Hello my lovely people. There first day leaving the Pit will be up with this chapter. I am going to strive to make this portion extremely large and cover the perspectives of each of the Cubs. Most will probably have short segments but it will flip back and forth a great deal between them. That's the goal anyway!
Enough with my foolish ramblings however, enjoy the story!
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Rage
Shaking my head as the haze finally lifted, I could feel immense amounts of pain shooting through my body. What had happened? I thought in my groggy state before remembering. Turning my head to look at my surroundings I saw the rubble from the wall I had been thrown into surrounding me, a piece of the wall had pierced my side slightly. I tried moving my arms to remove it, but they would not respond.
Shit! they were shattered beyond repair from the punch the Blood Father had landed. They would heal, but were useless for now. Shaking my head once more I managed to get my legs underneath of myself, and stand unsteadily; the stone being slowly removed hurt like hell, the dust burning the wound in my side.
When I stood, the world tilted slightly before I fell to my side due to being lightheaded. 'How much blood had I lost?' coughing lightly, a glob of blood hitting the sand next to my face I managed to roll onto my stomach, hissing as the stones beneath me dug into my side, and get back onto my knees.
Slowly this time, letting the disorienting feeling pass I stood one leg at a time. My arms were killing me, the pain making black spots appear in my vision. I growled through it, and made my way toward the others who had already gotten to there feet.
They were all watching me, I ignored them; instead focusing on using the Void to absorb the sand beneath my feet, and the air at a steady pace trying to increase my speed of healing. With luck, the shattered fragments of bone that were no my arms would be fully healed in a day, rather than weeks.
I could but hope. Judging by the fact the light shining from the top of the Pit growing dim it was almost the end of the day. Tomorrow, tomorrow I will be free from this place; regardless of the condition, I would see the sky.
When I reached the others, I growled at Forge who tried to reach out when I stumbled. Glaring at the one eyes cub while baring my teeth he backed away slowly. I would be damned if I took help from those in my Pride. We were a people of strength, if a person of power was shown to have weakness then those wanting that station who believed they could hold it may try to take it.
I was to weak to fight off challengers, so I forced my rage to the front, allowing me to ignore some of the pain and growled loudly at anyone who approached. After a few hours of this, they got the hint and gave me a wide berth. Perhaps, changing would help heal the process? I couldn't think of how it would hurt more. We had learned to focus our leonine side and change into it at will the year before.
Sitting down on the sand, glaring once more at the group that surrounded me, I closed my eyes and began to force myself to change as slowly as I could. Focusing first upon my shattered arms; at the same time allowing my Void aura to coat my body and increase the amount of energy around me it absorbed, and the speed.
When the change began, the pain grew larger as my shattered bones were forced to grow in size and combine properly. It was like having them broken again as the muscles in my arms grew at least six inches, forcing the remains together, the energy I was absorbing forcing the missing parts to regenerate over healing the fractures themselves.
The skin on my arms ripped apart, revealing silver colored fur up and down the length covering supple, corded muscles. Roaring loudly as they finished the change, and it progressed to my face, the pain intensifying as my facial structure was broken, and reformed, my face elongating slightly to cover a muscles, my jaws dislocating and growing in proportion to the size of the lion body. My silver hair that reached my shoulders slowly growing longer, moving part way down my back, and circling my neck in a darker silver colored main of fur. My back bunched up as my spin elongated, my ribs cracking as they grew and became more barrel shaped. The sound of my skin popping and snapping sounded a lot like when we rent flesh asunder with our claws, or fangs. My legs buckled, breaking and bending at an angle that would allow for more strength in jumps; a tail growing as my spine continued to elongate, a tuft of fur showing at the end the same darker silver as my mane, while the rest of my bodies fur was a light, almost bright silver.
When all was said and done, I laid on my side panting. My arms were far from healed, but at least they could be moved now. Rolling onto my side and looked toward my Pride and bared my fangs before curling into a ball and staring at them.
Words were beyond us in this form. We spoke with body language, and scent. My own leonine form was massive compared to how I looked as an adult male humanoid. Standing I reached seven feet easily, larger by far than the true animal we descended from; I was also about six feet long, not counting my tail. My mouth could easily bite a human in two with a single bite, the claws I splayed outward when I flexed my paws were like daggers. I had no idea where my gauntlets went when i changed, I could only assume they went into my blood stream on it's own.
Yawning once, before glaring at the few underlings who looked like they had wanted to fight me, before blanching and going back to speaking to the others about leaving the Pit finally, I slowly drifted to sleep as the light in the Pit went out, the glare of small fires being forced alive by groups of Cubs to excited to sleep piercing my eyelids before sleep took me.
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Forge
I had watched Rage stumble, and walk slowly toward us from the portion of collapsed wall, and wondered what had happened. It was relatively obvious however that it was the work of the Blood Father. When I had tried to reach out and steady him I was met with a growl, and eyes that showed me death if I tried. I could only back away from my solitude desiring brother.
