Alright, I was doing some hardcore thinking, and came to the conclusion that there probably wouldn't be any use in firing up a poll to decide the next story of The Outlaw Archives, since I bet that Bentley would just win anyway, so I decided to just start his story right away ^^

It's a bit late, I know -.-... I was supposed to upload it earlier this week, but I got so overwhelmed with homework I just never got the time -.-...

Anyway, I really hope y'all enjoy this, and don't forget to drop a review when you're done ;)

*** Chapter One : The Wonderchild ***

A piercing scream broke the tranquility of the jungle, scaring a flock of birds to take off from the green, lush treetops. A bunch of black and white colobus monkeys stopped whatever they were doing, before rolling their eyes and continued with their own business.

Not far from there was a deep, dark river, slithering it's way through the rainforest landscape like a snake, bending and twisting in narrow gooseneck turns. Somewhere deep in the land, right by the river, lied a village. It was quite a large village, considering that this were the village where the Queen lived non the less. The houses, or huts, were square shaped, and built from clay with sturdy roofs of straw.

This was a Bouda village, a Brown Ones village to be precise. All around the village, the brown hyenas were all busy with whatever it was they usually did; the cubs were playing and a young female were organizing her hunting pack. A young male was helping his mother with carrying an overfull laundry basket, seeing as her big belly gossiped about her approaching delivery.

Another painful scream from one of the huts located on the outskirts of the village disrupted the harmony and made everyone pause, exchanging concerned looks. They all knew what the scream meant, and by now almost the entire village was beginning to worry about the young female.

Outside the hut where the screams originated from, was a young male sitting on a bench with his face buried in his hands. He didn't look like the other hyenas in the village; while the other Brown Ones were light brown with thick, dark brown, unruly hair and mane, this hunters fur had a more yellow color, and his mane was spiky and grayish brown in color. But his most distinguished feature was the dark brown spots covering his back, legs and arms. A strand of grayish brown hair was dangling from his right temple, and was kept together by thick red and blue pearls. When another, more troubled, scream pierced the jungle, he jumped and cast a worried glance at the huts door. His eyes were blood red, and for the moment bloodshot and with dark rings under them. He hadn't had any sleep since her pains began. Besides, who can sleep knowing that your mate has been in labor for almost two days?

"Wow! You look like crap, Win!" The familiar voice made him turn his head, looking up at his big brother. "Scratch that, you look WORSE than crap!"

"Thanks, Fahamu..." Mwindaji said with a restrained sigh.

"How's things going in there?" Fahamu said and sat down next to his brother and blew some of the long hair that had fallen into his eyes. Fahamu was very much alike his younger brother, the main difference was their hair and mane; Fahamu had the Brown Ones thick, bushy do which was always covering his eyes, while Mwindaji had a duller colored version of the Spotted Ones.

Mwindaji sighed again and shook his head. "I don't know... The girls are keeping me in the dark over here!" He looked around. "Where's Etana?" He asked, referring to his three year old daughter, which there was no problems with when she was born.

"I asked Bora to keep an eye on her, he's probably off showing her the treehouse he made!"

Mwindaji nodded. "Good..."

"Ey, Win..." Fahamu said, nodding at the hut again. "I've heard even Queen Afaafa's in there now, has she said anything?"

"Well, she cursed a lot..."

"Oh..."

The younger brother didn't answer, he just threw another worried glance at the curtain, serving as a door. Fahamu sighed and threw his arm around Mwindajis shoulders and blew his hair out of his eyes again. "Listen, lil' bro, it's Shawana we're talking about here! You if anyone knows how tough that gal is! She'll be alright, just wait and see!"

Mwindaji threw his brother a faint smile, but then another cry of pain was heard from the hut and his smile vanished. Suddenly, the scream came to an abrupt stop and was replaced by silence. He perked his slightly rounder ears and listened for any signs of life, but there was nothing. Fear gripped his heart as quickly rushed to his feet and almost crashed into his sister, who stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"I thought you were gonna rush in here sooner or later..." She said, stopping him in his tracks.

"W-what's happening, Almasi? Tell me, please?!"

The other hyena was about to answer, when the faint sound of crying was heard behind her in the hut. The cry of a newborn life made Mwindaji draw a deep sigh of relief and wipe the cold sweat from his brows. But when he saw that his sisters concerned look hadn't changed, his smile of relief vanished too.

"Almasi?" Something was wrong, he just knew it. "Almasi, what's happened?"

"We're sorry, Win..." She answered and averted her eyes. "We...!"

