Her Mantle Upon Your Shoulders: Part 5

A crowd had grown outside around the house. Northern eyes watched the bodies being carried out into the street and laid onto a simple cart. The Nevreans and town watch gasped at the sight of the limp cubs, dead eyes half-opened as they were tossed roughly in the cart's bed. Akuna's brothers and sisters didn't show the same shock. Their stares were indifferent, almost as lifeless as Rully's. But some leered with a disgust in their gaze. They knew of what had occurred, Akuna could not hide that when she scrambled back to the Shigu campgrounds to tell them what she had seen. None could be saved, their wounds too deep and not enough blood left in their bodies.

"Strange, none of them fought," Skak, a mere spearlancer, observed. A dab of blood dirtied the fur on his chest, having carried more than two of the cubs from their bedroom. "This should tell why." He showed a small flower in his hand. Taking it from him, Akuna examined the plant with delicacy. It's petals were of a deep azure, the stem a hard brown. Lifting it to her nose, she sniffed and caught only a hint of it's fragrance.

"What is it?" she asked, handing the flower back to the young soldier.

"I believe it's called a Ca'sci," he told her, spinning the flower's stem between his thumb and forefinger. "The little petals can make you sleepy if they are digested.  It helps if you happen upon a hard night and your eye lids refuse to rest.  More stems were found inside, their pedals cooked into a stew." The soldier's eyes looked from the tiny flower to the corpses in the cart. "None of them could feel the blade at their throats.  Death came easily."

"Not so easily for the mother," Akuna pointed out. "She cut herself not long after I found her children.  The whore," she said with detestation. The majority of the northerners were heading back outside of Rellon, two soldiers pulling the body cart along with them.

"Pity for the children, loathing for the mother," Skak said, falling in line with the rest of the herd of northern sergals. The Nevreans parted as well, their interest thoroughly dissipated, some with haunted looks upon their faces. The town watch took up their duties again as well. They brought no trouble to the Shigus once the situation had been described to them. As long as no feathered bodies had been harmed in the least, they showed no concern.

Akuna gave Rully's house a long look. The front door was left opened. Nothing had been left for the thieves. The carpets had been rolled up and lifted, and so had the single mattress with the rest of the wares inside. All had been split between those that claimed them first and carried them back to the camp. Now, the house laid empty expect for the stains and smell of blood. Akuna was certain that another soldier would make it their home soon if they already hadn't. She took to the road for home with dusk so very close. She watched as her allies returned to the camps with Rully and her cubs. For their unhonorable deaths, they would not be given an honorable burial. Instead, the lost family would be dumped out somewhere in the desert to be gnawed at by lizards and beasts, their bones and memory given to the sands.

Like Skak had said, Akuna had only pity for the cubs and much loathing for their mother for taking their young lives.

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The Desertbird's Perch was alive with noise and fogged under a thin layer of smoke. Apart from the crowd of merry patrons of mead and ale, a band of Nevreans were playing rowdily on the stage. Palms slapped against thumping drums, claws picking fast at the strings of a lute, and a male singer sung lyrics that told of times dancing under pouring rains and strong winds lifting wings up to the sky. His voice was shrill and quick, and many drunks joined their own vocals with his. Curiously, Niyi also sang with them, her voice long and deep when compared to the Nevreans around her. Budio laughed and swayed with her, her hand pulling at his hip while he tried not to spill his cup full of spiced mead.

Watching the couple, Rupland could only give a laugh of his own. He popped a morsel of meat in his mouth, washing it down with a tankard of hard mead that hazed his mind well. Upon the table between them were cuts of juicy meat, soft rolls, and bowls filled with sauces. The sour sauce was one of Rupland's favorite, making meats the all more savory. He had asked the waiters many times over for blood sauce, but they never seemed to have it. It could be blood from the throat of any animal, but Rupland loved it warm, almost hot. Just the thought made his mouth flood with saliva.

Akuna leaned back in her chair lazily beside Rupland, drinking cupful after cupful of ale. Her head was already filled with the drink. Her limbs felt numb while the soft light from the bulbs above and the drone of the bar crowd seemed to meddled together. Her posture was more than relaxed, but she could not muster a smile like her mate and friends.

Rully's suicide and the sacrifice of her cubs had disturbed her deeply. More than it should have. The image of those children laying dead on their sides in the gloom of their small room hovered over her like a darkened cloud. It chilled her more than the winds of the northern homelands. The drink helped, but the thought of Rully's transgression continued to bite at her hide. Only a handful of suicides had occurred once the war campaign was halted. They had spoke the same words Rully had declared. They had grown certain of Clan Shigu's lesser fate and were not willing endure the wait for the General any longer than they had already. Their comrades could not sympathize with these malcontents' impatience. Their bodies were abandoned to rot in the sands like Rully's, names mentioned in vile tones.

"Akuna is already half-sleep after only five cups!" Niyi barked with laughter and her mate snickered. Rupland only gave a smile, surely knowing that Akuna was not in the best of moods. "Show us a smile, Akuna!  Come on!  Can't enjoy a good time with us?  Rather be with your baby soldiers, having them all suck and slurp at your lower tongue?"

Budio snickered again, chocking on a roll. Rupland hid his smile with a hand, looking to his mate with the air growing tense. Akuna straightened up in her chair, looking from her cup to Niyi, whom still wore her dumb smile proudly. Taking another sip from her drink, a crooked grin grew on Akuna's face while the ale slipped down her throat.

"I should be the one accusing you of fancying children.  Budio is not far from being mistaken as one." Her mate gave a laugh at that and Budio giggled with his own. Niyi merely displayed a coy smile, motioning the server boy over to refill her cup of wine. This dinner would have been a great expense, but Budio had assured them there would be no cost to be paid. The rolls and plates of raw flesh could be dispensed endlessly, as with the hard drink, Budio's employer had promised.

