The royal blue and crimson flocked cape fluttered out of the room with a sharp snap of the fabric as King Vegeta stormed out, holding the Prince in his arms. Queen Vasenya stood quietly then turned, pouring herself a glass of wine, lingering there a moment. Raditz sniffed her feet curiously, smelling a pleasant, womanly scent like orchids and warm vanilla musk. The long legs before him were not his mother's though, so he hung back and waited until she retired to the royal nursery to attend to Tarble, her long, silky cerulean gown trailing across the glossy mahogany floor.

Raditz's ears pricked as he heard the sounds of the scullery maids chatting gaily as they made their way into the dining room. He looked around, and in a split second dove through the large doorway, after the royals, and before the maids could come in the room. He darted into a hallway, not looking where he ran through the corridor, then turned and made a sharp turn into a darkened room, panting as he sank against the wall. His little heart thrummed with excitement as he waited to hear any steps following him, but only heard the far-off sounds of dishes clinking and the low chatter of the women. He found a small candle holder and pinched the wick with his fingers, until a flame sparked from the heat of his ki.

Raditz made his way carefully down the long corridor, until he saw light washing down the glossy floor and paused. He heard a soft humming and tilted his head, creeping forward until he found the source. An old maid leaned over an ivory claw foot tub, filling it with hot, steaming water and pouring some type of oil soap in that made the water frothy. Raditz was curious, as he crept closer, wondering if perhaps it was the prince's bathtime. The ancient Saiyan female sniffed, then chuckled, turning her milky white orbs on him.

"There thee are, ye wee rascal!" She croaked, with an old accent that was rarely heard these days. He stiffened, looking for an escape, but he found himself wrenched up roughly by the back of his collar. She snorted as she gave him a harsh sniff, then spat on the floor.

"Right rank you are! In the bath you go, prince!" She exclaimed, turning him around to examine him.

"Ohohoho! You've lost a stitch in your breeches!" She crowed, tittering as she gave his exposed rear a good smack. He made a garbled yelp of protest, then his eyes widened as his clothing was easily torn off, leaving him squirming by the thick tuft of hair she was gripping. He wriggled angrily, attempting to flail his arms.

Raditz growled threateningly, but the old blind woman only laughed, gripping the sensitive base of his tail. Raditz whimpered and his body went limp, so he had no choice but to allow the old maid to bathe him, dunking him in and out of the water, then setting him down and going to work on his unruly mane with her gnarled fingers. He closed his eyes, growling softly, but the motion felt calming so he allowed himself to relax a small amount.

"I can't believe they let ye get so filthy! Your mudder' is a prissy one, that. Can't bathe her own wee one, let alone 'ersself!" She rambled, lathering his hair into a mass atop his head, then pouring water over it until it was slick. She wiped him down well with a cloth, and he quietly allowed the treatment. Raditz held his protesting tongue, knowing the woman would hear that he wasn't Prince Vegeta and call the guards. Besides, he hadn't had a bath this nice ever in his life.

At last, Raditz was dried and dressed, looking down at himself in amazement, he ran his fingers down the black and brown armour he was given that was meant for children; admiring its smooth finish, then wrapping his tail around it.

"I suppose this old battle armour will have to do, child. The prince is the only child who can wear royal armour, after all." She sniggered, cackling as his entire body tensed in response. She paused combing his hair, then continued.

"I may be blind as a bat, but Prince Vegeta never behaves that well in the bath. Nor is he ever quite as dirty. Nay, I knew ye were the brat of Gine from thee scent." She said, then tugged the comb through his hair again roughly. Raditz gulped.

"I- I'm sorry..." He murmured, then jolted upright when she patted him hard on the back.

"Oh, don't mention it. Run along, here, have a goodie! I would make thyself scarce, if I were ye." She said sweetly, and gave him a piece of hard candy from her apron. Raditz popped it in his mouth and scurried away, looking around frantically for the king and his entourage before they left for the hunt.


The Queen's gown dragged across each step down the red carpeted stairs, as she swirled the ox blood wine in the glass, taking a sip as her Royal Elite Guard, Candor unbolted the large, decorative door that led into the royal nursery. Vasenya nodded in thanks to him, walking under the archway of his arm as he held the doorway open for her, then glanced back quickly, and locked the doors behind them, his deep purple cape fluttering behind him as he turned sharply.

The low buzzing sound of the large, green liquid-filled glass pods resonated within the darkened room, alight with an eerie bioluminescence. Vasenya strolled past the few pods reserved for royalty, the wealthy, and first-class saiyans.

"Your Majesty..." The elderly man monitoring the pods said in reverence, gazing at her in wonder as she trailed her fingertips across the glass of a neighboring pod, peering inside to see the sleeping child. The infant slept fretfully, his small fists clutched to his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut. His black, spiked hair had a curious indigo hue in the light of the birth pod, which attracted the queen's eye.

"What's wrong with this little one, Planthorr?" She said, her tail curling curiously as she rested one palm flat on the glass. The primal instincts ingrained in her allowed her to sense the dissonance in the child, and as a mother she felt drawn to nurture him.

