The Mourning After - Chapter 5 (The Mourning)
#5 of Malakye's Story - Part 3 (The Mourning After)
And now we have Kassandra; the angry dragoness. She has not had and easy life, but she doesn't make it any easier on herself being angry the whole time. Maybe one day she'll finally realise this.
The Encyclopedia I have written detailing places, races and various parts of history will come in handy if you come across a word or phrase with a * at the end of it. This symbol (*) depicts that there is an entry in the Encyclopedia so you can have a more indepth knowledge on the subject at a moments notice.
This story will have mature and adult rated chapters along the way, if you find yourself unable to find missing chapters please check that your age-rating (or your SFW settings) are set appropriately so you can view them before notifying me. This happens a lot more than you'd think!
I always appreciate feedback and constructive criticism.****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
He tells me the story. His father disliked how he was 'wasting' his coin to participate in the dojo. Apparently he doesn't believe in his sons becoming warriors when they have responsibilities to maintain the farm. The farm is run purely by family members, no one hired from outside the family to help. Any member of the family who turn their back on the their responsibilities to the farm are essentially exiled from the family.
Reece defied his father and told him he was not allowed to return until he gave up training at the dojo. His mother secretly gave him some coin from time to time, but she couldn't spare much without raising suspicion from his father. What little coin she could get to him he had spent to remain here at the dojo.
This all happened around the same time he started spending all his time here. He was half starved because he couldn't afford to eat properly with what little coin he had left over. He had been staying in one of the many empty homes down by the old mines.
As he told me the heart breaking story I felt like I needed to protect him. I made him lay down and sleep. He was asleep in moments. I'm sure he was exhausted after a long day of training and then that emotional flood that he had just gone through.
I find it hard that any parent could just cast out their cub like that. But it happens. I felt angry at Reece's father for what he's done to his son but I know better than to get involved in family politics, even when I don't agree with them. What I could do was make sure Reece is taken care of. I would do the same for any of my students that had fallen on hard times, at least I'd like to think so. I won't lie that I am fond of the young drake, he reminds me of myself when I was his age.
I try to take my mind of my anger and frustration by busying myself with making a meal for the two of us. I make a simple stew, I want to give Reece a good meal but nothing overly taxing for his deprived stomach, and I have some bread that I bought this morning. Once the stew is ready I fill a bowl and go to present the meal to the hungry drake.
I place the bowl down and gently shake his shoulder. He rouses, his brown eyes bleary and full of sleep. A look of confusion until he realises where he is and remembers what had happened. Wordlessly I hand him the bowl of stew and lump of bread. He takes it cautiously but quickly begins to devour the food. I sit and watch him eat. When he finishes I smile when I see that expression of contentment.
"Would you like some more?" I ask.
"Yes... thank you Master!" He says eagerly, holding out the bowl to me.
I take it fill it once again, a smaller portion this time as I don't want to make him sick, and fill one for myself. I share the last of the bread with him and we eat together in silence as I consider what my next course of action should be.****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
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CHAPTER 5
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Kassandra
"Fucking Aceh!" I snarl kicking an empty cooking pot across the floor.
I had managed to keep my temper in check while I walked home, but now I was in the privacy of my own home I couldn't keep it bottled up any longer. The pot clanked and clattered as it rolled across the floor, coming to a stop when it hit the wall. I regretted kicking the pot as my foot-paw now throbbed in pain, but my anger helped to stifle it.
It was early yet, around lunch time from what I could guess, but I didn't want to eat. I opted instead to go to bed and stew in my frustration. I lay on the pile of furs and just lay there in the dark, the light from the candles in the other room hidden behind the curtain. I wasn't tired... I was too riled to sleep.
That damned Tiger! Where does he get off bringing up my Grandfather!? It's not my fault that his students can't defend themselves well enough that they don't get clobbered! If it was a real fight that drake would be dead! Surely it's better for them to realise just ho sloppy their skills are now rather than later?! As annoying as it is I can't argue that he has the right to throw me out of the fucking place but... ARRRGH! I don't care if he and Grandfather were friends!
