The previous fight took almost everything out of Raksha and Zhuun. The two began backing up after noticing Yehiid getting knocked out by a furless creature with only one slap over his snout. Zhuun let out a pained cackle followed by a groan as he held onto his bleeding eye socket. "By the Devourer... curse that pink furless apillian. Grrrr-"

Raksha looked at him as she limped, tearing another piece of her cloak to wrap as a bandage over one of many wounds. "I am sure they are not too thrilled about you leaving your dagger in their back." Raksha replied as she then let out a small whimper while tightening an improvised bandage. "Did you see what the thing did to Yehiid? I saw from the cover of the forest that he got hit over the snout with a gloved hand."

"Coated in Death's Lover poison. The amphoran managed to get away, the bleedin' apillian was clobering me over the head just to make sure I didn't hit it." Zhuun said with venom in his tone as he took a cloth from his hip pouch and pressed it tightly against his bleeding eye, a streak of semi dry blood going down his face.

"Hold on tight, pup. We are almost at camp." Raksha said as she kept on walking with a stagger, blood dripping droplets on the dirt as she moved. Zhuun would grasp one of her arms and prop her up as the two moved.

"Huh. You look like the one that needs to hold on, auntie." Zhuun replied with a light chuckle, which hid a bit of worry in his tone. "Vespertilia won't be happy that we couldn't bring Yehiid back for the proper burial rights." The young Hay-yen said to just simply change the subject.

"Indeed, but if she deems me too wounded to save and since we couldn't bring tribute... I might have mine done for me and then to The Devourer I go, so the rest of our Cackle may yet live." Raksha said plain as blood trickled from her maw lightly.

'Damn it. I should have kept my yapper shut.' Zhuun thought as he swore at himself mentally. While carrying his aunt, finally their camp came into view. The young Hay-yen male got a bit of vigor coming back into him as he entered inbetween the large pitched tents, some of his kin coming to assist him and Raksha.

While Raksha is taken to be treated as best as possible with medical supplies that they have, a higher up in rank female directs him to go to Vespertilia's tent to report before he is given medical assistance as well. Of course, not even thinking to object, he complies and heads towards their shaman's tent. Still, his mind races to the thought of his aunt and he curses their wretched God in secret that this is their fate. 'How can we have such a God... that made us to consume us, when we are at our lowest... that we must feed others to sate His hunger.' Is what went through his mind in frustration as he closed his left fist, his claws digging into his own palm.

Zhuun found himself standing in front of the tent as his inner frustration finally quelled, resigned that this is their lot in life. He would then enter Vespertilia's large gazebo like tent, which was flooded almost entirely in darkness, with not a shred of exterior light. The only things providing a semblance of light were a few magical motes of purple magic that dimly light up the interior.

"Ah. You have come back, Zhuun. What of Raksha and Yahiid?" A cold and yet suave and light voice spoke from the darkness.

Quickly, the Hay-yen's eye adjusted to the darkness and he could see, Vespertilia, the largest Hay-yen female he has ever layed eyes upon since he was born and she looked the same as she did when he was a but just a little pup. Apparently one of the benefits of being a shaman of the Devourer, a bonus she has been holding onto since the youth of his aunt, if not even more, at least by her account. The boy kept silent for a moment too long, as he always felt intimidated in her presence.

"Do not waste the time of the Devourer's shaman, mutt. Speak already. What of them and more importantly, did you bring tribute for the Devourer?" Vespertilia asked with a clear impatience in her tone as she sipped from a chalice of metal.

"Y-Yahiid has perished, your spiritual excellency. Raksha, my aunt is wounded... o-our quarry has eluded us... t-they were tougher than we anticipated." Zhuun replied as he recoiled slightly in fear at the words, his nostrils slightly closing as he could sniff the woman's drink which reeked strongly of Freeze Plant. 'What concoctions does she drink that require so much of that blasted plant?' When he first had to report to the shaman in person he remember how hard the smell used to hit him, only the devourer knows what worse plants she uses as a shaman that smell worse than that.

"Gah! You- grrr..." As the shaman was about to yell at him, she then stopped herself. Zhuun could see her sniff at the air and her demeanor changed. "O-oh. Oh my poor pup. You are wounded." She said as she stood up and she began to slowly approach him, each of her steps light and soundless, despite her large form.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Zhuun could feel his heart beat loudly within his chest and up into his throat, as he stood there unmoving, he felt like frozen in place, looking in the shaman's eyes that glowed white in the dimly light darkness. She stood before him with a big smile on her face, showing canines sharper than any other. "Let me tend to that, you are too young to go to the Devourer, yet, my pup." She would say while grasping the sides of his face. The young Hay-yen could see the shaman's mouth slightly open as a tongue as long as a small tendril crawled out of her maw and began licking at the semi dried blood on his face.

