The land

The sun rose with a lazy purple haze over the mountain ridge to the north, which encircled and protected Hertzbrent. Baccus had been up since before the first light of dawn, reclined against a wooden barrel near the edge of the settlement. He often liked the greet the coming of the day with music, but the real joy was awaking with song the ment whose heads were still tender from the excesses of the previous night.

Sadly he was robbed the opportunity of that mirth today, and indeed for several days gone. There had been very little cause for celebration for almost a week now. Not just little cause, but little means also, since the traders had been cut off by mysterious attacks on those following the trade routes. No wine. No mead. No motivation to levity.

No small part of the problem was the mood Radahnot - the leader of the settlement - had been in since the attacks began. It wasn't just alcohol which wasn't coming in, it was food, water, craft materials, medicinal herbs. Everything was in short supply. But it wasn't just the hardship the predicament inflicted on the men which had Radahnot in a glower. It was the likely culprits.

Nobody had seen who was attacking the trade routes, but it didn't take a lot of imagination. In a world where men were forced to the margins of the land, the only people with any reason to make life more difficult for the men were the women of Eagle Wing; the nearest of the women's villages. Not for their gain, Radahnot would say, but purely out of spite.

Baccus sighed a long sigh. It was a tiresome affair. But one which apparently could not be shaken off easily. There was never any evidence of a large attacking party, but the attacks were brutal and never left any survivors. So the raiders had never been seen.

Was there a song that could lighten the spirits of the men? Perhaps a humourous ditty about the day when Radahnot catches the women responsible, and the unpleasant things he would have done to them. Such a song might be worth writing, but for the fact that after seven days of the attacks people were starting to despair that the attackers would ever be caught. They were sneaky and underhand. Evidence enough that they were women...

On the horizon the sun was rising, a warm glow spreading from the bright ball of light. Pinks and purples highlighted the brilliantly blue sky, thin clouds streaked here and there. The first light of dawn fell upon the plains. In the distance, the mountains remained darkened, looming dangerously, casting a shadow across the ground. But on the plains, the chatter of birds in the trees could be heard and creatures were waking from their slumber. A gentle breeze caused the grasses to sway and the leaves to whisper to one another restlessly. It was peaceful. It was a beautiful scene.

Until…

A steady drumbeat sound echoed across the plains. Louder and louder, like a storm rolling in from the distance. Small animals scattered in its wake, birds taking flight in fright from the trees. The rumbling sound of hooves on dried earth was an ominous noise to all those that heard. A streak of grey moved across the horizon with speed and grace. Its strong legs pushed forwards, muscles straining against the smooth coat, sleek dark mane and tail flowing behind. Upon its back, a slender woman bent forwards, body arched. The woman held on with pure strength from her legs, which were long and tanned, the muscles there tone and smooth. Her torso was slim, but curved gently in the right places, an exquisite hour-glass figure. Her long fingers curled around a thin strip of worn leather, the only man-made thing upon the horse. No saddle adorned its back, nor any stirrups. Behind her, black curly hair billowed effortlessly as horse and rider moved with elegance as one. In the sunlight of the morning, two emerald eyes sparkled slightly, flecks of gold shimmering in the irises. The woman was no older than twenty years and her youth showed in the delighted look she held upon her face. Out here, on the plains, she was free. As free as a bird in flight. But that didn’t mean she could remain out here. She must return to her people.

Deene applied pressure through her legs, bringing her grey stallion back to a gallop and finally a trot. Rubbing his neck, she could feel the sweat beneath her fingertips; the tangy scent filled her nostrils. Whispering soft words, she pressed her lips to his ear. He flicked them backwards in response, listening to her every mutter. As he trotted forwards, the woman upon his back kept a keen eye open for any sign of danger. Upon her belt was her dagger and thrown over her slim shoulder was a brilliantly carved bow with a quiver of eagle feather-tipped arrows. It never hurt to be prepared when venturing out alone. Deene did not like to think that she would be caught unawares, especially seeing as she had been scouting herself. As far as she could see, there was no apparent danger close to the village, but one could never be too sure. At least, she had seen no Men.

