Her Mantle Upon Your Shoulders: Part 11

Akuna stood frozen, partly with wonder, partly with fear, before the presence of the Grand General and his hidden council. The torches along the walls made the shadows tall and dark in the chamber, their flames twinkling in the watchful eyes of the Brethren of Unity. Her back was stiff, tail twitching, ears dipped down low as all seven members stood in silence around the white stone table shining in the dim light in this secret room. Master Strategist Era was among them, unsmiling at the right hand of Hashin Vok. Vicris stood in their ranks too, further down and nearer to Akuna, staring with a hint of a grin on her face.

"Are you afraid, Akuna?" asked the Grand General, eyes only upon her.

"...No..., Grand General," Akuna answered despite what she currently felt. "I am not."

"You need not worry if you are.  You are among allies," he said, spreading his hands out. "The most trustworthy in the Sailzane, in this trying era.  This kingdom of sand is a land of shadows despite the bright sun above." His hand rose, as if to cup the light that graced his palm. "The dark is everywhere, like in this cavern, but you will not go wanting for a comrade, for they are close at hand." He waved towards the ones at his flanks, and they nodded at his words.

"We were once a solid shape of rock like this, my Captain," said Vok, placing his pads upon the white stone table before him. "Impenetrable, unmovable, without flaw, but the sands of this place has bore cracks into our form and divided us.  We are no longer the clan we once were, unmovable and without flaw." The Grand General bowed his head, as if in sadness.

"We have crumbled and scattered," he continued. "The remainder of our great army sits and waits for the return of our fair General and her immaculate command.  But along with our hopes, time is fading.  We cannot wait when the dunes become hostile, when so many of our own speak of returning to the plains of our home.  We cannot bid our time any longer, waiting with false hope.  We must regain our strength, refine our arms, and stand bold against the stinging winds.

"Yet these words frighten so many of our comrades and we could be called traitors for speaking them.  Unlike the previous years, captains speak of war with scorn in their voices while soldiers shake with fear at it's likelihood.  To make war is no longer their concern.  They treat Rain's last order to cease as an absolute.  To make strategy and battle plans is seen as a betrayal now, to ask for aid if blood is spilled, to propose a minimum of troops to be trained by a single settlement, to give weapons, to advise how a recruit should be taught.  All this is seen as acts of disloyalty!" The Grand General gave a long hiss through his teeth. "So we must talk in secret, in darkness under sand and rock so we will not be accused of usurping our General Silves.  We have no desire to disown her or take her mantle.

"This assembly of brother and sister, northerner among northerner, only wishes to see us molded back into the solid shape of our prime." He threw up his hand, clutched in a fist. "We have the chance, we see it on the horizon.  Do you, Captain Akuna?"

Echoes reverberated off the chamber walls, but as they dissipated, there remained only stark silence for Akuna's ears. All their orbs looked to her, like a hunter waiting for prey, a Shigu ready to pounce upon an inattentive Reono. They stood in silence, waiting for her answer, but little time passed before the female warrior gave her answer.

"I do, Grand General," she said to their dark faces, her bravery showing, denying the fear to creep any deeper into her. "I want us to became the whole we once were.  I want us to throw the sand away from us.  I want Clan Shigu to remain and live endlessly."

The heads turned to the Grand General, waiting for his approval. "And do you have the will to stand against the enemies of our clan, outward and inward?"

"I do, Grand General." Her chest puffed out, her head held high with her brow tensing.

"Will you honor the trust General Rain Silves gave to you as she admitted your old clan into hers?  Will your loyalty remain strong and undeniable?"

"It will, Grand General." She was beginning to feel impatient, praying she would soon know what was the meaning of this entire ordeal.

"And will you honor me with that same loyalty, strong and undeniable, no matter the trials we endure, no matter what occurs after this day?  Will you stand in my defense when the times turn violent and uncertain?"

I will stand in defense of my clan, when times threaten my mate and cub, she desired to say, but she knew she could not balk here, not among so many unknowns in this secret place, deep within this black keep. "I will," she finally answered, bowing her head graciously, "Grand General."

Vok seemed pleased, hands clasped behind his back, his cohorts always watching. "We must seal this bond between you, Captain Akuna, and the Brethren of Unity on this night."

At his right, Era revealed a blade in his right hand, silver shining from the fire of the torches. He handed it to the Grand General, whom dutifully accepted. Vok then came round the table, passing by his allies, towards Akuna at the front.

Akuna stood stiff and ready as Vok waited an arm's length before her, dagger held tight in his hand. She looked at it and then to his face, mirroring the stare he cast upon her.

"I am told this dagger was used by the General herself," Vok began, examining the sides of the blade. "It is difficult to know the truth in these claims, but it will serve it's purpose, like we do each day for our clan.  Your hand, Captain."

He held out his own hand and Akuna placed her own in his palm, slightly worried in his intent. But then came the cold blade's bite upon her pads, a cut crossing her palm. She grunted at the slight pain she was made to bear, but it was easy to ignore. Then came the blood, red seeping through the shallow cut. Vok carried her hand up to his lips and she watched as his tongue took a lick of her blood. "Do not worry of it, my Captain," Vok said to her, smiling ever so slightly. "Let your brothers and sisters lick the blood from your wounds.  Their loyalty is as unquestionable as mine."

One by one, each member of the Brethren came to lap at the blood pooling in Akuna's palm. As they came closer, she could see their finer details. Most were young, save Era and his graying mane. Most were thin, save one plump sergal she did not know. All possessed a different hue of fur from her own. Their tongues rolled warmly over the cut and some ever met Akuna's gaze as they tasted her life's blood. Others were content in staring down at her hand, as if they took no pleasure in this ritual. Akuna could sympathize. When Vicris came to have her taste, she did not say a word, but when she bent down to lick, her tongue pressed down hard against the dagger's slash. Pain coursed through Akuna's hand anew. She saw the pit fighter's smile emboldened as she turned back to the white table and took her place again like the rest.

After each had taken their fill of her blood, only the Grand General remained with her, dagger still in his hand. "And since you have allowed me to lick your wounds, I allow you to lick mine." With his right, Vok cut into his left. He held his bleeding cut up to Akuna and she generously bowed her head and took his hand. Her tongue came out to lap and drink in his warm red. It was a familiar taste to Akuna. Salty with the taste of metal. Before she could fully clean the cut, Vok retracted his hand.

Akuna stood and watched as the Grand General squeezed more blood from his hand, coating the fingers of his opposite hand in it. "Come closer," he said to her, "so I may mark you."

She did so, placing one step ahead of her to stand a breath's length before her superior. "You're head," Vok said, lifting up the fingers he had coated in his own blood. Again, Akuna complied and titled her head downward. She felt Hashin's fingers dance atop her head, warm liquid gracing her hide. "I mark you as a great ally and friend.  A shade from the sun.  A canton of water among this dry land.  In return, I and all other members of the Brethren of Unity will be your ally, friend, shade, and canton."

"Thank you, Grand General," Akuna said with much gratitude, her head still bowed, blood working it's way through her fur. "I will honor this most grand privilege.  Thank you." She looked up and saw Vok glaring at her, smiling.

"Your admission is no doubt a grand occasion for you, Captain," Vok said, all of the Brethren watching her. "I pray it will be one for Clan Shigu as well."

"It shall be," Akuna said with much confidence.

"Then let it be so.  Return to your chambers and rest now.  You deserve it as you deserve this admission before this assembly.  Go and let not an ear hear of these moments.  Let no revelation of this place or those you have seen here leave your throat.  We are unknown beyond this chamber, so let it remain that way.  Understand, Captain?"

Like she had arrived, Akuna departed blind, black ribbon over her eyes and led by the hand of an unknown, black-furred female. This time they climbed up through floors of stone, went this way and that way, turning and stopping and backtracking. Finally, before the door to her room, the ribbon was removed.

"Remember," the black-furred female said to Akuna, voice ever low. "We are like shadows, so we must remain just as silent."

"I heard the General the first time.  I don't need you to tell me again," Akuna told her. "But am I not to know your name?  Are we to remain secret to one another?"

The female stood still then, wrapping the black ribbon around her hand while her eyes examined her. "Milkas.  Milkas Anser.  And I already know yours." She left at that moment into the dark of the hallway, her footsteps unheard.

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A great yawn went through Akuna, her jaw opening wide with the morning still young. Sleep proved elusive last night, especially after it's intriguing events. She had laid awake on the bed in blackness, her mate and child breathing soundly at her side, already asleep. Vok's mark of blood had been wiped away before she had returned and all that remained was a smudge on the top of her head.

Despite the few hours of slumber she gained, Akuna was ready to face the day. She hoped to find Vicris in the training yard and toss around a number of her troops. And maybe once they was finished, a few questions of hers could be answered as they drank down cups of ale.

But as she walked down the hallway from her chambers, she found Vok there, waiting before the stairwell. Immediately, remembering herself, Akuna snapped in a salute and the Grand General waved in response to it.

"Morning, Akuna," he said firstly to her, a proud look in his eyes, as if he were glad to find her. "Did you sleep well?  Any dreams?"

"None that I can recall.  Though how can I be sure last night wasn't a dream?" she joked.

