Once the story had been told, the male elders helped Garlon to tidy the desk and chairs away while the two females gave Kyyanno a little moral support.  The cheetah had found recounting a few of the details more than a little painful, especially the parts involving the attack on his former home, and the fate of the slave traders.  To his surprise, he had been listened to, and not interrupted other than when Garlon wished a little more detail.

CloudLion and SkyLion took Kyyanno to the side of the room furthest away while the male felines worked.  They each gave the cub a long hug as neither of them had realised the extent the cub had suffered during his journey.

“StarSeer said you had been through a lot," SkyLion said after she finished her embrace.  “He left out a lot of the details, though.  How you are still standing here as strong as you are at such a young age is beyond me."

“I think I had help," Kyyanno admitted.  He could well remember the reserve of extra strength that seemed to filter the very worst of his feelings away, allowing him to stay strong for the benefit of everyone else.  While that reserve seemed to have vanished, the negative energy it had filtered had not returned.  There was a worry in the back of the cheetah's mind, however, that it might return at any moment, especially when he was feeling alone or miserable.  A choice to remain as disconnected and upbeat from the previous weeks had been made, but he knew he could not keep that up for ever.

“Yes, you did have the fortune to meet a colourful collection of characters along the way," the lynx agreed, missing Kyyanno's meaning.  “Still, once StarSeer returns from his errand, I think it might be best if you were to pay him a visit."

“I would like that very much," replied the cub.  His train of thought was about to embark on a journey on how the conversation with the old jaguar might go, when the train was derailed by a call from LlewLion, demanding the cub's attention.

“Kyyanno," he bellowed.  The voice was firm, but not unkind.  He gave the impression that he was someone who did not suffer those who did not get straight to the point.  “It is time to introduce you to Kunima and her family."

“That's the family you will be staying with," CloudLion whispered.  Kyyanno nodded, having guessed that fact on his own.

Giving his farewells to the two female cats, Kyyanno followed the lion that had wasted no line in making his way towards the door of the room.  The great leader walked in long and confident strides, making no effort to ensure the cheetah he was leading was keeping up, or had even noticed his departure.  With a couple of small bounds, the cub made up the ground and fell into a quick step behind the large cat, following him out of the village hall and back into the forest.

With the speed of the lion a large concern at this moment, the small cheetah decided now would be the best time to ask about how the cats of the tribe navigated the pathways without getting hopelessly lost.  There was an internal struggle, however, between trying to get LlewLion's attention by just yelling the question out, or trying to get his attention first.  In the end, politeness won out.

“Excuse me," he called, hoping the big cat heard.  It worked, as the lion turned to face the cub.

“Yes, little one?" the lion answered, stopping to let the cheetah catch up.  Kyyanno was a little tired, and they had barely left the hall behind them.

“How do you all seem to know exactly which path to follow?" came the slight tired sounding question.

“Use your nose, little Kyyanno," LlewLion laughed, seeming to appreciate the directness of the cheetah's question.  “All these paths have a scent which gives a clue to their destination.  As you grow up, you will learn to understand the smells of the forest and remember what scent relates to which path, or tribe member."

“I can appreciate that," the cub smiled.  “Once we got near enough for me to smell the forge, I no longer needed the path to find my way there."

“Exactly," LlewLion said with a firm nod.  “Until then, however, just follow me.  You're a cheetah, you're meant to be able to keep up.  Training will be harder than this when you're old enough." At the sound of the word training, Kyyanno put himself in a different mindset and followed his leader a lot closer.

Because of the fast pace, it took very little time to get to the building that the young cheetah would be calling home for the next few seasons.  It was a simple wooden house built through the trunks of four trees in a rough square shape, with a tumbledown roof held together using more luck than judgement.  What the house lacked in stability, however, it made up for with spirit.  The structure seemed to just want to stay upright, against all the odds.  Smoke was wisping out of a stone chimney.  It was the only part of the house to not be made of wood.  Inside, the sounds of activity could be heard, as various clanks and thuds came out of the windows, drifting into the ears of the two approaching felines.