Akuna ignored her ale for the time being and took renewed interest in the conversations Niyi and Budio gave between them. Old battles were recalled, comical moments from the past and of recently. The happenings of old comrades were also discussed.

"I hear word Odkey's belly is swelling again with another child," Niyi told the lot of them, the Nevrean singer's voice turning soothing with the start of another song.

"Someone would seed that one-armed whore?" Akuna slurred while she clawed at the food between her teeth. "Is this with the same male or another that she has been mislead?  I would imagine her cunt is like a cave now, her lower tongue as tethered as a rag." Niyi gained another giggle from that. Gossip wasn't something Akuna enjoyed, but it felt good to hear how old squadmates have fared with the passing mouths. Odkey's right arm had to be amputated after a daring skirmish, the first months of the desert conquest underway. A huge gash had split her bicep, but she insisted to the medic that it would heal. Instead, the wound had rotted and emitted a fowl odor that stung the nostrils. After much complaining from her squadmates and Captain Kusno, she sought assistance to heal the wound. By then, the arm could not be saved, becoming only a stub. Nevertheless crippled with just her left now, the soldier grew accustomed to using one-handed short swords. A great wonder how she had survived this long, Akuna thought.

Since the years of the siege of the southern barrens, Hinokun squad had endured much, it's ranks  shrinking and swelling with the passing of the days. The desert heat had snuffed out Vis'ul's life. He had collapsed one day in their march and would not rise to his feet again. Odkey had attempted to shuffle him awake, but failed. By then, her fondness of that male had been spent and she relented no tears for him. On the contrary, Mok had adapted well to the southern lands. Today, most of her time was spent out among the deserts, alone, searching for game to sneer with her bow. Niyi had found the female to be a fine hunting companion.

With the campaign dispelled, Al'talle had asked Kusno if she might go back to her home and clan in the south-eastern forests. Kusno had agreed and allowed her to leave, knowing the talyxian was heavily homesick. "You and your blades have served Clan Shigu well," Kusno had said to her. "The blood you have spilt for us will always remain fresh in our memories."

Many more comrades came and went like the motion of the sun and night. When other squads grew small by heavy deaths, they took on the mantle of Hinokun squad. 'Cripple bastard.'  Even when Kusno took on the larger duties and honor of directing multiple squads into combat, his wards were as close as kin.

Such musings gave such a pleasure to Akuna while she and her mate talked more of memories and past happenings. Old battles and conflicts were recalled, stories of killings traded while laughs belted from their throats. She desired to have those days again, shoulder to shoulder with her comrades and blade to blade with a Reono spearlancer. She remembered how her muscles screamed with a tenderness after each confrontation, wiping the blood and grim from her spear, and counting each kill from memory.

But now, she sat in this tavern with Nevreans on all sides of her, listening to their songs while the smoke from their pipes clouded the place. Her tales of battle felt not to be her own, instead they felt to be from a stranger. All she desired now was to revive the nostalgia of better times.

One last cup of ale was finished before Akuna lifted from her chair, a slight stumble in her step. "Where might you be leaving off to?" Niyi asked, curiously, around the honeyed roll in her maw. Budio's and Rupland's eyes were upon her as well.

"I can't stand the sound of these Nevreans' music," she said to their stares over the male singer's shrill vocals. "I need to walk or I might mat your fur in my vomit too." She turned toward the exit, seeing the female Nevrean bouncer standing there with her hands not far from her side pistols.

"I'll go with you," Rupland began to stand up.

"No," Akuna spun back at him, "stay, talk.  I need to walk alone for now.  Just stay here, drink and eat.  I'll meet you back home." She gave him a disengaging wave of the hand and moved towards the door, trying not to trip over her own feet. A small glance was given to the bouncer, but Akuna felt she didn't have the strength to form a stern look upon her face. Pushing the door open with a single shove, she walked into the nightly air. Without smoke constantly streaming into her nose now, the air smelt cleaner in her lungs.

Slouching in her stride, her feet were on the main road, a wide lane of cobblestone that carved through the town. Windows flickered with light at the sides of the road, the shadow of occupants shifting like dark ghosts inside. Nevreans that were enjoying the night air themselves, or merely travelers, steered from Akuna's path. She craned her head upward, eyes finding the splash of stars across the dark heavens. For an instance, she stopped walking and picked the ones that burned the brightest. Then came a sharp howl from the innards of the town. Many of the townsfolk heard it as well, but took no heed to it. For Akuna, it was a familiar howl. She was sure it was her daughter, or maybe one of Niyi's cubs, standing atop of one of the great rock bodies Rellon had rose around, giving calls out to all of the town. With a smile and a boost of spirit, Akuna answered back with her own howl. Her's was strong and deep, and it carried itself through the night. The Nevreans on the road gawked in shock and laughter. She waited...and then came an answer, another shrill howl in the distances among the looming rocks. Akuna brought another call to them, but soon left lest she give the town watch reason to arrest her for disturbing the sleeping folk.

Her demeanor was more light-hearted now, but Akuna still greatly missed the times of blood-soaked steel and armor. She also realized that she yearned for the company of her captain. Kusno had now been gone for more than a fortnight, most likely with the north winds fluttering through his dark-blue fur and in the presence of his birth clan. Before he had departed, he appeared to be wary of the journey ahead of him. He remained silent of what truly worried him, but he gave a warning tone to Akuna personally a day before he left. "Keep your mind clear, Akuna" he told her, his muzzle close with a hand placed on her shoulder. "Our enemies are closer than you believe them to be, maybe even at arm's length."

