Em'brel stabbed at her practice dummy. Her form was sloppy, and her attacks were all over the place. It was apparent she wasn't focusing. Ger'ron wasn't about to scold her, though. He'd step in if it looked like she was about to hurt herself or someone else. Until then, it was probably best to sit back and let the girl work out her frustrations...again. Maybe, if she really tired herself out, she'd sleep through the night, and the old guard wouldn't have to debate between giving the girl her privacy or going and checking to see what was troubling her so much. He didn't know how many times he could throw himself a surprise midnight feast to invite Em'brel to before she got suspicious about where this sudden habit came from.

Currently, she was shouting at the dummy while she stabbed it. "And that's what I'll do to you if you get yourself killed! And THAT'S what I'm going to do to you if you get everyone killed! And THAT'S..." Ger'ron couldn't help but wince as the girl landed the third consecutive perfectly aimed groin shot. He didn't know if he really wanted to know who she imagined on the other end of that spear, but he could hazard a couple guesses.

Suddenly, the girl froze, and her hands shot to her headset as she listened intently for a moment. Then she launched herself into the air, jumping higher than she ever managed in training, as she screeched out a wordless howl of triumph. The guard grinned. It was good news, then.

A moment later, she was on the ground, and her radiant expression of glee turned to one of shame and regret. She turned to Ger'ron, clearly torn emotionally as she explained. "Nala'ac didn't make it..."

*  

The majority of the guards and hunters were celebrating. This was the most successful wolgen hunt any of them had even heard of. Most of them went into this hunt assuming they'd never return home, and to end the hunt of a mated pair with only one casualty was nearly miraculous.

As the master of the hunt, S'haar was tasked with dividing up the spoils. As she limped her way over to the corpses, she decreed that the meat of both beasts would go to the village. The skin and head of the badly burned and maimed beast would go to Dragon's Outpost, and the unheard of pristine head and skin of the second wolgen would be presented to Nala'ac's family, in payment of everyone's debt to the old hunter. The price such a thing could fetch would let them live in relative comfort for the rest of their lives, or they could keep it as a status symbol that would put them on par with minor nobility. Everyone agreed that this was more than a generous division of spoils, since the Dragon's Outpost could have easily demanded a more significant share of the bounty if they'd chosen.

Then everyone split up. The most wounded were carried back to camp, except S'haar, who stubbornly refused to leave until Jack could join them. Too wounded to go and get him, she grabbed Lon'thul instead, who was surprisingly chipper despite having his own semi-serious injury. "Go get my human down safely, if you would."

As Lon'thul stood up with his characteristic goofy grin on his face, she grabbed his arm one more time. "Oh, and if you drop him? You'll wish the wolgen had finished you!"

Lon'thul just grinned even wider and gave her a 'thumbs up,' one of his new favorite human mannerisms. "No worries! He'll get down safe and sound! Trust me!"

S'haar merely glared at him a moment longer before nodding and releasing him. As the hunter turned to climb the tree, Angela spoke up over the headset. "You know, that idiot brother of mine is sitting up there blaming himself for Nala'ac's death right now."

Lon'thul looked thoughtful. "Did he tell you that?"

The AI sighed. "No, but he's being quiet and waiting patiently to be helped down. Trust me, I know him well enough to know when he's brooding."

The hunter looked uncharacteristically serious a moment before the grin returned. "Well then, I'd better have a quick word with him!" With that, the hunter scaled the tree with surprising ease for someone sporting several recent and large gashes on the plates around his torso.

Once he was up top, the hunter grinned at the human, who was definitely looking morose about something. "How's it going, Jack?"

The human looked up and started to speak, who shook his head. "Nope, after the day we all just had I’m going to speak first, and you’ll just listen for once! Got it?."

Jack looked like he was going to say something, but Lon’thul beat him to the punch again. "So I guess you'll just have to shut up and listen to me for a change!"

The hunter crouched down and sat languidly on the branch. "So, first of all, you did it again. Well, both you and S'haar." The hunter nodded at the woman staring up at them. "This was by far the single most successful wolgen hunt I've ever heard of."

Jack started to speak, but the hunter cut him off by pointing to his ears. "You don't catch on very quick, do you? Shut up! I'm talking." He grinned to soften the blow but continued. "And today, the best man of the hunt, the hero of the hunt, is Nala'ac! And as the master hunter of Dragon's Outpost, it's my job to make sure he gets the recognition he deserves, so I won't sit back and let you steal his credit!"

Jack was clearly shocked into silence by the accusation. Lon'thul took advantage of that to continue. "I know that grumpy old hunter better than any of you. He taught me more than one hunting trick over the years! So I know better than anyone that you didn't force him to do a single damn thing. He grabbed those weapons, charged headlong into the face of death, and he made death flinch."