“Take a good sniff, Kyyanno," LlewLion said, looking down at the cub.  “Get a good smell, and lock it away.  Remember it, and you will have your guide for the paths to get here on your own."

Doing as he was bid, the young cheetah inhaled the rich scents of the forest.  Ignoring the normal smells of the woodland, Kyyanno tried to decipher the other flavours in the air.  The overarching smell of the tribe was there, but another spice was in the mix.  He vaguely remembered something close to it a couple of times.  Once was just before the invasion of Tobbac, when the tiger had come into his home after the rat's camp had been discovered.  Another time was upon arriving in the city of Avonwood, they had been greeted by a tiger named Samuel.  Looking up at LlewLion, the cub made the connection.

“I'm living with a family of tigers, aren't I?"

“Well done, young one," the lion said with a note of surprise in his voice.  A beaming smile ran across his face for a moment before dissolving into the normal stoic, but not unkind, expression which formed his default look.  “Kunima has been with us for quite some time now.  Her husband was a great warrior who sadly lost the last of his lives while fighting for the tribe just under two seasons ago.  She has two cubs, one of which is about your age.  So, hopefully you will find a new friend or two here."  The lion knocked on the front door with a couple of heavy taps.  After a couple more clanging sounds, the door was flung open by a tigress wearing a long top covered by an apron and a bandanna around her head.  

“Greetings, young Far," she said as she held out her arms for a hug, which Kyyanno seemed to drawn into, almost against his will.  The embrace was warm and genuine, however, and the cheetah soon forgave her exuberance.  LlewLion looked down at the two of them, and when the cub was released, he could swear the lion looked touched by the scene.

“Kunima," the great beast said in the warmest voice he could muster.  “This, as you guessed, is Far.  Better known as Kyyanno for the time being."

“Kyyanno?" the tigress repeated, looking down at the cub and then looking back at the lion.  “Oh well, we don't choose our names I suppose.  Welcome Kyyanno.  Would you both like some lunch?  I've got a stew in the pot and there's plenty to go around."  She seemed to direct the end of the sentence at Kyyanno's guide, giving him a look that the cub had seen his mother give to his father on nights when he and his brother had been forced to go to bed early.

“As much as I would love one of your delicious stews," LlewLion said, his ears flattening down slightly, “I really must be heading back.  There's a lot to organise now.  Next time, however, I'll be there."  Kyyanno noticed that the lion's scent had changed a little, and he seemed a little embarrassed.  With a polite farewell, the lion beat a hasty retreat back into the forest.

“What was all that about?" the young cheetah asked, bemused.

“Don't you worry," laughed Kunima, wrapping an arm around the cub's shoulders and walking him through the door.  “I'm an old flirt, that's all.  Now come and get some grub in your belly, you look as thin as a rake."

***

The ramshackle house was as unique on the inside as the outside had been.  The walls of the dining room were lined with misshapen furniture, crooked picture frames, uneven shelves, and clutter.  It was not untidy, but the cub thought that the room was somehow managing to hold more stuff than it really should be.  Everything existed in a form of organised chaos, even the fire in the back wall was surrounded by various tools and cooking equipment.  The centre of the room was dominated by a table with four chairs around it, all made of wood and Kyyanno figured it would be safe to assume that these would also have a degree of wonk to them.  The debris of food preparation littered the table, and Kunima was making herself busy by cleaning up and getting the table ready to serve lunch.  She was humming a little tune to herself, though it was obvious that she wanted to bombard her guest with a barrage of questions.

“Anything I can do to help?" Kyyanno asked, feeling a little awkward as he watched his hostess work.  She smiled at him and gave a quick nod.

“If you can reach the cupboard, grab me four bowls please," came the jolly reply.  The cheetah was too small to reach, so he pulled a chair over and gently stood on it to get enough height.  Surprisingly, it was firm on the ground and did not wobble when stood on.  He grabbed a small stack of crude clay bowls and clambered down.  “Just stick them next to the fire, thanks dear," Kunima directed, a little distracted, as the cub brought them over.  He did so, and then replaced the chair to the position he had found it.