That brought a small smile to Vok's face. "I'm sure it seems like that, but I and many others were there.  It was far from a dream."

"Thank you again for admitting me," she said, bowing like she did before when her head was marked. "I am still heavy with honor."

"As were the others when I admitted them, but let's find places elsewhere and more private to talk.  Follow.  The roof will suffice.  I have a need to speak with you, but keep quiet on our way there."

Akuna did so, tailing Vok as they climbed up the first stairwell to the upper stories of the Narulus. Through carpeted halls, up and over flights of stone stairs, turning down corridors dark and those illuminated with morning sunlight or burning bulbs, both Vok and Akuna traveled in silence. Every once and awhile, they would past a soldier or guard and they would immediately cease their steps to give a strong salute. Vok would give a light nod of acknowledgement before they went on their way.

Up and up, they went before they finally came upon a simple, banded door. Vok was the one to open it and let in the blinding light from outside. As Akuna followed him out, the warmth of the sun and chocking humidity splashed across her fur. Then came the wind, it's force roaring in her ears and tossing her mane about like ribbons of silk. Vok beckoned her close to a merlon, trying to stop his hair from getting in his face.

Beyond the merlon, keep and city opened up far below them. Guards walked the outer walls and defenses while soldiers ran through the sectioned yards. The towers and wards of the Narulus stood strong and black against the meager structures further out, but while the keep appeared mostly still and silent, the sprawl of Wevren looked to be alive with life and duty. Folk and carriage and cart moved in the creases between the homes and businesses, streets flowing with endless traffic. The entire mass of stone and wood hummed with activity, stark against the motionless desert outside it's walls. Akuna saw builders adding a second story to a house, a pulley bringing up more wooden beams for the frame. She watched a merchant's cart, miniature from where she stood, as it contested against other merchants working their way through a congested street. She heard a shrill sound too, and thought it was the play of cubs running down some alleyway.

"A rare sight," Vok said as he leaned against a black merlon, watching the city scene far out while Akuna took in the sounds and smells floating upon the air. "Northerners prospering in a land not their own.  But you should know, Akuna, you yourself are a rare sight."

Akuna was take aback by his words, tearing her eyes away from the city to look at him. "Should I take that as an insult or a compliment, Grand General?"

"A compliment," he smiled at her. "A compliment beyond a compliment.  You are unafraid of the chance of war.  You even seem to welcome it."

"Is it so rare to welcome war now?" she asked him, claws chipping at the stone she rested her hands upon. "I had known days when future battles were dreamed of.  Has our clan changed so much we cannot speak of war without being accused of treason?"

"The condition of our clan today is not what it was, Akuna.  During those days, we marched as one.  The heat was without end and the sand stung, but we sheltered ourselves in our cloaks and the certainty of our bonds with one another.  The remnants of our army stand without movement on their declared portions of the wastes.  War is not on their lips, it is a return to home."

"And that is not considered to be a far greater treason than wanting war?" Akuna asked with surprise and anger mixing in her voice. How far we have fallen, she thought ruefully. We are in the nights of our days, and General Rain was the one whom had carried the lantern to show us the way. She hissed with apprehension.

"It is no longer treason when captain and troop alike speak of it.  Though a disloyal number of our clan has returned to our plains, many more remain.  They stand sentinel, yet they wish to the stars they were able to brave the winds and return home.  Some know they would not survive the journey, too far into the Sailzane or too weak to move.  Others are too afraid of the dangers beyond their defenses; bandits, sandstorms, and other such things.  Many are content with staying here, knowing there is nothing in the north waiting for them but starvation and murder." Vok's head turned to the horizon, where the blue sky touched the yellow and brown of this foreign land.

"This news sickens me," Akuna confessed, growling. "So they do not wait for our General?  They just bid their time until they are able to abandon their duties?"

"You would be surprised to hear how many have asked me for an escort home," Vok told her, his voice calmer than hers. "Of course, I've refused such proposals.  I tell them I will give them rations, spears, blankets, and clothes.  The purpose of these invitations to Wevren are to give hope to those that need it most."

"Our honor should be hope enough."

"Honor and hope, unison and pride.  The Brethren of Unity works to restore these things.  Little by little, for the next few days, more will be revealed to you about us.  Some you might agree with, some you may not, but you must understand, our creed is for Clan Shigu to rule all that stands before it.  Each day you will be meeting with another member of the Brethren, maybe Vicris or Era, and you will learn how they serve our plight.  Perhaps you will find how best you can serve us by listening to them."

"What of Zulca?" Akuna then asked, her ears twitching about curiously. "Is he a member too?"

"No, he is not," Vok stated plainly.

"Why was he not admitted?  I'm...surprised he's not among us."

Humming with recollection, the Grand General answered. "Zulca is a fine High Officer and aids our clan in the best of his ways, but he has a loose tongue in his mouth, especially when his belly is full of drink."

"Ah, I hadn't known," Akuna said as she continued to pick at the stone under her hands.

"And since we are on the subject of Zulca, I know of the...disagreement you had with him about your daughter.  Know full and well that I do not intend to have a child upon my council, even though I know your intentions are well-placed, Akuna.  Understand?"

"Yes, sir, I do," the warrior female answered, wishing Zulca had not been so vocal about that incident.

"I would also like to inform you that coupled with your admission to the Brethren of Unity, I am ascending you to the rank of First Captain."

At first, Akuna's throat felt stuffed with cotton, her belly full of rocks. She stood still there before the Grand General, staring at him, unable to bring forth speech. She felt it best to first salute him before she could fumble at the words to convey her gratitude.

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Everyday after the next, at each morning, Akuna would find another member of the Brethren of Unity outside her chambers. Vicris was the first to appear and it brought a smile to Akuna's face to see a familiar face in the wake of this rapid development.

"Let's go to the tavern," the pit fighter said to her. "A cup of ale is waiting for us."

"So early in the morning?" asked Akuna.

"Better early then later, no?" she smiled, waving the warrior female to follow.

Once they braved the stone stairs and crossed the yard, they found the innards of the tavern to be empty and dark, save the wedges of light flooding through it's shuttered windows. Not even the barkeep was present.

"Callmis must have overslept again," Vicris said as she entered the darkened insides and jumped over the bar. While she took two cups from a shelf and Akuna found a stool to sit on, a shuffling sounded beyond a door at the back of the bar. The door flew inward and an olden Shigu popped out to see the two females in his tavern.

Once he saw the pit fighter pulling at a barrel knob, filling her cup with a dark draft, he gave a heavy sigh. "Gods damn you for waking me, Vicris!  Thought the bastards were draining my stock again.  Damn you." The barkeep scratched behind his ear, his middle finger missing from his hand.

"Go back to your bed, Callmis," Vicris smiled and laughed at the olden Shigu staring at them with groggy eyes. "I won't drain much and you know I'm good for it!  I'll put the coin down on the bar when we leave.  You know this."

"Might be I would like you to pay with something...else," the male grinned naughtily.

Vicris made a 'psst' sound from between her lips. "I would have to charge you!"

"How much coin?" he asked, sounding somewhat interested.

"It was not an offer!" Vicris laughed. "My coin is payment enough!  Go back to you bed.  Don't worry your head about us, we'll keep ourselves quiet for you."

"Be sure that you do." The old male turned back and closed the door behind him to leave the two females in solitude.

"An old crone, but a veteran crone nevertheless," Vicris said as she pulled at the tap in one barrel, promoting ale to flow into another glass. "Once a captain, but now just a barkeep.  He fashioned a title for himself, but no one cares to call him by it.  Hard to consider someone a 'Brewmaster' when their drink is too watered down even for newborns.  Still, it fills the belly, yes?"

She placed Akuna's cup in front of her, brew sloshing over it's brim. The new First Captain took it up and drank, filling her maw with it. Light indeed, she thought in dismay as she swallowed. "It does," she said to the pit fighter as she drank from her own cup.

"How did it taste last night?" she then asked, resting her elbows upon the wooden bar, watching Akuna. "How did Vok's blood taste?  Thin and like wine?"

"Are you sure we should be talking with...someone so close by?" Akuna asked, looking to the door where Callmis resided behind.

Vicris turned to look at the door as well. "No need to worry.  His ears left him a long time ago.  I'm surprised he could even hear our footsteps.  But tell me, how did it taste?"

Akuna thought a moment in silence, taking another sip from her cup. "It had a tang to it," she answered. "Nothing special about it, I can recall."

"Did it taste as good as his winy seed?" Vicris leaned close, smiling.

Akuna gave a slight grunt of laughter. "You and Vok's seed.  Is that the reason you joined this band?  For his seed?  Maybe that's the next step.  He'll reveal his member, standing stiff and rub out a handful of juice for you to lick off his palm." Both females filled the empty tavern with their laughter before quieting it with sips from their ale.

"I hear you gained a new rank," the pit fighter then said. "Does it feel well being a First Captain?"

"Makes me feel stronger, taller even," Akuna confessed, drumming her claws against the wood of the bar. "No longer so meek."

"You outrank your comrade now, along with your Kusno," Vicris informed her.

Akuna's own smile diminished at the words. "Indeed and I will lead by his example.  I just pray this promotion will not change our...bond."

