The Trial of Acceptance
#3 of The White Tigers Trials
Koru sat in stunned silence his mind unable to come to terms with what he had just heard, and after a long silence he finally spoke, "You expect me to believe a fur that abandoned me right after I was born cares about me at all!? I'm sorry but how stupid do you think I am!?" the young tiger stood as he shouted at the two older furs. "Now cub settle down OK? It's not what you think, at least let your father explain." Ned reached out a paw towards the youth but the young white tiger shrugged it off, seething with an irrational anger. "Why the hell should I let him, even if he is my father and this isn't just some sick joke, what makes you think he deserves a chance to explain, you have no idea the shit I've had to endure because of my birth parents!" And with that Koru turned from the two older furs and ran out the still open front door, ignoring the pain that flared through his body with each step he took. The shouting that followed him out the door was easily ignored; he no longer cared what either the cougar or the tiger had to say, they had hurt him even more than that wolf had in the dark alley. The physical wounds would heal the mental wounds would not, and It was at this moment his physical wounds decided to remind him that they were far from healed; he stumbled and went down hard roaring with pain as he hit the ground, and almost blacked out. He could feel the tears running down his cheek fur as he lay there on the expansive lawn listening to the panicked shouting and rapidly approaching paw-steps. By the time he felt a pair of strong furry arms gently lift him from the ground he was barely conscious, and only just able to make out a strong unfamiliar voice say, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Before he lost his grip on the waking world and slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness. Koru woke slowly groaning quietly as he tried to move under the heavy blanket and slowly looking around trying to figure out where he was. Judging by the clean lines and lack of furniture other than the bed a nightstand and a couple chairs in the large room, he guessed he was back in Erik and Ned's home either that or a much fancier hospital. It was just as he finished taking stock of the room that the door opened and Erik walked in holding a glass of water. The older tiger noticed immediately that Koru was awake, "I don't blame you for hating me you know, but regardless of what you think of me I am your father and I would at least like the opportunity to explain, if you'll only give me the chance." He said as he slowly walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed next to the younger tiger, setting the glass of water on the nightstand as he did so. "Fine you can tell me your fairy tale, but could I have a drink first, I can't seem to move very well at the moment." Erik nodded tilting the young tigers head up and holding the glass of water to his maw, letting him take a long drink before setting the glass back on the bedside table speaking softly as he did so, "We had to take you back to the hospital after you passed out, Ned could redo the stitches you tore but we were worried you might have started to bleed internally again. Fortunately you hadn't but they had to give you a sedative, so you're going to feel kind of sluggish and weak for a couple more hours."
Koru simply stared at the older tiger, and taking that as a sign Erik began to tell his tale. "Well to start I guess I should explain something about your mother, Amber came from a family that held to the old beliefs that any cub born different was a bad omen and would be too weak to survive, and to clarify when I say different it could be anything from physical defects to unusual fur coloration." Erik said this looking pointedly at the younger tiger before continuing. "These beliefs never sat well with me, and during our short relationship it often became a point of contention between the two of us, eventually causing a rather messy breakup. When she found she was with cub we were both a little shocked, she wanted to abort the cubs, I wanted to raise them, and at first she acquiesced. I was in a late class the day she birthed our litter and I didn't even find out until the next day, by the time I got there it was too late. She had already signed the papers abandoning the only one of our three cubs to survive, telling me that it was deformed. The doctors would tell me nothing about the cub and neither would Amber, eventually I gave up and gave the stuffed tiger I had bought to the doctor, asking only that he give it to the surviving cub. As for your mother she was dead within the year of a drug overdose supposedly unable to come to terms with the fact she had given life to something she so despised." An uncomfortable silence followed the end of Erik's story; Koru took this chance to study the older tiger as he stared quietly at his paws obviously lost in thought. He began to notice subtle similarities and thought to himself that even if this tiger wasn't his father, they did share quite a few features including the striking blue-green eye color, "So you just gave up looking for your cub that easily?" Koru was startled, when as he finished his question, another voice suddenly spoke, "No he didn't. The entire time he was finishing his schooling and building his company he, or his agents, were searching for you. We probably would have found you a lot sooner too if we had known you were a white tiger and not physically deformed