“It's a lovely place you have here," Kyyanno needed to break the silence between the two of them.  “It's one of the most homely places I have been in for a good while."

“That's a polite way of saying a mess," laughed Kunima as she added the final touches to her stew.  “I call it the lived-in look."

“I expect there are a lot of stories these walls could tell if they could talk, huh?"

“Thank the ancestors that they can't," the tigress said, taking the first bowl and ladling some stew into it.  “I don't think I would ever get them to shut up if they could."

Kyyanno laughed with her as she put the bowl on the table and invited the cub to sit and start eating.  Kunima was impossible to dislike, and her energy and enthusiasm for life was contagious.  Serving a bowl for herself, the tigress joined the cheetah at the table and soon the pair were devouring their meal with gusto.  LlewLion had not been exaggerating when he had said that Kunima's stews were delicious, and it did not take long for the cub to finish his serving.  He sat up with a satisfied smile and rubbed his stomach.  It was pleasantly full.  The tigress opposite him finished soon after, and the two felines sat in a silence that spoke aloud about the tastiness of the meal.  The sound of the door opening broke the bliss as another tigress walked in, followed by a tiger cub about Kyyanno's age.

“Are we too late for lu- Oh," the tigress stopped mid-flow as she noticed the cheetah at the table.  “I'm sorry, I didn't realise you had company mum."

“Tira, Nastika.  Meet Kyyanno," Kunima introduced.  “He is the cub who will be staying with us for a while."

“Pleased to meet you," Kyyanno said, extending a paw which the two newcomers shook.  Tira looked a good few seasons older than her brother, and wore a simple cotton top.  Her younger brother, however, could not match his sister's simple elegance and his small leather tunic looked a bit time-worn, with lumpy pockets.

“You're spotty," the youngest cub said, looking Kyyanno over with a mix of curiosity and caution.

“And you're stripy," the cheetah countered.  “Spots and stripes.  Sounds like the name of a good team."  The young tiger seemed to mull this over for a few moments before breaking out in a huge grin.  He stood in the most heroic pose he could.

“Stripes and spots," he declared, “saving the forest from evil and injustice!"

“I think that means he likes you," laughed Kunima.  She dished up the remaining two bowls of stew and handed them to her offspring.  They jumped up to the table and made short work of devouring their lunch.

“Have you heard the news yet mum?" Tira asked as she collected the bowls once lunch was finished.  She put the bowls into a sink, then opened a cupboard under the sink and produced a bucket of water, from which the sink was filled and the washing up done.  “Word is that the new king of Sovereign Hill, King Argo, is making quite a name for himself.  He has won over most of the locals, and is looking to open up some trade with the local villages."

“There's been no real relationship between the kingdom and Windrush for many seasons, dear," Kunima said, taking the cooking pot off the heat and leaving it to one side to cool.  “We've not got a reason to be bothering the kingdom, and they have no reason to be bothering us.  It's all rather amicable, really."

“We could open trade with them, though," Tira persisted.  “Garlon's services are some of the best in the whole of north Brokkenshire.  The king must have use for him, at least."

“Well, my dear," Kunima sighed, rolling her eyes and shrugging her shoulders.  “If the king wants to start trading with us, he knows where to find us.  After all, he is a lion, so if anyone is going to know about the whereabouts of the tribe of felines, it will be him."

While the conversation about the king had been going on, Nastika had been taking an interest in the cheetah invader that had entered into his life.  Kyyanno could see him staring, and he was starting to feel a little unnerved by it.  The spotty cat could not decide if the tiger was sizing him up as a threat for his mother's attention, or as a new friend to play with who just happened to live in the same building as he did.  He soon got his answer, for the tiger suddenly broke out into a huge smile and yelled at his mother.

“Can spotty and I go and play outside?"

“Of course you can," Kunima said, sounding pleased to get away from the subject of trade and kings.  “Just remember that ThunderClaw is due to meet with Kyyanno when he gets back from Avonwood with ThornClaw, so stay near the house where I can keep an eye on you two."

