The Evolution Chronicles

A couple of days passed by quickly as the tense atmosphere in the pack dissipated. Daven had frequent meetings with Han and the higher ups of his pack, while those who would be involved in the mission were selected and given time to prepare themselves. There was no time to waste.

While their leaders were holding important meetings, a small group of younger demi-humans and a Beastkin took that liberty to loosen up and wind down.

"Don't push me- ahhh!" A yelp rang between the wet rocks, followed closely by a loud splash and loud laughter.

Flare's drenched head popped out from the water at the bottom of the waterfall and he glared up at Mian and the two other boys who continued to laugh from above.

"I told you not to push me!" The young Werecat yelled and waved his hand at them before turning and swimming t the rocky shore close by. A loud splash reached Flare's ears before a wave of water washed over him and pushed him underwater.

"You little brat!" When he resurfaced, the first thing he heard was Dion's loud swearing and Mian's happy laughter. The black furred Werewolf tried to wipe away the water from his face, but his thick fur prevented him from doing that so he eventually gave up hope on that.

A small scuffle erupted at the top of the platform where Mian and Daniel remained as they tried t push each other down. Mian lasted quite a while, but Daniel won in the end, pushing Mian off the platform before jumping down right behind him.

By that time, Flare had smartly left the river, avoiding being bathed by another wave of water. Unfortunately, Dion was too slow, resulting in him being overwhelmed by the massive wave that was generated by their combined dive.

The three boys soon started wrestling in the water, and Flare used that opportunity to jump right into the middle of that fight from a raised platform, causing another wave of commotion. Even though he was much younger than them, Flare was able to fit right into the group. He was never left out of any of the activities the older boys began and was always able to keep up with them.

.

.

.

"You're heavy." Mian complained as he balanced Flare on his shoulders. He was currently in charge of carrying the young dominant as the group made their way to the top of the mountain where the pack was situated.

"That's not true. You just aren't as strong as Dion." Flare countered as he picked a strand of fur from Mian's head.

"Don't do that. It stings." Mian scolded him.

As the two were busy bickering, Dion and Daniel maintained a spot in front of the group where they had a conversation of their own.

"-Hurt him and I'll make sure you are in for a world of pain." Dion whispered in a hushed tone and clenched his fist as he directed a warning t Daniel.

"I should be the one threatening you. He's your pack mate. You will most likely have much more opportunities to carry out horrible actions if you wanted to hurt him." Daniel rolled his eyes and folded his arms while walking forward without pausing.

Before Dion could reply, Daniel cut him short.

"Look, I don't ever plan to hurt Mian. He did a lot for me and my pack, I'm indebted to him. How could I ever think of stabbing him in the back? I would sooner turn into a rogue before I betray Mian's trust." Daniel exclaimed in a hushed tone.

(A/N: A rogue is a 'feral' demi-human that has completely embraced their more beastly instincts, and therefore are wild in their actions, attacking both humans and demi-humans alike without thinking.)

"Good. Because I will personally hunt you down if you hurt Mian." Dion finalized his stance before settling down. The slightly threatening aura that had built up around him dissipated as the tone of his voice returned to normal.

"We should be close." He announced as they rounded a rocky corner.

A flat expanse spread before the group, and gasps escaped from Daniel and Flare. Mian and Dion were already familiar with this spot so they were not as surprised, yet that did not remove the charm and beauty of the site.

In the center of the wide expanse, a five meter large pillar extended from the smooth rock. At the top of that pillar rested a small green gem that had been embedded into the dense rock.

"What is that?" Flare gasped and leaned forward from his perch on Mian's shoulders.

"That," Dion stepped forward to inspect the pillar, "Is the Heart of Zelan, the very core of our pack." He explained while the others stepped forward. "Our Patriarch carved this pillar with his own hands and fixed that gem in its center on the day the Zelan pack was created. It's more of a meaningful memento than an actual heart, but you get what I mean."

"That said, we didn't come here to gawk at this pretty gem! We came here to eat!" Dion suddenly exclaimed and raised the woven basket that he held in one of his hands. He had packed it full of meat, fruits, and a few other things before they began their eventful day out.

"Food!" Flare cheered before jumping off Mian's shoulders, nearly throwing the middle rank off balance.

"Be careful or you might hurt yourself!" Mian scolded, but the little Werecat just ignored him and ran over to Dion who was busy setting up a large blanket that had come from somewhere Mian wasn't bothered to find out.

The four of them were soon seated in a circle on the blanket with the basket at their center, and Dion quickly took out the variety of food that was inside the basket.. Kira, the Patriarch's mate, had personally taken it upon herself to prepare that picnic basket, so there was a lot to eat.