"Oh, er... that be Broly, son of Paragus. He has no health issues that I know of, My Queen. Quite, ah... inconsequential! Shall we visit the Prince...?" He said, chuckling nervously as he attempted to divert her attention.

Candor narrowed his slate grey eyes, approaching the tank and looking at the infant closely, raising one hand to his blue scouter to view his power level.

"Come! See the prince!" Planthorr urged them, and the elite turned away to pay attention to the queen before he could read his power level. Vasenya shook her head dismissively and turned away quickly, walking briskly towards the massive, looming elliptical object at the very center, that housed a small being inside. Candor followed dutifully at her back, crossing his arms and standing guard over her as she visited her son.

Queen Vasenya smiled, placing both hands on the glass to observe Tarble better.

"How endearing, the way he coils his tail around his little hands," She cooed, her eyes softening as she looked up and smiled, the green glow alighting her pale features.

"Oho, yes! He has been quite content in stasis, my Lady. He makes nary a peep, the young Prince." Planthorr chuckled, running one hand through his white lilac tinged beard. Standing close at her side to observe the child held buoyant by the light green, bubbling liquid, with a respirator on his face, his short, black hair floating on the liquid.

Vasenya looked down, suddenly solemn as she tipped the wineglass back and emptied it.

"...There has been little change since morning, is there something amiss, my Lady?" Planthorr queried carefully, his hand hovering over the Queen's shoulder, as if to rest there comfortingly. There was a barely audible, yet sharp growl that came from the saiyan guard. Planthorr caught the sound with his almond-like pointed ears, and retracted his hand quickly, instead clasping them behind his back.

"The King... has ordered that Prince Tarble be born today. See to it that he is safely delivered, without incident. It will be your throat if he is at all scathed." Vasenya said coldly, each word biting threateningly.

Planthorr gasped in response, quickly backing away and waving his hands fretfully.

"But- My Queen! Surely, His Highness does not wish for any harm to come to the child! If he is born prematurely, he shall be vulnerable to the-" He shouted, then was immediately cut off as she quickly backhanded him, sending him flying backwards into an empty pod, which shattered upon impact, the slimy fluids flooding out and drenching his bleeding pate. Candor stepped forward, grinning as he watched the queen, licking his lips and rumbling softly at her violent action, that to a Saiyan male, was very attractive.

"Do not question your orders! Prepare for the birthing ceremony this evening, and ensure that the utmost care is taken in his majesty the Prince's removal!"

"Yes, of course, your Majesty," He said weakly, getting up on one knee and struggling to regain his balance. Queen Vasenya turned about quickly, her tail lashing as she stormed out of the room angrily, one of the long black braids that were piled atop her head falling loose and lying across her high cheekbone. Candor watched her retreat, his long tail curling away from his black and maroon battle armour, then twitching in the air curiously as he turned his eyes onto Planthorr.

"You'd be keen to listen to her Majesty, for I will not stop her if she decides to have your head. I myself will see to it that it's served to Executioner Onioan on a platter if you fail to honor her requests." Candor sneered at the alien scientist on the floor, his eyes alighting red for a split second. Planthorr nodded quickly, gulping nervously. Then the tall Saiyan turned, and followed closely behind his queen.


Puddles of water pooled in the soil, the still dripping greenery sagging all around as Gine panted, leaning her weight onto a rake as she looked at the destroyed garden around her with a hopeless look.

Ankja and Gine had done the best they could, they had to transplant some of the vegetables that grew better in arid soil to the other side of the garden before they became unsalvageable. She straightened and wiped her brow, looking around and seeing that, for the most part, things looked ok. They'd managed to reattach the statue's head, and patch up the cracks in the marble so that the water wouldn't escape.

"You can go home, Gine. I can take care of things from here," Ankja said, taking her rake and finishing up where Gine had been evening out the soil.

"Are you sure?" She said, wiping her hands on her white apron that was now all shades of brown and green.

"Yes. Absolutely, now go ahead. The only problem left is the hole in the thorn bush, but there's really nothing that can be done about that. I just hope Queen Vasenya doesn't see it before I can fix it." She whispered, and gave Gine an encouraging little shove.

"Alright, just let me bring this inside." Gine said, removing her apron, then looking at it dubiously, wondering if it were even worth saving.

"I'll take it, please..!" Ankja urged, looking over her shoulder. She looked back and grabbed it out of her hands, to Gine's frustration.

"Hey! What's going on with you?" She asked, furrowing her thin brows over her large, suspicious eyes. Gine crossed her arms and gave the other girl a hard glare, and Ankja shook her head, running one hand through her unruly hair.

"I... I think you should go before the Queen comes, it was your little one after all that did this...I saw him underfoot earlier." She said, with a soft chuckle and Gine gasped with surprise.

"Raditz! Oh! I have to go find him!" She looked around, gulping, then whirled around, running through the gate towards the training fields.

"Bye, Gine! Good luck!" She yelled.

"Thanks, Ankja! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Ankja waved her off, then gulped as she heard a hissing sigh behind her, and turned to see the queen, inspecting her surroundings suspiciously.

Ankja immediately bowed, kneeling and kissing the queen's feet. Vasenya nudged her away and turned around quickly, her tail whipping around then curling in the air questioningly.