“Okay mum," the tiger chirruped, jumping down from his dining chair and dashing towards the front door.  He grabbed the cheetah's arm as he ran, scooping him up in the bluster of escape.  Kunima waved a small farewell as the look of surprise on Kyyanno's face turned to resignation.  It was time to bond with his new friend.

***

“So, what shall we play?" Kyyanno asked, once the running outside had stopped and he had managed to peel Nastika's excited paw from his arm.  He rubbed at the sore spot the tiger had left, and made a mental note to avoid any further episodes of excited tiger syndrome if at all possible.

“How about tag?" the tiger ventured.  He wore a ring on his left paw, and every now and again his other paw would rub and play with it.  The action appeared to be automatic, as Nastika gave no indication that he was doing it deliberately.

“Okay, I'll be the chaser," Kyyanno agreed.  Giving his new playmate a head start, which was only fair in his opinion, the cheetah watched the tiger run a little way down the path back down towards the village centre before giving chase.  He hunkered down in order to give himself a spring start, a technique he had developed while playing tag with Haraka.  At once, memories of his brother came flooding back.  The last memory was of the younger cheetah huddled up under the bedclothes in their bedroom, predicting that something bad was going to happen.

A lump welled up in Kyyanno's throat.  A large part of him wanted to break down and cry there and then, but another part of him was saying that this was neither the time nor the place for a break down, not just yet.  Honour the memory of Haraka by playing with Nastika and being the brother the tiger currently lacks.  There would be a time for grief later, but right now the time was for fun.  If not for himself, then for the benefit of others around him.

The cheetah took a couple of deep breaths.  The latter side of him was right.  There was a tiger that needed a brother, and while a sister was nice, there were a lot of things you could do with a brother that girls just would not understand.  With that thought in mind, Kyyanno swallowed the throat lump and pulled himself together.  The figure of Nastika had gotten a little further ahead, but, the cheetah thought, the poor tiger had yet to experience the super speedy spotty kitty in action.

Launching himself towards his foe, Kyyanno raced along the path, and before the tiger knew what had happened he heard the cheery voice of the cheetah saying a triumphant “tag".

“Wow," Nastika said, out of breath.  “You fast."

“It's a gift," the cheetah laughed, not out of breath in the slightest.  They walked back to the house together, with the tiger nattering about his life and how he wants to start training but everyone says he is too young.  The walk was not a long one, but the tiger could talk at a thousand words per minute.  

When they arrived back home, Kyyanno hunted around for a few suitable sticks and spent a few minutes fashioning a sword for the tiger and a couple of smaller blades for himself.

“Right," he said when he was done.  “We're going to play how I used to play with my brother."

“You have a brother?" Nastika asked, surprised.  The question stung Kyyanno.  He had not expected it, and it caught him off guard.  He stopped for a moment and pondered the answer.

“I don't know," he finally conceded.  “My village was attacked and I have no idea if he survived."

“Oh, that's sad," the tiger said.  He then smiled at the cheetah and held out his arms for a hug.  “Would you like to be my brother as well, then?"

Kyyanno drew the tiger in for the largest embrace he had given, or received, since arriving at Windrush.  This time he could not stop a few tears escaping, but this time they were happy tears and he felt he could allow them.

“Yes," he said into the tiger's ear as his chin nuzzled against it.  “That would be lovely."

“Good.  Now what do we do with these sticks?" Nastika asked his questions without a hint of emotion in his voice other than youthful innocence.  It was only now that Kyyanno realised just how much he had had to mature since the attack on his former home.  He had no idea if he was older or younger than his new brother, but he was going to have to assume the role of the older brother, seeing as how he had grown up so much over the last couple of weeks.

“These sticks," the cheetah said, shaking his head clear of his thoughts to focus on the task in hand.  “Well, this stick is for you," he said, handing Nastika the shaped piece of wood.  “It's a sword, if you use a bit of imagination."  He then took the remaining two sticks and checked them for weight and balance.  “These sticks are going to pretend to be my sai blades."