She was interrupted when her brother barged past her through the door and into the hut. Inside the three women who had assisted Shawana were present: the three siblings' mother; Zuwena the Spotted, and Shawanas sister and Mwindajis hunting pack leader Kiah, who sat on a stool cradling a small, weeping bundle in her arms. The Queen herself, Afaafa, was leaning against the wall, solemnly looking down at the ground with her jaw clenched shut. When she heard it was her first cousins daughter who had been in labor for far too long time, she had instantly burst out from the Council and head straight for the hut, leaving the other Council members in murmuring confusion.

Usually, his first reaction in the presence of the Queen would have been a respectful greeting, but this time he was far too worried about his mate to even register that the Queen was standing in the same room as him. All he could see was the lifeless body, covered by a bloodstained blanket. With a heavy lump in his chest, he walked as in trance up to the bed and knelt down by it. With shaking hands he unraveled the top of the blanket, exposing her face.

Shawanas eyes were closed, and at first it looked just like she was sleeping, but then he noticed how pained and exhausted she looked even in death. His throat began to tighten up and it became hard to breathe as he gently brushed away some of his dead mates thick hair out of her face.

"We should leave the boy alone..." Afaafa said while she followed Mwindajis every move with a solemn look on her aged face, scarred from the many battles and hunts she's been through.

Zuwena opened her mouth to protest, but quickly changed her mind and nodded before she left her son in the hut, shortly followed by her daughter, Kiah and the newborn cub. Afaafa gave Mwindaji a last slow shake of her head before she left with the other females. It didn't take long before they heard the muffled sobs of the hunter, mourning over his mate.

Fahamu was still sitting on the bench, when he heard his brother cry he immediately knew what had happened. "Oh..." Was all he could say as he stared down at the ground.

"Soo, Queen Afaafa..." Almasi asked cautiously, the Queen listened but didn't look up. "When do we...?"

"Tonight!" The Queen answered quickly, before Almasi could finish the sentence. "We hold the funeral tonight. Better get her spirit out of the village as fast as possible!" She snapped her head to Kiah. "Kiah, how's the little one?"

"He'll make it, I think!" The young huntress answered with a nod, just as Mwindaji staggered out of the hut and slumped down on the bench again. Nobody said anything for a while, only the quiet sobs from the infant was heard.

"We're really sorry, Mwindaji..." Zuwena was the first to brake the silence. "Something must have gone wrong, we tried to save them both, but...!"

"It's alright, mom. I'm not blaming you..." He said and threw an angry glare at the sun. He knew that looking at Her for too long could hurt your eyes, but he didn't care right now.

"Don't blame the Great Mother either, Mwindaji..." Afaafas stern voice made Mwindaji direct his attention to the Queen, leaning against the wall of the hut with her arms folded across her chest. The wild unruly dark brown mane with gray streaks on her back rustled in the gentle breeze, giving her a fierce look. "We do not question Her decisions. There's always a reason for Her to claim a mother before the child is ready"

Mwindaji gave up a restrained sigh. "Great, what do I tell Etana, then?" He winced and tried to hold back the sobs at the thought of how his daughter was going to react to news.

"Well..." Almasi said, pulling off one of her trademark smirks. "You could start by telling her that she's got a new baby brother!"

The hunters ears perked up as he was handed a small bundle wrapped up in a dirt brown cloth. He stared at the little cub, first in puzzlement, then in relief. The pain from losing Shawana suddenly felt lighter somehow as he cradled his newborn. At least their child made it out alive...

The little cub looked so much like his mother, a Brown One: a patch of thick, dark brown hair between a pair of overdimensioned, pointy ears. The light brown fur was all fuzzy and a few, irregular spots was seen faintly on his back. He slightly opened one of the large eyes and revealed the familiar red color of a Spotted One.

"But..." Mwindaji said as a new worry arose within. "What if Etana blames him for Shawanas death?" He looked up at the others. "What if she hates him? What if she...?"

"Nah, don't worry about that, Win!" Almasi scoffed. "Etana is a clever gal, she'll understand it's not his fault!"

"So, you got a name my grandson yet, Mwindaji?" Zuwena asked curiously.

"Well..." Mwindaji chuckled as the little cub grabbed one of his fingers with his entire little paw. "Shawana and I talked a bit about it last week, she liked the name Mteremo..." He nodded, the name seemed to suit the little cub perfectly. "Yes, that's his name; Mteremo!"

"Cheerful, eh?" Fahamu chuckled. But just then, the little cub scrunched up his entire little face and began to cry. Loudly! The grown ups all jumped. "Are you SURE Cheerful is a good name, Win?" Fahamu frowned in disbelief as his round ears flattened to his neck to shield himself from the noise.