as your mother made it sound." Ned said, as he slowly walked to the bed and wrapped an arm around his contemplative mate. "In fact I was kind of shocked when I found you and not one of Erik's people. Although I've got to say I doubt I could have gotten you placed with us without Beatrix and the results of that DNA test I ran on you." Koru looked down to the stuffed tiger on his lap wondering how to respond to what he had just heard, and who had given him the toy in the first place, when he felt a tentative paw come to rest on his shoulder. "I just want you to know I didn't tell you all this as some sort of excuse, I just wanted you to know what happened. And although I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me, I'll understand if you don't. Goodnight Koru, get some rest cub." With that the older tiger removed his paw from the youths shoulder and walked quietly from the room followed closely by his mate. The young white tiger lay there listening to the receding paw-steps of the two older furs, and began to wonder. Would it be so bad to admit his father actually wanted him, that it was actually only his mother who had put him in such a bad situation? Or were the two older furs simply lying to him trying to get him to trust them so they could use him for some unknown purpose later? It was with these thoughts bouncing around in his tired mind that the youth drifted off into a restless sleep. Koru woke slowly the next morning feeling warm and extremely comfortable, and as he pulled himself upright slowly, grunting softly at the pain it caused him to move, his mind invariably wandered back to the conversation of the night before. He didn't know for sure whether or not to believe Erik and Ned, or if they were right and the older tiger was his father how he felt about him. Suddenly an idea struck him and looking around he quickly located the phone Lily had given him and dialed her number. "Hi Lily I need to ask you a favor...... OK can you look up anything on Erik Gideon and tell me if there is any information on him having a cub or searching for one, and any information on his past........yeah I know it's a weird favor......sure I'll see when they will let me.....OK talk to ya soon and thanks." As he hung up with Lily, he realized he was starving and slowly got out of bed, blushing lightly as he noticed for the first time that he was completely nude. Casting his gaze about the large room he quickly located his suitcase and moved over to it, grabbing some boxer briefs, a pair of khaki shorts, and a blue t-shirt before walking slowly back to the bed to dress himself. The underwear and shorts were easy enough, but when he tried to put on the shirt he nearly collapsed as pain shot through his upper body. Eventually, after a few extremely painful attempts, he gave up on the shirt deciding instead to find some breakfast; he needed to talk to Erik and Ned anyway. It took the youth a bit of time to make his way down to the kitchen, owing to both the size and unfamiliarity of the house, and when he finally found it he stopped just outside the open entrance to the kitchen, mentally preparing himself for the possibility of a very uncomfortable encounter. He stopped just short of stepping into the room and into sight, hearing the familiar voices of Erik and Ned carrying from within. "Don't worry Erik I'm sure the cub will come around." Koru stood frozen, still hidden from view of the furs talking within, torn between eavesdropping and making his presence known. "I don't know Hun; he seems to have made up his mind about me already. I really wish I could have found him sooner, I imagine a life where you have no idea who you are gets pretty lonely." at hearing this Koru stepped shakily into sight of the older furs conversing in the kitchen, looking straight at Ned and Erik as he did so. "You could say that I guess, but trust me its much worse feeling unwanted and unloved." Both of the older furs turned instantly and took in the image of feline despondency that stood before them, looks of surprise on both their muzzles. Shivers wracked Koru's body and a few stray tears rolled down his cheek fur, Erik shot out of his chair and rushed to the young tiger's side, carefully wrapping an arm around the youth and steering him to a chair. Once Koru was sitting the older tiger knelt next to him as Ned brought over the young tiger's breakfast and medications. "Koru I know I can never erase what was done to you, but regardless of how you feel about me I want you to know that I will be here for you no matter what from now on." Erik said passionately, gently placing a paw under Koru's chin forcing him to meet his gaze. Koru simply shook his head to the affirmative, not trusting himself to speak just yet, and took the drink and medications from Ned quickly downing both, before gathering the courage to ask a question. "Do you know when I can go back to school? My friend Lily wanted to know and I don't want to fall behind." he said finally regaining some of his composure. The older furs looked at each other before turning to the young feline, "I would say you need to stay home and rest for a few more days at the least, but I cant say for sure until after your appointment on Thursday." Ned spoke softly, sitting down across the table from the young white tiger, and Erik returned to his own seat. "Oh okay." the dejected tone in the young tigers voice caused the cougar to wince slightly, and quickly speak up "But I think it would be okay if you and I went out and did some shopping today while