---Collin’s POV---
I kept an eye on Christina as she was guided away from the main room where several doctors were assessing newly arrived Nomads and pride members. It was fairly calm right now, only one other Nomad was being looked after as she was told to raise her arms and move her joints to see if something was hindering her.
The nurse guided Christina to the changing rooms, where she would supervise and see if she had any wounds or scars they had to check out. The dread in my stomach grew heavier with every passing second and my fears were quickly realized when the nurse rushed back out of the room, a shaky hand clasped over her mouth and wide eyes blinking to remove the tears.
Unfolding my arms, I took a step forwards when Dad frowned and walked over from the other Nomad to see what was wrong. Lincon, Antonio, Helen and Dimitri shared a confused look as they all huddled together close to where father was talking to the nurse, who was shaking her head before she sat down on an available chair.
Dad looked up as I walked closer and he curled a finger in the air, signaling me over. I quickly made my way towards him as he thought about what the nurse had said for a moment, his finger tapping against his bottom lip before looking at me.
“What’s wrong dad?” I asked, looking from the nurse to the room where Christina still was. Dad sighed slightly and shook his head. “I don’t know for sure since Miss Rain here isn’t exactly speaking coherent but I think that it had something to do with that Nomad.”
I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm and scowled at him. “No, really?” I gasped in fake shock, making father laugh for a moment before he looked back at the changing rooms, his expression slightly torn.
“We need to know what’s wrong with the Nomad that made Ms. Rain nearly faint and react this way but I don’t want to barge in and offend the girl or invade on her privacy.” He explained, waving his hand in front of him before looking back when the door cracked slightly open.
“If you guys give me some sporting clothes I can show you what the fuss is about.” Christina’s voice sounded calm but Dad and I shared a look when we picked up on how it sounded rather shaky, as if she was preparing herself for stepping out of that room.
Helen was the first to react and quickly jumped out of the room, appearing back in less than a minute with a pair of shorts and a sporting top that covered the top of the chest till just midway the ribs. She cautiously peeked her head in the room and gave Christina the clothes before she walked back out.
The shock in her eyes wasn’t really soothing my nerves, at all.
After a few seconds, the door creaked open and Christina slowly walked in with an expression that clearly stated she didn’t want to but had no choice. The other nurse walked by to place the tray filled with bandages and scissors away on the shelve next to Christina. When she passed her, the nurse went to turn her head, probably to tell her to go ahead and sit down.
The tray fell on the floor with a bang while the nurse stared wide eyed at Christina’s back, making her sigh before her eyes flashed towards me. The emotion in them was unreadable before she blanked her face and showed us her back.
I let out a hiss as my nails curved into claws and dug in the palm of my hand, but even with that sharp stabbing pain, I couldn’t avert my eyes from Christina’s body as she slowly raised her arms so she was forming a T. Father snarled beside me before stalking closer to Christina and I followed him, as if being pulled in with some twisted fascination.
It looked like someone had used Christina’s back to sharpen their knives with. Her tanned skin did nothing to hide the silver lines that marred her back and shoulders. Two angry lines crossed on her spine, one starting from her hip and the other following her spine down to her kidneys.
Her lower back was riddled with small scars and lines and when Christina brushed her hair to the side, I saw claw marks on either side of her neck, like someone had picked her up on her neck without giving a damn that their claws were extended.
Dad was silent, pacing back and forth before he ordered the doctor to spot and file every single scar found on Christina’s body with a cold glare in his eyes. I knew that hell would freeze over before he would let this go without finding out whoever did this to her.
And I had a very strong suspicion who created those scars.
Lincon gagged behind me, breaking my gaze away from the scars on Christina’s body to look at him as he leaned against the wall, his skin-color taken on a sickly green while his eyes shot from one scar to another.
“What is your name, child?” Father asked in a soft tone, walking around her to look in her eyes as he spoke. The way his face tensed when his eyes flashed down at her stomach made me sick.
