6. Suni

Chapter 6

Suni

S uni couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a full night's sleep. It was the same every time his home, Lnuuk, shut down and he was left with his thoughts. He would pass the night staring up at his ceiling, trying to imagine he had a mate by his side and calves sleeping nearby. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he could almost feel the heat of her body pressed to his. It didn't help that the village was full of calves, or that one of his younger brothers had just mated a human witch with an amazing calf. He envied Ni'em and his beautiful high-spirited calf. If he was being honest, he envied anyone who had been blessed with a family. Every morning as the suns started to rise, he would start to think about leaving and becoming a roaming male. He wouldn't have to have his heart ripped out every time he heard whispers about how the females pitied him, or a female crossed the street to get away from him.

Suni climbed out of bed with a grunt and straightened the furs. Glancing toward his fire pit, he remembered he had promised his parents a visit this morning to share first meal. He would start his fire later. He strapped his morning star to his back and left his cold house behind. Suni was halfway to his parents' house when he heard calves playing. He wasn't surprised they were up before many of the adults. Calves' minds were too active for them to sleep for long periods. Since he was always one of the first adults awake, the calves were always happy to see him and didn't care about his broken horn and overabundance of missing patches of fur. They loved to hang from his limbs and see who could get to his shoulders first.

"Uncle Suni!" Julian screamed as she ran at him with her arms outstretched. "Up?"

Suni caught the small human female and lifted her high in the air before she could run headfirst into his leg. She screamed for him to toss her higher and threw her arms out wide. He laughed. "Little star, your father warned you about running so fast."

"I know." She kissed his scarred cheek and melted his heart a little more. "You always catch me."

Suni hugged her close. "No matter how high you go, I will always catch you. But I want you to still be careful. You know your sire will go crazy if you scrape your knees again."

"I told Papa I'm going to be a strong female." Julian curled her arm and puffed out her chest. "A warrior just like him and I can heal myself."

Suni hid his smile from the small human. He had no doubt she would become one of the tribe's most powerful members. Her magic was already beyond any he had ever seen, and from what Mia had said, it would only get stronger. "You are going to be an exceptional adult." He sat her on the ground and patted her hornless head. "Until you are older and stronger, I want you to be careful."

"I promise, Uncle Suni." Julian gave him a big wave before diving headfirst back into the calf play.

"I am already getting gray fur." Suni turned to find his brother Ni'em leaning against the low wall surrounding the calves' play area. "She sleeps like the dead and is up before the suns are even thinking about rising."

"Remember when we were calves? I doubt Dam ever had a moment of peace, which reminds me, where is your mate?"

"I left her sleeping," Ni'em answered. "She has been overly tired lately."

"With a daughter who moves at full speed every waking moment, I can understand."

"That is what I keep telling her." Ni'em turned back to the playing calves. "I came to gather Julian. She ran out of the house without eating first meal. How is she going to grow if she skips meals?"

"I am sure she will be fine," Suni chuckled. "With the amount she ate last night, she is not going to starve any time soon." He cheered when Julian leapt from a stump and landed on the back of one of the older calves. "It is amazing how she learned to use her smaller size to her advantage. When will she start her warrior training?"

"I am still trying to talk her dam into allowing her a practice sword." Ni'em scratched his chin and continued, "Julian will have to start soon or she will lag behind others of her age."

Suni nodded. "When she starts, let me know. I would like to be there for her early lessons. I have a bow and arrow set I would like to gift her."

"She would like that, and so would I. I would feel better knowing she is not in the middle of any battle. Now, what about you?" Ni'em turned to face him.

"What do you mean?"

"I have noticed you drawing away from the family. Last night you left last meal early."

"I was tired."

"You can lie to yourself but not to your brother. What is going on?"

"I am feeling restless."

"Are you still worried about not finding a mate?"

"Yes." Suni saw no reason to lie. His younger brother knew his deepest desire. "I am getting older and worry I will be alone in my elder years. I have been thinking that maybe I should try visiting other villages. I cannot expect a willing female to walk into ours."