"Give him a couple of years and you'll see, Fam!" Mwindaji replied with a chuckle. "Just you wait and see!"

7 Years Later...

The piglet screamed in fear as it was being chased by it's invisible enemy. The young warthog had been separated from his herd and driven deeper into the jungle, into the lands of the Brown Bouda people. He hadn't seen his enemy, more than a few pure white flashes between the trees, and the constant rustling of feet. Suddenly the piglet stopped and looked around. Since when had the Brown Ones been white? Maybe it was one of the Striped Ones who chased him, but in that case; what was a Striped hunter doing here in the jungles?

A sudden twig being snapped underneath someones feet made the little warthog jump in surprise and turn around. There! There was the white flash moving between the trees again! The piglet backed a few steps. That is, until it felt something tighten around his ankle and before he registered what happened, he had been hoisted into the air by the Boudas trap. He screamed in terror as the ground came further and further away before he came to an abrupt stop and his enemy emerged from the bushes. It was a pure white Bouda, his pinkish red eyes quickly found his captured prey and underneath the pink nose, his fangs were bared in a victorious grin. He looked young, perhaps in his early teens.

Suddenly the young Bouda pulled out a long, thin wooden pipe and before the piglet recognized the weapon, the poisoned dart had found its place behind the young warthogs ear and within seconds, the poison stopped it's heart. The albino drew a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow as two familiar adult Boudas emerged from their hideout among the bushes; his father Fahamu and uncle Mwindaji.

"Nice job, Bora! I'd say that's a new record!" Fahamu chuckled and gave his son a playful punch on the shoulder. "And the mama?"

"She didn't notice anything!" Bora said and returned the punch.

"What about Mteremo, did you see him anywhere?"

Bora shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry, too busy with my own catch!"

The other Bouda, Mwindaji, chuckled. "Oh, he's probably on his way" He shot a sly grin at Fahamu. "And I bet he's already captured his catch a long time ago!"

"You know, Win. It's YOUR son, and the only one here who's the slightest bit worried here is ME? You DO know it's warthogs they've been assigned to, right? And that Mteremo shouldn't be out hunting on his own until he's Boras age, right?"

"He's not alone, Fam! We're here to too, y'know!" Mwindaji scoffed. "I'm fully confident that Mteremo can do this, I would never have let him go if I wasn't! Besides, this was Queen Afaafas idea, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember..." The older brother answered lowly and blew some of his hair out of his eyes.

"Or are you jealous that Mteremo is better at setting traps than both you and me are, eh?"

"Pfft! So is Bora, but you don't see me getting jealous about it!"

"Yes you are!" Bora chuckled before he untied the rope that was suspending the young warthog in the air. "You told mom that if you had been half the hunter I am, they might even stretch the rules and make you a pack leader too!" He said while he hopped on the limp piglet and quickly used the rope, which was still looped around it's leg, to tie it around it's hooves and trunk.

"Oy, don't get cocky, you little squirt!" Fahamu snorted and crossed his arms, drawing out a laugh from both his brother and his son. "Haven't you heard what some tribes do to kids who boasts and exaggerates?"

A sudden rustle from the bushes got the trio to snap around and perk their ears as a cub emerged. He had leaves and twigs stuck in his bushy hair and mane, and mud caked all over his stocky body. He couldn't be more than seven years old, and was rubbing a bump on his forehead as he staggered up to the three older Boudas.

"Mteremo!" Mwindaji exclaimed happily and gave his brother a confident smirk, knowing that his son probably had a big surprise waiting for them!

"H-hi dad!" The cub said and stopped rubbing his forehead and looked up at his father.

Usually, a cub wasn't allowed to try out hunting alone until they're at least fifteen years old, almost ready to become men, but Mteremo and Bora were different; Bora was a pure white Bouda, a Descendant from the very first Bouda people who was said to have fur glistening like the mountains snow. Since their hunters were legendary for their courage and ferocity, it was only obvious that Bora too would be a skilled hunter and was training hard to live up to peoples expectations. Usually, the Descendants who're born have always been females, so why the Great Mother suddenly let a male Descendant arrive to the Earth was a puzzle, a puzzle which the Council saw as a sign. A sign for a great change!