"Don't you have other things to do, gardener, besides idly chatting with the chef?" She growled, before stalking away.

"Ah! Yes, my deepest apologies, Your Highness!"

She watched as the queen paused, narrowing her eyes on the large hole in the thorn bush.

"You'd be wise to find a way to patch the hole in my Thornnicellia, before the thorns are used for less... appealing purposes." She snapped, and then stormed away; lifting the skirts of her dress, then complaining about how her foot got stuck in the mud, before stomping through it in an angry huff.

Ankja let out a large sigh of relief and raked over where the queen had stomped, hoping perhaps she could rearrange the thorns somehow to appear decent.


There was a chorus of laughter as Bardock stood before a crowd of malt bar patrons, his arm slung around his best friend Tora as they recalled one of their greatest missions, holding up mugs of malted ale, sloshing it around as they made the rest of the Saiyans in the bar laugh uproariously.

"...And then, just about when the whole entire kingdom was about to revolt, we came in smashing!" Shugesh growled, taking a long swig of ale.

"And bashing!" The crowd shouted, all the Saiyans on leave from duty enjoying the rousing tale.

"Blood splashing!" Tora shouted, then laughed, pulling Fasha tighter to his side.

"It was a beautiful blood moon, soaked in red, it's eerie cast washing over the city as we grew to immense size. All of the villagers swarming around, like nothing but ants!" Bardock continued, showing them just how tiny with two fingers as he narrowed his eyes.

"Then! I took me foot and squashed them!" Borgos boomed from behind Bardock, and began to tell his part of the tale. Bardock smiled as he glanced at Tora and Fasha, as Tora nuzzled Fasha's cheek and groomed her where he would have marked her, if not for the stern tail whupping he would get for mating her and siring a brat. Fasha was too good of a fighter for that.

"Hey, get a room, you two!" He sneered, rubbing his slightly reddened nose with the back of his red sleeve, smirking.

"Bardock!" A shout rang out across the bar, his brows pricked up and he gulped. Bardock took a long swig of his ale, then set the glass down and turned to look towards the shout with a tilt of his head. The little female stormed towards him, with a deadly glare in her eye as she approached, still covered in cooking grease and dirt.

"Gine... All done for the day?" He tried to ask casually, then took a mug of ale off of one of the tables, and offered it to the steaming mad little woman.

"Sit down, have a drink." He said, patting a preferred spot on his lap, grinning.

"You know why I'm here, Bardock! We don't have the time to just sit around!"

Bardock frowned, glancing back once at the team, then set the mug down.

"You're mad about the runt, eh? I saw him earlier, but he took off on me. I was too damn busy training to watch him!" He grit his teeth and stood up quickly, ready to go find Raditz and tear him a new one.

"It's fine! I'm not blaming you! It was those den mothers, you know they can't keep track of him..." Gine said, patting him on the arm. She paused before leaving and waved at the others, a small smile on her face as she saw her old teammate, Fasha.

"Hey, Gine! What's up?" Fasha yelled, dragging Tora by the arm as he staggered to keep up, chuckling drunkenly. Gine paused, biting her lip.

"Ah, you all have fun. We have to go. Sorry.." She said, lingering a moment.

"Oh, so soon? I haven't seen you in awhile, how is it cooking for the king?" She asked with a chuckle, leaning against Tora.

"All's quite well, thank you, Fasha. We should catch up soon. Right now, we must find Raditz.." Gine said, uneasily.

"The little runt from before?" Tora perked up, looking seriously at Bardock. He nodded curtly in response. Tora set down his ale and shook his head, snapping himself out of his buzzed state.

"We'll help you! I got a whiff of his scent earlier, I'm sure he couldn't have gotten far from the training fields!" He said, and the others nodded.

"Ok, you search around here. We'll scout around the castle." Bardock said, and headed out the swinging door, him and Gine quickly taking flight.

The other two followed, looking to one another with concern then back as they flew out the door.


Raditz rested his chin on his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs as he observed the grass rushing below. The carriage he had stowed away in was moving quickly, the fabric covering the contents in the back, as well as him. He made himself seem as small as possible, and breathed shallowly so as not to alert them of his presence.

"Where to, my King?" The driver called back, from where he whipped the two trained steers pulling it along.

"Let's go into the Wilderwood. Prince Vegeta has yet to experience a true hunt." He clipped, from where he sat proudly, watching the crimson sky as the carriage hurtled over the rocky ground and jostled the contents in the back. His Royal Elites surrounded him, besides the two remaining at the castle to protect Queen Vasenya, his favored guards, Nappa and Zorn sat behind him and Prince Vegeta, dutifully watching the sides of the carriage for anything that could possibly injure the precious cargo.

"Hmph." Nappa gravelled, crossing his arms. It was easy work, after all, King Vegeta was a skilled fighter and more often than not, the king attacked any enemy faster than either he or Zorn could even react. Following his every move, including that of his royal bowels, was incredibly boring. This was the most fun they'd had in some time.

"Oi, don't get your tail in a bunch, Nappa." Zorn teased, his crass accent grating on the other man's nerves. He grinned, his eyes sliding over to the taller, larger man's, winking.