"Bond?" Vicris cocked her head back from the word. "What manner is that word used?  You wouldn't be hiding his sword in your scabbard, would you?" Her face showed a jesting smile, one that Akuna mirrored immediately.

"No, but I have a respect for the male.  He has a rage like a storm, a stubborn will that stands like a mountain.  When cowards would leap and run, he would pounce and charge.  I still have need of his council."

"No need to doubt yourself, my friend.  You are a soldier deserving of your rank.  Vok has need of you to lead and rally, not be the right hand to one that is below you title."

"I will give an ear to his warnings and advice," Akuna said more forcefully, "but when I mean to lead, I will and he will follow like I have followed him."

"That's much better to hear," the pit fighter grinned, taking a long drink from her cup, ale dripping over her black lips.

"And how were you added in the...this group?"

Vicris's eyes turned up towards the ceiling, a hand scratching at her shoulder. "I was not one of the first," she began, "but I have seen us grow through the motions of the sun.  Nistron, the one we knew of as the high northern champion, had been admitted along with me."

The memory of the Blood Pool called forth from Akuna's mind, bringing with it the sadness of seeing the male's head severed by a blade held in southern hands.

"To Vok, we were his beacons of warrior glory," Vicris continued. "He said we were more reliable than one hundred placards of the General's face plastered on one hundred walls throughout the city.  He claimed our profession was not just entertainment for the masses.  We were their ambition, adored idols!  We were the winds that flared the banners and provoked admiration, he told us.  Vok knew of our worth and asked for our admission.  He made sure our coin grew by double in amount and saw too that the benches were more packed with each day.  Soon, everyone here and beyond knew our names, even sang songs of us.

"Of course, I give all my thanks and loyalty to Vok, but Nistron acted as if he were entitled to such generosities.  Cock-less fool of a pox-ridden whore."

Akuna was taken aback by the harshness of her friend's words, a dark contrast to when she first met her. "I had thought you had a respect for your fallen comrade?"

"And who says I don't?" Vicris looked to her, as if she were accused of something heinous. "I had respect for the fool, but his arrogance was sickening.  With each day, he would drown himself in cheers.  With each night, he would drown himself in drink.  In the Grand General's presence, he would bow his head and smile, but when surrounded by admirers, he told of how Vok would beg to lick the blood from his fur.  I told Vok of his mockery, but he had no care for it.  'Let him have his words,' he said.  'As long as the crowd yells for his victory, he serves me with his purpose.'"  Vicris stopped, belching before she went on. "And so it continued, the mocking and his absence from our meetings.  I had respect for my fellow fighter, but Kron's cut was a deserving blow to his neck."

The pit fighter downed the rest of her ale and drew more from the keg while Akuna watched the anger etch itself across her brow.

"Is that the reason for my admission?" Akuna then asked. "Am I to replace Nistron?"

"No, I suppose Vok knows you have your own purpose," Vicris smiled at her, "and be sure you fulfill it, otherwise you too will have your head cut off before a crowd of onlookers."

This time Akuna did not mirror the smile Vicris presented. Instead, she frowned, not sure if the female was serious.

"Slow with some jests, I see," the pit fighter laughed. "Come, let's rob my troops of their dreams.  You won't have need of your Kusno's council any longer!"

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With the coming of the next dawn, came another member and one of the roundest sergals Akuna had ever had the honor of meeting. This sergal, named Amalio, seemed flattered by Akuna's observations, his belly bouncing as heftily as his throaty laugh upon the walls.

"My mother always told me when I was a mere cub, I swallowed an iron pot when she wasn't looking.  Mayhaps the same happened to you," he said as his finger prodded Akuna's abdomen. Her growl was subtle, but Amalio seemed unfazed. Swiftly, he turned down the hall and waited for Akuna to follow. Down the stairwells and through the floors and past the outer gates they went, out into the wild morning flow of Wevren.

From district to district, the circular Amalio detailed his use to the Brethren, his voice so low when compared to the crowds around him, Akuna was forced to bend at an angle as she walked to listen to him. "I have to confess to you, High Captain," he said with jowls jiggling under his chin, "I am not much of a soldier."

"Truly?" Akuna feigned surprise. "I could have never guessed."

Amalio gave another eruptive laugh, slapping her none too lightly across the arm. "But I have been known to use a spiked chain well enough.  Even so, I was never meant to be a soldier.  No, I was born an ambassador.  A friend to all.  Everyone knows me and I know everyone.  Though I did loathe the life of infantry, it did lead me to many places, both fair and uninviting."

Momentarily, Akuna became distracted by two youths at her side; a little female flapping her arms gleefully in the air as she sat on a male's shoulders. "Look, Osen!" the cub yelled out. "Look!  I'm flying like a nevrean!  I'm flying!"

"Be careful!" the male underneath her said with a smile as he began bouncing up and down. "You are taking me with you!  I have never flown before!" The two went off down the street, weaving through crowds of people, the little cub's arms ever flapping. As Akuna watched them leave sight, her own cub came to mind, filling her with a mother's longing. But then, remembering where she was and whom was speaking to her, she pushed the thoughts away reluctantly.

Thankfully, Amalio had not noticed her distraction, his voice trailing in mid-sentence. "-the many tongues of the land.  I was born with the north's and thus gained the east's, west's, and south's, even though a handful of dialects escape me.  Do you know another tongue, First Captain?" His gray eyes found her, watching as they surfed through the peoples of this cramped city.

"No, I only know my mother tongue," she answered, but not with dismay. "And I need no other."

"No?  But there is so much power in the knowledge of languages," the circular male retorted. "You look to be a female that enjoys weapons.  What if I told you there was no weapon more damning than the spoken word?  No blade is sharper than a coarse word said at the right time."

"If you were to tell me that," she said, looking down at him, "then I might say that a real blade in the throat could silence any coarse word you could speak." Her words were heavy with intimidation, but Amalio merely laughed, unmoved.

"You provide a striking argument, but where your expertise lays with knives and daggers, mine is with the tongue and quill.  And though you have your dance of blood and wound, mine is just as cautious and careful.  One fumbled word, a forgotten bow, or a careless smile could mean offense.  One night, I could find someone in a hall and call him my friend.  The next, he could be my enemy.  Let's go in here," he then turned to an eatery called The Gory Bench. Even before they had pressed through the place's threshold, Akuna's nose filled with it's essence. The breads were baking, the meats cooking, and the soups boiling, all at the service of nevrean servers.

"How goes your hunger, Akuna?" Amalio then asked. "Have you broken your fast?"

"I have room if you have the coin," she answered, enticed by the prospect.

"Oh, you should know I have the coin!" he boasted. Inside, the eatery was well occupied, but not so filled that it was difficult to find a table and chair. Before they could seat themselves, Akuna saw a nevrean striding swiftly towards them, a smile drawn clear on the blue-feathered male's face. "Amalio!" he yelled out, promoting Akuna's fur to bristle while Amalio remained unalarmed. Instead, he walked forward with his hands held up at chest level. The nevrean then gratefully grabbed both and kissed his fingers.

Bewildered, but silent, Akuna watched the two exchange words in another tongue. They paid little glances towards her, but otherwise seemed content in their concealed conversation, laughing at their private jests. Finally, the nevrean parted and hurried back to the kitchen, yelling out commands to his cooks.

"The owner, if you did not already guess," Amalio said as they placed their bottoms in their chairs opposite of each other. "Evongots.  Magnificent chef.  Would you believe he was once afraid of our race?  Dreadfully so he was, but making business here has dispelled all his fears, especially under my influence."

The question was baited, but Akuna asked nevertheless. "Your influence?"

"My coin keeps many places of industry here healthy and fat, like myself," he smiled at her as Evongots continued to clamor at his cooks, their pace quickening. "I also keep unsavory bruisers from running them off.  In return, they donate a quarter of their own coin to me, to our clan's cause.  But that's only a small portion of my influence."

Akuna remained quiet and still, ears ever listening to this thick male and the ways of his "influence."

"I am an ambassador, like I have said.  I make friends easily, and there are many friends to make in these deserts.  Do you know of Clan Viacontie?  Clan...Hoa?  The Orange Beak tribe?"

"No, would I?" Akuna said, shrugging at the question with slight confusion.

"Your ignorance is common, Akuna, and forgive me if I have offended you by saying that.  I do not mean any.  But Clan Viacontie, Clan Hoa, the Orange Beaks, and the many others are important aids in our bid for the Sailzane.  To the southerners, they are mere insects scurrying through the grains of sand, dying and starving.  To them, they have no use for, but to us, they are well-found allies."

"And what races are these clans?" Akuna put forth. "I can only guess the Orange Beaks are nevreans." "Yes, and how they scorn the southerners!" Amalio smiled. "And they once scorned us northerners too, but we paid tribute to them by donating food and water to their weak masses.  Other clans have asked for the same and in their gratitude have given us their loyalty."

"To what?  To deny any assistance to the southerners when the time comes?"

"Not only that, but to disrupt their trade routes, attack their caravans, and spy on their movements.  Even more so, they have given us flyers, males that float upon the winds to carry messages from and to, quicker than any runner.  We have employed Agundars, Talyxians, and nevreans all over these sands, helping our cause, enticed by the offerings I have given."