But what no one could have foreseen was that the puny cub, whom Shawana gave up her life in exchange for his, would turn out to be just as special as his cousin; already at the mere age of four, he was running around and planted traps for the villagers. Traps that succeeded seven out of ten times! And he did something no Bouda ever done of before: used the trees to his advantage. Climbing around unnoticed in the trees to stalk his preys have earned him the nickname 'the Monkey'. Intrigued by 'the Monkey's early signs of hunting skills, Queen Afaafa had told Mwindaji to let his son hunt along with Bora, when Fahamu was going to take his son out hunting alone for the first time. Although, her choice of prey for the young hunters had taken them all by surprise: warthogs. Warthogs were known for being extremely intolerant towards intruders, especially Boudas, and overly protective of their piglets. The upside was that warthogs usually had too many piglets to keep track of, and therefore one or two could be separated from the mother without her knowing, IF done right. Or else you might end up getting chased by her, and they don't stop until they caught you. It takes both courage and wisdom to hunt down warthogs, so why Bora and Mteremo were given the task of chasing down an animal like that was beyond their fathers understanding.

"Woah, what's happened to you?" Boras eyes widened when he saw how muddy and filthy the cub was.

Mteremo shrugged. "I tripped" He answered with a sheepish smile.

"So, Mteremo, where's your catch?" Mwindaji kneeled down to get in the same eye level as his son. To his surprise, Mteremo mumbled something and looked down. Mwindaji frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry dad..." The cub mumbled a bit louder and awkwardly rubbed his foot in the ground. "I didn't catch any piglet... I couldn't separate one from the others..."

Mwindaji nodded slowly. Of course, warthogs are too difficult! Heck, even I can't catch them, and Fahamu always ends up getting pummeled by one! "It's alright Mteremo, maybe we can ask Afaafa for an easier target?"

Mteremo shook his head. "Nah, but I did catch something else!" He picked up his fathers paw and tugged it. "Wanna see it?"

"Sure, why not?" Mwindaji shrugged. So it wasn't a warthog, but whatever it was it's probably better than nothing!

Fahamu and Bora tagged along out of curiosity as Mteremo led them through the thick jungle, Bora carrying his catch on his back. But when they came to a clearing, and saw what it was young Mteremo had caught, they both stopped dead in their tracks and the piglet fell to the leafy ground with a soft thud. In the middle of the clearing lied a full grown warthog, a boar. It's curled up tusks were about the size of Mwindajis arm and weighed probably at least ten times as much as both of the brothers together.

Mwindaji staggered back. "W-w-what? A-a boar, how...?"

"Sorry, dad. It's not a piglet, I couldn't reach them because this guy was in the way. He saw me and began to chase me, so I had to lure him into the trap instead. The tree broke though..." The cub looked at the side, at the thick tree that had snapped under the hogs weight.

Mteremo had been chased by one of the biggest, meanest boars anyone of the brothers had seen before. His father felt the earth rock underneath his paws when he realized, so he had to slump down on a stump to not fall to the ground. "Y-you were chased by a boar?" He still asked and winced when Mteremo nodded.

"Wow..." Bora said and touched one of the protruding 'warts' of the boars grotesque head. "Isn't this a bit creepy?"

"Yeah, and it WAS creepy too! He nearly caught me once too!"

"You trying to kill yourself or something, Mteremo?!" Fahamu burst out as he gawked at the lifeless boar. "Have you any idea how dangerous these things are?!" Mteremo averted his eyes and nodded slowly.

"Fam is right, Mteremo..." Mwindaji frowned worriedly. "Boars are among the most dangerous animals in the jungle..." But then his face broke up in a wide grin. "Except for YOU! You totally kicked this guys ass, didn't you?!"

Mteremo shrugged modestly. "Oh well..."

"Aww c'mon, kiddo! This is AMAZING! People are gonna FREAK when they hear this!" The adult hyena bounced up from the stump and ran over to the boar. "Just, HOW did you do this?!" But before Mteremo got to answer the question, Mwindaji held up his hand and interrupted his cub. "No! Don't answer it, or I won't be able to sleep tonight! Great Mother, look at this thing, Fahamu!" He turned to his older brother with an enthusiastic grin on his face.

"Yeah, I'm looking at it..." Fahamu said, his eyes completely covered behind his bangs. Mwindaji laughed gleefully and was literally bouncing around the dead boar in happiness. "Win, can I talk to you for a moment?" Mwindaji stopped prancing around like a child and nodded to his brother before the two withdrew from the cubs and the boar to talk.

"Are you sure you should encourage this?" Fahamu crossed his arms and cocked his head at his younger brother. Even though he couldn't see Fahamus eyes, he could tell that he didn't have a pleased look in them.

"Encourage what? Genius? Finesse? Talent?"

"Disobedience?"

Mwindaji frowned. "What are you implying?"

"Win, we told them both before heading out: a brawl with a boar equals death. If an adult spots them, they need to skedaddle BEFORE it attacks! Mteremo deliberately put himself in danger just for some stupid test, you know that, right?"

"C'mon,you're just jealous that my kid caught a full grown boar!"

