Argus collapsed in a heap, panting as the Sun arose. His brother leaned over, hands on his knees, fighting for breath as the marathoning sprint finally ended. After what felt like ten minutes of just breathing, Argus spoke.

"Are you okay?" looking up at his brother from the ground.

Asgar nodded his head in affirmation, slowly breathing out. "I'll need bandages and to shed scales. Are you?"

Argus nodded, in turn. "Same as you."

"It won't be safe to go back to get back to our camp."

"Do you know the way?"

Asgar contemplated for a moment, "No."

"I don't think it matters." Argus replied with a shrug, then grimaced from the spike of pain it sent through him.

"his armor?" Asgar asked.

Argus shook his head. "I don't know who it was, either." then asked, "Any chance the bear got him?"

His brother looked with a face full of skepticism, "He killed the first one with a single hit."

"I didn't think so either. what do you think his Oath is?"

"Are you asking me to guess his Oath?"

Argus shrugged. "Well, if I had to guess. It was something about interrupting an honest Drakon's sleep to the skin and wear it, I'd bet my scales on it.”

Asgar snorted, "I'd bet my scales you're wrong."

Argus smiled, "Why's that?"

"Because if you're right, I'll lose them anyway," he smirked.

They chuckled.

Then Asgar sobered, "Are you okay after all... that". He waved his hand in an attempt to convey that he clearly meant, 'killing members of a band of murderous orcs who would have cut us down in our sleep and worn our scales for armor and trophies.'

Argus squinted his eyes, thinking for a long moment. before answering with a shrug. "Yes, are you?"

"Yes," Asgar replied, surprised at how easily that conclusion came to him before his eyes widened. "Ah."

"Oaths." Argus rumbled back and now that it was said Asgar could feel it. his mantle felt light on him, almost like it was lifting him up. Despite the wounds and exhaustion and fear, he felt... good.

Asgar thought of his Oath, one that demanded he used violence only as a last resort. Then he thought of the Orc and spoke in a tone that rang serious and concerned. "His Oath... it must be a terrible one."

"Yes," Argus agreed, looking distant at the thought of what the Orc’s Oath could have been.

And with that, it had sobered them even more. While neither's Oath forswear violence, neither had sworn to hunt evil down. And yet their oaths had sung to fight the Orc.

"What tribe do you think he's from?"

"None near us, there were too many to be outcasts, and none would throw in their support for this. Less so in the face of us being united with White shroud now. Should we warn the tribe?"

"Do you know the way?"

Argus grimaced. "No."

"They'll be fine, even if the orcs had four times their numbers they wouldn't be a threat. Supposing they know where our tribe is to begin with. My concerns would lie with our hunters, but with spring coming, it'll be time for hunting in groups for fear of running into a Pallid Bear. The only way they'd be in danger is if they camped away from the tribe as we did...." Asgar bolted upright, "Edrik! you don't think-"

"No," Argus cut him off. "The scales were far too tarnished to be him. Besides, with Edrik’s Oath? And the chainmail he took with him? I'd bet on him."

Asgar, having been convinced, relaxed again.

"We'll have to stop him ourselves."

Argus nodded.

Asgar continued, "his numbers will be down, at least by three. more, if luck and cold aided us."

"and bears."

"And the bears. We'll need to rest, recover. And food. they might be following us now."

Argus shrugged, then grimaced from the pain again.

"you should stop shrugging."

Argus seemed to agree, then spoke. "If they’re following us, it'll make it easier to find them."

"You want to ambush them?"

"If we can."

The brothers rested their bodies and minds for a moment before Asgar promptly sat up and cursed- "Tavig's talons!"

"What?"

"I forgot my scarf."

Argus laughed full and hearty then quickly ceased groaning all the while. "Ow, ha ow ow."

