Chapter 1

Fifteen years later...

The hidden valley had been Ghost Clan's home for fifteen years and in that time the little clan had grown from its original eleven members to twenty-three. Here they were safe from the hunter and the survivors of other clans that had been attacked found their way there and were welcomed into the clan.

Kanan had taken over leadership of the clan from his mother Depa when he turned nineteen. Not long after that, he had taken Hera as his mate. Five months after their first anniversary during the Strawberry Moon, their son, Ezra, was born. And he wasn't the only pup in clan; two others were born exactly one month before Ezra during the Hunter's Moon. They were Ezra's two best friends: Aayla and Kit's son Lux and Shaak TI and Plo's daughter Ahsoka.

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Hera walked up to Kanan, their son following at her heels, batting playfully at her tail. When his mother sat down next to his father, Ezra jumped on him the way he always did when he wanted Kanan's attention. Depa always said that Ezra reminded her of Kanan when he was a pup and her grandson seemed to love being compared with his father.

"What are you doing?" Kanan laughed, knowing very what his son was up to.

"Can we go hunting, Dad?"

"You're too young yet, Ezra," Hera said. "Your dad will start teaching you how to hunt when your eleven."

"Kanan!" someone called.

Kanan turned to see Zeb, his best friend and second-in-command, coming towards them. Following the purple chimera was his twin brother Kallus. The two brothers, the sole survivors of Lasat Clan, had joined Ghost Clan a month before Lux and Ahsoka were born. Looking towards his mate and son, Kanan saw Lux and Ahsoka with their mothers.

"Ezra," Kanan said. "Why don't you go play with Lux and Ahsoka while your mother and I talk with Zeb and Kallus."

"Okay, Dad," Ezra said as he ran off to join his two friends.

"What's wrong, Zeb?" Kanan asked once Ezra was out of ear shot.

"Three new chimeras seeking sanctuary; two adults and a pup about Ezra, Lux, and Ahsoka's age," Zeb said.

"Where are they now?" Hera asked.

"Rex, Cody, and Wexer are bringing them here," Kallus said.

Kanan nodded. In the distance, he could see the three brothers leading the new chimeras towards them. Unlike all the other chimeras who were granted sanctuary in Ghost Clan when they were adults, Rex, Cody, and Wexer joined the clan as pups not long after they found this valley. Depa had taken the brothers in and raised them along side Kanan. Because of that, the three referred to Kanan as their younger brother and Ezra believed they where his uncles.

"Kanan. Hera," Rex said when the six chimeras arrived. "This is Bo-Katan, her mate Fenn, and their niece Sabine."

Hera glanced at Kanan. He knew what his mate was thinking and gave a slight nod.

"Sweetheart," Hera said to Sabine. "There are three other pups in the clan just about your age. Would you like to meet them?"

"Yes, please," Sabine said.

"Did the hunts force you to seek sanctuary here?" Kanan asked after Hera and Sabine were gone.

"No," Fenn said. "It was a red devil dog with black markings and yellow eyes."

"We know him," Kanan said and the two sets of brothers nodded. "He attacked my mate's birth clan fifteen years ago."

"He attacked our clan, Mando Clan, almost a week ago. We were the only ones that escaped," Bo-Katan said.

"This valley is safe," Kanan assured them. "The entrance is well hidden and, aside from the clan, a phoenix and a dragon live here, both friends with the clan."

Later that night...

"Did you have fun with your new friend?" Hera asked her son as she tried to get him settled for bed.

"Yeah. She's really nice. She and Ahsoka are already calling each other BFFs, whatever that means."

"It's a girl term, like when you and Lux call each other 'buddy'."

"Ahsoka really likes her."

"I think she just happy to have another girl to play with. Now it's time for bed."

Ezra settled downed into his nest and yawned.

"Mom," he said as he started to drift off to sleep. "Can my friends and I go see Bendu tomorrow? Sabine hasn't heard any of his stories."

Hera smiled.

"If it's okay with Aayla, Shaak Ti, and Bo-Katan, it's okay with me," she said.

But Ezra didn't hear her. He had already fallen asleep. Hera smiled. She'd give her son her permission in the morning.