"Maybe you'll get the rear-end this time, eheh!" He cackled, earning a hard elbow in the black armour covering his ribs. He was cut off by the sudden jab, covering the urge to cough with one hand as he glared back at Nappa.

"Enough! Stay on guard, you two." The king retorted sharply, disapproving of the guard's at times rowdy behaviour, due to Nappa's rough exterior, and Zorn's constant prodding to try and loosen him up for a bit of fun. The King would have had them dismissed, if it weren't for the fact that they were the closest thing he had to brothers; who had served under his father as fledgling soldiers, and fought alongside him, and his father in their galactic conquests of the surrounding galaxies and planets that belonged to The Empire of Vegeta.

"Stop. Here, Oxey." He ordered, and Raditz had to hang onto the edge of the carriage to stop from flying off. He quickly darted underneath, crawling through the grass on his knees as the carriage shook with the movement of the passengers getting off.

"I get first blood, right father? I should get the first stab at the beast!" Vegeta growled enthusiastically, running off the steps of the high carriage and towards the line of the woods.

"Wait." He responded, catching him by the tail and yanking him up. The young prince slumped and waved his arms around stubbornly, attempting to get himself out of the temporary paralysis. Raditz's eyes widened as he watched, impressed by how he could actually resist being dangled by his tail, a feat that he didn't think was at all possible.

King Vegeta dropped him after a moment, allowing him to right himself and brush the dirt off his armour.

"Father! Why-" He shouted, then grunted as King Vegeta unwrapped his long tail and whipped him across the face with it. The guards turned away, crossing their arms as the King taught his son a valuable lesson.

"Be quiet!" He hushed him, as Vegeta sat up from the ground and rubbed his reddened cheek.

"Guards! He struck me!" Vegeta wailed, and the three adults only chuckled lowly. The Prince whimpered, then stood and hung his head.

"They won't help you, foolish child. You are my son, but you are still only the third in command. I am first, all orders I give will overceed your petty demands. Second is your mother, and you know to listen to her as well. When you are king, then perhaps they will risk their lives for you. But right now, you are still my brat. And you will be quiet and listen." King Vegeta growled, and the Prince nodded, crossing his arms stubbornly. Raditz smirked from beneath the carriage, enjoying watching his Highness be disciplined.

"Understood, father. Now may we please proceed with the hunt? I want to show you my Galick Pistol!" He whined again, this time even more petulant.

King Vegeta chuckled softly, resting one hand on his son's shoulder, and began walking with him, the guards following behind.

"You may very well have the opportunity to show me, son. But I get first blood. If you find a beast small enough to challenge, then you can take it for yourself." The King said, causing the guards at his back to snicker. Raditz waited until they were a ways across the field, then watched as the oxey led the carriage away so that the steers could graze in the grassland. He took a deep breath and hovered over the grass, creeping along until the shadows of the forest fell over him.

Raditz crawled on the ground, sniffing their footprints in the mossy undergrowth. He had never seen the forests on Vegeta, nor even knew that they existed besides in the nursery tales that the den mother's told, of great beasts, man-eating insects, poisonous plants, and further embellishments he'd always assumed were made up only to frighten children. He entered the dark forest and looked all around at the shadowy limbs of fruitless, flowerless Xenoba trees. Seeing that only blackened, twisted wood remained, heavy with the moist stench of decay. Raditz began to believe with a growing sense of dread in the haunting fairytales.

He moved carefully as to not trip over the gnarled roots, hovering over them instead of walking to make himself even more inconspicuous as he found the royal entourage up ahead. The two guards hung back as the king and prince crept forward towards the clearing. They took cover behind an uprooted tree, crouching down and peering through the cracks in the stringy roots.

"Now, " The king whispered to his son, "We will wait until the beast is unsuspecting, perhaps even distract it in order to make our move." The Prince nodded, crawling up to sit on his father's shoulder pad to get a better view.

"You must move silently, deftly like a wild cat stalking its prey. Following the scent of the beast, its every move, sensing out every single thought pattern. If you sense its fear, you must act quickly to kill it in the most efficient way."

Raditz crept forward and hid in the brush, using his advanced hearing to hear their low whispers.

"How is that, father? The jugular...?" Prince Vegeta whispered back, clinging onto his father's thick muscled neck; hanging onto every word. He nodded, "Yes, that, or the heart. If the beast turns away, attack at the base of the skull and sever its spine. We do not want to spoil the meat, so avoid its bowels. If you must, attack the arteries in its legs, or slow it's motion by dismembering it quickly." He whispered back gruffly, then moved from behind the stump, the two guards followed and flew up above to hover over them, flying at a bird's eye view to have a good sight on the king from all sides, in case he was attacked unexpectedly.

Raditz flew over to where the ground was still warm from the king's feet, peeking through the openings to observe their next move. His eyes widened in amazement as he watched; stunned to see that the stories were indeed true.

King Vegeta strolled out into the opening, unafraid, his tail latched protectively to the Prince's as they walked carefully out into the clearing. Raditz looked up at the large shadows moving lazily, grazing peacefully in the meadow. The beasts were massive, with long curving horns from their brows, muscle-thick meat on their broad backs. The beasts walked on all fours and hung their heavy heads to dine on the violet colored grass, pulling it in with their lips and grinding it between their mandibles.

