That left him alone with Kimmie a bit more than the others. Kimmie seemed to like him, she was bright and thoughtful, and she seemed to strike up an immediate friendship with Dar. Allia was still feeling her out, though. Tarrin rather liked her. He could relate to her, because she had once been human as well, and she could sympathize when he told her about his experiences. She too had had to adjust to the inctincts, and had had to face her own personal demons. But unlike him, Kimmie had been found by Mist not long after her turning, and Mist had managed to help her adjust without too much trauma. The act seemed out of character for Mist, who didn't even fully trust Triana. Kimmie wouldn't really talk about it, though.
"Alright, cub, what do you do when you find yourself on a Were-boar's range?"
"Stay where I am and wait for three days," he replied mechanically. "If he doesn't come in three days, I can pass through his territory after I leave a mark that can identify me to it."
"Why don't you just leave?"
"Because a Were-boar will track you down if you run away," he answered. "Were-boars don't like unannounced tresspassers."
"Correct. How do you greet a pack of Were-wolves?"
"We don't. Were-wolves will attack Were-cats in their territory. We flee from their territory when we realize we're on Were-wolf ground."
"Good. What do you say when a Were-bear asks you to fight?"
"I accept. Were-bears like to fight, but not in anger. It's a form of play for them, and they won't hurt me on purpose."
"What do you do when you enter a Were-fox's den?"
"Surrender any weapons I'm carrying, even things like eating knives."
"Very good, cub. You retain knowledge very well. Alot better than any of my other children ever did."
"Thank you, but when are you going to teach me about Were-cat customs?"
"I won't," she replied bluntly. "We don't have what you'd call an organized existence, cub. We all live day by day. Other Were-kin teach their cubs to be wary around us, but we don't have any little customs that the others have to know about. Other Were-kin can be classified by their type. Some are a little different here or there, but they all still react in the same basic way to some things. We don't. Every Were-cat is individual, but the one thing we all share in common is a feral disposition that shows itself most often in our short tempers. As a race, we're generally quick to anger and are very unsociable to others. What angers one Were-cat won't bother another one at all. Since we don't have 'racial quirks' other than our tempers, it's hard for the others to deal with us."
"Oh. So, just take each Were-cat as he or she comes."
"Just about. There aren't many of us, so you'll learn how to deal with the others as you meet them. But I'm not going to sit here and describe each one to you. Those are lessons you'll have to learn on your own."
"You said a feral disposition. We're all feral?"
"To varying degrees," she affirmed. "It's the one thing that marks us as different from the other Were-kin, other than this," she said, holding up her arms. "Some, like you and Mist, are way further up on that pole than others. Kimmie's probably the least feral of us all. But all of us are a touch feral."
"Then we do have a common trait," he challenged.
"Technically, but since each Were-cat is different, then they still can't use that to try to approach us."
"What makes it different?"
"Well, the biggest reason is how we've learned to deal with rage," she said, sitting down. "All of us have rages, cub. It's part of being Were-cat, and it's one reason we're all considered feral by other Were-kin. None of us are ever in total control. Some, like you, have found that being feral helps deal with the guilt. After all, when you're feral, you don't care. It's a simple solution, and probably one that saved your sanity. Others have found other ways to deal with it without having to take that step. The only problem with the feral solution is that it opens you up to more rages," she said, looking directly at him. "If you don't care, then you're much more likely to snap, because you don't fear the consequences. I've felt you go into a rage twice. That's pretty frequent for the amount of time I've had your bond, but then again, you've been hunted that entire time. I can forgive you for it, because I know what touched it off. Mist can fly into a rage at any time, and she's completely indifferent to the havoc she can cause. That's why we don't let her come into human civilization unless absolutely necessary. I'm taking a big risk letting her stay here, but I need her. She's probably the best tracker in the Heartwood. Her nose is so sensitive that she can tell you how many deer were in a herd a month after they went by. Mist's nose makes sure that nobody can hide from us."
The door opened, and the slender Rahnee stepped in. She gave Tarrin a grin as Triana turned to look. "Shirazi and Mist are back," she said. "They found another hideout. You want me to get Singer?"
"How many are hiding there?"
"Twenty or so. Nothing major," she shrugged. "You're looking rosy, cub. I think Triana'll let you out of that bed soon."
"We'll see," Triana said.
"When's he going to be healed?"
"For what you want out of him, at least a month," Triana said sharply. "You're not going to aggravate his wound, Rahnee."
"I wouldn't do that," she protested. "I know how to be gentle."
"You bit a huge chunk out of Jared's ear."
"He shouldn't have put it in my face," she retorted.
"What are you talking about?" Tarrin asked suspiciously.
"What do you think we're talking about?" Rahnee asked bluntly, giving him a very direct look.
Tarrin blushed slightly.
"Face it, cub. You're the only male around, and I'm starting to feel a little frisky. You're old enough for what I want to do with you. And you'll like it," she said with a throaty purr.
"Out," Triana ordered. "Go find Singer." Triana closed the door behind her, then leaned against it and gave Tarrin a calm stare. "Get used to that, cub," she said. "There's only one male for every seven females. That means that we share."
"I know that, Triana," he said with a bit of courage in his voice. "Jesmind explained that to me."
"She didn't prepare you for the reality," Triana said. "You're going to be very popular, cub. You're cute, you're tall, and you're strong. Unlike human women, we always have the urge to find strong sires to give us strong children. If there were more males, we'd probably force them to prove their worth, but I'm afraid that we don't have that luxury. We have to take what we can get."
"I'm tall," he mused, giving her a slight smile. "I barely come up to your chin."
"I'm about nine hundred years older than you," she answered with a grin. "We tend to grow as we age, cub. Not much, but as you can see, when you get to be my age, it starts to show. You're a full head taller than my son, Laren, and he's three hundred years older than you. Then again, that boy of mine is short. He's not much taller than Mist. Anyway, you're just a bit taller than the average Were-cat male, mainly because the oldest male is only three hundred years old. The average female is about four hundred, so the females tend to be a bit taller than the males."