"You are not still punishing yourself for what that female did to you, are you?" Ni'em asked.

"You mean – "

Ni'em covered Suni's mouth with a thick hand. "We do not speak her name, ever ."

"I was not going to say her name." Suni pushed his brother's hand away. "I was going to say I am not punishing myself because I did nothing wrong. She felt that by losing my horn, I lost my maleness. I still have a working cock."

"No one is doubting the working of your cock." Suddenly his eyes grew large. One of the larger calves had picked Julian up and swung her above his head. "Put her down! Excuse me, Suni. I must rescue my daughter. Stay safe."

"No need to worry about me," Suni said. "I do not want to worry Sire and Dam. Can you tell them I will be back as soon as possible?"

"I will tell them that their oldest son is too scared to face them himself." Nei'em teased and ducked his punch. "I am only speaking the truth."

Suni chuckled as he left. He wished he could stay around and watch the calves play, but he had things to do. He waved at a few others who were already out and about as he walked toward the chief's house. Suni was happy to see him outside drinking tea. It meant he could get permission to leave sooner rather than later.

Kellan, the chief, glanced up and a smile crossed his face. "Suni, welcome. What brings my greatest warrior to see me this early in the morning?"

"I was wondering if you would allow me to go out on patrol for a while." Suni squatted so he didn't tower over his chief. "I know there has been some concern about our borders."

Kellan continued drinking as he stared at Suni. "Something has been bothering you."

"Nothing you need to worry about," Suni said. "It will not get in the way of my duties to the tribe."

"I am not worried about that. I see one of my best warriors starting to pull back from tribal life. Why?"

"I am getting older and my desire for a family is stronger," Suni answered honestly. "I need to get away just for a little while and clear my mind."

"I see." The chief put his cup down and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "I cannot have you away from the tribe for too long with the unrest on our borders. Why don't you take the twins out for their last hunting and scouting training before their coming-of-age trial."

"The twins?" Suni rubbed the bridge of his nose. The twins were just coming of age and loved to play pranks on anyone. "Are you sure they are ready?"

"We have to try," Kellan answered. "One day, females will be interested in those two, and we cannot have them embarrassing our tribe."

"I can take them out for five rotations," Suni said. "That should be enough time for me to test them."

Kellan sat back. "Five rotations. When you return, we will talk about sending you to other villages to find your mate."

"I—," Suni shrugged. "I was thinking the same. We will leave once those two are awake."

"I think you should go with only your weapons. Don't carry any food," Kellan said. "Make them hunt for food and shelter. If you think they can handle it."

Suni laughed. "They will return as adults."

"I trust you."

Suni stood and placed a fist over his heart. "Until we meet again."

"Go in peace."

Suni slowly made his way toward the warriors' barracks, where most of the younger warriors slept before building their own homes. He wasn't surprised to see the twins sitting outside with their plates piled high. Suni always had a hard time telling them apart since they were the same height, weight, and even had the same markings. It was only when they had their weapons strapped to their backs that he had a chance of telling the brothers apart. He growled when they took too long to notice him.

"Suni," Gar swallowed and smiled up at him. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I am charged with giving you your last lesson before your warrior trials," Suni answered. "We leave after first meal."

"It is an honor," Rown mumbled. He continued to stuff his face. "Our sire will be happy."

"Make sure you bring your weapons, sharp, and a water skin. Nothing more," Suni warned them. "You will need to show me you can track, hunt, and set up camp."

"We are prepared. You will be impressed," Rown said with a bright smile.

Suni hid his smirk as he turned away. He remembered being young and overconfident. He'd thought he was destined to become the next chief. He strutted around with a chip on his shoulder. When he lost one of his horns, he finally learned humility. He would make sure his future calves never had to learn the lessons he had.

"Suni, how is your dam?"

"Martha," Suni stopped in front of the baker's stall. "My dam is doing well. She is enjoying her grandcalves."

Martha chuckled. "I bet she is. She was blessed to have such a cute calf as Julian in her family. That little female is going to be trouble."