Raditz didn't know what to call the beast, it was aliken to a steer, but much more alien; with its many rotating eyes, and a pronged tail that swiveled around like a radar sensor, swatting flies. His breath caught in his throat as the ground shook from just one step of the massive herbivore; which although it seemed to not require meat, he didn't wish to find out whether or not it had a taste for Saiyan blood. The largest beast seemed to be a male, the second largest was notably female, as its young nursed from its pendulous udder.

He gulped as King Vegeta stepped forward, his open hands to his sides as a blue light began to emanate from him, as did the Prince. Raditz watched anxiously, growling lowly as hunger twisted in his belly for blood. His tail curled and he shivered with anticipation; feeling his primal blood rising up within him, telling him to stalk the prey, hunt, kill.

He came out from behind the roots, shaking. His battle armour made a soft clink as he stepped forward, and his heart pounded with ferocity in his chest as he stiffened and dreaded that they had heard the tiny clink. If they did, nobody was distracted enough to pay it any mind as each Saiyan was fully focused on the warmth of blood flowing through the veins of their prey. Raditz licked his lips, stalked forwards a few more paces, then ducked behind a rock and concealed himself in the long grass.

The king looked down to the prince and nodded, the prince could do as he pleased with the calves. Nappa and Zorn lowered down, readying themselves for battle. They would attack the female, while King Vegeta surely desired the challenge of the bull. Raditz gulped, his tail frizzing up behind him as he resisted the urge to attack as well.

King Vegeta then shot forward so quickly, Raditz almost missed his swift movement, and the others in turn. The king flew around the large beast like nothing but a fly, as it perked its ears up and turned, snorting and pawing at the ground. Zorn and Nappa surged forward, approaching on the female and quickly zapping her with ki blasts, making her stumble backwards and bellow out with distress, her eyes wild as the whites of them flashed, following the three calves that suddenly shot out from beneath her in fear, one was crushed beneath her hoof and died as she reared back and stomped, the other little ones brayed and ran blindly; startled by the small beams of blue light flashing all around them as Prince Vegeta shot at them wildly.

"Galick Pistol! Galick Pistol!" He shouted enthusiastically, laughing uproariously as he bludgeoned the panicked calves point blank, missing their vital organs for the most part and prolonging their suffering.

King Vegeta stood before the beast as it stood on its hind legs and challenged him, falling forward and swinging its horns threateningly at him as he dodged, sending out thin beams of blue light much like his son's that easily cut through the horns like butter and severed them. The beast howled in pain, shaking its head, and King Vegeta ducked back, waiting for the right opportunity. He turned and chuckled, baiting it with his red cape, which he held out and cracked sharply on the air, the startling sound sending a shiver down Raditz's spine.

The king then vanished in thin air, to his surprise, and sent the bull on a mad dash for the edge of the woods. Raditz scrambled backwards quickly, darting from behind the rock and towards the far field, where he fell and rolled across the grass, then came to a stop when there was a great thunderous boom that shook the earth as the bull slammed its hooves into the soil where the king had just stood. Raditz popped his head up from the grass, panting rapidly. All around was chaotic bloodshed, as Prince Vegeta had gotten the calves to fall and was piercing them repeatedly until they were nothing but slabs of bleeding meat.

Zorn and Nappa had honed in on the female, surrounding her and taunting her with ki blasts, as she whirled around frantically and bellowed, they only laughed as they shot her repeatedly, then sent her falling to her knees; breathing laboriously as her blood pumped onto the ground and made a vast pool around her.

Raditz bristled excitedly as he watched, bringing his attention back on the king. The bull had returned now from its mad charge into the forest, appearing from the trampled woodland, shaking bits of broken trees from its severed horns. It snorted harshly, turning its head and moving its many eyes around, searching for the elusive king. Raditz's heart jumped up into his throat as the beast suddenly wailed out in an ear piercing cry, rearing up and kicking out its back legs.

"Galactic.. Sword Piercer!" The King shouted, then there was a great array of red and blue lights, then a hot wash of blood as he eviscerated the bull, gutting it quickly. One hand flew over Raditz's mouth as the stenching heat from its belly came out in a red mist, he held back his gorge as the King escaped without a drop of blood defiling him, then the beast fell to the ground with a heavy thud as its body split completely in half. The blood spray hung in the air a moment, then fell and wet the violet grass as Raditz watched, in awe.

King Vegeta escaped the falling body, flying up and laughing heartily as Nappa and Zorn commended his great prowess. Prince Vegeta stared up from where he stood, covered in blood, then wiped his hand across his brow to remove the blood dripping into his eyes. He looked down at the mess around him and scoffed, he knew that his work was messy at best.

"Father!" He shouted, flying over to his side. "Did you see? Did you see!?" He clamoured, and grinned as he received a rough scrubbing with one of the King's hands in his bloody hair.

"Satisfactory work, son. Let's take our share now. Next time you must make less...struggle for your prey, Vegeta." He chided, then laughed loudly, Nappa and Zorn joining in as well.