Men, the thought alone made Deene want to shiver with disgust. She had seen Men, from a distance, she had heard the tales and she didn’t like them one little bit. However, the young woman of only eighteen summers was yet to meet a man in person. But that didn’t stop her heightened disdain at their existence. When Deene had discovered her Healing ability, she had vowed to protect her village and the people within it. That meant protecting them from the threat of Men. And she would gladly do so. They were her family, her sisters. It was her duty to do all that she could for them, whether that was healing their wounds or fighting their battles. She would give up everything if she had to for them.

And now upon the horizon, her village and home loomed into sight. A smile flickered upon her pale lips as she straightened on her horse’s back, impatiently brushing strands of dark brown hair from her beautiful eyes. Urging the creature onwards, already Deene could see the village beginning to wake from its slumber. Early risers were preparing for the day ahead, packing their goods to sell and trade. She too would be going with them, but not to trade. The young woman had nothing to trade, save the horses that she looked after and she’d grown too attached to the beasts to part with them. Occasionally she would trade a foal or two, but the village’s horses were growing vastly because of her. Eventually, she would need to get rid of some, but for now, she was content with their numbers.

Many turned to greet Deene as she reached the edge of the village. Stopping her horse, she slid effortlessly from his back, landing as light as cat on her feet and completely as graceful. Tugging the handmade rein over the horse’s head, she began to lead him through the village, careful to avoid getting in anyone’s way as they prepared. Being a Healer Conduit meant that the women in the village knew her by name and face. It didn’t bother her, but sometimes she wanted to be left alone so that she could think or plan, or even just train. Now, they nodded or smiled at the young woman, but most were too busy to stop and chat with her. Deene preferred this. A peaceful silence that allowed her to be alone with her thoughts.

Mia was awakened by the gleaming rays streaming through her window and hitting her face. She had put that window there as a sort of alarm clock. When the sun rose each morning she would wake up by the light and would be ready for the day. Sliding out of her wool sheets she slid down th ladder to the base of her house. There was a platform on top where she had her bed and clothes, but the table and food were stored down at the bottom. She decided to skip breakfast because she always had a knot in her stomach right after she hunted, though she would dare not mention that to anyone. Grabbing her wooden brush she stopped to look at it as she always did. It was beautiful, her grannyma had made it four her when she was only seven summers old. It was carved, and had the face of what appeared to be an angel on it.

She remebered asking Grannyma,
"Who is this?"
She had laughed and said,
"Why, it's your gaurdian angel, my dear."
Mia didn't believe in gaurdian angels and still didn't but it wouldn't hurt Grannyma if she didn't know that. She brushed it through her firey red strands of hair then set it bac down with the angel side up as always. Then, she slid on her golden headpiece. She always wore it when she went hunting, after all, the emerald encrusted headpiece was an heirloom. Climbing back up the ladder she put on one of her hunting outfits and a cape made of a deer pelt so she wouldn't be weighed to the ground like when she wore her bear pelt.

Looking back outside she noticed the sun was starting to escape the horizon and creep up to the top of the sky. She slung her bow and arrows across her shoulder then swiped up her sword as she exited her home, heading towards her Grannyma's house to check up on her. She had been feeling ill lately and she wanted to see to it that she got better, and fast.

In the space of a hour, Leotie had achieved about seven stiches. Which if she were fashioning a piece of apparent purely for pleasure or relaxation, wouldn't be a problem. But this was a repair job she was doing for the blacksmith, as a return favour for repairing some damage to the blade of Leotie's axe. And at the current rate, the tunic would never be finished before Leotie had to leave with the trade caravan heading for Eagle Wing. And the smithy was unlikely to be willing to wait for her to get back in two months time to finish the job.

But it was no good. As she held the tunic in front of her, all she could think about was the journey ahead, how strange it would be to be away from Eagle Talon for so long. She had done the tour before of course, but it was part of her training, and was at a time when she was craving a change of scenery from the village anyway. There was much still to prepare.

The sound of hooves approaching rose above the din of early morning chatter, and the sounds of people setting up their respective trades, and exciteable young girls being followed by weary mothers, many of whom had no doubt been awake since before the rising of the sun. Theirs was a job Leotie did not envy.

But the trotting came nearer, and the horse itself came to view. A magnificent animal indeed, and every bit as instantly recogniseable as it's rider. Leotie put down her work and stood up, frowning in disapproval and casually sauntering out into the horse's path, looking up at Deene.

