Edit: XD Wow, I went back to the first chapter and I read that Silver had had a boy and TWIN girls... so... yeah... oops.. *dies*

I'M SO SOOORRRRYYYYY! *tears* I didn't mean to make you wait so long for a new chapter, I swear! I made this chapter almost twice as long as usual (13,000+ words) to make up for it!

Just some things to note about this chapter:

For this story I will not be using italics for the dialogue other than the specific Sanskrit words I use, so keep in mind that they're speaking Sanskrit throughout this chapter.

Hmm... Me thinks I should explain some of the phrases I've used in this chapter to help you better picture the nekos of the village:
Newling: Simply a newborn or recently born kit
Kit: A neko between the ages of 1-4 years (A toddler basically)
Older kit: A neko between the ages of 5-10, though Pan uses it to refer to any kit older than him in most cases
Young neko: A neko between the ages of 11-16

Now that that's done, please enjoy!


The air was crisp and scented with pine as the neko tyke ran through the trees with his grandparents behind him. His laughter filled the air as he ran, beyond excited to be going to the village and seeing so many of his kind all at once. His heart clenched in shock when he heard running steps behind him and he was suddenly swept up in someone's arms. Gasping, he opened his eyes to see his grandfather holding him.

"Don't run so far ahead of us, dauhitra," Vegatama scolded lightly, bouncing the kit in his arms. He noticed Pantera's shaking. "Did I scare you?" His stern look softened when Pan nodded. "I'm very sorry."

Pan's smile returned and he hugged the yellow-eyed male around his neck. "It's okay matamaha!"

Sulalita caught up within a few seconds and they continued on after Pan was set once more on his feet. Eventually, weariness set in, and they carried him the rest of the way.

x~x

Chatter woke him from his short nap, and he lifted his head from his grandmother's shoulder to look around. They had reached the village while he was resting and now his grandfather was gone -no doubt to tend to any duties required of him- and his grandmother was sitting amongst many other female nekos who were cooing over him.

They were amazed at how much he looked like his mother and then awed by his strange colored eyes. His small stature and his backpack, which Sulalita was carrying for him, were commented on as well.

Pantera clung to his grandmother's neck as they walked deeper into the village, flanked by the women whom still chatted as they walked, but then finally left once they reached the small hut that was his grandparents' home. Sulalita brushed the curtain to the side and entered it.

"Here we are," she chirped and set him on the dirt floor that had soft hides spread out on it. Looking around, Pan saw the corner nearest the entrance had a fitted stone fireplace built into it with an overturned pot next to it. Across from the front entryway was another, shorter one that an adult would have to duck under, and yet another doorway was to his right. He correctly assumed that those were bedrooms. "It's not big like your nest, but it's home."

"I like it!" Pan said truthfully. "It's comfy."

Sulalita smiled. "Good." She headed for the room to their right. "I'm going to put this in the room over here, and you can go out and play. Maybe make a friend too."

The kit's smile was blinding at the thought of more friends. "Yah!" After receiving a pat on the head he rushed outside to search out new neko children.

A group of girls and an adult female were the first he found.

They looked like they were Toshiro's age so maybe they'd like him too despite the age difference. He approached them and introduced himself. The girls looked at him curiously while the adult neko glared furiously. She made the girls rise to their feet and hurried them away from Pan, much to the kit's confusion. Was there something wrong with him? Was their something on his face? Was his hair messy? Did he stink? He gave himself a sniff.

Still confused, he walked away from the place the nekos had been sitting in search of others.

He found a group of boys next, all of which were significantly larger than he which made him a little nervous... Why were they looking at him like that? "Ah!"

Pantera squealed as two of the five boys pounced and the others leaped to join in on play fighting with him. Pan didn't like play fighting however. He squirmed and whined until he managed to slip away, but they quickly caught him and tackled him to the ground again. Unable to get away this time, his only option was to squeal helplessly until an adult finally came to his rescue. The adult scolded the older, bigger, boys and sent Pantera on his way. Head hanging, the small kit headed back to his grandparents' house, rubbing the shallow bites he'd received.

His grandmother looked up with surprise when he returned. "Back so soon?"

"I don't wanna play anymore... I'll just draw pictures now," he told her simply.

She nodded and pointed to where she'd put his bag before returning to food preparation. Pantera recovered his bag and went outside where there was better lighting.

A grassy patch next to the home was where he settled and pulled out his pencils, paper and crayons. He didn't think before putting crayon to paper, he merely began to draw.

Eventually, a colorful picture of his mother was in front of him. He smiled as he looked at it for a while before setting it to the side with a rock set on a corner so it couldn't get blown away. Now that he had a picture of his mother, surely he had to draw one of his Grimm-poppy. He got out some blue and started.

"Pan?"

Pantera woke up at the sound of his name with a flinch and looked around.

"Pan!" his grandmother called for him again.

"C-Coming!" he shouted as he wavered to his feet and rushed to the front of the home after gathering his things.

The older mother cat placed a hand over her heart when he showed up. "Oh, there you are!"

"Sorry, I fell asleep," the little one murmured as he rubbed at his eyes and scratched his head.

Sulalita smiled and pulled him into her arms. "Aw, it's okay." She giggled and scrubbed at his cheeks. "Your face is all dirty. Ah well, we'll take a bath later, but for now come and eat."

"Yay! I'm hungry!"

They went inside and waiting for them was his grandfather as well as his uncle who he pouted and made a wary face at. The older male only sighed and shook his head. "You still hate me then?"

The kit look around nervously. "You made matr cry..." Stew in a small wooden bowl was placed before him and he gingerly lifted it to his lips as there were no spoons. He flinched and put it down when it burned his lip.

Zusma sighed. "It wasn't my intention to make her cry. Besides crying isn't that bad."

"The last person that made matr cry was kupitr..." he murmured. "Gimm-pitr has never made matr cry... ever."

"And that makes you think that I'm bad?"

"You are bad. Only bad people make others cry sad tears."

"So in that case I am still good then?" his grandfather asked as he ate, and received a nod from Pantera. "That's good."

"What does that mean?" Zusma demanded as he ignored the meal placed before him.

"Matamaha made matr cry, but they were happy tears, so that's okay."

Zusma grunted in displeasure.

Sulalita settled beside her husband with her own bowl of stew. "Come now, your stew will go bitter with all these bad feelings."

That prompted the kit to take a sip. "Nuh uh! It's still good!"

Sulalita laughed and proceeded to eat. Vegatama and Zusma soon followed suit. They finished in silence with the resident mama-cat gathering the bowls for them to be washed with the water kept in a bucket . Pantera wanted to go back outside to draw, but he was told to remain inside and await his bath. He was warned that it wouldn't be as warm as what he was probably used to, but the kit shrugged it off; he could take some cold water. Pan sat near his grandmother as she worked, awaiting his bath.

The bath was cool like he'd been warned, but he only squealed with delight as he was splashed and scrubbed and shivered and giggled as he was dried off. Wrapped in a warm cloth, he watched and waited as Sulalita undressed to give herself a bath. Pan gasped as her undergarments fell away.

"You're a boy matr just like matr!"

The female chuckled and shook her head as she dipped her cloth in the water and began to wash. "No, Pan. I am a girl."

"But..." He innocently and confusedly stared at the small set of male parts his grandmother had; he was still too young to know that such actions were rude or maybe awkward for the other party.

