Grace of An Elder

Chapter 24

Several days had passed since the return from the human colony, and Dahdtoudi had not been to training. The clan Elder had come to T'ahrou's dwelling to thank his sire and birth-giver for allowing him to go on the hunt, and when he had entered the young blood's quarters, he had been in the middle of the battle with his self-control.

"I take it your hand is healed, young blood?" T'ahrou said nothing but a nervous trill of clicks escaped his throat as the older male's eyes grew ever more intense. His mother turned her head away in embarrassment, but his father stood firm, stoic and unreadable as always. "I am proud of the restraint you showed while with the healer. Zaiyu destroyed everything in his quarters."

"Is Dahdtoudi alright?" Tah'kath tilted his head in curiosity at the young male's question, but pushed the feeling aside.

"She has had better days, I am sorry to say. I am afraid with how intensely you and my son were affected, it pales in comparison to what my daughter is currently experiencing." T'ahrou said nothing, and the Elder gestured for him to sit on the bed. Once he was seated, Tah'kath continued as he paced about the room. "The pyode-amedha body is more fragile than that of a Yautja...their sensory functions more delicate. And from my understanding, Dahdtoudi's pain threshold registers at a higher level than what is considered 'normal'. But she is having a great difficulty with the induced heat cycle." T'ahrou nodded in understanding, and Tah'kath moved to place a hand on the young blood's shoulder before leaning down until their faces were nearly an inch apart. "I wanted to thank you for fighting alongside Dahdtoudi at the colony, and for assisting her prior. Life here is difficult for her...many of the clan members are displeased with her living among us, yet you treat her as one of our own. You have my gratitude, young blood."

"T'ahrou, focus! Ochei is gaining ground on you! Should this be possible?"

"No, Master!" T'ahrou blocked a kick to the head and reached to throw the smaller male off balance, but he countered and slammed an armored forearm into T'ahrou's gut.

"What has you distracted, descendant of Yahti?" T'ahrou said nothing and made an advance on the smaller male with green speckled markings. Again he countered and landed a hard kick to T'ahrou's rib cage. "Did you slack on training while you were away with the Elder and his lowlife offspring?" Instinctively the larger male's eyes narrowed, and Ochei's chest rumbled with laughter. "That's it, isn't it? You are off your game because that cretin is away, aren't you?"

T'ahrou unleashed a powerful combination of kicks and punches, all of which Ochei blocked with relative ease. "You speak too freely, small one."

"I don't see why you're confused about her absence. I heard she fell into her first heat recently...do you know what I think?" He blocked another punch from T'ahrou. "I think she is being rutted by Cu'saal and his two goons." T'ahrou growled low in his chest before striking with his claws at Ochei's throat. "Oh, it seems I struck a nerve. Don't worry, I'm sure they are giving her plenty of attention as they ram into her tiny Ooman body." Ochei struck this time, but T'ahrou managed a narrow dodge. "I can't even imagine how many times they have seeded her by n-"

T'ahrou grabbed the smaller male by the throat, slammed him onto the ground, and let loose a piercing roar before rearing back for a punch powerful enough to cave Ochei's skull. Before he could make contact, the training master, with the assistance of three other young bloods, pulled T'ahrou from his intended target as he continued to roar and struggle to get back to Ochei's body. "T'ahrou, calm yourself..!" One of the young bloods struggled to keep hold of his arm and nearly missed being struck in the face by the back of T'ahrou's head.

"Tell them, descendant of Yahti..! Tell them of your attachment with the pyode-amedha! Tell them how you resent the thought of another male rutting your precious Dahdtoudi!"

"YOU ARE NOT FIT TO SPEAK HER NAME!!" T'ahrou nearly pulled free from his captors, taking a dangerous step toward the mouthy Ochei. "SHE IS OF ELDER TAH'KATH'S LINEAGE! YOU WILL TREAT HER WITH RESPECT!"

"Do not pretend that this is about politics, T'ahrou! We see the way you watch her..! The way you defend her nonexistent honor against your own kind..!"

"Ochei, that is enough!" The master snapped as he tried to trip T'ahrou and pin him on the ground. "Go to the medi-station and clean yourself up! I will come get you when I am done here!"

Ochei spat on T'ahrou's head as he walked past, further enraging the larger male. "You disgust me."