Light Guardian

Chapter 6

We've been together for a few days now. Nakoma has continued training me, teaching me new attacks and how to defend myself. She has been really prissy about how I move during training and growls whenever I sit down. Although I don't really appreciate her training style, I am slowly growing on to her attitude. I could never have guessed that I would ever appreciate such a sassy and sarcastic wolf that seems to know everything, but I do.

    I've also gotten closer to Rhea and Amos. Rhea has shown me how protective she is, especially with Amos. I've noticed that she has slowly begun to be protective towards me as well. Sometimes I'll offer to hunt after I have trained, but she'll insist that I should rest so I won't overexert myself. Also, whenever I receive a bad injury during training, she always stops Nakoma and rushes to my side. It feels good to have someone try and protect me, to really care for me. I've also observed that she is a little confused about who she is, but I don't blame her at all. I am in the same situation. I've had bad influences while I was a kitten, and no one to tell me who I was.

    Amos is now like a little brother I never had. His timid nature and his trust issues have made me protective of him as well. He once confided in me that he trusted me, which warmed my heart. I've also noticed that he has a good memory and that he is knowledgeable with the herbs involved with healing.

    Currently, we were sitting near the den, conversing. I had decided to tell them about my backstory, and they decided they would share some of theirs' as well. Rhea looked at me expectantly.

    My voice was shaking as I began to tell them a bit about my story, "The group of cats that I came from worshipped normality. My mother was seen as their leader in a way and was highly respected. When she saw me, she rejected me as a daughter and labeled me as a disgrace. My father, Dusk, was too weak to fight for me and succumbed to her evil ways. He was and always will be a coward in my eyes. Their golden child and my sister, Dove, began to bully and torment me at a young age. Other cats joined in as well, but it was mainly her and her sidekick, Apple. I was denied all training that regular kittens were provided, and I fell behind. When I grew older, I would be put on night watch occasionally. The last time I did it, I set off a false alarm. They accused me of doing that on purpose, and my mother yelled at me. They exiled me that night, and I was on my own for a long time. I ran and ended up here. And ever since that day I was here. Alone."

    The two cats I had befriended had water welling up in their eyes. Rhea reached out her paw and placed it on mine, "Oh Varian..." She spoke softly. We sat in silence, dwelling on my story before Rhea began to tell her own.

    "I used to be a house cat. I lived with this pleasant old lady who cared for me like she was my own mother. She used to always wear her favorite scarf, and would always joke about me wearing a scarf as well. One day, she began to cough. At first, it didn't seem important. Just a cough every now and then. However, her coughing had picked up. I began to worry about her, after all, she was basically my own mother. Whenever her frail hands reached out to pet me, water pooled onto my fur, and her cold hands caused me to shiver. She slowly lost weight, and her coughing just worsened. I tried to help her, I tried to get rid of the cold that hung onto her skin. I tried to comfort her when she couldn't catch her breath. I tried to get her to eat, by drawing her to the fridge. In the end, it didn't work. She refused to seek help, saying that she needed to die. She gave me this scarf, her favorite one, and tied it around my neck neatly. It's the last item I have from her. After she had died, I took off into the woods. I found Amos wandering alone, and took him under my wing. Now we are here."

    Water stung in my eyes as I heard about her story. She lost her owner, her mother. My heart hurt with the idea of suffering through that kind of pain, trying to help but being useless in the end. My voice cracked as I responded softly, "At least you provided her comfort before she went..." Silence met my ears, and I knew that Rhea was ready to move on. We waited until Amos was ready, and I could tell he was still hesitant. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." I comforted the nervous tom. He shook his tiny head before starting his story.