Leon and Riya: How to Raise a Gnoll

Chapter 20

Sidra and all of the civilians from Foxpine were locked in the dining room area with the Vulpine guards. This was so that they would be out of the way so that the Gnolls could do their jobs without having to worry about needing to defend civilians.

Rina: I hope everything is going to be fine.

Sidra: I'm sure they will be able to handle the Witherlings and then everything will go back to normal.

Mu was up on the wall directing where the other Gnolls needed to be.

Mu: Jahga, you will need to take your group and secure the training yard so that when they try to dig inside again we will be ready for them.

Jahga: Yes, Ma'am!

With that Jahga and a group of Gnolls went to secure the training yard. By Mu's estimation the Witherlings should still be about a day away, hopefully they would have enough time to prepare to deal with them properly.

Zenkoh was in her quarters with Purth.

Zenkoh: You said you had a problem, Purth?

Purth: Yes. Leon and Riya's daughter, Rose. She has been nothing but a problem since she has shown up.

Zenkoh: What exactly has she been doing?

Purth: Constantly arguing that the way we do things here is wrong, of course that is because she was raised by a Vulpine. Why Riya allowed that is beyond me.

Zenkoh: While I don't agree with how she hid information on how the clan works from her cub, there are worse things to worry about at the moment.

Purth: You're talking about the Witherlings, correct?

Zenkoh: Yes, They appear to be around a day away, possibly a little longer.

Purth: Thorn already has Gnolls set up on the battlements and was in the process of getting the back entrance secured.

Zenkoh: I am going to want Riya and Rose to be fighting, the only way they are going to do that is if they know that Leon will be safe.

Purth: So I'm going to be on babysitting duty then, aren't I?

Zenkoh nodded.

Purth sighed and then left the room.

Zenkoh got up and began making her way to look for Riya. After a few minutes of wandering around the halls of the citadel looking for her she found Riya outside the medical ward.

Zenkoh: Riya, I am going to need you and Rose to be fighting when the Witherlings get here.

Riya had an annoyed look on her face but before she could say anything Zenkoh started to speak again.

Zenkoh: And before you say anything about Leon needing to be protected, Purth will be with him. She is able to keep him safe.

Riya was silent for several minutes.

Riya: Fine, but nothing had better happen to Leon.

Zenkoh: Good, go find Rose and help Thorn secure the back entrance, Purth has already been sent to where Leon is.

Leon and Rose were in the barracks, they had training dummies and an area for sparring and Rose was getting restless. As she was practicing with the training dummies Purth had come in and stood next to Leon.

Purth: Hello Leon.

Leon: Hi, is there something you needed Purth?

Purth: no, Zenkoh has me watching you since she wants Riya and Rose fighting when the Witherlings get here.

Leon: That makes sense, they won't do it if they don't know that I'll be safe.

Rose had stopped what she was doing and had noticed that Purth was here.

Rose: Dad, what does she want?

Before Leon could say anything Riya and Zenkoh had come through the door. Upon seeing Zenkoh Rose got a disgruntled look on her muzzle.

Riya: Rose, there is somewhere we need to be.

Rose: What? What about Dad, the Witherlings will be here soon won't they?

Riya: That's why we need to be somewhere else, to help make sure they can't get inside, Purth will make sure that Leon is safe.

As she says this Riya gives Purth a glare, making it clear that if he isn't safe when this is over that there will be a problem.

Rose glances at her Dad then to her Mom, then back to her Dad again.

Rose: Guess I'll be back in a bit.

Leon nods for her to follow Riya and she does so. With that Riya, Rose, and Zenkoh leave the room, leaving just Purth and Leon.

Leon: I know you're not doing this because you care what happens to me, you're doing it simply because your Matriarch has told you to do so.

Purth had a look on her face as if he had kicked her.

Purth: Leon, if neither Zenkoh or I cared what happened to you then Riya would have simply been ordered to do what has been asked of her.

Leon was silent so she continued.

Purth: Both Zenkoh and I care what happens to you, we just can't really show it much. Part of that is we simply don't know how, I at the very least wasn't really taught how to show much emotion at all since all my mother cared about was how well I could fight.

Leon was quiet for a few moments.

Leon: Sorry for Rose, she has been causing a lot of trouble for you.

Purth: She has, yes. But that is because she was raised without being taught how the clan worked at all.

Leon: That...was done for my sake, Riya chose to do that because we were afraid that if she was raised like a traditional Gnoll she would end up hurting me, or worse.

Purth: And for you that is a reasonable fear, but that doesn't change that she is part of Clan Deadfang as she is Riya's daughter. Not knowing how the clan works is dangerous for her.

Leon: We honestly didn't expect to be back at the citadel till much later, if at all. That was why Riya wanted Fort Stoneholde.

Purth: Yes, the only reason she is here is because she brought you here, if she didn't you would be dead.

Morga was currently marching her group of Witherlings towards Gloomfang Citadel, they could see it from where they were, which meant that they were only around a day away. A day away from when she would have to be forced to kill her own daughter.