I wasn’t sure how long we were out in the forest as dad went through a tough training course, even brought along the sphere, just like when I was a child, well it was what I felt like half the time, as he had me hiding from him, but he would always find me, and I would get attacked for that fail.

The sphere was put on an insane level of about sixty, the consequence level also increased, more than a little sting, unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to use my talismans, had to force them not to help as if they did dad somehow knew and we’d all get a telling off.

Hunting, sure I had done it a few times before, but I was no master at it, so we went hungry for two days before I actually caught anything, being hungry affected my performance but didn’t seem to bother dad, he was a monster.

“You were never this tough on me,” I moaned once.

“You were but a child and destiny had yet to move the wheels of fate for you as a Warrior of Fang, my absence before may have hindered your training,” responded dad. “I would have increased the difficulty gradually as you progressed but now you need a crash course.”

“Larana, can’t you talk to him?” I asked her.

“Nope, once he’s made his mind up, no changing it,” shrugged Larana who spent most of her time watching me fail. “You’ll improve better under him and Fang’s tutelage.”

“Not Fang too,” I groaned. “I’m being double teamed and one I can’t even see.”

“Enough talk, go get dinner,” snapped dad.

“Going,” I slumped forward.

I went hunting deeper in the forest today, I picked up the scent of something on the wind, you could tell what most things were by the different scents. Deer, traveling as a pair, also wolves in that direction. Was attacked by a pack the other day when I was at my weakest, dad had to come to my rescue, felt quite embarrassed. I was sure they were taunting me.

Chose a different direction, picking a lone deer, so followed it, towards the edge of the forest, where I came across a destroyed village, forgetting my pray I walked in amongst the buildings.

“Never knew this was out here.” I looked around, coming across a large space, which perhaps was once a campfire. I spotted a broken statue, which had our clan’s symbol upon it. “Is this?”

My head felt fuzzy all of a sudden, my vision flashing, then cleared to a sight of destruction as Feles of almost every kind, were running to gather weapons. One individual ran into the biggest tent, I felt a flash of Larana’s power, then a female running out of the back of the tent. A male Wilds coming through the front.

“I have sent a message to the city, help will come. We must hold our ground here until they come.”

“Yes Chief.” He riled up those within the village as the village was set upon by cloned warriors, each one I recognised, this was what the cloned wars had looked like.

Each Fang had purification abilities, as they fought back, but they had been unprepared for the attack.

The chief was the most powerful with a talisman governing over earth, smashing together rocks, creating boulders, fending off half of the invasion, he continued to hope of help, but no one came to assist them. The clones eventually claimed his life and trampled over everything until nothing remained.

I was kneeling on the ground as the vision subsided, tears streaming down my cheeks. This had been dad’s birthplace and before he had even got to know the love from his parents, their protection, he was left in this world alone.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” I heard dad’s voice from behind me.

I turned to glance back at him. “Dad.” I looked at him with a heavy heart, he had suffered much in his life only being found by mum at the age of six, alone for four years living out here, it must have been so hard for him.

“You have seen what the darkness has done during your missions, but before it was a way of life for everyone, but no one dares remember it, for many saw death and refuse to believe the stories left behind, the remanence of a nightmare, but I can never forget,” said dad. “A Fang must be strong, driven by our will of protection, to protect everyone from the darkness not just a single individual. Your mother and Alton taught me how to care for others, the reason I stayed within the city even though I disliked it so much, even now out here calls to a deep part of me, a wild instinct that never fades.”

“And you want to teach me this wild instinct,” I said.

“It cannot be taught but felt, a connection that draws in all your senses,” he smiled. “Let’s return home.”

“But I haven’t gotten us any food,” I said.

“My treat, just head back to the treehouse,” he responded. I nodded, getting to my feet, then left dad there alone, heading back to the treehouse which had been the very place he had lived before mum had come to get him.

It did not take dad long before he returned, bringing back something bigger than anything I would have found or caught, hunting was not something I specialised in. Dad then worked on cooking it on a pit below. I joined him, watching as his fire slowly cooked our dinner.

“Dad,” I said awkwardly.

“What’s up?” he glanced at me.

“I was wondering what happened afterwards,” I wanted to know a bit more.

“I got Larana the day of that attack, she was my guide, teaching me much about this world, about talismans, how to hunt, to hide, learning the scents of the cloned warriors, each kind carried a different scent.” Dad looked out upon the forest, going into more in depth than he had before. “Four years out here, a caravan of Feles from Cathopia approached, containing the chief of the Fang clan and his daughter, your mother, who had seen me within a vision, a gleamer of light in all the darkness she had seen. I was treated by chief poorly because I was considered a Feral, he actually despised me, and I suspect he still does.” Dad smirked. “I had wanted to leave so many times, but your mother’s kindness and the voice of Fang, encouraged me to stay, saying I was needed, a catastrophe would happen if I left, so I stayed and began my story there, many times was the city attacked, no longer defended by the clan of my parents, many lives lost, and battles fought.” Dad placed his hand on the scar over his eye and looked at me. “You have much ahead of you, just a shame I cannot help you against them, I may be a strong warrior, but my power to purify the darkness is nothing compared to what you’ll be able to do.”

“You’ve helped out plenty, you’ve always been my inspiration, guided and trained me, even when things seemed hopeless, thank you dad.” I smiled. “Let’s work on some harder stuff tomorrow.”

“Alright, but not sure if you can handle it,” said dad.

“I am ready for anything you throw at me,” I smirked ready for the challenge, I would try harder to become stronger, to become the warrior he expected me to become.