TAMRUS

While his friends had often wondered why he didn't really resemble his parents, it wasn't until a group of the self-proclaimed Thorned Vengeance arrived at his house that Tamrus realized that something was wrong. It was the first time that his parents, always so loving and patiently responsive to his questions, actively avoided his querying eyes. They led the Thorned Vengeance into a room to talk quietly, the look in the latter's eyes as they swept past making Tamrus' skin crawl. It was not the first time these Thorned Vengeance had come to his village. They would look at him with the same loathing which plastered their faces as they ranted, spittle flying, about the evil committed by humans against the Wilders. Eventually, Tamrus was forced to face up to the fact that he was different from the others. He didn't have what other Wilders had: no tail, no claws. His large ears, of which he'd always been so proud, had even been made by his father. In fact, he appeared less like these forest companions and more like the humans the Thorned Vengeance railed against. He waited patiently until the Thorned Vengeance had left, then nervously asked his parents where he had really come from. Their reaction was not what he was expecting—they glanced at each other uneasily, but said not a word. A void seemed to open up inside him at their strange and unnatural expressions. Rubbing his large, drooping ears, he felt a stranger in his home for the first time in his life. Later, when his parents weren't looking, he snuck out of the house and wandered aimlessly in the forest. He stood atop a vast tree, wanting to gaze out over the vast arboreal sea as he usually did when troubled. But this time, his attention was immediately arrested by a whispered voice beneath him. "Get a move on, will you? We've still got another batch to hunt after this one's shipped off." Pushing aside the branches and leaves, Tamrus saw a group of humans, furtively hoisting dying animals onto their shoulders as they prepared to leave the Dark Forest. He followed the strangers, sneaking along the branches and trying to remain hidden amongst the leaves. Although his steps were light and nimble, the group seemed to notice slight movements and grew wary. "Watch yourselves now. We don't want those Thorned Vengeance finding us again." the human leader warned quietly. These must be the poachers the Thorned Vengeance always spoke about! He had to save the animals, but the poachers would get away if he went looking for help now. Tamrus frowned, thinking, then decided to stop them himself. He leapt nimbly from above, landing heavily right in the middle of the group. The shockwave generated by the impact disoriented those who managed to remain standing, as he yelled, "HEY! Who are you, and what do you think you're doing here?" "Uh... Isn't this a human kid?" One of the poachers suddenly exclaimed in surprise, looking closely at Tamrus. "What's a kid doing in the Dark Forest, dressed like that? And what's that on his head?!" "Hang on, you think this could be that baby Old Boozer threw into the forest?" Several of the poachers unconsciously dropped their guard at this, lowering their weapons and looking at each other before bursting into peals of laughter. "Hey, kid. Come here," the leader of the poachers coaxed, "I know some others around your age. They always have toys to play with and snacks to eat, and they don't run around the forest in rags like you. How about this—you tell us where the Wilders are, and we'll get you out of here, find your real parents. Whaddya say?" "That's right. Look at you, traipsing all over the forest like a savage, when the outside world is so much more exciting." another poacher agreed. "I'm not a savage!" Tamrus was furious, but quickly got his emotions under control and spoke again, as if suddenly thinking of something. "But I can take you. I know every inch of this place." "Just..." Tamrus squinted at them, "You'd better keep your word."

He led them to a huge, dense thicket, saying that the Wilders he knew were behind it. "You wait here. I'll go get them to come out," Tamrus said, before disappearing into the middle of the thicket. Not long after a huge group of the Thorned Vengeance burst out in front of the expectant poachers, completely overpowering them before they could even react. Tamrus poked his head through the ring of Thorned Vengeance which surrounded them, smiling slyly, "I didn't lie to you! I told you I knew where the Wilders were!" While the leader of the Thorned Vengeance still had a sullen expression, he did look more gently upon Tamrus. Habitually taciturn, he merely nodded his appreciation at the child who had done them such a service. Tamrus suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but still raised his head high in response, his large ears shaking with pride. Right then, the fog which had been enveloping his mind was suddenly dispelled. Happily, Tamrus flew through the trees, his grappling hook whizzing through the air. He scampered homeward, bursting to tell his parents about his greatest ever achievement. But he didn't need to get that far because he bumped into his parents, anxiously out looking for him, while on the way. "My baby! We finally found you!" His mother hugged him close, plastering his face with kisses, guilt writ large on her own, "We just weren't ready to tell you before..." As his mother spoke, she reached out to wipe off some dirt from his face, her mind seeming to drift back in time. "It was many years ago... Your dad and I just found you, all alone in the forest, so—" "So you took me in!" Tamrus interrupted his mother, but the gentle eyes of her and his father gave him the courage to continue, "You watched me grow up. You are my only parents, and I will always be your son, and forever a child of the forest."

"Hello there! Do you want to play in the forest with me? That would make me so happy!"