Kasha was standing at the door of her Leeandra home, holding a stick a few inches taller than her. She was just a kit and klees couldn't hold spears until they became adults. Today was an exciting day for Kasha: Her mother and father were taking her out foraging with the other klees.
"All ready, Daughter?" Seegen, her father, asked her appearing from around the corner with her mother.
They were both holding spears in their paws. Kasha couldn't wait until she was old enough to touch one. As they walked to the centre of Leeandra, Kasha's parents explained foraging to their daughter.
"Because there are other kits like you just learning, the forage will take longer. There are two groups, a klee called Rodea's and your father's," Her mother began, "You see, Daughter, foraging is fairly easy. You collect food, travelling in a cart pulled by zenzen and return it safely back to Leeandra"
"There is a reason Leeandra was built in trees, Daughter," Seegen told Kasha, "Forging is also dangerous as we go down below. And down there, there are vicious creatures called tangs"
Her family reached the centre of Leeandra where klees and kits alike gathered. An ember-furred klee stood before the group as Seegen joined them.
"Hello, everyone,"The klee began, "I am Rodea. Because all you kits are just learning, this forage will take a longer amount of time. I would like every klee here to take note of that. Now, there are two groups. One lead by myself and the other by Seegen here. We will separate once we hit a fork in the forest floor. And remember, we are all taking a risk today, gars and klees alike"
Kasha looked to the gars within the circle. Their faces were expressionless. Not that it mattered, from what Kasha had seen, gars were animals used by klees whenever they could. Rodea lead the circle into one big cart that was being pulled by six zenzen. Seegen sat beside Rodea whilst Kasha sat with her mother, who was clutching her paws. The cart travelled down the elevator to the forest floors. The zenzens pulled it along, where it stopped a few metres before a fork in the floor.
"We will walk up to the fork from here on" Rodea explained to the group.
The group hustled outof the cartand started walking. Kasha's mother held tightly to her paws. Kasha looked up at her mother with her green eyes. Her mother had silvery black fur with bright golden eyes. Her mother noticed the staring.
"Something wrong, Daughter?" She asked Kasha.
"No, Mother," Kasha replied, "I am brave"
She smiled and let go of her mother's paw. She walked in time with the group. She got a little carried away and began walking a bit faster. She tripped over a brown kit's back paw and almost fell flat on her face. Lucky for Kasha, the kit had grabbed her before she hit the ground.
"Easy there" The kit said as they straightened her up.
"Thank you," Kasha replied, "I am just so excited to finally be out foraging"
"We all are," The kit told her, "Name's Boon,anyway"
"Kasha" Kasha found herself saying.
"Kasha," Boon repeated, "Nice name. Unique. Almost princess-y"
Kasha didn't like being referred to as a princess. She thought herself more a warrior like her father, although she did have some of her mother's traits. She flipped her stick around, grabbed it with both paws and put it in a headlock over Boon's head, pushing the stick against the back of his neck.
"Do not ever say that about me again," Kasha growled, "See that klee next to Rodea?"
She looked towards her father.
"See-Seegen?...Y-Yeah.." Boon got out through gasps.
Kasha glared at Boon, she bared her teeth.
"That's my father" She said.
"O-O-Oh.." Boon managed to exclaim.
"Daughter?" Kasha's mother noticed what she was doing, "What is going on?"
Kasha turned her head towards her mother. She didn't know what to do. She'd been caught harming another kit. She didn't know what to say.
"Nothing, ma'am," Boon suddenly came out with, "Just playfighting"
He pushed Kasha down on the grass with hi two front paws, breaking free from the headlock.
"You can playfight back in Leeandra," Kasha's mother said, "It's too dangerousout here. Now, come on, get walking, the both of you"
She picked Boon and Kasha up by the scruff of their necks and placed them side by side as they continued walking.
"You covered for me" Kasha stated.
"'Course" Boon said with a wink.
"Why?" Kasha asked.
"Your parents being who they are, you would have been in alot of trouble if they knew the truth" Boon told her.
"Well, thank you," Kasha thanked him, "Again"
"Anytime...Friend?" Boon asked warily.
His eyes darted from Kasha to the ground. Kasha just laughed and put a paw around Boon's shoulders.
"Friend" She said as the group came to a halt.
Kasha and Boon looked towards Seegen and Rodea. They'd come to a fork in the forest floor.
"Seegen's group, follow him," Rodea instructed, "My group, start harvesting and teaching"
Seegen and his group headed down the right fork. Some of the klees in Rodea's group went up the left fork,while most stayed where they were.
"Ready, Daughter?" Kasha's mother asked her.
Kasha nodded her head enthusiastically as Boon went to join his family. Her mother lead her towards a bush near the left fork. She took out a sack.
"This is the easiest way" She told her daughter with a hint of sarcasm.