your father is at the office, you do need some new clothes after all." A sudden clattering noise from the other side of the table made both Koru and Ned jump slightly. "Shit I forgot I have to be at the office in twenty minutes for that meeting with the mayor and city council, thanks for reminding me Hun." With that Erik was up and heading for the door only stopping long enough to kiss Ned on the cheek before heading to the front door. "don't know what he would do without me, probably forget to wear pants." Ned said with a chuckle as Koru watched him, a look of disbelief plastered on his face. The cougar couldn't help but chuckle at the boys incredulous expression, "So now that your dad is off how about we go get ready to head out as well, I want to get to the mall before it gets too crowded." Koru simply shook his head as Ned led the way to the young tigers bedroom, he was so lost in thought that he almost ran into the cougar when he stopped outside the room, "Look I know this is a lot for you to take in right now, and it isn't easy to trust other furs with what you've been through, but you need to realize everyone isn't out to get you OK." The cougar said this looking away from the young white tiger, but Koru could almost feel the emotion in his words. "Ill try, but why do you make it sound so much like you know whats happened to me?" Ned didn't answer until they had entered the room and Koru was sitting next to him on the bed. "I looked at your medical files when you were in the hospital, I know I shouldn't have and I could have lost my job, but once I was sure you were Erik's cub I couldn't help myself." Ned prepared himself for the onslaught of angry teenager he was sure would descend on him at any second but instead all he heard was a quiet "Oh" and this worried him almost as much as if he had incited anger in the cub. Trying to relieve the tension he had created the cougar quickly launched into an explanation of what he had planned for the day as he went about efficiently removing the bandages from his young charge, and before long was leading the way to a door that Koru had thought to be a closet. He was slightly taken aback when they entered not into a closet but a large and very modern looking bathroom, and almost missed when Ned began to explain how to work the digital controls for the shower and built in fur drier before turning to him with a big grin. "And while your getting cleaned up I'm going to go call the doctor and see what he says about you going back to classes and such, just remember to go easy when your washing you don't want to reopen anything." Koru almost didn't have time to blink before the suddenly energetic cougar had departed closing the door behind him, leaving the youth alone with his thoughts. It had been a while since he had even thought about all the times he had been rushed to an emergency room, and then been forced to lie and say that the injuries he had sustained were his own fault just so maybe the dirt bag who had broken his arm, or pushed him down a flight of stairs would decide he was too much trouble and pass him on to the next house of horrors. A shiver ran through him as he stood there, before he quickly shucked his clothes and hopped into the large, modern shower stall, and punched in the commands on the digital keypad to start the shower. The warm water sent a ripple of pleasure through the young tiger and he began to purr, unable to control himself, it had been so long since he had been able to shower and just enjoy it without worrying that he would be interrupted by some perverted foster parent. The pleasure however was short lived as the warm water flowed over his still tender wounds, causing them to flair with a slight stinging pain. For the first time since his release from the hospital Koru managed to get a good look at himself, and what he saw made him cringe. The skin beneath his snowy white fur was badly enough bruised in many places that it shone through his thick fur, and in at least a few places his fur was shaved and and the skin beneath stitched together where the wolfs claws had cut deeply into him. With a slight shudder he realized that even with the visible signs of the attack it was something he couldn't dwell on or he might lose himself in self pity, something he promised that he would never do no matter what, and so slowly he began to push himself into the familiar motions of washing himself and soon his mind wandered back to another line of thought. Was Erik telling the truth was the tiger really his father, and was the story about his mother and her giving him up the truth, or did the older tiger have some ulterior motive. Both Erik and Ned seemed genuine in their concern for him but he had seen that before and it always turned out to be just a front. With a sigh he turned off the water and started the fur drier, automatically wondering how much this whole digital shower set up cost, he had never seen anything like it. He chuckled softly at least if these two were just using him he would be very comfortable for the duration, and that at least was something positive. Stepping out of the shower he quickly located the clean pair of underwear and pants that he brought in with him and slipped them on entering the bedroom again just as Ned knocked and then slowly peeked his head in. "ah good seems I have perfect timing" he said smiling as he crossed the room, setting the medical kit he had with him on the bed and motioning for Koru to come sit by him. Koru moved over and sat next to Ned carefully, and