“Are we going to fight?" the tiger was wide eyed with excitement.  A nagging feeling started to tug at Kyyanno's stomach.  His memory drifted back to his father, and how he did not want his young cub to be fighting until he was older.  Maybe Kunima felt the same way about young Nastika.

“I don't know," the spotted cub said with a grin.  “Let's ask your mother and see if she'll let us."

“Okay," Nastika tagged along behind Kyyanno as the pair went up to the front door and stuck their heads around the door. Kunima was cleaning the pot she had used to cook the lunch in.  A slightly hyperactive tiger cub bounced up to his parent and uttered the immortal line Kyyanno remembered using to his mother when he had wanted something.  “Muuuuuuum?"

Kunima sighed and looked down at her son.  His big eyes looked back up at her.  Kyyanno knew from his own experience that this method gathered more failures and successes from his own parents, but his mother had been a strong and determined female.  Now he would see if the tigress was an easier target.

“Yes, dear?" Kunima asked.  She could see the stick the tiger cub was holding like a sword.  “Let me guess," she said, before Nastika could ask his question, “you want to know if you can start to play fight with your new friend.  Even though I've told you a thousand times about fighting before?"

“Well," Nastika faltered.  His ears flattened against his head, and he looked down at the floor, as if searching for something to say that would push the argument in his favour.

“I suppose that Kyyanno is at least your own age, and can actually handle his weapons," the tigress sighed, obviously not liking the idea but unable to justify it outside of motherly protection.  “Very well," she conceded, much to the surprise of her son.  “I assume, Kyyanno, you're not going to be teaching him anything dangerous?"

“I don't think I'll be teaching him anything," the cheetah cub replied with a note of sincerity.  “When Haraka and I used to play fight, we would just attack and defend.  It helped our reaction times, I suppose, but most of the fighting I learnt came from the training hall of Pentreafon.  Even then, that was more just learning how to think during a fight and how to focus my emotions."

“I just don't want my son thinking he can take on the world just yet."

“I can appreciate that," Kyyanno replied.  “My parents were the same."  He paused to sniff back a small tear that had suddenly wanted to appear every time he talked about his family in the past tense.  He felt awful every time he thought about them as if they were no longer alive, but he knew that hoping they were still alive was just building himself up for a fall.  News might not come for days about what happened, and if he was not ready in case it was bad news…  Kyyanno shuddered at the thought.  He far preferred to be ready for the worst with a slight chance of being happily surprised, than to be expecting the best and learning it was not to be.

“Well, okay," the tigress agreed, ruffling her son's head fur before sending him on his way.  “Just remember to stay out the front where I can see you.  And try not to kill each other, okay?"

***

“I can't believe it," Nastika laughed, running around outside the house like a mad thing, high on excitement.  “She's said no every time I've asked before.  You're the best, Kyyanno!"

“Well, if you don't calm down, we're never going to get anything done, are we?"  It was a well reasoned argument that the tiger could not argue with, so he stopped running around and looked at the cheetah to tell him what to do next.  They spent a few minutes together with the spotted feline showing the striped feline the basic ways of holding his weapon, and some simple thrusts and defencive moves.  Nastika took to holding the sword with great speed, but found retaining the basic manoeuvres to be a little more difficult.  However, he would instead just do what came naturally and while it was not the most efficient or effective way of doing things, the tiger made it work for himself.  So long as Kyyanno kept it slow, he found his new brother was more than capable of holding his own.  When both cats had had their fill of entertainment, they called it a day.  They shook paws, congratulating each other on a good play time well fought, even if the odd bruise was suffered along the way.  The sound of someone slowly clapping alerted the pair that their game had not gone unnoticed.

Sat on a tree stump alongside the path sat the body of ThunderClaw.  His grey fur fluttered a little in the day's slight breeze.  He was smiling, which was reassuring, and the clap sounded encouraging rather than sarcastic.  Kyyanno hoped that it meant the grey cat was impressed, or at least not displeased.  After all, both cubs knew it was ThunderClaw who would be mentoring the cheetah.