"Seriously, Win? Your son could've died, and...!"

"I KNOW!" When the two cubs heard Mwindaji raise his voice at Fahamu, both of their heads were snapped in their direction. "I know..." Mwindaji repeated lower. "But I think he was too afraid of failing to just retreat. He looks up to Afaafa you know..." The young hunter winced. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him about it tonight... But first, lets go back and get some backup!" He grinned again and pointed with his thumb at the boar, who Bora was busy poking with a stick. "We're gonna need a lot more people if we're to move that thing before it gets stiff, am I right?" He chuckled.

The news about Mteremo and the boar spread like a wildfire in the village, and the Brown Boudas met it with mixed feelings; some thought it probably had been a mistake that Bora was born a Descendant, perhaps it really was Mteremo who should've been an albino instead? Most people were of course thrilled about it, but some thought it was irresponsible of Mwindaji to let his son go after a full grown warthog, and others even thought it might've been witchcraft in the game!

Queen Afaafa tried to act surprised, but something in her eyes told Mwindaji that she really wasn't. Etana, who had been studying with Almasi all day about being a hunting pack leader, literally screamed with joy as the massive warthog was brought in by no less than five males.

"It was my brother who caught it!" She boasted to everyone she met, causing Mteremo to blush and try to hide behind his father.

Afaafa was just about to proclaim that a celebration would be held, seeing as the warthog would be enough to feed the entire village, when a loud, alarmed scream echoed over the village;

"QUEEN! QUEEN AFAAFA!"

The village had gathered around the Queens hut, where the boar had been brought, and everyone was looking around in alarm for the owner of the voice. Soon, a young female pushed her way through the mass, panting heavily and clutching her wounded arm. Almasi immediately recognized her as one of her pack members.

"Gasira?!" The older sister of Fahamu and Mwindaji exclaimed when the wounded female staggered up to the Queen and fell on her knees, whimpering in pain. Almasi bolted to her friend and put a careful hand on her shoulder, instantly withdrawing when Gasira shuddered by the touch. "Gasira?! What's...?"

Queen Afaafa interrupted Almasi with a solemn snarl. "What's happened?"

"W-we were in the jungle, m-me and Kafeel, w-when we met them..." Gasira stuttered and tried to not tremble in front of the Queen, but the pain was too great. "T-they attacked us, and... and they took him!" She sobbed and hung her head. "They took my Kafeel! W-we tried to fight them off, but they... t-they were just so many... I-I couldn't...!"

"Gasira...?" Almasi frowned. "Who're 'they'?"

The young female looked up at her pack leader through her heavy, dark brown bangs. "The Spotted Ones..." She gritted her fangs. "The Spotted Ones are in the jungle! A-and they took my mate away!" She began to sob again and covered her eyes with one of her hands.

A startled murmur went through the village, and a mother protectively put her arms around her two cubs. Fahamu and Mwindaji flinched and exchanged looks, even if Fahamus eyes were completely hidden behind his bangs. The Spotted Ones territory was on the savannahs, and the open plains, why would they even bother traveling all the way to the Brown Ones jungles? And even if the Spotted Ones were known for their hostility towards others, they wouldn't just attack a couple randomly like that? What was going on here?!

Afaafa was silent for a while, thinking with her jaw tightly clenched as she used to when she was upset. "Are there any hunters out now?" She asked after a while.

Almasi nodded before helping her friend up on her feet. "Yes, Ajali and her pack left this morning..."

"Call them back!" She turned to Fumo, the drummer. "Send a message to ALL hunters to return home!" She turned to the villagers with a harsh look on her face. "NOBODY leaves the village until tomorrow! And keep a close watch on the cubs!" Her eyes darted to the three half-Spotted Boudas. "I'll go and speak with the Council now, and I want you three to come with me!"

"B-but, what about Kafeel?" Gasira sniveled and clutched her limp, bleeding arm again.

"That's what we're going to discuss..." Afaafa answered with an annoyed snarl. "And get that arm looked at! Kiah?"

"Yes, Queen Afaafa?" Shawanas older sister and ex-pack leader emerged from the villagers as she got called upon.

"Do your brother-in-law a favor and keep an eye on the cubs, I don't want them around the Council members, not after last time..."

"Hey, that wasn't our fault!" Etana protested and clung to her fathers legs.

"Exactly, we can't help that Elder Balozi is such a grumpy old hippo that can't...!" Mteremo chimed in, but discontinued when the adults gave them both stern looks.

Mwindaji chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Kids, you know!" He said, and Afaafa arched an eyebrow at him while his siblings simultaneously facepalmed. Sure, Mwindaji was a great father, and his kids adored him, but he had some problems with the rules. Or lack of rules to be exact.