Nothing I had done had truly dragged him away from the solitude he sought. Always sleeping away from us after that first year of this hell, speaking only when needed. But I respected him in my own way. I also was one of the few who held no designs upon his position as head of the Pride. I understood the growl, but it had upset me.
When we had watched him change, baring his massive fangs and drifting off to sleep, we all spoke softer. Many afraid to wake up the sleeping lion, I did it just so my underlings would follow the same lead.
I was currently sitting next to Hydra, Anvil, and Hate. We were the strongest next to Rage, and had gravitated toward each other, regardless of our personal views on Rage. Anvil and I were supporters, Hydra hated Rage with a passion due to what occurred when we were truly cubs. Hate lusted after him. You could smell the desire rolling off her body when she looked at him.
I had been forced to speak with her when she was rejected by Rage the first time to keep her from trying again and costing them all there lives. "Why does he never join?" I was dragged back to our conversation by Anvils question. I could only shrug, no one knew what went through Rages mind. Trying to understand his reasons were like trying to see air. "He thinks we are weak, and beneath his notice" Hydra said with a sneer. I thought that might be true, but perhaps not all of it.
I had nothing really to contribute to the conversation regarding Rage, so I listened as Hate, Anvil, and Hydra spoke for a while about certain feats they had all done; then the conversation turned toward tomorrow. That, I could join in on with relish. Speaking in a soft timber I joined them. "We will feel the sun, the real sun, and breath air that isn't filled with dust." My voice held wonder at that.
Hate just shrugged, and threw a small ball of air at me. "There's your air Forge, it's the freshest you'll get for tonight."
I growled at her, I was the second, not someone to play with. "Fresh will be anything not tainted by your need to mate with Rage"
She growled back, but subsided easily enough. We'd learned a long time ago that fights between us eight at least, would be met with quick, and often violent and brutal outbursts from Rage. We all held scars that were inflicted by him.
Curse was the one with the least, he was currently the closest near Rage, his loyalty was somewhat disturbing to the rest of us, it seemed almost unnatural, but he was useful. We continued our talk, Hate now sulking and withdrawing from us. The female probably was pouting at how her loins ached, pathetic. "I just want to leave this place" was Anvils take on it, while Hydra was interested in seeing this new 'master' of there's. None of us wondered at his strength. We all knew who the strongest in our world was, and that was the Blood Father.
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Curse
I watched Rage from a distance only slightly less than the others, two of my underlings with me talking softly in hushed tones about tomorrow. Claw, and Jade I believe the male and female pair were called. I'd ignored most of them early on, focusing on Rage.
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I was entranced by his power, aloofness, and the sheer potential he showed when fighting. He out classed the rest of us by miles. I had wanted to rush toward him when he was first walking toward us; but I has seen how Forge was treated. I knew Rage at least respected Forge, and as one of the weakest of the eight I would probably lose my arm had I tried.
So now, I did what I could, watching over him with my two underlings, interjecting my two cents into there conversation here and there. Truly, I only wished to follow Rage. The others be damned.
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Cruelty
Further from the rest, I had dragged two females with me and had begun to have fun with them. Within reason, I remembered my forced lesson by Rage should I ever nearly break one of the weaklings again.
Shivering at the thought, the female currently between my legs taking it as a sign she was doing well, she was, but I couldn't let her grow content. Striking her back with clawed fingers and drawing blood, I sighed with pleasure as she screamed softly into my lower regions.
The second female was currently using her water essence ability to force a phallus made of the water drawn from the air in and out of my current favorite toy. I had lost my taste for the males of the Pride, none of them were as soft and tender as the females.
Them, I could enjoy the softness even as I marked them as mine for however long they pleased me. I'd worked through the Pride females till just these two had been left. Not counting my sisters, Hate, Bitter, and Envy. Oh, I wanted badly to taste Envy, but she was even to me in strength. Plus, I had a feeling that if I tried Rage would slaughter me. He never allowed dominance fights between us eight. So the Three untouched beauties I could not touch were a far off dream unless I could seduce one. Taking my mind from that thought, I struck the little female between my legs again, moaning as she picked up the pace and focused on my fun.
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Hate
I had drifted from Anvil, Forge, and Hyrda as they spoke; moving over toward Envy, and Bitter. I knew where Cruelty was, her outline had been seen leaving the Pride a bit with two females being dragged away. The crazy sexual sadist was off enjoying her toys again. Envy, and Bitter were talking softly about tomorrow. Sitting down, I joined my sisters and smiled a bit when Envy turned toward me, a knowing look in her eyes.
We both had a huge 'hard on' for Rage, but couldn't act on it. He never let anyone close, and it hurt us. So, we had grown close over the last two years to distract our growing desires. Bitter, just waved lightly. She was like her name, bitter and cold toward everything. She ignored all the males, and most of the females aside from us eight. Outside of battle, she ignored Rage completely. Envy and I felt she was terrified of him, we had smelled her fear as a cub as we had watched him kill and eat our siblings one after another before snapping out of it.