"As bloody vicious as his father!" Zorn praised, his hands on his hips as he grinned widely.

Nappa chuckled, "Heh, heh. Good work as always, your Majesty. Would you like us to sear the meat?" He gravelled, glaring up with a sideways grin from beneath his now bloody, black crew-cut.

The king nodded, turning away as the two worked to quickly cook the meat with their ki before it could spoil. Prince Vegeta looked up and trailed by his father's side as he walked over to inspect his son's work, putting one hand to his bristly raven red beard and rubbing it.

"Next time, hone in your ki lasers into one large blast and pierce it through the heart, son. The meat cannot be salvaged this way, even though we lack for nothing, this is waste that will only rot on our royal soil. We cannot allow for undisciplined blood shed, you will learn to hone in your beams and fire them effectively." He said, standing and turning away from the grisly murder scene. Prince Vegeta stared down at the slaughtered calves and narrowed his eyes.

"But, father... How do I reign in the blasts?" Vegeta moaned, slumping his shoulders with dissatisfaction. He walked to follow the king over to where the meat was giving off a delectable smell, as it began to crackle from the shared heat of Nappa and Zorn's blasts.

"Perhaps I will give you a personal lesson, If I have the time between negotiations with the Colds. Right now is a tense time, son." He said, and crossed his arms. Little Vegeta pouted, and as Raditz watched his eyes widened and he frowned, feeling an odd sense of camaraderie with the prince in the desire to be praised by one's own father, to be worthy enough of his precious attention.

Raditz rested his cheeks in his hands and sighed, faintly hoping they would leave behind some meat for him after they left so he could scarf down the remains. He heard a small pitter patter, and turned his head, puzzled, as a small stone rolled across the grass, and he heard his name hissed in a scolding tone.

Mama! She found me! He gasped, huddling farther into the grass.

But I don't want to go home! He pouted, hiding his head under his hands.

"Raditz! Now!" She whispered from where she was hiding in the cover of the forest, with Bardock nowhere in sight. Raditz saw this and grinned, as he got to his knees carefully and turned to wave at her, his tail wagging as if he was happy to see her. Gine thrust her fists to her sides and growled, stomping one foot in protest. Raditz simply snickered, and got up from his hiding spot, brushing off his battle armour.

Gine's jaw dropped when seeing what he was wearing, her eyes wide and confused by his appearance as her son simply strolled across the field, stopping to walk carefully around a large pool of blood, then peered up at the massive slab of meat before him. The others sat at the other side, talking of old war stories, laughing loudly through mouthfuls of half chewed meat, none the wiser of the puny Saiyan child on the other side.

Raditz licked his lips, then sunk his teeth into the hide, shaking his head and pulling off a large chunk. He held it in his hands and gnawed on contentedly a moment, as he listened in to the conversation on the other side.

"When was that, my Lord? Age 731?"

"Ah, yes, that it was, Zorn. It was also the name day of Prince Vegeta. A grand event, that. We had just succeeded in claiming the empire of the Dalazoans, a lowly lizard type, much like that cold-blooded bastard..." They all roared in laughter, as Raditz's attention was piqued by their conversation, peeking around the side to get a better view of them all.

His sudden yelp was muffled as a large hand clamped over his mouth, and he dropped his meat on the ground. Raditz whimpered, attempting to look down and squirm to retrieve the meat. He gulped as it was squashed beneath a green and black boot with a red sleeve. Raditz froze, recognizing the familiar colors. Bardock knelt and turned him around to eye him, as Raditz avoided his eyes, feeling a sheen of nervous sweat breaking out over his body. Bardock looked him up and down, eyeing his armour, then scoffed. He didn't need to speak for Raditz to know that he disapproved.

Raditz stifled a whimper as his father picked him up with his tail like he normally always did, curling him to his back tightly. Raditz squeezed his eyes shut in preparation for flight, then opened them as Bardock walked carefully along the side of the beast, warily approaching the others. He shook his head and grit his teeth as the others laughed, then turned his attention back onto the wulyf pack that was slowly encroaching on the unsuspecting group.

Bardock stealthily came forward, meeting eyes with the glowing yellow orbs appearing in the darkening forest, his own black eyes shifting as they all followed his gaze. Gine, Tora and Fasha hid back in the trees, taking to the cover of the forest, he trusted his good friend to protect their females, looking at him once and nodding. Tora nodded back curtly, Bardock had to look away quickly to avoid Gine's frightened gaze; knowing she feared for both her son and her mate's safety. Gine turned and sobbed silently onto Fasha's shoulder as Tora wrapped his arm around them both, whispering to them to be silent.

"... How many women did you take as your reward, My King?" Nappa asked suggestively, then grunted when Zorn reprimanded him with a punch in the arm.

"What?" He asked dumbfoundedly, then looked back to the King with his full attention as King Vegeta tilted his head and mused on his answer.

"Don't you dare insult the king with your lecherous questions!" Zorn hissed with disgust.

"A mated man never betrays his female, Nappa. You should know this... But I won't lie and say I've never bedded a whole gaggle of Saiyan concubines at once, that was before I met Lady Vasenya, of course.."