"Did you know," she said gruffly, "that in training they tell as that the rarest of our people are fire conduits, but the most valuable and important to defend are the healers. What good is it them telling us this, if our healers venture out on scouting patrols by themselves? Who sanctioned the sortie? Don't we have other people to perform those tasks? Isn't that what we Guardians are for?"

Tala rose from her small bed as the purple light of dawn shined on her through the window. She gave a large yawn and stretched as the light shone brilliantly on her lovely skin, warming her to a degree. Today would be the day that she was to go on her second trip to trade with the bigger village of Eagle's Wing and she was a bit nervous for it. She was certain that should the trip not go well, the blame would be placed on her as she was the oldest Guardian. She ran a tough brush through her long, black hair and hoped the trip would go well. She set about finding her clothing and armor in her little hut and upon finding it, slipped the lighter bits of armor on. She packed the remainder of the clothing as well as supplies need for repairs to armors and weapons. She also packed a whetstone, a handy piece of stone that sharpened weapons to a fine, deadly point.

Tala braided her hair in a slow, meticulous manner. She always enjoyed doing so and it reminded her of how her mother used to plait it for her. There was no mother now to play with the hair she so valued in life. There was nobody but Tala in this little hut built for two. it was true enough Tala valued her "sisters" so to speak, but she felt they never truly understood her the way her only flesh and blood did. Illness and disease had been a large factor in killing her own ancestors off, leaving her to hope she didn't fall prey to it as well.

She sighed as the morbid thoughts ran through her head. It's best not to dwell on this, she thought to herself It will only make you all the more anxious. She finished plaiting her hair and grabbed her sword and shield. She strapped them securely onto her back and grabbed her deer hide pack of supplies and left her hut. The morning was inviting and women were setting up booths to sell their produce and such at market. Tala mulled over buying an apple before her thoughts were interrupted by the steady sound of hooves upon ground. She looked up to see the healer, Deene, riding through town returning a wave or a smile to those who gave her one. She knew Deene well enough as she had patched many of Tala's injuries and Tala respected her abilities as a healer, but they had never come to know another as friends. She gave Deene a wave of greeting as she passed her and bought an apple from a young girl and her mother. She sat on the ground fairly close to the market and bit into the delicious fruit as she waited for the rest of the trading party to come along.

When Mia arrived at her grandmothers house, she realized she may have a short time to hunt and sell the meat she was to get this morning. But she still walked up o the oak door and knocked three times before gently pushing it open. There she was, as always, sitting in her rocking chair with the embroidered pillow that Mia had gotten her behind her head and a plain patched one to sit on. It touched her every time she saw it because her grandmother always would say that the things you care about most you always give the most care and, well setting her head on it showed that she cared for it enough to use it every day but never wear it out. She cleared her throat so she would know she was here and was rewarded with a smile, and a cough.
"How are you feeling?" Mia said softly, thinking if she spoke to loud it may hurt her fragile self.
"Just fine darling. Thank you for stopping by. How are you? I hear you are going on the trade caravan, how exiting. You know I was once..." she kept talking about her journeys as she did so many times, why Mia knew every story by heart so she had no need to listen to this one. When she finished a few minutes later she pushed a strand of gray hair out of her face and behind her ear, it was small compared to the braid going all the way down the woman's back and hitting the chair.
"I just wanted to say goodbye," she said, "I'll be gone for a while and don't want you to think I was leaving without saying my farewells."
Grannyma smiled and a twinkle showed in her eyes that were full of wisdom and stories, that was why she had always listened, becaus ehtose were the eyes of a woman who told the truth, she wished her eyes looked like that. When she looked back down at the stitching beside the rocking chair she knew it was time to go. Walking out the door she became her normal self again. She always had to be so kind, no matter what around her, that wasn't like Mia. Not at all. Walking at a fast pace she exited the small village and into the vast, open assortment of trees that was the beginning of the forest and started scavenging for tracks.

If anyone was looking for her, they knew where to find her, in which case, Yona was certain no one was looking for her. She stood in the paddock with Quaris and Qualia, taking turns brushing out their coats as the pushy young twins fought over who’d get to go next. If she paid Quaris too much attention, Qualia would nip his sister’s rump and nudge her forward, trying to step in between his sister and their friend. Yona would assert herself to keep from being run over, push the young stallion back, and then begin to rub his two-toned coat down just to appease him. It was how she spent every morning, out in the paddock with the horses. She rose before the sun to start her chores and then immediately after she’d finished rushed off to begin the day’s training routines and feedings. It seemed like such a heavy task for one person, especially because the herd was growing to such a large size; but Yona had Deene to help her, so she wasn’t worried.

