Near the den sits a female cub silently munching on flowers as she stares at the direction where the bathing river lays. Close to her sits a young male teen whose black and white tail is curled around the little female's waist. On her other side lies a young leopard male beast whose head is near the cub's feet. 

"Has she talked to you?"

"No... she won't even ask for food," deeply sighs Dash. With a guilty glance Dash stares at his worried and injured female.

"She hardly leaves the den..." mutters Lucy sadly. "What if, what if she'll never want to head out again," whispers Lucy.

Dash lowers his ears to his head, "it's my fault."

A femenine gasp is heard. Straightening up, Lucy looks at her males and commands, "Dash, you stay. Jack, you know what to do. The rest.. leave." The males who weren't out hunting have left while Jack stayed to make sure that no one would come near. 

"First of all Dash, never ever say that again." Lucy then growls, "you are my head male and will always be my head male." Slightly limping to him, Lucy lifts her hand up to stop him from helping and comments, " this was something our Leaders agreed to." Lucy then steps closer to her head male and places her head on top of him while lifting her uninjured arm to his cheek. "Look at me Dash," she commands.

Following, the dirty blond hair male slowly lifts his light brown eyes to her serious dark blue eyes. "We are bound to make mistakes. As my head male you are strong, clever, and quick to make decisions, but you are not allowed to feel guilt. Remember this, as a true bear beast you followed the orders of the Bear Clan perfectly and with your sacrifice our tribe is safe."

Dash's lips thin and stare at the scars left on his female, "but you're hurt... our cub is hurt."

Tsk, narrowing her eyes she then morphs her nails into claws and lightly scratches Dash's cheek. "Am I so weak that I couldn't even fight off a mere cat beast?"

"No"

"Then is our cub weak?"

"Ummm."

"Shhhhh, think about it, if she was so weak willed then she wouldn't have gotten up to defend me." Drawing her claws back in, Lucy cuddles into her male's chest, "we are strong. Our cub has both of our blood, so she has a mixture of my cunningness and your strength," ends Lucy as she purrs happily. Dash slowly smiles as he softly purrs back while gently hugging his female. Though in his heart he promises that despite anyone's orders he would defend Lucy and his cub till the end. 

After a few minutes, Jack clears his throat.

"What is it Jack?" asks Lucy with a happy smile.

"I got an idea... Suki hasn't experienced flying right?"

Lucy blinks her eyes. "True but she's still to small and I don't think I can ride with my leg being like this," she adds as she signals to her stiff bruised leg smeared with green gunky herbs prescribed by the Clan Healer. 

Jack quickly nods his head, "yes, but Radu has enough strength to keep Suki and himself steady on my back." Before Dash could disagree, Jack quickly adds, "being in the sky, the experience can hopefully make Suki feel that our tribe is safe."

Lucy slightly bites her lips and glances down in thought. Dash, knowing that Jack could be right, takes Lucy's hand into his own, lightly squeezes, and gives her a small smile. Seeing that Lucy has smiled back at him. Dash nods his head at Jack. 

Jack grabs a grape and walks over to the empty looking Suki.

An olive colored hand holding a juicy grape is placed in front of Suki's eyes. Seeing a stir in the cub's eyes, Jack starts to move the grape side to side. At first, Suki's eyes began to slowly blink, then her light brown eyes kept following the grape. 

Suki, not sure if this fruit was real, sniffed the air. With a slight surprise expression to her eyes, her mouth began to drool. Lifting her hand, she was about to grab it, when the fruit was placed further away. Slightly scowling Suki realized that she had to get up. Feeling a coolness to her waist, Suki realized that someone's tail was lifting off her waist. Leaning on a nearby head, Suki began to slowly get up. Feeling the burns in some of her scars, she hissed but kept going. Behind her she felt someone helping her up. Yet, Suki didn't care. She was after the grape. 

Jack, noticing the cub's response, wanted to laugh at remembering Dash's absolute display of hunger after waking up from his hibernation.  However, seeing that the cub was wincing as she took slow steady steps to him, caused him to stop with his play. 

I want it, thought Suki as she again lifts her hands toward the fruit. But then she sees someone's lips near her food! "Mine!" she growls threateningly. The lips smirk and a familiar voice sounds out, "come closer if you want it and hear my deal." The fruit is then lifted to familiar dark brown eyes belonging to a lean black haired male.  "Jack?"

Jack softly laughs. "Yes, Suki. Want to hear my deal?"

I unconsciously nod my head.

"I can give you this and another sweeter juicier fruit if you fly with me."

Slowly blinking my eyes and lifting an eyebrow I stare hard at papa Jack's logic, "bears don't fly." And if you weren't my papa I'd probably be running back to my den...

Jack leans closer and lovingly pats my head, "yes, bear beasts don't fly but they can ride."

"Ride?"

Jack happily shows a huge smile, "since we are family, today you can ride on my Crow Beast form."

Slightly quivering Suki clenches her hands together and responds, "but but... what if I fall?" Glancing back at the den, Suki begins to cry "and mama won't be nearby... What if she gets hurt again? What if we're suddenly attacked again?"

Jack bends down to his knees and while gently touching her cheek with his he whispers, "watch this."

He then gets up and makes a loud beastly caw to the sky, thus making the nearby birds who were once resting on the trees quickly fly away.

In a second, six deep beastly growls and shrieks were heard. In the sky a huge Hawk is seen speedily flying toward them. Near the den stands a proud bear beast near Lucy. And from the forest a group of leopards, fox, and tiger beasts are seen thundering toward their den. Some of these were carrying today's prey. While the others appear clean and calm. 

Back to patting Suki's black hair, Jack adds, "what happened that day, won't happen again so easily."

Glancing at my papas and brothers surrounding our den, Suki finally nods her head but then she adds as she cleans her tears, "mama won't be able to ride with me."

Jack joyfully laughs, "Radu will ride behind you to make sure that no one will fall." Then as a bonus Jack adds, "your papa Shawn who's up there" points Jack at the circling hawk beast, "will double make sure that no one will get hurt."

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Author's Note:

Went out yesterday, yay. And end up buying a minty smelling 'soap'.

Long story short, I got back home, took a rather long nap, and when I got up I decided that my armpits needed a good cleaning. Heading into the shower, I didn't stop to read the direction of my new bought item and oh my gosh did I regret it! 

It burrrrnnneeeedddd sooo bad!! 

It wasn't soap...it just needed the water's steam to let out it's minty smell.. -_-

So read before you apply!! Or Don't Apply!!