“Very impressive little ones," the grey cat said, getting up from his seat and approaching the pair.  “I can see much promise in you, young Nastika.  When the time for your mentoring comes, I can see ThornClaw will find he has a skilled tiger under his care."  Nastika beamed with glee, and after thanking the warrior he ran inside to tell Kunima what ThunderClaw had said.  The grey cat turned his attention to Kyyanno.  He held out a paw, and invited the cheetah cub to walk with him.  Together they walked back to the forge.  Not a word was spoken between the two, and Kyyanno made sure he stayed at ThunderClaw's side the entire length of the journey.  He was starting to get to know the scent of the path that would lead to Garlon's domain though visuals alone were of no aid to him.  Once they had reached the workshop yard, Porter appeared with a sword in one paw and a cushion on which rested two sai blades in the other paw.  They were not the sais owned by Kyyanno, but they looked to be just as deadly.  The young cheetah wondered if a training fight was on the cards, or if this was going to be a lecture.

“Your legacy seems to have a chapter written all ready," the grey cat said, taking a deeper and more serious voice than he had done in front of Nastika.  His eyes were focused on the cub in front of him, as if trying to look deep into his soul.  “Wise beyond your years, I think the words were."

“I do think I had guidance though," Kyyanno interjected.  He felt keen to stress that he was still just a cub, even though he had been forced to grow a lot in recent times.  “There is no way I could have done all I did alone."

“You sell yourself short," the cat replied with a shake of his head.  “Extraordinary events can lead us to do even more extraordinary things.  Keeper told me a lot about you while I escorted him back to Avonwood, and I'm glad he did otherwise I would still be on the way there now.  No, I came back early so I could see you.  I've been told about how you have been made to fight, to kill, all without breaking down and becoming a wreck.  You have had no time yet to grieve over the loss of your village or over your journey here.  That is unhealthy.  You can not go on without letting it out.  In order to go forward, you must put the past firmly behind you, where it will stay."

“That's what I've been trying to do," the cub agreed.  “The time for tears will no doubt come, but until then I must stay focused on doing the best I can."

“No," the grey cat said.  His voice was firm, and his expression matched it.  “The time for tears, as you so eloquently put it, is here and now.  I've heard how you handle emotions, and I've seen you fight now.  I know what must be done.  Take your weapons."  Kyyanno took the sai blades from Porter.  The ocelot had a sombre expression on his face, it was clear that he did not want to be here right now.  The grey cat was handed his sword, and once both weapons were taken, Porter retreated to the edge of the yard.

“So, we're having a training fight?" the confused cheetah asked.

“No, little one," ThunderClaw said.  His face was grim with determination.  “We fight to the death.  En-guard"

“To the what?" the cub shrieked, but was forced to dodge as the sword of the older cat came straight at him.  Sai blades blocked sword and metal chimed against metal as the barrage of attacks from Kyyanno's mentor rained down.  At first Kyyanno could not be sure if this was a serious fight, but he soon found out that this was no joke and his life was potentially in danger.  The tip of the sword managed to breach the cheetah's defences and gave him a slight nick on the shoulder.  It was not enough to do any serious damage, but it hurt and drew blood.  As much as he did not want to, the cub realised he was going to have to fight back.  Remembering the words of the master from the training hall at Pentreafon, he focused his thoughts and channelled his energy into the battle.  After blocking, countering, being blocked, and blocking the returning counter a few times, the cub realised that ThunderClaw left his right leg unguarded a lot.  With some good timing, it would not be too hard to dip in and take the leg out.

Judging his moment, the cheetah ducked under a heavy sword swing and rolled past the leg, slashing both blades along the back of it around the knee.  The plan worked, and ThunderClaw crashed down to the ground with a yell of pain.  Yet the fight was not over, for the grey cat stood back up on his good leg, adjusted his stance, and carried on attacking.  With the new stance, it became clear that ThunderClaw's left side was the least guarded area, with the remaining leg being the most guarded.  Dodging around the sword on a downswing, Kyyanno spun and drove the sais into the cat's side, dragging them along a bit and opening the flesh with a tidal wave of crimson.  The shriek of agony that followed distracted the cub just long enough to catch the blade of the sword on the upswing.  A long slice ran from his gut to his chest.  It was as deep as a paper cut and the smallest amount of blood trickled from the wound, but it stung like the fury of a swarm of bees.