"Offerings?" she asked, again feeling baited into asking.

"We have agreed to divide the lands among the clans, apportioned to the amount of their assistance."

"You mean we are giving them a stead in our conquest?" she asked, abashed by his words.

"We have no use of these sands and this heat," Amalio told her, weaving his fingers between one another. "We did not come here for the southerners' land.  We came here to rid their existence from Vilous and to deny them a legacy.  I have promised a share in our spoils, Akuna, and many the spoils will be once this war is over."

"I suppose if they remain loyal..." she decided, slouching in her chair.

"But come closer, I have another detail for your ears."

They both leaned close and over the table, Akuna listening to the busy air around the eatery and it's guest.

"Would you believe me if I told you the southerners are not as united as we thought they were?"

Akuna remained silent, not truly knowing where he was leading her.

"The southerners are divided amongst themselves, with their own quarrels, fighting, and interior...instigations."

"So?  It will be an easy victory for us," Akuna told him. "They will die fighting each other, instead of us."

"Not what I was trying to make you see.  We have made friends of many southerners, to turn their backs upon their own race."

Akuna was stuck in silence, but then came her words. "What?  The southerners are no friends of any Shigu.  They are only our enemy."

"Of course, it's a pure truth, but you never tell your enemy any truths.  Tell them instead that you will disregard their tribe from the slaughter.  Tell them they can have as much food and water as long as they keep out of the war.  Tell them they will inherit the land from our violence.  Tell them these things and they will seek out our help."

"So you barter with some to kill the many?  You could be called a traitor for these dealings." There was an anger brewing inside her, but it only peek out in her words.

"But," Amalio began, smiling, "all I have told them were lies.  Lies that the southerners believe are truths.  Call them your ally, tell them they will have land and food and life beyond the war and they will let down their arms and allow you to enter their home.  We put forth a hand in greetings," he said, opening his palm before Akuna, "and hold a dagger behind our back." And his hand became a tight fist.

Their attention vanished at the sound of clattering bowls and plates at their backs. Evongots approached to personally serve their meals.

"Oh, I forget to tell, I ordered your own meal, but do not despair, I ordered many foods for you to try." The nevrean chef lightly placed their food down, the tray dominating the entirety of the table. Amalio gave his thanks in the tongue of the nevrean, but Akuna paid no mind to them. She looked to the many foods laying in wait, sniffing at the strings of steam rising from each before she began to feed.

=
=====================================================================

"You met Amalio, yes?  The fat one of our group?  He and I both work in the majesty of ink and paper.  But while his craft is to make pacts and deals, I give rise to emotion.  To bravery and honor, hatred and valor and pride and hope.  My craft speaks through images."

Inkmaster Drenvan's words were full of arrogance, heard over the labor of his workers inside this workshop full of the smell of wood, metal, and ink. Akuna watched as the young hands put paper after paper, slotting the text pieces and engravings, wetting them with ink and pulling the bar. Three presses were at work, manned by a dozen hands. Akuna watched their juvenile bodies hurry to and fro, ink applied to the text and images, the bars pulled once more, the press creaking in tune. And thus they repeated the action, over and over again, stacks of unused paper losing height.

Drenvan commanded one of his hands to give a finished sheet of paper, handing it off to Akuna to look at. The yellow square of paper was blessed with the image of Rain, rays of light blooming from behind her head, all drawn in black. The General held her arm out, hand holding a spear, waiting for the cub before her to receive her gift. Under the image were a line of bold text, unreadable to Akuna's eyes.

"It says 'Let Us Not Forget Our Beginnings,'" the Inkmaster advised her, looking from the leaflet to Akuna with intrigued eyes. "What do you think of the image?  What does it invoke inside of your heart?"

Eyes rolling over the picture before her, she spoke the first emotion that came to her. "Envy," she answered.

"Envy?" Drenvan repeated, taken aback. "Why envy?"

"Wish I had been given a spear by the General herself.  This cub is a lucky bastard, right here," she tapped her foreclaw upon the paper. "Is that what I am suppose to feel?  Envy towards the cub?"

"No, no, no," he told her, taking the paper from her. "It's suppose to invoke remembrance, of our campaign and of our General.  It's purpose is to invoke pride in our upbringing.  Rain is handing the spear off to us, her cubs, the spear standing for our legacy, our clan's legacy."

Akuna simply was unimpressed, looking to the Inkmaster with an unenthused glare.

Giving a heavy sigh and placing down the leaflet on a nearby table, Drenvan waved a hand towards a closed door further back into the workshop. "Perhaps you would like to see more examples of our work.  Tell me what invokes pride in that old soldier's heart of yours."

"It's far from old," Akuna assured him as she followed him to the door.

"Ah, I did not mean aged," Drenvan smiled back at her. "I meant hard.  Trained.  Powerful." His hand found the latch and entered. Invited inward, Akuna found another young hand inside. His wide eyes looked up from his desk. A pencil was clutched in his hand, the tip resting on a rectangle of paper with an unfinished sketch of soldier upon it. Opposite of the door, to the young male's right shoulder was a window shining with golden sunlight. The office was cramped and full of writing supplies: quills, ink pots, paints, brushes, pencils, and paper found at all corners.

"My appreciate Inkmaster," Drenvan waved at the male. "Fico.  A natural artist and he was quick to teach how to read." The youngster smiled and bowed his head. Akuna was not sure if the gesture was a sign of modesty, nervousness, or both. "Whatever I tell him to draw, be it simple or difficult, his pen creates with quickness and satisfaction." He smiled at the youth, patting him on the shoulder with much kindness. "He was the one that crafted that rendering of our good General.  I'm sorry to say, Fico, but it doesn't seemed she liked it."

"I didn't say I didn't like it," Akuna retorted quickly, seeing a sadness enter the young male's face, "but if you were trying to provoke a feeling of pride, I might like to see some other examples of your...craft."

"Yes, yes, I have many to show," Fico spoke up, smiling as he looked around the office at all the papers. He quickly stood and began to leaf through them all, shaking his head at most of what he saw, hoping to find something that would spark power in this large female warrior.

As the master and apprentice searched, Akuna found interest in a particular pile of papers at her left upon a table. One by one, she looked over the pages, finding only sketches. A soldier's top half here, his legs undrawn. A group of workers handling a barrel there. Another rendering of maimed cub.

"Oh!  Please don't look at those..." came the timid voice of Fico, watching her from one far corner of the office as Drenvan did the same. "My unfinished work...I would rather it...not be seen," he said, waving a gesture.

Akuna paid no mind to the male's modesty and continued to look through the papers. The next page quickly caught her interest. It was of General Silves, her body fully drawn in armor, sunlight gleaming from behind her as she held up her weapon in the air with banners flying at her back. This time Akuna was impressed, but it soon turned to confusion as she focused upon the weapon in Silves' hand. It was not her usual halabard. The shape was shorter, leaner, more compacted. Akuna began to wonder if her eyes were playing with her. A club? No...maybe? Was it...a g-

A swift hand slammed down upon the papers, removing the rendering from Akuna's sight. Fico was looking at her, his hand firmly placed on his sketches. "Please...," he said more directly. "They are not finished."

"I was only curious," she explained, folding her arms across her chest.

"Curiosity is a silent blade," he told her, scooping the pages up in his hand and away from her.

"Forgive him, Akuna," Drenvan told her, stifling a giggle. "He is very sensitive about his work."

"Sensitive," she huffed with laughter. "He protects sheets of paper like they are newborns."

After a few more moments of searching, three pieces of completed work were given to Akuna. Both Drenvan and Fico watched her look over each as she judged them silently and swiftly. After awhile, she turned the choice work towards the Inkmaster and apprentice.

The paper showed a northern solider stabbing down with his spear, piercing a southerner underneath him through the heart, face scrunched in pain. "This is the one I like the most," she said to them.

"I would have guessed," Fico said, unsurprised.

"I would have too," Drenvan smiled at his apprentice. "Though I'm not sure if the picture is acceptable.  The southerner's face might frighten children."

"This frightens children?" Akuna turned the page back to herself. "That's a face to laugh at.  I know I would."

=
=====================================================================

He had been confident when he exited their room, crutch under his shoulder and clicking against the stones of the floor, but now that he was on the landing looking down the flights of stairs before him, Rupland's stomach fluttered nervously. Had it always been this steep, he asked himself, lingering there. Was it too last to turn back and sulk silently on their bed once more? No, he refused to, having taken so long to build up his courage on this day. He drew in his breath, let it out slowly, straightened his back, and descended.

First came the crutch, clacking on the first step. Then came his right leg, the least injured limb on his tattered body. After that, came the left leg, still healing and sore. And with that and a heavy grunt, he conquered the first stair. Thus he repeated the motion, slowly but surely downward, one after the other. With his pride swelling, he looked back at the stairwell he had climbed down from, but the moment was short-lived. Once he turned and remembered the number of stairs more he would have to overcome, he frowned, but nevertheless continued onward.

On the third stairwell, he was beginning to pant, both out of pain and fatigue. Rupland knew he was still tender, but his wounds had scabbed over and mended these past few days. He even felt his muscles were regaining their old strength due to Akuna's midday visits.

