Story
Kushal's old home was in the vast area of the Himalayan Mountains, (in a cavern much like
this, minus the hikers) his duty was to protect his tribe and the mountains from humans and other creatures that didn't belong in the area. His father (Akash) trained him very fiercely when he was just out of cubhood, he told him to never show mercy when there was danger and to fight for his life to protect the mountains or his tribe. Akash was the tribe alpha, every tribe mate looked up to him and support, hardly any others dared to challenge him. As almost every tribe member knew what would happen if someone challenged the great Akash. And almost every tribe member thought Kushal was special, because he had the honor to train with his father. Kushal himself didn't find him very lucky when his training for almost 8 years had ended with himself beating his father in a fight, the alpha even bowed to him. Kushal had multiple injuries where Akash had fought with him, he had to stay in the healers cave for what it seemed like months.
After he had healed from the battle with his father, Kushal's duties seemed endless. He had to lead groups of his tribe members around the territory, making sure none of trespassed. He also had to hunt for his clan over rocky terrain and icy winds. His mother, Heena, helped him through bad times and he developed a close bond with her. Often scolded his father for making deep wounds in Kushal's flank.
After almost 20 years of his life, his brother was born. So that made Kushal first heir of the tribe, and that also meant that he had challenge when it was his time to become alpha. His brother, named Hamza, started to become envious of Kushal, he thought that his older brother was getting more attention than him. Kushal didn't think so, he thought his tribe mates treated him and his brother respectfully but never more than another. He often fought with Hamza verbally, and told him to act more mature. Hamza eventually grew out of his thoughts and became close to his brother, but he still had moments of enviousness. When his brother became a full grown adult, Kushal started to have enemies. At one point the enemies challenged him for being heir to the alpha, they both lost terribly, they hadn't had any battle training in years. Their names are Sultan and Juiova, he had deep hatred for both of them as they both challenged him and Hamza. Kushal tore half of Sultan's horn off, and cut Juiova's tail partly off. Both of the felines were furious at him, but he just growled in both of their faces and walked off.
Kushal and his tribe members lived in peace for a long time, until
they came. He doesn't know who they were, but one day, he will find them and slaughter them all. It all started when Kushal went out by himself to find some herbs for the healer, a simple job that cubs usually do before they were getting ready to be trained. It was a snowy day from what he can remember, but the sun was shining brightly. It took him awhile to find the exact type, but he finally grabbed the correct kind and was headed back to the cavern.
That's when he heard the heart stopping screams
He didn't even think, he dropped the herbs from his mouth and ran, and ran, and ran, as fast as he ever could back to the cavern. It took him a long time to walk to the sunny spot where the herbs grew, but it didn't when he was running as fast as he was.
When he got to the cavern, it was... too late. Blood and gore was everyone, pools of blood were leaking out of bodies and mangled torn corpses were impaled on rocks. Dark blood was splattered on the walls of the cavern and the snow that had let itself inside was stained red. He saw his enemies bodies thrown on one wall and his friend on another. His heart dropped when he thought of his family, he ran past the bodies and blood was splattered all over his legs and paws. He went past the healers cave and the healer's body was at the entrance, mangled with bones sticking out of her chest. Kushal let out a mourning sob for Aruna, the old healer helped him so much in the years past. He started running again until he came upon his parents sleeping rocks, where both of their bodies were on the rocks blood dripping down from the edge of the smooth stones.
Their bodies were unrecognizable, throats slashed and both of their chest cavities had been ripped open and organs hanging out everywhere. He let out a long, mournful moan for his father, who had trained him to be such a brave, fierce warrior for all those long, cold years. He let out one for his mother who was so kind, and generous to him on hard days where his father trained him merciless. Kushal lowered his head, and went to find his brother, hoping that he was somehow still alive.
His brother's body was not too far away from where his parents bodies now lay. He let out another, mournful sob for Hamza. But he saw something very strange that should not have been there, tan and black fur laid around his younger brother's corpse, suggesting that Hamza fought off his attackers before he was brutally killed. Then he realized what the attackers were. A tribe of Clouded Leopards had attacked his tribe and left them all dead, and all the attackers had left without him spotting them. He smelled all around the cavern, trying to smell the scent of the Clouded Leopard tribe but all he could scent was blood and old scents of his tribe mates.
Kushal looked all around the cavern, but every last one of them was dead. He found quite a few Clouded Leopard bodies scattered throughout the cavern, saying that his tribe fought back. But it did his tribe no good, they all had died a horrible, gory death. He blamed himself for his tribe's death, if he would've been there he could have helped them fight off their attackers. He realized days after the bloody event that it would not do the tribe any good, it seemed like there was just too many Clouded Leopards to fight. But he still should have been in that cavern, fighting for his tribe, instead he broke his promise to Akash (his father) and did not die for his tribe.
After months the decaying bodies of his old tribe had turned to unrecognizable skeletons, the blood that was once splattered and pooled on the walls and floors of the cavern had now turned to stains. After months of thinking and thinking, Kushal decided it was time to leave his home, and find another place to stay. He couldn't find the Clouded Leopard tribe that had killed his whole tribe, he searched and searched but he finally decided to put an end to his long search.
Kushal traveled for what it seemed like seasons, but it was only a few months. He traveled through long deserts, and deep rain forests, and various grasslands. Until he finally found a marsh to settle upon. He thought that this was the place where he was to stay, the marsh had various mammals to feast upon, and a large freshwater spot to drink on. He realized after only a few weeks that this was not the place to stay.
The day started out when the grief stricken awoke from under a shaded tree, he stepped out into the sun to go to the freshwater spot. As he was walking towards the freshwater, he spotted a few frogs hopping in front of his path. Without even thinking, he swatted the frogs from his path and kept walking towards the water. A few moments later, more and more frogs kept appearing in his path. Kushal was becoming annoyed and swatted them all out of his way. Once he got to the water, his pupils seemed to become three times their original size. There were frogs everywhere, covering the water and the banks, it seemed as if they never ended. Very annoyed, Kushal growled very loud, hoping that all of them would scatter and hop away from the water. Instead, the frogs did the opposite and hopped towards
him. Thinking that he could slash them away like flies, he did so. But that didn't even work, they hopped on him and all over him, swarming him like bees. He gave a surprise
yelp and ran away as fast as he could from the frogs and the damn marsh.
He stopped running after the frogs had dropped from his body, and he had slaughtered them. Kushal started traveling once more, stopping here or there for just a short amount of time. After another few weeks of traveling, he came upon a large, thick forest. He decided to go through it and look for another place, but after awhile, he kept going in the same place over and over again. The feline started to become frantic, he started running, trying to get out of this strange place, but it was no use. This forest was endless, and he could never escape. Kushal looked around his surroundings, there were many creatures here, some hairless, some tiny, some very large, and some frightening. He decided to make the best of it here, if any creature tried to harm him he would fight for himself, his old tribe, and his deceased family. He had nothing left, no friends, family, or welcoming place.
Kushal still kept going, like his mother always told him, "Never give up, my boy"
But I must explain to you how
No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure.
To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure? On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee
One morning, when Gregor
The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked. "What's happened to me? " he thought. It wasn't a dream.
His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table - Samsa was a travelling salesman - and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer. Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops