Scourge's Primary Objective

The female awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of claws scraping against rock. Something was at the entrance to the natural cavern. She froze, but it was pretty certain that whatever was up there already knew she was in there, as she could hear some creature audibly sniffing.

All three cubs were still asleep, curled up next to her abdomen for warmth. The female tried to go back to sleep but her audio receptors alerted her to the smallest sounds now that she was worried. Scourge had told her that feral Sweeps could not claw through the rocks at that particular location, but the female was scared that her cubs might wander off in the morning and run into danger.

When morning finally came, the intruders still hadn't left. The female could see two feral Sweeps outside the hiding place, waiting for something to come out. The cubs were starting to awaken. But once all three of them were fully awake, and had smelled the air that wafted down from the entrance, they began trembling in fear. They huddled closer to their mother.

Suddenly the sound of multiple lasers being fired echoed through the area. One of the feral Sweeps yelped as it was hit. The female heard a snarl and saw Scourge and an entire contingent of Sweeps descend on the invaders. The firing continued for a few more moments, then ceased. The invaders had been driven off. It was safe to come out now.

"I was right," Scourge said, "Those rogues did come back. Well, they won't be returning anytime soon, not after seeing my entire army."

Upon hearing the sound of their father's voice, the cubs eagerly rushed out of their hiding place. The female stayed put, because she did not trust the other Sweeps.

"So these are your cubs, eh, Scourge?" one of the Sweeps commented. The cubs went right up to Scourge, but were wary of the others. Another Sweep approached out of curiosity and reached out to touch them but was hissed at by the eldest cub for his trouble.

"You know better than to do that," Scourge snapped at his minion.

"Sorry," the Sweep said apologetically, "I guess I shouldn't go near them after they've been upset like that."

"Especially since YOU were almost scrapped by those invaders. Don't tell me you forgot about that!" another Sweep added.

".....no," the other Sweep said softly. A painful memory worked its way to the surface--the feeling of being nearly crushed to death in a feral Sweep's viselike jaws. He had only been a cub at the time, like Scourge's offspring, and had foolishly wandered out of the den when the rogues surprised him and his brothers. But that time, Scourge and the other Sweeps--including his father, who was one of Scourge's original minions--had come almost too late. Three of his brothers had been killed and devoured and a fourth had only survived for a few hours. As it was, he himself had been lucky to have survived.

"Let's get back to Chaar," Scourge ordered, then turned to his cubs. "Run along now. Back to your mother," he told them, and although they could not yet speak, they understood perfectly. They obediently went back into the safety den to rejoin the female.