallow gasp. The blackness was encroaching upon the center of his vision. He needs to breathe. He lifted his head and hit his chest with a hard fist. Breathe! One deep breath, then another. Focus on the chest as the lungs grow and fall.

    The sun and the heat came back to him suddenly. Reality was made material once again. The blackness faded away to reveal a groveling figure on the ground. His anger grew. ¡°Pait! Get up!¡± Leo grabbed his sniveling friend by the shoulders and hoisted him up to his level.

    Pait refused to balance his legs, staring dejectedly at the ground. ¡°Oh please, please Leo. What¡­¡± Pait broke off into sobbing tears once again.

    Leo¡¯s blood boiled. He closed his fist and punched Pait with force in the gut. Pait let out a sharp, shocked cry.

    Leo lifted his friend up again and shouted into his bowed head. ¡°What the fuck do you expect this to accomplish Pait! Yes, we¡¯re faced with terror and death. Maybe we will get mauled, mauled like my mother and Sier did. But, damn it, try to be a man for once in your life! Our family did it, our ancestors did it, so don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re incapable, that you¡¯re the end of the line. Did your parents survive Communion all those times just to watch you give up? Get up, support yourself with your own two legs¡±

    Leo let go, and Pait stumbled back down, holding himself up weakly at the knees. ¡°You¡¯ve seen them Leo. You¡¯ve seen what they do. You and I, we¡¯re not strong enough. What makes you think we have any right to fight such a thing? We¡¯re doomed. Don¡¯t trick yourself into thinking we have a chance.¡±

    Leo grit his teeth and his eyes dilated as he stood before Pait groveling on his knees. He shoved Pait down to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re doomed Pait, not me! I can handle myself, damn it! But you, you¡¯re not going to last a second in the pit if you can¡¯t get control of yourself! I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re scared! Nobody fucking cares! Nobody¡¯s going to save you, do you understand that! All crying will do is humiliate yourself in front of Rathanni and your family. Don¡¯t you care how you go out of this world! Rathanni¡¯s not going to allow a whining weakling like you to reincarnate. If you¡¯re going to die, then fine! You¡¯ll die and come back in the next life. But, die with some damn nobility!¡±

    Leo stood over Pait, glaring at him as he lay on the ground. As he stood over him, visions of Pait as a boy appeared in his mind. Compassion for his lifetime friend flooded back and his red eyes began to soften. ¡°Pait. I don¡¯t want to see you die tomorrow. We can do this. Find some courage and get yourself up.¡± Leo exhaled sharply and turned his back. He began to walk away, but after a few paces he turned back around. Pait had gotten up and was wiping his eyes.

    ¡°Alright Leo. I get it.¡± Pait rubbed his stomach and winced. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Off in the distance, in the direction of the village, a deep booming sound resounded. The sound echoed through the hills and raised the hair on Leo¡¯s arms. The milk-beasts stopped moving. Their heads turned to Pait in unison.

    Pait sighed. ¡°Great.¡± He looked like he was about to cry again, but instead he took Leo¡¯s lead and took a deep breath, before fixing the collar of twigs on his neck and motioning at the milk-beasts to follow him. Leo looked back at the Sol as it disappeared over a hill. He shook his head slowly, before turning and following Pait¡¯s descent back home. The herd would be left near his turge. The Grangari had been summoned to the temple. No one dared refuse the blood call.

    <hr>

    Neither Pait nor Leo said a word to each other on the long walk back to the village. They¡¯d said enough to each other. They walked at a brisk pace, encouraged by the long descents back down from the foothills. The wild-wheat gradually yellowed on their way down, and the air was once again filled with the nutty scent of late summer.

    Upon reaching the village, they were pulled to the towering black ziggurat. By the time that they arrived at the base of the blood temple there was already a line of people leading from the high chamber down to the ground. They crowded the narrow black steps, standing rigidly in place. Few talked to one another. It seemed that Leo and Pait were already in the right mood.

    As Leo and Pait found their way to the back of the line, a series of cold, metal gates built into the side of the temple before the blackrock canals began to creak. The gates opened, releasing a torrent of viscous red liquid. The liquid oozed out with force, flooding the canals and gliding effortlessly along the length of the blackstone. The liquid seemed averse to any surface aside from the blackstone of the canals. If a section happened to overflow at any point, it would quickly be pulled back into the red flood. The vigor flowed down the canals. Some traveled to Ajan¡¯s forge, while some flowed along the roads of the village out into the fields beyond. The flow of vigor was controlled by the elders. It would help forge the hardened bones of the pride¡¯s tools and make ash for the ankh fires. It would form pools for the yaw stalks, essential for brewing greef, and fertilize their fields of korel trees. Most importantly, one Lion for each Grangari participating in Communion would drink from the canals tonight. Partaking in the vigor, they selected themselves for the pit. The Pride could not function without vigor. Participating in the creation of it was a sacred and honorable duty, a symbol of fealty to Rathanni¡¯s divinity.

    Leo had always dreaded these ceremonies, ever since his tenth year. But now, as he stood in line, the unease was buried by the greater weight placed upon his chest. The outcome of this night was certain, he would be safe. He could hear Pait fidgeting nervously with his hands from behind.

    The line crept forward slowly. Leo could see in the line nearly everyone he knew who remained living. The whole pride had to participate, so long as they were older than ten years. As Leo and Pait moved slowly upwards, up towards the lofty High Chamber of Sacrifice, Grangari who had fulfilled their duty walked downwards. They all wore smiles upon their faces, with a glimmer of contentedness in their eyes.

    In the golden light of the early evening, Leo was struck with sudden power. He had been so scared and he was sick of it. Anger, indignation washed over him as he beat his fear down. His heart beat well. He was worthy of living. This was his chance to prove it.

    Leo held this silent anger inside of himself for many heartbeats as the line slowly moved upwards. His determination was built high. It was hardened and strong. Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, he reached the top of the temple¡¯s stairs. He walked inside the dark chamber as the sky lit up with orange.

    Leo¡¯s eyes normalized to the dark chamber as he walked inside. The black walls were lit up by red torchlight, highlighting the eyes of blood priests inside. The floor of the small chamber was littered with a series of black altars. One sharp spike protruded from each of the altars, nearly a third of the way down from the headrests at the tops. At the far end of the chamber, the torchlight was drowned by a deep void.

    Grath smiled and silently motioned Leo towards the far pit. From out of a shadow stepped Aella, wearing the black robes of a blood priest. Leo was surprised, this must have been the first time that Aella was allowed to facilitate the sacrifice as one of the blood priests. She walked up to Leo and smiled.

    ¡°So, you get to skip the action this time huh? You must feel lucky,¡± Leo said.

    Aella¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°I would gladly contribute if I wasn¡¯t beholden to my duties.¡± She looked at him piercingly and gave a slight tilt of her head. ¡°Do you resent your chance to see the Beast-God then, Leo?¡±

    Leo frowned sheepishly. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m sorry, I was only joking.¡± Leo¡¯s frown disappeared. ¡°Aella, I am taking this seriously. I know I need to.¡±

    Aella responded with a cold stare from her large eyes, before looking past him. ¡°Give a lot of blood tonight.¡± She grabbed him by the arm and led him up to Grath, who was standing before the inky pit.

    With long, greying hair and a patchy beard, Grath looked somewhat bestial. Usually, a dour man, he had a rather chipper demeanor tonight. He was clearly elated to have been chosen by the elders to guide the ceremony. It was easy to see where Aella got her zeal from.

    Grax looked at Leo with an eerie kindness in his scarlet eyes. ¡°This is a big day for you. I¡¯d suggest, for your own sake, that you try to last longer than you have in the past. I¡¯ll hold your wrist for fifty heartbeats, as usual. The rest is up to you.¡± Grath looked deeply into Leo¡¯s eyes and smiled. Then he looked away and presented an open palm over the pit.

    Leo shuffled towards the ledge and offered his arm to the hand. Aella came up behind Leo and held his sides firmly, anchoring him to the cold stone floor below. In his coming agony, Leo had to be kept steady. He could not be allowed to fall into the pit after the bloodletting was done. Grath clasped his wrist with a precise rigidity. Then, he looked up to the onyx ceiling above and began to speak in a harrowing, guttural voice. ¡°Leo offers his blood to the land, as Rathanni offered his brother¡¯s and sister¡¯s. Let Granger reclaim his vigor, allowing it to provide him with warmth and food. Let Rathanni recognize Leo¡¯s eternal gratitude for the land that the Beast-God has given him. Let Solarri recognize Leo¡¯s eternal gratitude for the life with which he has been blessed.¡±

    Leo stared into the cold, black void. It extended for countless paces down to a shrouded reservoir at the base of the ziggurat. He closed his eyes, allowing another layer of black to shroud his vision. A sharp, gliding sound, tingled in his ears as two symmetrical blades swept across soft fabric. Grath must have uncovered the cutting implement from within his robes. fifty heartbeats. Leo had always tried to go longer than the mandate, but had never been able to go past seventy-five. I can do better. This time, I can do better. He gritted his teeth and pushed his back further into Aella¡¯s chest, readying himself.

    With a swift motion, Leo¡¯s hand was separated from his wrist. It fell down into the pit without a sound. The blackness of Leo¡¯s vision spattered to one of crimson red. He opened his eyes to see a stream of blood spurt out from a gaping hole in his wrist where his hand used to be. And then the pain came. A harsh throbbing traveled up Leo¡¯s arm from his open wrist. It traveled up his neck and pounded at his skull. Time began to crawl. He tried to count the heartbeats that his bloody wrist was before the pit, but he lost his count. His vision must have been fading, but he couldn¡¯t tell in the darkness. A painful, bloody haze grew before his eyes, throwing needles at his skin. Aella held him from behind, grabbing his body as it convulsed before the pit. She held on with tenacity, breathing quickly.

    Finally, Grath released Leo¡¯s hand. Leo looked once again at his free, hemorrhaging wrist. His body yelled, it was time to go! Leo tried to clench his jaw, to hold firm against his base instincts. But the pain was so intense. His body betrayed him and he began to scream. Just give it up!

    Leo narrowed his eyes and forced an image to cut through the haze. More blood was coming. Fangs and claws would shred his body like a cut of meat. His wrist would just be the first to go. His sides would bleed, his torso, his legs, his neck. Skin is opened so easily. It will happen. So, embrace it. Leo felt an energy build up in his chest, then his arms. Then, take it damn it. Take it! Leo shook his bleeding wrist violently over the pit. He imagined himself gritting the hand he no longer had. Spatters of scarlet blood flew up and down through the obsidian void. He pounded his jaw down upon his screaming mouth, crushing his tongue, filling his mouth with blood. Its overwhelming iron stench fueled him. Aella grabbed him tighter, her breasts pushing against his back.

    Leo¡¯s conception of his existence faded. His thoughts blackened and he felt as if he were falling into a wet, bloody dream. He stood there for an eternity, losing all coherence. He forgot where he was. All he could conceive of was the red haze. It taunted him to push further into it, and he did. As he embraced the red eternity, he came to find a bliss in the pain. Then, he felt as if he was moving, floating away. He was pulled away from the haze. Then, he crashed back down to earth.

    His body hit hard against an altar and a spike pierced his heart. The force knocked the life back into him and rejuvenating air flooded his lungs. He felt a warm, numbing steam travel from his pierced heart to his wrist and head. It pushed against clotted blood before exploding out of his wrist with pressure into the chamber. His mouth filled with steam, and he began to feel his tongue once again. Then, the inky black ceiling of the chamber faded into white.

    A floral scent filled his mind, and he suddenly realized that he was no longer laying upon an altar. He was sitting. The white sharpened to reveal a field of white flowers within a cloud of warm mist. He looked over to his side to see a royal beast sitting next to him. A massive, white haired chest rested powerfully above a long lean torso.The beast towered high over Leo. He had to crane his neck to see the divine being¡¯s face. A long, powdery white mane flowed into the mist. A prominent snout lay below two warm red eyes. Rathanni.