In speaking of Deene, Yona wished she could have gone out for a ride that morning, accompanying the dark-haired healer and her grey stallion, but unfortunately, her mother had given her firm instructions not to leave the village that morning. “You’ve been chosen as one of few to accompany this caravan, and I’m not going to let you ruin it for yourself. They’ve trusted you this much, so make sure you don’t mess it up.” She didn’t plan to. She had already been asked to help saddle horses and assign them to riders based on ability and body type, which was no problem except that she was nervous about letting Qualia go off with someone she didn’t know very well. She wished she could ride both him and Quaris, but that was both impossible and greedy. Still, this was another chance to prove herself, because she’d just decided that Qualia was as good as he was going to get. She’d been working on his training with Quaris, and the only thing he wouldn’t do was pull cart. He detested it, and went so far as to rear up and bite at anyone who tried to harness him — Yona included. In that case, she would give him to someone she knew who also had the riding abilities to be able to handle him; while he was well-behaved, he tended to be a little high-strung sometimes. On the upside, he was slowly learning to ground tie like his sister and he’d stopped rearing up and bolting when squirrels ran across his path.

Qualia hadn’t been fond of squirrels since he’d been bitten on the nose as a foal, curiously exploring his world of wonder….

A knot had gathered in her stomach as Yona thought of the long journey ahead of her and her sisters; she didn’t even notice that she’d faded off and was staring at the edge of one of the homes in the village until Quaris nudged her side with her ears pulled back in annoyance. Yona just laughed, more because she’d allowed herself to lose focus than because of the purely agitated look on her mare’s face, but fell silent when she heard something at the Talon’s gate. An arrival? Deene had probably just gotten back from her ride that morning and was probably enjoying the peace as everyone moved around, too busy to stop and talk. Yona’s first thought was to jump the well-made fence and rush out to find her, slowing to a walk when she caught sight of the tall grey stallion and the dark-haired female who lead him effortlessly. She lifted a hand to wave, calling out Deene’s name with a measure of excitement. Walking to the right of the stallion, Yona stroked his strong neck firmly and occupied herself twisting her fingers through his mane.

“Deene, Yuuna’s come up lame since this morning, in case you didn’t notice; and Sansa’s joint is still a little stiff. On the other hand, I’m wondering if Qualia is ready for a long journey like this, unless you know someone who can handle him — he’s still got some problems, but I think the work will be great experience for him.”

"Did you know, that in training they tell as that the rarest of our people are fire conduits, but the most valuable and important to defend are the healers. What good is it them telling us this, if our healers venture out on scouting patrols by themselves? Who sanctioned the sortie? Don't we have other people to perform those tasks? Isn't that what we Guardians are for?"

Deene's head jerked up when Leotie addressed her in a gruff voice. The healer couldn't help but smile to herself. Everyone in the village looked out for one another, but the Guardians more than most. It didn't bother her that Leotie was giving her the third degree. That was just how she was. She was only concerned for the young Healer, even though Deene was sure that she could defend herself should anything had happened to her on her ride. She was fairly sure with her aim when it came to her bow and she had her dagger securely on her belt. But she could see her point. She was meant to protect her people, not put herself in unnecessary danger. Smiling at Leotie, she nodded her head, sweeping her hair over one shoulder as she did so.

"I know Leotie," She tried a soothing tone, chewing her bottom lip for a moment. "But I just needed to ride this morning before the days ahead. You know, feel the wind in my hair, the rush of being able to ride fast." Everyone in the village knew how fond of horses Deene was, it was no secret. She rubbed Storm's velvety nose with her fingertips and he snorted playfully at her. The stallion was getting old. She wouldn't be able to take him on the long journey. It was about time he had some rest, especially away from the other horses, she could think of two in particular who plagued him to play with them. He just wasn't interested any more. This would give him a chance for some peace, well that was if they took the twins with them. It wasn't likely that Yona, Deene's partner in crime, would leave both behind. "I promise I won't go alone next time. My apologies." Her eyes sparkled slightly when she said it, though she did mean it. As she said it, she heard a familiar voice calling her name over the din of the women getting ready. Deene turned to beam at the approaching Yona. No doubt she had news of the other horses and wanted to discuss plans for the long journey. The young Healer had been thinking about it on her ride. As she turned, she caught Tala's wave and returned it with a bright smile. The two had never become friends, but that didn't stop her admiring and respecting Tala.