as the cougar began to re-bandage his wounds the young tiger could no longer hold back the question that had been eating away at him "Ned?" the quizzical note in the younger felines voice caused Ned to pause momentarily in his work before he continued "yes?" "How do you know if someone really cares about you?" Ned paused unsure quite how to answer the young tiger, instead concentrating on securing the last bandage before responding. "Well I guess for me it comes down to one thing, do you feel loved?" the uncomfortable silence that followed the cougars answer did not last long, as soon the youth had another question. "What does it feel like to be loved? How can you tell if someone really does love you?" Koru had turned to study the cougar as his stunned expression slowly faded to one of concern, the young tiger waiting patiently for an answer. "well I guess the biggest part of knowing if someone loves you is do they make you feel wanted? Do you feel safe in their presence? Do you feel that if you were no longer present that they would would come to tears over your loss, or would they just shrug it off and move on?" Koru fell silent and his eyes took on a distant look, the question had been one that bothered him for a long time and looking back on his life he couldn't say for sure if he had actually ever felt love, but at least Erik and Ned did truly seem to care about him and whether he was happy. His thoughts were soon interrupted though as Ned chuffed softly before speaking. "Let me help you get your shirt on and then we can head out, okay?" Koru nodded silently before Ned helped him get his shirt and shoes on with only a few soft grunts of pain from the young tiger, and then they both headed out to the garage and hoped into the cougars jeep. Koru was still silent as they pulled out of the driveway, so lost in thought that he Jumped slightly when Ned spoke, "I called the hospital when you were in the shower, they told me that you can't go back to class until you've at least seen the doctor tomorrow, but they did give me permission to take you off the liquid diet if I thought you had recovered enough." the effect of Ned's words were immediate, the youth's ears perked and and his body tensed and although he still kept his face turned to the passenger window the cougar could tell Koru was listening intently. "So I was thinking maybe we could grab some lunch at the mall while we're there, unless of course you would rather not risk it and stick to your liquid diet for a couple more days?" Ned grinned as the young tigers ears flattened and and his head swiveled around to regard the cougar carefully "I'm just pulling your whiskers cub, ill even let you pick where we go as way of an apology." Koru sat looking at the cougar for a few minutes before he let his gaze fall to the clasped paws in his lap, something he noted that was becoming a habit, before speaking softly, his ears drooping low. "thank you...... for everything Ned." "You don't have to thank me for anything cub, I only did what any parent should do. Even if I'm not technically your father, you are my mates cub, which in my book is family." The young white tiger sat in silence the rest of the drive to the mall, slowly going over the events of the last few days. It was all a bit much for him and still didn't seem completely real. Not that he wasn't grateful for the respite from the endless train of abuses lain on him by the many foster families he had been placed with, but he still didn't know if he could trust Erik and Ned despite desperately wanting too. As they pulled into the parking lot Ned glanced over to the silent young tiger sitting next to him, musing to himself how closely the youth resembled his father, in both looks and mannerisms. "So I'm thinking we hit up some clothing shops and then head to the food court for some lunch." "Sure, sounds good." Koru replied, looking out the window towards the large looming structure as Ned pulled into an open parking spot and put the vehicle in park, and turning off the engine. "So........ how much exactly is our budget for this. From what I remember the mall stores can get pretty expensive, I mean on the rare occasion I did get new clothes the foster families always went to Paw-Mart." Ned smirked slightly as he exited the vehicle, followed closely by his charge as they headed for the entrance to the shopping center. "You don't need to worry about that right now, we're just here to get you set up with some clothes so you don't look like your wardrobe got into a fight with the lawnmower." The cougar smiled openly as he finished his bad quip and heard a soft chuckle from the direction of the young tiger next to him. It was the first time he had heard Koru laugh since he had met him and he felt that maybe the cub was finally adjusting to his new life or at least was beginning to accept that things were getting a little better. As they stepped through the doors this thought was pushed out of Ned's mind, he followed the young tiger as he made his way into the nearest clothing store and immediately began to browse the selection in the store. Ned just stood back offering advice and and carrying the eventual purchases as Koru shopped, looking and acting just as the cougar remembered acting himself at the young tigers age. This reminiscent thought was rudely interrupted by the ringing of his phone, looking at the display Ned spoke quickly to his young charge, "Hey Koru I need to take this call, will you be all right for a few minutes if I slip around the corner to take it?"