    Rathanni looked at Leo with a divine glimmer in his red eyes and gave a faint smile. Leo had never felt so proud. He had entered into the void, embraced it. And he survived it. He felt something he¡¯d never felt before, a sureness in his chest. He felt confident, powerful. At peace. As he looked upon Rathanni¡¯s exalted smile, he realized something. He was special. He would survive.

    Leo melted into the misty tranquility. It lasted for what felt like a whole night. He and the Beast-God never spoke. Speaking seemed to be painful in this state. It seemed as though it would simply distract them from the sublime.

    Eventually, the mist, along with Rathanni¡¯s flowing form, began to dissipate. And once again, Leo found himself lying upon a cold slab. After spending some futile moments attempting to journey back to the warm misty field of flowers, coldness forced him to open his eyes. When he opened his eyes he saw Aella standing over him, smiling with a sanguine sweetness.

    ¡°That was impressive¡±, she said as she offered him her hand.

    Leo grabbed her hand and got up off the altar. ¡°Thanks. I saw him, he smiled at me! I¡¯ve never felt so honored.¡±

    Aella let out a small gasp and looked to the side. ¡°He smiled at¡­ you? He¡¯s never even looked at me. Damn, damn. I¡¯ll be up to give blood next Sacrifice.¡± She looked back at Leo with vigor. ¡°I can do what you did. I¡¯ll go longer. I¡¯ll make them hold me over the pit even after I¡¯ve fainted.

    Leo gave a cringed smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think the blood priests will allow that, especially not Grath.¡±

    Aella looked back to the side with a sobered expression. She muttered under her breath, ¡°Grath¡¯s the only one who would allow it.¡± Before Leo could respond, she interrupted, ¡°Anyways, enough of that. Congratulations! You have his blessing, and you have mine. I hope you go before me tomorrow night. I want to see your fight before I win mine.¡±

    For once, Leo felt excitement for Communion instead of dread.¡±I¡¯ll make you proud.¡± Leo felt a pleasant tension take hold of his body. If he survived, he had a chance with her. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other boys capable of competing with him for her partnership. He looked around in the red din. ¡°Where¡¯s Pait? He was behind me, hasn¡¯t he given his sacrifice?"

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s gone.¡± Aella snickered. ¡°The boy barely lasted the fifty heartbeats. I practically had to force him from running back to an altar before his time had finished. He¡¯s long gone, had a quick recovery. Everyone¡¯s left for the Ankh Fire. You¡¯re the last one left here, besides me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then, would you like to go with me? I need some greef after that. To celebrate, I mean.¡±

    Aella blushed. ¡°I¡­ I would. But, I¡¯ve got to go change out of these robes and wash myself.¡± She held up a sleeve of her black robes. Even in the dim scarlet light, Leo saw the splotches of dried blood.

    ¡°Right, ok. I¡¯ll see you when you get there then.¡±

    ¡°Yes! See you soon, Leo. I¡¯ll go bathe in the river. There shouldn¡¯t be any prying eyes with everyone at the Ankh Fire.¡± Aella turned and walked briskly out of the chamber.

    Leo¡¯s head swam. Was that an invitation? He shook his head. There may be time for that tomorrow night. Suddenly, a yellow glow exploded outside of the chamber entrance. The sound reverberated off the chamber walls, an ear splitting pop. Leo walked to the entrance and looked out from the top of the ziggurat to see a shimmering orb of streaming yellow lines. The streams danced with the stars in the night sky. The massive red flame of the Ankh Fire blazed off in the distance, dwarfing the turges below. The tip of scarlet flame reached nearly to the same level as the ziggurat. Leo was drawn towards the flame.

    Once he reached the bottom of the ziggurat, he heard the throaty snarl of a Lion. A collection of them, three Sols and two Umbras, were crouching by the side of the ziggurat. They lapped up blood from the river of vigor. An elder, perhaps Tavr, may choose one of these Sols for Leo. He wondered if Tavr would pick a small one for his only son.

 Chapter 4: Red Flame Burning

    Leo indulged in the rewards of his triumph silently as he walked towards the hulking flame. The weight in his chest felt as though it had been crushed and the needle in his brain lay trapped in a thick gel. Communion was a test of bravery and loyalty. It was a test of faith. And he had faith. Leo pulled the fight that he had pushed back to the dark recesses of his mind out into the light. He imagined his victory, the Lion crushed under his superior will. He imagined the pride in his father¡¯s eyes, the lust in Aella¡¯s. He was better than Pait. He was special. Leo showed his vigor to Rathanni, and Rathanni favored him. It felt as if he had already won.

    As he got closer to the Ankh Fire the warm night air began to thrum with the sound of drums and laughter. Red embers rained down upon the land and Leo caught one in his regrown hand. It created a tingling in his palm before fading to a numbness. The rhythmic drumming changed tempos between a bouncy, pulsating beat and something slower and more hypnotic.

    As Leo came closer to the fire, Ajan caught his eye. With two horns of greef in his hand, he headed up a ring of people watching a youthful woman perform a Drum Dance. The dancer was wearing black leather adorned with long red threads. Upon her face hung a dark mask bordered with white. The rhythm of the dance was in tandem with the drums. During the quicker tempos the dancer would perform stomps. After each stomp, she lifted herself off the ground and transitioned into a hop. After a series of hops in a semicircle, she would stomp the ground again. This repeated until the drums transitioned into a slower beat. Once the tempo slowed, she shook her body around in fluid arcs, mesmerizing the audience with her flowing, scarlet threads.

    Another firework roared into the air, this time exploding with a blinding white blast. Multiple Grangari cheered and roared at the sound. The explosion knocked Ajan out of his trance and he noticed Leo¡¯s arrival.

    Ajan sauntered over to Leo and handed him one of his drinks. ¡°Leo, lad! What took you so long?¡± Moments after Leo took the drink Ajan patted him on the back with the might matching a smithy. The force knocked Leo forward and his drink spattered over the grass. ¡°Ohoops, sorry there lad. Don¡¯t know,¡± Ajan hiccuped. ¡°Don¡¯t know my own strength sometimes, you know lad?¡± Ajan swayed in the warm air.

    Leo chuckled after recovering from the blow, looking at Ajan¡¯s red, beaming face. ¡°Boy¡± became ¡°lad¡± when Ajan drank enough. ¡°You¡¯re exactly how I expected to find you Ajan. How long do you reckon you have left tonight before you meet the grass for bed?¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± Ajan laughed raucously. ¡°Not long now!¡± The arc of his sways grew.

    Leo looked down at the ocre drink before taking a sip. He had grown used to the bitter taste, with its hint of iron. Leo looked around and noticed his father sitting before a circle of Grangari, mostly teenagers. Pait¡¯s moppish blond hair looked up at Tavr. ¡°He¡¯s telling his stories again, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yup! He¡¯s earned that right you know lad. You should have seen him in his prime, nobody could match him! I remember the last Pride War we were in together, the one before he was given Ulni, that is. He ended that one early.¡± His beaming smile faded slightly. ¡°I might have died if not for him.¡± Suddenly, Ajan was looking at him intently. ¡°Leo! You¡¯ve got good blood in you lad. Make us proud tomorrow, yeah?¡±

    Another white flash lit up the night sky. Leo decided to hug Ajan instead of giving a response. There were so many people he could fail. ¡°I¡¯m going to go listen to my dad. Try to pace yourself Ajan.¡±

    Ajan responded by bottoming out his horn. ¡°Tonight¡¯s not a night for pacing lad.¡±

    Leo walked up to the group. Tavr paused his story as he saw Leo¡¯s approach, interrupting the reverie of his audience. ¡°Ah, Leo. Pait tells me you were still on the altar when he left. Good job son.¡±

    Part of Leo became awash in pride, but something else froze him. He thought about telling Tavr of his encounter with Rathanni, but decided against it. Instead he took a long swig of greef. ¡°Thanks.¡± Leo sat down behind Pait, nestling himself between two other Grangari that were nearly his age. ¡°You can continue, don¡¯t let me stop you.¡±

    Tavr¡¯s brow furrowed again as his eyes lingered upon his son. Leo frowned and looked down at his drink. Tavr always tried so hard to discern him from a distance.

    One of the younger boys in the audience cut through the stifling silence. ¡°So what happened after you got the message, Tavr?¡±

    Tavr slowly looked back into the crowd of red eyes staring at him. He let out a deep breath and continued, his tense eyes melting back into the past¡¯s warm certainty. ¡°Well on the day of the war the Pride had to be organized. The oldest elder at that time, Holne was his name, ordered all of us into a long line. I remember thinking that there must have been more than a hundred men in our group. You probably know, all the men who have survived their first Communion have the mandate. I was only twenty and one then¡­¡± Tavr¡¯s eyes drifted around the audience, the behemoth red fire burning in the background. ¡°Now, the line itself, it¡¯s very important you see. Its ordering follows Rathanni¡¯s guidance. The old hold the center, the youngest hold the ends. Ten paces or so separated each person on the line. The other pride will do the same. We were told that when the two lines meet in the crimson fog, we should engage the man directly in front of us. If you do win your fight, you will move on to whichever fighter on the other side of the line has won as well, whether he is on your right or left. If your potential opponents are in combat with a man to your side, then you must wait to see if he wins before you engage. Understand this now young ones, there are only two things more dishonorable than breaking the vow of partnership: relenting in Communion, or interrupting a fight. So, I was the farthest to the left on the line. My twin brother was farthest to the right. And in the center was elder Holne. Oh yes, Holne was an old man, even older than me or Grisha if you young ones can believe it. I¡¯ve never met anyone wiser, all us young men looked up to him. But he was weak by then, living well into his white years. He struggled to lift his shield and his mace shook unsteadily in his hand. None of this was out of fear mind you. You don¡¯t get to that age without a Lion¡¯s spirit, but he was weary. His body was failing him.¡±

    ¡°So, there I stood at the edge of the group, staring across the black demarcation line. Most Grangari will never cross that line, they¡¯ll never know the feeling of stepping into another pride¡¯s territory. If you young ones haven¡¯t tried yet, hah well, give it a go one of these days. Just one leg though, you¡¯ll find the burning painful enough. A pride war is the only time that won¡¯t happen. As we stood in formation in the warm air, I looked out over the other pride standing across the demarcation line. We could not cross yet, not until the crimson fog came. But, I could see their faces. They looked exactly like us. I was scared. I knew I was strong, I had faced death before and won, but this was different. You must understand what a pride war is, young ones. The wars happen when a pride gets too big, when a pride begins to stumble under its own weight. In his wisdom, Rathanni tells us to thin ourselves, as we slaughter the milk-beasts when their herd grows too big. It is natural and healthy. But, it is an extermination. It is likely that the majority of those you stand with will die if you¡¯re called to a pride war. And indeed, my brother did die that evening.¡±

    The warmth in Tavr¡¯s eyes died. His reverie broke, his eyes drawing slowly to Leo and laying there. In the red light of the ankh fire, Leo could see his father¡¯s eyes glistening. Leo wanted to look back down, but instead he stared into Tavr¡¯s eyes, hard. There were no tears in Leo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come on then dad. You haven¡¯t finished, have you? What was the fight like?¡±

    Tavr twitched his head to the left, then continued his story. ¡°Right. Well¡­ let me remember. Yes, that¡¯s right. The crimson fog, we had heard stories of it. After some time it swept over the mountains, gliding over the wheat, chilling the air and obscuring our vision. The fog was milky white, but specks of red floated within it, like red stars in a white sky. It was cold, and when I breathed it in it set me on edge. It¡¯s a feeling that¡¯s hard to communicate, the closest thing I¡¯ve felt to it is the feeling after downing a few horns of greef. It numbs some senses as greef does, but the fog heightens others. I never felt more aggravated than the first time I breathed in the crimson fog. My fear melted away. Soon after, someone on the other side blew a horn and our line was set into motion. I was no longer able to see Holne, but I know he was the first across that demarcation line. We were told to never surpass the middle. ¡°Never surpass the middle. March straight and true through the fog until you meet your opponent,¡± that¡¯s what we were told. And so I did.¡±

    ¡°After marching through the numbing mist for a hundred heartbeats, I saw the red eyes of my first opponent shining through the fog. He must have been about my age, and he was about my size. A tall, lean boy. Soon after I laid eyes on him, the sound of combat burst through the fog on my right. A cacophony of bone hitting bone filled the air, and grunts turned to desperate yells. I remember the scent of the fresh blood, it was heightened by the crimson fog. An overpowering smell. The man to my side, I did not know him very well, but he was brave. He rushed ahead and clashed with the man before him. Hah, now look, I don¡¯t recommend this to any of you if you¡¯re called to a war, in fact I¡¯m a bit ashamed, but I watched their fight. My opponent did too. We were young, morbidly curious. The only time we¡¯d ever seen a Grangari fight another was in training. I wanted to see what it looked like.¡±

    ¡°The fellow to my side was indeed brave, but he was uncoordinated, uncontrolled. Maybe he was overcome by the intoxications of the fog, I can¡¯t say I understand it. Perhaps he simply wanted the moment to be over. Whatever the case, he rushed up to the man on my opponent¡¯s right and unleashed a wild, powerful thrash with his mace. His opponent¡¯s response was effortless. If you young ones know nothing else about combat, I hope that you all understand this by now. A swing of the mace is a commitment, never forget that. Do not make it unless you are sure that your blow will find your mark. His opponent lifted his shield in response and absorbed the blow, then responded with one of his own. A swift swing to the side caught my pridesmate defenseless. I heard one side of his ribs shatter and he keeled to the ground before his head was smashed in.¡±

    ¡°The victor stood over my pridesmate''s body, breathing hard. My opponent and I just looked at him quietly. When he did look up from the body at his feet, he met my gaze with a yell. He glared over the man to his side and began to walk towards him. I think he may have meant to kill him. Our idling was offensive. My opponent got the message though, and he began to walk towards me, mace raised in the fog. The victor, in his blood thirst, was pulled away by the next man on my side of the line. I realized then that it was my time to fight, there were no delays remaining.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I knew that I had to fight smarter than my pridesmate, he whose empty head was bleeding on the ground next to us. I was determined not to throw the first blow. I would only respond, as the victor before us did. My shield granted me protection. But, my opponent had the same idea. Haha well, he had just seen the same fight as me after all. We circled each other in the white fog, eyes locked on each other''s mace. But fog disallows complacency. As we stayed locked in our battle trance, every breath of the wet air that we took became more and more painful. It felt as if we were taking sharp crystals into our lungs. I couldn¡¯t bear it, I decided that I had to act. So, I threw a feint. I was looking to see how my opponent would react, how jumpy he would be to respond. I looked at his shield as I gave my false blow. Momentarily, my mind left the present as I tried to formulate a plan. I didn¡¯t notice his mace swing low. It caught me on the leg, near the knee. My weight collapsed under me as my leg¡¯s bones cracked open. I lay on the ground, screaming. I thought it was over at that moment, as did my opponent. He stood over me and readied his mace for my head, as the victor from before us did.¡± Tavr grinned, a rare sight. ¡°That man must have felt such superiority over us then, I¡¯m sure our pride seemed weak as he stared down at me on the ground. But, in his certainty, he lost caution. His attack was clearly telegraphed. With such a predictable blow, he should have gone for the chest. I dodged his mace with a flick of my neck as it came down, and then I battered his unprotected side. I finished him quickly, then. Powerful, but precise blows to the side and chest as he went down.¡±

    ¡°You see, fighting a man is different from fighting a lion. We have a cunning that they lack, but we are fragile. The outcome of a battle is decided in an instant. Hearing this story in the comfortable atmosphere of the Ankh Fire, your thoughts made warm and soft from greef, you may think this mistake proved him dull. But, you will all come to understand. In the heat of combat you do not fight with a right mind. Many things can go wrong. It was then that I realized the true importance of focus. A duel is not a matter of muscle, it¡¯s a matter of mind.¡±

    ¡°So, though victorious in the end, there I lay, bleeding on the ground. I thought I did not have long before death. But, when I looked over I saw that the pridesmate to my right was still alive. He had beaten the victor from before, and another after him. If anyone on the other side was to get to me, they would first have to go through him. I lay crippled on the ground for a while longer, but I was not in pain. The fog numbed me. And I didn¡¯t have to wait much longer. Soon after I was downed, the fog lifted.¡±

    ¡°After the fight, the women came upon the battlefield on their labor beasts and picked us up. Poen, my partner in my youth, came for me. I¡¯m sure none of you are old enough to have met her. She was a lovely woman. She had such soft eyes. Well, she carried me back to the Blood Temple that day. As I looked out over the battlefield, I saw my brother¡¯s dead body. I found out later that he had won his first fight, I knew he would. He was strong. The man who killed him, I tried my best to respect him, but I wanted to find him in the next war. I wanted to know the strength of the warrior who had bested my brother. But, he didn¡¯t last long enough.

    ¡°So, as you all know, that was not my last Pride War. Our Pride is a vigorous one, we grow quickly. Each time I fought another man, I learned something new. If they didn¡¯t make any of the mistakes that I had come to understand before that fight, well then I knew that they would make a new one.¡±

    Aella¡¯s voice broke through Tavr¡¯s deep, resonant timbre. ¡°How many have you killed Tavr?¡± Leo had not even noted her arrival, he must have been truly enraptured. Hearing about the success of his father gave him hope.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in three pride wars. In the first, I killed one man. In the second I killed three. And in my Last Pride war, about twenty years ago, I killed five.¡± Tavr basked in the awe of the audience, but he showed no vanity on his worn face. ¡°The last man I bested was the most skilled. He and I were nearly evenly matched, but he was older than I. I had fought my way up and down the battle line. He had happened to be to the right of where I started, towards the center. That fight was the only one in which I was able to win by overpowering my opponent. After trading enough blows, he lost his stamina. When a person gets to that point, finding a blow is easy enough. But, it was not easy getting to that point. In truth, I¡¯d wager that he would have bested me if I had fought him in his prime. Killing him granted me Ulni, Leo¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°I know that most of you young ones haven¡¯t even considered it, but what do you think happens if your partner dies in Communion? I understand it, you¡¯ve got more immediate things on your mind. You¡¯ve got to mate first after all. And yes, you will be finally given the opportunity to mate if you stand victorious on the night of your first Communion. But what then? Well, my dear Poen and I, we did consider it deeply once we had become partners. And indeed, she died one year after giving birth to my first son. After that night, I accepted that I would not feel the touch of a woman for the rest of my life. But, there was one way left for me.¡±

    ¡°Rathanni teaches us that we must not feel hatred towards the other prides. His siblings would not have hated him for what he did to them, it was a natural response to the unflinching reality of circumstance. Nature can do no evil. It is simply the way of things. Though we may engage in brutality with them, we must love the other prides as we love our own. We are all connected. This is how I was joined with Ulni.¡±

    Tavr looked back at Leo as he continued. ¡°Ulni was the partner of the last man that I killed. She was pregnant with his child during the pride war. When I killed her partner, she became mine.¡± Leo noticed the girl next to him tensing up, her nails digging into her left hand as she sat. She was staring at a boy near the edge of the crowd. ¡°She came to our village one week after the war, seeking me,¡± Tavr continued on. It had been decided that her bloodline was not to die out with the death of her partner. It was Rathanni¡¯s will. A few months after, she gave birth to my dear Sier, my one and only daughter. Soon after, Ulni was pregnant with Leo. Do you understand? Sier was not even my own blood. But, I found that I loved her like she was. I cared for and loved that girl just as much as I have all my other children.¡±

    The tense girl to Leo¡¯s right lost control of her tongue. Her voice quivered as she yelled out from the audience. ¡°You killed her father and raised her as your own! And yet, you speak as if there is dignity in that!¡± Her shrill speech cracked. ¡°Tavr, you know what we have to go through to become joined with another. We face death itself for that privilege! I know, It¡¯s Rathanni¡¯s will, I understand it damn it, and I¡¯ve made my peace with it. But now you¡¯re telling me that after all that, my partner could be killed in an ordered extermination? Oh, but not only that. You¡¯re also telling me that I should be happy to leave the only village that I¡¯ve ever known so that I can raise my slain partner¡¯s child with the man who murdered his father? So that I can birth his killer¡¯s children? It¡¯s abhorrent!¡±

    Tavr responded calmly and deliberately, as though he had had this conversation before. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you these things Eine, Rathanni tell us all. Do not question his wisdom. Understand that I respected Ulni¡¯s partner greatly. And I know, I know it well, that if my first opponent had managed to finish me, that we would have treated Poem well. When you can feel yourself in the eyes of your opponent, you will understand what I mean then. We all share in the love of our creator.¡±

    Eine was shaking with rage as she got up from her feet. Everyone around her began to back away, and Leo followed. Her anger was abrasive, but he could recognize it truly. She was terrified. ¡°Why would our creator put us through this? We follow his will blindly, yet he plays games with our hearts!¡±

    Tavr remained sitting. ¡°Conflict is what gives our lives meaning. Rathanni gives us a land of abundance. We wake up most days with the certainty that we will be given the abundance to gorge ourselves upon, and we partake in Life¡¯s pleasure. But, appreciation for these gifts comes out of our memories of hardship, with the knowledge that our lives have been tempered with pain. A life without Communion or pride wars, without glory and grief, would be meaningless, worthless.¡±

    Tavr¡¯s words only seemed to feed Eine¡¯s fire. ¡°I do not speak of Communion or the wars. I speak of loyalty. Rathanni enforces loyalty to our partners with the threat of affliction. Where does that loy¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth Eine¡±, a louder, higher-pitched voice cut Eine¡¯s words down in the air. Aella had gotten up and begun to march towards her. ¡°Tavr has forgiven your transgressions thus far, but I¡¯ve grown sick of them. You owe your life, your love, your loyalty, all of it, solely to Rathanni¡¯s grace. Nobody wants to hear you whine.¡±

    Eine¡¯s eyes pooled with tears as they fixed upon the boy she was staring at before. She tried to interject. ¡°I just wan¡­¡± ¡°Nobody cares what you want! Your doubts are your own, I don¡¯t want them,¡± Aella¡¯s voice overpowered her. Aella continued to push towards Eine as she backed away. She tripped on a rock behind her and fell to the ground, looking up at Aella as she stood before her, berating her. ¡°You disgust me, you ingrate. How can you distrust with such strength? When before in your miserable life did you get such gall. Where has your nobility gone to? So you feel a little scared, so what? Get used to it.¡±

    A firework set the air alight with a black boom. The dark streams melded in with the inky night sky, and the shining light of the stars were blotted out by obsidian. The explosion made everyone in the crowd jump, and the girl on the ground began to cry heavily. It looked like Aella might hit her. Leo looked upon the pair and saw a scene that tugged at a fresh, painful memory. His eyes scanned the crowd for Pait and didn¡¯t find him. He must have left. Leo thought to himself that he should do the same. He shuddered as he walked away from the shouting.

    After grabbing another horn of greef, Leo wandered around the Ankh Fire, listening to its violent crackling. He stepped over the snoring body of Ajan as it tossed restlessly on the grass. After walking halfway around the bonfire, he finally found Pait sitting at the edge of a crowd of children, mostly young boys. They sat around Grisha, another elder.

