25

1 Year later

Everything was as it should be. Everyone was content in the tribe. Little Tree grew fast. He was the size and had the mental age of a six year old. He was a quick learner, like his father, but he also showed more human emotions than that of other yautja. He did not take kindly to the fact that we would one die. Most human toddlers his age didn't handle this information well.

He also did not like killing. I remember when he came home crying because he had killed a Coonra. They were little raccoon creatures who were known for stealing food. It did not take long to console him, but he did not like it. I worried about his training and how he would react to having to hunt and kill growing up. Blade, his teacher, had assured me he was learning well. He was doing what he must for the good of the tribe. Ra had been offered the position of being an elder, but he liked his elite title better. Lex gave birth to a baby girl named, Sora. She can walk now too, but she could not yet talk.

Ra trained me in hand to hand combat. I liked to learn new things and so he was constantly teaching me something. He had and still have not aged. It was a warm day, and Ra sat between my legs while I pinned small animal skulls to his locks.

"Do you miss earth?" he asked, and I gave a warm smile.

"It was my home. I do think about it sometimes." I replied, honestly and he nodded.

"If you wanted to go back and live there would you want to?" he asked. I was curious of what brought this sudden conversation up.

"I don't know. You miss hunting on other planets." I concluded, and he nodded.

"Yes." he replied, and I nodded.

"So go. Go to other planet and hunt." I replied. He shook his head and turned to me resting on one knee.

"I am not going to leave you and my son here alone." he replied, and I shook my head.

"We will not be though. We have our tribe of warriors. I can take care of myself and Anubis and Vera will always be around." I replied. Vera's pups three boys, Cyrus, Cairo, and Silas and daughter, Roksha, had grown rapidly and Ra had trained them all as he had trained Anubis about hunting and killing and protecting the family. He placed collars with his sun god symbols around their necks so all knew who they belonged to. Even Anubis helped to keep their attention when they started to stray or try and resist Ra. However, my husband was not convinced.

"I can only do so much with the hounds, but they will never compare to a yautja warrior." he explained, and I nodded.

"True, but you can't ignore and push away what makes you happy. We will be okay. I assure you." I replied, and he looked away with a shrill.

"I will have to be gone for a while…you know this." he replied, and I nodded because I did. Scar had left with two other yautjas on a hunting trip and nearly missed Lex's birth. Luckily I was there to help her deliver Sora.

"I know this…but soon it will show on your face how much you miss the chase and the excitement and the blood of the hunt." I replied placing my hand on his cheek and making him look at me. His deep blue eyes met with mine, and I smiled. "Go."

He inhaled and nodded leaning up and kissing me passionately.

"Papa, Mama." we heard Little Tree, and we turned with a smile happy he was home. We got up and moved down stairs to the lower level of the cave.

"My little warrior is home." I replied as we saw him. Anubis and his family were entering the cave with him. They escorted him home. Even though he was considered the age of walking home by himself by the codes of the yautja, I was not about to let my six year old son walk home by himself. I remember the conversation Ra and I had over it.

"Nalla he needs to walk home by himself he needs to learn to take notes of his surroundings." Ra said, and I shook my head.

"Ra something could easily happen to a boy his age…he could get taken by a creature or kidnapped!" I said. He looked so confused.

"What does that even mean!" he replied with annoyance.

"Some other yautja could take him or something!"

I ended up convincing him to let him walk home with the hounds until he was ready to walk home by himself. I lifted Little Tree into my arms, and of course Ra shook his head. He did not want me to baby him, but it was a mother's job to baby a six year. Little Tree smiled and held on to me for a moment before Ra took him from my arms and began to hold him which made me shake my head at him.

"How was training?" Ra asked ignoring my head shakes. It seemed my earthly parenting ways had rubbed off on him and even though he wanted to deny them, he found it hard I could tell.

"We were learning to wrestle and disarm your prey. It was fun. Teacher Blade said I was learning fast!" he replied, and Ra nodded showing how proud he was.

"Good." he replied placing him on the ground now.

"Now I am hungry." L.T. said and Ra and I nodded.

"I shall make us some boar," I replied and now Anubis and Vera huffed with happiness and their pups tongues hung out of their mouths with happiness and excitement. I laughed some, "For everyone."

I moved to the meat locker of the cave and pulled out some chunks of meat. I started fire in the cooking area of the house and placed a stick through the meat and hung it over the fire. I noted Ra and Little Tree playfully wrestling and Vera and Anubis were resting calmly watching their young play. I noticed Silas moving over to me barking out some. He wanted food and he wanted it now. Because he could eat raw meat I gave him a small portion of boar, and scarfed it down before doing a quick spin of happiness and running back to his family. I smiled and continued to heat up the meat.

"Mama what is a mongrel?" I heard Little Tree ask as he sat on top of Ra's back as he was lying down on his stomach with his arms crossed over each other. I arched a brow.

"Where did you hear such a word?" I asked him as I flipped the meat.

"Tara calls me that when she sees me with the other boys." he replies, and I pause in my flipping of the meat and stare down at the fire upon hearing the words my son spoke. Tara called my son a mongrel. "Tara called you a mongrel?" Little Tree nodded. Ra was silent for a moment before looking up at him.

"Son go outside and play." Ra instructed and Little Tree slid off his back and ran out the house with Cyrus and the rest of the pups behind him. Ra stood up and moved over to me, and I looked up at him. "Do not let this fester in your mind."

"She called my son a mongrel, a mutt, a cross breed." I stated with a rise in my tone, and Ra nodded.

"Yes she did. But they are just words. Everyone knows she is bitter because she is not my mate." he explained, and I nodded and looked up at him.

"Yes and now she is taking her frustrations out on my son. You were supposed to handle this so it is no longer a problem. Now the problem is mine." I merely replied and moved from the meat, and he turned and took my arm as I walked by him.

"Where are you going, Napalla?" he asked. I was tense and we could both feel it.

"I am going to go have a talk with her." I replied, and he shook his head.

"You will not! If you show violence because of a word it will show that you are incredibly sensitive to a mere word. Little Tree will have to understand that words are just words. They will only have meaning if you let them have meaning." He replied and slowly pulled me into him and held me to his chest.

"Our son is strong." he assured me, and I nodded slowly my tense form weakening.

"Okay. Okay. Let's eat." I replied, and he nodded and moved towards the entrance to call our son inside. I looked away still in thought of my son's words. Tomorrow I will need stop by and have a polite talk with Tara. My husband was right, however, yautja did not let meaningless words get to them unless it was a direct insult to their clan or hunting skills. So, I would need to take another approach to this, but I will make sure that she knows that I am not a mother to fuck with.