"What do you mean, ‘will be'?" Suni asked. "The males of my family are finding new gray fur every day." He glanced down and couldn't help but stare at her pastries.

"Would you like one? Your favorite is the kind with the berry filling, right?" Martha asked as she already placed two on a leaf.

He nodded. "Thank you," he said after he took a bite. "Good as always."

"Take care of yourself."

Suni waved since his mouth was full as he turned to leave. He wandered through the stalls that were already open as he finished his first meal. He wanted to give Gar and Rown time to reach the gate first. It would give them a sense of pride.

"Suni." Gar's voice was a little louder than necessary. "I was starting to think you were playing a cruel joke on us."

Suni stopped in front of the two brothers. "No joke. Let me see your weapons."

Gar unstrapped his sword and handed it to Suni. "My sire gave me this sword the day I started training as a warrior. I have kept it sharp every day since."

Suni gripped the sword and gave it a few practice swings. It had perfect balance. "Good. Do you also have a few daggers?"

"Yes," Gar patted this thigh. "I have two strapped to each thigh."

"Good." He handed the sword back.

Rown unhooked his crossbow and handed it over. "I chose to become a range fighter after I had an accident as a calf."

Suni remembered the day the young male had shattered his right ankle. No one had thought he would ever walk again, but Rown had proven them all wrong. He not only walked again but was able to run short distances. Rown was a sharpshooter and could hit a moving target at over 200 feet. Suni checked the strings and pulled them back.

"I wanted to learn the crossbow," Suni said. "But I find that the morning star is more my friend." He handed back the crossbow. "Are you both ready to leave?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

Suni was surprised that he didn't have to supervise the twins once they were away from the Lnuuk. It was said that the twins shared a soul and as he watched them hunt, he could see why. Most hunters used hand signals to communicate with each other, but the brothers moved as one without looking at each other. They brought down a bull muk before the herd even knew they were in the vicinity. When it came to making camp, they still needed direction. Most hunters and warriors slept under trees during the day, but had to learn how to build shelter in case of a storm or they became too ill to travel. Rowan had a little more understanding of the process. Even so, Suni had to constantly remind them to tighten the straps or not use the wrong wood.

He blamed their distractions for the reason he was slow to perceive there was an intruder in their territory. The first thing he noticed was the smell: a faint sweet honey scent that made his fur stand up on end and his cock semihard. Suni held up a hand to stop the brothers from moving forward and trampling any trail that may have been left.

"What is it?" Rown asked.

"Take a deep breath and tell me what you smell," Suni instructed.

"Nothing," Gar answered.

Suni glared at the young males. "Nothing? Take another breath. If you cannot detect what I have, how are you going to be good hunters or warriors?"

Both brothers closed their eyes and took several deep breaths before Gar smiled.

"I smell it now, but it is light. It is floral, or maybe fruity."

"Me too," Rown said. "Sweet, but weak. How did you pick it up?"

"A warrior is always in tune with his environment," Suni said. "Gar, is there any indication of which direction the scent is coming from?"

Gar took another breath. "The wind is blowing north to south."

"Do not rely on the wind. An intruder can scent mark, leaving their trail muddled." Suni said. "Look at the ground and see which footprints are out of place."

"Here." Rown knelt and pointed at the faint marks. "These look like Mia's. Do you think she is out here?"

Suni shook his head. "No. I think we may have found yet another human."

"Do you think she will be a witch?" Rown asked as he stood. "Single?"

Suni's claws dug into his palms as he breathed through his sudden anger. He had been trusted to train the young twins, not kill them, but there was something about the scent that screamed ‘MINE'. "The first thing we need to do is figure out who the intruder is, and if they mean to do our tribe harm."

"If they turn out to be a witch, we cannot fight them." Gar said.

Suni growled. "We are the defense of our home and as such, we do not run. We will follow these tracks. Gar, you are in the lead." The young male looked uneasy, but nodded assent.

Suni waited for the twins to start moving before falling into step behind them. The closer they came to the origin of the scent, the harder Suni's heart beat. He knew with every fiber of his being that they would find a female when they reached their goal. A female his soul knew was his.