It was odd for the captain to speak in such a way, but Akuna was accustomed to such thoughts. A foe's blade is always deadly, no matter how short or simple. "Then," she had smiled at him, "should I regard you as an enemy?"

He had shown his smile and patted her hard on the shoulder. "Just keep safe.  Those who work against us most wear friendly masks and wish us to break the oaths we've sworn to our General.  Never let that happen.  Never."

Akuna responded with a swift Shigu salute, left eye covered. That had been many days ago, in the shroud of their captains quarters with the other captains absent. Now, those words ringed in Akuna's ears again, unsure of their truly meaning. She was taken abash by their mention, by the haste in her captain's words, but, nevertheless, she took them to heart. Only Drig had accompanied him on the journey northward, which was also odd. When the right emotions struck out at Kusno, he usually went outward alone, escorted by a handful of spearlancers and swordsmen. Once he reached the border between north and south, they would leave him to complete the journey on his own. Akuna hoped the road before him had been safe and undisturbed, but still a stir of anxiety boiled in her stomach.

One could would not call Kusno soft when he first came under the leadership of his first squad. When his eyes looked at his subordinates, he only gave an expression of disgust. He tempered them like a hot blade extracted from a smith's fire, but instead of hammers, he used sharp threats and insults, hard slaps and blows. Regardless of what she made of her new captain years ago, Akuna was now proud to stand in combat with a captain as bold as Kusno. Full of vigor and bottled with a spirited sort of anger, Akuna could think of very few soldiers that could compare with him.

Once she had crossed the threshold of her home, a heavy sleepiness bore down upon her mind. She retreated upstairs and stripped off her skirt, throwing it on her piled pieces of armor. The entire house sounded to creak when she fell to her mattress, the bedroom spinning with the ale still taking it's toll. She ruffled around the cool bed sheets, pressing her face to them. A quiet purr rumbled in her throat while her tail shifted softly around her legs.

Lifting her tail toward her hands, she played with it while she laid there on her belly. She stroked at the white hairs, grooming and licking them. A small amount of regret found her like it always did when she looked to it's tip. She could feel where the flesh had been severed long ago, slashed at the command of their General. It was their punishment after associating themselves with that traitor and spy, Nuly. Her attempt at assassinating the General had fallen short and her life was snuffed out along with Unkli's, another comrade whom had grown sympathies for the spy's endeavors. Akuna and her friends had pleaded with Rain they had no knowledge of Nuly's true intentions. Silves had ruled their tails to be cut at the top, by their own hands, payment for their lack of vigilance. Rupland had said before her tail had grown back to it's former, fluffy splendor, but she could never convince herself it had. The severed tip had indeed grown back a few spaces, but she had now longed for what it was years ago. She gave a dismissive sigh and moved her tail from her sights.

Laying in that dark room, Akuna tossed around the sheets, thinking she would like her mate with her in bed. She would have liked to bound his hands behind his back and yank at his tail while she plowed down on him. Purring with more ideas flowing through her head, she shuffled around the bed again with a dampness forming between her thighs. She desired to lay awake until he came home. Then she would remove the lust that burned in her loins. But she would not last that long. Her sleep would find her, quick and overwhelming like a northern raid.

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It was best to avoid the main road to the eastern gate, Rupland decided, but he had found himself staying solely to the western gate throughout that day. He didn't like the thought of having a chance meeting with Hasasa or even Ceil if a shipment of dye and cloth came into Rellon. Better he remain at this end of the town, instead of having to go through the embarrassment of explaining the actual reasons why he never returned to the Agundar's shop. He could make up excuses, but he felt it was better to stray from the eastside of town for the time being. The wind was vicious this day, spraying sand throughout the streets, burning at faces and eyes. Townsfolk wrapped their beaks and muzzles in cloths in hopes of protecting their sights, but Rupland had only his hands to shield himself, spitting out sand that found his lips and mouth.

Work had returned to it's normal routine of loading and unloading carts and wagons, heaving crates and barrels filled with sweet-berries and acla berries, meat and jerky, spiced wine and mead. As he worked, Rupland's muscles were once again greeted with strain and fatigue, palms turning raw. The pain was pushed out of his mind, knowing it would be made into coin soon after his tasks were finished. Even so, he knew he would much rather be in the Agundar's shop, stirring tunics and the like in pales of blue, black, and green. Better to have my hands turned a shade of abnormal color than have my spine grounded into dust, he thought to himself, hefting one last wooden box off a Nevrean's cart.

Two coppers fell from the Nevrean's hand into his. Rupland made a face then, jaw twitching with displeasure. "That's all?" he looked to the female's shaded eyes, her own expression empty.

"What did you expect, cold-fur?" the female asked him, mounting the metal frame of the bike that pulled her cart, clawed feet finding the pedals. Rupland's displeasure grew at the coyness in her voice.

"I had expected at least five, maybe four for the twenty boxes I handled.  An extra three would not be much to ask for..." He held out his still open hand, the copper in his palm glittering dully in the sunlight.

"Oh, so now you're a beggar?" The female smiled a mocking smile, a sight that stung Rupland's pride. "Not a small wonder with you being a northerner.  You should be bowing your head for those coppers in your hand.  Feels heavy, doesn't it?  With all that coin." The Nevrean gave a burst of laughter that only furthered Rupland's irritation.

Turning his open palm into a fist, the coppers pressed into his pads. He could feel his claws unsheathing at his other head. "I would imagine it would feel heavier if I was clutching at your heart," he growled, teeth showing. He went forward a step, eyes flaring with rage. He was many heads over the Nevrean, especially with her seated on her bike, but she did not jump with intimidation.

