Tame
Chapter 8: Conflict

Days passed much the same as Kalen slowly recovered. Each day he slept a little less and was able to push his body just a little bit more before fatigue left him too exhausted to move. His appetite also gradually began to improve and he became less reliant on Dawn’s pain relievers.

Dawn checked often, but Kalen’s wound healed up with little issues. Any evidence of the cut itself was almost totally gone, just stubborn gnarly bruising from the poison’s entry remained.

When Kalen felt strong enough, he would help out with duties around the home and even attempted to reinforce Mack’s paddock fencing on good days. Although Mack remained suspicious of his presence, Dawn quite enjoyed and felt blessed by Kalen’s company.

She had not smiled so much like this in a long time. Even if she had lived alone for so long, she was still grateful every day for all she had. It was a lot more than most people. But having Kalen around suddenly made her life so positively different. Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.

They had many conversations that compared their very different lives. Dawn would share stories and memories of her late family, and Kalen would answer all of Dawn’s constant curious questions about his Theron lifestyle. Kalen was even happy to share most information regarding his job. He patrolled the borders and reported back on any issues regarding the territory his clan reigned over. This included checking in on the human villages and Dawn was relieved to discover his clan in particular hadn’t interfered to negatively harm a human village yet to date.

It was another fine morning as Dawn once again finished securing everything she needed in her cart. It had been a while since Dawn had tried her luck selling her medical wares at the market and she felt hopeful she would make some sales today. She was also in rather high spirits as Kalen had agreed to come with her to the marketplace. He was probably fairly eager for a change of scenery.

If horses could pout or roll their eyes, old boy Mack would certainly be doing that. Kalen had worked hard to slowly earn his trust, and he’d even allowed Kalen to harness him up for the trip. But even so, apparently Mack would rather be grazing elsewhere than getting a bit of exercise and earning his keep.

Kalen laughed as Mack’s ears flattened impatiently and he gave him a deadpan stare.

“I’m surprised you get along with him so well,” Dawn observed. She knew how stubborn and flighty her horse could be.

Kalen smiled as he stroked Mack’s face. “I actually really like horses. There aren’t many, but the ones we do have back home aren’t as nice and easy-going as Mack. They breed them tough, in both personality and physically.”

Dawn could understand horses ridden and worked by theron probably did have to be fairly fearless to be around something that could easily take them down as prey.

Kalen offered his hand and smiled that soft smile at her that caused butterflies in her stomach. “Ready to go?” He asked as she accepted the gesture.

The cart was set up in record time with Kalen’s assistance, and as Dawn had hoped she was busier than normal. She still got the usual disapproving or avoidant stares and insults under peoples’ breath, but Kalen was popular and it was apparent he was drawing people in. Everyone remained blissfully unaware he was not human and supposedly something they feared and hated.

Young ladies especially seemed curious by his presence and even Paige made an appearance to chat to him, using a fabricated excuse that she needed to buy her mother something to help with her arthritis.

As Dawn and Kalen began packing up after a long day, screams and chaos suddenly erupted from the middle of the market. People began to scatter in multiple directions to avoid the source of the drama.

Kalen stiffened and stared almost hypnotically in that same direction while Mack fed off the distress and began to panic. The telltale pacing of his heavy fluffy feet made his anxiety apparent. Dawn was attempting to calm the horse before he became too frantic. And when Dawn looked up again Kalen was gone.

Dawn’s own panic began to stir as she pushed her way through the confused crowd to see where he went. It was at this moment that Dawn was forced roughly to the ground. Face first, she tasted blood as her lip split on the hard, uneven gravel and the air rushed out of her lungs in a painful breath.

Dawn pushed herself over to face her attacker and was met with a jaw of bared snarling and blood-drenched teeth. Her hands were automatically up against the neck of the deranged creature, shoving it back as it tried to bite into her face.

Its unkempt and patchy fur, gangly limbs, wolfy appearance, and crazed eyes were an obvious indication of a fenrin. An unnatural shapeshifting species that was once human, but now infected and doomed to transform into something unsightly until his mind and body eventually gave out.

Suddenly it screamed and Dawn was free of the weight. She watched as another creature launched at it and they tumbled together.

The fenrin was mangy in comparison to the other creature’s dark, sleek fur and powerful but elegantly defined structure. Its well-rounded face and short nose made it look rather cat-like, but also like no cat Dawn had ever seen. There was a loud crunch as its jaws clenched expertly over the fenrin’s neck and then twisted.

The fenrin’s body quivered before it dropped lifeless. As the victor turned to look at her the realisation hit Dawn. She knew it was Kalen by the way its teal eyes blazed and the uncanny nick in his ear.

There was no time for Dawn to react as another two Fenrin blasted out from the hysterical crowd. And made a beeline straight for Kalen.

Terrified, Dawn hid back behind the cart for the next few dreadful minutes that passed. She simply could not handle watching as her gentle Kalen wildly took to the battle. The sounds of snarling, ripping, and screaming were haunting. And when the noise stopped and Dawn finally emerged from her hiding spot, she was shocked to see theron Kalen pinning a man aggressively to the floor amongst the slain fenrin.

“Who sent you, Jarron? Care to explain to me why you’re using these humans as hunting fodder for your unhinged pack?”

Dawn had a fright hearing Kalen’s demanding voice emerge out of the creature. It was confronting to hear it from a beastly form she was not used to.

When Dawn looked closer, she could see the stranger’s face was actually transforming back from that of a shapeshifter. Dark grey hair shrunk back to atop his head and chin, and his structural features became less animalistic. There was no fear, but a mix of shock and anger reflected on his round-shaped face.

“You’re supposed to be dead!” The man named Jarron spat loudly. Before the conversation between them became too audibly strained for Dawn to hear.

Silence had now fallen upon the usually bustling market. Everyone had either evacuated or was in hiding. Most of the stalls had been abandoned in the madness and bloody bodies of deceased market goers lay morbidly in the street.

Jarron was still trying to pick himself up when Kalen came back from behind the cart, back in his human form that Dawn was so familiar with, and fully clothed.

One second Kalen was adjusting his shirt collar, and the next he moved so quickly that Dawn couldn’t tell where he pulled it from, but he flung a blade in Jarron’s direction. The same knife Kalen had been poisoned with landed dramatically between his legs.

“Take that back with you too.” Kalen’s words were like venom. And Jarron recoiled from the tone. No doubt the swift loss of his fenrin pack also had him feeling understandably on edge.

Kalen gave the man one last look of disgust before he took a tight grasp on Dawn’s arm. She was still trembling from the shock of what had just happened. His expression had totally changed again as he looked at her with sadness.

“I have to go back.”

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