"I think I'm a girl therefore I am a girl," she murmured as she bathed. "Your matr thinks that he is a boy therefore he is a boy."

Vegatama decided to make his appearance then. "Atridrutam is female."

"Ulquiorra is male." Her ears flattened at the glare she received. "Please do not confuse him, husband. His stay here is only temporary, and it wouldn't be right to change his views and what he was taught and told."

Vegatama huffed in annoyance and conceded begrudgingly. Looking at his grandson, he reached over and snatched the squealing kit up. He nuzzled the kit as he carried him back around the hut and into the house.

"My pictures!" Pan cried as he was set down. "They're still outside."

"I'll get them," he murmured as he rubbed the cloth over Pan's ears and then his tail. He raked his fingers through the kit's short locks before heading out. He returned as Sulalita was dressing Pan and herself for bed. The kit didn't fully understand, however. Sure it was dark, but he knew that it was still a bit early for bed. Besides, he'd had a nap earlier.

Nonetheless, his grandmother gathered him up and carried him to their room. The bed was a pile of soft furs and blankets they'd probably found, and he found it comfortable as he was laid down. His grandmother curled up behind him, and then his grandfather behind her, closest to the door. His long arm draped over his mate and gently teased his hair which was curling slightly at the edges as it air dried.

He honestly hadn't expected for his eyes to close...

x~x

Second Day

Little ears twitched at the murmuring voices nearby, prompting the sleeping neko kit to awaken. Yawning and stretching, he rubbed sleep crumbs from his eyes before looking around. His grandparents had already left the room, and he could hear them just outside, so he decided to go to them, and bid them good morning. His grandmother smiled at him and dragged him over for a kiss and he recieved good morning hair tousle from his grandfather. A bowl of wild berries was set into his lap as his breakfast, and he tucked into it as the adults talked.

"The women won't be allowed to venture far from the village today, by the way," Vegatama murmured as he stole a berry right from his grandson's hand. He chuckled at the angry pout Pan shot him. "Someone spotted a band rogues. They appear to be just passing through, but it's best not to give them any chances. A few more males than usual will be left in the village while we hunt."

Pan swallowed a morsel and asked excitedly, "Can I come?!"

"Hm? Come where dauhitra?" Sulalita asked.

"Hunting!"

The declaration baffled the adults. "You're too young to hunt," Vega told him. "Far too young, and far too small; you could get hurt. Besides, what would you do?"

Dark ears flattened. "No, I'm not. I hunted when me and matr were alone. I caught lotsa birds! And Gimm-pitr said that I could come with him the next time he went hunting. I could help you hunt, or maybe just watch you."

Vegatama was firm. "No you will stay here with the other kits and females." Grumbling mostly to himself, he said, "And I'll have to speak with Grimmjow about this."

"But I could help..."

"But Pan, small birds are all fine and well for a mother and her kit, but it wouldn't feed a village, and surely you don't think you can take down big game like bucks and moose?"

Odd-colored eyes widened as he shook his head. "Nuh uh! I'd climb a tree if I saw a moose!"

Sulalita laughed. "How could you possibly climb a tree?"

Pan put his bowl down and bounced to his feet. "Come look," he said and ran outside. When the adults caught up, he was already halfway up a tall tree the hut was closet to. His grandmother panicked.

"Dauhitra, no! Get down from there. You'll fall! You'll get hurt!"

"No, I won't," he chirped and continued to climb. He gasped and froze when the tree shuddered under his hands and yelped when teeth gripped his scruff. A small thrill of fear went through him as his claws slipped from the bark and he dropped until his scruff was pulled taut. An arm wrapped around his stomach before they descended and he was freed. Rubbing his neck where he'd been bit, he turned around to face who'd brought him down from the tree. "Why'd you-"

His grandfather, the one who'd retrieved him, swatted him once in the ear. Pantera whimpered and covered them as tears welled up.

"Never do that again!"

"Hic! But I-"

"No!" Vega boomed with finality. "You will not climb trees, and you will heed our words when we we speak to you. I don't know how things are when you're at home, but while you are here you follow our rules. Do I make myself clear?"

A hiccup chocked his words so he just nodded.

The stern look softened, but only just, and with a gesture Sulalita picked him up and took him back to the hut; passing through the small crowd that had formed. Once inside, the mama-cat checked Pan's hands for injury (for which she found none) and dug out a long piece of cloth. It was dull with age, slightly frayed at the edges and looked as if it hadn't seen use in quite some time, but it was still rather nice to look at. She tied a tight knot with the farther ends and slipped it over her neck and one shoulder. She set Pantera in the small pouch it made and headed out, clutching a bundle in one arm as well.

Pan stayed nuzzled up to his grandmother's breast as he continued to simper and she carried him through the village, stopping only once she reached a place where there was chattering and childish laughter. The kit lifted his head and looked around as she settled on the ground.

His grandmother was sitting amongst a circle of many other mothers and at its center, surrounded by the women, were young kits, many as young as a few days and some as old as a year. They crawled and tottered around unable to escape the circle as the mothers would stop them. Outside the circle some males were roaming and watching over them with watchful eyes as well as some young neko females who talked amongst themselves, not wanting to be near the young kits. Pan wasn't sure where the older kits were, but he could definitely hear them laughing and playing somewhere behind his grandmother.

Sulalita hummed as she tugged the bundle she'd been carrying onto her lap and began working a bone needle and thread on a hole in it, making tiny holes with her claws in places where it was too hard to push the needle through. A mother across the way laughed.

"Your husband ripped his pants again?" she asked.

"Only on the leg this time," Sulalita told her. "Besides, they're really old, and old clothes are prone to ripping."

"You should make some new pants with that string weaving skill you learned from your putri."

Sulalita paused as she thought about it before shaking her head. "No, I'm far too new at it to make something like that, and I'm not sure if they'd be very comfortable."

The other mother shrugged and reached down to grab a kit that was mewling pitifully at her for attention.

Pan rested his head back down and stared up at his current caretaker. She was still humming as she worked, not sparring him a glance as she was so focused on her task. Her concentration only broke when a newborn tried to escape. After a while, he tried to get up.

Sulalita stopped him. "Ah, ah, ah, stay there Pan."

"Kena?"

She looked at him "'Kena'? Well, because you're on punishment now."

His ebony eyebrows knitted and his ears flattened. I've never been punished before... "But why?" he wanted to know.

Now it was Sulalita's turn to knit her brows. "For disobeying your matamaha and I of course."

"Kim? But I just wanted to show you that I can climb trees!"

She looked back at her needlework. "Kits do not belong in trees, dauhitra."

His lip quivered as his confusion and hurt increased. "But that's how me and matr always stayed safe. Always. We slept in them and everything! Matr made me climb a tree when he couldn't protect me."

She gazed at him once more with worry in her eyes. "When was Ulquiorra ever be unable to protect you?"

"When kupitr tied him up. He wanted the wolves to carry me away and eat me," he explained a touch too calmly for the neko female's liking.

The statement garnered the attention of some of the other mothers as Sulalita looked at him with horror, her needlework forgotten. "He wanted... wh-what? Why would a sire ever want that!?"

"Because I'm little," Pan said as if it made all the sense in the world.

