Sion gazed into the sky, reading the sun. It was barely past 2 in the afternoon. He was making good time and had no need to rush further. A soft tune rang softly from him as his head swayed some along with his tail. His ears twitched slightly at the sound of hushed whispers followed by the yelling of his father. He knew exactly what had transpired in the last few hours since he'd been gone. His sisters must have hidden Father's alcohol again..
As Sion walked past a few trees, his small home came into view. He could see his younger sister Aoki running with Myo, his youngest running beside her. Behind them, was their father with a fist raised into the air. He was briskly drunk already and Sion could almost taste the alcohol the man was emitting through his sweat. With a gentle sigh, Sion ran between them. With his arms outstretched, he gazed up at his father with a storm beneath his golden gaze.
"Ah, so the first of my three mistakes finally has the gall to stand before me?" Sion's father's voice would rumble slowly as he leaned down to stare at him. "Where is it?" He questioned once. His father held the same storm within his eyes but it was weaker. Much weaker. He was no longer the great man he once was. No longer a warrior and his son had grown far beyond the legacy he would inevitably leave behind.
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Sion's sister hid behind him, they didn't know any better. Sion knew what they wanted. A father who was present, not drunk all the time and a former shell of himself. "You call us a mistake, but somehow. Mother and I provide us with food, clothing and a place to sleep. While all you do is drink yourself to death. Leave them-" The sound was almost deafening. The sound of a smack echoing through the trees as Sion was struck for speaking disrespectfully. His sky blue hair thrashing as his head was forced to snap to the side. Although it was hidden, a bruise began to form on his cheek and a small drop of blood was the catalyst before a steady stream ran down his nose and over his lips. His ears were ringing and his hands came up to cover them in a fruitless attempt to stop the noise.
"How dare you..I fought for this Kingdom. I was the greatest warrior of my generation. I crawled out of hell and provided you with the life you have now and this is how you thank me? After I slaughtered these people. After millennia of bloodshed. All so you and your sisters can bitch and whine about the smallest of things." His father scolded. Something replaced that storm in Sion's eyes as he slowly gazed back at the man.
Hatred.
The slap that had caused blood to spill from his nose planted a seed that began to bear fruit immediately following the words from his drunk father. One that completely severed any emotional ties to the man which stood before him. However, Sion did not fight back. Now wasn't the time and the man would only take further frustration out upon his daughters.
"Sorry, Sir." The hushed words came from Sion's lips. His eyes slowly gazed behind him towards Aoki and Myo. He could feel the anger leaving him as he watched their faces. All three were almost identical except his sisters had red eyes and black hair like their father. Their tails and ears matched in color. His eyes and head slowly moved back to look at his father.
"You have a bottle in the storehouse. It should be behind the tools, where you always keep it." Sion spat out before turning to his sisters as his father dared not say another word. As his father left Sion squatted down and gave them both a hug.
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"Are you okay?" Aoki was the first to ask.
"Did it hurt?" Myo followed.
Sion smiled and wiped his nose. Shaking his head slowly. "No, it didn't. I'm a lot tougher than you two think." He did his best to not break in front of them. His breath was slightly shaky. His hands were shaking but not with fear, but of rage. Slowly, Sion pulled free a small coin purse and handed it to Aoki. "Here, why don't you take Myo to Madam Umbra and enjoy yourselves? I've been saving to treat you guys but I have to get going. It may be best for you not to stay here without me, okay?" Sion instructed and Aoki nodded. She was much younger than Sion was. Not yet of age. Their species aged slower than others. Aoki was at least 30 years younger than Sion, yet to hit her growth spurt. And Myo, she was basically a toddler. Not yet able to fully fend for herself.
Despite their circumstance, the two sisters gave a gentle giggle and both kissed Sion on the cheek, running off and down the road towards the small village. Sion watched as they ran. Slowly standing up himself and dusting the dirt off of his pants from kneeling on the ground.
He was hurt. Not just physically but he was mentally taxed. The young man held the weight of the world and his family on his shoulders while maintaining his secret of the coming revolt from his family. He did not want them involved. But there was no time to dwell or think. He needed to be off and thus began to make his way in the opposite direction and through the forest towards the pits.