    Wild curly black hair meandered down to her thin shoulders. Grisha¡¯s long, lined neck creaked to the side. ¡°Wonderful to see you dear¡±, she said sweetly. Her matronly voice eased his nerves. In his mind, Grisha was his mother, more so than Ajan was his father. She had practically raised him after Ulni¡¯s death, for most of his life. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice your arrival. Rathanni is impressed with you tonight.¡± Grisha got up and clasped Leo¡¯s hand. ¡°Look now, young ones. I¡¯ve known this young man since he was a cub.¡± She looked over her audience with doting eyes. ¡°He was just like many of you boys, couldn¡¯t sit still when I told him of anything unrelated to whatever had captured his attention at that particular moment. Grisha looked up at Leo from below and squeezed the muscles of his right arm, working down to his numb wrist. ¡°But see now, he¡¯s grown into a man. He gives well to our guardian. He has learned devotion, as you all will. That is what it takes to grow up strong. And you will see him strong tomorrow. Now go dear, sit next to your friend. You¡¯re never too old to hear our story¡±.

    Leo smiled sheepishly and nodded, before going to sit next to Pait. The children watched him with golden idolization in their eyes as he passed. Pait looked over at him as he sat down, smiling, but a sneering curve in his upward turned mouth betrayed him. His cheeks were flushed and rosy, head bobbing up and down. ¡°Wow, look at you. You¡¯re a big man huh? You know, I saw Aella looking at you after she came in. She couldn¡¯t stop, actually. Whose approval do you not have tonight?¡± Pait took a long drink and looked away.

    Leo didn¡¯t bother with a response, there had been enough quarrel. These times were wearing everyone down raw. He understood why Pait had come over here. They had heard the story of their genesis more times than they could count, but there was warm comfort in the past. Leo laid down and looked up at the stars. Grisha began to speak, her speech soothing and slow. He closed his eyes, and listened.

 Chapter 5: Creation

    Before the Grangari and the Lions, before the beasts, the trees, and the wild-wheat, even before the Beast-Gods inhabited the land in between the Bulwarks, it was a barren field of cold, hard water. Towers of this hard water pointed out of the earth, reaching for the sunless sky. Like in winter, snow would fall, but it wouldn¡¯t melt before it reached the ground, and it would gather in white piles above the hard water. It may be hard for any of you to imagine such a scene, but The Elders see visions of it in their sleep. No life could survive in this cold wasteland. Until, one day, a fragment of a shooting star crashed into the center of this land, shattering a hole in the hard water. The energy of this impact carved this ancient land into our Granger. Like dropping a rock into a bucket of water, It curved the terrain, turning the flat field into waves of hills and valleys. It melted the snow and liquified the solid water. All of this melted water flowed into the hollow center of the land, into where the star shard had landed. This lake and the steaming Founding Fragment can still be seen today if you climb to the top of the Bulwarks¡¯ foothills. The Founding Fragment still burns from the impact, boiling the water around it.

    Over thousands of years, as the star began to cool, some of its primordial ash fell and pooled in the water beneath it. The star bled white, yellow, and obsidian. Each color of this star dust clung to others of its kind, eventually forming three growing clumps. After substantial time, these clumps took life and became the Beast-Gods. Rathanni, the Radiant, formed from the hot white ash, was the first to awaken. The yellow ash pooled to form Solarri, The Young Sun, while the black ash formed Umbarri, The Luminous Moon. While far less powerful than the ash that formed the Beast-Gods, some of the star shard¡¯s primordial dust is still swept from its glimmering faces by the wind. It collects in pits found all across Granger. We harness this dust to create our sacred fireworks, honoring the shard with colorful remembrance.

    The Beast-Gods swam to the land and began to walk upright, standing heavily upon large paws. Rathanni, with his resplendent white fur, was the oldest and the wisest. He was the largest and possessed the most strength. With an even temperament, he guided his brother and sister after they awoke. Solarri was smaller, more angular and lean. He had glowing, golden hair. Lacking Rathanni''s patience, he was an eternally restless immortal, quick to anger and quicker to forgive. Umbarri was black as the night sky, but she was endowed with a long, white mane. It flowed from her head past her long neck, covering her back and shoulders like a blanket. Umbarri was the smallest of the Beast-Gods, but her grace and beauty were unmatched. Possessing an enamoring charm, she was as compassionate as she was fierce. All of them saw out of narrow, blood-red eyes.

    The Beast-Gods roamed the newly carved land and found only dullness in its quietude. So, as the star shard bled to form them, the Beast-Gods bled themselves to the lake. Their divine blood pooled and formed into all manner of life. The birds, the fish, the insects, and the beasts, as well as the seeds that became the wheat and the trees, were born into a dark, empty land. They spread quickly and filled Granger with the rich sound of life. The three Beasts-Gods watched over their creations with contentment. Rathanni would guide his siblings as Umbarri cured their creation¡¯s sicknesses and Solarri culled rampant populations to keep them in balance with the land.

    Life flourished for tens of thousands of years, until a frigid wind began to blow over the Bulwarks. The powerful wind swept across the land from all sides, sapping life of its vigor. The wild-wheat turned grey and dropped to the ground, while the fish suffocated in their rivers as the water hardened around them. Then the beasts perished, followed by the rest of the Beast-Gods¡¯ creations. The Beast-Gods themselves were pushed to the brink of death, their divine energy stolen by the bitter wind. They retreated to the star shard, hiding behind its wall of steam. They soaked in the warmth of their celestial mother, but the wind grew stronger.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    In desperation and foul moods, the Beast-Gods clashed with one another for the star shard¡¯s warth. Mighty Rathanni slit Umbarri¡¯s throat. Then he broke Solarri¡¯s back and threw him in the lake. Umbarri and Sollari¡¯s blood flooded the star shard and the lake. The star shard drank the divine vigor in and began to burn ever hotter. With renewed strength, the shard pushed the frigid wind back behind The Bulwarks.

    In lonely grief, Rathanni retrieved the bodies of his lifeless siblings and mourned their loss. Atop the peak of the star shard, high away from the steam, he held Umbarri¡¯s body up over the lake. Illuminated by starlight, her white mane¡¯s reflection in the water rose high into the night sky, forming the watchful moon. Afterwards, as Rathanni honored Solarri, his golden body formed the blazing sun, shining with the same vigor that Solarri had in life. On that fateful day, Granger was lit with its brilliant golden light for the first time.

    Rathanni swam with the bodies back to the land. Here, he lay them down on the ground and carved their hearts out of their chests. Their hearts remained beating. He crushed their convulsing hearts over their bodies and let the last of their blood flow over them and into the earth. There he left them. Over the course of years, the limbs of Solarri¡¯s carcasse detached to become the Sols, and the limbs of Umbarri became the Umbras. Then, Solarri¡¯s torso grew into men, and Umbarri¡¯s torso grew into women. This is why Grangari and Lions are sacred, why we hold dominion over the lesser beasts, the lesser life. We are the collective reincarnation of the two fallen Beast-Gods. Within all you boys is the quick and vigorous Solarri. Within all you girls is the graceful and charming Umbarri. Never forget your divine heritage. This is why we must commune with our cousins. Through the consumption of the heart and flesh, we bring the flesh of the Beast-Gods together once more. By participating in Communion, we are given the great honor of reconnecting with our ancestry. In victory, we are granted the opportunity to feel the full strength of the Beast-Gods that birthed us. In defeat, we are given the privilege of returning to our roots, to be reabsorbed into the land, reincarnated into our next life. Most Grangari will die this way. It is natural and honorable. Do not be afraid, death is the course of life.

    After honoring his fallen siblings, Rathanni swam back to the star shard. There, he bled himself once again into the lake to recreate the lesser life that had existed before the frigid wind¡¯s incursion. Then, Rathanni, weary from his wounds, melded with the fallen shooting star. From here, he watches over us all, guiding his land and his creations. He heals our wounds. He keeps our fields full of food. Granger is a land of abundance only thanks to him and his fallen siblings. He wards disease from us. But, he will wield sickness selectively to maintain balance. If you commit a crime young ones, if you lay with another Grangari while you are part of a partnership, if you murder a fellow, you will find a death far worse than what you will find in Communion. You will be damned. Over the course of a few slow, agonizing days, your skin will turn black and fall off of your bones. Your vigor will be sapped and scattered to the wind, never to find another life. But, if you follow the guidance Rathanni, in his glorious wisdom, lays for us you will live a life in harmony with your pride, one without hunger or disease.

    There is one final part to this story young ones, and it is one that has yet to happen. The sun and the moon, the burning star shard and Rathanni¡¯s radiant flesh, all in concert they push the numbing winds back past the Bulwarks. But, The Elders have seen it, someday the frigid winds will overpower Granger once again. On this day, Rathanni will bleed himself one final time from within the star shard and reincarnate. The Elders have not seen what will happen after Rathanni¡¯s rebirth, but they know that it will coincide with the death of the Granger we know.

 Chapter 6: Stinging Rain

    Leo awoke to a multicolored morning sky. The cropped wheat at his back cooled him, but the sun battered down upon his front with its summer strength. The copper ashes of the Ankh Fire blew across the golden field as Leo got upright.

    He felt dazed, confused by conflicting emotions. The reality of the day struck his sleeping bliss down over the course of his first few waking moments, preceding the re-arrival of the weight. He tried to bring back the confidence from last night. He couldn¡¯t even remember what it felt like. Leo cursed to himself, why did his own self escape him so?

    A few of his pridesmates still lay upon the grass, but the field was mostly deserted. Ajan remained snoring on the ground. He probably wouldn¡¯t get up for some time longer.

    There was little time left. He had to find Tavr.

    <hr>

    Leo found Tavr sitting on his log by their Turge. He had a tendency to sit there, stiffer than the log itself, while he was waiting for Leo.

    Tavr got up from the log unsteadily. ¡°Leo, good morning. I saw that you never made it home tonight. You and Aella¡­¡±

    ¡°Dad, I fell asleep on the grass listening to Grisha.¡± I haven¡¯t seen Aella since she berated that poor girl. You could have stopped that, you know? Eine was out of her mind, but she was just scared.¡±

    ¡°I did stop it. After you left. Look Leo, I know that was distasteful to you, but Aella¡¯s a good girl. She sounds like Ulni was when she was young, living in another village. I¡¯ve heard stories¡­¡± Tavr¡¯s eyes glazed back to the past momentarily, before shooting back to the present. ¡°She¡¯s strong, devout. If you get the opportunity tonight, you should take it. Don¡¯t let her zeal scare you, it''s a sign of her loyalty¡±

    Leo walked over to the side of their turge and picked up a wooden mace and his shield from its resting place before the tanned hide walls. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that from you. Come on, let¡¯s train.¡± Leo tossed the mace to his father. Tavr winced as he caught it mid-air.

    ¡°Before that, we need to go over the basics again. Nothing is more important than the basics.¡± Leo usually rolled his eyes every time Tavr had repeated this, which was often, but not today. He knew needed to take what his father said seriously today. Nine men, Nine Lions. Leo had watched his father¡¯s last fight with bated breath and a light head, expecting his death, but he had triumphed even then.

    ¡°You heard me last night, so I¡¯ll try not to repeat myself. But remember, fighting is a mental exercise.

