Kai

I try to rise, but I’m in pain. I turn over to my side and knock a tin cup over. The Gallery is dark, a few candles flicker but not enough to illuminate the entire room, I try to pull my body up again and my arms tremble, my elbows bend. I fall flat against the stone altar. I let out a breath of hot air and closed my eyes.

“Giving up already” A voice hissed. 

I closed my eyes, pinched my nose and inhaled deeply, waiting for whatever insult my father threw my way.

 “I thought you would put up a better fight than that,”. He stepped closer out of the shadows, I watched as candlelight dance across his face, a face so much like mine.

He came and stood at the foot of the altar, his face in a sneer.

“Get up,” he boomed.

I tried, back up on my elbows I went, they trembled like the legs of a newborn calf;  I gritted my teeth, bared down and tried to pull myself up as the pain sharpened, I struggled more, my breathing became laboured, my heart beating out of my chest, I refused to give up and seem weak in front of my father.

“Come on, get up,” he growled in my ear.

I tried harder, but the more I tried, the harder my body shook. 

I finally got myself in a seated position. 

The room spun. My heart was pounding out of my chest. 

“You’re weak, how can you be a child of mine, you're not fit for your title, Chieftain,” he spat. 

“Others think differently,” I said, looking up into his face with as

much hate as I could muster up. 

 My father bent down, eyes on my level, the hatred coming off of him in waves, his teeth pulled back exposing his fangs. He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my neck I knew for sure he was about to sink his teeth into my flesh. 

I looked around frantically for anything to use as a weapon, I’m too weak to fight him off, I look over at the tin cup, the only thing within my grasp. My father turns and sees what I'm staring at. He turns back to me with a sinister grin and stands and takes a step back. I'm confused wondering what type of games my father’s playing this time until the double doors of the gallery burst open and in walks my brother and mother.

“What's going on here,” Kai demands as he walks up to the altar. He stands with his hand on his sword, looking at my father with narrowed eyes.  

“I just came to check on my son,” my father says as my mother races to my side. 

“Where are his guards,” Her little voice squeaked as she stared holes into my father. 

“He’s fine, Mae, nothings going to happen to him with me here,  My father says while walking up to her, he bends down and whispers in her ear.

“It’s not like I bite,”  

I watched the blood drain from her face as my father walked out the door.

My mother grabs Kai by his neck, pulls him down to her level and say in a shaky voice

"Your brother should be guarded at all times, I don’t care who it is, we can trust no one,".

Kai shakes my mother off and turns to me. He puts on a smile but I Can see the worry on his face; the evidence is there in the bags under his eyes.

I turn towards my brother and try to return his smile but fail miserably I'm too tired, my face won’t corporate.

“Relax, you need rest, my love” my mother coo’s as she gently caresses my cheek with a look of pure love that only a mother can give. 

I relax into her touch, my eyes flutter shut.

“Sleep,” I hear her whisper

  I barely notice the look she cuts at Kai before my eyes close completely.

 (Kai)

I watch as my little brother falls asleep I turn to my mother who has a look of disapproval.

 “What,” I snap. 

I pinch my nose and wait for her assault. My mother was small but formidable in her own right. I pitied any warrior that went up against my mother.

I watched her storm towards me, one hand on her hip, and regretted my attitude immediately.

“You were tasked to keep your brother safe by the goddess, and you're doing a piss-poor job,”. I lowered my head in shame as she continued.

“There’s been countless attempts on his life, we have the enemy camping on our borders, And walking within our walls, so tell me just how have you been keeping your brother safe,”

I seethe a part of me wanted to rip the accusing finger she had pointed at me from her limb; I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I say between gritted teeth.

“I have been protecting him since we were kids. I will not abandon my duty now,” I shout.

 I watched as my mother narrowed her eyes, stepped forward and didn’t back down.

 I let go a soft growl as a warning. The predator and warrior side of me wanted to rip her throat out, but the faithful son in me just bared his teeth to remind her my first instinct is always to kill a threat.

“This is more than saving your brother from your father’s rage filled beatings,” 

I Lower my head and look away. The memories of our childhood come to the forefront of my mind. 

“You couldn’t save him from that, she says as she grabs my face, but you must protect him from what’s coming, he is the future of our tribe,” she added as she gave me a soft smile.

