Mharyk as a cub, with his mother, Leisha Steelbolt, formerly of the Iron Legion until Flame took her captive after wiping the rest of her warband out.

In her miserable existence as a slave to Flame, he was the one bright spot that gave her hope. Even when he was taken away to be trained as a shaman like his sire, she always maintained a special bond with him, and as he got older he did everything he could to protect and care for her, making sure she had food and adequate care.

It wasn’t really her choice to have him, and even though his looks always reminded her of his sire and his cruelty, she loved her son fiercely to the very end.

He always had spots, but they started out small and simple and gradually got larger and more splotchy-like as he got older.