    Leo couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°You are repeating yourself already, dad.¡±

    Tavr shook his head and pushed on. ¡°Lions. They are imposing yes, especially Sols. They are bigger than you, they are stronger than you. They can¡¯t be disarmed and you WILL NOT overpower them. They were blessed with Solarri¡¯s strength, but we were blessed with his intelligence. If you remain in tune with the gifts that you have been given, if you stay focused and clear, you will best it. Really, what Communion truly is, it¡¯s a test of your will, your clarity. Your ability to stand strong against something that seems insurmountable.¡±

    Leo stifled a scoff. Is that really all it is then dad? All in my head? His nose flared. What, Sier was just too weak-minded? He couldn¡¯t suppress his incredulity. ¡°And how hard will my thoughts push back against it when it decides to tackle me?¡±

    Tavr rubbed his temples. ¡°You¡¯re still not understanding Leo. If you are in the right position to guard against a Sol¡¯s tackle when it comes, you can handle it.¡± He looked Leo up and down. ¡°I know you''re proud of those new muscles. But, your physical strength is least important.¡±

    ¡°Oh good,¡± Leo said. ¡°So the body doesn¡¯t matter. Well then, I suppose you will never die.¡±

    ¡°DAMN IT LEO!¡± Tavr snapped. He flung his hand forward into the space between them. ¡°WILL YOU TAKE SOMETHING SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE.¡± His voice boomed in the still air. ¡°I KNOW YOU SAW SIER DIE. YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT IT¡¯S LIKE TO LOSE HOPE. YOU THINK HER PAIN UNBURDENED YOU FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, LIKE HER DEATH ABSOLVES YOU OF THE GUILT OF NOT TRYING. OH I KNOW! BUT YOU HAVEN¡¯T SEEN YOUR TWO LOVES, MOTHERS OF YOUR CHILDREN, MAULED TO DEATH. MY WIVES ARE GONE! MY FIRST SON IS GONE! MY DAUGHTER IS GONE! NEARLY MY ENTIRE FAMILY IS DEAD!

    Leo took a step back. He didn¡¯t think he actually had the capacity to injure Tavr so.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember Ulni¡¯s death,¡± Tavr continued, regaining control of his usual, measured speech. But, his red eyes were still staring daggers, burning into Leo¡¯s. ¡°She had a flame within her that could light an Ankh Fire. It was stronger than yours. But, that didn¡¯t save her after she lost control of her mace arm. Despite all her strength, it took one carelessly defended swipe of an Umbra¡¯s paw to end that woman¡¯s life. My first son, he died because he couldn¡¯t control himself. I didn¡¯t prepare him enough. After Poen died I couldn¡¯t. You need to be better damn it, better than they were.¡± Tavr stood glaring at his son, breathing heavily until his eyes began to soften, his white eyebrows flattening above his creased face. "Look, Leo. I will die next Communion. I will.

    Leo looked upon his father, the symbol of unyielding strength that he had known all his life. His spine was beginning to bend under his large stature. His legs shook. Leo realized truly, for the first time, that his father was frail.

    ¡°I know I haven¡¯t been the best father to you. It¡¯s been hard, a large part of me is already dead. But please, Leo, let the rest of me die before you do. I want to see you start a partnership, have kids. I want to meet my grandchildren. Don¡¯t make me go out of this world alone.¡±

    Leo choked back tears. He never knew what to say to his father. His usual silent judgment, he hated to confront it directly. Tavr buried himself under layers, and Leo was happy to join him under the earth. It was cold and safe there. Now though, the white man was revealed. Leo would tell him what he truly felt. Really, it was simple. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die dad.¡±

    Tavr¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Then let¡¯s train.¡±

    <hr>

    The two trained for thousands of pounding heartbeats as the sun rose higher in the sky. First, Tavr hit Leo¡¯s shield with the mace repeatedly. Leo¡¯s wrist shook after each blow. He was surprised that his white father still possessed such bestial strength. Then, Tavr watched silently as Leo practiced his blows in the air, over and over. Leo trained his muscles and then ran to train his heart. Finally, it was time for Leo to hone his reflexes.

    ¡°Blocking is crucial, but it has its time and place,¡± Tavr said. ¡°The force of a Lion¡¯s swipe should only be taken when absolutely necessary. ¡°Even if you block well, you will find the power of their strikes disorienting.¡± He frowned. ¡°They¡¯re far stronger than I. Much better to evade its strike and follow up with a swift counter attack.¡±

    Tavr picked the white, wooden mace up once more. Leo braced himself as his eyes wandered over its harsh form. The wooden mace was indeed just wood, lacking the strength of the hardened bone that was used during Communion, but it was still hard, and cruel. Bones could be broken. Leo shuffled  back and forth. He had never been good at dodging.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Tavr found his eyes, recognizing his apprehension. ¡°It¡¯s good to be afraid of the weapon. The fear of pain will charge your dodges. Focus on the mace, and control your movements. Feel your body¡¯s presence in space. Every move you make, every step, every twitch, should be intentional. Never, never allow yourself to lose control of your actions. Now, I won¡¯t surprise you here. The Lion won¡¯t know how to throw a feint. The blows will be quick and powerful, but they will be predictable. Maintain your concentration.¡±

    Tavr walked up closely to his son. He readied the mace and waited, his arm hanging in the air. Leo¡¯s body was twitchy, he didn¡¯t feel in control. The anxiety of the pain offset his carefully constructed balance.

    The first strike exploded out of Tavr¡¯s arm, a sweeping, horizontal strike towards Leo¡¯s center. Leo ducked low, clearing the mace by a good margin. The sound of the mace followed Leo down to the ground. As he crouched, Leo craned his neck to keep his eyes upon the hissing mace as it arced above his head. Tavr maintained the momentum of the mace through a half circle, redirecting it back towards Leo. A lower strike. Leo leapt back. He wondered how long he would have to keep this up.

    Tavr stopped the mace in the air. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable Leo. But, it''s better if you can close the distance after an attack. Maneuver yourself into their blind spots, and lock up their movements. If the lion¡¯s shoulder faces you after a swipe, you should step inside and strike its ribs. But, if you do manage to get a good blow in, keep your shield up. There is great strength in desperation, in both Grangari and Lions. This comes from the unchaining of the mind, the release of the more mature inhibitions. When you¡¯ve gotten your opponent to this state, you¡¯ve already won. Exploit their tired mind.

    Tavr gave Leo a small nod, then raised his mace high in the air above his head. After a few moments he leapt forward, delivering an overhead blow. Leo sidestepped the blow and watched the mace pass close by his face, hissing in the air. If that had hit me¡­ The Blood Temple could heal any wounds, but only if he survived the distance to an altar. I suppose I should be proud of his confidence in me. THWACK!

    The mace had been redirected and hit him in the stomach. His breath escaped him, thrust out with a forced exhale. He tried to breathe in, but no air would enter. Detached from his body, he watched himself fall to the ground from a distance. ¡°HUrghh¡± He lay floundering on the ground, attempting to take in any life. White lines and dots swam in his head as he stared up at a pulsing sky. Eventually he managed a wheeze, then more followed. He turned his head to see his father standing stiffly to the side, mace hanging in a shaking hand. As his face came into clearer focus, Leo could see the emotions in his red eyes, shrouded by bushy brows. He was sad. Ashamed.

    Leo got himself up with great difficulty and turned away, he couldn¡¯t bear to look at that. He walked in the opposite direction of his father, one unsteady step after another. Something stopped him, an arm wrapped around his middle. Tavr was behind him, hugging him. Leo couldn¡¯t remember the last time that his father had touched him, aside from a few stiff pats on the back or a hand on the shoulder. Leo¡¯s heart dropped in his chest. He was saying goodbye.

    <hr>

    Leo walked on, and on. He didn¡¯t know where he was going, but he was going somewhere, somewhere away from where he had been. He looked up at the mountains and their foothills. Dark clouds were coming over the peaks, squeezing their way through the cracks of the gray rock. The mountains, their powerful, grand isolation, their relegation from the expansive golden hills below them, their green tranquility drew him in. So, he walked.

    His emotions were trapped, chained in his bruised chest, containing the burn. At first, all he felt was stiffening anger. But, as he walked, as he moved closer to The Bulwarks, the chains began to loosen and drop away. The burn escaped. This wasn¡¯t the same as the flood, and the pressing weight had been broken by Tavr¡¯s harsh strike. He was free of dread, there was nothing more to worry about. He was finished, broken. It was time to accept his reality.

    Water fell. It fell from the sky. It fell and stung his face. First a trickle, then a flood. But Leo kept walking towards the mountains, mud covering his ankles.

    Why do I put myself through this? It¡¯s a joke. Pointless. I¡¯m just too slow, always have been. Visions of Sier pushed through him. The Umbra tackling her, her muffled screams. He remembered Tavr¡¯s shocked, helpless look as they watched her small body get ravaged, devoured. Tavr did die that day. He won¡¯t cry the same way this time. Leo chuckled painfully, salty rain covering his mouth. All this worry and work¡­ fuck it.

    He looked out from a high bluff and watched the dark clouds cover his village, blotting out the glowing sun. The rain fell on. Leo thought about all that he would lose. His body, his community, his friends, his love. Leo pictured Aella¡¯s face. The warm, glowing potential of life, all dashed. Rathanni played with his hopes. To build him up and throw him back down. What kind of response did he want to elicit?

    He had thought he won, thought he proved his zeal. But yesterday was washed away. If he was truly worthy, why did he have to wonder about it so damn much? Why the doubt? The course of these last few days seemed so erratic. Rathanni¡¯s message was confused. If someone was born weak or worthy, as Pait believes, then life is just a river. Rain¡¯s journey is set the moment it lands on the ground. Did he have any control over its flow? No, of course not! He can¡¯t stand to the side of it, he can¡¯t stand above it. Watch it, be aware of it as it sweeps you away. And be happy, be grateful for its cruelty. Fuck it! Death was coming, and he just had to walk into it. The point is to face it.

    Mud upon an incline above spewed down upon Leo¡¯s legs as he turned away from the bluff. It caked his skin. This rain was intolerable. Leo noticed the shallow void of a cave to the side of him, and he walked steadily towards it. When he walked inside the smell of still, damp air choked him.

    Leo tried to collect himself. The confines of the cave bottled his emotions up, making him swim in them. His thoughts were no longer able to escape into the storm. He began to pace relentlessly. The pounding rain battered the earth above him. The dark walls of the cave encroached ever closer to him, squeezing him. They collapsed in on him. Time is passing, I can¡¯t stop it. It pushes forward with the force of a hundred thousand blows, the weight of mountains. I can¡¯t stop it. All I can do is struggle helplessly, struggle until its clutches come close enough to grab my naked wrists and pull me into the cold void. There¡¯s no time left. What¡¯s left will pass, and then it will all be over.

    Leo continued his short, rapid paces. With every cycle, he moved slowly deeper into the void. After hundreds of stagnant turns, his foot squelched into something dank and dripping, and the smell of rotting flesh exploded into the air. He looked down into the dark stone and saw the remains of a carcass, covered in crimson mushrooms. Just then, a depraved figure appeared in the entrance. It was sopping wet, its dripping chest fur dragging along the dark stone as it entered. The ragged, deep sound of a low snarl echoed off the cave walls. Its red eyes stared Leo down.

    Leo looked at the Sol and yelled at it. The muscles of his arms and legs contracted, and his abdomen began to cramp. He ran out of the cave, past the Sol and into the dim light. He felt so angry.

    Leo looked up at the bleeding sky and yelled into the clouds. ¡°YOU TAUNT ME STILL! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO ANGER YOU SO? WHY DO I EXIST IF JUST TO DIE? WHY DID YOU PUT ME UPON THIS LAND JUST TO SUFFER¡± Rain soaked his body. ¡°WHAT¡¯S THE POINT? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT YOU WANTED. I¡¯VE TRIED MY BEST! BUT, NOTHING THAT I DO IS ENOUGH. THERE¡¯S NO PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DIVINE, JUST COMMANDS. AND YOU WON¡¯T EVEN MAKE YOUR FUCKING COMMANDS CLEAR!¡± More cold rain. ¡°YOU WON¡¯T GIVE ME ANY ASSURANCE. YOU WONT EVEN GIVE ME A FUCKING ANSWER?¡± Leo no longer knew what was his sadness and what was his anger, it was all the same wet, stinging confluence, pouring out of him. ¡°SO AM I SUPPOSED TO STRUGGLE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT? WHY DO I TRY. YOU GIVE ME NO WAY OUT. WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS FROM YOU?¡± ¡°The rain aggravated Leo, each cold drop pulling at his frayed being. He wanted to punch every drop. But, there was no use fighting against the sky. Even this there is no point to. I torture myself for living. The weight did not go away. The future still thrust itself upon his mind with no reprieve. No amount of anger, no divine emotion, nor any rationality could change the reality. The anger poured out of him in waves. ¡°Do you simply hate me, is that it? Is my existence an affront to your dignity? What do you expect of me? I¡¯VE TRIED, DAMN IT?. IF YOU WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING, WHY DON¡¯T YOU MAKE IT CLEAR? I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT FROM ME. STOP YOUR  TORTURE! Leo¡¯s head felt light, and he stumbled down. ¡°I¡¯m doing what I can.¡±

    A ray of white light hit his head and he looked back up at the sky. The clouds were beginning to clear. Leo¡¯s tight chest released.  He was spent. He stumbled over to a large, coppery boulder sticking out of the mud. Leo clambered onto it and sat upon its rough surface, one of his arms resting on an upright knee, hanging his head. The sun was coming out again in force. He could hear the ground crackling as earth sucked up water, while the sun tried to wrench it back into the sky with its rays. The sunlight warmed his dripping body, face, and mind. He lay there for a thousand, slow heartbeats. It wasn¡¯t over yet. He had a chance. One chance. Make it count.