“There are more…maybe even more than we can see. The bruises and breaks have healed over time…but what about her mind?” Liam asked softly, unusually quiet as Christina remained in her position and replied, “Christina, my Lord.” Father chuckled amusedly at her reply as I raised a brow, glancing at my friends to gauge their reactions.
It seemed that Lincon had recovered and had a newfound respect for Christina, while the normally stoic Dimitri was showing some emotion, as his face was contorted with anger every time he glanced at Christina’s scars. Even Helen remained silent as she watched whatever was transpiring in front of us.
Somehow, this was going to change the way father handled the prides. And yes, if you haven’t figured it out yet, my father is the Africa Leopard King, which is why I had feared for this confrontation. Christina would need to spill her secrets in front of my father but if she did so, her former pride might go after her.
Meanwhile, the doctor was slowly circling Christina, jutting down every single scar on her body before he just gave up with a grunt and went to retrieve a bit more high-tech material. My father glanced at him, making the poor man tremble slightly before he replied, “Apologies your majesty but there are too many scars to just note them all down. I was thinking of making a hologram.”
“Hmmm…. Agreed.” Father hummed softly as he still watched Christina with a thoughtful expression before he slowly lowered himself so he was eye to eye with her. “How long have you been a Nomad Christina?” The atmosphere in the room changed; everyone was on edge, tensely waiting for her response. I could feel father’s wishes that these were just battle scars but both he and I knew that that wasn’t the case. There were too many scars on hard to reach places.
“About six hours sir.” Father’s eyes burned at her reply but he tried to keep calm as the nurses moved around her, scanning every inch of her body before a small 3-D model appeared on the screen, red circles highlighting the scars to make it easier to spot them.
“Christina, it is of the utmost importance that you tell me from which pride you come from. I need a name to look for whoever did this to you.” Father spoke in a soft yet urgent and strict tone before Christina was allowed to pull some clothes on.
I sighed, leaning back against the wall with a dark expression on my face before my friends joined me. Helen stood by my side, hesitantly leaning against her cousin’s shoulders as he tucked her in a comforting embrace. “Who would do such a thing? And why? She’s just a-“
“Don’t call her a kid Helen. She’s been through more than any kid can withstand, let alone the adults.” Dimitri chided her with a stern gaze as he looked down at her before taking a deep breath.
Christina appeared back in the room, wearing the baggy hoodie she’d worn when I had met her for the first time. The pants were part of the Proving uniform, meant to distinct the kids from those who already knew their status.
Father turned towards her, looking expectantly at her but his expression slowly faltered as she replied, “I’m sorry sir, but I won’t tell you the name of my former pride. Not to protect them but to protect myself.” She quickly added when father tried to interrupt her. He frowned slightly but seemed understanding of her situation.
Me on the other hand…not so much.
“Come on Christina, are you really going to let them go with this? After what they did to you?” She shook her head with a mischievous smile, her eyes flashing with her cat’s energy as she replied, “No, I’m not going to reveal them because they will blame me for it. However, they’re going to reveal themselves…unintentionally.”
I gazed in her blue eyes, searching for information before I slowly nodded as a smile of my own crept on my face. Alex would be fuming when he realized that Christina wasn’t only surviving on her own, but was thriving as well. He would be so furious that he wouldn’t be able to contain himself and fall in his old ways.
She nodded back before looking back at the others. “So, can I join the Proving or not?” Dad watched her closely, his eyes slowly turning golden with the inner strength of his cat coming to the forefront before he slowly nodded, brushing a hand through his nicely trimmed beard.
“Yes, I see no issue in letting you join the Proving.” His eyes flashed towards me before he sighed slightly and walked towards the doctor to supervise the rest of the check up. His eyes flickered towards Christina before she could leave. “However, if your former pack lay a hand on you, I can’t and will not stop myself from acting. Do I make myself clear?”
She simply nodded once, elegantly bowing down before she whipped her ruby hair over her head and smiled slightly. “Yes sir.”