"A northerner becoming flustered with anger," the female gave a low hissing laugh. "None a rare sight either." Her mocking smile continued to show, grinding away at Rupland's resolve. He leaned forward a bit, adding volume to his growl so the Nevrean might take heed of it. This time the female pulled back a space and opened up the fold of her draping robe. Her brown-feathered torso was shown, and Rupland could see leather straps around her hips, a dagger in it's sheath and a pistol in it's holster. "You've taken took many steps at me, northerner," the female told him, but her hands did not motion towards either of her weapons. "I have just cause to shoot or cut you at your navel, but I'll be courteous today.  Your life will remain secure, yes.  That should be worth three coppers." She laughed again, letting her garb fall across her torso, her weapons now hidden.

Surprise replaced anger in Rupland's expression, his hands becoming less tight with a hungry for violence. He grumbled and stepped back from the Nevrean and her cart. No other words were said as the Nevrean's feet turned at the pedals and wooden wheels creaked behind her. Rupland would have enjoyed tossing a heart-sized stone to crack against that female's skull as she made her way done the street, but he could not manifest the hate inside or find a rock at his feet. Pocketing the few coppers he had gained into his vest, he trotted onward in the direction the Nevrean was heading, towards the gate to find more wary travelers that required the strength of his muscles to help with their wares.

While he worked, limbs turning sore with the passing of the hours, Rupland could not shake a sort of shame from his shoulders. The Nevrean had been right. He had been a fool to bare down on her like that, and not think she would have reason to defend herself if she felt threatened. For that moment, he could actually sympathize with Akuna's sentiment. Why couldn't the Nevrean female summon the courage to fight with her hands and claws like him instead of boasting her weaponry? Comparatively, Rupland was certain he could not manifest the fury, like his mate, to take arms against the Nevrean for such a minor offense. Why stand the risk of a bullet rupturing his organs for only a few more coppers? He could not stand the thought of his death. The image of his mate's and child's weeping faces haunted him in the later hours of the day, the sun losing height in the sky.

A cup of ale would be most appropriate, Rupland declared to himself as he made his way to the Desertbird's Perch. He prayed the drink would cast off his wondering thoughts. Laughing words with Budio would also help. He would most certainly be there, tending to the bar.

The road's traffic was still flowing at that time, merchants hollering out the deals on their wares in the market, the thick smell of cooking meats and vegetables clouding the air while a hundred pairs of feet kicked up dust. After greeting the bouncer with a quick nod at the entrance, the heat lifted from Rupland's back and shoulders. He also enjoyed the cool wood floor underneath his pads instead of hot dirt.

"Water?" Budio asked him after he took a seat.

"Ale, today, Budio," Rupland told him, resting his arms upon the bar. "I need it." He relaxed with a soft sight, his eyes adjusting to the shaded innards of the tavern.

"Something amiss?" his friend asked, placing a tankard in front of him, filled with dark ale.

"No," he firstly answered and brought the drink to his lips. Chilled liquid entered his maw, cooling his tongue and throat. The ale was sweet today and did away with the tension in Rupland's skull. He told Budio of the stingy Nevrean and her unwillingness to give fair pay. "The callous bitch," he sneered, suddenly realizing how similar he sounded to his mate.

Budio responded with a shrug, wiping clean cups and goblets. "Some Nevreans are quick to wound your sense of honor." He spoke lowly, turning his head over his shoulder, making sure his employer was nowhere in earshot. "Agundars as well.  Both are so prone to arrogance especially towards the other race." He leaned in close to Rupland's ear with a smile. "Strange, isn't it?  I know how I might be called short, but how strange it is that these squat, skinny creatures are so proud.  Must be because they are so endowed with the knowledge of machines."

A small grin drew across Rupland's mouth. "I would like to imagine we could gain such knowledge.  I wouldn't mind handling a gun, but I can imagine the sound they create would make me deaf."

"I would like to imagine machine servants could be crafted," Budio showed a hope in his eyes. "Maybe have one myself, see how it feels getting my own food and drink brought to me while my ass falls asleep on the ground." Both Shigus gave a short laugh at that.

Rupland's eyes turned down to his ale, his thumb stroking the handle of the tankard. "Do you ever long for home?" he blurted out without looking at his comrade.

"Home?" Budio gave a questioning stare, wetting his cleaning rag in a bucket of water. "In the Ta'sha keep?  To be under that bastard's servitude again?  Why would I long for that?"

"No, no," Rupland shook his head about. "I meant our home.  Our homelands, the lands of the north.  With the winds and the cold and the winters.  Where there is grass under your feet and the air isn't full of dust to choke you.  Do you long to be with all your own kind again on your own land?"

A thoughtful expression cast upon Budio's face, his hands ceasing their work. "Just a small amount," he relented, remembering the cup he was washing. "I rather long for the marches again, to travel in the company of my brothers and sisters with my mate and children."

"Truly?" he asked, taken aback by his answer. "I would not imagine you would enjoy having to march towards battles, Budio."

"Oh!  No!" His eyes turned wide. "I enjoyed the marching.  The travels we endured as a clan!  Battles were the last that I desired.  We have traveled through plains so wide that you would believe the sky could shallow you.  We've walked up mountains to look over the corners of Vilous.  We have been through forests and jungles where plants of green surround you.  I have dreamed many times of your kin, mine, and others traveling back over the lands were have been before." Smiling the ever wider, his eyes filled with desire. "I remember mating Niyi in our travels through the jungle, the smell of flowers tickling my nose." Another laugh rumbled through him while Rupland recalled his own memories of the greenery lands.

