Here you go folks, second chapter of the day. This is the week long time skip, and it will contain a few flash backs dealing with Rage and the explanation given him regarding his confused state on his 'weakness'. I will state this now, he will understand, but not be in tune. That will take time. It's in his nature to be emotionally detached. That will take longer. Romance will continue in small increments.

This chapter will likely not have a POV change. Depends on how I feel.

Rage

A week had gone by. The defenses were bolstered, and a few extra additions were implemented into the space between the first and second wall.

Curse was making progress with training the soldiers that had survived the siege, as well as the newly conscripted youths that were around the age of sixteen. It had taken several days to convince Fredrick of this need. But in the end, it had worked.

We now had a force close to the original numbers when I had first arrived. Roughly one thousand soldiers, veterans, and fresh blood alike. Arranging them had been an interesting trial.

I kept the cats away from my Pride members, we had our own methods. Curse and the few others that helped train them properly were the exception.

There had been one incident shortly after the civilians had returned to the town, and repairs had begun. Four of my people had gone out to Tridants main tavern to see what alcohol was, and it had ended in three dead cats, and one heavily injured Prideling. Apparently the dead males had assumed that because the female participants were nearly naked due to most of our clothing state of repair, that she was a whore.

They showed them differently. The only reason one of mine had been injured is because he was forced to stop the rampage from becoming worse. His arm was currently being re-attached, and the females had been knocked out upon Anvil arriving to see what the screaming was about.

I found it funny, really. But soon after Fredrick had forced each of us to wear clothing. I had managed to keep it leather at least. That was all we had earned the right to wear. Though now the females also had a spare set, a dress style, for formal occasions. Each of us found them foolish. I'd opted to retain just black leather leggings, like most of the males. Though several females had taken the option of a holster like top that covered there ribs and made most of there breasts seem like they were spilling out of the clothing.

I think Envy, Hate, and Bitter enjoyed the reaction when I first saw this. We had come to an understanding, the girls and I. It happened after about four days, I had grown more volatile, the confusion and weakness I felt creeping upon me caused me to lash out at everything. My pet was about the only one safe from my out bursts.

Forge had taken pity on me, and set me down. Explaining everything that was happening. From the emotions of Pity, embarrassment, lust, caring, Love, and several others. It took him two days for me to understand it was natural to feel these things, as well as his belief to why I had not felt it before.

My forced solitude, how I acted in the pit. He believes it distanced me greatly from emotions, aside from Hatred, anger, and the most base instinct of our people. I finally understood it, along with the scents the three of them kept throwing at me. They were in heat. But I didn't bother fixing that. I understood my budding emotions at least, as well as why I had been acting the way I had been. I had even marked them as mine by giving them a scar on there shoulders with my claws. We slept in the same bed, though I still did not fully understand my attachment to my pet. She did not sexually arouse me, but instilled protective and territorial instincts all the same.

I had stopped questioning it, though I still felt it a weakness. I'd worked with the three females, and the little Saphiria to a degree and given them access to my person, without retribution. They took advantage of it a lot. I had finally been forced to tell them to restrict it in public. They hampered my movements, and I felt claustrophobic due to this.

Currently I, along with my twenty-eight brothers and sisters, were in the meeting hall with Fredrick, Saphiria, Hellen, and a few of his more loyal people. I'd culled the weaklings that were after status, or my own life days before hand.

We were waiting for the 'surprise' that was promised. It was the date, and before hand Cruelty had told me she'd seen a large group moving toward the Fort from Draconian territory.

I had ensured that the cats people were still on guard however, we had begun receiving increased activity along the border itself. I had a feeling the Beast Men were preparing another assault.

When the doors finally opened, we were floored by a flood of killing intent. It sent the weakest of my Pride to the ground hard, and force me onto my knees from the pressure.

The cause, Void, a single word, and the only member of the ten named for the most dangerous essence of our people, my own essence.

He was seven foot, and covered in leather strips Not clothing, actual leather strips. His face was bound so tight you could see pieces of flesh sticking out in the gaps, his left eye all that was visible. His skin, was ghastly in color, green tinged white, almost like infected flesh. He was also skin and bone. His stomach looked like a crater, contorted and twisted inside against his spine. He had ankle length black hair, it looked greasy and unkempt.