The boar was hastily split amongst the villagers as the the Queen and the three children of Zuwena the Spotted made haste to the Councils cottage and the rest of the villagers returned home with their families. Everyone was nervous and unsure of the Spotted Ones motives, but one thing was sure; they had already proven to be hostile when they attacked Gasira and Kafeel, and kidnapped the young hunter, separating him from his mate which was a crime worthy of banishment within all three Bouda tribes!

They listened to the sound of the drums, cutting through the tranquility of the jungle as Fumo called Ajalis hunting pack home. Unless they too had been discovered and taken captives by the Spotted Ones...

"Aunt Kiah?" Mteremo asked and looked up at Kiah with a concerned look as she was cradling her own, sleeping infant.

"Yes?" The mother averted her eyes to her nephew.

"Why did the Spotted Ones take Kafeel away?"

Kiah frowned and looked away. "I don't know, Mteremo... I really don't know..." She shook her head. But they must've had a reason to come here! They NEVER leave their settlements, and everyone knows how much they hate the jungles, so why would they come all the way here? Just to kidnap a youth?! Something here stinks, and I wish I knew what...

"Aunt Kiah?" Now it was Etanas turn to speak up. "What if it IS true that they're cannibals?!W-what if they're eating poor Kafeel right now?!" The little cub stuck her tongue out in disgust and in her eyes flickered fear.

Mteremo nodded and looked like he was going to throw up. "Kafeel-soup?" The two siblings looked at each other with horrified grimaces before they simultaneously exclaimed: "YUCK!"

"No, you know they aren't!" Kiah said amused and rolled her eyes. The rumor that the Spotted Ones were cannibals and ate their enemies to gain their strength, was instantly ruled false when Zuwena came to the village.

"But they could be?" The little girl said and tilted her head slightly.

"I don't think so! Your grandmother almost fainted when they asked her about it, you know!" Just as Kiah finished the sentence, the little cub in her lap slowly blinked her eyes open. She instantly began to cry, causing her two older cousins to clamp their paws over their ears and her mother to flinch. "Great, now Hasa woke up too... Etana, Mteremo, go outside and fetch her...!" But before Kiah could finish the sentence, the two cubs nodded and bolted out of the hut. "... doll?"

It wasn't until late at night when Mwindaji and his older siblings finally were allowed to leave. Mwindaji and Fahamu were silent, unlike their furious sister, who stormed up to the nearest pot and kicked it with a scream of frustration. The brothers flinched and exchanged glances when Almasis foot connected with the clay object, shattering it in hundreds of pieces.

"You know, Ajalis father worked hard with that thing..." Fahamu said as-a-matter-of-fact and took a nervous step back when Almasi shot him a homicidal look.

"Sis, we're all mad, but DON'T go about wrecking stuff again, okay?" Mwindaji said with a pained grimace. "You know how angry people get..."

"Is this the face of someone who cares about what people say at the moment?!" Almasi spat and turned to her brothers. The mane on her back was protruding like spikes, and her fangs bared in an angry snarl. Her brothers hurried to shake their heads and held up their hands in defense. "One of my best friends just lost her mate to a mangy pack of Spotted Ones, probably gone forever, and those old, moldmouthed pieces of reeking flesh won't even allow us to send a pack to track them down!" She growled and pointed with a stiff, shaking finger at the hut they just emerged from. "We should just go out there, take Kafeel back and chase those scums outta our jungle! Show them who rules these forests, but nooo! Thanks to the ineptitude of the Council, we'll ALL have to cover here in the village! Nobody will be allowed out, and instead we'll just have to sit here like scared cubs and wait until they leave! ARGH!" She let out a roar with frustration. Fahamu and Mwindaji exchanged glances once again, they knew it was impossible to argue with their sister right now.

"Sooo, I guess we should head home to our families, huh?" Fahamu said after a while, trying to save them from an awkward silence.

"Good idea there, Fam!" Mwindaji hurried to chime in. "I gotta go get Etana and Mteremo to bed kinda urgently, and I bet Bin misses you a ton too, sis!"

"Yeah, and I bet Gasira misses Kafeel even more!" Almasi mumbled and folded her arms across her chest, pouting grumpily.

"Don't be like that now, Al!" Her two younger brothers said in unison and sighed.

"I'm going to be like this until those peabrains in fancy headgears changes their minds!"

"Fine then!" Fahamu groaned. "I'm gonna go home now, I'll probably see you two tomorrow or something..."