"I remember bugs biting at my ass through there," Rupland told him, both snickering now. His friend took up his empty tankard and refilled it, more sweet ale to calm his nerves. "But that is a most enjoyable idea.  Giving travel through forest and plains and mountains to make journey for home."

"Aye, we should make it a plan if the war is undeclared." Akuna would not have liked to hear that, Rupland thought, mirroring Budio's smile.

"I can only hope my mate-"  He stopped, interrupted by the tap at his shoulder. Turning around, he found a Nevrean server boy clad in blue feathers. The Shigu locked his orbs with the male's greens. "Yes?"

"The female in that corner would like a word with you." He jutted his clawed thumb towards the back of the tavern where a single sergal sat at a booth. The male Nevrean walked off and continued with his duties, completely uninterested after his request was fulfilled.

"Who might that be?" Budio asked, but Rupland did not answer him. Tension returned to Rupland, filling his stomach with a sickness. His teeth clenched together hard, his eyes locked with Ceil's across the near-empty tavern.

"I don't know," he finally said, finding himself lifting from his seat. "I'll go ask." His feet felt to be moving on their own, the fear making his muscles numb. He tried to restrain his anger and worry as he approached the table Ceil sat before. With less space between them, Rupland could see the angry red cuts on the female's head, chest, and arms. He could also see swells bulging along the side of her jaw, another found over her right eye. A look of shock crossed Rupland's face, ears and tail twitching erratically. Even so, he knew Akuna could have done worse to the female.

Shedding his expression of surprise, Rupland now faced the female with only contempt. He spared no words to her, knowing he owed her none.

"Sit," she finally said to him, waving a hand at the seat opposite of her. "Please." Her words were slurred due to the bruising on her cheek.

"I shouldn't," he said to her plainly. "If I am seen with you by my mate, there would be hard consequences.  I'm sure Akuna had said such to you.  We shouldn't even be speaking to each other."

"I know." She turned away from his gaze and looked towards the tavern's entrance with a heavy stare, appearing to be afraid of whom might enter next. "This shouldn't be long," she stated, her vocals deflated. Her eyes returned to him, pupils twitching with apprehensiveness. "You have...a good mate," she said, the words flowing not too easily. "She cares enough to drag someone through the night and do something like this." She toughed her face, fingers rolling over her swelling jaw. "Not many females would go through the trouble."

"Your scorn is unneeded," Rupland hissed lowly, claws peeking through his fingertips.

"There is no scorn," she said. "My words are true." Her mouth gave a twist, uneasiness in her frame. "And what is most true is I am sorry," she relented. "I shouldn't have drank that ale and I shouldn't have allowed myself to become...so undignified.  I should have ceased when you resisted.  I hold no resentment towards you, which I'm sure you don't feel the same toward me.  Maybe this will help, if only a little." Her hand went to her side and out of sight. For that brief moment, Rupland believed her hand would return with a blade or, even worse, a pistol to maim him. But, instead, she threw a leather pouch upon the table, coins clacking together inside.

Rupland's eyes turned wide with disbelief and suspension as he looked between Ceil and the leather pouch. He didn't grab after it. Instead, he remained still and locked his orbs with Ceil's, searching for a sign if the gesture was true or not.

"Go on," she waved a hand at the pouch. "It's nothing much, I know," she confessed, "but it's at least a week's full pay of silver.  Twenty-six if you need to know the count.  Dyeing is quiet work without you." A sigh exited her nostrils while she gave the pouch a sad look before it returned to Rupland.

As Rupland took up the pouch into his hand, feeling the weight of the coins inside, he didn't quite know how to regard the silver. "Is this to buy my silence?" he asked plainly, his palm cupping around the bag.

"No," Ceil answered, seemingly offended by his question. "It's to buy nothing.  Difficult to know a comradeship's weight in coin, but I know that little bag is not even a fraction of the worth our comradeship was.  I know that now." Her eyes showed the actuality of her sorrow, how her words pained her like a thorn sinking into her pads.

A hundred possible actions circulated through Rupland's mind. He imagined himself flinging the bag at her swollen face, silver spilling from the bag and out into the air. That would be too harsh, knowing she was doing this on her own accord. He also envisioned his hand placing the pouch back upon the table, negating his ownership of the coins inside. That would be too tender, he was certain his mate and child needed that silver dearly if days like this continued. The pouch finally found hold in a breast pocket, it's weight pulling at the fabric of Rupland's vest.

Ceil's eyes turned away from him, a shame crossing her expression. Rupland could not fathom a sound of thanks, but his fingers were soon digging into the pouch. He produced a single silver runk and placed it in front of Ceil, on the table. Confusion now entered her face, regarding the silver disc with distrust.

"Take it," he said to her, his own expression as blank as a sand dune. "Buy yourself a tankard of ale.  We all require a drink on occasion." Turning away, Budio's stare at the bar could be seen. A step was taken, but then came Ceil's voice again.

"You are a good male and mate, Rupland," she said to his back, his head turning to look at her. "Those words are as true as the sky is blue.   Know that female captain of yours understands that too.  There is no doubt."

He answered with a soft nod. Placing himself back into the stool he had left, Rupland found the bewildered stare of his friend. "Should I ask?" A ghost of a grin stretched at Budio's lips, tail twitching behind his head.

"No need," he told him, sipping at his now lukewarm ale, savoring it's flavor. "Just a friend passing along some charity."

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A grimacing hiss blow through Akuna's teeth, wrinkles of irritation forming on her brow. She opened and closed her left hand over and over again, sharp rods of pain making themselves known in her little finger. The claw was coated in the brownish hue of dry blood, her flesh thick with swelling. A simple incident it had been while she and Gano had spared with practice spears.

