"Feral? Survivor?" one of the Ferals asked.
Kellenas gritted his teeth, glaring off in the voice's direction. The rage he felt in his veins was like flowing magma. Everything burned, including the pain of losing some of his Ferals.
"Are you alive?"
Just hearing the voices enraged Kellenas, he could not believe they were seriously questioning him after enduring for so much. It felt like a spit to the gut, a new kind of disrespect.
"You are! It is alive!" one of the voices celebrated. "You! Follow us, we need to get out of here."
"But why should I trust you?" Kellenas voice swirled with venom. "After slaughtering my pack, you want my trust?"
Some footsteps gently approached him, stopping many steps away. "We are not the same. Those that attacked you are of the Trilogy, we oppose their ideals."
Another voice joined in, this one sounded more motherly than the rest. "Please, survivor. If you wish to return to your region safely, we urge you to follow us."
Kellenas scanned his body, unable to see how his frame looked like. However, he bit his lip, head down. There was nothing left to lose, all that was left would be his life. And even that he was ready to lose.
***
Cold water washed over Kellenas' injuries as he struggled against the candlelight. His eyes shied away from it, hoping to mask themselves in the darkness.
A female Scaler examined his naked body, looking for a telling sign. She stared intently, covering every part of his body. Kellenas relaxed his shoulders, waiting to see what she was going to say.
For several minutes, she continued to stare at his red muscles and bruised features. She rose from her knees, keeping a touch of elegance in her movements.
She placed a hand on Kellenas' body, getting comfortable with him. Her eyes were fixed on his chest, it was what she longed for.
"You are a survivor of their order," she finally said. "You are beautiful... so powerful and enduring... yet you are a basic Feral."
Kellenas flinched as he heard the term 'basic.' He wasn't like the natives, but that did not entitle him to being a weak Feral. He had courage, the reason why he is alive.
"My name is Hara Enoski, and you are?" Hara asked.
"I am Kellenas Tovi, Reinforced by Etek Dur. Although, I doubt they'd want me back," Kellenas' voice trailed off.
Hara drifted her hand across his broad shoulders. "Why would they leave you?"
"Because I..." Kellenas struggled. "N - never mind."
"Does it involve the Trilogy?" Hara glanced up to meet his eyes. "Did they do it?"
Kellenas sighed. "What even is the Trilogy?"
She brought her hand back to her side, letting the alpha continue washing away his injuries under the cut tree roots. Hara took a moment to carefully examine her thoughts.
Once she was done, her hand went to the soil roof overhead. "Niro's Trilogy, they are dominant in this region. Her voice is a melody more sickly than the Broken Melody itself."
Passion rung true in her voice as she spoke. "That Niro girl, she is a poison. Rose to power, preached peace. Then sent those that disagreed into exile. Locking us out of most of our region."
Hara crossed her arms. "My pack has been looking for a key to fight back. We will not tolerate this kind of action, especially from a fancy girl who believes peace is everything."
It was like Kellenas had set her off. He listened while cleaning himself, her rambling about the Trilogy's actions and her desire to live freely again.
Cold water numbed his face, setting him up for an important question he had for her. "Is the freedom their Fall provides really the motivation?"
"It is," Hara was firm.
But Kellenas was unsure of her. "What will it provide?"
"My pack has been split apart, many of which were sent out to an island somewhere near the heart of the region. We might never see them again, but as a Feral, I know you understand this pain."
She was right. Packs were more than just factions, they represented unity. No matter how large or small a pack is, the bond each individual Feral shares with those around them is powerful.
Nothing was sharper than a pack who mastered their neighbor's movements and patterns. But that same sharpness cut deep when that same neighbor gets torn away from them.
"I lost my home..." Hara continued. "This forest, Olavin-Faa, it used to be for us. We heard of Uvurim's crystal forests and Imbushko's sole forest. Neither sound like Olavin-Faa, it is unique."
Kellenas nodded. "Everything here is different from what we've seen. Maybe Niro has good intensions behind this, however, her practices aren't good."
Hara closed her eyes. "I can't imagine - she is something else. I am unsure of what she is exactly. Maybe a manipulator, but that Valiant is a powerful mind. Or she is doing this to provoke us, but that Hitirus seems he would fill that void."
Through empty names, Kellenas imagined how they looked like. Valiant, it sounded like a prophet coming from the mountain ranges. And Hitirus, he sounded like a tyrant. His name was Bakano for King-cleaver, after all.
"So what is your plan?" Kellenas cave in.
"We do not have the forces to fight back, that's the unfortunate thing. If we did, we would. But getting to the rest of my pack will be difficult," Hara lamented.
An idea crept into Kellenas' mind, one that he could benefit from. Yarno's Variants advertised safe passage and peaceful souls, only to dawn their trees with Infinus blood.
"My Legion is in territory for fighting back," Kellenas' voice thundered.
Hara stepped back in shock. "You have a Legion? B - but are they fit for fighting?"
Kellenas tightened his fists. "They claimed the lives of my Ferals, this is war. If Infinus endured the storm that was Light, then they will endure Trilogy."
"One can have so much confidence," Hara hesitated.
"Infinus - mighty few - we were born and bred to be unshaken rivals. Crumble entire mountains and devour Legions. Niro wanted to end my Ferals, now we want to end their reign."
Hara stepped aside, showing Kellenas the door. "If you believe you can withstand, I will prepare you and some of my own Ferals for your journey back home. Please, take care of them."