It was likely something that had stuck, that inner fear. We knew it was weakness, but she was useful. "Envy, what do you want most when we leave?" I asked. She tilted her head slightly, her hair moving with the motion and covering her ample bust as she contemplated her answer.
"The fact we will be given clothes" She said while pressing her breasts together with her hands, the flesh spilling over and out of her hands as she did so. "These things get in the way of fighting, and the jiggling is annoying when I move." She pouted lightly, it would have made a few of her male underlings go insane from desire. Envy was by far the most attractive of the females, Bitter, cruelty, and I following a bit behind. Grinning lightly toward her, I did the same to my smaller, less distracting bust.
"Oh I can see that, how have you not cut them off with those axes of yours yet?" Throwing sand at me she huffed lightly before Motioning Bitter to go ahead with her wants.
"I want to hear birds" She said simply. few words ever left her lips. She was a quiet withdrawn female compared to the rest. She was also the weakest of our group, though her essence of light was powerful. We continued talking for a time, before piling on top of each other for warmth. The few males who saw us stared with lust at the pile of 'kittens' they saw curled around themselves.
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Rage
When i woke up, I saw most of the Cubs still asleep. Forge was the only one still awake. I stared at Curse, and sighed inwardly at the small male before shaking my massive head, and stretching while extended my body, and lifting my rear into the air; splaying my claws into the sand as I did so.
Standing I shook my head again to rid myself of the last part of sleep, and walked slowly toward Forge. My arms had healed more in the night. It would take another day before being fully healed, but at least now it was only compound fractures all up and down there length instead of a mass of pulpy flesh.
Forge watched me approach with curiosity in his eyes. When I reached him, I sat down, and looked up at the massive cub, flicking my tail behind me before looking at the sleeping cubs all around the Pit. Nodding my head lightly toward the place we normally lined up, Forge nodded and moved to position.
Standing, and turning toward the sleeping figures I opened my mouth; taking in air, and releasing it in a roar that was echoed in the Pit. The sound was primal, and filled with the power of a predator. Meant to instill fear, instead it just woke up his Pride who groggily began to wake, and move toward there line up slowly.
Moving toward my place, I laid on my stomach and began the painful process of changing back to a humanoid shape. It hurt more than becoming a lion, because now I was forcing my bones and body smaller, not allowing them to take on what I felt was a more natural state of life.
When it was all said and done I stood slightly wobbly, panting a bit before shaking my head, and calling my gauntlets from my blood to cover my arms once more. Today, we would leave the Pit. Finally, freedom.
It took three hours, but in time the doors of the Pit opened, the sight that walked through nearly causing them all to fall to there knees. The sheer power iminating from the group that entered was to much. It hurt to breath it nearly suffocated them with the undiluted force.
It was the Blood Father, and his Ten. All of them, each one a power unto themselves, and strong enough to slaughter thousands without becoming winded. The pinacle of the Pridelings power, and the goal each Prideling warrior aimed for. Behind them came several slaves, each holding a rack of clothing between the two of them. twenty-nine racks in total.
One for each, the racks held only pants for the males, black leather that wasn't detailed or treated really. The females gained a breast strap along with the pants. No real covering, no protection. But clothing, clothing we had earned.
"These are the cloths you have earned, you will have to work harder to earn better, create, or find the coverings you truly desire. Until then, you will wear only these. No matter who offers more." The Blood Father stated. When we each put the clothing on, mine itched a bit, we waited patiently.
Walking with his Ten, after the slaves had left and the racks were removed, we watched as they opened the Pit doors, and held them open. Five of the Ten on either side as we were forced to walk through between them. Feeling there cold, dispassionate stares was disturbing. We bowed to the Blood Father, and slowly walked up the stairs that led to the top of the Pit. When we reach it, followed by the Ten, and led by the Blood Father, we were allowed to look down at our previous home.
We were free of it. No one would miss this hell. Making our way through the four identical pits, I looked down in one and saw more cubs, younger by years fighting each other....the next generation.
When we reach the arena basements doors that led outside, I moved forward; wanting to be the first into the light. Pushing them open, slowly, I walked out into the sun for the first time, feeling it's warmth.
Freedom...
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Here you go folks! I'm afraid I didn't make it to each cub like I wanted. I covered almost everything through there few conversations and POV changes that it seemed redundant to do so. But no worries! Each will get there turn through out the story as I let them grow into themselves.
I am afraid that it is no where near the length I wanted either, but that's ok. It means more and more chapter per volume! haha. I hope you all enjoy this, and look forward to the next I plan to release later today.
See there reactions to there new 'master' and how each sees the world around them for the first time, in the next episode!
Alright, I'm done with that. Serious time. Thank you, everyone, for the follows, the wonderful comments and advice about my writing and story. Each of you have made this so much more fun to do, and it is for you folks that enjoy this story that I will strive to improve my writing, and world building skills as I grow with these wonderful characters I have created in there unique world. Much love to you all, and I hope to continue and earn such kind words, and advise.