Chapter Two
"Be quiet!" Harry shifted. "You'll wake him up." There was a snort and Harry cracked his eyes open. Rai was standing in the mouth of the cave, talking to a burly man with blond hair.
"I don't give a damn." The man hissed. "He is not supposed to be here."
"Says who, Lowe? You? Reality check pup, you are not in charge here." Lowe glowered at Rai, lips pulled back into a snarl. "You have no authority over me and it would do you good to remember that."
"Why you..." Rai pulled his own lips back to reveal a pair of sharp fangs. Lowe cowered and slumped out of the cave in defeat. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"I'm already causing problems." He muttered. Rai turned to him with a smile and shook his head.
"Lowe has always had a problem with me. He'll just have to deal." Rai sat beside Harry. "Are you hungry? I'll find a suitable meal for you somewhere if you are." Harry nodded and grabbed at Rai's offered hand. He was pulled effortlessly to his feet and he stretched.
"Why do you say you'll have to find me a suitable meal? What do you eat?" Harry asked as they exited the cave.
"Meat. Usually whatever we can catch." Harry made a face.
"Raw?" Rai nodded. "Yuck."
"It is our way, plus regular food is usually revolting to us. I can stand it, but just barely." Rai stuck his head into a grass hut and pulled it out minutes later, followed by a young girl holding a basket of meat. "Harry, this is Alice. She is a half-demon, and can cook you some meat."
"Hello." Harry greeted. Alice smiled shyly and led them over to a fire pit.
"I will take my leave now, so I can check out the others. Alice will keep you company." Rai said as Harry took a seat on a fallen log.
"But..." Rai shushed Harry and strolled away. Alice smiled shyly again and asked Harry how he liked his meat cooked. "Rare, please." Alice nodded and strung the slab of meat over the open fire.
"I heard you came from Azkaban." Alice commented as Harry gnawed on his piece of meat.
"Yeah." Harry said. "I was there for going on two years."
"You don't sound too upset about it." Harry snorted.
"I spent the first year upset, but now I feel only emptiness. Talking about it doesn't bother me, but if I were to see the people responsible for my imprisonment..."
"Old friends?" Harry nodded. "I never had any friends outside of the Pack, but I don't mind."
"You like it here?"
"Yes, it is very peaceful with the exception of occasional fights for dominance." Harry licked his fingers and she smiled. "They happen frequently between lower ranks, but the first to even secretly challenge Rai is Lowe."
"How old is Rai?" Harry asked curiously. "I saw Lowe this morning, and he looked older but Rai called him a pup."
"Rai is one of the oldest. He chose to retain his youthful looks when he came into his inheritance, and ages when he needs to. Lowe is older in body, but not in mind. If those two were to fight they would be equally matched in strength, I think, though Lowe would be lacking the wits to defeat Rai."
"Oh. And what if Lowe wins?" Alice frowned deeply at the thought.
"Then our Pack would be thrown into chaos. No one believes Lowe is good material for a leader."
"So you get to choose your leaders, basically?"
"In a way. If our current leader is overthrown, then we have no choice. We either follow the new leader or leave the pack. If the current leader lives long enough to have an heir or choose one, then the chosen will be our leader. Rai has an excellent sense of character, and I hope he will end up choosing."
"He seems nice." Alice smiled brightly.
"Oh he is! Half of the Pack are not born Demons, but changed. Rai finds orphaned or unwanted people to join, and enlists someone else to turn them. If he were to turn them, his blood would provide too much power and the new Demon could become too powerful."
"He offered me a place in the Pack."
"I would take it." Alice suggested.
"Is the...turning painful?"
"I wouldn't know, I was born a half-breed. You would have to ask Rai."
"Oh." Harry fell silent. "I would have to think on it." Alice nodded.
"Does your 'thinking on it' have to do with the Dark Lord?" Harry turned to see Rai making his way over to the circle around the pit. Harry reddened. "I know all about the half-blood. And you."
"And you'd still want me to join?"
"Yes. You are strong, loving, and the perfect candidate for a leader."
TBC
Review pls, as I need support as I look for my poor notebooks.