 Chapter 7: Will to Power

    When Leo arrived back at his Turge, the sun was beginning to set. A glowing orange lit up the sky. Tavr was nowhere to be found, he was probably off by the arena preparing the Lions. As Leo ate what he knew may be his final dinner, he watched dusk creep into home. Aloneness weighed upon him. He wondered how his friends were faring on this day. He worried for Pait. His fate appeared grim. Then Leo chuckled wryly. Aella on the other hand, she¡¯s probably excited.

    After he finished eating, Leo grabbed his shining shield and walked towards the orange in the sky as it bruised to a deep purple. A full white moon appeared. It hung stilly in the sky like a specter, its black coat overtaking what remained of the pale blue of day. Its silent silver light shone with a quiet dimness as it watched the nightscape become abuzz with motion.

    Soon, Leo found himself in a crowd, with new Grangari trickling into the marching torrent. Everyone in the village was walking to the arena. Soon enough, its black metal framing came into view. A volley of three fireworks exploded in the sky framed by the metal. White, yellow, and obsidian. As the boom of the explosion died down, the marching feet of the crowd around him melded with a distant drumming. Leo took a shallow breath, he was feeling the energy of Communion. He had long dreaded this feeling. It had always meant watching pridesmates locked in combat, fighting the threat of death. But now, now he would be the one looked upon.

    The arena stood upon the outskirts of the village. It was a strange, disconcerting looking building. The lower half of it was covered in tanned hide, as the turges were, but branching metal branches grew up out of the top of the hide. The branches meandered around the upper side, caving inward to form the top of the sphere. Grangari entered through a large square cut out of the hide in the side that faced the village. The Lions would enter through the back. Inside the arena the pit was cut into the earth, the bottom cap of the sphere, where they would meet.

    As Leo approached the arena, he saw his father through gaps in the heads of the crowd. He was standing a few paces to the side of the entrance. Leo broke through the torrent and walked up to him tepidly.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry about earlier. I needed some space.¡±

    Tavr looked down on his son and nodded his head once. ¡°I understand, Leo. I know why you wanted to become a woodcutter. You find peace in the wild. So be it. I hope you feel ready.¡±

    Leo gave his father an incredulous look, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Look son, there¡¯s more I wanted to say to you.¡± Tavr pulled Leo away from the thundering crowd and the drums, off towards the warm silence of the night. ¡°I want you to understand this Leo. You are strong. You have my blood, the blood of my parents and their parents within you. I know that it is hard for you to control yourself, but that¡¯s natural, it''s normal. You have the fire of youth. I had it too. I know what it feels like. Well no, honestly¡­

    Tavr began to look at him with a more earnest look than Leo was used to. His red eyes bored into Leo¡¯s. ¡°You, Leo, I can tell that your fire is of a different intensity. Yours is more wild than mine ever was. It has been since you were a boy, too young for you to remember. I suppose you got that from Ulni. The truth is, you¡¯re not in control, you can¡¯t be. Your fire is more powerful than you have the ability to handle. So, if you can¡¯t control it, then channel it. Perhaps it has been foolish of me to ask you to stifle it. There is power in it, it¡¯s vigor distilled. But understand that you cannot let it run rampant. You must force your fire to fuel only what you give it, or it will escape and turn into a maelstrom of impotent anger and crippling fear. Do not let it sabotage you.¡±

    Leo¡¯s mouth twitched. He had been hanging on to the top rim of his shield throughout this father¡¯s speech, letting it dangle about his legs. Finally, Leo forgot of its presence as he dropped it upon the ground. ¡°Dad, I wish I knew what you meant, but I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t understand what the difference is. I don¡¯t know how to stifle it. I don¡¯t know how to channel it either.¡±

    Tavr closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out a tense breath. ¡°Ok son. Maybe you can understand this then.¡± Suddenly, Tavr thrust his stiff arm upwards and placed a shaking hand on Leo¡¯s shoulder. He pulled on the shoulder, guiding Leo¡¯s eyes to look into his own more directly. Leo convulsed. He had never seen such an intense display of emotion in those dark, red eyes. ¡°Leo! Grit your teeth, you must not give up! If you get caught by a swipe, if you get slashed in the chest, if you¡¯re bleeding out of the floor of that pit, you do not give up! Not then, not ever! You keep moving forward! Fight until your last breath leaves your body. There¡¯s no room for doubt in this world. If Rathanni put you upon this land to do something, you do it, unflinchingly! We may not always understand each other Leo, but I know that you hear what I¡¯m telling you right now. You can do this son.¡± Tavr pulled his son into a hug.

    Once more, Leo did not know what to say, but Tavr did not look for his gaze again. After Tavr released him, he walked away silently. He was off to prepare the Lions.

    <hr>

    Leo turned around after a few moments, after he had waited for the sound of his father¡¯s footsteps in the dirt to disappear. He was greeted with the blood red moon hanging in the night sky, the purity of Umbarri¡¯s white mane stained with red. The red moon shone bright, brighter than the demure silver it had feigned before. It painted the inky night sky with a shimmering scarlet, drowning the blue stars. Three black fireworks erupted into the sky. Leo picked his shield up off the ground.

    As Leo walked back to the arena he watched the last of the torrent drain into the arena. He walked through the entrance, following it. A middle aged man stood inside, handing a horn of greef to everyone who walked in. Leo grabbed it readily and bowed his head in thanks. The man bowed his head back. ¡°Good luck Leo¡±, came after him as he walked up the steps and into the audience. It was customary to refrain from speaking to a fighter on their night of Communion unless prompted, but Leo appreciated it.

    Leo walked up the final few steps. The first thing he saw upon reaching the top was the drummer¡¯s platform. Overhanging the pit, the drummers sat before the audience. The sound of their drums thrummed throughout the arena, charging the atmosphere. All along the ring to their sides, throngs of people covered the spectator platforms, bathing in the crimson moonlight. They chattered intensely. All these people. A jittering burst of emotion burst out of Leo¡¯s chest, choking his throat and causing his eyes to well up. He wanted to sit. The audience¡¯s presence drowned his thoughts and senses, but Leo looked hazily around the ring for Pait. Tavr was with the Lions, he would not be among the audience until the last Lion was released. He would miss every fight except for the last, Leo¡¯s. There was a good reason for why Tavr was the elder chosen to handle the Lions tonight. A father would never be expected to miss the fight of his child.

    Pait would be with his family-a mother, a father, and a brother. Leo located the family after walking around for an aimless few panicked heartbeats. Pait¡¯s mother, Shia, was the first one to notice Leo as he approached. She looked at him with proud excitement, pleading him with her eyes to say something first.

    ¡°Good eve everyone.¡± Leo did his best to give a genuine smile.

    Pait¡¯s younger brother Keo shot his platinum blond adorned head to the side and grinned widely. His large eyes grew larger. ¡°You¡¯re finally here!¡± Pait followed with a languid turn of his head, his face pale and his eyes red. He opened his mouth to say something, but his father drowned him out. ¡°Leo! Good eve, lad.¡±

    ¡°Your father¡¯s preparing the lions this Communion, isn¡¯t that right Leo? Please, sit,¡± Shia said as she made room for him next to her and Pait .

    ¡°Yes, that''s right. Thank you Shia.¡± Leo laid his horned shield upon his lap as he sat down upon the row.

    Keo, sitting next to Pait, stared at Leo with unblinking, sparkling eyes. ¡°You¡¯re up tonight! You ready? How you gonna do it Leo? I bet fast and angry. Well, I saw the way your dad fights though. Hehe, no not you, Leo. You¡¯re gonna go in there and¡­

    ¡°Tssk, shush boy,¡± Shia hissed. ¡°This is no easy task, it¡¯s not a game. Give him his peace.¡±

    Leo tried to maintain his smile in the face of Keo¡¯s adulation. The kid had not lived to see anyone in their family die yet.

    A long volley of fireworks erupted, one after the other for a hundred heartbeats. A cavalcade of booms shook the sky. White, yellow, and black dust fell back upon the audience, covering the arena in an omni-colored sand. The volume of the drums was subdued as Grisha walked alone into the center of the pit. She looked up at the audience with ashen eyes.

    Her voice seemed to be possessed by a foreign force as she began to speak. Its usual soft, sweet tone was replaced with shrill thunder. ¡°My Grangari, welcome! It is that time of year once more, the time which we are given to give thanks and commune with our heritage. I know that all those fighting tonight feel prepared. We feel the energy, our vigor rushes from our hearts with force.¡±

    ¡°Since time immemorial we have known Granger to be a land of peace and abundance. But, let us not forget why we are here. The star-shard melted the ice off the land and birthed the first ancestors, the Beast-Gods. We exist because of conflict between these divine beings. They fought for life, and in their strife they fertilized the land for their children. Conflict is the essence of life, struggle is the blood in our veins.

    ¡°There shall be twenty-one fights tonight. The old will start and the young will finish out the evening. Elder Eshan will be the first to fight, and Leo will be the last. Every combatant will be given a mace, a shield, and a horn of greef before they step into the pit. They will be given all the time they need to complete the Communion. The fight shall end when a heart is consumed, whether Grangari or Lion. No aid will be given to a failing fighter. There are no further rules that need repeating. Solarri lives in all of you men, young and old, and Umbarri lives in all of you women. For those who will die tonight, do not despair. Your vigor will live on. Communion gives the weak reprieve. Remember this and be thankful. For those of you that will triumph, a glimpse of the divinity of the dead gods awaits you. I envy the opportunity you shall be given tonight. Now, let us begin!¡±

    At Grisha¡¯s signal, the drums were battered upon ferociously. Eshan got up off his row and began to walk back out to the entrance. All the fighters entered the pit from the outside, as the Lion¡¯s did. He walked with wide, quick strides. His head remained locked in place, looking towards the entrance. This man was full of vigor. The white hair atop his head disappeared from Leo¡¯s vision as he walked down the entry steps. During the intermission, Keo started back up again in impatience. ¡°He¡¯s so old. You think he has a chance, Pait?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Pait shook his head. There was no light in his eyes. ¡°No, Keo.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the Elders¡±, said Pait¡¯s father. There¡¯s a reason they managed to get to their white years. Men older than Eshan have won out against a Sol.¡±

    Eshan appeared in the back of the Arena as he walked out from a small entry next to the Lion¡¯s gate. In his right hand he held a mace, in his left a shield, both made of hardened bone. The head of the mace was smooth, but his shield possessed a dull horn in the center.

    Leo¡¯s chest was tight, his breaths shallow and unsteady. His body was tense and jittery. He was last, he would have to sit and watch all the fights before his night would finally be decided. The needle attacked him again and again. He just had to sit and watch. Impatience and fear competed for his tormented thoughts.

