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This will be the TABLE OF CONTENTS and INDEX for the story!

Chapter 1
"Mighty"
(view spoiler)[ As Kyt'al Nuk's Alpha Male conducts a hunt with a party full of trainees, their prey is nabbed by an uninvited guest. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 2
"The Monster"
(view spoiler)[ Aithykyl confronts the Emperor of Kychet but, is interrupted by a brave trainee, Kitza. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3
"They Are Rats"
(view spoiler)[ The Emperor returns to camp to announce the beginning of his siege. However, someone stands to oppose. (hide spoiler)]

CHAPTER 1

"Mighty"


A loud buzzing rolls over the grasslands, that of summer's insects. The sun, an angry glare upon the earth that roasted it's surface, drawing every animal in the area towards the rivers and watering holes. The predators who lived there benefited greatly from this heat, for it brought all they searched for to one location.

With pawsteps softer than feathers but frames that moved with grand haste, a collection of beasts moved through the grass. A beast, several croc-lengths ahead of them, grazed upon the foliage without a care in all of it's docile brain. It's frame was tiny but enough to feed the small hunting party.

Once close enough, the group stopped and briefly huddled in the brush. The spoke in hushed whispers but mostly used signals of nods and points that helped them communicate their plan. All of the hunters turn to one, a wolf of enormous stature and well-built muscle. "Aithykyl, we cannot risk-" One of the wolves, slightly larger than the rest but, still quite small, spoke to him in oppose.

Without risking the noise, the larger wolf turned his head, exposing his fangs and showing off a devilish glare. He would not growl, the prey they hunted was few and far in between. Scaring it off would spell death on the hunting party.

Aithykyl, the alpha, a wolf of grayish white fur and bright yellow eyes, wished to prove these trainees as successful. That they could continue to support the pack. Their parents' lives depended on it.
After a moment of silent thinking, the alpha stood and progressed forward. The smaller wolf, turning to the trainees, spoke. "You, follow him. You, come with me, watch your paws."
The one group split into two, surrounding the small herd of beasts. One beast in particular, young and feeble, contained their utmost interest.

There was a silence in the grasslands. A silence accompanied by the loud noises of nature but, a silence never the less. The beasts grew suspicious of the silence themselves, raising their heads to investigate and smell the air.
As the smallest beast raised its nose to the moon, the air filling its lungs, it grew more panicked. The stench of wolf hung nearby, infecting the area with a fear that could not be shaken.
It turned it's body, lifting itself up in an ungainly sprint. However, before it's legs could carry it more than a few feet, the jaws of fate closed around it's throat.

The teeth punctured deep, ripping and shredding into blood vessels. Death was delivered quickly, but it was not delivered by a wolf.

CHAPTER 2

"The Monster"

Aithykyl held his breath for a moment, the gigantic creature was unexpected and appeared to come out of nowhere. He stepped carefully for a moment, but raged fueled his actions. "This creature...this bekit net-"
The alpha sprung from the bushes in a flurry of teeth and rage. "That turo was ours and you knew it! Bekit net!" His voice was plagued with an anger so true, it clung to the very essence of his tone. Birds rose from the trees to rush away from his noise, and in among the movement, the other hunter appeared from the brush. Their face, also stricken with rage but, fear was much more noticeable.
The trainees. They would be no match to a full grown saber tooth, especially this one. It was none other than the Emperor of Kychet. His mighty presence shook the youngsters down to the bone. They shrunk low to the dirt, their bellies touching the earth.

The Emperor gave a shrug, his maw releasing from around the young bison's throat. It's carcass falling to the ground with a "thud" "And what do you and your group of children intend to do about it?" His voice was akin to the thunder that rolled across the hills.
The alpha snarled in rebuttal, coming closer to the Emperor. "Your kind are a fiendish parasite on the land." His tongue spiced every word with an animosity that dug into the ears of the trainees.
Collecting the saliva in his maw, the alpha quickly spat it back out. Hurdling the wad of body fluids at the face of the Emperor, the saber released a loud roar. His teeth baring at the wolf but, the wolf did not waver one step.
"I am not fearful of you, NET!" The alpha's haunches raised, maw opening. For a moment, their teeth met. Proving the bravery in both of them, proving their equality in strength. They were two sides of the same coin, but their savage hearts always lead them to battle.

For a moment, a silence. They gazed into either's eyes, hate consuming each. To the surprise of them both, however, a trainee sprung from the grass. Young Vitza, sprightly is she. Courage ran in her very bones, she'd make a fine Beta Female. "Our paws stay clear of your territory, your vile step most follow the same order!" She barked, the fur on her back standing square up.

