Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 3: Family

Merida's father was overcome with a sense of urgency unlike anything she had seen. Wordlessly, he grabbed his staff and rushed off, pushing his way through the crowd of Followers. She did not hesitate to follow him, her mind buzzing at what this could possibly mean. As far as she knew, Narinder was no threat. His powers were taken from him long ago. So what could he possibly expect to accomplish by showing up now? When they emerged from the crowd, they saw him. The black cat who looked so much like Kenedra was standing before the gates to Nykka's Domain. The Bishop was there, an odd look on her face. The mingled expression stood somewhere between anger, resentment, and pity. They appeared to be arguing, but Merida could not understand a word of it over the racket going on in the crowd just feet behind her. Narinder's ears were laid back in defiance as he glared up at his ex-wife. He was so much shorter than her, he looked beyond harmless compared to her foreboding stature. More so when taking into consideration that he was both unarmed and powerless. Why then was his appearance such a concern? Merida looked at her dad, and was surprised to see the potent hatred in his eyes directed at Kenedra's father. He began walking forward, and as Merida tried to follow him, he put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"You stay here."

"What? But, Dad-"

"No." He spoke sternly, "Stay here, Merida. I mean it." When he continued, she begrudgingly remained behind. She watched as he approached the two. A growl of frustration escaped her while she desperately tried to hear what they were saying over the noise of the crowd.

"Will you shut up...!" She hissed towards the group at large. It was pointless though, the message was only received by a few. When she turned back, she could only guess that her father was ordering Narinder to leave. This assumption stemmed from the finger he had pointed towards the forest. More arguing ensued, but it was fleeting. Narinder stormed off into the forest as he had been apparently directed. For a moment, just before he disappeared into the tree line, she could have sworn she saw him wipe his eyes on his sleeve. She furrowed her brow and looked up at her Dad.

"Was he crying?"

"Do not concern yourself with it, Merida." Aym said as he began shooing the followers back into the cult. "Return to your duties, he is gone."

"Why did he come?" Merida persisted, following him.

"Please do not press this matter. He is gone now, that is all you must know." Caxton approached them, Mir̃alai at his heels.

"What happened, where is he?" She asked with a glare, looking past them towards the forest.

"He is gone, love." Aym assured her, "I will tell you about it later."

"Merida, are you okay?" Mir̃alai frowned.

"I'm fine, I just want to know what happened."

"You do not need to know, Merida. Go." Aym insisted. Merida glared at him and stalked off. She went back to the temple and entered her bedroom, slamming the door behind her with a growl. She hated being treated like a child, nothing infuriated her more. She sat down on her bed, stewing in her anger. Hardly an hour later, Lydie entered the bedroom.

"Is it true?" She asked, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "Was he here?"

"Yes, but he didn't enter the cult, he was talking to Nykka."

"Why was he talking to her?"

"I don't know...!" Merida growled. Lydie was taken aback by this reaction, and sat down on her own bed.

"Why are you getting pissy with me? I didn't do anything."

"Dad didn't let me get close enough to hear what they were saying, then he wouldn't tell me about it." She fumed.