    Tavr appeared out of the entrance to the pit. His face was indiscernible from where Leo sat in the top rows, but the bulk of white hair that surrounded it clearly marked his identity. In one hand he held a long horn of greef. Tavr walked up to Eshan and gave it to him. Eshan grabbed it with a wide, nimble swipe. The two white haired men appeared to exchange words, before they exchanged a quick hug. Eshan held the horn high in one hand and clapped Tavr on the back with the other as they embraced. Tavr laughed heartily, something Eshan must have said. Then the two men smiled widely, wide enough for it to be seen in the audience. Leo looked on with disparagement. Where was their fear?

    Eshan drank the contents of the horn with one long swig, before throwing it to the side of the ring. When Tavr reached back where he entered from, he lowered a metal gate in his place.

    The drums reached a crescendo as the Lion¡¯s Gate opened. The black metal¡¯s cold ringing preceded the Sol¡¯s entrance. Tavr had chosen and prepared the Lion, but now it needed no further direction. Its maned head peeked out into the ring, then its golden body followed. It was an old one. Its long face was scarred and snarled, its body gaunt. It roared with a scratchy boom.

    Eshan responded with a roar of his own. He stared at the Lion as it approached the center of the pit, shouting a stream of guttural sounds and banging on his shield with his mace. The Sol charged steadily into the barrage of sounds, its head locked onto Eshan¡¯s.

    Once the Lion reached Eshan, it unleashed a swipe upon him. Eshan ducked the swipe with expert grace and pummeled the Lion¡¯s other paw on his way down. The Lion cried out in pain. It lifted itself up on its back legs and attempted a tackle. Eshan braced his shield with his maced forearm and pushed back against the Lion¡¯s weight as it crashed into him. The Lion bellowed as the shield¡¯s dull horn pressed in on its chest. If it tried to force the tackle and overpower Eshan, the horn would break its ribs. Eshan roared and forced the shield in further. The Lion pushed itself off the shield and scrambled down to all fours. Eshan did not relent, he hit the Lion hard twice in the shoulder. The Lion tried to lift its arm in retaliation, but found it unresponsive. It was crippled. In desperation it lunged its neck forward and tried to bite Eshan¡¯s throat, but all it found was empty air, and then the ball of a mace. Eshan was aggressive, but he was deliberate. He had stepped back after getting his hits in and prepared another counter-attack.

    Now, the fight was over. After dazing the Lion with a strong hit to the head, Eshan stepped in towards his recoiling opponent and pounded the Lion¡¯s chest in. The Lion let out one final, whimpering breath as Eshan went in towards its heart. He opened its skin with the horn of his shield and then cut a path through the lion¡¯s ribs with blows from his mace. He reached into a new, gaping hole in the Lion¡¯s chest and grabbed its heart. He pulled it out and held it up to the audience, before devouring it. The audience cheered.

    Pait¡¯s family erupted into applause. Keo shouted ¡°Did you see that! There¡¯s not a scratch on him! That was a domination!¡±

    Leo was amazed by the spectacle of it, but not surprised. Eshan fought with the skill of his father, perhaps with a bit more hostility. He was vigorous, and in control.

    A golden firework burst into the sky.

    Eshan collapsed onto the ground. Two young, but seasoned men, came into the pit and put him on a long piece of leather bound by two thick wooden poles. They hoisted him up and carried him away. He was off to the blood temple to heal. After he woke up he would walk to the Ankh Fire and light it. All of the victors would slowly gather by the fire over the course of the night. The old would greet the young in victory and they would all celebrate. After Leo¡¯s fight, the whole pride would go to the Ankh Fire. Those were always the most vibrant and lively nights. Leo¡¯s heart twinged in longing.

    Four more burly men came into the ring and wrapped the Lion¡¯s desecrated corpse in leather. They would carry it to the blood temple as well, but a different fate awaited it. It would be thrown into the reincarnation pit, its vigor recycled into the earth. Grisha shouted out the next fighter''s name and the night continued on.

    Leo¡¯s prolonged tension suffocated his mind into a red trance. The drums, the Grangari fighter, the Lion. The mace, the snarls, the howls, the blood and the sound of cracking bone. Time went on and on. Fight after fight after fight. Another win, two losses, three wins, a loss.

    Leo knew all the fighters. Kash put up a good fight, but he didn¡¯t have the vigor. He thought of Kash¡¯s partner, Kera. He didn¡¯t know how she could go on now. How could she replace that emptiness? A sudden pinch of guilt pulled him out of his red trance. He should feel more mourning for those who died. But mostly, he just felt fear. Fear and confusion.

    What remained of Kash was wrapped up and taken away. The next fight began, and the trance seeped back into Leo¡¯s mind.

    Leo wallowed in this extended disreality. It seemed as though this night lasted forever. Twenty-one fights¡­ Such a number was unseemly high. The pride was large, large enough for there to be pride war on the horizon. And there were good fighters in this age block. A significantly large chunk of the pride was up for Communion this night. Its numbers were raised higher than the others each time they were called.

    The time was sobering, so more greef was handed out to the audience. Leo looked at his small, distorted reflection in the ochre liquid. He realized something. He may be the last Grangari among all the prides to fight tonight. Rathanni would be watching him with special attention. He downed the liquid. There were more fights to watch.

    <hr>

    ¡°AELLA!¡± Grisha called her name. Leo was pulled into sudden coherence. Pait edged closer to the front of his seat. It was her time.

    Aellas got off her row near the drummers and walked briskly to the entrance. Leo shouted at her in his mind. You need to win! As she walked below Leo she looked up at him and winked. Leo¡¯s face exploded into a smile. There was not a bit of fear in those large eyes. How was she so damn confident?

    ¡°Tssk¡± came from Leo¡¯s side. Pait¡¯s mouth cringed and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead he flicked his head to the side and watched Aella leave the audience. Leo wanted to say something. Not in front of his family.

    Aella walked into the center of the ring with her confident gait, now holding her mace and shield. Tavr came in and gave her a horn, which she downed before he had closed the gate. And then the Umbra came out.

    The young Umbra¡¯s white mane had just begun to grow down towards its midsection. The brilliant ivory white of the mane began to darken in its new growth. Surrounding the mane was the obsidian black fur fitting of one that stalked at night. Its black tipped tail swished as it approached Aella.

    Aella remained silent and focused as the Umbra came up to her. She made slow patterns in the air with her mace as she began to circle the Lion. She began to make short, rapid bounces back and forth. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it became clear that Aella was not making the first move.

    The Lion lunged at her and she dodged its swipes with fluid grace, her long black hair gliding in arcs through the air. The Umbra never made contact with her bouncing body. Her agility and precision stunned the crowd. Ample opportunities were given to her to strike back, but she remained on the defensive. The Umbra roared in confused frustration. It tried a tackle, but she sidestepped it with ease. Long lines of drool began to seek from the Umbra¡¯s mouth. She was tiring it out. Who knew she had such restraint?

    The Lion lashed out once more and Aella jumped back. Blood seeped from a gash in her fur skirt. Leo¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the side of the blood and he narrowed his eyes. Come on Aella. Show that thing your fury.

    Aella suddenly stopped bouncing as the Lion pressed the attack. She blocked a few of its swipes with her shield. They were right next to each other when she screamed. She threw her shield to the side and threw a punch directly at the Lion¡¯s jaws. It accepted her gift and clamped down on her wrist, its fangs locking the arm down. The audience let out a collective gasp. What the fuck are you doing?

    But then, the Umbra cried out in pain. Her mace swung into its long head. It tried to recoil, but Aella grabbed its jaw from the inside of its mouth. From there she went in on it, pummeling its whimpering head again and again. The Umbra fell within a matter of seconds, its skull smashed.

    The crowd¡¯s silent shock turned to raucous awe. ¡°What even¡­¡± Pait said.

    His father chuckled. ¡°In all my life I¡¯ve never seen something like that.¡±

    Aella had gotten to its heart. As she consumed it, her mauled arm began to steam. Leo shook his head slowly in astonishment. The anxiety he felt when she began to bleed turned to purple shame. What was that? I. I need to be worthy of her? Aella fainted.

    Present reality hit again as the next fighter¡¯s name was called. ¡°PAIT¡±.

    Pait cringed at the word. The red in his eyes welled out tears. A sharp, painful sound broke out of him. ¡°Wait¡­ Not now. No. I¡¯m not¡­¡± He looked to his father. The brutal harshness in father¡¯s face silenced him, but the tears streamed out of his eyes. The audience tried not to look his way.

    Shia¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°Have faith, Pait, please¡­¡±

    Leo and Pait exchanged looks. Leo tried to speak, to say something.  His head tilted to the side as he spoke, trying to dredge the words out of him. ¡°Pait¡­¡±

    Pait¡¯s gave a wet and wavering reply. ¡°Goodbye¡±.

    Keo¡¯s bright face darkened as he walked away. ¡°What? Pait?¡±

    He walked with his head down to the entrance, his shoulders slumped. When he appeared again in the ring, he looked the same, his weapons drooping to his side. When Tavr handed him his horn, he drank it in shallow, shakey sips.

    Pait¡¯s father looked over to his youngest. ¡°Keo, prepare yourself.¡±

    The Sol entered and gauged its opponent. It looked for Pait¡¯s eyes, but didn''t find them as Pait stared into the ground. Its approach quickened. Come on Pait! This isn¡¯t even a fight!

    As the Lion came closer, Pait swung his mace wildly into the air, attempting to halt its approach. The Sol circled him, waiting for him to slow. And he did, and the Lion was upon him.

    It tackled him, easily throwing Pait¡¯s tired shield, then pressed its weight upon his arms and legs. The death was instant.

    Pait¡¯s whole family looked down, all except for Keo. His eyes remained locked on his brother¡¯s body as it was devoured. His face shot white and from his small mouth came incoherent whimpers. As Leo looked at his quivering face, anger replaced his sadness. He fumed inside his head. Damn it Pait! What the fuck kind of a fight was that! You didn¡¯t even try! He looked on as Pait¡¯s body was wrapped up and the Lion was led away. Is that how you wanted your family to remember you, your little brother?

    Leo¡¯s anger was broken by a sharp, deep stab of the needle at Grisha¡¯s voice. ¡°LEO¡±.

    The world grew silent around him. The time had come. It was his turn to fight.

 Chapter 8: SHATTER

    I get up. I grab my shield. I don¡¯t look for the eyes of anybody around me. And I walk to the exit.

    There¡¯s an eerie silence as I leave the audience. I can assume that everyone is watching me as I descend down to the pit. Down to where Pait just died. As I walk out into the open air my head spins. This is it. Damn it, THIS IS IT! Tonight may be the last time that I breathe this warm night air, that I feel the weight of my body upon my legs. This may be the last time that I ever see my father. I may never see Aella again. I will never see Pait again. My friend. He didn¡¯t stand a chance. His death hasn¡¯t yet seemed real. I just watched so many people die. But they are really gone, all of them, including him. And I may be next. Tears escape from me. In my blurry eyes I see Sier, and Pait, struggling under the weight of their death. How did it feel when they were face to face with one of those savages? When they truly knew that there was nothing they could do? How much does it hurt when your throat gets torn open? Is that really going to be me?

    I round the walls of the arena. There is little time to ruminate, the time for that has passed. I see my father, his worn white face staring at me as I approach. He holds a mace. My fucking eyes won¡¯t dry.

    ¡°Dad¡±. When I see his eyes more clearly, I can see. They¡¯re wet too.

    He hands me my weapons with shaking hands. His unsteady voice explodes out of him in a trembling burst. ¡°Leo. S¡­ Son. Look at me, here. Look.¡± Never in my life did I expect him to look at me the way he is right now. ¡°Understand, you¡¯re not dead yet. You¡¯re alive! So keep your head up! Remember what I told you. Stay strong and vigorous. Stay controlled. You¡¯ve got to win this. Please. Please son.¡±

    The world feels so heavy. So heavy. But, I nod.

