CONNOR
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UNDER THE NEW MOON
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The True Price
Nothing is ever free. There was one individual among the Wolf Tribe who discovered that fact. She was the Al’Mora’s mate, the Me’Bora, mother to Silvanus, and the last female of the tribe. She was among those who ventured to Dharen’Rhylo and settled in the north. But the man who gifted the land had plans of his own. He was member of religious cast of Dharen’Rhylo and was simply known as Bishop Jerik Connor.
Those who ascended to the rank of Bishop had to adhere to the state’s traditions. And one of those traditions was to renounce worldly pleasures. It was forbidden for Bishops to know the touch of a woman. Bishops were the 3rd sons of their lineage. It was the responsibility of the 1st and 2nd born to continue the line of the patriarchy.
The 1st born son would take upon the father’s role and continue it; the 2nd born son would generate great wealth for the family; but unfortunately the 3rd born son was responsible for religious devotion. The stern structure of Dharen’Rhylo society made it nearly impossible for a Bishop to secretly indulge. Jerik Connor found a unique opportunity when he was introduced to the Wolf Tribe in 1007AB.
When Silvanus was too young to remember, Bishop Jerik Connor paid many visits to the Wolf Tribe Encampment. He came to aid them. He made their acclimation a comfortable one. But he also came with other intentions. The Al’Mora’s mate had caught his eye. She was foreign and did not know the ways of Dharen’Rhylo. Society did not care for her and she was in the middle of nowhere. No eyes would judge him.
For many months he quietly lusted for her. He eyed her in ways her mate did not. At first she resisted him. She was loyal to her life mate. But Jerik began to become more forceful. He began to impose upon her passive threats. He had great leverage over her. It was within his power to banish the tribe from his lands and to take away her new born child. Little by little, she began to succumb.
He invited her to travel with him. Knowing what was at stake, she agreed. When the two were finally alone, she allowed Jerik to have his way with her. And he did. Their numerous sexual encounters resulted in her impregnation. She desperately tried to hide her shame from her life mate. Even though she did not know she was with child, she began to insist that he take her each time she returned to him. Yet no manner of herb, flower, or oil could conceal the truth.
Her mate could smell the mark of another man. He indulged her pleasures, but deep down he suspected that his mate was no longer as loyal as she appeared. She convinced herself that she was doing the right thing and that the child growing in her womb was not Jerik’s. Her desire to mate with her Al’Mora was to both conceal her deed and to hopefully have his seed overrun that of Jerik’s. She did not want another child just yet, but she had little choice.
In 1008AB a child was conceived, and under the dark embrace of a New Moon that child was born by year’s end.
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Runt of the Litter
The child that was born to the Al’Mora’s life mate in 1008AB came into the world under rough circumstances. Not only was the Al’Mora of the pack suspicious that the child was not his own, but the sickly nature of the babe confirmed those very suspicions. The Al’Mora was insulted. Not only was the child not of his blood, but his life mate bred with a weak and feeble man.
It was within the Al’Mora’s right to kill the child. His life mate had betrayed him. But the babe was already weak. Jerik’s genes were not necessarily the strongest. The Al’Mora took note that there was no moon that night. The great wolf spirit Ombra had also turned his back on the child. The Al’Mora demanded that the sick baby not be given any medicines. Its survival was to be left entirely to the spirits.
Night came and went and the baby’s health steadily deteriorated. But on the second night the sickness passed and baby grew stronger. Steadily the baby showed signs of improvement. It became clear to the Al’Mora that not even Ombra wanted to claim him. Death didn’t even want him. When it came time to name him, the Al’Mora gave him a name suitable of his loathing. He looked at his life mate and declared that the child be called Connor; a reminder that the child would never be truly one of his pack.
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Connor was born in foreign lands, under a foreign sky, and created by a foreign father. He was named after the man that impregnated his mother. The Al’Mora wanted her to remember that, and to remember that he chose to spare the child’s life. She knew that the Al’Mora would never love the child. And as a result of Connor’s birth, the Al’Mora looked to Silvanus with greater interest. Silvanus would be his one, true heir and the next Al’Mora of the pack.