"Umm, me too... Goodnight, Al!" Mwindaji nodded and silently scurried off to Kiah and her family to pick up his two kids. Fahamu followed his example, and soon it was only Almasi left, standing a stone-throw away from the Councils hut. She stood there alone in the silent darkness for a while, before cursing loudly to herself and stomped away home. Bin better had a funny story to tell her at home.

Meanwhile, Afaafa had been leaning against the walls in the hall and listened to Almasis raging fit. She agreed with the huntress, but the Elders had agreed on something and whenever they did, there were no changing of their minds. If she would've been younger, she would've gathered a pack of friends and hunters and gone after the Spotted Ones herself, but she just had to face it; she WAS getting old. She even managed to outlive Zuwena the Spotted and her mate Khalfani, two of her best friends ever. And her own mate had died ten years ago.

She winced when the memories came crashing over her like a merciless wave and put a hand on her forehead to keep the tears back. She knew how hard it was to lose people close to you, and when she heard that the young Gasiras mate was kidnapped right in front of her, she had to muster every ounce of self-control she owned to not summon a pack right there and then. Instead she decided to speak to the council, and brought along Zuwenas three children, in hope that they could convince the three Elders to go after the Spotted Ones, but to no avail. The old coots thought it was a too dangerous shot in the dark.

She too wanted to smash a pot right now, but that wouldn't be very 'Queenish' of her. Afaafa groaned and rubbed one of her eyes. She was going to give another shot at convincing the Elders tomorrow, if she did it now she would probably just end up breaking something out of frustration.

Mteremo was drowsily blinking and swaying while sitting cross-legged on his bed, desperately trying to fight sleep. "I'm not tired!" He kept protesting, and glared angrily at his father when he chuckled. "I'm a hunter, I can go for days without sleeping!"

"Oh really?" Mwindaji arched an eyebrow at his son. "Not even I can do that, you know! Everyone needs to sleep sooner or later!"

"Yeah, but you can catch a full grown warthog boar either, dad!" Etana snickered mischievously, earning a hurt look from Mwindaji.

"Okay, that was a little below the belt, don't you think?"

"Nope!" His daughter laughed and shook her little head.

"Dad? About that boar..." Mteremo said and lowered his head. "Was it really okay that I caught it? Uncle Fahamu seemed mad..." The cub didn't look up when his father got up and sat down next to him.

"No he wasn't! Not at you, at least!" He said and put an arm around Mteremos small shoulders. "He was more... concerned, I think!"

"Why?" He frowned and looked up at Mwindaji with a puzzled arched brow.

"Well, you know, warthogs are pretty dangerous, especially boars! A full-grown boar wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who happens to stumble into their path, especially if there's females with their youngs nearby! Which is seriously making me question Queen Afaafas decision in letting you two hunt down warthogs as a first assignment!" He paused and sighed heavily. "I was pretty scared shitless back there too, Mteremo. That thing would've killed you if it ever got it's hooves on you, so don't try to challenge Death anymore, okay?"

Mteremo averted his eyes again. "Sorry, dad..."

"Hey, I'm not mad at you, if that's what you think! As a matter of fact, I'm darn proud of you, kid!" He laughed to ease the mood and jokingly ruffled the thick, dark hair on Mteremos head.

"Yeah! And do you realize how cool it will be for me to say that my brother killed a warthog when he was seven!? People will be sooo jealous!" Etana said and sat down next to their father on the bed.

"See? Even your sister is proud of you!" Mwindaji laughed, earning a modest smile from Mteremo. "And she's the best one in her class, aren't you, Etana?" He shot a glance to his daughter, who grinned proudly and nodded so the wisp of hair on top of her head bobbed.

Mteremo scratched the back of his head and his eyes darted to the side. "Yeah... But some of the others seemed angry at me too..."

"Nah! They were just jealous that they themselves wouldn't be able to catch a chimp if it so was napping right in front of them!" Mwindaji scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Besides, I bet they're were too proud to admit they were impressed by a cub!"

Etana chuckled. "Absolutely! And you know what, Mteremo? I bet even mom is proud of you!" But as soon as she said it, she regretted it. The M-word was a very sensitive topic when it came to Mteremo, and upon hearing it his smile vanished as he hung his head again. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mteremo..."

The cub pulled his knees up to his chin. "Yeah... Even mom... Or she would've been..."

Mwindaji sighed and shook his head. Not again...

"Uh, dad? I-I didn't mean to..." Etana said and frowned worriedly at their father. "I'm sorry...!"

"It's alright, Etana..." Mwindaji bit his lip to hold back his frustration. Mteremo was only a cub, yet he had proven to be more intelligent than the others of his age, even than his older playmates, but he has one big weakness; he worries too much and too easily. Mention his mother and he'd immediately remind himself that it was when she gave birth to him that she died, thus blaming himself for her death. "Mteremo, you KNOW it's not your fault! It's never been your fault!"