"That's hardly a reason!" she cried, upsetting a few newlings who crawled away from her. She pulled Pan from the sling so that he could sit in front of her. "Why would anyone ever try something so horrible?"

"Because I'm a runt, and runts are bad... at least that's what matr says that males think."

"Males don't think that way kit," another mother who was nursing one of her kits interjected."What has Atridrutam been filling your head with?"

The confusion deepened. His mother's reason had made so much sense to him -runts were weaker and therefore wouldn't be able to help very much in the future when they were older- but not only that, his mother had never lied to him. And the evidence had been there to support the claim that males didn't want runts as Pan had been the only one his sire had tried to get rid of; he'd never tried to hurt his brothers. "But then why would kupitr try to feed me to the wolves and not my jyesthas?"

Yet another mother joined the conversation with a gasp. "Your father was a rogue neko, wasn't he?"

"Wuzzat?"

"Rogue nekos live away from villages either by themselves or in bands like what's passing by right now," the mother explained.

Pantera nodded. "Uh huh. It was just kupitr, my matr, and another matr. I don't matr liked her." He murmured the last part thoughtfully.

The mother shook her head with pity. "Their beliefs and ways of thinking are very different from ours, stoka bidalika. Since they do not have the support of an entire village like we do it's hard to take care of a bunch of kits. They'll find reasons to... get rid of a few if need be; a regular neko male would never do that, or at least not ours. Alright?"

Pantera was still trying to process all of the information, but nodded anyway.

The woman shook her head again. "What started this awful conversation anyway?"

"My dauhitra climbed a tree earlier; nearly scared me to death."

His lip poked out. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to show you."

Sulalita pet his head. "I know, but usually kits can't climb trees until they're almost 5, so I could only think that you would fall and hurt yourself."

"Matr taught me really well," was all the kit said and purred as he was pet.

"I'm sure he did."

x~x

The males returned sometime after noon with their bountiful kills as well as good news: the rogues had moved on. The three deer, two moose, and many large, heavily feathered birds were laid out in the middle of the slapped together village and some of the females, like his grandmother, began working of skinning, defeathering, and gutting the beasts so that the meat could be portioned for distribution to the many villagers. The males who'd hunted left to bathe at the stream and, after returning, switched out with the males who'd stayed behind to take over guarding the village and its inhabitants.

Pan's stomach grumbled as he watched the meat get sliced up and licked his lips. It was still warm and fresh, enticing him to ask for a bite, but he was denied. The kit wanted to protest, but figured he'd get another swat, and held his tongue.

The earth was stained red once the women were finished, and they went home to begin cooking while the men cleaned up the mess as well as chased kits home.

Delicious smells from all around filled the air as the mothers and daughters cooker their meals either outside or inside their homes using whatever spices they could find in the wilds to flavor their meat and vegetables. Sulalita cooked outside at a fire pit that was close to a second one where a young neko was tending the fire while her mother cleaned her messy, rowdy younger siblings. She chatted happily and freely with Pantera's grandmother of rumors and her hopes for the future before her mother finished and she had to leave the fire to watch them while her mother cooked. Their husbands wandered over later and sat with their toes near the fire.

"So you think the land to the east is goo for farming, Sri Vegatama?" the other male asked as he pulled one of his sons into his lap and stroked the fussy newling's back.

Vega was quiet as his wife fed him and Pan tastes of the night's dinner. "Hmm, it needs something. Ah, and perhaps. It's flat and close to both the stream and the village. I scouted it after my bath and saw that it was even uphill so we could even fend off an attack from there if needed."

"But is it fertile?"

"I think so, but I will send an expert tomorrow to make sure. Have you seen Tilvila*, by the way?"

"Only in passing, but you know that Zardulan has always kept to himself."

Vega scratched his him and pulled his toes away from the fire to rub them. "I'll have to track him down then. He'll probably be quite excited to be able to practice his trade again."

The other nodded. "And we can even grow plants for clothing. Oh, and medicinal plants."

"And flowers?" Pan piped up as he wandered closer.

The males looked at him. "What would we use flowers for, dauhitra?"

"For coloring stuff!"

Vega cocked his head. "Like dying cloth?"

"Yah!"

"The women would like that," the other husband murmured and looked to his wife. "Would you like that?"

"Yes, husband. I want to dress our kits in something other than a shade of brown."

The adults laughed.

Vega sighed and rested a heavy, calloused hand in Pantera's hair as he spoke to Sulalita. "Was dauhitra good today?"

"Yes husband. A perfect little kit."

He snorted. "And am I right to think that there will be no more climbing incidents?" he wondered as he looked to the kit from the corner of his eye.

"But-"

"Are we?"

Pantera sighed. "No matamaha..."

He gave his grandson's head a loving pat. "Good."

Zusma joined them as dinner finished up and stayed for dinner as he had the day prior, and same as yesterday, Pan avoided looking at him and didn't speak to him unless spoken to first."

"You're going to have to forgive me sooner or later, stoka bidalika."

Pan shook his head. "Na kadapi."

"Really, Pan? Never?" his grandmother asked.

The kit screwed up his face. "Hmm... maybe... if matr tells me to.."

x~x

Third Day

During their simple breakfast, Vegatama announced that he'd be gone for the day and that Pan would no longer be on punishment.

The kit cheered and jumped to his feet, nearly upending his bowl of mashed tubers that was prepared fresh earlier that morning. His excitement made Sulalita giggle and once he calmed she washed his face and dressed him. He tried to run outside but Vegatama stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" the golden-eyed neko wanted to know.

"To play!"

"You know where to go?"

Pan cocked his head. "I have to go somewhere?"

"Yes, kits your age have to be watched over."

"Kena?"

"For your safety, of course."

His thin brows came together and his ears flattened. "I'm not safe here?"

"No, you're safe, but..." he trailed off as he tried to find the words to make the kit understand. "We don't have a big wall for a boundary, so other males watch you to make sure you don't unwittingly run off somewhere dangerous."

Pantera nodded; that made sense. "Matamaha, will you take me to go play then?"

Vega smiled and murmured, "Of course," before gathering him up and heading out.

Somewhere near the village's center was where the designated "play area" was situated. Despite it still being early, there were already many kits playing around under the watchful gazes of males, and over to the side he saw the circle of mothers and kits that he'd been with the day prior. He noticed something else as he approached: the girls and the boys were playing completely separate from each other. He stared in confusion as he was nuzzled and set to his feet at the edge of the play area which was marked off by a line of small river stones.

As Vegatama left, after having given a nod to one of the sentries, Pantera walked over to the boy side as he figured that's what he had to do, but froze when he saw a familiar group of boys among all the others. They were the boys who had pounced and bit him when he first arrived. They along with many of the other, unfamiliar, boys were all wrestling with each other on their side of the play area, and that was a deal breaker as well since Pan didn't even like pretend fighting. He didn't want to be with older kits who might not be nice to him like Shiro was.

Looking over to the girls, he saw that they were playing quietly with each other, and that suited Pan just fine. He turned and walked towards the girls.

A few more steps would've gotten him all the way over to the girls, but his scruff grabbed and he was yanked upwards. Limp and helpless, he could do nothing as he was turned to face an annoyed looking neko male with wild dark hair.

"What're ye doin? Ye ain't a gerl," he grumbled with clenched teeth.