The alpha gazed at the trainee in what was misunderstood as surprise but, in actuality, terror. "Return to the canyon!" He turned, screaming such words in a desperate manner.

The trainee would raise her head to the alpha but, the large and heaving structure of the saber tooth was much to quick. The emperor landed upon her small frame with the force of a mammoth.
"Release her! Release her no-" Aithykyl's words were interrupted as the trainee's chest caved into the weight of the smilodon's paws. She screeched in agony before stopping in dead silence.
The sound of the Gamma and the other trainee's paws as they fled signaled to Aithykyl that his words were heeded by at least some of the hunting party. Though he wished so deeply to gaze upon the face of Vitza, to apologize for such anguish, the alpha male glared into the saber's eyes.
The Emperor smirked. "I will remove you all from the Mata the Sun Sabers have blessed us with."

Without any preliminaries- no growl or snarl, bark or prepared charge, the Alpha Male sprung himself upon the Smilodon in a tornado of claws and teeth. As they exchanged slashed upon each other's sides, the wolf stepped away briefly to gain his footing.
Huffing and puffing, attempting to breath clearly, the saber tooth snarled at the wolf.

"My legion is prepared, we come for you all soon. Let this be a warning, though you deserve nothing but gigant yek." The injured smilodon spat before turning his large body. His snarled at the wolf before picking up his enormous paws and galloping through the grass, back towards the jungles.

Aithykyl snarled and snapped at the saber as he ran but, a guilty sadness plagued him.
Approaching the mangled body of the trainee, the alpha drew near to her maw, gracing it with a lick on her still wet nose. Gently grasping her nape in between his teeth, Aithykyl picked her limp body off of the earth.
The body of the bison, the meat this trainee had died for, was to be left behind. Vultures and hyenas will surely steal it, so the alpha had no reason to come back for it. He would not allow the body of Vitza to become disgraced by the savage animals of the grasslands.

Despite the strain in his neck, Aithykyl carried the trainee home, where her body could be washed away of the saber tooth's impurities.

CHAPTER 3

"They Are Rats"

Several smilodons walked over the grasslands and into the small forest that surrounded their home. they had split up during their hunting party and regrouped hours later. The Kychet Emperor, a bison calf hanging from his maw, wore a proud and devious grimace.
He had turned back to retrieve whatever the wolf was going to leave. The wolves were savage creatures with no sense of order or respect, they fought for ranks and fought for food. At least, that is what they believed them to be so, he was quite surprised the alpha had chosen the corpse of a trainee over food.

"Just a small bison calf, Emperor?" A she-cat purred in slight objection to the larger smilodon.
The big chested beast gave a chuckle from underneath the bison's fur as it lay trapped in his jaws. "I stole it from a stupid nuk." The she-cat and he exchanged another brief laugh with eachother before entering the palace. It's walls lined with beautiful markings made from a species long ago.
If one payed close attention, the ancient paintings could be used to tell a story about a long dead civilization who built this place. They were intelligent and had amazing technology. They were able to alter the genetics of creatures to excell the process of evolution on the planet. A disaster struck the earth, however, millions of years ago, and killed almost all of their population. Destoyed most of their research and all their hard work. It was a grand wonder how the palace even remained standing.
The smilodons who use the palace as a home do not see the paintings this way. They care not their depictions, only that they are beautiful and colorful. There are even some illustrations that are hidden by the Emperor himself. What those markings say, very few would ever have the chance to know.

The group strutted into the camp, showing off the meat they hunted. The Emperor tossed the bison calf to a smaller saber who was out training that day but, hadn't caught anything but a wirey hare. "I stole it but, you can say you caught it!" The Emperor teased and continued on, heading deeper into the palace.
"All sabers who are strong enough to fight, hear my words!" He roared into the structure, allowing his thunderous voice to alert the sabers inside. Several heads poked out from floors above and cats began to walk out of the many corridors and rooms of the decrepit palace seeking to listen to the large male.
"Tonight, we lay siege upon those idiotic rats! I'm tired of them hunting on the territory we deserve!" He roared in a voice so loud it caused the birds nearby to fly up in a flurry of feathers and squaking.
Most of the sabers roared in return, signifying their aggreeance with his decision to attack the dire wolves directly. However, once the yelling died down, a female saber named Tala jumped out to express otherwise.
"We hunt beasts, they hunt beasts! They fight for their young, we fight for our young! We deserve to live, they deserve to live! Our difference is none! Killing them will solve nothing!" She spat, directing all anger towards the Emperor.

He immediatly took offence, a snarl in his voice, he replied. "Who are you, a lowly Gladiator, to oppose me!? You are a rat, you deserve to die with them..!" With few words he sprang upon the saberess.