"Yona," She greeted as she watched Yona approach and greet Storm as well. The stallion loved Yona and it wasn't long before he was burying his soft muzzle into her neck, blowing air. Deene chuckled to herself as she listened to the Water Conduit talk of the horses. "Well, I'll talk a look at Yuuna when I've rubbed Storm down. As for Sansa, we can only try that salve I made up once again, though this time we'll try walking her around the yard to try and work it out. If that doesn't work, then I'll take another look and see what I can do." The topic of Qualia had been worrying her already and it was him she had been thinking of on her ride, so it was no surprise that Yona brought him up. He was ready for a long journey, but he needed someone who could take him in hand and control him. Unless..."I'll take him," She said suddenly, smiling at Yona. "I'm not taking Storm this time. He deserves a good rest whilst the other horses aren't there. I'll need another horse and I can keep him well in check. But you're right, this may possibly be the experience that changes him. I don't think he should miss out."

It truth, she was excited to ride the young stallion. Yona had been working hard with him. It would be nice to see all of her hard work come into practise. Deene enjoyed working with the young woman. They made a good team when it came to the horses.

"How is Daeria this morning? Did she appear to be coughing at all? Because I think she needs to come with us if not. She's a gentle steady ride that will suit one of the less experienced riders." Deene began to lead Storm towards the pens where they kept the horses. She didn't need to tug the reins at all, he moved with her, he knew where they were going.

Mia was about to give up and decide the animals were not out yet when she heard a rustling sound coming from the far off distance. It was almost completely covered by the sound of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. She followed the noise until it stopped then looked around for tracks. There didn't seem to be any around. Moving the leaves covering the forest floor she studied it more closely, to find that there was deer tracks. Not just one deer, but at least two or three. She followed them silently and found wha tshe was looking for. There, in the distance, was two or thee deer that had strayed from the group. Carefully she unslung her bow and slid an arrow out of it's holster. She pulled back, making the end of the arrow go to the right of her head and right by her ear. Holding her breath for wha seamed like ages, one went behind another and she let go.

Mia saw the ears perk up just as the arrow impacted them. With a thud, the two now lifeless bodies fell to the ground. Going over to them she took the arrow out and laid it gently on the ground. The part she hated most about killing deer was probably the lifeless eyes that seemed to just stare at you continually. She got out her sword and put the one of e deer into her bag to where it would fit. She would inform the others that there was one more out here and they could grab it.

When she got back into the village she walked over to the armory and put the meat on the counter. She owed it to them for giving her new arrows for the trip. Then she wen over to the butchers and told them about the deer,
"Thanks,"
said one of them and she went back to her house to pack.

Today was the day. The day that her journey was going to start. Seren woke up with a start, as she realized she had fallen asleep underneath a tree - probably from watching the stars late at night. Standing upwards, she stretched and gave a sigh of contentment when her spine cracked. Turning her dark eyes towards the sky, she caught a glimpse of a kestrel hovering above her. ‘Ah, the falcons are so lucky to be able to fly through the sky.’

That thought in mind, she closed eyes, spreading her arms slightly, imagining what it would really be like to fly. To really feel those wind currents and really be one with her element, Air. But there was no point in thinking about it. She had to go with the caravan into another of the villages, so she had to conserve her energy and strength for when she really needed. Giving a sigh of annoyance, Seren tossed her mussed up white hair over her shoulder. She looked around her for a second - she vaguely remembered putting her stuff somewhere nearby. Strangely enough, the ground close to her was bare of any of her personal belongings. Narrowing her eyes again, she started to walk back towards her house. Her gait was smooth and almost sinuous, as she strode with her head held high as usual. Her short sword had to be there; she couldn’t have gotten it lost already.