Pan could only look at him with fearful eyes as he was finding it difficult to speak. Once the male released his scruff to put him on his hip he spoke. "I was going to go play," he explained as he was carried back to the boy side.

"Not wit gerls ye ain't. Go play wit the boys."

"I don't want to."

He stopped and looked at Pan. "Why not?"

"Some of the bigger boys pounced on me a while ago; I didn't like it."

"Well then get 'em back."

"But I'm not strong, and I'm small."

"So?" He set Pantera down near the boys and gave him a slap on the rear to get him going. "Ye can't get stronger if ye don' practice, so go git a few bites in."

"But-" His shoulders slumped as the neko turned and walked away. Why did the adults seem to ignore or brush him off so much here? Was it because he was a runt? Or because he wasn't from the the village? Or was it just because he was young? Pan wasn't sure, but either way he didn't like it one bit. Was it bad that he already wanted to go home?

"It's you!"

An "eep!" left the kit and he whipped around to see two of the familiar boys behind him.

On grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him over but Pantera resisted. "C'mon."

Despite the kit resisting as hard as he could, he knew he could still be pulled off balance with just a yank from the older, bigger, stronger kit. "No, I don't want to play with you."

The older kit let go and Pan fell onto his rump with a squeaky yelp. He put his hands on his hips and glared down at Pan. "And why not?"

"You were mean to me the day before yesterday."

"Nuh uh, no I wasn't."

"Yeah huh, you and the other big kits," he retorted as he stood and dusted his rump off.

"No we weren't, we were playing with you." By then the argument had earned the attention of the other boys as well as a few adults, including the one Pan had met only a few moments prior. "Stop being stupid and come play with us already."

Pan crossed his arms stubbornly and his lower lip poked out unbeknownst to him. "I'm not being stupid, so leave me alone. I'll play by myself." He turned to stomp home.

Not letting up, the big kit grabbed his tail and gave it a rough yank. "Get back here!"

With a sharp cry, Pan fell again. Before he could react, the other kit pounced on him and little fangs latched onto his ear and pulled. Pan managed to push him off with a well placed foot, and scampered off in the direction of his grandparents house.

"Ay! Git back 'ere!"

Pan kept running anyway managing to get to the hunt before the guard could catch him, unfortunately the male followed him in. He hid under some furs in the main area.

"What're ye doin, runnin off like that? Git back to where ye need to be!"

"No!"

"What ye just say?" he growled in warning.

"I don't wanna go back!" he cried. "I wanna play by myself!"

"Well that ain't an option." The fur was ripped off of him and he shrieked and tried to run, but a heavy hand on his back stopped him.

"Stop it! Don't touch me!"

There was a growl and he was yanked over the knee of the sentry. "Who do you... think yer... talking to like that?" he demanded, his sentences halting as he punctuated each part with a slap to the kit's butt.

Pantera crumbled into wails and sobs at the pain, and he beat at the male with small fists as he screamed, "Let go! Let GO! Put me DOWN! Waaa-AAAAH!" He flailing eventually earned him freedom, but he didn't run, instead he flopped down face first into the furs and wailed into them.

I wanna go home! I wanna go home! he thought as he continued to sob. I want my matr and my Gimm-pitr!

"What is going on here?!" the voice of his grandmother demanded behind him. Usually he would run into the arms of someone like her, but not today. He didn't want anyone who wasn't his mother or Grimmjow.

"Srimati Sulalita? I didn't realize I'd entered the home o' the chief."

"What have you done to my dauhitra?"

"The chief brought 'em to the play area, but he made a scene and ran 'ere. I punished em for that as well as his mouth, and now I'll take 'em back."

"I don't understand. What exactly did Pan do?"

The guard tugged on the kit in attempt to pick him up, but the kit screamed at him again and swiped at his hands. "Why ye- tsk. He tried to play with the gerls fer some reason, and when I stopped 'em and took 'em over to play wit the boys, he refused to play wit 'em and ran off."

"Pan is he telling the truth?"

Pantera didn't answer.

"Pan!" She huffed when she was ignored again. "Dhanyavada, but I think I'll handle it from here."

The guard grunted and the furs shifted as he moved away. He muttered to Pan, "Gon git it now, kit," as he exited and Pan's grandmother took the guard's place on the floor.

There was silence for a few moments.

She exhaled loudly. "Pantera, what's going on with you?" He didn't answer and she tried to grab him. "Pantera, I'm speaking to you!"

He pushed her hands away and curled up. "No! I don't want you! Leave me alone!"

"Why on earth are you acting like this Pantera? This isn't like you."

Angered, he lifted his head and glared at the older neko woman, but the pout took away some of the force behind the glare. "Samyata*! You don't know me! You don't know anything!"

She gasped, appalled by his tone, and then scowled. "Watch your mouth, dauhitra! Straighten up now, or I'll have to tell your matamaha about this; that you're being an bad kit!"

Now, he was sitting up. "I'm not bad! You don't know anything! I don't know anything! And it's you're fault! I didn't know I couldn't climb trees! I didn't know I couldn't play with the girls! I didn't know I couldn't play by myself! You and matamaha didn't tell me and then you were mean and hit me when I did something bad! Matr and Gimm-pitr never hit me! Never ever! They tell me when I do something bad and then I never do it again because I know now." He sniffed and scrubbed his eyes as he thought about going home again. "You, and Matula Zusma, and matamaha are all mean, and I wanna go home now! Now! Now! Now!" He flopped down again and continued to bawl his eyes out despite his grandmother trying to sooth him. When she once again endeavored to pick him up, he swiped at her hands and ran to a corner to curl up and cry more

b~~~d

Sulalita sighed sadly and looked over to her grandson for probably the tenth time that evening. The little kit was still curled up in the corner, though at some point during the day, she'd thrown a blanket over him as the temperature had dropped a little.

The neko woman felt guilty. Pantera was right; it was her fault that so many mishaps had happened. How could could she have thought that he could live happily and safely here in the village when he was raised so differently? It showed in everything he did; from how he acted to how he spoke.

A sound at the door caught her attention and she whipped around to see her husband. Vegatama didn't look at all happy. He appeared livid, his tanned, muscular arms crossed, his brows firmly knitted and creating deep creases in his forehead, his lips pursed into a thin line, and his tail twitching. He didn't acknowledge his wife at first, instead he scanned the room until gold eyes landed on the motionless lump in the corner before finally looking at her. "I got back to the village and was told that Pan was acting out." He gestured over his shoulder. "The neighbors even told me that they heard yelling earlier; want to tell me what's been going on while I was gone?"

Sulalita scooted over a little and patted the space next to her. "Come sit, husband."

Begrudgingly, he stomped over and sat heavily beside her with arms still crossed, and looked expectantly at her as she turned to face him.

It took a moment of claw twiddling before she could talk. "We.. haven't been the best of guardians to our dauhitra." She put up her hands in a soothing gesture when his eyes narrowed. "Hear me out. We've been treating Pantera wrong; like he's a kit from a village instead of one who was raised by a single neko and then a human. They've given him a completely different set of rules to follow, and we've been expecting him to know and follow our rules without problems. Husband, he doesn't know our rules and we haven't been addressing the resulting mishaps and mistakes properly."

"What do you mean? What has been happening?"

"After we punished his for climbing that tree he told me something about it. Apparently, he's been climbing trees almost since he was born because those were the safest places for him and his matr. Ulquiorra once made him climb a tree to escape wolves."