The stems of their weapons cracked against one another with each swipe relented. This young soldier had more eagerness in his step, actually jabbing at her with the sharpened end of his play spear. He had been close, catching glancing scraps across her arms and legs, but just missed to prick at his captain's hide. His steps were agile and well-placed, handling his spear as if it were his own appendage. Little wonder how his comrades boasted that his skills with the spear were unchallenged. This fact alone troubled Akuna; a young soldier had not the privilege being prideful. This male required a certain amount of modesty and she was willing to administer more than enough. That, and her own pride would be more than bruised if she allowed herself to be trounced by this child.

Putting much of her strength in it, Akuna attacked with an upward swipe, spiked tip just tickling the hairs on Gano's chest as he jumped back from the assault. Unscaved, the male pounced at her, foot impacting against Akuna's chest, air leaving her lungs. She reeled back a step, but her feet found hold in the dirt and she stood her ground. Playful, isn't he, she thought to herself, growling with a long grin while she took in a much needed breath. The two took on their stances again, both hands gripping their spears tightly, spearhead held forward, right foot before the left.

The surrounding circle of soldiers watched in a hush. Whispers scattered amongst them, wagers crossing their lips and laughs forming in their throats, for and against their own captain.

Brunka looked on from above while her mother and the male circled each other, both poised for attack and ready to defend. "Ow!  Your claws, Brunka!" she heard someone say below her. Looking down between her legs, Jern's eyes projected a light aggravation about them.

"Oh!  Sorry," she said, quickly realizing her grip on both of his ears, her claws half-buried in his flesh. Jern had always seemed to be a nice male, offering her a better view of the sparring matches from atop his shoulders, even though he was five years older than her. Many could consider this a simple ploy to gain favoritism with the captain. But many also knew that Jern was the only male out of a family of five females.

With her eyes trained on her mother and the young combatant, she watched them dance. She was mindful of her claws now, but her grip returned with strength around Jern's long, black ears once the match progressed. Her mother leaped at the male, sweeping at him with one end of her spear and then quickly with other. Mother had always attacked first, preaching vicious offense while Captain Kusno was one to teach a refined defense. She never enjoyed the idea of giving an opponent the time to attack. Give them not a chance to recover or strike back at you, she had told Brunka during the infant years of her training. That was not to say her mother excluded the lessons she had learned from her own captain. "He is short like a shunted child," Akuna had told her before, exaggerating Kusno's squat stature, "but he is as bitter as strong ale too."

Gano swung a flat arc and the force behind it nearly took the spear from Akuna's hands when she blocked it. Retreating back a step, she attempted to find room for another attack, but the youth would not let up. She ducked and weaved from the spear, cutting at the air while it tried to strike at her. Her underling's spear slapped at her right side and thigh, adding to Akuna's annoyance. Then, he began aiming at her hands. The wood beat upon her knuckles, but one decisive swipe smashed her little finger. Immense pain shot up her hand, igniting the anger she had been hiding until now.

Knocking Gano's spear away, she came in close to him. Her knee rose and thrust at the male's soft belly. She smiled at the sound of air leaving him, a stunned gaze coming over his face. Next, his feet was swiped from under him by her spear. The lad landed squarely on his back, losing all the air that remained in his body. He wasn't helped either when Akuna pinned him down with a foot upon his chest. She smiled satisfyingly when she saw the corners of his eyes turned watery with tears. A wave of sighs and laughs spread through the surrounding crowd like a ripple in water. Then came gasps as Akuna let her spear rise in hostility, spiked-tip aimed at Gano's head. Her hand went forward and a handful of voices caught in the throats of their speakers when the spearhead embedded...into the soft ground next to Gano's ear.

The only sound heard now was Gano's breaths, each gulp of air deep and hurried.

"Get up, soldier," Akuna spoke finally, lifting her foot off him. "You're dead, my spear ran through the eye and out the other because you were having too much fun with your opponent.  If we had been fighting during a battle, one of my own comrades would have came and stuck you through the middle of your back!  Keep that in mind!" she looked to the stares circling around her. "Strike at your enemy quickly.  Without hesitation, and with precision.  Your enemy will have no sympathy and you must have none either."

A few nodded, their eyes acknowledging her words. She retreated from the circle, the ground packed down hard with the prints of her and Gano's footprints. Two more soldiers came forward and faced one another in melee with their spears, ready to display their honed skills before the eyes of their captain.

Pain still throbbed in Akuna's knuckles and fingers. She again flexed her hand and hissed at the soreness there. She found time to ignore it while she watched her sparing troops, taking note of their stances and the grace of their swings and steps. She was pleased for the most part with what she witnessed, but she knew more could be done.

It was near afternoon and two female comrades were taking swings at each other when the ruckus began. A young voice called for the captains with urgency, losing breath as he ran through the outside shadows of the barracks. Training soldiers turned their attention to him, the air becoming heavy with questioning suspension.

"Captains!" the youth of black fur called again, iron-tipped spear clutched hard in his hand. His armor looked rusted, worn with crisscrossing scratches and hammered with dents. The breastplate looked to be oversized for the lad. Secondhand armor past down from his mother or father to him. "Captains!  We have visitors approaching the camp!"

Visitors! Akuna's heart quickened and her hands formed into fists, the fingers on her right hand wrapping around the wooden stem of her spear tightly. A sort of fear bubbled in her stomach, ears twitching. She was ready to face whomever that might be treading close to their camp, ready for the onslaught.

"Who, soldier?" Akzla asked of the youth. "Ally or enemy?"

"Ally, it would seem," he said to her, all the captains coming together to pay heed.

"Are you sure?" Akuna pressed, knowing she heard uncertainty in the male's voice.

