Page 4 of I Married A Catman

As the private shuttle flew me to the Nevian Valley—after which our Pride was named—countless conflicting emotions surged through me. The oddest sense of well-being washed over me as I took in the beautiful rivers gleaming under the sun, the lush forests teeming with life that had been my hunting grounds, and the freedom and endless possibilities they offered. But the warm feeling in my chest cooled gradually as I took in the outline of the village.

Although it clearly expanded by a few new buildings, it lacked the majesty of the memories that sustained me all thoseyears on Molvi. Granted, more than a decade had gone by with me idealizing what it had been. However, time unmistakably left its mark. The buildings looked dated and tired. Even from here, as the pilot began our descent, I frowned at the type of technology still being used for the village’s main power source and communication tower.

How did I not notice how antiquated all this already was back then?

I’d been too young, too in love, and too clueless to notice these kinds of things. Fighting for survival, where efficiency meant a modicum of comfort instead of endless hardship, did wonders to whip me into being more aware.

As disappointed as I felt about the fantasy I had built in my head, seeing all these deficiencies gave me hope. I now had the knowledge and the skills to make the improvements this place sorely needed. Surely, the Matriarchs would acknowledge this as proof of my worth?

However, a sharp pain sliced through my chest at the sight of my house by the cliff. Despite the many changes and not particularly nice expansions performed on it by the new owner, I still recognized my original creation.

When I requested permission to build there, everyone thought me crazy. It was a wild and overgrown section of the village with tons of gnarly roots and a rocky, uneven terrain. But I instantly saw its potential. So long as I worked on it in my spare time and with my own materials, the Matriarchs didn’t object. They figured I would give up early on once I realized the folly of my endeavor. But in less than six months, I completed the first phase of the project.

To this day, I vividly remembered the look of awe and disbelief on every face as the house steadily took shape. Back then, it only had two bedrooms—each with its own bathroom—a kitchen and living area. The plan was to expand it by a couple more rooms to shelter all the cubs Oluina and I would have.

Although small compared to other bigger homes, it had been the most modern in its design on top of offering a breathtaking view of the valley and river below. As the Alpha of the Pride, Moriak had been livid that the newcomer that I was, still wet behind the ears, should possess a better house than his own.

Naturally, he appropriated it as soon as I was arrested.

That grovas took my youth, my freedom, my female, and my home.

What else would he take from me now?

The shuttle landed on the pad at the northern entrance of the village. The original founding sisters of this Pride wisely chose the location. The surrounding steep cliff made it impossible for any attacker to sneak up or flank us. They had only one way to come at us, making it easy to push back and fight off a siege—not that such confrontations ever occurred anymore. Granted, aerial attacks remained a possibility. However, the Prides qualified as fairly primitive in their everyday lives, and we closely stuck to old traditions when it came to rules of engagement.

After disembarking, I carefully approached the guard by the entrance of the village. I didn’t know him. That didn’t surprise me. At a glance, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He would have joined the Pride halfway through my incarceration. I nodded as I approached him. He barely spared a glance at my bag, too busy giving me an assessing look. I could tell he was evaluating how much of a competition I could possibly be. It was disheartening to be reminded of that aspect of being a male among my people.

“Are you Gaelec?” the guard asked as soon as I was but a couple of meters away from him.

“Yes. I am Gaelec Sulwyn,” I replied politely.

“Good. Rozel will see you in the Great Hall. You may proceed.”

Although taken aback, I kept a neutral expression on my face and nodded. As I entered the village, My sense of unease cranked up another notch. Why had he not given me his name in exchange? This was how you treated strangers—namely roaming males—who were not welcomed to stay in the village. Had the decision regarding me already been made? Was that a sign that I was banished from the Pride?

The mostly empty streets only enhanced the sense of doom that I felt, another indication that I wasn’t wanted here. As I made my way towards the Great Hall, I tried to enumerate again the list of qualities I could offer to justify keeping my place here. It was the largest building in the village. It served as both a gathering hall and the mansion shared by the three elder females who ruled the pack as our Matriarchs. As the eldest, Rozel ruled the Pride. Although the other two had a say, as well as all the huntresses—especially Oluina as the Head Huntress—in the end, Rozel’s word was the law.

I could only hope that the sliver of affection she showed me in the past survived my long absence.

My eyes flicked this way and that, taking in my surroundings. Up close, the village looked much better than it had from a bird’s eye view. Although still dated, the place was well-maintained. Despite the streets being made of packed dirt, they were clean and level. The dwellings and shops showed no signs of neglect, many even appearing to have recently received a fresh coat of paint.

The sound of young voices giggling and shouting stirred a powerful sense of longing within me. Seconds later, a clowder of cubs ran across a perpendicular street a few meters in front of me. The even group of males and females appeared to be chasing each other. But even as that adorable tableau warmed my chest,my heart constricted for the little males. In only a few more years, their carefree life would come to an end as they frantically prepared to be cast out.

I stepped inside the small antechamber at the entrance of the building. The large doors granting access to the Great Hall beyond already stood open. Straight ahead, at the other end of the spacious room, the three Matriarchs sat on an elevated dais in the otherwise empty room.

The first half of the room was rectangular while the other portion looked like half a hexagon. The slanted sides flanking the back wall had a few seats upon which the huntresses settled during official and large gatherings. Although also elevated, those two sections, split into two rows of seats, were slightly lower than the Matriarchs’ section. At the bottom of the four steps leading up to the dais, three rows of seats framed the left and right sides of the vast open space where entertainment was occasionally held.

Presiding in the center, Rozel watched me approach with an intense look. Her deep blue eyes peered at me with an unreadable expression. At seventy-two, she was still remarkably fit, in no small part thanks to the healthy sheen of her multi-colored fur in shades of white, orange, and black. To her left, Priya seemed a bit uneasy, not to say nervous. That bothered me a lot. Slightly younger by five years, with hazel eyes, and gray fur with black stripes, she always acted as the more moderate voice of the trio.

As for Jilam, her blue eyes—the same color as Rozel’s—stood out sharply against her pure white fur. She seemed annoyed to be there. With her no-nonsense personality, I could only presume that whatever outcome would result from this meeting, the decision had already been made. Therefore, this formality was a complete waste of her time.

That didn’t bode well for me.

I often thought that Pryia would have made a far better Head Matriarch than her older sister. But in all the ways that mattered, Rozel always proved to be the more dominant.

“Gaelec, welcome home,” Rozel said in a friendly tone.

Home!

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