    And he says, ¡°Now, wipe your damn tears, and get out there.¡±

    I wipe my damn tears. And I get out there.

    <hr>

    As I walk into the shining, red pit, I look up. All these people, they look at me. Everyone I know who has not yet fought watches me, save Tavr. He will join the audience soon. At my feet, the rough sound of the tri-colored sand rubbing upon the arena floor grates my mind. Rathanni, he watches me too. I can feel it, I¡¯m the last fight of this Grangari night.

    I¡¯ve shown him my devotion, my strength, but also my weakness. I wonder. I wonder if he has any real control over what happens to me tonight. Maybe he doesn¡¯t care. The Lion I fight is as much of his child as I am. But, I need to feel like I have some sort of his support. Why have I tried so hard if it didn¡¯t matter?

    I hear the sand move behind me. Tavr, my father, dad-he approaches me. In his hand, a horn. Out here, watched by all those that he demands respect from, the white man appears much more composed than he did before.

    He hands me the horn and I take it. I look at him. What should I expect from him now?

    The father I look upon now is the one that I¡¯m used to. His face muted, his emotion buried under his furrowed brows. He gives me a stiff clap on the back, and walks away without a word. Maybe this is how he wants me to remember him. A strong man that lacks the strength to feel.

    The gate closes with a sickening thud. I see the red moon in my horn before I swallow it. It lands warm and wet in my churning stomach. I¡¯d better not throw it up.

    The drums above me start up again. Their slow, intentional beats beat my heart, preparing my body. I feel the energy of the arena start to pull me into itself, but I¡¯d rather be anywhere else. There¡¯s an abrasion upon my brain. I hear a fluttering sound in the air above me, and then a BOOM! I leap at the sound. Hot, yellow dust falls on me.

    The Lion¡¯s gate opens. There it is. My Sol. It comes out of the gate slowly, and its scarlet eyes lock upon me. I look back at it. I wonder, what is it thinking? Is it afraid?

    It¡¯s long, pale face is calm. It looks at me with confident disdain. I¡¯ve seen how Lions look at their prey before they strike. Their ears are lowered, and their eyes are narrowed. Not this one now. It has more respect for its prey than it has for me. It thinks that I¡¯m just here to prove its dominance. My fear must be giving me away.

    My knuckles whiten as I grip my shield in my left hand. I need to stay calm, right? Channel the fire. Somehow, as death approaches me, I need to stay calm and calculated. My chest opens as I inhale a deep breath, but the flow of air is unsteady and chaotic. I begin to circle the Lion, and it circles me. My shield is up and my mace is ready.

    Its head lowers and its tail begins to swish in bursts behind it. It looks for a crack in my defense. I wonder what my father would do right now. It decides it has found an opening and leaps at me. Its left paw, hooked claws outstretched, shoots at me from the side and I duck it before its right paw darts forward. I hold up my shield and block the blow. The force of it pushes me off my balance as I press forward to counter-attack. My feet jump to the side to stay steady as I unleash my strike. The Sol leaps back, avoiding my charged mace.

    I expect it to take a second to collect itself as I do, but instead it pounces right back at me. My shield is not high enough, I¡¯m not well positioned! The Lion tackles me. I slide backwards as I fall. My right hand hits the ground like a whip and my mace tumbles out of my grip. The Sol goes to put its fangs into my throat, its weight nearly upon me. I desperately push myself back and contract my shield arm with flying force. I wedge the horned disk between my chest and the Lion¡¯s jaw. The horn of my shield in its teeth, it snarls at me with bloodthirsty rage. Warm drool spills upon me as I pry open its mouth. I push my shield up with my left arm and my chest, bashing the Sol with the barrier that separates me from my death. It won¡¯t give, it has me on the floor.

    The Lion rakes into my side with its long claws, as I writhe and push on the ground. I feel my skin open in long lines and the scent of iron blood fills the air. But, I feel no pain, only loud desperation as I push back the abyss. I see only scarlet above me. I push up hard with a strength I had never before possessed and hear one of the Lion¡¯s fangs crack. It recoils slightly. Now is my only chance! I shimmy to the right and my hand finds the handle of my weapon. My mace explodes off the ground and into the Lion¡¯s mane.

    It screams and leaps back before I can get another blow to connect. I scurry to my feet, blood pouring out of my sides. The top of my shield is cracked. I look down at my body and the pain hits me in a wave. Deep red gashes line my torso. My breath is caught in my throat and I feel frigid panic burst through my mind. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I look at the Sol. It is bleeding too. Red dyes its yellow mane and oozes out of its jaw. It snarls at me with a scarred mouth. This Lion is a vigorous one. The other ones I watched this Communion were not so aggressive. Why? Why did my father choose this one for me?

    The hot fervor of battle momentarily broken, time begins to slow. The trickle of blood on my side crawls down to the ground, chasing the earth. The night air feels so thick. A multi-colored cocktail of acid burns slowly through my mind. Yes, I¡¯ve wounded it. It is weak and bleeding. But so am I.

    I look down at my open form. I¡¯m bleeding, losing life. My blood, my vigor, escapes from my body. My existence is slipping away from my conscious mind. There is death, there it is, I can see it. Black, Cold, and uncaring. I know it, it¡¯s where I¡¯ve been heading. These days, I¡¯ve just been walking towards the inevitable.

    I want to just accept it. But, no, I can¡¯t. That¡¯s not in me! I feel something more, I always have! I¡¯m not like Pait! That¡¯s not who I am! So why am I standing here about to die? Red crashes through the black. My mind is an omni-colored frenzy.

    DAMN IT! How am I supposed to stay calm and coordinated like this? I¡¯m not confident, I¡¯m not in control, how can I be? I¡¯m terrified, I¡¯m confused, that¡¯s what I am, no matter what I should be! Death is paces away from me, staring at me with blood in its mouth. The Lion is a reaper, it is death¡¯s door. Am I expected to just go out and greet it? They say that I¡¯ll be reincarnated, that I won¡¯t truly be erased from this world. But, I don¡¯t remember any of my past lives. Why should it matter, why should I care! My life is here! My father, my future, my love. My dignity, my pride, it¡¯s right here! It won¡¯t follow me into the next life.

    I whip my head to the side, scanning the rows, looking for my father, but I can¡¯t find him. Instead I see the mob of red eyes staring at me from above.

    I feel the stinging pain of my bleeding sides and wince violently. All of my father¡¯s teachings, all of his training has led to nothing! Think Leo! Think about what¡¯s gone so wrong. All I do is defend, defend and counter-attack. I¡¯m not just a reaction to this fucking beast! I have will! I won¡¯t let this thing kill me.

    My vision throbs in and out of focus. He wants me to control the fire, to channel it, and I¡¯ve tried! All this planning, these thoughts that nibble at my brain, all they do is suffocate it. I try and I try and I cripple myself! No more, it¡¯s time to stop trying to control the uncontrollable. What was it that he said? ¡°Fight until the last breath leaves my body.¡± He won¡¯t allow me to give up. I¡¯ve got nothing left to lose. If death comes for me I should be standing and charging at it, ready to unleash what¡¯s left of my life in my fury! I¡¯ll let what''s going to happen happen! Rathanni will have it my way regardless of what I think. There is no more room for ponderous doubt, my body will control itself if I let it free. Without doubt, fear will turn to crimson vigor and furious will.

    The tempo of the drums quicken once again. I feel the violent blows of the hands as they hit the instruments. My arms and fists course with vigor. I feel my heart pump it through me. It crashes through my arteries and bellows my lungs. Its hot heat pushes against my brain.

    The Lion lowers its head and tenses its muscles.

    Enough! Here I am! Everything, my whole life, it¡¯s led to this one moment. All the strands of my life, their chaotic fluttering through space and time, narrow down to cross this one point. Either I will cross this threshold, or I will die. I want to fight, so I will fight!

    I feel lifted up, my weight buoyed by the force of my purpose, My body inexorably pushes myself towards the Lion. As my focus narrows upon it, the pain at my sides recedes. The drums pound inside my head.

    My pace quickens as I push towards the Lion. I charge it. I swing at the Lion¡¯s head in fury and miss, but my body demands I make it feel some sort of impact, so I slam my chipped bone shield into the Lion¡¯s side. It opens its wretched mouth to bite me, so I shove my mace in it. Its roars are muffled by my weapon as I pound at its side with my shield. It scratches at my already bleeding sides, but I don¡¯t feel them anymore. They are numb. I feel the impact of the drums flow into me, and I don¡¯t let up. I continue to pummel it with my shield, matching my strikes with the drum¡¯s frantic tempo. The sound of its skin opening meets my ears, then I hear the sound of its ribs cracking. I stare into the Sol¡¯s wrathful red eyes and push my mace further into its mouth. Its jaws try to close on hard bone. Its paw swipes at my side begin to slow. It¡¯s getting tired. I show it that I am not.

    The Sol breaks its eye contact and backs away from me into the side of the pit. My shattered shield remains stuck in its side. The Lion is broken, mortally wounded. As I look upon its cowering face, my anger finds disgust. This is the thing that I have let control my life? This pathetic, wretched thing! I imagine how close this wounded beast was to mauling me, to humiliating me in front of my father and Rathanni. I remember the Umbra that mauled Sier, the Sol that just mauled Pait. Those Lions devoured their bodies. But, there it is! Hanging onto a life I will relieve it of!

    I feel strong, confident as a man that has just broken death¡¯s ribs. The doubt that remains in my mind is beaten to the ground. I am above this death! Rathanni knows it, my father knows it, and I know it! The manifestation of my dread cannot stand against the strength of my will. This is a battle of wills, and mine is ten times stronger! I have more to live for than this brainless savage does. I have this feeling for a reason, Rathanni grants it to me. This anger is strength! Should I not allow myself to do as I will? It is right, divinity distilled! Doubt is cruel and evil. It will kill me. Rathanni has a plan for me. I can¡¯t die here, I won¡¯t. As the meteor shattered Granger¡¯s primordial lake with unstoppable force, I will shatter this Lion.

    My blood feels as if it steams inside my body, forcing my movement and charging my arms and legs. I reinforce my mace with my shieldless hand. I run at the Lion. As my unyielding mace nears the Lion¡¯s long, depraved face, I see its blood red eyes glaze over. It¡¯s too tired to even try to dodge it. Where has that arrogance gone now you savage? Do you see now your place! My mace meets its skull, breaking it in. Do you see how you fail in the face of my will? You think you will kill me! Your brain is on the fucking floor! My vigor remains steaming, so I continue my assault. I strike its chest, its side, its legs, its arms. I¡¯ve done this before many times. Its body breaks like a chopped tree in every place that I strike it. Its muscles loosen, and sinew covers the head of my mace. Its body is my drum. Look at your form now! The long handle of my mace shatters, but I don¡¯t stop. I kick and punch its twitching body. I start tearing into its chest, the smell of its organs driving me forward. And then I feel its heart. It is victory, a pass through to the rest of my life. Every bite tells me to push it further into my mouth. Its heart leaks warm vigor down my throat as I bite into it. It gives me bursts of healing energy, then calm¡­ calm.

    My head stops pounding as my sides begin to steam. The stinging comes back to me, no longer numbed by my fervor. But then, I feel the wet vapor cover my wounds, pushing the pain out of me and dumping it into the atmosphere.

    I stagger up to my feet, away from the destroyed carcass that used to be a Lion. I look up at the red night sky in triumph to see fireworks light it up. The drums subside.

    I look up at the audience around me, looking for my father. My vision is crystal clear, focused and straight. I see him. I walk towards him. As I get closer I begin to make out the expression on his face. He smiles at me broadly, but in his eyes I see something else. Shock and horror.

    I look at him and he looks at me. I do live. I¡¯m alive.

    His face is the last thing I see before a swift darkness overtakes my vision and I lose control of my body. Warm¡­ tranquil, inky¡­ peace. Triumph.