Four Wolves & A Cat

[Yasha Cadera]

Her father's words were on the other side of dangerous for the girl, who hadn't been disciplined in half an age. Before she could respond, Malika was on him, and things were escalating.

“Woa! Hey, Daddy! Auntie!” Yasha rushed off the throne and put herself between the two warring Mantises.

“Enough!” Yasha’s voice reverberated through the hall, shaking the walls from being in the acoustic sweet spot. “Stop it, Dad! Malika! Neither of you are helping!”

The girl put her hands on her father’s chest and tried to push him back with the thought to cool him down. “Daddy, we all did bad things, but ruling Mandalore isn’t about the Civil War, it’s about now, Daddy. Sure we got screwed up when Ra left, but.. but…. Daddy, let it go!”

She spoke in Epicant, trying to catch her father’s eyes. “I know I’m not ready yet, but if you guys keep fighting I might be the only one left who can rule Mandalore! Gosh, can we all chill please!? Please, Daddy… and Auntie Malika… please don’t… please stop fighting.”

“Vivi! A little help!”

[member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Malika Mantis"] [member="Vilaz Munin"] [member="Aryn Spar"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

He didn't move, only his eyes met Malika.

He sniffed and looked around those gathered.

"I never stood for any of you. I have stood for the Mandalorians for too long. I now realize the time I have wasted under this Empire that we have created. My revenge has been had. Do not speak to me of loss, Malika- as you stand here far after I, and my family suffered- absent you, while you sat in the desert content with the rest of my brothers and sisters." The Wolf- the original one, stood. He stared down his sister.

"You stand here only because you lost it all and tried to gain something, in which you have. But do not speak to me as if I do not know how my people have suffered. How my people have died- you do not need to remind me of WHAT I HAVE LOST!"

Preliat threw his buy'ce to the ground, cracking the stone beneath them."MY FACE, MY LEG, CHIEF AMONG MY MANY INJURIES IN THE NAME OF THE MANDO'ADE!" A finger threw itself into her face, an accusative pointing motion.

"MY SANITY GIVEN TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE FROM THE CREATURES OF THE DARK HARVEST, MY WIFE AND CHILD TAKEN TO HELL- AND I LOST MY WIFE TO A TRAITOR, MY DAUGHTER WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE IT EASY!"

He pointed to the throne in which she had sat on, and was pushed back by his daughter. Blue eyes were locked onto Malika, ignoring his daughter's attempt to calm him. It was more or less the same as a bucket of water being thrown onto a raging fire at this point.

"SHE WAS NEVER TO HAVE THIS! SHE WAS NEVER TO BE THIS WAY! SHE WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE ME, OR YOU, OR ANYONE IN HERE! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO TURN OUT LIKE EVERY OTHER GOD DAMN KID IN THE GALAXY. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LOVED, AND INSTEAD HER MOTHER IS DEAD, AND I'M NOT FIT TO BE THE FATHER I AM MEANT TO BE ANYMORE."

He stared down Malika.

"So I will go. I will go and I will not look back on you, on this planet, on you people. I have given EVERYTHING to the Mandalorians and all you have done is take from me and my family. Yasha- you will do as you please. By all rights of your people you are an adult. Do what you want. But I- I am leaving. You should think long and hard about what it means for you to be here."

He didn't bother to pick up his helmet as he made his way to the great doors in which he entered. He ran his hand along the table, knocking plates, candles, and anything else left on the table off. Preliat was fuming mad, but it wasn't the typical rage. It was something that he had been bottling up for a very long time, exploding onto someone who may or may not deserved part of the rant.

Preliat however, had one stop to make before he left.

His brother.

 

[Vilaz Munin]

And now, they have officially carried it too far.

He always hated meetings because no doubt things like this would happen. It was much easier to have a Sole Ruler who’s word was law and must be obeyed. Democracy was always slow which was very evident in what was going on. The affair between the Mantis seemed more like a family issue, something that was outside of him.

But they had a meeting to conclude, and he wanted to conclude it with a good note.

”Ramanar, get back here. Running away won’t solve anything. What’s done is done. You and I have been Mandalorians for far too long and we’ve both given a lot to it. I may not have lost what you have, but others sure have and are moving forward. Don’t go backwards. What results will you obtain?”

Surprisingly, for a man like Vilaz that wished to burn, pillage, and crusade everything, he was the most calm out of them all. Him and Aryn.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Malika Mantis"] | [member="Preliat Mantis"] | [member="Yasha Mantis"]

"Peace." Aryn said, his bulk moving in front of Preliat and blocking the door.