"Sure, do you mind if I go over to that hobby shop to wait for you?" Koru Asked, looking down into the bag with his new purchases. Ned looked quickly over to the hobby shop. "That should be OK, let me hold onto that bag for you, and I'll meet you there as soon as I get off the phone." With a nod to Ned, Koru turned tail and was off to the shop across the hall, as Ned watched him go he tapped the screen of his phone and lifted it to his ear. "Hello Hun, how are things at the office?" Ned frowned slightly at the reply. "Are you sure it's a good idea Erik? He's just settling in and and it might upset him." the cougar frowned slightly again but this time ended up smiling after listening to his mates ramblings. "OK, OK, you win I'll tell him as soon as we get back in the car, OK love you too, talk to you at home." The cougar frowned slightly as he pushed his phone back into his pocket and started walking towards the store where Koru was waiting for him. How in the hell was he going to break this news to the cub, The boy just seemed to be settling in, and now he had a whole new issue to to work through with him. As Ned stepped into the hobby-shop and looked around a feeling of dread slowly washed over him, he didn't see the young white tiger anywhere inside, and a quick conversation with a clerk at the store had his fur standing on end. The otter woman told him she had seen a large black wolf approach the boy in question and then head off towards the restrooms with him after a short conversation. "Are you all right sir?" the clerk asked Ned as the color drained from his face. The cougar instantly dropped the shopping bags he was holding and turned his gaze on the worried clerk. "I need you to call the police right away, tell them you saw a wanted criminal and tell them to come straight to the bathrooms." The otter woman opened her mouth to ask why, but was too late Ned was already out the door and running full speed to the restrooms, only pausing outside the men's restroom to pull out the taser that Erik made him carry in case of emergencies. With taser in paw Ned kicked open the door, his heart dropping at the scene before him. Koru was sitting on the floor, a glassy look in his eyes a trickle of blood running down his cheek from a small gash above his left eye, and his pants around his ankles. Although the most terrifying part was the massive black wolf standing over the cub, who had just turned his deep crimson eyes to the door and the cougar that had burst through it. Without a thought Ned leveled the taser at the wolfs back and fired, the result would have almost been comical in a different situation, the wolfs muscles seized and shook and when the current finally died his knees buckled and he fell, his head striking hard on one of the metal sinks as he fell. "KORU, are you all right?" the cougar shouted a bit loudly as he passed the unconscious wolf, kneeling at the young tigers side, his medical training kicked in, noting that the boy most likely had a concussion and the gash above his eye was pretty shallow and wouldn't require stitches. "I'm sorry Ned, but he said he'd hurt the cashier lady if I didn't go with him." Koru's speech was slightly slurred and his eyes still a bit glassy but otherwise there seemed to be no serious injuries. Ned was able to get the cub back on his feet and his pants back up with little trouble and was just helping the young tiger to the door when the first police officer stepped into the restroom, his gun drawn and held at the ready. "Are you the one that told the cashier to call the police sir?" "Yeah, the wolf there is the one on all the wanted posters, you might want to get and ambulance out here for him though, He cracked his skull pretty hard when he went down." the officer gave Ned a quick nod then proceeded to cuff the wolf as he began to stir. Noticing the wolf waking the cougar quickly led the unstable young tiger from the room, and finding a bench nearby sat the cub down. "How ya feeling now cub?" he asked, searching his jacket pockets for the small first aid kit he usually kept on himself. "I'm okay I guess, feel a bit dizzy and my head is killing me but otherwise not too bad considering." Ned gave the young tiger a small smile, as he finally gave up his search for the first aid kit. "Well as soon as I give my statement we'll head home and you can get some rest, OK cub?" Koru had just opened his maw to reply when a commotion near the mall entrance interrupted his thoughts. Ned's paw instinctively gripped the younger felines shoulder protectively and his muscles tensed, as he prepared for whatever was coming. However the cougar relaxed slightly when he saw the by now familiar face of Detective Blake. The large lion instantly changed direction towards the pair when he recognized Koru and Ned sitting on the bench. The detective took one look at the young tiger and quickly shifted his gaze to Ned. "What happened here? The dispatcher didn't give me much info just said I should get to the mall ASAP." Ned frowned slightly at this this, afraid that explaining what happened might traumatize the cub even more, but before he could even make up his mind Koru spoke up. "It was the wolf again. He cornered me in the store over there and took me to the bathroom, said he was going to kill me this time cause I talked." Ned was a little shocked at how easily the young tiger spoke of the recent events, but decided that it might be easier for the cub if he wasn't forced to do it in front of a crowd. "Detective? I think I'm going to go and get the bags I dropped in the store over there, would you mind staying with him while I do?