Her mother pulled out her claws and scratched at some cherries in the bush, which fell straight into the sack she was holding below them.
"You try it with these grapes" Her mother told her, walking up to a bush with some grapes in the middle of the fork.
Kasha stood tall over the bush, outstretching her claws. She scratched at the grapes, which fell into the sack her mother was holding.
"Then you take them back to the cart," Her mother said, "Watch"
Kasha watched as her mother walked over to the cart that was being pulled by zenzens and one by one, loaded the fruit in. She heard screams coming from just above her in the fork. Kasha turned around to see gars dashing straight for therest of the group, behind them were klees with injuries running in their direction. She wondered why they were running so fast. Then she saw it: A tang. And it was heading straight for her. She held tight to her stick, ready to fight. The tang noticed her, licking it's lips. It charged for Kasha.
"Daughter!" She heard her mother yell.
She pushed Kasha out of the way as she and another klee twirled their spears, facing the tang. Kasha sat there, watching her mother and this klee fight a tang. Most of Rodea's group were rushing up the right fork, or heading back to Leeandra. Kasha couldn't keep her eyes off of her mother. She watched as the other klee gained severe injuries and retreated, leaving her mother to fight the tang alone. Her mother clawed the tang's foot with her back claws, then ducked as the tang's arms tried to grab her. She swivelled to the side and speared the tang in it's ribs. The tang let out a loud roar and turned towards Kasha's mother. It swiped at her, knocking her to the ground. It had left her bleeding severely through several scratches. The tang's head bent down and it picked Kasha's mother up with it's mouth. It crunched on her body, lifting it's head up to swallow as a spear shot it right through the heart. Kasha turned to see Rodea had thrown the spear. She turned back to the tang. But it was too late. The tang had already swallowed her mother.
"I'm sorry, Kasha" Rodea told her through gasps.
Kasha couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Her mother being murdered by a tang. She felt tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't even speak.
"Kasha!" She saw Boon running up to her, his mother following.
"Would you mind taking her home?" Rodea asked Boon's mother.
Boon's mother nodded and lead Kasha and her son back to Leeandra. They entered Kasha's house as Boon's mother went into the kitchen to pour some water for her.
"I'm so sorry," Boon said as he and Kasha took a seat, "Are you okay?"
Kasha just looked into Boon's eyes with her tear-filled green ones. Boon frowned, realising it was a stupid question.
"Yeah, I know," he said, "No matter what, I'm here for you,okay?"
He suddenly had an idea.
"Hey," Boon said, "I know it's not easy to do but I know something that might help you deal with it better"
"Wh-What?" Kasha asked through sobs.
"There's this game my father got me into," Boon explained, "It's called wippen. It uses zenzens and gars and scoops and balls"
Kasha blinked at him, tears rolling down her eyes.
"With your skills when you were...," Boon looked at his mother, who had entered the room, "playfighting with me, you'd be a good player. You should join the team"
"I don't think that's what Kasha needs at the moment, Son," Boon's mother told him, "Although,that is a good suggestion"
"Daughter!" Seegen rushed into the house, running straight for Kasha.
He held his daughter in a tight embrace.
"Rodea told me what happened," Seegen said, looking at Boon and his mother, "Thank you"
Boon's mother knew that that meant they should leave.
"Let me know about wippen when you're up for it" Boon told Kasha as his mother escorted themselves out.
Seegen sat on the couch, cradling Kasha.
"I am so sorry you had to witness that, Daughter," Seegen told her,tears forming in his own eyes, "I should have been there. I should have stayed with you"
"It's not your fault, Father," Kasha said through tears, "You had a duty to do"
"What was Boon saying about wippen?" Seegen asked her, trying to make light of the conversation.
"That I should join the team, play," Kasha replied, "To help deal with it better"
"That is a wonderful suggestion," Seegen stated, "But is it what you want to do?"
"Maybe" Kasha shrugged.
She stared at the front door. The image of the tang crunching down on her mother replaying in her mind. Not only did it fill her with grief, it filled her with hate. Hate not just for that one tang. Hate for all tangs on Eelong. She knew one thing she wanted. Vengeance.
"Teach me, Father" Kasha whispered.
"Pardon, Daughter?" Seegen asked, not hearing her clearly through her sobs.
Kasha cleared her voice and wiped her eyes.
"Teach me" She said, louder this time.
"Teach you what?" Seegen was confused at what she was asking.
"Teach me your ways," Kasha said, "Teach me to be a warrior forager exactly like you"
Her green eyes lit up, illuminated by the newly-formed tears in them.
"I want to be able to kill a tang" She stated, looking into her father's eyes.
Seegen looked deep into his daughter's eyes. He could tell she was serious about this. He also felt this way. He smiled meaningfully.
"Of course, Daughter" He said, hugging Kasha tight.