A new lust was upon them, a needing in their loins that forced them to disrobe immediately and find each other's warmth. His mate always enjoyed being on top, thrusting down upon his crotch as his hands held her bucking hips. Faster and faster, harder and harder she would go, snarling until she found her release. Even after she was done, she would continue her motions until he found his own release inside of her. He had been worried about filling her with child, but Akuna shook her head at his concern.

"I am not fertile yet," she explained with a certainty, "and if I am, I will pluck the bud before it can grow."

She had smiled before then and he had smiled too, but he believed she wasn't joking.

The flights of stairs were at his back now and he found himself shaking with each step, but he could manage himself. Other occupants of the keep came and passed him by, but none donated a helping hand. He was grateful for that. I am not some old crone, he thought ruefully as he staggered toward his destination. I might be less than the soldier I once was, but I am still strong enough to put one foot before the other.

His persistence came to fruition once he remembered his previous steps and found the warm sunlight pouring down upon the green gardens. The foliage was still, it's scent overwhelming Rupland's nostrils as his tired feet pressed against the soft grass. He tiled his head back and breathed inward, tasting the sweetness in the air. But before he could find a place to sit and listen to the powerful silence around him, he heard another presence there with him.

Grunts and rapid breathing could be heard further inward and at first, Rupland believed it was the olden gardener. But instead of the female, he found a male: Cagost. He was in the mists of a solo fight, throwing punches and kicks at the open air, his tail whirling around him. All the while, Rupland watched behind a bush, noticing the swiftness in the young male's attacks and his fluid movements. Deciding there was no reason to hide, he limped out to reveal himself.

"Fast feet and fast arms, you have," he said to Cagost, whom jumped at his sudden appearance. "But you're a bit sloppy and you don't maneuver enough.  You have the speed for it though." He crossed the open grass and found a tree's shade to sit under, pressing his back against the thick truck.

"How long have you been watching?" Cagost firstly asked, his breath heavy and quick.

"Not too long," Rupland confessed, laying his crutch next to him as he stretched out his legs. "How long have you been at it?"

The male turned his head upward, as if to decipher the time of the day from the sun, but the bright orb was obscured by the walls around them. "Perhaps for a good portion of the day," he guessed, claws scratching at the white fur on his chest.

"You have the look of it," Rupland told him. His tongue hung greatly from his maw, arms hanging limply at his sides as his legs seemed to struggle to hold him up. "Maybe time for a rest?  Talk a few words?"

Cagost looked to considered that, looking to his left and right as if he were unsure they were alone. Eventually, he shook his head about and walked towards him. "Might as well," he said, planting himself down next to Rupland.

"Is this your usual routine?" Rupland ventured, eyes watching the youth. "Coming here, honing your martial arts?"

"This is my first time here," Cagost answered, but did not meet his stare. Instead, he looked at the grass underneath him. He ran his hands through it, picking at the blades of green. "I had wanted to train with the soldiers, but they are far from courteous.  One bastard chocked me half to death and left me insensible in the dirt for hours after." He snorted and spat a glob of spit across the grass. "May their members rot between their legs."

"This is because of Akzla?" Rupland then asked, not willing to dance around the subject.

"You've heard like so many others?" he asked, ears dipping down with his tail pressed to the ground between his legs.

"I have," the former soldier answered, tapping a claw against his thigh. "But it might be different from what the truth is.  Was it Akzla that pushed you away?"

"I had thought she had been teasing me," Cagost began, eyes ever upon the ground under him, "but that bastard Vosgoloma shoved me away from her, calling me a child."

"And Akzla did not protest?"

A shrug was given. "It didn't seem to bother her and she told me to leave before I embarrass myself even further.  But she watched me leave.  She stared as I went." Cagost then turned and for the first time, looked Rupland in the face. "She was testing me and I failed her."

"Testing you?" Rupland asked, bewildered.

"Yes, she was," Cagost's blues watched him. "She had no interest in that gutless captain, but she wanted to see if I could defend her, be a true male.  But I failed her and I failed her twice by not meeting her back in our room to push Vosgoloma away like he did to me.  But I won't fail her thrice.  I aim to challenge Vosgoloma at the feast on the day after this."

"You aim to fight him...before the entire gathering hall?" Rupland was astounded, not sure if he should call the male a brave fool or just a fool. "For Akzla?"

"I have to.  She expects me to.  I cannot leave her waiting, believing I am a coward.  She has a love for me and I aim to prove I love her.  I will prove it on the morrow, in front of everyone in that hall, without fear in my heart." "Cagost," Rupland treaded carefully, not sure if the words would inflame him, "if Akzla loved you, she would not have abandoned you for another male."

"Maybe so," he relented, looking up at the tangle of branches above them, "but if she doesn't love me now, my gesture of challenge will make her realize how dear she is to me."

Rupland knew of this emotion, having felt it during his younger years, but not at the strength Cagost currently felt it. The fearing love. A desperate longing, potent and sickening, and he knew how dangerous it could become. "You cannot make a female love you.  It must be mutual.  Understand?  Whatever you might believe about her, Akzla has chosen a new male."

"But I love her," Cagost reasoned, and Rupland saw his words pained him greatly. "She must realize that."

"She is not the last female of the clan, my friend.  Many more are waiting, some even more choice than Akzla."

He shook his head lightly, a sadness in his eyes. "I have to try and see.  I want to know if she loves me as well.  I have to see.  And even so, I will have the chance to embarrass that diseased captain in front of his kinsmen.  He will piss himself in shame once I shatter his teeth." A cruel smile found itself on Cagost's face and Rupland saw a kind of childish madness in it.

"He will kill you, Cagost.  He will kill you before Akzla and the rest of our clan if you challenge him."

The shock was evident on Cagost's face as he looked to him again. "What?  No, he can't.  It will be to first blood and it will be over.  He will be honor-bound to keep my life intake."

"It will not matter," Rupland tried to tell him, his words becoming more frantic. "He will not suffer you embarrassing him in front of his comrades.  He will kill you out of spite.  What if he were to chock you?  With that, he will kill you dead without a drop of blood touching the floor of that hall."

"Not if I kill him first."

"Don't!" Rupland barked out loudly, slamming his fist down to the grass floor with a snarl. "He is a captain.  He will mop the floor with your hide before you can step near him.  Let Akzla go.  She doesn't love you, she has proven that by throwing you away for someone else.  You will only embarrass yourself before the entire hall."

Instead of a reply, Cagost simply clambered up and on his feet. He was determined, Rupland knew with dread, it was written all over his face. "I have to go prepare," the young male said to him. "I cannot hear anymore doubts than I already have.  Vosgoloma will be bleeding before he can unsheathe his claws." He walked off, going for the exit.

"No, you damned fool, stop!" Rupland attempted to rise without the assistance of his crutch, but once he was on both legs, he quickly knew he would not be able to go forward. His legs gave, pain lancing through them as his back landed hard against the tree trunk behind him. Before he could try again, Cagost was already too far and away, and into the keep's darkened innards.

=
=====================================================================

They baited the rodents with bread, cheese, and meat. The little cuts of meats worked the best, promoting the little beasts to scurry out of their crevices in the walls. They were always cautious at first, looking from one direction of the hallway to the next, watching with their little black eyes. But any sense of danger would be outweighed by the potent stench of that treat.

Kare threw the bait down the hall, the piece rolling over the stone floor before stopping. He stride back into hiding like the others. They waited, knowing the bait could not be resisted. They heard the telltale 'scratch, scratch, scratch' of the rodent's claws scrapping across the stones. It was not long before it emerged from one of the many fist-sized holes that pocketed the walls inside the Narulus.

This one was much bigger than the others they had caught today. Fatter, stronger maybe. When it crossed into the sunlight from a slit cut into the wall, the cubs saw it's mangy black-fur, long snout, and puffy tail. Ever patient, they watched the wall-inhabitant crawl towards the bait, furthering itself from the safety of it's hole. Then, when it began to nibble at the meat carelessly, they sprang from hiding.

Kare, Hubus, and Cel came from the left while Misla and Brunka came from the right. All five ran at the little beast with furious, playful speed. Quickly, once realizing the sergal children boring down upon it, the rodent turned back towards it's home, the meat morsel still clamped between it's tiny jaws.

Despite it's size, the black-furred vermin was quick on it's little paws, but too far from it's home to find it's previous safety. Cel quickly blocked it's escape with his feet and the rodent backpedaled in fear, dropping the meat from it's mouth. It attempted to go right, but found it's path blocked by the cubs. It turned the other way and found the same.

The cubs were closing in, the rodent's space lessening. The cubs smiled with gleeful grins, happy with the hope of carnage and capture. Then, with a hiss, the rodent pounced forward at Kare, Hubus, and Cel. The three collided against each other, arms tangling, and hands groping for the little beast. But it easily evaded their claws and scurried over their feet to pass them. With their prey escaping, all five gave chase as the rodent turned down the corridor.

"None of you could catch it?" screamed Misla, her voice shrill with anger. "None of you?"

"Shut it, you idiot!" Kare, the oldest of them, yelled from the front of the group.

