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-Tarock opened his eyes and reached out with his senses. He could hear the wind blowing outside, the other brawl walking around nearby. He could smell the animal skin that his bed was made of, the food being kept in the cold stone. He detected no threat or danger and in truth he hadn't been expecting to. It was a habit of all Brawl to always be on guard and he was almost alpha now.
-Tarock lifted himself up and stretched his limbs and flexed his large muscles. His tail whipped around in the air before wrapping itself around his waist. He yawned revealing his large sharp canines. His clawed hands scratched the back of his fur covered neck.
-Tarock was an eight foot tall brawl male. Like all brawl he was bulky and covered in short fur except for his face, palms chest and belly, the hair on his head was black and he had an ape like tail true of his bread. The Brawl were also called the "beast people" by many of the other races.
-Despite their appearance and ferocious nature Brawl were very civilized in their own way. They were very creative and could form brilliant battle plans. They could run through the trees faster than most could run on the ground and they were considered unbeatable warriors. In fact the Ramin had a saying "only a Brawl can kill a Brawl."
-Tarock stepped out of his den and let the icy mountain air wake him up. Most creatures found the cold air unbearable but the Brawl found it rather refreshing. He walked to the edge of the terrace and looked down at the city of Crag. Crag was built up the side of the mountain in a huge semi circle that span over two miles across and several miles up. Most of the houses were on the upper mountain face with the defenses near the bottom.
-This of coarse was only to hide the true city of Crag. Tarock walked up the long stairway up the mountain to the top ridge and looked down upon the heart of Crag. The entire mountain had been hallowed out. Even from this height Tarock could see the arena where young Brawl fought for honor and respect. But even Tarock's eyes could not see the other side of Crag off in the distance. The size of Crag, the scope of what his race had achieved never failed to inspire him.
-Tarock walked the battlements and double checked every piece of equipment. He did this every single morning even though it was not his responsibility. As he walked along he let his hand slide on the cool stone guard rails, he loved his home and felt like a part of it. Every Brawl he passed nodded respectfully to him, he was well known by every one as Keck's second and that he would soon be alpha.
-After he completed his rounds on the outer city he made his way into the inner walls. He knew that Gullna was due back today and Tarock was eager to see the result of his trial. He had faith in the young warrior's skill but he also knew that Gullna was impatient.
-Tarock stood before the large chamber doors; he admired the carvings chiseled into the old stone depicting an ancient battle. It was a Brawl tradition to have the door to a home carved in commemoration of a battle the head of the house hold fought. These doors told the story of Keck fight against Endis, the old warrior made his reputation that day.
-Endis had been a large dragon that had been attacking Brawl cubs nearly a century ago. Tarock and Raigus and foolishly tried to take the beast on when they were young. Keck had managed to kill Endis and save Tarock but Raigus didn't survive the incident. That was the day Keck decided to teach Tarock.
-Tarock reflected on that incident a moment before pushing open the large double doors and entering Keck's chambers. His eyes easily cut through the darkness of the room. There were large animal skull trophies on the walls, old weapons in the corner. Tarock walked quietly to Keck's bed and looked the old Brawl over. Keck lay on his side with his back to Tarock. Tarock reached for Keck's shoulder to rouse him but with surprising speed Keck grabbed Tarock's wrist and spun him around. Tarock felt Keck's forearm around his neck in a head lock.