Cry Of The Pride

| 3 ₹ a brothers quarrel |

Fawad Khan as Nesar of the Set Solaris pride.

"Is it true?"

Altan nearly jumped out of his skin. His heart skipped a beat and went faster to compensate for the missed beat. Nesar was awake.

He turned slowly to examine his brother. Quickly, the scabs on his face fell off and soon after the scars cleared.

Of course! Altan thought, Nesar had been doing this since primary school. Prolonging his healing to save energy and receive the good kind of nurturing attention he craved so much. "I thought the poison really got you." Altan said instead of answering.

"It did," he sat up. "I felt kak drunk." Nesar stood and rounded the lounge chair before standing in front of Altan. Altan followed him the whole time with his eyes. Nesar looked well, better if anything. It was like he wasn't facing death minutes ago.

Altan felt calm, but still felt weary at his brother's question.

He gave a slight smile, "is what true?"

He noticed the skeptism in Nesar's eyes, the way they scanned his entire face. More than once and many times over. Altan felt dizzy just watching his eyes move up, down and around.

He had heard more than enough of Nuria's story to explore the possibility. If Nesar heard the game Altan tried to play he'd realise one thing.

That Ilona wasnt his to begin with. She was his too, she was his first.,

And the next day at dusk his theory seemed true. "Hello everyone!" Nesar started this meeting of his.

Altan looked up to he pink sky, the sun disappearing behind the rocky horizon of their land. To hold a meeting at this time meant something big was about to happen. Something major, because every single pride member was present at the time that was their namesake.

Most of the women were tense, the children were strangely quiet as Nesar went through his greeting programme. Thanking their ancestors and postdecesors.

"And i would name the Accused, my brother and third high subordinate, Altan!" he froze in his seat.

"Come foward and stand to trial." the Alpha commanded.

Altan went rigid as he stood up, and as stoically as possible stood by his brother's side.

He knew there was only one way to settle this, a match. So he listened on, from Nesar accusing him of attempted fornification with Ilona to wanting to take the position of Alpha in the pride. "How do you plead?"

Altan closed his eyes and thought of many ways to avoid this, yet he came short. "The trial shall decide." he breathed with a rivaling amount of power to his Alpha's.

He bowed his head and let his eyes flutter open, only to meet those off Ilona just off to the side. Her eyes were worried, eyebrows pushed together as she scanned him and begged him with her eyes.

Please don't hurt him.

He swallowed, his throat feeling tight and looked away to meet his brother's own eyes. A dark brown compared to his own green, "very well then."