Their feet slapped against the stones underneath, claws clicking and scraping as they followed their prey's bushy tail. It turned again. It was making it's way to the stairwell, all five knew.

Kare might have had the lead, but it was a free-for-all, and Brunka was looking to outrun them all. Even so, the group as a whole was closing in on the beast. With another turn, it was looking down the stairwell, ready to scurry down the stairs before it. But Kare was there, his arm recoiling for his hand to grasp around it's midsection. Before he could smile with his catch, the beast thrashed about in his hands, biting at his fingers. Kare's grasp was strong, but not enough to keep their prey from wiggling out of his hands. The cub tried to regain his prize, grabbing after it as it twirled in the air. He caught it again, by the tail this time, but then came the teeth once more, biting down harder. He yelped and threw the rodent against the wall of the stairwell, releasing it.

Like a black ball, the little beast tumbled down the stairs before it found it's footing and took speed on the next floor below. And down the cubs went too, hurrying after it. Kare growled, his fingers bleeding. He gained his lead again, but it was short-lived when his legs tangled with Hubus'. Both stumbled to the floor when Cel crashed against them with no time to stop himself.

"Ha ha!" Misla boasted as she and Brunka ran ahead of the toppled three.

Brunka treaded quicker and quicker, leaving the yells of her comrades behind her as she gained upon the rodent, it's black tail teasing her. She passed Misla, legs increasing their pace evermore. Then with their path leading across the door to a common room, she dove and grabbed after the little black beast before her.

Landing hard against her front, Brunka felt the air leave her lungs. She slid, belly scrapping against the rough floor, but her hands found the prize and remained closed despite the sharp bites against her fingers.

She had watched the other cubs when they had caught their own rodents. She knew what to do. With one hand holding the beast as still as she could, her other closed around it's neck and squeezed. She felt bone and hard flesh give as she tightened her grip and before long, the rodent's flaying ceased. In it's death, it released itself and she felt shit and piss splash against her thigh. Even so, it did not diminish her sense of victory.

Once her friends found her, Brunka head up her prize proudly by the tail, smiling widely.

"Guess that's her copper for the day," Cel said mournfully at the sight.

"The hell it is!" retorted Kare with a snarl. "It's another copper for me!"

"No!  It's for me!" Brunka told him, her happiness turning to rage. "I caught it!"

"Yes, but you only caught it because I hurt it by throwing it down the stairs.  You wouldn't have caught it if I hadn't first!"

"I still caught it," Brunka said to him, sneering. She watched as the older male approached her with angry strides. She felt no fear towards him even though he was bigger than her, taller even. She knew little fear of cubs her own age, including those a few years beyond. She had a fear of the older males and females, her own mother, especially when she was in a rage, but she had only resent for Kare. The male was the oldest of them all and the most prideful, believing himself to be the commander of the group. His ideas of play for them were fun and long-lasting, but he was a fool if he thought she would be his lackey.

When Kare stood before her, looking down, she believed he would cuff her across the ears at first, but he merely snatched the now dead rodent from her hand.

"Ah!" she snarled.

"Three coppers for me today," he said, smirking with the tails of the last two rodents tied on his belt.

The rage Brunka had inherited from her mother then boiled over and her fist lunged at Kare's side. He grunted at first, swiping at her with his empty hand. Brunka quickly ducked from the attack, realizing her mistake. She should had kicked him at the back of the knee. She swiftly corrected herself and did just that, promoting the male to kneel. Kare's face was at her level now and she felt only satisfaction when her knuckles collided against his muzzle.

The male crumbled to the floor and Brunka jumped back, ready for retaliation. But to her surprise, none came. Instead, Kare remained down, moaning painfully as his hands came around his nose. The limp remains of the rodent was near his head, forgotten. Brunka remained in her stance, waiting for this façade to drop, but the male seemed on the verge of tears now. She looked up and none of the other cubs looked ready to defend their comrade. Even Cel, Kare's right hand, took a step back from the shorter cub.

Ill-trained, Brunka guessed, not soldiers, but she kept her words unheard. She looked to Kare whom still lingered upon the floor, rubbing at his muzzle. She took a step forward and his hands closed around his face, his body tensing. Gladly, she would kick him again, but instead, she picked up her prize by the tail.

"I could take the other two beasts on your belt if I wanted to," she snarled down at him. "I could, but I won't.  You caught them fairly and this," she held up the dead rodent, "I caught fairly too.  Try to do that again and I'll gut you like Susmoo does to these things." She left with Misla and Hubus down the hall to find the kitchen, leaving Kare to curse her softly with Cel.

Brunka felt only shame now as her rage evaporated. She pitied Kare and his ego, but she felt mostly shame for showing such anger so easily, the rage of her mother. There was danger in this wrath, both for her and those in it's wake. She knew too well her mother's own wrath and it's perils.

Susmoo was roasting meats merrily in the keep's kitchen when they returned with their catches. They held them up proudly and he laughed loudly as he wiped his hands on his already dirty apron.

"Perhaps I should make it half a copper for each," he said to them, hands on his hips. "If I knew you all would be bringing me this much meat for my soups, I would have!  But my word remains." Brunka and Hubus both gained a copper that day while Misla's hand remained empty. "Still none from you, little one?  Do you have a fear of these things?" he teased, dangling the rodents before her.

"No!" she whipped her hand at the bundle of dead things. "I'm just the slowest!"

"Oh!  Might then it be better just to put a little bit of cheese, or a little bit of meat outside a hole and wait.  See, once she sticks her little head out, grab after her.  You don't need quick legs for that.  Only quick hands!"

All three were given cup pastries before they left the kitchen and it's noise. Brunka loved those treats, especially the little berries cooked within it's bread.

They climbed the stairs and found their usual spot many floors up. Up there, a series of windows looked out over the keep and Wevren. For the cubs, the stone windows were easy to pass through. Once out, they could sit upon the wide, flat roof of a minor ward just over the window's sill. The sun danced over them and the many people below in the yards of the Narulus. Much time was spent here. The cubs would talk and watch and laugh. They spoke of better days, both in the past and beyond. They talked of hopes and fears and the war to come.

Cel and Kare came too and Brunka could see Karl's muzzle had swelled. She quickly stood and took her stance, readying herself. But neither Cel or Kare made a hostile move towards her. They even seemed skittish of her.

"Here to take my copper?" she asked them, leering.

"No, you stupid brat," said Kare, growling. "You can take your stupid copper and shove it up your bunghole for all I care.  I still have two.  One more than you." He sat down and Cel did the same, both watching her carefully.

Brunka lowered her stance, but her fists remain clenched. "You should apologize."

"Why?  I don't need to apologize.  You should apologize for-"

"Apologize!" she yelled at him, snarling. "Now!"

"I'm sorry!  There!  Satisfied?" he said with exasperation. "Now can we move on?  It wasn't worth mentioning twice, you know?"

And the quarrel was settled. Talk was roused and laughs were had. They looked over Wevren as if it was their own, pointing to places they said they would live when they were older, once the war was won. They howled in the wind as the sky grew darker, giving calls they thought sounded like nevrean or agundar wails.

They watched groups come and go through the many walls of the Narulus, be they soldiers or simple merchants giving the wares the Grand General had purchased. But what caught their eye was a most particular band of traders that entered through the gates. Even up on high, the cubs knew the unusual gait and the pale skin:  Agundars. Several of them.

They held guard over three wagons. None possessed a crest or glyph that gave an indication of their clan. The hoofed-folk wore white cloaks and cradled guns.

"The black box bringers come again," said Kare as Brunka watched the agundars make talk with the Shigus. Sergal guards came then and the cargo was revealed. Long crates painted as black as the night sky. "They are rare ones to see here.  They come ever now and then, bringing those black boxes with them."

"What is in them?" Brunka asked.

"Wish I knew.  Could be anything, you know.  Swords, spears, chain mail, maybe tasty food.  Could also be poisons.  Magic tomes or elixirs that can make you twenty heads taller or as small as a pebble.  They can make the dead rise and walk, talk even.  They even have potions that can make your arms into wings."

"What?  Nu-uh, you stupid," said Misla with a dubious look on her face. "What smoke has your mother been blowing in your face?  No one has that."

"Yes-uh, you bunghole eater!" retorted Kare, growling at the girl. "The agundars are a race of magicians and they use the feathers of a nevrean to make their flying liquids."

"Your words have the stench of garbage," Misla muttered.

"What was that?" Kare barked.

"Hey, what was the agundar word for 'hello?'" Hubus suddenly asked, looking to Cel.

"Uh, 'Hosnes', I think," Cel answered, looking uncertain.

"Let us see if they say hello back." Getting to his feet, Hubus walked close to the roof's ledge, looking down to the yard with the Shigu soldiers readily unloading the agundars' cargo. His wide chest expanded as he inhaled in long draw of air.

"Hooooooosneeeesssss!" he yelled out, the word echoing across the stones of the Narulus and over Wevren. Shigu and agundar ceased in their movements, heads turning to peer at the children seated upon the roof on high. None spoke. Hubus took in another breath and tried again. "Hoooooooooooooooooosssneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss!"

Again, the only thing he received were the stares of his brethren and of the white-cloaked agundars. Soon, both parties lost all interest in them and took to their duties again.