"Yes," he nodded, eyes turning over the superiors as they came nearer. "A scout, a northern scout, came near the gates and forewarned us of a unit coming our way.  Towards the camp."

"What is their business?" Monx asked, seemingly the calmest of the captains.

"A high officer seeks shelter here.  A High Officer Zulca, I believe the name was." Akuna's eyes widened with surprise. She remembered the name. The officer had visited Rellon before. With his previous visit, this High Officer had only been interested in speaking with Captain Kusno. They took to discussing matters in the privacy of the captain's quarters. Kusno had told them little of the words they traded, but he relented that he was asked to come visit the city of Wevren. The reasons were unannounced, but he traveled there nevertheless. Alone. In the company of Zulca and his guards.

After Kusno returned, he spoke lightly of the city, seemingly unimpressed. He told the other captains of it's size, the edifices that rose from it's soil, and the overwhelming northern presence there. For Akuna, it sounded like a paradise compared to Rellon.

Now, this high officer was visiting once more, with Captain Kusno gone many rekusus away in the northern homelands, having only spent a fortnight in Rellon after his return from Wevren. Akuna had noticed a queer expression in her captain's face the day before he left again, appearing haunted by something unseen. She remembered his warning words. Those that wore friendly masks and wished for us to break our oaths.

"Then let's give them pleasant greetings with our meeting," Marn decided, following the youth to the gates.

These were not the gates of Rellon. These were the gates the Shigu had built with their own hands. Of staked, heavy stones, nailed wooden planks, and hammered iron, this gate rose around on all sides of the Shigu campgrounds. It was their border, the line in the sands and dirt they would defend when the incoming southern forces happened over the neighboring dunes. Akuna had never been impressed with the structure, the top only towering a few lengths above her head. Even forty southerners would have no trouble crashing over those crude walls of wood and metal. Though, she knew, better to have the wall between them than have no wall at all.

Atop the makeshift wall that snaked around their territory, the captains stood and eyed the deserts beyond with watchfulness. Small shapes came into view to the northwest. Their speed was steady and without hostility. Foot soldiers clustered around a vehicle. Once they had ventured closer, Akuna could see the foot soldiers were accompanying a carriage, pulled by the stomping hooves of horned and hairy beasts. She gave a grunt of disapproval at the vehicle like before when the High Officer had visited the first time. How could the soldiers honor their superior if he did not walk alongside them? Did his legs tire too quickly? Was the officer too brittle and old? She could not recognize why such a seemingly malcontented comrade could wear the mantle of High Officer. She dared not give voice to such thoughts lest her fellow captains spread them.

The rekusus lessened between the unit and the gate. The gleam of their armor could be seen now, afternoon sunlight caught by silver breastplates and helmets. Each soldier held a tall iron pike, their gaits looking to be unaffected by the sweltering heat. Only when the unit was allowed into the camp, the gate's doors creaking as they folded back, Akuna could then see the exquisite quality of their weaponry and armor. Helmets, breastplates, and gauntlets shimmered alike with a polished glory, appearing fresh from the forge. The same could be said of their pikes, the stems made completely of iron with long, crescent blades of silver at the top. The sheaths of their swords were fine leather, hilts masterfully crafted metalwork. With her gaze dripping with envy, Akuna could not help but stare at the unit. It was no large surprise that the other captains did as well.

The ironbound wheels of the carriage creaked while it rolled into the campgrounds. The majority of it was crafted of a black wood, squares windows framed with clear glass. One might expect an Agundar or a Nevrean to step out when one of the foot soldiers opened the small door in the carriage's flank. Indeed, Akuna and the others knew, the only ones that stepped out was High Officer Zulca and two more guards that clambered out behind him. Unlike his underlings, Zulca's body carried no armor. A black leather kilt waved at his hips while a silk sash with the hue of rubies crossed his otherwise bare chest. His sole weapon was the long, curved blade sheathed at his left side. He looks more of a merchant than an officer, Akuna declared inwardly.

"Greetings, High Officer Zulca!" the captains boasted in a mixed-timed chorus as they stepped closer, arms snapping up with the Shigu salute.

Zulca displayed the same, his own salute more relaxed. Regardless of his appearance, Akuna noticed the tight muscles corded under his fur as his arm flexed. "Greetings," he said in a deep voice as if he gargled rocks in his maw. "All of you.  Greetings to all of you."

"What brings you this way, High Officer?" Akuna was quick to ask, excited and anxious at the same time. "No notice was given of your arrival." Say it, she spoke in her skull. Say the words. Say the General has returned and has orders to present. She prayed her ears would hear such sweet words.

"The scout I sent ahead moments ago was notice enough," Zulca told them in a light smile, his voice like a quake. Looking away from the captains, he turned his eyes to the surrounding troopers that stood around them. "Training, I can tell." He didn't sound displeased. "Captains," he turned his attention back to them, "let's speak privately.  If you would like, our soldiers can past the time by sparring with each other.  I'm certain my troops can teach yours a few new techniques."

"If it pleases you," Akuna bowed her head lightly with the other captains, not sure what he was exactly getting at with that remark. Was he saying their troops were lacking in technique and skill? She didn't press the matter. Along with her fellow captains, they lead Zulca to their captain's quarters.

The sun's heat lifted from their backs, their armor cooling with their entry. Just water would not do to quench their thirsts. For such an unannounced occasion, Akzla extracted a bottle of brew from under the floorboards. The ale was cool, having been hidden in shadows from the desert sun. She offered it solely to Zulca. He gave a gracious smile as he uncorked it and drank. A sighing purr rumbled from his gullet, seemingly delighted by the drink. He then allowed the other captains to take a drink of their own. When it came Akuna's turn, she took a half-sip, knowing a full sip would be selfish of her. She wrestled the ale inside her maw, taking in the flavor of fruit and seasonings. She then handed the bottle to Monx.