"Kim? What was putri doing? Why wasn't she protecting him?"

Sulalita swallowed thickly. "His sire had tied Ulquiorra up in hopes that the wolves would eat Pan."

Vegatama flinched and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

"And then today he was yelled at for trying to play with the girls and then spanked when he ran home because he didn't want to play with the boys." Vega made a confused face so she elaborated. "The humans allow their boys to play with girls, and along with that, Pantera doesn't have many kits to play with from what I saw, and he always played rather quietly. We have many boys and they are not at all quiet and there are always other kits to play with here." She shook her head to shake the thoughts away. "In all, Pan is overwhelmed with all the changes, and we haven't been patient enough with him. We should just sit down and talk to him in the morning."

Vega nodded, something he'd been doing during the entirety of her speech, and the angered look finally softened. He pulled her into a warm embrace and kissed her hair. "So wise and intuitive. If you were male, I'd doubt my abilities as chief, and I'd fear for my title if you were strong on top of that."

"Don't worry husband, if I were male I wouldn't even want to be chief."

b~~~d

Fourth Day

Sniffles and teary hiccups roused Vegatama early the next morning. A large yawn popped his jaw and he looked over to see a quivering bump between him and his wife. He lifted up on one arm and gently tugged the fur away to reveal his grandson and quietly called to him. Bi-colored eyes looked up at him and then the kit snuggled closer and clung to him.

"'m s-hic!-sorr-ry, mata-matamaha... 'm sorry."

Sulalita roused as well and looked over at them with bleary eyes and disheveled hair.

"I was-was mad, I didn't m-mean it. Hic! You're not mean; matamahi isn't mean. 'm sorry. I'll st-stop being a bad kit."

Vega shushed him and stroked his ears. "No, Pan, you're not bad."

"Yes, I am. 'm sorry."

Vegatama grunted as he shifted into an upright position and pulled the little kit into his lap. "No, no you're not. I promise you're not a bad kit. Your matamahi and I are the bad ones."

Pan snuffled and then looked up at him with confusion. "Kim?"

:We didn't tell you the rules and punished you for breaking them, nor did we even ask you why you broke them in the first place. We were treating you as we would Ayasa and Himsa. That makes us bad."

"But... I said mean things, so I'm bad."

Sulalita snuggled up to them and kissed his head. "You were having a little tantrum, that's all. That doesn't make you a bad kit."

"It' doesn't?"

"No."

Oh..."

"Do you still want to go home?"

Pan shrugged. "I dunno..."

"Then I'll be a very good matamahi so that you'll want to stay, okay?"

He smiled. "Okay!"

It was still too early to rise so they laid back down to wait for the sun to awaken. Vegatama woke with Pan still clutched in an arm and nice smells wafting over from the next room where his wife undoubtedly cooked their breakfast. Walking out with his grandson cradled in on arm, who scrubbed at his eyes with small fists and yawned, and Vega settled next to Sulalita to receive bowls of food which were largely made from what was leftover from dinner.

"Is there anything you want to do today?" Vega asked as he finished up and was handed a damp cloth for to wipe his and Pantera's face with.

"Hmm.." he murmured as his face was cleaned for him. "Can I just play by myself? I won't go far, I promise."

"Why don't you want to play with the other kits?" Vega wanted to know.

"I can't play with the girls and the boys just play fight all the time, and I don't like play fighting... Why can't I play with the girls?"

"It's just not our way."

"But why?"

"That's how it's always been."

"But can't you change it?"

"I could... but I'd have to ask everyone in the village if they want such a change."

Pan scrunched up his face in a thoughtful expression and nodded. "So can I play by myself."

"Where would you go?"

"Uhmm... to that tree I climbed; I wanna draw there."

The older male exhaled deeply and rubbed his face. "Very well... I'll allow it." Only because you've proven that you can take care yourself.

Pantera cheered and threw his arms around his grandfather as far as they would go. "Dhanyavada, matamaha!

When they finished the morning routine, Vega walked Pantera to the kit's spot of choice. He, however, went past the initial tree and went to the other one behind it. It was still in view of the village so the neko chief didn't mind one bit. Vegatama continued to watch as Pantera sat and got out his drawing materials under the shade of the tree.

"And this where you'll be all day?"

"Here or at home!" Pan chirped, making the elder smile.

"Very well," he murmured. He roughly tousled his grandson's hair and turned to leave. "I'll leave you to your fun."

b~~~d

Happiness was with him once more as he hummed quietly while putting pencil to paper. The sounds of the wind through the trees and the insects and small animals scampering around soothed him greatly. Maybe when he got home he would ask if he could go beyond the fence and play in the forest. His mother would probably insist that he go with the kit, but that was fine. Actually, that'd be great. He could just imagine his mother sitting comfortably in a tree while knitting.

He giggled at the image that formed in his head and set aside the picture he'd been working on to start putting the thought into picture form. It was beginning to take shape when he heard someone approach and looked up.

A boy kit was there, peeking at him from the side of the tree he'd climbed those few days ago. Straight black hair fell from his head, slightly curling outwards as it reached his shoulders. His ears were black and tipped with silver and the same went for his tail which hung low a straight with nerves; the tip of it twitched with interest. The hide skirt he wore appeared to be a tad too big as it hung low n his hips and he had to grasp on side of it with his hand.

For some reason, the sight of the neko boy didn't put Pan on edge. "Suprabhavya."

The boy stared warily at Pan through large purple eyes. "Suprabhavya." He took a moment to look around before rounding the tree. "What are you doing?"

"Drawing. Wanna draw too?" he invited.

"Drawing?" he murmured as he knelt to look over Pan's things. He picked up a pink color pencil and smiled at it. "Caru."

"Here," Pan offered and gave him a little stack of paper, "you can draw with me."

"Dhanyavada," he said before hunching over the blank sheets and running the pink pencil over it. He looked up as his hand worked. "I'm Zazaka, or Zaza for short."

Pan glanced at the ears atop Zaza's head. "You don't look like a bunny."

He laughed heartily. "No! I'm called that because I hop around alot and I really like them; both to eat and to chase."

"Ha ha ha! Well, I'm called Pantera!"

"What does that mean?"

"Panther. My Gimm-pitr gave me that name."

"Neat!"

For a moment they went back to drawing but a question weighed on his mind that Pantera really wanted to ask. "Zaza?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so small? Are you a runt too?"

Zaza shook his head. "Uh uh. My jyestha told me that I was born the right size, but I'm growing slower for some reason."

"Oh."

The neko looked at him and squinted. "Where are you from, by the way? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Oh, I live in the human village, but I'm here visiting my matamaha and matamahi. Matamaha is the chief!"

He flinched. "Ayasa and Himsa's parents?"

"Yah."

"And where are they?"

"With my matr and Gimm-pitr becase they're bad."

"Are you here because you're bad?"

Pan shook his head.

"Good." Zaza grabbed a green pencil and began shading her pink blob with it. "This is fun!"

"Uh huh! Here, look, I'm drawing my matr in a tree."

The other kit's eye went big. "Wow! That's really good." He flipped over his paper to the back. "Wait! I'm gonna draw something good too!"

The day went on like that with the kits happily and laughing together. While Pan worked on the picture of his mother, Zaza drew a myriad of bunny pictures.