Both brothers were, in a scholarly sense, 'pretty banged-up.' Asgar sported a horrendous stab wound in his outer thigh, which he had run on for hours. This was followed by a series of bent and damage scales on his shield arm where he had blocked the Orc’s attack. And finally, a collection of pierced scales and minor wounds from the arrows and javelins that had rained down on them. Though in truth, this wasn’t all his wounds. There felt like countless bruises beneath scale and flesh, which was always miserable.

Argus, for his efforts, was a match to his brother, with a similar series of bruises and bent scales along his shield arm and his body. Trading Asgars wounded thigh for a stab to his sword arm from a close range javelin and a particularly bad case of bent scales and bruising from a club’s strike to the back.

It could have been much worse if not for their leather armor, and both brothers made a promise to thank their tribe's tanner if given the chance.

Though it had saved them, their armor was now ruined, riddled with slashes and rendering their shirts destroyed. So they had no qualms about shredding the soft cloth for bandages. Then set to the debatably unpleasant...no, the downright miserable process of removing any scales too damaged to leave for fear of them cutting into their own flesh.

By the end of it, two brothers sat, now shirtless and covered in the bandages. Leaning against a tree.

"So, no supplies." Asgar started.

"Yes."

"What have we got?"

"Sword, shield, armor, dagger, pants, scarf...." Argus was silent for a moment, "a sprouting acorn." he added, seemingly as an afterthought. "You?" he finally finished with.

“Axe, shield, armor, dagger, pants, and a handaxe."

"And you don’t have any idea where we are, right?"

"I lost track sometime between the thrilling woodland chase and the terrifying battle to the death."

Argus nodded again, before standing. "Well, we better figure that out."

Asgar looked around. "We could climb a tree."

"Not it." Argus replied.

Asgar scowled, before standing. "Mind giving me a boost?"

—-

Halfway up his climb, Asgar realized something.

He was terribly, terribly thirsty. And felt faint as he climbed, stopping for a moment.

Argus called up to him. "Are you okay, brother?"

"I'm fine, dizzy spell. I think I need water."

There was no water to be had, not here at least. The night's exertion, coupled with the blood loss, left him feeling weak.

"Can you climb down?" Argus called, voice radiating concern. Clearly intending to climb the tree and retrieve his brother despite likely feeling the crash that Asgar was now experiencing.

"I will be fine, I'll see if I can see any water from here."

The night before, it would have been easy, the snow had blanketed the forest floor. They could have eaten it, or if they still had their equipment, boiled it, and drunk it. But now the heavy rain had turned the snow into slush and mud, making it useless to them.

And Asgar was perhaps thirstier than he'd been his entire life. He had climbed up the tree and for his trouble, he saw more trees. The view had done little to give him any sense of direction. But it had revealed a brook in the distance. The flooding from the night's storm had brought all the snow and rainwater into the brook, turning it into a small river.

It was likely the stream which they had leapt earlier that night now led into it. He called down. "A river, we should be careful, the orcs might be following it!" 

his brother called back "Thank Tavig, can you get down safely?"

"We'll have to find out." Asgar began the climb down, his arms aching far more than he felt they should, and his leg screamed for relief.

As he set his foot down, the branch beneath it snapped, and for a moment, gravity claimed him.

He reached out, his heart in his throat, and caught himself before he fell more than three feet, groaning painfully as he did.

"Brother!"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I am okay!"

Asgar continued his climb down, eventually dropping the last five feet into a crouch and leaning into the tree, breathing heavily.

"I should not have made you go." Argus apologized.

Asgar waved him off. "Your arm has been stabbed, and you took an even worse hit from the giant Orc. Besides, all is well, I am unhurt. and I know where water is."

—-

The river was fast-flowing and freezing. The brothers, upon seeing it sighed in relief and quickened their pace. Hastily moving into the edges of the river and dunking their bodies in it.

Then cupping their hands, drinking deeply, and as quickly as they could.

They stripped from their armor and rested in the water after they had cleaned their blood-stained garments.