The young hunter was clearly working up to something, and Jack's attempts at protest were falling on deaf ears. "Your woman, myself, and who knows how many others should be dead today, but we're alive due to a good plan, lots of hard work, and the bravery of one grumpy old hunter. If you try and claim partial responsibility for his death, you are also claiming partial responsibility for his actions, and I can't sit back and let that happen."

The hunter once again eased his scolding with a grin. "Celebrate him! Honor him! Pay your respects to his family! But don't try and take his credit or his blame, or else you and I will have words, and S'haar won't be able to save you!"

At the mention of Nala'ac's family, Jack clearly was getting ready to say something else, but the hunter cut him off again. "And don't worry about his family! After this hunt, and the stories I'm going to tell, the wealth and prestige they'll enjoy will be more than most families will ever know. We take care of our heroes and their families. How else could you talk a young idiot like me into being one? On top of that, I myself will be contributing a portion of all my hunts to the family for the rest of their lives. Since I'd be dead if not for him, it's the least I could do!"

The hunter winked at Jack. "And don't feel all sorry for his widow either. She wouldn't thank you if you did! She loved a grumpy old man who was headstrong and brave, and she's no delicate flower either! If you really want to do right by her, then next time you're in the village, you and S'haar should join me in having dinner with her. Speak to her, tell her what happened. Let her see her husband one last time through the eyes of someone who saw him at his best!"

The hunter half stood and reached out a hand to Jack. "Well, I suppose I've rambled long enough. Let's get you back on the ground before S'haar does something stupid like try and climb this tree while she's as badly hurt as she is!"

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Looking down at S'haar, who was currently staring at the tree, it was apparent that was precisely what she was considering. Jack shook his head and stretched his face into his best imitation of Lon'thul's usual grin before accepting some much-needed assistance getting out of the tree they were in.

The smaller man muttered one last thing as they were descending. "When the young, goofy, carefree hunter go and became all mature and wise."

Lon'thul grinned to himself for a moment before responding. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far! Wise? Maybe. Mature? Never!"

*  

He'd been at this Outpost for quite some time now. The food was good, and the lodgings were better, but the people were weak. True, some of them had power, but rather than use it to accumulate more of the same, they used it to hide and shelter the weak from the world. In doing so, the very foundation of everything they built here was rotting from within with that same weakness.

Worse, the weaknesses of this place were reaching out into the world around them. Even now, the rumors spread that their leaders were out saving another weak village from itself, allowing it to fester and rot a little longer.

He was here to prune one such tendril before it could reach out and rot his own village once again. However, his target was always unapproachable, hiding deep in inaccessible caves or behind those stronger than herself. He'd been ready to give up and leave in shame, his task unfinished, but then something changed. His target was no longer hidden deep in the caves. She was living out here amongst the rest of the weak and frail members of this Outpost. It was only a matter of time before the opportunity he'd been waiting for presented itself.

He'd thought one such opportunity was upon him earlier today when she'd been so focused on her training dummy that she'd been utterly oblivious to the rest of the world, but the old guard had been at her side, keeping one eye on her, and the other on everything else. For such an old washed-up guard who was notorious for being lazy back in his own village, he had oddly sharp eyes that were quick to latch onto anything out of place.

For the moment, he retreated. It didn't matter though. Sooner or later, they'd grow careless. He just had to wait for the right moment to strike.

*  

When they finally returned to the village, the hunting party was met with an air of hope and cheer. It wasn't quite the full-blown celebration Jack had been hoping for. These people had gone too long with too little food and supplies. However, what once looked like a ghost town finally had the spark of life as the villagers prepared to go clean and prepare the meat of the beasts for hauling and storage. There would be a feast tonight, and the people would eat well as they finally went about bringing their village back from the brink of desolation.

For once, it was S'haar being dragged on a sled while Jack walked alongside. The two relatively unscathed village guards pulled the sled while Lon'thul walked with only a slight limp, asking everyone for their various perspectives of the hunt.

They finally came to a stop at their temporary house. As they approached, Sare'en had her nose poking out of the doorway and spotted them, and she came running as soon as S'haar clearly came into view. She was fussing and fawning over her hero, who was trying to shoo the younger woman away, to little avail. Jack watched the whole thing with a self-satisfied smirk, enjoying being the one who got to walk under his own power for once.

Once in their home, it was quickly revealed that Sare'en and Em'brel certainly had a few things in common, in that she had prepared quite the feast in anticipation of their return. Most everything was served cold, with the few things that needed warming being quick to heat, so she could serve everything with minimal preparation time.

Everyone ate their fill while Jack saw to their medical needs. The worst off was S'haar, but luckily most of the damage seemed to be on the surface, though she might also have a cracked rib or two and had a few nasty holes in her leg. Still, it wasn't anything that couldn't heal given a little time and care. Unfortunately, she might have to ride back this time around.