"You really like bunnies," Pan commented after the fifth bunny drawing he'd made; Zaza was improving with each try.

"Yeah; they're cute!"

It was around the seventeenth bunny that the kits began to get sleepy. Zazaka was the first to rest his head on the ground and fall asleep. Pan joined him, scooting his many bunny pictures away so that e could curl up with him and nod off.

b~~~d

The chief returned to the village hours later from his excursion to the probable farmland. Tilvila confirmed that the soil there was indeed fruitful and the process of prepping it for farming would begin on the morrow, postponing the plans for better homes that would withstand the far off winter. He walked home to find his wife weaving string and greeted her with a kiss to her cheek before asking about Pantera's whereabouts.

"He should still be out playing. A few guards and mothers came by throughout the day telling me all about it because the were afraid I wasn't aware of what he was doing," she giggled.

Vega grunted. "And he's been there all day?"

"From what they told me, yes."

"Hmph, he's been without proper supervision for longer than enough; I'll go get him. Without waiting for his wife's next words, he turned and left the home to go get his grandson. He heard the kit rather than saw him as he approached and upon listening closer he could distinguish two voices, but when he was within viewing distance he could only see Pantera. It wasn't until he was right on top of them that he noticed the other kit sitting on the hidden side of the tree.

"Hi, matamaha!" Pantera greeted.

The other kit flinched and looked p at him with large, guilty eyes, and Vega's eyes narrowed upon seeing the familiar face.

"Look, I made a friend! This is-"

The kit hastily shoved a pile of pictures into Pan's lap, "Thanks so much! Keep these for me, please?" before running off. "Bye, Pantera."

"Oh uh... see you tomorrow," Pan called after the retreating kit softly and with uncertainty in his tone. "I wonder why he left..."

He? Vegatama wondered and then understood: Pan hadn't known that he was playing with a girl. He told the kit that it was time to go home and gathered him up when he'd finished packing up.

That kit had been Zazaka, he knew, younger sister to Kathora*, a neko male of 19 years. The pair had been picked up by the village during their exodus to the village's current location. They'd been wandering alone for over a year after losing their rogue family to an attack by another village that had seen them as a threat. Kathora was a good, strong, quiet male and with his ability to read and write, he was quickly becoming the scribe of the village to replace the one they'd lost. Zazaka was a special kind of kit.

Zaza acted alot like how Atridrutam had when shed been younger. Zaza like to disappear into the trees, much to her brother's annoyance, but easily came back when called. She also didn't play with the other kits much, but when she did it was usually play fighting with the boys; she was getting quite strong from it. Yes, she was very much like his Atridrutam, however she was missing the "extra part" that would explain her boyish tendencies. Without it she was merely anomalous.

He let out a weary exhale as he entered his home and set hi grandson down. He'd have to tell Kathora about this later.

b~~~d

Fifth day

Pantera had already long gone to his little area when Zusma wandered over to the hut. He was greeted by his parents as he walked in and sat down to hear what he'd been called over to hear about.

"Nothing big," his father said. "I have to go out to the farmlands again today, so I want you to check on Pan every so often."

Zusma made a face. "Are you sure that's wise? He still hates me."

"Then maybe you should talk to him while you're at? See if you can rekindle the tentative trust he had for you when you first met him."

The neko scoffed and threw up his hands. "He doesn't want to forgive me! It's hardly possible to start fresh with someone unwilling to forgive you for something they deem unforgivable!"

Vegatama shrugged. "Won't know until you try." He jabbed a finger at him. "And watch your tone."

Zusma flattened his ears and lowered his head in apology.

Before he could leave, his mother insisted on feeding him -which he gladly accepted- and he ate a filling brunch of berries and meat. A light breeze was blowing through when he exited bringing refreshing and comforting smells from the village and the forest surrounding it. He breathed in deeply before heading to where he'd been told his nephew was playing.

Something white suddenly flew into view as he neared the area. Startled, he reached out and caught it. "What is this?" he murmured as he stared at it.

"My airplane!"

He looked and saw Pantera rushing up to him, and kneeled to his level. "Is this what you want?" he quested as he held the flimsy object out for the kit.

Pan had slowed down when he realized who Zusma was and hesitantly walked up to him. He tentatively took the thing he'd called an "airplane" and murmured a soft thank you.

Zusma gently grabbed Pantera as he tried to beat a hasty retreat. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me talk to you."

Pantera turned around but kept his eyes on the ground.

The elder stroked the kit's flattened ears. "Please will you forgive your matula for making your matr cry? I honestly didn't mean to..."

"Then why did you yell at her? Or tell her that she couldn't be a boy ever?"

Zusma sighed. "I was frustrated with her."

"Him..."

"Er... h-him." It felt awful to refer to his sister as "him", but he'd bear with it would make his only nephew -as Lajjalu had had only a girl with an extra part survive from her litter- forgive him. "My anuja was going against everything we'd been taught by running away, pretending to be mal, and worst of all, sh... 'he' claims a human as his mate when they are enemies to nekos."

"Gimm-pitr isn't bad..." Pan countered in a small voice.

He huffed and tsked. "Well I know that now, but I hadn't known that when I first met him. Look, Pan, I just want what's best for her-"

"Him."

"-him because he's my difficult anuja and I love him dearly." That statement left a weird taste in his mouth, but he meant every word. "Please forgive me?"

Pantera finally looked up, allowing the older neko to gaze upon those weird colored orbs he'd been born with. "Can I... think about it?"

Well at least that wasn't an outright 'no', he thought and accepted. He let Pan go and the kit ran off to his play spot. Zusma shook his head shrugged. "It's a start," he murmured and left to help with the usual village duties.

b~~~d

Pantera rushed back to his play area where Zaza was still attempting to make his own paper airplane. "Did you find it?" he asked and then held up his latest attempt for inspection. "And does this look right?"

"Yah," Pan murmured and handed over the recovered plane in exchange for Zaza's. "Hmm, the wings are a little different but I think it'll fly."

"Yay!"

Pantera pointed towards the village. "Let's fly our airplanes over there."

Zaza made a face and looked towards the forest. "Why not over there?"

"Because it'll hit the trees!" Pan laughed. He bent down and grabbed Zaza's free hand. "C'mon!"

The purple-eyed kit pulled his hand away and looked down. "I... I don't want to play with the airplanes anymore... Can we draw more instead?"

Dark brows knitted and he flopped onto his knees next to his new friend. "Is something wrong, Zaza?" he wondered. Zaza shook his head, but Pan knew he was fibbing and gently pressed the issue. "What is it? You can tell me."

"Na kimapi."

"Tee hee, liar!"

"I'm not lying."

"Yah, huh!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yah! Huh!"

Zaza growled and struck without thinking, "No, I'm NOT!" and pushed the other kit. Pan fell over with a startled squeak, and Zaza's eyes went large and tears welled up in them. "I... I'm sorry. I din meenah-"

"It's okay!" Pan said hurriedly as he righted himself. "Don't cry! It's okay! I'll stop teasing you!"

"There you are!"

Pantera nearly jumped out of his skin, and Zaza shrieked at the sound of the new, cool, and unhappy voice. They both whipped around to see an adult neko male standing not too far off and gazing sternly at them with molten silver eyes.