Yet not quite so at ease to do so without their weapons in hand, as they did.

They laid in the river's edge once more, rinsing themselves and their wounds. The Sun beating on their scales as they let the water numb their aching bodies. The water flowed red as the brothers bathed themselves.

—-

They had water, next came finding food. And now that their thirst was stated, they found they were starving.

Luckily the stream provided an opportunity in that regard.

Salmon, the great schools of the fish weren't here yet. But they could see the leaders of the pack, small schools darted around and ahead of them.

Neither brother knew how to fish without lines or bows, however, and their bodies hurt. While good for the wounds, the cold water that had been refreshingly numbing and now kept them trapped in it. For if they tried to stand, their bodies screamed in displeasure.

Whatever aid their Oaths had given had since ceased.

Finally, Argus stood, "We need to find something to eat, we can't afford to be weak."

Asgar hummed, then nodded. "I'll use your sword to try and fish. hold my axe."

Asgar hadn't spear-fished before, but he knew it was possible. And a sword was similar to a spear, wasn't it?

He waded deeper into the river, at first attempting to chase the fish down and quickly learning his mistake.

He then held still, waiting...and waiting...

Argus, meanwhile, watched. He'd be worse off than his brother at the spear...sword-fishing due to the damage to his right arm.

And he couldn't help by going out and collecting wood, ignoring the fact that any firewood he acquired would be soaked, there might be orcs searching for them. Which would undoubtedly be alerted by the smoke caused by somehow lighting a fire.

Meaning they'd be eating their fish raw, which, while not dangerous for Drakon, was still rather unpleasant.

Asgar, for his part, stabbed at fish. Finally impaling one and tossing it to his brother. before turning back and continuing his efforts with a grumble.

His brother, oddly, thought fishing that way looked rather enjoyable. He then offered a prayer of thanks to Tavig and bit into the fish. Scowling as he did.

It took another hour before Asgar caught a second fish, then waded back to shore and sat beside his brother in the mud, saying a prayer of his own and biting into his cold wet meal.

Asgar finished his fish, and the brothers rewashed themselves in the stream. Taking a second drink from it. They re-equipped their ruined armor and started walking.

They were in a somewhat precarious position. They couldn't let the orcs- wherever they were, get too far away.

"How do we find them?" Argus thought aloud.

"If we're lucky, the bear mauled him enough that he needs to rest. And he has wounded men besides himself who will need to."

"We'll most likely die."

"But if we don't go, they'll kill more people."

Asgar looked up at the sky, squinting at the rays showing through the forest canopy before looking back to Argus. "I love you, brother."

Argus embraced him. "Let's go."

And their Oaths sung, Argus's Sun brought him warmth, more than it ever had before, and Asgar's Mantle, still a weight, yet it gave him strength.

Both stopped.

"I think my Oath just grew."

"Mine too."

The brothers thought, then almost shrugged, Argus grimaced from the pain of doing it.

"Stop shrugging."

—-

It was easier said than done, making their way back back to the tree Asgar had climbed was easy. They had left tracks in the mud. But finding their way back to the bear's cave took longer.

Once they had, they found six orcish corpses, none of which were their leader. The two pallid bears, now dead. The second bear had been brought low with dozens of stab wounds over its body, and a deep gash in the side of its head.

While the bodies of the orcs and bears had been left behind, no weapons were.

They investigated the cave, finding nothing.

"What now?" Asgar asked.

"He was wounded… the stream we leaped? He'd need to clean and bandage his wounds too."

They could see the stream from where they were, the distance appeared less than it had felt when they ran across it in the night.

Argus reached the stream, looking up and down the length of it. "Upstream or down?"

"Down."

"How do you know?"

In answer, Asgar pointed at a trail of smoke lazily drifting into the sky.

"Ah."

They followed down the stream, eventually leading back into the river, the Sun hung proudly in the sky as they approached, creeping down the river towards the smoke.