"Be quiet!" Harry shifted. "You'll wake him up." There was a snort and Harry cracked his eyes open. Rai was standing in the mouth of the cave, talking to a burly man with blond hair.
"I don't give a damn." The man hissed. "He is not supposed to be here."
"Says who, Lowe? You? Reality check pup, you are not in charge here." Lowe glowered at Rai, lips pulled back into a snarl. "You have no authority over me and it would do you good to remember that."
"Why you..." Rai pulled his own lips back to reveal a pair of sharp fangs. Lowe cowered and slumped out of the cave in defeat. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"I'm already causing problems." He muttered. Rai turned to him with a smile and shook his head.
"Lowe has always had a problem with me. He'll just have to deal." Rai sat beside Harry. "Are you hungry? I'll find a suitable meal for you somewhere if you are." Harry nodded and grabbed at Rai's offered hand. He was pulled effortlessly to his feet and he stretched.
"Why do you say you'll have to find me a suitable meal? What do you eat?" Harry asked as they exited the cave.
"Meat. Usually whatever we can catch." Harry made a face.
"Raw?" Rai nodded. "Yuck."
"It is our way, plus regular food is usually revolting to us. I can stand it, but just barely." Rai stuck his head into a grass hut and pulled it out minutes later, followed by a young girl holding a basket of meat. "Harry, this is Alice. She is a half-demon, and can cook you some meat."
"Hello." Harry greeted. Alice smiled shyly and led them over to a fire pit.
"I will take my leave now, so I can check out the others. Alice will keep you company." Rai said as Harry took a seat on a fallen log.
"But..." Rai shushed Harry and strolled away. Alice smiled shyly again and asked Harry how he liked his meat cooked. "Rare, please." Alice nodded and strung the slab of meat over the open fire.
"I heard you came from Azkaban." Alice commented as Harry gnawed on his piece of meat.
"Yeah." Harry said. "I was there for going on two years."
"You don't sound too upset about it." Harry snorted.
"I spent the first year upset, but now I feel only emptiness. Talking about it doesn't bother me, but if I were to see the people responsible for my imprisonment..."
"Old friends?" Harry nodded. "I never had any friends outside of the Pack, but I don't mind."
"You like it here?"
"Yes, it is very peaceful with the exception of occasional fights for dominance." Harry licked his fingers and she smiled. "They happen frequently between lower ranks, but the first to even secretly challenge Rai is Lowe."
"How old is Rai?" Harry asked curiously. "I saw Lowe this morning, and he looked older but Rai called him a pup."
"Rai is one of the oldest. He chose to retain his youthful looks when he came into his inheritance, and ages when he needs to. Lowe is older in body, but not in mind. If those two were to fight they would be equally matched in strength, I think, though Lowe would be lacking the wits to defeat Rai."
"Oh. And what if Lowe wins?" Alice frowned deeply at the thought.
"Then our Pack would be thrown into chaos. No one believes Lowe is good material for a leader."
"So you get to choose your leaders, basically?"
"In a way. If our current leader is overthrown, then we have no choice. We either follow the new leader or leave the pack. If the current leader lives long enough to have an heir or choose one, then the chosen will be our leader. Rai has an excellent sense of character, and I hope he will end up choosing."
"He seems nice." Alice smiled brightly.
"Oh he is! Half of the Pack are not born Demons, but changed. Rai finds orphaned or unwanted people to join, and enlists someone else to turn them. If he were to turn them, his blood would provide too much power and the new Demon could become too powerful."
"He offered me a place in the Pack."
"I would take it." Alice suggested.
"Is the...turning painful?"
"I wouldn't know, I was born a half-breed. You would have to ask Rai."
"Oh." Harry fell silent. "I would have to think on it." Alice nodded.
"Does your 'thinking on it' have to do with the Dark Lord?" Harry turned to see Rai making his way over to the circle around the pit. Harry reddened. "I know all about the half-blood. And you."
"And you'd still want me to join?"
"Yes. You are strong, loving, and the perfect candidate for a leader."
TBC
Review pls, as I need support as I look for my poor notebooks.