He looked like death incarnate. The only ones who knew his essence, his abilities, as with all the Ten. Were the Blood Father, and the following nine. The ones outside that circle tended to be dead. His weapon of choice, a scythe. Long, the bone carved handle bleach white, while the blade was a black as night. He held it along the length of his bony shoulders and smiled, baring his crooked, and jagged fangs at us all.

Behind him, was a group of thirty Pridelings. None smelled like Berserker, so they had to be part of the normal warrior caste. They all wore red leather armor, which meant they were also the lowest rung of the caste. The outcast, the weakest, or youngest in a regiment.

I noticed that in passing, being floored by fear a second before I could register that. This was because Void had moved directly into my personal space in a second. He seemed to blink, then he was there. His hand under my chin, and his head cocked at an angle like a buzzard.

His voice, it was dry, and cold like a dead autumn night. "Yoooouuu, hold Masters hope?" He all but whispered this, and a cold sweat broke out along my skin. Void was rumored to be the most insanely loyal to the Blood Father, so much so he killed anyone and everyone that so much as gainsayed him aside from his brothers and sisters in the Ten. He was the monster of there people, the abomination, there executioner, and bogey man. Even for us in the Pit. The stories told were bone chilling.

The Void had come to Tridant. I felt a sharp pain on my jaw, my bones crunching under the belied strength inn his sickly looking arms. "Paaaay atttention wwwhelp!" Each word was drawn out in his whispered voice. "These, are your present. Our weaklings, our doomed." he motioned with his scyth to the group behind us on one knee, heads down, with both fists planted on the floor firmly. "You do nooot, killl them. Make theeem stroonger, and you willl recieeeve a reeward from Master." His eyes, god his eyes. They were amber, but in there very depths was madness, and a religious like fervor that made me shiver. He was insane. I felt a stronger grip. "Understaaand?" I nodded, gulping down the frozen state I was in, barely. Then he was gone, a blur. All the remained were the group of thirty still on there knee, and those in the room.

After several minutes, I could move. I went to see Saphiria who was on the floor, she had pissed herself, and was rocking back and forth while she cried. Fear, it felt like Cruelty when she used her essence but on such a level it could only ever be called something like panic, and insanity. I gently pulled Saphiria into my arms, and she began to scream, and fight me. Her high pitched child like screams filled the hall, snapping Anvil, Forge, and the others out of there state.

"F-Forge, get those 'presents' settled." I said, and unsteadily went to my room, carrying a still screaming Saphiria with me. No one followed, Fredrick had passed out in the throne like chair he normally sat in.

We had been visited by the Void, most of my own Pride were on the ground unconscious as well. I slowly calmed Saphiria, laying her in bed. She refused to let go of my hand, but when she finally fell asleep, I slipped out and went back to meet the presents, hoping no more surprises had come with them.

When I returned, I saw each of the thirty still on there knee. Forge, looking like he was going to bash one of there skulls in, and the rest of my Pride on edge.

Fredrick had regained consciousness, but seemed winded. I went up to there leader, a small male with skin to match the redness of his leather, and yellow hair that was shaved close to his skull.

Inferno, was his name. I instructed him to follow Forge, as if his words were my own. Along with that of our Master, Fredrick. I saw the little male nod his head, then they marched out under Forges direction, each being split into a seperate group to be placed under one of my eight brothers or sisters.

We'd been given a force that would help, hopefully, and a warning. The Blood Father was still paying attention.

Remembering looking into that mass of insanity that was Void, I shivered lightly. It showed me the dangers within our own people. It showed me just how weak I was once again. I growled at that, causing one of the nobles beside me to flinch and feint again. Weakling.

I went out to where the sparing pit was, and systematically had Anvil create stone dummies, and worked on destroying them with my bare fists, my bones breaking, and cracking with each strike. They would heal, and it allowed me to pretend each stone figure was my weakness, and my fear. I would kill them both.

Here you go my lovely people! I'll say this now, the thirty new additions are not part of Rage' Pride. They are common soldiers from the Prideling army, and the weakest at that. I doubt most will survive what I have planned. Mwuahahahha.

Love you all, and as always. Please comment, Rate, and follow. ^.^