"Have you settled on who we are sending out to investigate the site?" A gray furred wolf-like demi-human asked from the raised stone throne he was sitting on. Furs lined the seat and draped over the back of the throne. His sharp blue eyes pierced through the hearts of the other demi-humans that were seated around the throne.

"Yes, Patriarch." They replied as one.

"Good. We need to investigate the crash site as soon as possible. If something valuable is found, it would be best for us to get out hands on it before the humans." He growled out the word 'humans' as though the word was physically hurting him. His hand absently trailed over the scar that ran over his right eye. The injury had nearly blinded him, and it took the better half of a year to heal, even with his extremely active and powerful healing enzymes.

"Send out the team. I want a report in two days at most." He waved the demi-humans away. When they left his throne room, he sighed, his head leaning against his hand that had been raised to prop him up.

"Humans..." A twinge of pain pricked his heart.

...

"Mian! Where are you?!" A squeal woke Mian up from his restless slumber. His body ached, and the force of someone colliding against him didn't do much to help that pain.

"Flare..." Mian groaned as he sat up. His eyes were still red from his ordeal, but overall, he was feeling better after being left to rest. Although, his stomach was still empty.

"Mian? Are you okay?" The small, cheetah-like demi-human looked up at him. "Toxins?" His eyebrows furrowed as an anger grew in him. Even Mian could feel it. The presence of someone who would grow to be strong in the pack in the future.

"Calm down, Flare. I was the one who messed up." Mian hugged Flare and ruffled his messy head fur. The move instantly made the anger in the air dissipate as Flare struggled to get free. Mian laughed as the younger boy took a few steps back, smoothing out his head fur.

Flare was one of the younger demi-humans in the pack. His mother had passed upon his birth, the strain to give birth to such a strong pup too much for her body to handle. After that incident, his father had been killed by a stampede during a hunt. It was quite sad, but life was sad, overall.

Flare was a cheetah-like demi-human, taking his looks from his mother, and his strength from his father. He looked like a typical cheetah, only that he walked on two legs, as was normal with all demi-humans, and that he sported a mane of light, soft fur that ran down from his head to the middle of his back. Mian always used it to tease him, but if anyone else tried that, then they would have to suffer through a lot of Mian's beatings.

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Flare was only nine years old, while Mian was nineteen. Flare had met Mian one night when Mian had been suffering through the toxins of one of the pack guardians. Flare had been furious, but there was little he could do. As a child, whose toxins hadn't even developed, he couldn't go about provoking the adults.

"That's what you always say. 'I'm the one who messed up.' We both know that's not true." Flare returned to the conversation, knowing that Mian was trying to avoid it.

Mian sighed before opening his arms for Flare to hug him, which the younger boy eagerly did. The two of them remained sitting there, in the small, dark cave. Mian had his head over Flare's, his hands running through the younger boy's mane.

"Things will get better someday. I know it." Mian smiled when he felt Flare nodding against his chest. The two of them moved to a laying position, situated on some soft furs that Flare had managed to get for Mian. After a while, they were fast asleep.

"Flare?" A whisper sounded through the cave some time later. The voice of the person was deep, and reverberated through the cave, but had a soft undertone to it, to make sure he didn't wake up the sleeping demi-humans.

A few moments later, a gray head popped through the entrance of the cave. The Patriarch of the demi-human pack sighed when he saw the two boys laying together. This wasn't the first time he had seen them sleeping together. Flare was too attached to Mian, but that also caused the Patriarch to grow fond of the weak nineteen year old.

Retreating from the cave, the Patriarch made his way back to his chambers, deciding to let them enjoy their time together. He would need Flare to return to his training the next day, but he didn't mind the little boy enjoying himself for now. He had promised Flare's parents that he would take care of the little pup, and that was exactly what he would do.

The Patriarch slipped through the hides that were hung above the entrance to his chambers. The bear hides swung back into place as a smaller white head popped from around the corner.

"Daven." The smaller, white female demi-human came into the open space that was the living space of their chambers. They entertained whatever guests they had in this area. She wrapped her slender arms around his middle, prompting Daven to smile warmly at her. She barely reached up to his chest.

"Where is Flare?" She looked around him to check for the hot headed pup.

"He's with Mian." Daven replied, hugging her to him.

"Mian? Isn't that the weak pup that causes trouble all the time?" A frown creased her brows.

"Kira." Daven chided his mate. "He may be as weak as an omega, but you shouldn't think of him that way. I believe it had to do with malnutrition in his early childhood. He was nearly dead when we found him, and we only barely saved his life. That may have been what caused him to grow up weaker than he should."

Kira sighed softly. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go to bed. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be busy." He took her hand and led her into their sleeping chamber.