He was tall and as only a little more tan than Zaza, with long black locks topped with gray ears and a gray tail as well which twitched with irritation. He wore more clothing than what Pan had become accustomed to seeing around the village with soft moccasins, pants and an odd top that seemed to be just a long, rectangular shaped poncho with a faded baby blue sash securing it around his waist. He looked more like a visitor than an inhabitant of the village.

The man glared at Zaza and the kit behind Pantera. "You know him?" Pan asked, not minding at all that his friend was essentially using him as a convenient hiding spot or shield.

"My jyestha... Kathora."

Kathora strolled a little closer to the kits and glared down at them with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. "SO this is where you've been hiding, and with a boy no less. Zazaka, you are trying my patience." He reached to grab the fearful kit, but Pantera blocked him. "Out of the way."

"But why? Why are you mad at Zaza? Is it because he's not at the play area with all the other kits? Matamaha said it was okay to play here!"

"He?" Hathora straightened with and enlightened look. "You reached a whole new low; faking your gender like this."

'Faking your gender'? Pan thought with confusion and looked to his friend. "You're a girl?"

Zaza nodded solemnly.

"Fix your clothes, Zaza," Kathora growled after having noticed her state of dress.

She flinched and unfolded the top half of her dress from where she'd tucked it within the skirt so that she could slip her limbs through the arm holes. As she was nervously running her hands down the baggy outfit to smooth out the wrinkles and folds, her brother grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet.

"But can't we still play? We were having fun..."

"No kit, boys do not play with girls, and besides she lied to me both yesterday and today about going to the play area."

Zaza looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"Didn't think I'd find out? The chief told me all about it only moments ago."

Zaza let her head droop.

Kathora turned and walked away, dragging her along with him. "Say your goodbyes, Zaza, because I won't be letting you out of my sight for quite a long time."

Her head hung lower with shame and sadness. "Bye, Pan..."

Pantera watched them until they turned a corner and disappeared, and continued to sit there for a while, staring, for a few moments afterwards. His ears fell and he whined sadly before packing up and heading for home.

b~~~d

At a little over an hour into Zusma's circuit around the village's outer boundaries, the male decided to stop to check on Pan as he was in the area that the kit's play spot was. Changing direction, he left his defined path and headed towards the village.

Thud!

Zusma crouched as he paused and looked to the right, towards the sound. Suspicious, he crouched lower and crept over on all fours. An annoyed growl left him when he saw the source of the sound and rose back to his full height to walk over. "Pan! What are you doing all the way out here?" he demanded as he roughly grabbed the kit's shoulder.

The kit whipped around to look at Zusma with big brown eyes amd screamed. He bit Zusma's hand and darted off when he was free.

"Agh!" Zusma grunted and sucked at the small wound. That wasn't Pan... but he looked just like him!

A snarl ripped through the air and before Zusma could react, he'd been taken down by a large body, and slammed to the ground. Winded, Zusma gasped as he fought with the brown-haired neko holding him down, but the hand around his throat made it hard. the assailant sneered. "You? Hmph, so you've finally come to steal your kits away? Not the smartest of moves, but then again I never picked you for your knowledge." He leaned closer, but froze as he inhaled Zusma's scent before pushing off of him and rising to his feet. "You're not her... but how?"

Hand massaging his throat, Zusma struggled to his feet. They glared at each other and began circling one another. "And who did you mistake me for exactly, rogue?" he rasped. "And while you're at it, give me one good reason why I shouldn't drag your tail back tho the chief for coming so close to the village."

The other grunted haughtily. "I'm only this close because my kit wandered this way, that kit who looks almost exactly like you. But your scent... you're not her at all."

Zusma stopped, prompting the other to stop as well. Green eyes were wide as he spoke. "You're my anuja's alpha!"

"Anuja? Ah, yes, that makes sense," he murmured and nodded. "Have any idea where she is? I'd like her back."

"Yes, her and her kit as well."

"Hmm? So the runt survived, huh? Well, she births strong kits, I'll give her that. And you'll be giving her back? I am her rightful alpha, after all."

"If I can. What's your name?"

The brown neko smirked. "Pezala*."

b~~~d

After the incident with Zazaka and her brother, Pantera went home. He wasn't alone in the little home long before his grandmother arrived not too long after him. Upon seeing him, she asked why he was back so early, and he quickly told her of the day's events. She empathized with him, but in the end there was nothing they could do about it. She comforted him for a while before he pulled away to play by himself while she tended to her usual duties.

His grandmother's quiet humming broke up the silence until a commotion outside shattered it completely, grabbing their attention. "What's going on out there?" she wondered and Pan just shrugged; both made no moves to rise and figure it out either.

Zusma entered and looked around. "Oh good, you're here stoka bidalika. Both of you come with me."

Both nekos stood and followed as ordered. "What's going on?" the kit asked as he scampered up to grab Sulalita's hand.

"You'll see," Zusma said cryptically.

There was a crowd ahead of them that they had to wade through to get to the center. The amount of nekos actually startled the kit a little as he wasn't used to being among so many at one time. He was so distracted by the buzzing crowd that he didn't notice when they'd stopped in the middle. He eventually realized where he was, and looked at what everyone else was looking at. His ears flattened and his eyes widened. Kupitr? He hid behind Sulalita.

She looked at him. "What's wrong, dauhitra?"

He pointed. "Kupitr."

She grew the same expression as him.

The male neko he had thought he'd never see again stood amongst males from the village, some of whom were acting as guards to make sure he wouldn't do anything and some merely asked him question. Pan eventually also noticed the 6 kits around him. 3 he knew instantly were his older brothers while the other three he recognized as the kits of the silver neko who wasn't present.

Brown eyes fell upon him and his grandmother and he stalked towards them. When he grew too close, Zusma stopped the older male with a hand to his chest.

"This isn't her. I told you; this is my mother."

He nodded and looked down. "But this one is mine, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is your son."

There were a few murmurs from the crowd.

"Hmph," he grunted and crossed his arms. "And here I'd thought you both would've perished after you matr foolishly ran away, but she protected you well enough. I underestimated her survival skills, but that won't happen again."

Pan hid his face into the cloth of Sulalita's dress. The woman picked him up and crushed his face into her bosom. "Zusma, how could you just bring this male here?"

Zusma shook his head. "What's wrong? This is Atridrutam's mate and Pantera's father."

"This male tried to feed Pan to wolves!"

Zusma visibly blanched and stared wide-eyed at her.

A wildcat's roar tore through the air and the crowd scattered to let their snarling chief through to the center. The furious look he wore and the threatening growls emanating from his throat caused the crowd around him to bare their throats or bow their heads in submission to their leader. Pan's sire had his head bowed by the time Vega had reached him. "Trespasser!" he bellowed int' the brunet neko's face.

"Pitr, wait! This is Atridrutam's true alpha!"

Vega turned on him. "You brought him here, Zusma? How dare you bring a rogue into the village without permission!"

Zusma's head was bowed as he spoke. "But he's her true alpha, he has the right to take her back."

"You would want your anuja to be with a male would would feed his own kit to wolves?"

"Can you really fault me?"

He glared at the rogue. "Don't speak unless spoken to!"

Zusma reached out and grabbed his father's arm. "Pitr, please, let him defend himself."

Vega growled at him until his arm was released and grunted once as he looked back at the rogue. "Speak."