As he was inspecting the claw marks marring the side of her chest plate, he frowned. "So, obviously, the skin and muscle will heal, but will the plate ever grow back?"

S'haar shook her head, wincing subtly enough that only Jack probably noticed. "No, though marks like this, earned due to a wolgen hunt, are often worn with pride. There aren't many who can claim to have gotten so close to a live beast and lived to tell the tale. I imagine Lon'thul's prestige and my own will increase notably with these scars."

Jack nodded. "Still, I wonder if there's something we can do to reinforce the structural integrity of your plate in these grooves. Something like a filling for teeth..."

S'haar raised an eye ridge but didn't add anything in response. Jack was thinking aloud, or maybe even speaking to Angela, but if his sister responded, she couldn't hear.

All speculation was interrupted by a noticeable clamor outside. Not long after that, one of the guards rushed inside, followed closely by the village leader and a few others. He seemed confused about what to do, given that he was supposed to keep intruders out unless they had permission to enter, but these were obviously the authorities in the village. Finally, he seemed to decide that announcing their 'guests' was the best compromise he could think of. "The Village Lord to see you, Lady S'haar, Lord Jack."

S'haar nodded her acknowledgement to the guard, who stepped back and stood at ease, then turned her attention to Lord Sal'zar. "Welcome. I'd invite you to eat with us, but our meal is more or less down to scraps at this point. Also, I hope you'll forgive me for not standing, but..."

The village leader shook his head and waved away her concerns as he crouched by the fire, immediately making the room's atmosphere less formal, much to the consternation of his hangers-on. "I won't demand formalities from the village's saviors when I barge in unannounced...or rather, nearly unannounced." He nodded his head toward the guard standing behind him with a grin.

Turning his attention back to S'haar, his expression grew somber once more. "This is where I'd like to heap rewards on your shoulders to express our gratitude for what you've done. However, the simple truth is that even though we now have a chance to rebuild, currently, we have little to spare. That which we won't need for our immediate survival or repairs will likely go toward trading for the things we can't produce ourselves, like re-establishing our kovaack herd."

S'haar started to speak, but Lord Sal'zar held up his hand, indicating he had more to say. "Still, you paid a price in blood for our village, and that demands some recognition and recompense. While we may not be able to offer the same...quality of what was lost, we'd like to offer some of the best we do have."

He nodded to two of the guards he'd brought with him. As they stepped forward, he returned his attention to S'haar. "Lack'nul and Orth'kun are two of the best guards our village has to offer. They are also currently unattached by family, and I believe you've met both of them before. If you'd have them, we'd like to send them with you, in recognition of what you've done and as a token of our gratitude."

Jack noticed they both seemed familiar to him. One was the spear-thrower from the demonstration a couple days ago. The other was the guard at the gate who'd taken responsibility for the breach in procedure. Both seemed pleased with the arrangement.

Jack turned his attention to S'haar, who appeared to be weighing the situation in her mind before nodding her acceptance. "While Nala'ac will never be replaced, we welcome the offer of aid to the Outpost."

Lord Sal'zar nodded happily and stood. "Very well. Lack'nul and Orth'kun, your vow of service to the village are considered honorably fulfilled from this point forward. Go in service of Lady S'haar and Lord Jack. May you serve them as well as you've served us."

The two guards executed one of the most precise formal bows Jack had seen. Then Lord Sal'zar turned and left the dwelling. Once he was gone, they turned and bowed again to S'haar and Jack. Upon straightening again, it was apparent that the gate guard –Lack'nul, Jack reminded himself– had something on his mind. This wasn't lost on S'haar, who quickly adopted a less formal manner once the village lord had left. "You look troubled. Would you prefer to stay with the village?"

The guard shook his head and actually looked embarrassed. "No, nothing like that... It's just... It's nothing."

S'haar fixed the guard with a hardened stare. "We don't stand on formality much at our Outpost, but we expect honesty. So once again, what is troubling you?"

The guard looked positively sheepish. Jack was sure if he'd been human, he'd be bright red in embarrassment by now. "Um, well... It's just... Are you really down to just scraps? Since returning from the hunt, I haven't had much of a chance to eat, and it's been a long day..."

S'haar's glare faded into a grin as she turned to Sare'en with a nod. The younger woman smiled happily and began digging through the remains of their supplies, looking for a little more food. The larger guard, Orth'kun, smacked the first guard in a manner that somehow expressed both exasperation and comradery.

Before long, everyone was finding ways to relax in the now very cramped house. Lon'thul was grilling the new guards for their hunting experiences, Sare'en was bustling around, making sure everyone was taken care of with both food and drink, and Jack and S'haar sat back watching everything unfold. It was a small celebration, but a celebration nonetheless. Jack hoped there would be many more to come.