What Tarrin thought would be a battle of wills with his intimidating, newly declared bond-mother had lasted all of ten seconds, during one of his more lucid moments. That was all it took for her to utterly cow him with one of her stares. He'd never felt so wrong in his life to think he could dare question her orders, and after he got over it, the speed and thoroughness with which she overwhelmed him stung at his pride. But he wasn't about to try that again. He'd rather eat his own leg.
Over the two days that Triana carefully helped him recover, he found that she wasn't harsh. She demanded others to do her bidding, but she didn't demand more of them than she felt they were willing to give, nor did she compromise their honor or self-esteem. She was a rather considerate and thoughtful woman, once the veneer of her emotionless stare had been stripped away. She was engaging, wise, and she was very adamant in everything she did. She would fold sheets with the same aggressive attempt at perfection as she would when helping Dolanna change the dressing on his wound. Tarrin couldn't help but be impressed by her.
Two days had brought noticable progress. He was much stronger, strong enough to hold up his arms for short periods of time, but still not well enough to feed himself. The pain remained as a dull throb in him, and had not eased for the two days he had been conscious, but Allia's teachings about dealing with chronic pain allowed him to shunt it enough to be able to concentrate on his surroundings. He didn't drift in a sea of pain as Triana worried he would, but on the other hand, he couldn't put it completely out of his mind. What he got was a kind of semi-conscious lull, drifting in his own mind most of the time on the edge of consciousness, but being able to focus to where he could make conversation for reasonable periods of time. But both Triana and Dolanna frowned on him tiring himself with talk, and they kept him as inactive as possible.
It was morning. Tarrin could tell that because the sun was shining into the window, and Allia was sitting by his bed. Triana, for once, wasn't in the room when he woke up, but did enter not seconds after Tarrin opened his eyes, focused himself into consciousness, and then smiled at his sister.
And she wasn't alone. With her was another Were-cat. This one was about Tarrin's height, and she had fiery red hair just like Jesmind and the pattern green eyes that all Were-cats seemed to have. But her face was much sharper than Jesmind's, alot more angular, and her small mouth was a bit severe in its expression. She was still pretty, but her face lacked the delicate quality that made Jesmind and Triana so lovely. She had black fur, just like Tarrin, making her that much more apart from Jesmind. She was also a little more slender, not as wide-hipped, and her figure wasn't as enticing.
"I see you're up, cub," Triana said with a nod and a slight smile, her stony mask cracking for just a moment. "Tarrin, this is Rahnee. Rahnee, this is Tarrin."
"Well, I hope to see you up and about soon, cub," Rahnee said in a surprisingly husky voice. "I don't like seeing one of us on a sickbed."
About all he could do was look at her and nod in response. He had no idea what to say to her.
"I saw Shirazi about three days ago," Rahnee said to Triana. "She had Singer in tow. They should be here today. I also heard from Laren that Mist and Kimmie are also very close by. They should be here any time now."
"That's good," Triana replied to her. "Shirazi and Mist alone would have been enough, but you and Singer just makes it that much better."
"Mist should have left Kimmie behind," Rahnee snorted. "The girl is an embarassment."
"She was turned, Rahnee, just like Tarrin. You know they're always a bit different from the rest of us."
"Hmph," Rahnee snorted.
"Was Laren coming this way?"
"He probably will. With so many females gathered in one place, he'll probably decide to come see if he can't make us compete over him."
Triana glanced at Tarrin, who was staring at the pair of female Were-cats. "Anyone else coming that you know about?"
"Not that I know about, but there's bound to be some stragglers as word gets deeper into the Heartwood," she replied. "It's not often we can gather and welcome a new male. That's worth the travelling time."
"I hope they get here faster. Come on, I'll get the innkeeper to give you some food, and we'll discuss what needs to be done."
"How do you feel?" Allia asked gently after the two left, patting the back of his paw.
"A little better," he replied. "When did she get here?"
"I guess just now," she replied. "I haven't seen her before."
"What did Triana mean about needing done?"
"Triana is very upset with the Wikuni," Allia said in a stiff voice. "She's decided to chase them out of these two cities, by any means necessary. She's calling in your kin to take care of that."
"Huh," he said. "She meant it. Well, I hope it doesn't backfire on her."
"She doesn't seem the kind of woman that gives up on avenging the wronged," Allia said speculatively. "She's very, willful, and the Wikuni really made her mad." Allia leaned back a bit in the chair. "I think I'm glad she's decided to be mad at someone else."
Tarrin looked at her and almost laughed, but he caught himself. With a hole in his chest, laughing would be excruciating.
"She's ruthless, my brother," Allia told him. "She fully intends to kill any Wikuni stupid enough to remain in the city, but she's already declared all those that took part in the attack on us dead. Any Wikuni in a military uniform is marked." She looked at him. "Anyone with a silver sword is dead, as is anyone in his company. She knows about those men, my brother, and that they hire local cutthroats to aid them. And since she doesn't know which cutthroats are working for our enemies and which aren't, she's ordered all of them killed or chased out."
"Wow," he breathed after a moment. Triana didn't play around. "She's, thorough."
"Systematic," Allia agreed. "My people could take lessons from her on the proper way to exact revenge."
The door opened again, and Triana entered with Dar and Dolanna. Faalken stood outside the door, nodding to them as they passed, serving them as a protector of the vulnerable Were-cat in his private sanctum. Tarrin appreciated the long hours Faalken must have spent standing at the door, staring at a wall and keeping him safe. Dolanna was carrying an armful of white cloth, the bandages they used around his chest. "Things are looking up, cub," Triana said. "Rahnee just arrived, and if we're lucky, Mist and Kimmie will be here by sunset. I'll feel better with some kin around you to help protect you."
"You don't have to go out of your way for me, Triana," he said mildly.
"Perhaps, but it's a mother's privilege to go out of her way," she said with a direct stare at him.
"I'm not really your child."
"As far as I'm concerned you are," she said flatly, challenging him with her gaze. "I say you're my cub, and that makes you my cub. Do you want to argue about it?"
"N-No," he said meekly.
"Good. I hate beating sense into people when I can avoid it. Now, we're going to change your bandages. Dar here is going to see how we do it, so he can help in case Dolanna isn't here to do it with me."
"Why do you need Dar?"
"I use Sorcery to ensure the wound does not open while we remove the bandages, dear one," Dolanna explained. "With luck, it will not be needed in a few days. Your injury has already showed marked signs of healing."