Entering the hut, she saw that her blue feathers were still neatly placed on the table, along with that obnoxious disappearing sword. Picking one of the largest, she tucked it behind her ear, and sheathed her sword sword in the leather scabbard that hung by her side. Taking more of the blue feathers, she tangled them into her hair. Some blue was always nice to have. Walking outside, this time with a lighter step - she always felt happier with her feathers. Too bad, blue dye was so difficult to get these days. Maybe there would be some in the other village that she could trade for or something… a blue tunic would be lovely.

The marketplace was busy as usual. Many of the members of her village were setting up booths to sell anything from feathers to fruit. A flash of pale sky blue caught her eye as she sauntered closer. Looking at it with keen black eyes, she saw that it was a small embroidered cloth. Beautiful indeed. Looking at it, she gave a sigh of annoyance. She didn’t have anything to trade for it at the moment. Patting her tunic almost frantically, she felt a bump through the cloth and pulled it out. Ah, a small piece of amber. Maybe it’d do? She gestured towards the cloth and pointed back towards the amber. “Would this do?” The woman with the striking red, flame red hair, nodded at her, before taking the amber and dropping it in her pocket. Seren shared with her a smile, before taking the blue piece of cloth and tucking it into her pocket.

It was then that she caught sight of Tala, biting into a juicy-looking red apple. Walking closer, she gave a nod of acknowledgement - the Guardian was going on the trip as well, wasn’t she? “Hello, Tala,” she called out with a simple smile. The Guardian was quite skilled with making weapons - as a matter of fact, if Seren needed to get a replacement for her trusty sword sword, she’s probably go to Tala first. “You’re going with the caravan, correct?” she asked, before sitting close to her. It would be a long trip if she couldn’t talk to anyone.

The torches that encompass the entire settlement were being extinguished, as the morning sun rises above the working men. Cain, one of the senior captains and trusted confidant of Radahnot, surveys the vicinity as men were outfitting themselves and performing practice drills. Mostly likely they were preparing for the ambush that will hopefully, capture the Women responsible for the continuous attacks on their suppliers. Cain, however, was heading towards the barracks in the center of the settlement. The barracks stood high above the huts and stables that make up the settlement, it consisted of four floors. Within were several rooms, some were meant for storage, another was the armory, and another room for goods and treasures and of course the training grounds. Yet, Cain was on his way to the War Room which is located on the third floor.

Cain entered the large structure after passing two guards at its front door. It was certainly a true masterpiece of architecture. The barracks alone was a heavy financial building to create, but the goods used to create it did not go to waste, the tower was well-maintenance and heavily guarded from within.
This joint venture left the woodworkers and blacksmiths absolutely proud of themselves, the carvings on the very wood itself was fine, and the bolts and iron used to hold the wooden structure together were carefully forged to be strong and ever-lasting. Cain made his way up the flight of stairs and entered the expansive war room. In the center of the room was Radahnot and his fellow senior captains, standing around the huge oak table. The table is circular as the captains chat amongst themselves, “Ah Cain so you have finally come to join us.” Radahnot called from across the room. “Yes sir, I apologize if I am here too late.” Cain said a bit nervously, he really didn't want to be yelled at for his tardiness. “Well as things are your not the only one were waiting for.” Radahnot replied. Cain walked towards the table and saw a soiree of maps. Some of these maps were created by our charters, the others were plundered from Women during the raids.

“Who else is missing?” Cain asked a bit curious as to who can be later than him. “Bothus, he hasn't cared to grace us with his presence yet.” Radahnot answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Bothus?” Cain said surprised, “It isn't like him to be late to meetings.” “Yes, you would figured one of our most veteran warriors would have learned punctuality by now.” Radahnot said with a bit of cynicism. “Perhaps he has overslept, he has been known to do that.” said one of the other captains. “You could be right Lothar, If that is the case we shall wait a few more minutes, just because I am in a generous mood today.” Radahnot replied. After a few minutes passed by, Radahnot turned his view to the balcony behind him. He saw that the sun has risen higher, “We do not have time to waste for Bothus to show up, we will start this meeting now.” “I will deal with Bothus' impertinence later.”
Radahnot then went on to explain his plans, “Today my sources tell me of a certain trade journey is about to start, one of great importance to the Women.” “You must all know by now that our resources have suffered greatly in the past days.” “Reports of caravans raided and plundered of all of its goods, and no signs of the guards at all.” “Well it is time we strike back and we are going to hit them where it will harm them most.” “What makes this trade voyage so important?” Cain asked. “I'll tell you,” Radahnot replied, “This particular caravan travels through all three of the Women villages,” Radahnot begins to point towards the map, “It starts from Eagle's Talon,” Radahnot places a finger on Talon, “Then to Eagle's Wing and finally Eagle's Eye.” Radahnot traced the route with his finger. “Now our men will strike the caravan here on the outskirts of Wing, since it is closest to our settlement here in the Out-lands.” “What about the Women attacking our suppliers?” Lothar asked. “As for them, I have constructed a plan to deal with them when the time comes.” After the briefing the other men left as Radahnot decided to take a trip to Bothus' tent with Cain. “To think of the nerve as to not keep an appointment!” Radahnot said angrily.

