Ari

Chapter 35: We are Siblings

I asked Dillon to leave and bring Gurion after eating so my brother and I could talk in private. He agreed, so after I fed Gurion, and Dillon finished his food, he left the room with Gurion to give me and my brother some privacy.

"Ari... I'm sorry... I failed you as your older brother... I know Lindie was too harsh on you. I knew it all... However, I couldn't do anything. I really did try my best to convince her and to stop her from bullying you, but her jealousy had the best of her since she was spoiled too much," he said as he held my hand, trembling as he tried to control his emotion.

It was true. Lindie had been the center of attention of most of the tribesmen since young because she was favored by everyone. Her beauty was unparalleled even when she was just a hatchling. I, on the other hand, hid from the eyes of the masses to prevent any unnecessary circumstances since I was afraid of males.

"Father Lev used to visit us frequently in the nursery. Lindie and I got attached to him more than our own fathers. Lindie considered your father as her real father since our fathers only focused on our mother. They never really cared for us," he explained with a miserable smile.

I was in fact the luckiest among our siblings since my father loved me so much even though our mother was indifferent to me. I never felt lonely because my father did his best to fill in the role of a mother and a father at the same time with the help of the elders, especially Grandma Lony, the elder healer of the Forest Lion Tribe. He did his best as a father not only to me, but also to my siblings, even though he was too busy doing his responsibilities as an alpha.

It was also the reason why I felt pity for my siblings. Our mother did love them, but that was the extent of it. They never felt it because she was so consumed by her love for the two males and by the deaths of her younger ones. She was consumed by her grief and never made any progress on moving forward.

"Lindie... She lets herself believe that she is Father Lev's real daughter. She never listened to me and Askook. She became insecure when she learned that you were a female despite the argument regarding your real gender. I knew she became jealous because you were the real daughter of the alpha..," he added as he clenched his jaws due to irritation.

"She... She was the one who asked Bhari to duel Father Lev and to drive you out of the tribe just because she was jealous of you.... Sorry... W-We tried to stop them... B-But she never intended to harm Father Lev... She was also shocked w-when Father Lev fell on the ground right after vomiting too much blood. She cried so much, especially when Father Lev suddenly disappeared..," he stammered as he trembled, gasping at every pause as his eyes reddened with sadness.

He finally broke into tears after his words, whimpering with grief and guilt.

I also cried hearing his words. I was still in denial and was confused with the situation. I knew there was more to it than meets the eyes, especially because of the dream I had.

It was childish to cry, but I couldn't help it. I felt as if I was relieved from something heavy upon confirming that my brothers still care about me despite all that had happened before.

We only had a short time together when I joined the schooling until the incident of the boar attack. I never knew Brother Orson was such a cry baby like me. He was so mature and calm in front of others.

"Brother... I really miss you... I was so sad when your fathers forbid us to talk to one another..," I said as I wept remembering when I was scolded by their fathers when I tried to approach them a few years ago.

"I know... We miss you too... Askook and I decided to search for you... because we were worried for your safety and I know you are the most affected by the incident," he whispered, weeping with worry.

"Where is Brother Askook?" I asked as I tried to calm myself down.

"Askook had to go back to the tribe to cover up for my disappearance upon sensing your presence in the Forest Wolf Tribe. He said he was too shy because he has been pretending to ignore you since young, so he can't bring himself to show up. Even so, he wanted me to tell you that he was sorry for not being a good brother to you," he explained as he wiped his tears with his hands.

I never really had a grudge on them or even on Lindie despite her attitude towards me.

Even though I am physically young, my soul's age was far older than my father if I added up my previous life. I always thought of them as my younger siblings, so I tried my best to understand their actions.

It did hurt when I knew that she hated my existence just because I was my father's real daughter, causing her to do bad things against me. However, I could understand because she loved my father more than I thought I did.

When we already had no more words left to say, we suddenly realized each other's swollen and puffy eyes so we laughed as we comforted one another. He hugged me tightly and promised that he will never distance himself anymore. I hugged him back and felt relieved at some point.

Soon, after we calmed down, my brother called Dillon into the room. He was just standing outside the whole time.

"Did my godfather take Gurion again?" I asked in confusion upon seeing him alone as he entered the room.

"Yes. He said he will just take Gurion to play with him by the river. They will catch fish with Lowell," Dillon answered.

"Little sis, do you want to know a secret about Dillon?" my brother said with a smug look on his face while looking at Dillon.

"Is there something I don't know yet?" I asked.

"Yes. When we were young... He used to pester me asking if you were a male or not. I didn't answer him because Lindie had always been beside me when he asked," he answered while laughing.

"Ahh! I thought we're friends Orson! Are you betraying me now because of your sister?" he responded with panic.

They started teasing one another, so I laughed while listening to them until it was already dinner time.