Raw

Chapter Five - Father's Pride

"Zora?"

Silently, I backed away from the hut at the sound of Mother calling for me. I dashed back toward the fire pit, where she met me with a smile.

"Come, dear. We must check on the retired females."

I nodded, rushing up beside her. The "retired" females were the females Father no longer bred with as they had grown too old for it to be safe or healthy for them. Many other males simply thrust them out, but Father felt a great responsibility for each of them, and included them in his family until the end. They were still excellent for hunting and gathering, so never burdened anyone.

Mother and I trotted through the long grass over the crest to the encampment within a cluster of trees. Although technically Mother was also retired, Father adored her, and as his alpha, kept her close. Other males in the region would love to get their hands on her if they had the chance.

The beta female, the female that watched over the retired group, hurried out to meet Mother. They embraced, being old friends. Father had selected the beta not long after he acquired Mother, so they had been in the pride since it first formed. In fact, they came from the same pride, so shared the same father.

"Flit." The beta kissed Mother's cheek. "What has been happening at the main encampment?"

"That's why I'm here," Mother said. "I believe you smelled that heat."

"Of course. The adolescent males of our pride came to us when Krosh drove them out. We welcomed them in, since young males had been harassing us."

"I was afraid of that." Mother squeezed my shoulder, coaxing me into the camp. "Was anyone touched?"

"No, thank goodness." The beta motioned to one of the females. "She went on heat and a couple of the males went for her, but we managed to free her and released the heat manually."

"Soroya." Mother shook her head. "She's barely been retired. Poor thing."

"Krosh will need to come by soon. We have two more due for heats."

"I know. But he's about to go on a patrol, and Juniper is on heat and he wishes for her to conceive."

"Was it Juniper's heat?" the beta asked.

"No." Mother stopped, motioning to me. "Zora has come of age."

"Zora." The beta clasped my face, smiling wistfully. "How quickly you've grown. Your father will be sad to see you leave. No wonder the scent lasted so long. I bet he took his time selecting for you."

I smiled, my heart fluttering as I thought of Mhor. "He selected a fine mate for me. I will be an alpha."

"That wasn't even a question with your mother being Flit." The beta released my face to grasp Mother's hands. "What pride did he come from?"

"He is a son of Cal," Mother said. "A larger, stronger young male I have not seen since our own Krosh."

"Cal?" The beta cocked her head. "Cal comes from far away. Farther than our father's old pride land. He had to pass through many powerful males' territories to reach here."

"Which is part of the reason Krosh was so impressed by him." Mother strokes my back. "He will make a fine mate for my daughter."

They continued talking as they moved through the camp. I stayed a few steps behind, smiling at the familiar faces. These females were my father's original pride, the females I remembered as a child. Father was so unlike other males to keep them around, but he cared so much for each of them. I hoped Mhor would be equally as tender as my father.