“Well Bothus must have a good explanation as to why he didn't make it.” Cain said. “Well it sure as hell better not be over-sleeping!” Radahnot reached Bothus' tent and entered. “Bothus! Both-” Radahnot grew silent. “Whats wrong he isn't....here....” Cain was speechless, as he saw Bothus' corpse laid upon his bed. His blood was strewn about the entire tent as it appeared he was assassinated in his sleep. “Bothus is dead....tell the men we have a murderer hiding among us....” Cain did as he was commanded of and spread the message of Bothus' death throughout the settlement.

As the stallion blew hot air onto her neck, Yona giggled, reaching up to pull on one of his ears affectionately and kissed his nose. He was honestly such a sweet old thing, and it would be a shame to lose him when the time came. Yes, it would probably be better for him to stay behind. Yona was well-acquainted with most of the horses in the herd, simply because she was one of few people talented enough to teach the horses war manoeuvres and trick riding, which was always a great asset when every day you went outside the village you were faced with the possibility of meeting your worst enemy — Man. It still shook Yona to the core to remember the day she’d seen two of them in the clearing that she usually went to, not far from the river where she liked to play when she was young and accompanying her mother on short walks. It was a terrifying thought that they might know where Talon was and it had never quite left her the same. For a long time she checked over her shoulder every few minutes to make sure everything was clear, and would almost always drag her old friend Kyra along with her. Now that she was grown, such things were considered childish — if she wanted to go, to prove to her mother that she was no longer afraid, she went alone. This of course was in exception to those times when she only wanted to go for a ride with one of her friends strictly on friendly terms. They weren’t her bodyguards and they weren’t her shields. As a Conduit, Yona had to learn to protect herself in the case that one day there might not be anyone else.

It wasn’t much of a big deal, anyway. The training she had undergone when she’d aspired to become a Guardian before her power as a Conduit was realized was more than enough to protect her. Putting it into play…. There was the real problem. Yona had never really been cut out to be a Guardian anyway — she’d only been following in her mother, Neb’s footsteps. Still, though it had been what she’d wanted more than anything else, it seemed that her place was among the other Conduits… and even then if she didn’t quite fit in, she always had a home with the horses.

“Would you, really?” She nearly ran through Storm to get to Deene and throw her arms around her tightly. Qualia needed this — it was the perfect chance for him — and there were no words to describe how she felt right then. To Yona, Deene was as much of a sister as Kelra, and maybe even closer. The Healer was always the one who Yona went to with her problems, and when she needed advice. She trusted her more than she trusted most others, which was saying a lot — Yona would trust her Sisters with her life. Though, as quickly as that burst of energy had come, it subsided and Yona stood upright, continuing on toward the paddocks. “Thanks, Deene. He really needs it.” Going over what she’d mentioned before, Yona kept her eyes fixed on the ground in front of her. “This was probably the worst time for Yuuna to come up lame; otherwise she’d be perfect for this journey. I’d say Sansa would be another good one, but with her joint acting up like this it’s probably a bad idea. Other than that… Daeria seems fine, but once she gets moving it might change. Ah! I mixed that power in with Kota’s grain this morning and he didn’t even notice the difference, silly boy. Already he seems to be a little more active.” As if on cue, coming into the paddock area, Yona pointed out Kota reaching over his fence to nip at Qualia’s neck while he stood, for once calmly, next to his sister. The same age as the twins, the roan had often played with them as yearlings and it seemed that he still desired the friendship between them. He was feeling playful after that morning’s medication — it was a good sign.