---Christina’s POV---
I followed the others as they lead me to the first trial that I had to pass. Helen and Dimitri were walking up front, with Lincon and Antonio somewhere behind me and Collin. They were all in a slightly more serious mood than when I first met them and I had a feeling that it had to do with my scars.
When that nurse had watched me peel my shirt off my back, she had gulped in shock, her eyes wide before she dashed out the room. It was quite a shock to realize that she was crying for me, not because of me. She couldn’t begin to understand why a pride would do such a thing.
That makes two of us.
Anyway, I looked up curiously when the others came to a halt at an enclosed space, filled with trees, long grass and a lone flag waving high up a cliff. A frown appeared on my face as I looked up at the flag before scanning my surroundings.
“Why is there a small forest in the center of the pride’s village? It doesn’t make sense.” I confided with Eve, making her curious enough to take a look through my eyes. “They made that. It isn’t a natural forest.” She remarked softly before Lincon stepped up and looked at me from the corner of his eyes.
“That’ll be your first test but that’s for tomorrow. For now, you’ll need to have a place to sleep. The nomads usually stay wherever they want, sine the pride landers are more focused on living in the tribe houses.” I nodded slowly and smiled at the young man, who seemed to take a shine on me.
“Playboy.” Eve huffed in my mind, making me bite my lip slightly to prevent the smirk to come on my lips. Dimitri just shook his head at the actions of his friends and silently gestured me to follow him and Helen as Antonio and Lincon waved good-bye before leaving for the huts, playfully shoving each other when they talked.
“So that’s how it feels to have friends…”Eve mused softly, my own longing intensified, although the yearning to be free was too strong to resist. “You can have friends as a Nomad. Take Collin for example; he has friends in and out the pride.” I glanced back, inconspicuously watching them before I nodded to myself. Yes, it did seem that they were really good friends, the way they were so relaxed around one another.
“Christy! Come on, let’s get some sleep here!” Helen shouted out, snapping me out of my musing with a smile on my face as I blinked once.
I can have friends.
-------
The sounds of birds chirping annoyingly close by made me peel my eyes open to scowl at the unimpressed sparrow, which simply showed me its tail before jumping of the tree and flowing down with the wind. I stretched my legs, squinting my eyes against the morning sun that reached my face.
I smiled and looked around the camp from my high spot in the trees. Most of the Nomads preferred to sleep in camps on the ground, yet a few ventured up in the trees to sleep there. My cat had urged me to go up and so I did, and I wouldn’t regret it. The morning sun was beautiful from in between the leaves.
Large shapes of trees were painted against the forest floor while the open spaces were flooded with sunlight, the yellow and green in a sharp contrast with the shadow behind the sun-engulfed trees. I blinked and looked down to see that the others weren’t up yet, although some were gathering around the ‘forest’ in the center. Collin was one of them.
“Let’s go. Time to proof ourselves.”
I didn’t need any more incentive and rose up, walking to the tip of the branch before I simply stepped off. A blast of cool air flew around me before I landed on the ball of my feet, knees slightly bent to absorb the impact and one hand splayed out on the forest floor. When I looked up, Lincon and Collin were both looking at me, one with an appreciative nod and smile, the other with his mouth hanging wide open.
“Morning.” Collin greeted in a casual tone as I walked up to them and smiled. “Morning.” I greeted back, glancing at the people who were streaming towards the center of the pride. “Aren’t we supposed to wait for all the prides to gather?” I questioned, looking back up at him.
Collin opened his mouth to reply but Lincon quickly interjected, ”Nah, we usually start with the Nomads first, or Nomads and pridelanders mixed together, whatever comes in handy. Right now, there are more Nomads than pride-cats, so we’ll start with a group of Nomads. Guess who has to go in the first group?” He smirked, looking pointedly at me while Collin was busy burning a hole in his head.
If looks could kill, Lincon was dead. I just shook my head in amusement as Eva purred in my head, laughing at the amusing behavior of these two males. “I’m guessing I’m up?” I asked teasingly before making my way towards the man I had talked to yesterday, better known as the African Leopard King.