I looked over to my brother at the scar he got the day he fell out of the Sung tree when he was barely eight moons; I remember how our father went into a rage that night when he found out; him ordering Kane to the gallery where he sat with his council members. How Kane shook, frightened to his core, afraid of the punishment our father will roll out. As I watched from the corner of the room with bated breath. The room was silent as Kane stood there before my father with his head bowed. 

“You dare disrespect this tribe by defacing our sacred tree,” he boomed, his voice heard around the whole gallery echoing off the stone walls.

 Kane didn’t respond

 our father looked down on him with hate-filled eyes.

“Answer me, boy,” he hissed.

Kane still didn’t respond. I tried hard to make eye contact with my brother, but it was no use. He didn’t lift his head once.

My father moved so fast, first there was a sound like the crackle of thunder, Kane bent to the floor, blood dripped from his bottom lip. My father stood over him, sneering as he looked down. 

“Pathetic,” He snarled. 

 He reached his hand back to strike a second time. My body tense as his hand came down, my fangs elongated, I crouched down and before I knew it I was across the room, my body covered Kane’s as I braced for the hit. The blow

moved in slow motion. I watched it come at me; it felt like I was being hit by large boulders. My body crumpled, but I refused to make a sound. 

The entire room gasped when they realized what I did. My father stumbled back the shock on his face turned to burning fury in an instant he reached down grabbed me by the throat 

And lifted me up into the air. Coming face to face with my brother’s tormenter.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing,” he snarled.

The look on his face could have brought fear upon any seasoned warrior. But I swallowed my fear and looked him straight in the eye and bared my fangs. 

My father roared.

“You want to interfere in things that don’t concern you,” he says as he tosses me to the ground. My body makes a thud as my head bounces up off the icy floor.

I watch my father storm away but as he makes it back to his throne; he turns to look at me, but the look in his eyes freezes me and suddenly I'm terrified. 

My father walks up to Kane and caresses his face with a wide smile, but somehow it doesn’t reach his eyes.  I'm frightened for my brother as I watch the exchange. My father turns to look at me and I understand perfectly.

“Since Kai likes to protect you so much, Kane,” My father says as he continues to caress Kane's face in a cooing voice. 

 he turns to face me our eyes meet as he says “Let him take your punishment,” 

 A shiver runs down my spine. I look towards Kane, whose eyes have gone wide. He shakes his head vigorously and repeatedly says no as two guard's rush towards me. 

I took a deep breath and prepared for what’s coming.

Each guard grabbed an arm, dragging me towards the throne, my legs dragged against the stone floor as I kicked trying to free myself. 

I'm pushed to my knees. As I kneel at the throne, I watch my father casually walk up and take a seat. As if his two sons are not being tortured at his request. I bare my fangs. I'm furious. I snap at the guard holding my left arm. He twisted the arm back, making me howl out in pain. The smug look on his face is replaced with a hint of fear as I growl. Which means he has heard the rumors of my power, how I have brought guys twice my size to their knees and how I’m stronger than all my age. My growling comes to a halt when the tip of a sword is placed under my chin.  I gulp the air in the room and it is suddenly hot. I try not to move too much so the point won’t pierce my skin. I look up into the face that holds the sword. Not surprised to see my father’s personal guard, Paco.

He looks down on me with contempt, lips lifted in a sneer. Waiting on me to make a move so he could sink his sword into my flesh. The sword moves from my chin and travels down to my chest, moving ever so slowly. My breath hitch as the sword cuts away my tunic. I’m left bare in the middle of the gallery. I watch Paco walk around me, sword in hand. 

I’m not prepared for the first slice of my skin, the blade cuts me not too deep, just enough to draw blood. 

 I hiss, take a deep breath and grit my teeth and wait for the second slice. I’m not caught unawares like with the first this time when the blade touches my skin I let go a controlled breath. I feel my blood glide down my back. Each droplet hit the stone floor with a quiet thud, The third slice comes at me fast then the fourth by the time the fifth slice comes around I’m numb to the pain blood gushes now and I’m kneeling in a pool

of my blood my eyes are dropping fluttering close.

I look towards my brother who eyes are filled with tears and whisper

“Everything will be fine,”.

 The lie burned my tongue as it left my lips.

That's the last thing I remembered before waking up in the exact spot my brother lays in now. With ten cuts across my back. I lift up my hand to touch my scars. The memory is branded in my head just like these scars. I wear them like a badge of honor of how far I’ll go to protect my brother.