"I didn't know that," he said quietly.
"I suggest you don't bring it up either," he warned. "Rahnee gets violent when people talk about her dead children."
"That's a good idea. What's it like when we're not in groups?"
"That's up to you," he said mildly. "You'll find your own place, Tarrin. Some males, like me, travel around alot. I'm something of a student of history, at least the history before I was born, so I move around alot, going from city to city to read in their libraries. Others, like Laren, like to stay more or less in one area, where they can easily be found. It's entirely personal."
"But the females don't act like that-"
"No, not usually," he grinned. "They're gathered in a group, so they have to be a little bolder than usual. Think of it as a status thing. Were-cat females are alot like human men. They like to brag about their prowess."
"Jesmind told me about that," he said.
Thean chuckled again. "Jesmind. I'm surprised she's still alive. What a hothead. She has more temper than Mist."
"I noticed."
"How has she been? I haven't seen her for nearly fifty years."
"Well, the last time I saw her, she was doing alright," he replied. "I think Triana saw her last, though. You'd have to ask her."
"I might. Anyway, the females aren't usually this, bold, when you meet them one to one. It's usually on their minds, but they're not quite so pushy about it. Don't worry, cub, a female would never force you to do anything you don't want to do. She'll respect your decision, but don't try to lie to her."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't say 'no' when the rest of you says 'yes.' When you're interested, it shows in your scent. Declining a female when she can smell your interest is a serious insult."
"I did notice that," he said absently. "The scent thing. The texture of Mist's scent changed quickly when-"
"Exactly," Thean said. "It's the same for us. But to ease your worries, the entirety of Were-cat society doesn't revolve around sex."
"You could have fooled me."
Thean laughed. "You're dealing with a rather hard-pressed pack of more notorious females, Tarrin," he confided. "They're not the mainstream. Rahnee's aggressiveness is something of a scandal, even among our kind. Just wait til you meet some of the mellower females, like Nikki, Kimmie, and Miko. You'll see that Were-cats are alot like humans, they represent a wide spectrum of personalities."
"I don't know," Tarrin sighed. "I feel like a stranger, Thean. I know they're my kind, but they feel so alien to me."
"You've been alone most of the time you've been Were, Tarrin," Thean said. "Your outlook on life is based on human morals. You've more or less taught yourself what it means to be Were, and for you, that's what matters. You're not familiar with how those of us who were raised in this society see things. And if it works for you, cub, don't change it. You don't have to change who you are to be part of us. We'll accept you, no matter who or what you are." He scratched absently at the side of his neck. "If you want to stay away from us, that's your decision, and we'll honor it. As long as you obey the rules of Fae-da'Nar, you can do whatever you want, and be whatever you want."
For some reason, that made him feel much better. "Thanks, Thean," he said sincerely.
"No thanks needed, cub," he smiled. "I'm just setting things out for you. I think Triana sometimes forgets to explain things. She just says 'this is the way it is,' and doesn't bother explaining why. I've found that knowing why is usually more important than knowing what."
"Dolanna says the same thing," Tarrin said. "I guess it's some kind of theory."
"Dolanna?"
"A Sorceress," he replied. "A very good friend of mine. She's very wise."
"I think I'd like to meet this Dolanna," Thean said speculatively.
The River Ar was huge. That was being modest, however. It was nearly two longspans across the massive mouth of the river, an immense gulf filled with surprisingly clear water. Tarrin would have guessed that such a large river would have muddy water, but the river Ar ran relatively clean. It explained why the shallow bay's water was also rather clean. The sides of that great width were taken up with stone quays and wooden docks, docks that had to extend around a hundred spans into the river to give ships enough water to dock to them. To make up that distance, wide wooden platforms had been built over the water, upon which were constructed warehouses and other buildings. A good length of the city of Shoran's Fork was set over water. Tarrin and Thean stood at the end of an empty pier, looking out over the fresh water of the river, looking out at the city of Var Denom. There were many ships in the river, moving easily against the very sluggish current of the river.
"I've always liked the Twin Cities," Thean said conversationally as he looked down into the water. "It's the only place I've ever been where two cities in different nations stood within sight of each other, and weren't at war."
"Was it always like that?"
"More or less," he replied. "Var Denom was originally part of Arkis. It was really part of Shoran's Fork. But a long sequence of events I won't go into caused it to declare independence. The King of Arkis at that time allowed it. He wanted an independent city sitting there because at that time they were having trouble with Darronam, a kingdom that once stood west of Arkis. An independent city with its own lands put something between the two squabbling empires. Old King Shul was a wise man. He ceded a little land to avoid a war. Most kings wouldn't do that."
"What happened to Darronam?"
"Faded into history, my boy," Thean replied. "Darronam was very aggressive, and they eventually pushed once too often. Tor did them in, with help from Arkis. What was once Darronam is now the free duchy of Darrigon."
Darrigon was a name Tarrin recognized. The Free Duchy that separated Tor from Arkis. "Why is Var Denom's buildings so much older than Shoran's Fork, if they used to be the same city?"
"Fire destroyed Shoran's Fork about a hundred years ago," he answered. "The river was too wide for it to cross to Var Denom. When they rebuilt, they took the chance to plan out the city's streets a little better. Old cities tend to get very narrow and twisty, because streets disappear when people build things on top of them, and new ones are made from buildings that are torn down."
"Oh. That was a good idea," he agreed. "Aldreth is spread out, with lots of space."
"I've been there," he said with a chuckle. "I bought some steel tools from a monster of a bald man named Karn. That had to be twenty years ago."
"He's still there," Tarrin replied. "Still smithing. Some people think he's tougher than stone, because he's more fit than men half his age."
"Dals are like that," he told the younger Were-cat. "That man was from Daltochan, or my tail is pink."
"He's a Dal," Tarrin affirmed. "Of course, now, there are probably more Dals there," he said with a grunt.
"I heard about that. Well, don't worry too much about it, cub. Dals aren't a very savage lot. They'll treat the people in the land they occupy fair."
"It's not them I'm worried about. I heard that the Dals made arrangements with some of the Goblinoids that live in the mountains. There are Goblinoids in the Dal army."
Thean looked sharply at him. "I think that would be impossible, cub. Goblinoids hate humans. They'd never agree to that."
"I have it from a reliable source, Thean," he said. "I trust it." "Hmm," he hummed. "Sathon has a grove a few days out of Aldreth. I think I'll send a message to him and ask about this."