"But if I hadn't been born, she wouldn't have died, right?" The cub buried his face into his knees.

"Mteremo, please, don't talk like that! You know it's not true!"

"That's not what Mbesi and his friends say... They say it's my fault that mom died, and that aunt Kiah sometimes cries at night..."

"Mbesi, Kiahs little brother?" Mteremo nodded, causing Mwindaji to scrunch up his nose in a snarl. The kid was almost a man, he should know better than that! "Well, Mbesi and his friends can go dig a hole and bury themselves in it! They don't know anything! W-wait, Kiah cries at night? Because of Shawana?"

"Yeah..." Etana looked down at her feet. "But she never wanted to tell you because she didn't want you to feel bad..."

Mwindaji winced. Great... Well, now I do! He closed his eyes"Mteremo, what happened wasn't anyones fault, things like that happen! Sometimes, a life is required for another to live, and it's all up to the Great Mother to decide who goes and who stays, right?" When Mteremo didn't answer, their father clenched his jaw and pulled both of his cubs closer in a hug. "Listen up now, both of you! I miss your mom, I miss her so much it hurts sometimes! And it doesn't pass a single day without me thinking about her. But I want you both to know that if I ever had to choose between her and you two, I'd definitely choose you!" He hugged them both even tighter. "You two are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I would be NOTHING without you, ANY of you, got it?" He smiled faintly and leaned his much bigger head against Mteremos. "Mteremo, you know what your name means, don't you?"

Mteremo was silent for a while, thinking, before he glanced up at his fathers face. "Cheerful, right?"

"Exactly!" Mwindaji nodded. "And can you promise me one thing, kid? No matter what happens in your life, stay Cheerful, okay?" The cub blinked with his large, red eyes in confusion at his father. "Don't overthink about stuff, and don't worry so much! All your life, you'll encounter tragedies and hardships, you'll even meet people who might try to break you and try to put themselves over you, nobody will ever escape things like that! But, if you let those bad things control your life, then what's the point with living at all?! No thank you, I prefer to smile and laugh it all off! I think you two should do that too, next time Mbesi comes and say something like that to you, Mteremo, laugh at him! And Etana, next time Elder Balozi gives you a hard time with an assignment in purpose, just to frustrate you, laugh at him too and complete it faster than the others! I know you can do it, the others aren't even HALF as bright as you! Laugh at them all, mock the worlds pitiful tries to bring you down!" He might have gotten a bit carried away there at the end, because he made wild movements with his hands and had sort of a maniacal look on his face that made his cubs scoot away from him and exchange suspicious looks. He chuckled and lowered his hands. "What I'm trying to say is, why be sad and moping, when it feels so much better to be happy? I know it's hard to forget about everything really bad that's happened, but it won't be easier if you walk around and think about it all day either!"

"But dad, after mom died, Fahamu said you were sad for weeks!" Etana tilted her head. "And you even cursed the Great Mother for it!"

"Yeah... I kinda did, didn't I? Well, I'm not anymore! And the Great Mother knows I didn't mean it!" I hope! "I think everything happens for a reason. The Great Mother wouldn't take a mother away from it's cub before it's ready, unless she's got a reason for it" He paused to yawn. "You know what? I hate to see you two sad, especially over something as long gone as your mother, so can you two at least try to smile before we bunk down for the night? Pretty please?" The two cubs really didn't want to sleep, so they refused. Etana even pouted to make it clear that she would do anything to go to bed. "And I promise that tomorrow, the first thing in the morning, I'll take you two down fishing by the river. The Council told us to not leave the village, but if we stay along the river bend we might be able to catch something!"

"Okay!" Both of the cubs said in unison and grinned widely.

Mwindaji chuckled at their sudden change of heart and embraced them again. "I love you, guys!" He said before leaving for his own bed.

"We love you too, dad!" The cubs replied simultaneously. Mwindaji could help but to grin even wider as he shot a quick glance over his shoulder at the two cubs who started bickering about who loved their dad more.

I wish you could see them now, Shawana... He thought to himself and chuckled once again. They are both so very much alike you, it's crazy! "Hey, weren't you two gonna go to sleep already?!"

Yup, so it begins xD! Just had to have that sappy little conversation between Mwindaji and his kids in this chappie, so it's a bit longer than I planned it to be, but oh well ^^

Not entirely sure how long this story will end up, but it will definitely be longer than Rangos story, that's for sure!

And I'm not sure when next chapter comes, but hopefully it won't take too long ;)!