I curl up on myself as I remember him. Grandfather... the only one in the entire world who never abandoned me. We fled Erythea* after the coup; the entire capital ripped apart by the aftermath. The rest of my family died because of the greed of another, because they wanted the throne for themselves. The guards who had participated in the coup captured me, I wasn't strong enough to resist them. They beat me, belittled me and fondled me... I push the memories away.
Grandfather found me; saved me. We fled the capital and the country altogether, and came here to the Tribal Lands. Grandfather led us here; to Zangar. It was here we hid, safe from the danger from the Capital and the coup. I took to my martial arts training with renewed vigour, never wanting to be weak enough to allow a male to touch me ever again. When I would tire I would remember their paws touching me... my anger would swell and I would push myself until I collapsed from exhaustion, even now the memory of it made my blood boil with rage. Grandfather would scold me afterwards, but he would also wrap his arms around me and tell me that everything was going to be all right.
My blood quickly cooled, my anger subsiding, as I remembered that I would never again hear his voice, feel him hug me and tell me that everything was going to be all right. It's been many moons now since he died, he was old and when fell ill he didn't have the strength to recover. It was horrible seeing him like that. So weak and helpless...
I choke back a sob and try and push the memories from my mind. The reminder of his loss making me realise just how alone I am. I weep silently and clutch at the furs I sleep upon so tightly that my blunt claws threaten to rip them. My salty tears roll down my muzzle into the furs beneath me, making the furs damp and matted. All I have to comfort me is my own scent which permeates the room.
I miss you Grandfather... why did you leave me alone?
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I pull myself from my pit sometime later that day. My stomach was growling at me, breaking the heavy silence I lay in, my hunger prevented me from sleeping any more than I had. It had been a restless sleep, full of dreams that already were fading from my memory. The trails on my muzzle left by my tears made my scales feel crusty and horrible, but my stomach growled loudly and drew my attention back to it.
I hadn't eaten since my meal with Laguna yesterday... that annoying drake; always far too cheerful for his own good! While I do appreciate his company his overly cheery nature grates on me. No one could be that cheerful all the time... especially not when I'm throwing insults his way, which do occasionally make his smile falter. No one would put up with that amount of shit, and I know I'm not being nice to him, but I can't help but suspect he has an ulterior motive by trying to get close to me.
I'd wager coin that he just wants to fuck me. That's all that males really think about!
Even Grandfather would go on at me about finding a nice drake to settle down with! No... that's not fair on Grandfather... he just wanted to see me happy, but of course to him that meant finding a male that I could tolerate enough to allow him to fuck me every now and again in order to get pregnant. I see how happy motherhood can make other females, and I suspect that's what he had in mind for me, but that's not the life for me.
No... I swore revenge on those who slaughtered my family. But here I am...stranded in the mountains with no hope of ever being able to achieve that goal. I would need a small army in order to even have a chance... and where would I get an army? I can barely stand to be around the one drake that even comes close to being considered a friend.
I sigh heavily to myself before pushing aside the curtain into the main living area of my small home. The candle I had lit earlier had gone out, which meant I had slept for a few hours at least. I fumble around in the darkness, roughly aware of where I am and where I need to go.
I curse out loud as I stub my foot-paw on the cooking pot I'd kicked across the room earlier, it clanked loudly in the darkness and rolled across the stone floor. I ignored it and went about what I needed to do. I lit another candle, which gave me enough light to at least be able to get a fire going.
Once the fire was lit it warmed the room quickly and filled it with warm light. But I still felt the cold shiver of loneliness as I sat there waiting for the pot of soup I was making come to the boil. I hadn't been to the market place yet since I returned, so it was really more of a weak broth made from some preserved meat I had left. I could have just eaten the meat and been done with it, but I wanted something warm in my belly. I'd eaten meals like this before, not very tasty, but enough seasoning could make it bearable.
I'd go shopping tomorrow, after I go and collect my pay. I could have done it today but I'd been so angry about what happened at the dojo I'd forgotten. Right now I just want to fill my belly and go back to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today.