Outcast

Dalan Kalamar had it all.

A life of luxury, a loving family, and intended bride, and a destiny that would one day see him assume the Eldership of his Clan.

Then, on a dark night in his 12th year of life, four would-be assassins changed all that. Charged by his father with protecting a sacred artifact, Dalan was left for dead by his attackers, and the artifact subsequently stolen.

One year later, Dalan awakens from a comatose state not only to find his body healed, but also to the fact that his family has disowned him. Humiliated before his peers, the would-be heir to the Tiger's Paw Clan is cast out to live amongst the lowest of the low in Bengalan society:

The exiles.

Outcasts from the Clans, the exiles are a society unto themselves, shunned by all and forced to live in secret. They move through the secular, non-Clan world under the cover of assumed identities, taking jobs where strong backs are favored over questionable pasts. Through an elaborate underground network known as The Foundation, many exiles have found some glimmer of hope in a world committed to rooting them out and exterminating them like so much vermin.

It is into this world that Dalan is thrust. With no money and only a tiny bit of martial arts training, the young tiger begins his journey through the dark underbelly of Bengalan society. His eyes are quickly opened to the true brutality of the Clans, as he bears witness to an act so horrifying that he begins to question all he'd been brought up to believe.

Hope does exist for the young tiger, however...in the form of a mysterious trainer who extends an offer to him. The offer is to train Dalan in an ancient fighting form...one that will transform him from a desperate, fearful exile into a beast to be feared and respected by all. The young tiger accepts, and before long finds himself on a journey towards a destiny that will challenge all he's ever known and believed, and make him see the world in a new, cold light.

He also finds hope in the loving arms of a fellow exile, one from a far off land running from an alleged curse put on her by those who cast her out. As their love for each other grows, Dalan soon finds himself faced with a choice: Devote his life to his newfound love and abandon any hope of regaining his honor...

Or risk losing everything for one chance at bloody, unforgiving vengeance...