They found the campsite, an orc stood guard over the sleeping forms of his allies. They, like the brothers, had been up all night. And if they expected the twins to come for them at all, they surely would have expected it after the brothers had adequately rested from the conflict.

The form of the Marauder leader lay against a tree. His wounds were extreme, and bandages coated his face and arms. His axe was resting in his lap as he slumbered.

The brothers hung low to the earth, slipping into the overgrowth beside the river, attempting to get closer.

But despite their attempts to stay hidden, the Orc started, seeing them in the light and shouted out a warning.

—-

Asgar threw his handaxe and caught the sentry in the chest with it. But not before his cry awakened the sleeping Orcs and their leader. Who scrambled for their weapons.

Argus cursed and surged forward, his brother hot on his heels. Kicking a still rising Orc in the chin and bolting forward, he felt a guiding pull from his Oath and followed its lead.

For the first time, he felt the power of his Sun shrink, the warmth of it spreading down his arm, and then suddenly, his blade began to glow.

He threw himself across the orc camp, and he came upon the still rising Oathbound Raider with an overhead strike from his sword.

tunk

the blow from the sword slammed into the Orc's weapon, and he stumbled.

Argus circled, stabbing the sword forward towards the Oathbound's heart. The point rammed into his chest, piercing the armor and exiting from his back.

But Argus had missed the heart.

He reared up and kicked at Argus's stomach, who stepped back to avoid it, pulling his blade free from the Oathbound as he did. The raider swung a downward strike at the Drakon, pushing himself off the tree as he did.

Argus blocked the strike with his shield, stumbling back from the force of his opponent's ridiculous blow. The already dented shield screamed, and Argus felt a terrible pain travel up his arm.

One of the Oathbound’s followers closed in from Argus's side, but was intercepted by Asgar. Sinking an axe into the Orc's shoulders, then bashing him in the face with an upward strike from his shield.

Asgar turned, throwing himself at the remaining orcs like a hurricane, flinging his axe at a rising figure, then stabbing his hunting knife down on another.

He pushed the orcs away, so they could not incircle his brother.

The duel between the two oathbound was on; Argus ducked to the left as the axe slammed the ground where he'd been, retreating under a flurry of blows.

He ducked under a full swing, narrowly avoiding it and slashed forward, slicing open the Oathbound's knee, who faltered and howled in pain. This did not stop him from swinging at Argus as he fell, his blade connecting but not with the Drakon.

Argus reached up with his shield and as the axe met the guard, a sickening crack resounded through the field.

It wasn’t the shield, nor the axe that gave way- it was Argus’s arm. The bone had snapped under the sheer amount of force that reverberated in the metal of his shield from the Oathbound’s swing. Argus struggled to stifle a shout and called out, "Asgar!"

As if summoned by the distress in his brother’s voice, he appeared. Pulling at his Mantle while screaming in outrage at the harm down to his brother. The Oathbound Raider's axe smashed into his shield and suddenly was thrown back. Asgar’s shield resonated with energy. And every time the axe slammed his shield, the Orc leader was pushed back a step, feeling the force of the strike turned back on the weapon.

Argus stood as the orcs Asgar had been holding back charged him, now only two of six. Three laid dead and one missing.

Argus stepped forward and swung as the first Orc attempted to block, he tugged at his Sun, and his sword shattered the Orc's club before carrying through and bisecting them.

He stepped past the falling corpse and ran the following Orc through, gripping his arm in place and slamming him into the ground.

He quickly pulled his blade free and scanned for the third Orc there should have been, yet saw nothing.

"Argus!" Asgar called.

Argus quickly turned and ran as his brother was being hammered into the ground. And while every blow on the shield seemed to return an equal burst of force at the Orc, he kept swinging, somehow unphased now. Argus swiped at the Orc, forcing him back.

As the Orc stepped back the fighting stopped, The two sides eyed each other, panting.

Asgar was without a weapon besides his claws and teeth, and Argus's shield arm was broken.

