The summer sun is warm on their skin as they let Benevolence lead them across a field where the grass is waist high. Stray inky strands have come loose from his bun and his skin has darkened with exposure to the sun. His inability to burn is a trait he's rather proud of.

He suddenly stops at the top of a hill and turns to them, eyes alight with a passion for life and a love of the world around them. "Peregrine, come quick!"

The oldest of Besra's brothers scrambles to obey, eager to soak in whatever Benevolence has to teach them.

"Do you see it?" He asks the younger man.

Peregrine's honey brown gaze scans the area akin to his namesake. A falcon looking for prey his keeper has sent him after. Their middle brother, Shrike, tries to peer around them and see for himself.

"I don't," He says after a thorough look. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" Their guardian says, patting him softly. He has to stand on the balls of his feet to reach the top of Peregrine's head but the man obliges him. "Look!" He hooks an arm around Peregrine's neck, bringing him to match Benevolence's short stature. "A herd of Royal Elk."

"What makes them Royal?" Asks Shrike as he brushes charcoal colored hair from his face. It's become shaggy in recent months because he can't decide if he wants to grow it out or keep it short.

"The Original King used to insist on only riding the biggest he could find. They became less common after he was slain by the usurpers."

"Usurpers?" Asks Frost as he leaps from the tall grass to join them. He's nearly identical to his father, but inherited his mother's button nose. River trails behind him, just barely taller than the greenery around them.

"Oh, that's right," Says Benevolence. "I've told them all about The Life Before, but not you. You were too small."

"Well, I'm not small now!"

Besra would beg to differ but he doesn't want to crush Frost's good mood.

"You'll always be a baby to me," Sighs Benevolence, hefting the child onto his hip. "Anyways, King Sonore united us all when I was smaller than you. He was a beacon of hope and prosperity."

The man takes a moment to follow the elk with his gaze, expression wistful.

"And then?" Asks Frost.

"Then a very evil man overthrew him and we fell into darkness. After he was killed, his family ravaged our lands and tried to steal from us. So we took it back. And now we're all very happy again." He places a big kiss on the boy's cheek. "The end."

In spite of Benevolence's upbeat version of the story, Besra has picked up enough context to know that the period of strife and famine had lasted until a few years before Shrike was born.

Vibra has only really been stable within the last twenty or so years, when the Saint had established peace over much of the land. Installing his Apostles in each jurisdiction to uphold order and the laws of their God.

It was why their blood father was able to wreak havoc the way he had until the men of their village found him.

It was why their mother wanted nothing to do with them.

Setting this aside for now, he joins them at the top to see the hooved animals with massive antlers as they graze contentedly.

Stolen novel; please report.

"We're so lucky to be alive. To witness this very moment." Benevolence's calloused hand rests gingerly on his shoulder blade over the thick fabric of his shirt and he welcomes the touch. "I'm so very proud of you boys."

They spend the rest of the day foraging and teaching River how to track prey through the dense trees. They arrive home with full packs and stomachs, handing their findings off to Serene.

"Have the sigma come back?" She inquires as she begins the process of skinning the deer River clumsily brought down.

"Haven't seen hide or hair of them. I'm hoping they're gone for good."

"I wonder what they wanted..." She says.

Their voices drift over Besra's head from the kitchen as he leans against the railing of the porch and whittling a stick to make it the main part of a paintbrush for River, who has recently taken up painting.

The younger boy pads out to join him, looking about their tree village and closing large, dark eyes to the breeze as it tangles wild fingers through his dark hair. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be an alpha?"

"Not really," Says Besra. He'd had nightmares of presenting alpha years after Benevolence took them in.

He doesn't want to be anything like his father.

"I just think it would be easier to explore if I were an alpha. I'd be taller and stronger and faster..." River folds his arms on the railing and rests his chin on them. The branches sway and the sturdy boards of the tree house creak.

"I think it won't be so difficult when you get a little older," Shrike says as he passes from the entryway and over to the bridge on the left side. Besra hadn't heard him approach but assumes he's going to bother Prudence, one of the few people he actively seeks the company of.

He glances over his shoulder, into the house, to see Peregrine helping Serene prepare the deer. He wonders if his oldest brother feels lonely. He turned twenty this spring and everyone else his age had begun courting but him.

No one in Vibra wants to risk bringing another alpha into the world.

Peregrine has never expressed an interest in courting, but Besra dreads the day for himself.

"That's so far away!" River calls after Shrike with a pout.

"Hey!" Says Chastity from the house directly across from them. Her fine, blonde hair is short and messy, willowy frame seated just above her unrolled rope ladder. "Do you smell fire?"

"No?" Says River.

But now that she's mentioned it, Besra does.

They move to and fro on their balconies, trying to pinpoint the source but find no smoke.

Strange.

Benevolence ambles out and takes a deep breath through his nose. "Probably nothing to worry about."

"You sure about that, Benny?" Asks a tall and muscular frame from the ground. In his hand is a brightly burning torch.

Besra would know his voice anywhere, hands trembling as he stands stalk still. Unable to move.

Benevolence doesn't miss a beat, climbing onto the railing and nocking his arrow. "You're not welcome here, Glade. Be gone or I'll kill you."

"A little omega such as yourself?" He replies. "Come on then. Spill my blood."

The arrow whistles, sticking the alpha in the shoulder but he seems unfazed, touching the fire to the nearest tree branch until it catches. "Fight me like a man, Benny."

Benevolence hesitates before shouldering his bow. "Not until you do." He turns to the boys. "Come on. Let's go before our tree burns."

"Get back here!" Bellows Glade as he follows them from the ground, leaving an inferno in his wake. "You're really going to run away, little mouse?"

"Things are replaceable," Benevolence tells the boys, keeping them moving. "People are not."

He digs in his heels at the sight of Glade climbing one of the ladders that had been left down. Full lips pull back into an unfriendly grin. "There you are. You know what I'm going to do, Ben?"

"Find a doctor?"

"I'm going to take you and your family to my den to replace what you took from me."

Besra shivers, trembling at the very idea that this time, there might not be an escape.

"You can try," Benevolence replies, withdrawing a short, thin sword.

A knife is pulled from the sheath on Glade's wrist and they clash, swiping and dodging. Besra feels helpless and terrified.

Peregrine, however, uses the opportunity to creep closer and look for an opening.

The alpha swipes at Benevolence before kicking him square in the solar plexus and sending him rolling on the balcony.

Peregrine swoops in but Glade spins at the last second and grabs the blade in his gloved hand. "What are you doing, boy? I clearly didn't beat any sense into you."

Picking up his weapon, Benevolence darts in again. "Don't touch him!"

His sword pierces Glade through the heart and blood soaks the hardwood.

The look of surprise on the alpha's face is negated when Benevolence drops too, hands over his weeping throat.

"Ben!" Shouts Serene as she rushes over to him, applying pressure. "No. No. No."

Benevolence cups her face, drawing her closer to touch their foreheads before his frame ragdolls.