Subjects

Alex and Jimmy sat in the backyard in silence and appreciated the surroundings for more than an hour. Eventually, the young man couldn't stand it anymore.

"So, that letter, what was really the deal with that?" He blurted out

"Alex, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you, let's go inside," Jimmy replied.

Swinging off the hammock and placing his feet on the ground made him realize how fatigued he really was from his training. His legs nearly buckled as his companion reached out and caught his arm, stabilizing him.

"Careful, you've pushed hard today." Jimmy pulled Alexander up to a steady stance and offered his cane.

After arriving in the house the two were-dinos took a seat in the kitchen. The silence was stifling to Alex, as he thought there was something wrong with the situation and started getting an unsettling feeling.

Looking the young man in the eyes, the elderly man broke the silence, "put simply, the letter is inviting you to the reading of the will of someone you do not know."

Alex looked around the room as if this was supposed to hold some significance to him. He knew that it meant someone had passed away, but was it that unusual to be named in a will? This would be the third will he had been a part of, after all.

"So, like a lost relative?" the confused young man asked.

"Not at all." The look on Jimmy's face became stiff. "I know the family name of the man named in the will, they were one of your predecessor's subjects."

"Subjects?" Alex's eyes widened, "like a king? So it was a were-dino? How would they even know where I live or who I am?"

"That's the thing, they weren't were-dinos. They were human subjects." Jimmy lowered his head in shame. "I recognize the family name."

Silence once again filled the room. Alex had no clue how to respond and his elder wanted to give him time to process what he had heard. Connecting the dots on his own would be most fitting of the young leader.

"What are you telling me, Jimmy?" Alex asked.

"Your predecessor, he… intimidated people." Jimmy still refused to look Alexander in the eyes, "They would do things for him."

He knew the young man had received a modern education, even if it was influenced by the other factions. It wasn't likely that he would be okay with what occurred.

"He had thralls?!" Alex slammed his fist on the table, causing it to collapse onto the floor.

"He called them subjects," Jimmy sighed, "But I don't know what the difference was."

[We convince them using strength and charisma.]

[Vampires mess with their mind]

[How is the difference not clear?]

'You mean subjugate them into enslavement!'

The system was not making the situation any better.

"This is messed up!" He glared at Jimmy.

How could someone he considered a friend and an ally condone such behavior.

"You have to understand. Your predecessor ruled based on tyranny," the spinosaurus tried to explain the situation, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"That's bullshit Jimmy. You're not weak, and the herd could have gathered strength." Alex put his foot down and made his stance clear on the subject.

"Your power is less than mine momentarily. Soon you'll overtake me like I'm nothing. How could I fight against that!" Slamming his fist against the refrigerator the old man tried to argue back.

"I don't care. You should have," The young man replied, showing he still needed growth, "Either way, we won't be doing that moving forward."

"We'll see. The power to control those below you is a huge draw. Not everyone can resist it." Jimmy tried to warn the young man.

[You're on top of the food chain]

[Why resist it?]

[You can rule over the weak.]

[It'll help you in your fight.]

"Okay, I get it, can we get back to the letter?" He rubbed his temples, frustrated by the revelation.

It was now entirely possible that there was an unknown amount of humans that knew about him. Somehow he had to keep an eye out for the previous were-dino faction, on top of his current obstacles. Life just wouldn't cut him any breaks!

"It's not a negative letter. The former leader likely left you something." Jimmy explained.

"Using his thrall…" Alex interrupted.

[Subject]

"That coincidentally died when I became an adult."

"I'm not sure what the circumstances were, you'll have to ask the lawyers. But, if he left you with finances to establish the herd, I would consider that a good thing." Jimmy looked up at Alex "Our lifestyle isn't cheap."

"So, I just have to meet them at the date and time in the letter then," Alex asked for clarification, "That isn't so bad.

"So, did you still want to continue your training, or would you prefer to take a break like I suggested?" Jimmy changed the subject, and started to pick up the table off the floor.

Thankfully, the legs had only collapsed. Outbursts like this weren't uncommon in Alex's teen years, so a few spare legs were kept in the garage. It wouldn't take long to prop the table back up into working condition.

"I'm sorry Jimmy, you've always been right." Alex was now the one that felt ashamed, hanging his head low. "I just pushed too hard, and lost my mind for a moment."

He had been attempting to force himself to grow and knew it wasn't for the best. It seemed that once he started experiencing his transformations he would lose a bit of his rationality and his limits would move further toward a gray area.

"That's part of control… You'll get there," Jimmy reassured the young man as he carried the tabletop toward the front door. "Did you want to take a nap and stay for dinner? You've earned it"

"I can't, I promised Vikki I'd be back earlier today. I'll help you fix the table, but then I have to get heading out." Alex picked up the remaining pieces of the broken legs and followed Jimmy, exiting the house.