The lion Nodded slightly, "Sure I need to get his statement anyway now that I know what the situation is." With the assurance that Koru wouldn't be left alone, the cougar swiftly made his way back inside the hobby shop and over to the counter where the curious counter girl barely seemed to notice his presence, so absorbed was she in the police activity just outside the store. "Excuse me miss, do you happen to know what happened to the bags I dropped here?" The otter girl Jumped and quickly looked over to Ned, slightly embarrassed, "Oh yes, of course sir. When you dropped your purchases and ran out I brought your bags behind the counter in case you came back for them." She bent down and retrieved the bags and then asked, "Do you have any idea whats going on, I mean you had me call the cops and all so I figured you might know......" Ned gave the otter a critical look before answering, "I saw some fur being assaulted and ran to stop it." with that the cougar turned and left the shop, not really caring if she believed his lie or not. As Ned approached the bench where the young tiger was still seated and staring sedately at his own paws, Detective Blake stood, "I got the cubs statement, but I'm going to hold off on getting yours for the time being so you can get him home to rest." Ned didn't want to admit it to himself but he was relieved to not have to stay there any longer, and after giving a nod to the detective proceeded to gently lead his young charge out to their vehicle. During the quiet ride home the cougar silently worried about the cub who had remained completely silent since his talk with the detective, he also worried how Erik was going to take this news. Ned was startled from his thoughts as, when he was waiting for the gate to open at the end of their driveway, Koru spoke softly to him, "Ned, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to cause you any trouble back there." the cougar looked over to the cub and was surprised as he looked into eyes that reminded him so much of his mates, at least up until recently. He recognized the deep sadness there and had to fight the urge to break out in tears, carefully composing himself the cougar replied, "Its not your fault cub, I don't blame you for anything and I'm sure I speak for both your father and myself when I say we're just glad that you survived the encounter."
He ruffled the young tigers head-fur with one paw as he used the other to carefully steer the the car into the garage. As soon as they got into the house Ned sat the cub down on the couch and went to retrieve his first aid kit, returning as swiftly as he could and kneeling in front of the boy. "How are you feeling now? Still woozy? Any dizziness or headache?" "I'm a bit dizzy yet, but the pills the medic at the mall gave me helped with the headache." Koru gave the cougar a small smile before continuing, "I am a bit hungry though." Ned's eyes widened as he realized that in all the commotion he had forgotten lunch, "I'm so sorry, with everything that's happened today I completely forgot about lunch. You sit here and relax and ill go make something." and with that the cougar headed to the kitchen, leaving Koru sitting unsteadily on the couch trying to stay awake. Ned was only gone for about 10 minutes when the doorbell rang, Koru waited until it rang a third time before he called to Ned, thinking that maybe the cougar hadn't heard. The doorbell rang a fourth time and, since Ned hadn't responded the young tiger stood and walked slowly and carefully to the door, stopping only momentarily to steady his nerves before opening the door. "Hello, can I help you?" he said carefully looking over the two older tigers standing on the doorstep. They both bore the same colors as his father although the orange fur around their muzzles was faded with age. "Well hello there, just who might you be?" the female tiger asked as she looked the young tiger over. "I don't recall Erik telling me about any new employees." it was at just this moment that Ned came striding up behind the young tiger placing a paw gently on his shoulder and smiling tensely, "Sorry I didn't hear the door, I was on the phone with your father. Figured I better let him know about what happened at the mall." Ned finally looked up to see who was at the door and was greeted by the boisterous tigress, "Oh Ned its so nice to see you. Is Erik still at the office? And what did you mean his father?" Ned stood firmly as the questions battered at him, but Koru did not fare the tirade so well, and as the tigress continued to question Ned, the young tiger began realize that these tigers must be Erik's parents. The youth was so lost in the realization that at first he didn't notice the darkening at the edge of his vision, or how hard it was getting to stay upright, and by the time he did notice it was already too late. His body felt so heavy and before he knew it he fell into one of the furs standing near him, he wasn't sure who he hit all he knew were the suddenly panicked voices echoing around him, as if down a long tunnel, and the strong pair of arms that were holding him, keeping him from hitting the ground.