Rise of the Dragon Sovereign

Chapter 3: Adult Responsibilities

After years of preparation and planning, Ward's proving ceremony was finally only a few weeks away. This rite-of-passage was a big deal for the whole tribe, marking the closing of the year, with the elders already setting up decorations for the festivities. If Ward was to compare it to anything in his old world, it would be like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

This was his year, where his generation finally entered adulthood, there was no concept of birthdays among the kyn, even Ward wasn't sure what day or month he was born on as no one bothered to commemorate it, every kyn born that year were part of the same generation and, as such, were the same age as he was.

Interestingly enough, Ward had noticed something about kyn fertility; kyn mating season, the period of time when the women were at their most fertile and people were generally in heat, happened yearly around summer, and for the next few months there were a lot of pregnancies until the end of the year, meaning that the majority of the next generations of kyn were born right around the start of the new year. Of course there were always outliers, but babies outside what Ward called the 'birth cluster' were rare.

As the fated day creeped ever closer, Ward decided to go and see his mother, realizing that he hadn't spoken with her in years. As he walked up the path leading to her yurt, he wondered what she had been doing since he last saw her. She was still his father's wife, for some reason she didn't live with him, like his other wives, Ward always wondered why, but she never told him.

Crossing the threshold, he announced his arrival audibly, "Mom, it's me... are you in?"

She walks out of another section of the yurt, holding a young toddler in her arms. Good for her.

"Ward," she acknowledged with a surprised smile, "what are you doing here?"

"I, uh, wanted to come and see you," he answered honestly, then gesture to the baby in her arms "Congratulations,"

"Yes, your father comes to visit me every now and again. He may be the chief, but he's still my younger brother, I practically raised him." She said with a smile as she swaddles the toddler in her arms, "this is your sister, Aliya. she was born three years ago."

She looked similar to Ward, with lighter grey skin and tufts of dark hair on her head, it was too soon for her tail or horns to grow in yet.

He wasn't sure if it's because he was on the eve of adulthood or because it's been a while since he saw her, but looking at Willa like this, Ward could see why his father would choose her for a wife, she was a fine woman, beautiful and caring, she had a certain homely sexiness to her. Dammit, seeing her in this way has gotten his libido riled up again. God, he needed to get laid before he went insane, even his own mother was starting to look good to him.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked pleasantly, "I was brewing some,"

"Uh, yeah, I would love a cup." he says, taking a seat on one of the cushions by the low dining table.

"Please hold Aliya for me while I go get it." she says, handing him the toddler, which he holds awkwardly, much to her amusement.

As Willa disappears towards the kitchen, Ward looks at Aliya's face. She stares at him with her big blue eyes, a trait they shared. her chubby face looks adorable as she gives a naïve smile, patting his cheeks with her stubby fingers. She was cute, she may even grow to be quite the beauty in her time.

Not long afterwards, their mother came back with a tray holding two ceramic cups with steam billowing from them. she offers Ward one of the cup, which he graciously accepts, and she sits opposite him, retrieving her daughter.

"So how have you been?" she asks, before uncomfortable silence could fill the room

"I've been good," he replied, taking a sip of the sweet tea, "Scarlet has taught me a lot, and I feel like I'm ready for the proving."