My gaze flashed quickly to Collin as Eve remarked, “Guess you got the nickname right. Collin is a royal, a prince at that.” Looking back to the front, where the King was looking at a list, I smiled at myself. Never thought a prince could be a Nomad as well.
“Christina?”
My head snapped up and I waved, “Here!” He smiled in recognition before he pointed to a spot not to far from the forest. “Take place please.” I nodded and weaved through the crowd as he called out a few more names. A few seconds later, nearly ten teenagers had gathered in a circle around the forest.
“Alright kids, listen up. When I call your name, you’ll enter the forest and you’ll try to get to the flag. This is a test of agility, not speeds so don’t break any bones, you hear me? This is also a test to see how close you work together with your cat, but that’s all I can say about that. Good luck.”
We were told to sit down with our back towards the forest until we heard our name. I closed my eyes to focus on the sounds as the first competitor was called out. He or she quickly made his way in the forest, making so much nose when they moved that I almost missed the metallic sound just before I heard a male grunt and flop down to the ground.
“Traps.”
“Yeah, but what kind?” I thought, listening intently to the next, which was a girl, judging by the soft footsteps. She dodged the first few traps but was hit by another one. Still, she made it to the flag and I smiled when she was cheered on by her family.
“Christina.”
I took a deep breath and let it slowly out as I pushed off the ground and slowly turned around. The forest looked normal enough, the leaves rustling in the wind and the flag made a slight snapping sound as it slapped against the pole.
The background noise blanked out as I made my first steps in the forest. Every sense was on edge; I smelled the dirt below my feet, the small droplet of blood that clung to a tree, the metal of a tripwire that was invisibly hidden between the shrubs.
As I progressed in the woods, I found myself on a spot where I was surrounded by traps. I looked around, trying to find a way out but everywhere I looked and smelled, tripwires were gleaming, churned dirt clung to my nostrils without any way out.
“If you can’t beat them…join them.” Eve’s voice echoed through my head as I watched how the traps were set up. If I triggered them, they would swing out but I might just…
Without a second thought, I dashed forwards, ignoring the shouts of the onlookers as I jumped over the first trap, triggering the second one with my heels as I landed. I managed to dodge the tree branch that swished by, returning to its original position from which it had been stretched and then the forest was silent again for a moment.
“There’s a plate to the right that will go off towards us. If we trigger the trap to our left, it will trigger the plate and we can use it to build momentum and jump up for the flag. You might get hit though.”Eve had observed our surroundings thoroughly and I knew I could trust her.
“I’m used to the pain of getting hit.” I replied grimly, to which she flinched slightly, growling in remembrance. “True but it still hurts.” She replied before we prepared ourselves. Going to the left, I spotted the tripwire that guided to the trap and looked back to the one I needed to run to, calculating the distance.
A soft, resentful sigh escaped my lips before I stomped down with my foot, quickly dropping myself to the floor as the branch barely missed my face before I stumbled back on my feet and ran for the other trap. I heard a click and saw the plate swing forwards but before I reached it, I felt a sharp, stinging pain accompanied by a loud slap before I was vaulted in the air when I placed my two feet on the retreating plate.
Thanks to the spring mechanism, I was catapulted to somewhere close by the flag. I picked it up with my left arm, since my right one had took one for the team; I hadn’t expected the branch to lash back again and it had retaliated with force, creating a nearly black welt on my arm, from upper arm over my shoulder blade to the middle of my back.
“Good job. Please go to the nurse to see to your wound.” I smiled, feeling giddy and warm inside because someone told me I did a good job. I always thought Collin was biased because he was my teacher but I guess I did well after all.
With that smile still stuck on my face, I walked past the other competitors that were left and smiled at Collin and Lincon before following the nurse back to the pride houses, knowing that I had made my way in the Proving with a good start.
There, I hope you like it ^-^
So, What do you think of the others? The way Collin, Lincon and the others react with Christina?
Comment, Vote,...