The Orc, on the other hand, leaked blood to the ground in a continuous stream of blood from his wounds. And favored his unwounded leg.

The Orc raised his axe up and waited.

The brothers charged.

Asgar stepped forward, shield raised. and they both flew forward.

The Orc stepped back and threw the axe well over the brother's heads, into the overgrowth.

He followed, dropping his center of gravity low and grabbing Asgar's shield as the Drakon went to dodge the flying axe mid charge, shoving it to the side and uppercutting the twin. Kicking him in his wounded thigh as he stumbled back.

Argus danced around his falling brother, trying to avoid tripping over him. The orc stepped over Asgar and rammed into Argus, throwing him back a dozen paces in exchange for Argus slashing him across the chest.

The orc turned and stomped onto Asgar's chest, once, twice, thrice.

Asgar caught the boot of the fourth attempt and drove his claws into it, using his claws like hooks and dragging the orc to the ground via his foot.

The orc rolled and wrapped his hands around Asgar's neck, choking him as the Drakon ripped his arms apart with his claws.

Argus's sword came down, stabbing into the orcs back. Who shouted yet another warcry and elbowed Argus in the stomach. Turning the strike into a flurry downward punches into Asgar.

Argus tackled the orc off his brother.

He rolled, driving the blade deeper into him, then stood.

Argus quickly helped Asgar up, and then the brothers charged again.

Asgar slammed his shield into the orc as Argus racked his claws across its face. It responded by punching Argus in the face, then jabbing Asgar in his wounded thigh. Argus stuck out at the Orcs cut open knee, causing him to fall to them. Asgar slammed the orcs face with his shield, and Argus kicked the chest of the orc, drawing his dagger and stabbing it into its guarding arms. Asgar slammed those same arms twice with his shield, then clawed at the orcs head with a free hand, before gripping and arm and roughly pulling the orc off balance. As he did so, Argus circled around, grabbed the hilt of his sword, and removed it from the orcs back. Then raising it up and striking down with all his might.

Finally, the orc stilled. And it fell.

Argus crouched down, scanning the area for any more orcs, and seeing none. He stuck his sword in the ground and cradled his arm.

Asgar stumbled on his wounded leg, took a step away from the orc, then softly groaned and sat down.

"Did we get them?"

"It seems like," Argus responded, sitting down as well, Placing his back to his brothers.

"And we're not dead?"

"I don't think being dead hurts this much."

"Huh."

the brothers stared at the sky, their backs to each other. Both sported new wounds and reopened old ones, and their bodies begged for rest. Demanded it.

Asgar slowly stood. "I'm going to see what they have for bandages."

Argus grunt, getting up to help. "Lean on me, your leg."

"Right, you be legs, I'll be the arms."

The process of gathering the orcs garments for bandages was a tedious effort, Asgar had trouble getting around, and Argus felt great pain whenever he used his arms. But eventually, they managed.

They rebound the wounds in new dressings. Asgar made a splint from an orc's shirt and pair of javelins and a sling for Argus to hang it in. They collected what they could from the bodies in their beaten state, foodstuffs, armor, traveling gear, and weapons. And it was during this process that it was noticed.

"Brother, have you seen the big one's axe?" Argus asked.

Asgar shook his head, "No."

"He threw it over us, yes?"

"I think so."

The brothers searched in the overgrowth where the axe had been thrown and found nothing, finally they could not put off rest any longer. Their bodies begged for it.

As such, they crossed the river to the other side and laid down in the overgrowth. Coating themselves in mud and the hides the orcs wore to disguise their silver scales. And then finally they slept, hoping they'd be discovered neither by a vengeful orc or predator.

—-

As dusk fell once more, two figures moved. One, standing tall as some of the trees and yet easily hidden amongst them. Watching two Drakon hide and quickly embrace sleep.

Another ran through the woods. And clutched something to their chest...an axe.