22 years earlier Stardate 2384.019 on the Planet Cait

  Cr'oa and his triplet brother S'Grirr and sister J'Tal left the house to explore the old forest beyond the borders of their clan home. Being the oldest even by a few seconds gave Cr'oa a sense of entitlement and made sure the other two knew he was in charge.

  S'Grirr being the youngest of the three and the smallest let Cr'oa take the lead. Their eldest brother Hr'af was always telling S'Grirr he had more heart than Cr'oa and even took him under his wing to help guide his brother. S'Grirr was more intelligent and gentle than Cr'oa ever thought about being. Hr'af would always tell S'Grirr "Don't underestimate yourself. He may be larger and stronger than you. That doesn't mean everything."

  S'Grirr with a small growl as he scampered after his siblings. Cr'oa would laugh and move faster to entice his brother to stay behind or grow up faster and catch up. "Come on S'Grirr" he would call out behind him after jumping from limb to limb. S'Grirr's small frame was great at climbing through tight areas but when it came to going from one tree to another he lacked the leg strength.

  Their adventure today was to find their brother Hr'af. Every day he would bring them out in the forest preparing them to survive on their own. Their society didn't need this. They had homes, technology, and a kinship that this was not a necessity. However, to keep the old traditions within the clan, every member, male and female would take part in The Great Hunt.They came to a mountain cliff side where their view gave them the opportunity to see the lands their clan has claimed. A large city with a lake nearby with a stream running from the forest floor.

  Annually every clan has their version of how it is portrayed, and the Catian artistic view is what makes them all unique. When Hr'af told them the first time "Our clan has a small hunt every year to get the populace trained up for the planet wide Great Hunt which happens every five years. All of the clans come together for one magical event and I plan on making sure one of you are able to catch me and the others." Cr'oa would think of nothing more than what it would feel like to finally be the one everyone was chasing him like his brother.

  Hr'af would continue the story. ”Hundreds of years ago it was a hunt, now it’s a reenactment. We still take it just as serious, for four years annually we have our greatest hunter or in this case prey, flee into the forest a day ahead of the rest of the pack. When dawn on the next day begins whomever is eligible does what they can to track and capture the prey.” he tenses his hands and squeezes them together. ”Any and all forms of natural tracking are permitted, you cannot use anything that did not come with you at birth or can be found naturally in the forest. These hunts can last for days, weeks, or months at a time as there is no out of bounds and no time limit. It is the prey who determines the areas of engagement. The fifth year the prey who won each of the four years are presented as a grand finale for all of the clans to find who are participating.”

  Hr'af looked at each one petting each one as a parent would their own children. Hr'af had raised each of them and loved them all as if they were his own. Their parents had died shortly after their birth's in a battle with the Tholian's who wanted a planet their parents had invested their lives in. Hr'af was left to fend for himself and to supervise their growth as the act of the eldest living family member. The clan did not let them go without, as a clan they stuck up for another and taught Hr'af how to be the guardian he needed to be for the triplets.

  S'grirr perked up hearing the story asked "I don't understand why we do it though. Hunting animals is forbidden." Cr'oa gave S'Grirr a look.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Cr'oa kept his mouth shut as Hr'af gave him a look to keep him from being overly cruel. ”As a culture one by one each of our clans left the mountains and started working the soil to farm food out of the ground.” he gestures above them and brings his hand down as if pressing on top of a device. ”Over time the need for meat wasn’t as prevalent, they chose to incorporate other foods. Many only eat fruits nuts and vegetables, some of us have chosen to eat meat but in replicated form only. I consider meals and those to prepare them art and artists. I am very interested in anything artistic and Star fleet has given me an opportunity to see the galaxy and I do not wish to waste any opportunity.”

  "What?" they all said in unison as Cr'oa and S'Grirr stood up. "You can't mean that?" J'Tal patiently and denyingly said.

  "I must, I plan on being a doctor for the clan and they have more opportunities for me to learn and understand how to take care of not just you three, but all of us" Hr'af said carefully

  S'Grirr asked *Who is going to take care of us?"

  Hr'af already knew that question was coming "The clan will take care of you, but more importantly each of you will help take care of each other. You each have strengths that the others need you for"

  Cr'oa sickened by the idea that their brother would be leaving them and the idea S'grirr as small and weak as he was could offer anything that he and J'Tal could use. He started to get angry "So you just plan on leaving us. Just like mom and dad did?"

  Threatened by his brothers words and a little hurt "Hey! you know better than anyone they didnt leave us, they were taken away."

  "Well no one made them get on that ship and travel across the galaxy to get killed. They did that on their own, selfish assholes, and here you are doing the same thing." Cr'oa was gritting his teeth trying to keep his anger in but his body was disagreeing with him.

  S'Grirr stood up and ran off J'Tal said as she rolled her eyes. She knew S'Grirr's emotions were worn completely on his fur for all to see. Not like his siblings. "I will get him. S'Grirr! wait up!" she ran after him.

  Hr'af sat quietly waiting to hear from Cr'oa. Eventually his anger would boil over again and he would let more out. Cr'oa thinking over and over in his mind on what his mother and father looked like. They had pictures but to him they weren't enough. 'You say you love us, and so did mom and dad. yet all of you want to leave us here without you." he spoke accusingly and no remorse in his voice.

  Hr'af answered his statement "Is it selfish to know that when I return I will be able to provide a better life for all of the clan and not just you three?" Cr'oa right behind his words "Absolutely, there are doctors here that take care of us just fine and you want to travel the stars. If you really love us, you would take us with you."

  Hr'af studied his words. "So that's it then, you wish to come with me, and that is why you are angry, not the fact that I am preparing myself to leave"

  Cr'oa never looked at his brother, only at the lake near his home. "S'grirr needs so much and I can't do everything for him. J'Tal would but she shouldnt have to." Hr'af came closer and wrapped his tail around his brothers arm and held him in an embrace. "We don't have to, but that is what a clan is, we take care of each other because we are all family even if not directly related. If we don't we may as well live in the forest alone and on our own."

  "I can do this on my own, without S'Grirr, and since you are leaving, I can do this all on my own" he challenged his brother's words. "If I stay hidden for an entire day. You stay here and learn from the doctors here. If you catch me" he stopped and growled "I will let you leave"

  "Let me leave?" Hr'af almost cackled at the audacity at Cr'oa. barely six years old and already giving demands like an adult. Maybe there was more to Cr'oa than even Hr'af realized. Before Hr'af could reply Cr'oa took off. Hr'af thought about giving chase immediately but left Cr'oa to do his best hiding impersonation. He instead went to find S'Grirr and J'Tal.