Impatience was biting at her hide like a nasty insect. If whatever the High Officer had to say was urgent, then he would have not waited this long to tell them. She looked at him and his soft leather kilt and silk sash with indifference. She had been more impressed with his underling's armor and weapons.

Zulca smiled, head turned towards a window. All of them could hear the grunts, jeers, and cheers from beyond the walls, their trainees sparing with the visiting unit. "Your head captain is not present," he stated the obvious, taking a sip of ale. "Have you heard from him as of lately?  I had hoped he would be here."

"We have received no word from him this month," Akuna answered. Captain Kusno had been gone for two months at one point, enjoying his time with his old clan. Grass would be under his feet now, a chill rustling his fur as winds swooped from the heavens. If Akuna had been in his stead, she would have found it difficult to rush back to these sandy wastes again. "He is visiting the northern lands, hoping to bring back green recruits to enlarge our ranks." It was an excuse, of course, to cover Kusno's tail.

"Is he expected back soon?" Turning back to them, Zulca's face had removed it's light-hearted expression. Instead, he now showed a stern glow about his eyes.

"He could be back tomorrow," Monx answered, "or, more likely, another month from now."

Another sigh rumbled through Zulca's throat, this one more tiresome. "That will not do.  I had hoped he would be present for this meeting." Watching them with his dark gray orbs, he paced around the room. His steps were soft, feet touching the floor silently. "How has the days treated all you since his departure?"

"Well enough," Akzla told him not too confidently. "We've had a few rocks here and there in our path, but the road has been mostly smooth."

"There are many more rocks on the road ahead with your superior's absence," Zulca told them, drinking down the last of the ale. The captains now looked to him with deep concern in their gazes. "But that is to be expected.  We are Shigus walking upon the southern lands.  We have been scattered by the sands around us, but our brothers and sisters are still close.  We must hold one another's hand and become one army again." He was near the window now, placing the empty bottle upon the sill. "I told Captain Kusno of this when I first came here and he agreed that the shards we are must combined again to become whole." Turning his head to them, the expression in his eyes was more than stern now. It was dripping with direness. "Can I trust you all that what words I speak will remain unheard from anyone else's ears?"

"Yes, High Officer Zulca, sir!" they all spoke in chorus, their salute sealing their promise.

"With Captain Kusno gone to the north, two of the four of you are required to accompany me to Wevren."

Akuna and the rest of them were taken aback. "What business is there in Wevren?" Marn asked. "And why do you need us to come with?"

"A meeting of powers is accumulating at Wevren," Zulca answered, his voice like gravel. "And two of you are to represent this garrison in Captain Kusno's stead.  What is to be discussed there cannot be postponed until his return."

Each of his words were hinted with a deep significance, Akuna noticed. And it made her fur want to stand up right, her tail already swaying rapidly. It made her excited. Deeply so. A meeting of powers, she had heard. Beyond her eyes, plans were being made, orders being given, and strategies being formulated. The isolation of their splintered forces was coming to an end. The fires of this war was finding heat again and they were to stir the coals."

"And what if Kusno does return?" Akzla asked, uncertainty in her voice. "Monx said he might be here by tomorrow."

"There is to be no lingering," Zulca quickly quashed that thought. "If he returns, then you shall relay to him what you will know in time."

"Then," Akzla looked to her peers, a questioning glance hinted in her eyes, "who will be chosen to go and who to stay?" No one was sure if she was asking the High Officer or her fellow captains.

"I have already answered such a question," Zulca said to her. "Kusno had spoke of all of you with kind words when he and I traveled together, citing your strengths and how you all came under his command.  Akzla," he gained the captain's attention, "you will go with me to Wevren." A strike of jealousy ran through Akuna, fully knowing the female would be most prideful of this honor given to her. "And Akuna shall come as well." The female warrior could hardly believe the words that graced her ears. It took a tremendous effort from her to contain her excitement. She was coming with. With Akzla, but that hardly bothered her now. She was to act as a high captain in place of Kusno, surrounded with the commanding forces of the Shigu army.

"You honor us, High Officer," Akzla said to him and Akuna was quick to mimic her lest she seem ungrateful.

"Yes, you honor us both," she smiled widely, eyes wide open with hope.

"Honor has not yet been bestowed," Zulca said to them, a hint of a grin on his face. "It will be once you are in Wevren, head heavy with what your are to know and eyes overwhelmed with what you are to see."

That only excited Akuna even further, her heart like a drum beating a hurried pace in her chest.

"When do we leave, sir?" Akzla asked, seemingly unexcited at the prospect of traveling with Akuna.

"I will give you two days to prepare for the journey.  Pack what weapons, rations, and whatever else, but keep it light."

A thought rushed through Akuna's head then. Her mate. Her daughter. Rupland. Brunka. She had to ask. "Sir?" she gained his attention, holding eye contact. "Might I bring along my mate and child?"

"Bring them if you please," he answered, sounding unconcerned for such. "If you decide the same, Captain Akzla, you may."

"I might have someone," she said with a smirk.

"And you two," Zulca now turned to Marn and Monx, "I will give you the assistance of a captain by the name of Gonk.  He is hard as stone and sharp as glass.  Any squad will sway under his words, but he will follow your demands as long as they remain reasonable."

"Thank you, High Officer, sir!" both Marn and Monx saluted.

His eyes found Akuna and Akzla again, their backs straightened with anticipation. "Get yourselves in order.  Wevren awaits where all Shigu blades will rise as one again."