Raditz's eyebrows raised curiously, then he suddenly felt Bardock's tail tightly wrapped around his skull, covering his ears. Raditz huffed and peeked over his shoulder to try and get a better view.

The wulyf pack was closing in, drawn by the heavy scent of blood in the air, and cooked meat. They had after all, taken their prey and now sat unsuspectingly dining on the thin, ragged looking wild canine's only meal. Bardock edged closer to them, his hands at the ready as he moved closer, cautiously, one step at a time.

One of the wulyfs stepped closer, as it was pushed forward by the others. Stumbling forward, it looked back to the others and tucked its shaggy tail in; then their sharp growls and nips at its ankles made it jump with a yelp; the weakest of the pack was being used as their personal guinea pig. The pitiful creature staggered forward, its long pink tongue hanging out the side of its panting mouth as Bardock watched its movements closely, flexing and closing one hand.

Raditz quivered; the creature was many times smaller than the cattle, but much more frightening with its wild, deranged gaze, that honed in on Bardock, then flickered to the meat. The wulyf swiped his tongue across yellowed fangs, padding forward, it crawled on its belly towards the meat, reaching out cautiously to nibble on the edge. Bardock surged over and punched the beast in the skull, gripped its head, then slammed it into the ground once, the pink, pulpy meat of its brain leaking out onto the soil, as the beast let out one last sharp whine.

"What was that?" Zorn said, apprehensive, then Bardock darted away towards the woods, his back to the others, only focused on the pack of wulyfs.

"A wulyf? Freshly quashed!" Nappa exclaimed, sticking his finger in the still warm brain-matter, licking it.

King Vegeta stood, holding Prince Vegeta in his arms protectively.

"They're drawn to the blood scent." He murmured, answering his son's curious gaze.

"Can you take them, Nappa?" Zorn said, looking back to the royals nervously.

"Yeah, get them both to safety, and hurry. I've got this under control." He responded quickly, as he began to raise his Ki.

Zorn nodded, and took off towards his royal wards, leading them safely to the carriage.

Nappa turned around and chuckled, "Come on out, ya scraggly little mutts! You interrupted a good meal!"

He strolled past the large slab of meat and noticed Bardock at last, who was surrounded by a blue aura as the wulyfs were closing in. Raditz glanced back from where he was curled into a ball, the heat of his father's ki warming his body and energizing his own ruby ki.

Nappa paused, and hung back to see what the third class was going to do. Bardock abruptly stiffened, and jumped upwards, the wulyfs following. Raditz squeezed his eyes shut and surged his ki out around him in terror as the creatures closed in, but not for long, as Bardock quickly began kicking them away with his strong legs, using both fists to slam down on their skulls, sending them flying back down to the ground whimpering.

Nappa crossed his arms and grinned, as the pack of animals began to pile up on the ground, each yelping in turn with every vicious slam of Bardock's sheer strength, as he observed, slightly dubious. Nappa punched a wulyf in the snout, crunching it inwards as it flew towards him then sent it flying backwards, howling in agony. Bardock turned and noticed Nappa for a split second, allowing the remaining wulyfs to attack his vulnerable back. Raditz screamed out in fear and guarded himself with a power surge, his limbs entirely immobilized by Bardock's tail.

"Raditz!" He shouted, whirling around. The wulyfs surrounded him once again, this time nipping at his back no matter which way he turned.

"Papa!" Raditz cried, clutching his father's armor in fear, as the wild animal's fangs glanced off his armor, scratching the surface of his skin and drawing out his sweet, young blood.

Nappa gulped, watching the scene and came forward, tearing a hound off Bardock's back and snapping its neck quickly.

"Hey you! Get your brat out of the battle!" He bellowed, and Bardock flew up as Nappa took the beasts head-on, tearing through them with his bare hands, his golden ki rushing all around him like bolts of electricity. The remaining beasts howled for the others still hiding in the woods, and more came out. Bardock hung back a moment then shook his head stubbornly.

"Hold on tight, kid! This is gonna be fast!" He shouted, and Raditz nodded quickly, clinging to his father desperately.

"I can take it, father! I'm not scared!" He said, and lifted his eyes against the wind as Bardock propelled forward; flying directly into the mass of wulyfs now headed for Nappa, and dove directly into the eye of the storm. Raditz flinched as the grey fur flashed by him, then quickly became bloody as Bardock tore through them; violently slaughtering them with his agile legs and deadly fists, spinning around quickly to take on each enemy as it came.

Raditz felt both exhilarated, and frightened as he was caught in the midst of battle, he couldn't help but be amazed by his father's strength as they at last escaped the wall of bodies. A great flash of golden light erupted from the ground, then Bardock clutched Raditz to his back more securely, panting. Nappa let off an explosive blast and finished off the beasts at last, leaving nothing but barren soil for miles around him as they light faded, and they were at last the victors.

Bardock turned to fly away back to Gine and the others, but was stopped by Nappa's shouting.

"Hey! You're that third class purger, Bardock!?" He shouted, as if in stunned disbelief.

Bardock paused in mid-air a moment, then sighed.

