"I was the third wife of Jax's father- Jaher Nightclaw." Shaira continued her story in a dampened tone, her voice was carrying the weight of decades of exile, "However, given my status as a 'Stray,' I was not his official wife initially. My blood was considered a blemish on the pride. But thanks to my premonition- Jaher was able to avoid an assassination attempt that would have ended the Nightclaw line. In his gratitude, he officially recognized me as his third wife. And that," she paused, her eyes clouding with the memory, "was the last time my star shone favorably upon me."
There was pin-drop silence in the room. Everyone was listening to her story as if in a trance. The very air in the Restoration Wing felt heavy, as if the shadows themselves were leaning in to hear the tale.
"I was so happy that day when Jaher made the announcement. My joy was not for me, not for the silks or the status, but for my little paw. My cub would now receive the name and title of his father, Nightclaw. He would no longer be a shadow, a nobody in his own home. However, I did not realise that it was a curse rather than a boon. What I did not imagine at that time was that my little cub did not only get his father's name, but also the legal right to inherit his property along with his brothers and sisters from the first two wives. And they were not happy with it. They saw him as a thief of their future. However, I did not understand that at first, for they wore masks of kindness. They treated me very well initially, like sisters of the same den."
"Then?" Lorian uttered automatically, as his curiosity had overridden his royal composure.
"Then..." Shaira gave a smile dipped in sorrow, the kind of smile that only comes from losing everything, "One day they invited me for a game of Sirta. It is a common and simple game of chance among our people. But the stake they proposed was not so simple. The loser, they said, would be sold into slavery."
"WHAT?" Lorian could not believe his ears. He stood up abruptly, as his chair scraped against the stone floor. She spoke of it so casually, as if she were talking about a lost wager of copper coins.
"Slavery is not a very big deal in our society, Alpha Cub. How do you think so many Beastmen are sold to humans every year?" she questioned, as her gaze was piercing Lorian's.
"Are they not kidnapped by human slavers?" Lorian sounded clueless, his modern sensibilities of his past world were clashing violently with the cruel reality of this world.
"Unlike the Orcs, Human slavers are not so brave as to raid deep into Beastmen territory to snatch our warriors. No, it is the Beastmen who sell their fellow brethren. It is a very good trading option. Many tribes wage war for petty reasons, like a slighted honor, or a disputed stream- just to capture the opponent tribes and sell them to Human Slavers for wealth and steel weapons. It has become so widespread that nowadays husbands sell their wives, and fathers sell their kids for some money- either to pay a debt or to fund their addictions." she explained with an emotionless, deadened face.
Lorian leaned his head back, closing his eyes. All his perspectives were shattered. Until this moment, he had imagined humans to be the sole ruthless species, the predators who would abduct other races and shove them into a life of servitude. He had never imagined that other species might willingly sell their own kin to the very people they claimed to hate. He felt a sudden, sharp pang of shame for his own prejudice and idiocy. At the same time, his sympathy for the Beastman race as a whole wavered; a race that sold its own children felt like a race of savages.
"The two females had teamed up to cheat and made me lose the game. And thus, as the bet was decided, I was to be sold. I knew they had cheated. But if I raised the issue, people would assume I had used my 'sight' to discern the trickery. It would be a worse outcome, for I would be condemned for using my power in a serious game. I was caught in a trap I did not see coming.
Jaher knew it all. He had seen the deceit, yet he did not take a stance on my behalf. Instead, he gave me an offer. As Lord of the Den, he would change my fate from 'slavery' to 'banishment.' But in return, on behalf of my infant cub, I had to officially give up his future right to his father's belongings and bloodline. At that moment, I realized Jaher was in this conspiracy from the start. He wanted his legacy clean of a Stray's influence.
And so, leaving my cub in the care of his father and stepmothers, I left my den and the pack. For the next twenty years, I roamed the Whispering Sands, trying to explore the ruins and learn. I meditated to hone my power. For it was the only way for me to occasionally see what my little paw was doing- how he was growing up without a mother's touch." Shaira's voice choked with tears.
Jax looked at his scarred hands. Then he started speaking in a voice that was flat and cold, like a blade striking stone, "I never knew why I was treated like rotten meat. By everyone- my father, my mothers, my siblings. I didn't know why my mother had left me. I accepted it all as fate. My pack would always dispatch me on the suicide missions, the ones where the scouts never return. They hoped the sands would take me, but I returned every time, disappointing them.
Many times I have been caught- beaten, tortured, left for dead. But every time, I managed to crawl back. Every time, I hoped that this time, my mothers would hug me on my return. My siblings would be overjoyed. And my father... I wanted to see his eyes proud of my achivemet. But every time, I saw only the disappointment that I was still breathing. Eventually, that disdain snapped me. I broke the jaw of a brother who wouldn't stop mocking my blood in front of the warriors. And that day, my father told me. He told me how my mother was banished and that they were only tolerating my existence because his blood was flowing in my veins alongside my mother's 'taint.' That night, I decided to leave the pack to search for her."
"And Zara accompanied you?" Elara asked in her soft and trembling voice.
"No," Jax said, his voice got warm as he looked at Zara, "I found her in a slaver's chain-gang while I was hunting for Mother. The guards were slow. I killed them. I took her."
"Jax came as my hero," Zara spoke as if in a trance, her hand tightening around his, "He pulled me from the dark. At that moment, I knew he was the one. I decided to join him, in the highs and the lows. I joined his search."
Elara's eyes widened. Zara's affection for Jax resonated with Elara's own heart, which was currently beating for Kaelen. But Kaelen, the blunt soldier, broke the moment, again, "Why didn't you just go back to your own pack, Zara?"
Zara's face turned grim, "My pack was no more. They were defeated and sold to the same slavers Jax rescued me from. There was no home left to go to."
Lorian wanted to smack Kaelen's head but restrained himself.
"We searched for Mother for two years," Jax continued, looking back at Shaira, "It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I didn't even know how she looked. I only had the dreams- a lady who appeared in the mists and watched me. She never spoke. She just looked at me with compassion. And now I know," Jax reached out and grabbed Shaira's arm, "I was right. You were the one, right Mother?"
"Yes, my child. Forgive your unfortunate mother. Other mothers shower their children with love; I gave you only a life of trauma and humiliation. I am the reason for every scar on your hide!" Shaira was trying her best to hold her tears.
"Please don't say such things, Mother." Jax's voice was firm, "Because of that life, I found Zara. And because of that life, we found our Master. For the first time in twenty years, I have found a place I can call home. I have earned respect. I have friends, I have found the love of my life, and I have found you. What else could I ask for? And this is all thanks to our Master!"
"Well, enough of this," Lorian feigned annoyance, his own throat was feeling tight, "Now get healed quickly, all four of you. I need you in shape for there are plenty of tasks ahead, and I need you all beside me. YOU GOT IT?"
"Yes, Sir!" the four said in unison, their voices echoing through the wing.
Just then, there was a sharp knock. A guard appeared and handed Lorian an envelope. Jax's nostrils flared; he recognized the scent instantly. The smell of the wax and the person who sent it was something he had memorized long ago. Lorian opened the envelope and read the letter, his face turning hard.
"Well, you five enjoy. I gotta go." Lorian spoke with sudden urgency.
As Jax guessed the sender, he knew Lorian was planning to go alone. "Master," Jax called out, "I beg you, let Zara accompany you."
Kaelen nodded as sign of him sharing the same wish, his hand going to his hilt. Lorian thought for a while, looking at the wounded but loyal 'family' he had built, "Fine. Get ready. We move now.