The great Togorian rumbled, his voice sounding like a great buzzing nest of hornets as he stood in front of the other Mandalorians. Aryn knew that he was in many ways a radical. He had supported Ra, he had headed Death Watch, and he had slaughtered both Jedi and Civilians with little to no morality. His role had never been one of leadership, had never been about power. Aryn was a battering ram, something to be thrown at the enemy and nothing else.

"Sacrifice." He told them. "Our people have lost much."

His eye settled on Preliat. "Families, homesteads, an entire planet."

It was painful to admit, but true.

"We tore ourselves apart, watched others tear us apart." Sith, Jedi, Mandalorian, all of them had a hand in it, something that had to be admitted. "But Mandalore survived. We survived and we will continue to survive."

He glanced at Preliat. "As we always have."

"Leave if you must." Aryn would not stand in the way of any Mandalorian. "But know that Mandalore will be rebuilt. Our people will continue, and under our watch the Empire will Thrive."

Aryn looked at Yasha. "Until a new Mand'alor rises."

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Malika looked at Yasha as her father retreated and took the girls chin in her hand. "Know that I love you, and your father." she said quietly enough in epicant that only she would hear. "But enough is enough." She turned to follow Preliat, two steps behind him.

"Woe is me." she said softly, to his retreating back. "Look at all I have lost, look at all I have done." It was mocking, it would earn her nothing but his ire, but at this point that was all she wanted, for him to release it. So be it if it was at her, it didn't matter. At least she knew why Yasha had bottled all of her feelings up, look at the example she had. So she'd poke her brother as hard as she could and pop that little bubble of rage within him.

The Warmaster could ask for peace as much as he wanted, Akaan could plead for him to come back but in this moment, it had become a family matter. "These people don't appreciate you or treat you the way you wish, so you will run. Because that's what you are best at isn't it, Preliat? What the feth do you want? A medal? A statue? Maybe we will give you a homestead like your fathers, where you can unleash your rage on your children because you bottled it up for too long."

[member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Yasha Mantis"] [member="Vilaz Munin"] [member="Sel Wyrick"]

 

[Yasha Cadera]

Yasha did the most uncharacteristic thing, when [member="Malika Mantis"] poked [member="Preliat Mantis"] to release his rage.

She whimpered and backed up. Yasha back-pedalled straight into [member="Vilaz Munin"], then took his hand and pushed him further back with her. Yasha knew more than any of those present how deadly Ranamar's rage became. It was blinding, all consuming, and it was the only thing... the only thing in the universe which could cause Yasha abject fear.

Her father's rage... Yasha shook her head. "Aunt Malili... don't. Don't.... Aryn, let him walk away."

She would have continued to quake if not for what Aryn said next. How could she quake, when her future called to her so loudly? Although her cheeks paled, Yasha let go of Akaan and took an extending baton from the table beside her helmet. She walked to stand between Preliat Mantis, Aryn Spar, (@Sel Wyric) and the door.

"You're not leaving, Daddy. I forbid it." His rage could buffet on his daughter, instead of her aunt. If there was a battle coming, Yasha would take it. "I thought you'd be proud of me, Daddy... why can't you be proud of me?"

 

[Preliat Mantis]

"Because I let you become what you are, Yasha. You weren't supposed to be anywhere near this. And yet, here we are."


He turned to the others. Though the others spoke before her, Yasha deserved his attention the most out of the present gathered. He looked back at all of them, before reaching up to his wrists. He disengaged the magnetic locks, letting his armor fall to pieces at his feet, save for the armor on his legs. He blinked, feeling....at ease. For the first time, he felt at ease. The crushgaunts and chest pieces lay in heaps, scarred and battered from years of use.

"Mandalore will do fine without me." He said quietly to Aryn, then narrowed his eyes at Malika.

"These people have been more of a family to me than you or anyone on that wretched planet ever has. Speak to me again and I will break all of your teeth, in any form that you take."

He gingerly laid his tomahawk on the long dining table near him, before looking at the present gathered, then quietly made his way for the door, brushing past the Cuir Rekr. Usually, Preliat was a very quiet, reserved man, and this was one of the times where silence spoke more than words.

He did not look back, he had no reason to. They all had made their choices. He made his. It was simply the way things were. He made no pause, he made no final look back.

He was done.

[member="Yasha Mantis"] l [member="Malika Mantis"] l [member="Sel Wyrick"] l [member="Vilaz Munin"]​