"Forget we were here, would you? I'm no hero. I simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He said quickly, before Nappa could argue, and flew away with Raditz in tow. Raditz watched as they parted ways with the other Saiyan, tilting his head curiously as Nappa eyed him just as curiously on Bardock's back, and rubbed his chin.

Huh, tough kid... Nappa thought briefly, then turned away. They faded from his vision, quickly forgotten as he walked back over to survey if there was any salvageable meat left behind.


Raditz blinked, as he was brought back home and dropped from his father's back like a bundle of trash. He fell onto his back and grunted, getting up on his elbows and looking up with sorrowful eyes at the looming figure before him.

"I didn't-" Raditz yelped, feeling his father's tail lash across his cheek with a hard crack. "I'm sorry!" He wailed, then Bardock turned quickly around, scoffing before spitting on the ground beside him.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that? Do you even realize how hard your mother and I work to keep your belly fat?!" He growled, picking Raditz up by his hair and shaking him in the dim light of their small home.

"Y-Yes, I-" Raditz sputtered, then was silenced again as his father slapped him. He shut his mouth and hung his head, feeling the blood throbbing in his cheek.

"You could have died today, whelp. You could have had your father killed for intruding on royal grounds, would you like that?" Bardock growled, shaking the small child violently until he yelped in answer.

"N-No!" Raditz sobbed, sniffling up his building mucus.

"And this armour, how in the hell did you get it? You didn't earn it." Bardock growled, then quickly began pulling the straps, removing his armor until Raditz was left in nothing but the small, black briefs.

"You smell like one of them." Bardock snarled, discarding the armour.

"I, I, I'm sorry, Papa..." Raditz said weakly, lowering his eyes in defeat.

"Bardock..." Gine said lowly, coming up behind him. "That's enough. Please." She said softly, resting one hand on his shoulder. Bardock scoffed and dropped Raditz onto the small cot that was his meager bed, and turned away.

Raditz sat up and watched as they left the room, Gine turning to give him a small smile as she shut the door. He lowered his head and allowed his tears to fall at last; his belly sucking in painfully with each wracking sob that he attempted to silence with his hands covering his mouth, his eyes squeezed shut as he heard his father bellow curses about his behavior.

"..But, Bardock, he needs stimulation! He clearly has pent-up energy, he wants to fight!" Gine argued, as his head perked up.

"He can't fight! He would only get himself killed, the brat can't even form a simple ki blast!" Bardock growled back, but this was typical conversation for the two of them. Raditz recognized his parent's tones as being concerned for his welfare.

"That's enough excuses! You will train him tomorrow! No more drinking ale with your buddies, Raditz must learn how to protect himself!" Gine said sternly, making his heart flutter.

Papa... Train me...? He thought nervously, the thought was both tempting, and also made him apprehensive.

"Fine! If that will keep him from misbehaving, I'll do it..." He said softly, then growled. "Any boy of mine won't be helpless, If I can do anything about it." He grumbled. Raditz hiccuped anxiously in response, then his tears were quelled as his parent's voices softened and turned to purrs.

"...You are a good father, Bardock. The best mate I could ever hope to have. You protected him so well today." Gine said warmly. Raditz smiled as he curled into his cot and lowered his eyelids.

I hope I can make papa proud...

He thought fleetingly, before quickly falling asleep, exhausted from his adventures.


"Tarble." He whispered, and reached out with one blood-soaked hand. King Vegeta stroked the child's brow, brushing back his silky black hair, leaving streaks of blood there.

"My King... I beg you..." Queen Vasenya whispered, as she held their child in her arms, looking up with a frightened gaze at the powerful man looming over her.

"I was mistaken, my Queen... The child is much too weak. Training will not improve his capabilities...Keeping him here will worsen his chances for survival." He said, raising his hand to stroke his Queen's cheek. She made a pitiful sob and clutched Tarble closer to her breast, as her mate fell to his knees and curled his arms around the both of them.

"Tonight, we shall... have him for tonight, then, tomorrow he will be sent to a neutral territory. There will be nothing to fear, Vasenya." He said soothingly, and she nodded, looking down at the small child as their tails curled and felt around his tiny body protectively. His birth had been without injury, not a single scar marred his perfect ivory skin.

"Yes, I trust you, sweet husband... I know you would never allow harm to come to our child." She said softly, and kissed his brow.

"Of course not, and besides, we have Vegeta. He will grow to be a great leader one day. An impenetrable force." He said, reassuringly. The queen nodded, pulling Tarble closer to touch his little feet, and watch his small eyes squint from the light, as they chuckled softly, in adoration of the tiny infant.

Vegeta backed away from the crack in the door and exhaled, his face void of any expression.

"Ah, there ye are, wee laddie! Soaked in blood, agh! Time for yur bath!" The old blind maid cooed, scooping him up into her arms then gripping him by the base of his tail. The little boy squirmed, ferociously growling and swinging his arms around in protest as she simply slung him over her shoulder and hummed an old nursery rhyme, snickering quietly to herself as Vegeta slumped in defeat over her shoulder, hanging upside down with his arms crossed stubbornly.

"Filthy little things, runts are, always getting into the mud 'n' blood, we'll fix you up in a nice bubbly bath..." She soothed, then closed the door behind her.