"None too friendly those folk are," Hubus smiled back at his friends.

The other cubs continued to sit, watching as the long, black boxes appeared one after the other. Whatever the crates contained, Brunka saw it took six soldiers to carry one.

=
=====================================================================

With each thrust, she gave a grunt. With each buck, her claws dug deeper into his chest. She had already made him bleed this session, teeth bites on his neck. But she would repay him later, licking away the red in his fur as they laid together upon stained sheets. But once the deed was done and both had had their fill, Rupland's mind remained restless.

He stared up towards the ceiling, mind awash in recollection. He could barely notice Akuna's tongue wiggling through his fur, but before long, she was up again. She wiped the remnants of their lovemaking off with a rag and donned her skirt once more, ready to continue her day.

"There is a feast tonight, is there?" he asked with his back against the sheets, head turned towards her.

"Indeed," she answered without looking at him, patting down places where her fur was unruly. "Desiring a meal better than what the servants can scrape together?"

"I would not mind a cup of ale or two," he grinned wistfully, "but I had another matter to speak of.  You know of Cagost, yes?"

"The boy Akzla had been fucking until she had want for a better cock?  The same that had thrown a slight against our child?  Yes, I believe I have a memory of the fool.  What of him?" She looked to him now with her back still turned.

"He will be there tonight at the feast.  If his courage persists, of course.  But he's mad with love."

"For whom?  Akzla?"

"Yes."

Akuna giggled with a long laugh, hand covering her brow. "The bitch's claws have dug deep into this child!  All the way to his heart!  Ha!  Did he tell you this?  Is he to pronounce it before the entire hall?"

"He told me," he said, annoyed at the joy she was gaining from this, "he is to challenge that captain, Vosgama or Vasgoso, whomever.  But he will challenge him for Akzla's sake in hopes of winning her love.  First blood."

Akuna was uproarious with laughter now, holding her stomach as her breath was lost. "T-t-truly?" she gasped. "T-truly?  That is his plan?  To fight and to fight a...captain?  Ha!  The fool!  The poor fool and his poor fool heart!  Ha!  I cannot believe my ears.  Tonight I am sure to have a good show."

"Akuna, please!" Rupland's fist rose and pummeled the mattress under him, shaking the bed frame. Immediately, his mate's cackling was silenced. "You don't understand!  He's a fool drunk on love!  A false love even!  He's throwing his life away for a false love and he believes he will win.  This captain will kill him for this slight and Cagost refuses to see that.  Please, Akuna, and I plead greatly knowing of the insults he has given us, but steer him away from giving that challenge.  He is a fool, but he is a young fool blinded.  Use whatever words you must, just see that he leaves that hall unharmed."

"This bastard calls your daughter fat and you want to save his hide?  From his own stupidity?  Rupland, take your rest, I plead you.  I must have fucked you senseless!" Another laugh, which did not sooth Rupland's worries.

"You call me senseless and you want to see a brother of our clan seen harmed?  Akuna, I have only pity for the boy.  You know of Akzla better than I.  She is worth dying for?"

Akuna gave a grunt at that. "If you were blind, deaf, and castrated."

"Then save this boy from this folly.  Would you rather have Akzla gloating a male fought and died for her against another?"

Akuna shifted her shoulders uncomfortably around and said nothing.

"Convince him somehow, Akuna.  Please.  That's all I ask you to do.  He's poisoned with love, sick with it.  Let him see that-"

"Alright, alright!" Akuna interrupted him, waving a gesture at him. "I'll give the boy some mercy and keep him from shaming himself before the rest of his clan.  But I won't be shedding any of my fur for him, understand?  He is just a boy, but if he is old enough to understand the risk of a challenge, then I'll let him pay the levy."

"Just try, my mate.  That's all I ask of you.  Please.  Better to keep another one of our own to fight the southerners, yes?"

"Right, right, right," she waved at him again, frustrated. "The fool is mad in love and I am the only one that can save him from his madness.  Yes, yes, yes.  I'll keep him for the good of our clan." And then she was gone and out the door, slamming it behind her.

Rupland stayed still and breathed an uncertain breath, testing his wounds to see how much pain they caused. Nothing too much to handle, but he still needed time.

The captain will rip the ears from his head and prick out both his eyes, he thought fearfully. He is half-blind and is ignorant of the storm hailing towards him. Save him, Akuna. Save him.

=
=====================================================================

The gathering hall was ever loud with conversation, ever filled with the throng of guests, and the Grand General was ever absent on this night. Even so, Akuna was not alone. Brunka was at her side, nibbling at southern meat, young eyes watching the crowd as it swirled around them like wine in a glass. Zulca was there as well, but was currently lost within that packed room full of drunks and gluttons. And most importantly here near Akuna was Milkas Anser.

The black-furred female whom had assisted Akuna through the dark organs of the Narulus a few nights before seemingly possessed no unique skill for the group expect being an assassin. She presented herself as once an eager soldier, mere and young, now risen and groomed by war.

"I was a Shadow-hide," she had stated earlier, not a hint of pride in her voice. "I killed in silence, struck from the dark, and slipped back before I could be seen.  If each kill was a coat of blood upon my hands, then my fingers would remain wet throughout my years."

"And why did Vok have you admitted?" Akuna had asked, leaning her head towards the whispering female so she might hear her.

"To train assassins, I suppose.  To prevent a concealed strike before it could harm him or his allies.  Other than that, I don't know why he keeps me." She downed the rest of her ale in one pull. Her third glass in the first hour of this feast, Akuna noticed. Cup after cup came afterward and Akuna watched as Milkas found difficulty standing. Thank the gods the table is there, she thought as the female placed a hand atop the piece of furniture, she might fall before the night is over.

As the food was eaten and drinks downed, Milkas grew more and more quiet and more and more drunk, but Akuna was slightly glad for the female's subdued nature. She regarded Amalio and Drenvan as eccentrics, those that thought too highly of themselves, believing their skills too rare to be found or even taught. They loved the sound of their own bellowing, throats ever a gasp with long sentences and millings Akuna had no patience for.

She could spy Akzla far across the room, talking with Captain Vosgoloma and another male. Both seemed content and full of laughs, their fingers playful as they pinched and grabbed Akzla like a ripe fruit.

Akuna's eyes watched the doors that lead in and out of the hall, peering to see if Cagost would saw his face. He had yet to appear, but still, Akuna hoped the male would come and show his bravery. I will try, Rupland, she thought. I will try to wring him from Akzla's claws before it will kill him. For you, my mate, I will try.

A silence came over a portion of the guests, near the doors, and Akuna knew it would be him. Like so many others, her head turned to him as he made his way through the hall. His eyes wandered over the room and once he had located Akzla and her suitors, he honed in. Ever quick, Akuna decided it was time to attempt and intercept the fool. Even so, she found this to be most difficult. Cagost was almost to the other side of the room while Akuna barely made any progress towards him. Both wadded through the crowd, Cagost maneuvering around groups while Akuna simply shoved those from her path, Brunka following in confusion. But despite her haste, the fool found his way to Akzla and her new fling. From where she stood, Akuna could see the surprise and anger in her fellow captain's eyes. Already the entire gathering hall had caught the hint of tension from this fledgling feud.

"What is happening?" Brunka asked at Akuna's hip, unable to see over the people in front of her.

"A jester's song," her mother said, frowning at her failure to stop this development.

"I don't hear any music."

"Not yet." She could not hear the words Cagost and Akzla threw at each other or the quips Vosgoloma told at the boy's expense, but she noticed their volume rising, the rage forming on their faces. Akzla seemed to be trying to get Cagost to leave the hall and forget this matter, but the male's attention was now pointed turned towards Captain Vosgoloma. The older male laughed at the younger and smashed his cup against the floor. He removed his orange breeches and Cagost did the same with his brown kilt.

"Challenge!" someone cried out from the crowd that gathered around the two males. "First blood!"

So you are as smart as Rupland told me, Akuna thought to herself. You wish to compare yourself to Akzla's new toy against yourself, but you are not cocky enough to risk your own life. Call me surprised to see you here and call me astonished to see you go through with it.

"What is happening? What is happening?" Brunka bellowed as the hall became loud with cheers and jeers, food and drinks forgotten. Akuna picked up the child and set her upon her shoulder, well above the heads that watched as the two males began their challenge. Akzla was screaming at them, held back by the other male that had been groping her earlier. Akuna found herself struck surprised at this. She had believed her fellow captain would enjoy this melee.

Cagost and Vosgoloma were circling one another now, the crowd clearing a space for them to fight. Cagost nervously moved about, his stance up and at the ready while Vosgoloma walked about calmly, his arms held at his sides. The first to pounce forward was Cagost, putting forth a punch at the captain's face. Vosgoloma easily dodged the sloppy strike and kneed his young combatant in the stomach in response. Cagost reeled back, clutching his belly, his face scrunched in a growl. Again, he came forward with an attack, a kick at the hip. It was another easily avoidable assault for the captain as he jumped out of it's range. He then came at the boy with his own kick, right upon his chest. Cagost was thrown back, toppling over to hit the back of his head against the marble floor. "Up!  Up!" Vosgoloma yelled out and Cagost stumblingly complied, all the while surrounded by the teasing laughs of the other guests.