Connor’s mother believed that the Al’Mora’s choices were not entirely his own, and that Connor’s growing strength was a sign. Ombra may not have wanted to take the young Connor, but she believed that it was Nixia — Ombra’s daughter, the wolf queen of the snow, and guide to the land of the dead — that was responsible for Connor’s survival. Nixia was the wolf spirit which commanded all of winter. The nights which saw Connor’s birth were unseasonable warm, and perhaps it was Nixia who helped to stay the Al’Mora’s anger.
Nevertheless the Al’Mora saw Connor as a humiliation and he felt that Connor’s survival would only continue that. But he was going to make sure that Connor would suffer, which is why he let Silvanus believe that both his parents wished Connor had died. That was orchestrated by the Al’Mora as a means to make Connor’s life a shameful one. Why indulge in a single night of revenge when one can spend years inflicting it?
Connor became a child that only his mother could love. She did not see in him the face of Jerik. She saw in him her own reflection. Connor would become her child and no one else’s. The Al’Mora had Silvanus and she had Connor. Eventually this would lead Silvanus to believe that his own mother did not love him. But she did. It was the Al’Mora who forbade her to show Silvanus attention. He wanted to temper the boy and to keep her filthy, tainted hands away from his purebred son.
Unfortunately for the Wolf Tribe in Dharen’Rhylo, the last woman among them was forbidden to give birth for the rest of her days. Her body was polluted in the eyes of the Al’Mora. He would leave his lineage in the hands of Silvanus. He felt that his strong seed was within him, and even if Silvanus chose to mate with a foreign woman — the seed of his kin would overwhelm and dominate.
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Shunned by the Father
The Al’Mora and his life mate never shared her disgrace with the rest of the tribe. Connor was reared as a pup just like his brother. He engaged with his kin and learned much. Yet it was his father who was never pleased with him. Even at a young age Connor could sense his father’s disdain. He watched from afar as the Al’Mora prided over Silvanus.
Connor’s desire to impress his father grew just as he did. He did not waver. Eagerly he learned from his elders. Connor had no intention of taking anything away from his brother. He did not hate him. On the contrary, Connor envied Silvanus for having so much of father’s attention. While the Al’Mora was harsh on both of them, he always showed favoritism to Silvanus each time he was given a chance.
Unknown to Connor was just how much pressure Silvanus was under. The Al’Mora constantly tried to mold Silvanus and shape him into something he wasn’t. Not only did this drive a wedge between father and son, but brothers. Connor worked very hard and jumped at every chance to show his father that he was good enough. Silvanus hated Connor for showing such keen interest in something he did not.
Silvanus tried to slack off whenever he had the chance. Not because of laziness, but because of the sheer amount of pressure and strain that he was under. His father gave him little time to rest. Watching Connor outperform him and strive to do things with such energy and gusto made Silvanus feel threatened. He feared that his father would not love him if he began to notice Connor. He even feared that Connor was attempting to take away his right to become Al’Mora.
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Namesake
In 1017AB Jerik returned to the Wolf Tribe encampment. It had been a number of years since his last visit. Apparently his interest in Connor’s mother had waned, but that did not stop him from keeping his word. The Al’Mora knew the threats that he put upon his life mate. While it would have been easy to kill the man, he did not. He believed that he could sacrifice his pride for the sake of the tribe.
He hoped that Silvanus would succeed him and rebuild the tribe to be better than it ever was. All he had to do was appease the Bishop. Upon being introduced to the Bishop, Connor learned his namesake. His mother informed him that they named him Connor as a token of respect to the Bishop. The man had provided so much for them. The Bishop did not say anything to contradict her. If anything he was deeply flattered. He could see in Connor features that resembled him at that age. The Bishop knew that Connor was his son. But it was a son he’ll deny he ever had.
The Al’Mora made it clear he knew as well, but not with words. Silent looks were exchanged between the two men. The Bishop felt uncomfortable and proceeded to take his leave. He was followed by Silvanus, but Connor had no interest. Instead he remained behind and continued to train and to learn. While Silvanus took it upon himself to discover new strategies for the hunt, Connor memorized the traditions that his tribe could remember. He even worked to assemble new ones using his keen and clever imagination.