"I- It is fine, y- your excelency. I a-am sure I will reco-" But the boy couldn't even finish his words as Vespertilia's left hand just clamped his snout shut.

"Do not; insult my kindness." She said, as coldness seemed to return to her tone, sharper this time.

Zhuun stares with his one still working eye into the woman's moon like ones, that just seemed to pierce through him and his being. He could feel every hair in his fur sitting on the end of his skin. With the young Hay-yen now unmoving, the shaman ran her tongue once more by his wounded eye, the blood once more flowing. He could feel the trickle go through his fur but there was no pain. After catching some of the flowing blood on her tongue, Vespertilia then dipped her fingers into some of it and began drawing a circle in the fur on Zhuun's face. Afterwards she began uttering under her breath.

'There it is again. S-she always chants in that language. She says it is our ancient language, but... even the few remaining elders say they don't recognise it.' Zhuun thought while attempting to not freak out. He could feel his face like being stabbed by many tiny needles and the pain spiked up to a point that it was nearly impossible to withstand. Then, all of a sudden it subsided.

"There we go, pup. All done." Vespertilia said with a content sound to her tone.

As Zhuun opened his eye, he still couldn't see from the other and upon touching his face, he felt healed skin and fur grown over the spot where his other eye used to be. Looking over to the shaman he could see her licking her digits that were still dripping with blood.

"Now. Do your shaman's bidding. Let the Stalk leader know of where this quarry is. Tell her how many and how wounded they are. You entertained me enough to where I can forgive your incompetence in the name of The Devourer." The large woman then sat herself back down at the back of the tent, with a sigh of relaxation. She would then simply look at Zhuun and wave to him to leave.

The young male did a bow nodding and he quickly fast walked out of the gazebo tent of the shaman. Once outside he was speed walking towards the Stalk leader to relay the information, his chest still pounding. 'That was terrifying. Calm down. Just do what you are told and stay out of it. Just get through with it. I am already lucky with my aunt keeping other bitches, that would abuse their rank, away from me. Keep my head low... all I gotta do. I don't need to accept it, but I still need to look like it. Sigh... get the message to the Stalk leader so she can head out and then just go to auntie. Easy enough...' Zhuun told himself as he took in a deep breath, his day was already horrible enough from losing an eye, he didn't need anything in addition to that.

Once he made his way to the Stalk leader, he stood at attention as he waited for her to notice him. It seems she was in the middle of drilling some exercises, and last time he was told to relay to her something, he interrupted her and and even more quickly after that, he was thanked with a bloody snout.

Lidaya, the Stalk leader, took note of Zhuun nearly immediately. 'Huh. Gonna let him stew with his thoughts a bit. Hmm... Raksha was recently put under recovery, I respect the woman enough to leave her next of kin alone. Just going to scare him a bit, does the males good to keep on their toes.' The large Hay-yen thought to herself as then barked to the other stalkers to keep on with the exercises, as she then turns to face him. "Zhuun. You look... huh... lost an eye. You almost look like a stalker instead of a scout." She said starting to circle him in a slow pace.

"Stalk C-captain, Lidaya. I have a message from the shaman herself." Zhuun said stuttering for a moment. "She wanted me to inform you of two wounded quarries at the grove near Sun Bridge River. She wants you and some stalkers to go on and get them as tributes for the Devourer." The young one eyed man said clearly and quickly, staring straight foward, despite the Stalk Captain being behind him.

"Did you also come to ogle at my bitches exercising, mutt?" The captain asked whispered in his ear with a cackle, from behind him.

"No, captain." Zhuun replied immediately. He wasn't going to fall for that one again. Even if you didn't look, if you hesitated in answering, you were still going to get ripped into.

"Good. They are trouble and as a sign of respect for your aunt, I will make sure they are too tired to bother you, but watching your stepping, pup. I'd grab ya by the scruff myself, if I didn't know ya since ye were a tyke." She said in a low tone, which almost made Zhuun ease up a bit, but that earned him a claw pressing on his spine lightly, at which point he stiffened up. "Now, message understood. We will move out soon, now get your tail out of my work and go to the infirmary. We got wounded that need active treating, so there's nobody to watch over Raksha. Come on, make yourself useful." She yelled out, at which point Zhuun did a quick bow and then took off to the tent of wounded.

And so, this is how these cackling Hay-yen lived. Zhuun went on to watch over his aunt while she was resting and bandaged. Lidaya, headed out with 4 of her stalkers to go collect the bounties wounded by the scouts. Meanwhile their shaman kept to herself in her tent, for now...