Reaching back to touch the back of his skull, Cagost could feel the warm moisture touch his fingers. When he looked, red graced the pads of his hand.

"No, no, no!" Vosgoloma quickly said to him, smiling darkly. "It must be by my claws, my teeth, or my fists.  You did not challenge the floor to first blood!  Even though, it would be an opponent more suited for you!" The hall echoed with laughter at the quip.

Jab after jab, kick after kick, Cagost tried, but all that his hands graced was empty air. For each thrown his way, Vosgoloma retaliated with a jab or kick of his own. The cheers around them grew louder as the guests yelled out their own jibes towards the boy. Akuna only watched, smiling as Cagost persisted, wondering when the captain would end this little play of his. Then came a fist that slammed against Cagost's muzzle. The male yelped, grabbing his face and kneeling to the floor. Drips of red speckled the white marble under him and Akuna shock her head with a grin. The challenge was over.

The hall burst with jovial cries and Akuna saw a pair of guards exchange a handful of coins. When she turned her head back, Cagost was still kneeling, holding his hand up to catch a few drops of his own blood, unaware that Vosgoloma was rushing towards him. An upward kick crashed against the boy's muzzle, his head thrown back. Cagost was no longer kneeling. He now lain upon the floor, sprawled on his back.

The entire hall, along with Brunka and Akuna, gasped in surprise. They watched as Cagost struggled to regain his posture, rising up slowly. Then came Vosgoloma again, swiping a fist right at the side of his head. This time, the crowd did not gasp. Instead, they cheered in approval. Again and again, more blows were brought down upon Cagost. A kick in the stomach, claws racking down his cheek and back, fists smashing his muzzle. More and more blood came forth to leak from the boy's hide.

It was not a challenge of sixth or seventh blood, you fools. Akuna sneered at the other guests, listening to their joyful clatter, watching as they too came forward to pay a slap to Cagost's face, spill their ale upon his head, or squash his tail with their feet. Two other males came to pick up the poor fool and for a moment, Akuna believed the hellish show was at an end. Instead, the two males simply held up the boy for Vosgoloma and many others to have a go at him. One female giggled as she gave a flurry of punches at the youngster's ribs.

"Why won't they stop?" Akuna heard Brunka cry out and she didn't know what to say. "Why won't they stop?"

Akuna looked and saw no guards ready to end the melee. They only continued to watch as Cagost hung limply and was beaten bloody.

The boy has bleed, this show is done. Let him be. More and more Akuna was becoming uncomfortable. Her bowls hurt, her stomach feeling as if it were full of worms. More came forward to pummel the boy. Her fist were clenched tight, claws unsheathing from her fingertips, fur bristling.

All around her was a sea of laughter, gross faces with smiles and open maws. They could not keep the ale or the meats from spilling from their jaws, merrily laughing at the torment of their brother. Not a bastard or an ingrate, just a fool in love. But he was their toy, forced to play in this show for these gluttons. Akzla was hysterical now, weeping as she was restrained from interfering, cries muffled by cheers. Akuna found herself overflowing with fury.

"Why won't they stop, mother?"

Enough, her head yelled out.

"Just try, my mate."

Enough.

"He is poisoned with love."

Enough.

"Then save this boy from this folly."

Enough!

"Convince him somehow, Akuna."

Enough!

"I will try."

Enough!

She put down Brunka from her shoulder and thrust herself through the crowd before her. What am I doing, she asked herself as she shoved and punched and kicked her way through wave after wave of her comrades. What am I doing? A hand grabbed after her shoulder and another at her dress. Her hands went wild with her knuckles slamming against anyone that darned block her path. What am I doing? Finally, after having her clothing torn and tattered, she exited into the open floor. She saw Cagost's bloody face, his eyes closed, limbs without movement.

"Stop this, you gluttonous whores and bastards!  Stop it now!" she screamed out and all throats were made silent. "Let him go!  Drop him!" The two males that held Cagost did so, but none too lightly. A drunken male came from the crowd and tried to persuade her to stop, his words slurping. Akuna replied with a slap to his eye. The male wandered off quickly and was no longer a bother. The only one that stood defiant was Captain Vosgoloma.

"What is this?" he asked, bloody arms up in bewilderment. "You have no right to stop this, female!  Unless you want me to crush your face too!"

A thick glob of spit shot from Akuna's lips and hit the captain upon the forehead. He seemed stunned by the gesture, ready to start another brawl. Akuna was rearing for the opportunity, but before it could arise, Akzla ran forward from the crowd. She came from Vosgoloma's back and he could not dodge the claws that came for his face.

"You bastard!" Akuna's fellow captain yelled. "You son of a whore!  Slack-jawed child of a pox-ridden beast-fucker!  I told you to stop!  I told you, you cock-less cripple!" With each insult, Akzla accompanied with it a sharp claw, either from hand or foot.

Vosgoloma backpedaled from her, either unwilling to hit his lover or too surprised at her violence. The crowd gained laughter again as they watched the captain stumble and land on his ass. Akzla gave him a slight respite, leering at him with teeth bared. Akuna stood at the ready, praying the male might bring a new fight to this hall so that she and Akzla could tear his hide to ribbons.

Vosgoloma thought better and marched from the hall in unchecked rage, forgetting his orange breeches as he pushed those from his path. With their entertainment at an end, the other guests decided it was best to disperse and focus on their drinks again.

Cagost only moaned from Akuna's slaps and Akzla's shaking. They asked for a litter and a healer. The healer was quick to appear, having attended the feast like so many others. He was half-drunk, but seemed confident the boy would live. "Guards, if you will, pick him up and carry him to my quarters.  Let's see if I can stitch and bandage well after three cups." Two guards then came and carried Cagost by his legs and under his shoulders. The healer stumbled next to them and Akzla came with as they began to leave the hall. Before her exit, Akuna watched as she turned back to face her.

"Akuna...you...have my thanks," she said and Akuna noticed the strain on her words. "If you hadn't...thank you...just...thank you."

Akuna gave a mere nod, knowing no words sufficient enough for this moment. She just wanted to leave the hall and end this miserable night. With Brunka in tow, they did just that.

"You did right, mother," Brunka said as they made their trek to their chambers, her words echoing softly down the hallway. "You did right."

"Let's pray the boy understands his worth now after I saved his ass," she said, unsure of herself. She then felt a little hand gasp hers, warm against her pads. She looked down and gave her cub a grin as she lead them through the dark.

=
=====================================================================

"I was told a queer story that occurred last night," Armsmaster Highlen Cost told her, leading her down deeper and deeper into the Narulus to places she had yet to see or discover. Were they to go to that hidden chamber, Akuna thought to herself. Am I to be disciplined for meddling in matter's not my own? "A hall full of people, two males fighting, one female's heart, a rowdy ordeal, and then," he turned his muzzle around to her, "you.  First Captain Akuna."

"I can recall a small ruckus last night," she told him with the fear boiling in her bowls. "Nothing of deep concern."

"A small ruckus that caused the whole feast to cease," the Armsmaster smiled at her. "I was told about the entire commotion.  Minds fogged by drink tell me a much different story." They entered a large empty chamber. Something of a ritual room, Akuna guessed before they quickly exited it and began down another long and winding stairwell. "It is said you tossed others in the air as you made your way through the crowd, that you threatened to eat a captain's cock for nearly slaying your mate."

"My mate?" she said with much confusion. "No...no!  Who said the fool I rescued was ever my mate?  I would have to kill myself with ale for that fool to lay with me."

"But do you know him?  Your son?  An old war friend?"

"A friend of a friend," she confessed. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Truly?" Highlen asked dubiously. "Can't imagine you would step into a fight for a friend of a friend."

"Neither had I," she retorted. "Must have been the drink, but you said before you were in charge of arming the entire army?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. "Can't imagine that is a job for one person."

"I am just one person, that is true," he said to her, the dark deepening with the heat of the day abandoning them in these cool depths. "But I have many cohorts, many merchants at my disposal, many blacksmiths working for the coin I give for their hard labor.  I aim to arm every male, female, and child throughout the land.  A dagger for every newborn." His laugh rolled through the black stones around them. "Perhaps we will need a torch.  My apologies," he said as he took one from it's sconce. The illumination it provided did help Akuna's nerves, not knowing where the floor rose or dipped.

As they continued onward, Akuna became aware of a light banging running through the corridors. It began as nothing more than a whisper in her ears, hardly noticeable, but as they went more and more into the guts of the keep, the sound grew more powerful. It echoed around them now and her ears dipped at it's volume, her head beginning to hurt from it's constant repetition.

"What is that noise?" Akuna asked.

"Progress," Highlen told her and continued on.

They seemed to be heading towards the source of the noise. There, Akuna saw, a door at the end of the hallway. Louder and louder the sound became, step by step. Thankfully, before they even reached the entrance, the sound ceased. Highlen's hand scratched at the door. Once opened, Akuna saw the wide chamber beyond and the several soldiers waiting inside. They turned to them, waiting for them to enter. The one further back in the room looked too, turning and within his hands she saw he held the dark shape of a rifle.