The rogue lifted his head but did not meet Vegatama's eyes. "During that time I was a male with two mates and 7 kits to provide for all on my own. The runt had been small and weak, and was barely able to move his first few days out of the womb while his brothers and the kits my other mate had had were growing just fine. I though only to ease the burden of trying to care for so many. My original plan was not to feed him to wolves; I am not an unnecessarily cruel man. Originally, I planned to just snap his neck-"

Pan flinched.

"-giving him a quick and painless end, but my mate, your putri, fought me to the point of frustration. I thought to teach her a lesson by doing away with the runt by feeding him to the wolves. I wanted to teach her to obey me without thought or resistance as any mate should."

"You wanted to break her."

"As was my right as a male with an unruly mate," he spoke truthfully and Vega didn't fight him on that. "I was a good alpha to her- I am a good alpha for her. I kept her safe, warm, and her belly full with food and I had hoped with children as well, but nonetheless she ran away."

"Any female from this village would run if you attempted to kill their kit; runt or not," Sulalita murmured.

"I am not from your village so I do not share the same principles."

Vegatama snarled at him. "If you know what's good for then you'd never speak to my wife again..."

He lowered his head. "Forgive me for overstepping."

Zusma took this as his chance to speak. "Putri, despite his different views, Pezala is a decent male! Much better than Grimmjow."

"Why are you so against Atridrutam being with him?" Vegatama wanted to know. "Is there something about him that I have yet to find out?"

"You know as much about him as I do."

"Then what is your grief with him? Bitter that he rightfully struck you?"

"He's human!"

Pezala growled. "You gave my mate to a human?"

"She's his mate, not yours," Sulalita retorted.

"Do not speak to him," Vega snapped. "Better yet go home." He faced the village. "All of you return to what you were doing while I discuss what will be done with this rogue and his kits with the elders. All will be revealed tomorrow after we have come to a conclusion." There was an apparent lack of movement after the order was given. "Now!"

Sulalita clutched Pan close and scuttled home as everyone else either did the same or went back to working as ordered, not ceasing her quick pace until they were safely back in their home. She settled on the floor before finally releasing her grandson to sit on the floor as well. Thumbs darted out to sweep away the tears he hadn't known were there. "Ssh, it's okay dauhitra. I won't let that male get to you, alright? He can't hurt you ever again."

Pantera whimpered as he willed the tears to stop. He didn't think she could promise such a thing...

x~x

Sixth Day

As promised, the morning after, there was a little meeting held in the village's center. Many attended, curious as to what would happen to the male and his kits, along with the status of his mateship with the daughter of the chief. At the centermost part of the gathering was where the topics of discussion sat, Pezala and his 6 kits as well as the chief and the other elders, and a few guards. Silence was called and it took a few moments for it to be actually attained.

Vegatama stood and addressed those who had come to the meeting. "My people. After many hours of debate with my fellow elders, a verdict has been decided concerning this rogue's case. In a 5 to 2 vote, it was decided that Pezala would be permitted to issue his challenge to the human, Grimmjow, for the right to become my putri's mate once more in accordance to neko and Marjaran law. Along with that, Pezala and his kits, Dinamani*, Nabhomani*, Candra*, Agriya*, Saniyas* and Trita* will all be permitted to become part of our village to protect them from both the harsh forest around us as well as the barbaric rogue customs, so says your elders."

As Vegatama dismissed the villagers, murmurs broke out among them. Sure, it wasn't uncommon for a village to accept a rogue into their population, but it was rare that someone with Pezala's reputation would be accepted. Many of the villagers had thought that he would be banished from the village, or killed and his kits taken in by whoever cared to do so; many still thought that they should've done one of those options.

With the elders decided, however, there was nothing for them to do about the issue other than accept it.

The chief returned home to a thin-lipped troubled wife, and a grandson who refused to come from underneath the blankets in the bedroom. A sense of foreboding came over him, but he shook it off, gave his loved ones kisses and went out to perform his duties.

Final Day

Pantera was more than a little glad to be leaving that morning, and ate with gusto after having unintentionally fasted in fear the day prior, but now he needed the energy to run home. When he shoved the last of his breakfast into his mouth, the adults were still eating so he left to make sure all of his things were in his backpack and ready to go. When he finished, he sat quietly as he waited for the adults to prepare as well. Only his grandfather was supposed to take him home, and his grandmother prepared a few snacks for the trip, so it didn't take too long before they headed outside.

Pan stopped in his tracks as he exited; his sire was out there waiting.

"I'd like to accompany you to my mate's nest," was what he requested.

The kit spoke without thinking. "No."

The male glared at him. "I wasn't talking to you, boy. It isn't your place to decide such a thing anyway."

"You can't come," Pan retorted anyway.

Pezala ignore him. "I would like to personally declare my challenge to the human, and see the condition of my mate."

Vega sighed. "I can't deny such a request."

He bobbed his head. "Dhanyavada, Sri Vegatama."

"No!" Pan shouted, tears bursting from his eyes. "You can't come! You CAN'T!" Maybe something good would happen if he screamed and cried enough. Maybe his grandfather would change his mind and not let his sire come. Maybe his sire would get annoyed by his crying and decide not to come. He flinched away and screamed an sorrowful, "No!" when his grandfather tried to grab him.

"Pan, you cannot sway this decision with your tears," Vega murmured regretfully. "Your pitr has every right to come with us."

"He's not my pitr! Gimm-pitr is my pitr!" Pantera pointed at Pezala. "I don't want him and matr doesn't want him!"

"This isn't about what you and your matr wants; you have no say in this," Vega said with a slight growl to his tone. "Stop arguing."

"NO!" the kit howled. "HE CAN'T COME!"

By then there were nekos watching; peeking out of their homes to see what all the yelling was about.

Vegatama huffed and snatched Pantera up by his scruff, ending his loud wails, and as he was pulled off the ground, his backpack slipped from his limp shoulders and fell to the ground. Pan's face was shoved into his grandfather's shoulder with his grip still held with a firm grip. Pan could only whimper pitifully, unable to move or continue wailing. He heard Pezala pick up his bag behind him before they set off for home.

x~x

His simpering led to a brief slumber that made the trip seem to go that much faster. His scruff had been released sometime while he slept but his face was still buried like before. Pan lifted his head and looked around.

The early morning grayness was gone allowing more sun overhead which filtered warmly through the trees. A little grunt left him when his grandfather leaped over a brook and landed with a soft thud. Scents started to seem familiar. Trees and dirt with a little hint of stink and an unnatural scent on top of that: home. The familiarity and need to go home made the kit sit up and look in the direction that they were heading where he noticed the familiar scattering of trees and bushes that he'd come to know after the walks he and his mother shared.

A gasp slipped past his lips and he jumped out of his grandfather's arms. The male shouted and called for him, but Pantera was already running, following the slight path and the odd scent home.

He was so happy to be home...


Holy balls, I finished. It's a miracle!

Thanks so much for all the love! I'm very sorry it took so long for this to be written and I hope that it won't be to long between this chapter and the next!

Dictionary

Agriya: Oldest

Candra: Moonstone

Dinamani: Sun Jewel

Kathora: Strict

Nabhomani: Sky Jewel

Pezala: Crafty

Saniyas: Older

Tilvila: Fertile

Trita: Third

Zaza/Zazaka: Rabbit/Bunny

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