Enraged with pain, Kyyanno lost his focus.  He no longer cared about the sword, his target needed to be taken down before more pain could be inflicted.  He remembered the slave traders and how they made him feel, and he remembered the two rats which had led to the attack on his village.  All the rage, anger, hurt, and pain was coming out as blow upon blow was railed upon ThunderClaw's body.  Eventually, the cub ran out of steam and the anger ebbed away, allowing rational thought to return.  The ragged body of ThunderClaw stood before him, barely recognisable with all the injuries he had sustained.  The older cat sank to the ground, panting hard and holding his chest with one arm while trying to raise his sword to continue fighting with the other.

“Come on," the grey cat gurgled, blood rushing from his mouth as he spoke.  “Finish this."

“N… No! Kyyanno said, shocked at what he had done.  He dropped his weapons and backed away.  “I didn't want this.  I… I, I'm so sorry.  I-"

“Finish it," called ThunderClaw once again, this time a little more urgently.

“For the love of the ancestors, finish him!" Porter shrieked from the sidelines.  His voice was high with panic.  “He has to die in battle.  Pick up your blades and finish him.  Quickly!"

“I can't!" yelled the traumatised cub.  He turned to run from the scene, only to crash into the bulk of LlewLion.  His expression was black with rage, with a large dose of fear in his scent.

“Finish him!" the lion bellowed.  Kyyanno returned to ThunderClaw's mangled body and picked his sai blades back up.  The grey cat held his sword a few inches from the ground, trying to defend himself as the cheetah drove the points of his weapon into the cat's body, delivering the fatal blow.

“I'm so sorry," the cheetah sobbed as he watched the last flicker of life fade from his mentor's eyes.

“You did well," croaked the cat with his final breath, as he collapsed to the ground and lived no longer.  A pair of strong arms gathered Kyyanno into them before the cheetah could do anything else as LlewLion picked the cub up and carried him to the workshop.  The cheetah was bawling with rage over having to have killed ThunderClaw, as well as everything else that had happened.  He pummelled the lion with his fists and pelted him with kicks but the lion just seemed to absorb them until the cheetah exhausted himself once more.  Porter fetched a chair, and the lion gently placed Kyyanno down into it, before finding somewhere to sit which would accommodate his larger frame.

The cheetah continued crying until he had no more tears left.  A large mug of tea was handed to him, and the cheetah drank, thankful for the liquids.  He felt like he had cried for a thousand years, and he had a terrific headache.  He tried to think about what his father would have done with a headache, and to his surprise he found the memory did not make him want to give a sob.  He sat, confused, for a few moments before catching LlewLion's eye.  The lion came over the cub and knelt down in front of him.

“Are you okay, young Kyyanno?" he asked.  His voice was as soft as a concerned parent, and it caught the cheetah off guard with how gentle the lion could be.

“I don't know," came the reply as the cub clung to his mug as if it was the only real thing left in the world.  “I want to feel so many things right now, but I can't.  I just feel numb."

“You have been through a lot," the lion said, resting a reassuring paw on the cheetah's legs.  “I will take you back to Kunima's place, and you're to go straight to sleep.  Things will be different in the morning, I promise."

Once the mug of tea had been consumed, Kyyanno allowed LlewLion to take him to the place he was to call home for the next few seasons.  As good as his word, LlewLion ensured that the cheetah cub was sent straight to bed, and Nastika was told not to disturb him.  The lion stayed a while, however, talking with Kunima about something that Kyyanno could not quite make out.  He thought he heard ThunderClaw's name mentioned at one point, but fatigue soon overtook interest, and before long the warm blanket of sleep enveloped the cub as he drifted off to a peaceful, dreamless sleep.