This was far from the most comfortable ride Jack had ever experienced, but the worst part was the tension of the situation combining with the fact that he could only look back the way they'd come. Not that the human thought he'd notice anything that Lon'thul's keen senses, tuned by countless hunts, would miss. Still, it felt weird heading into possible danger without being able to see or do anything in preparation other than think.

Jack stopped his hand from pulling out his gun to recheck it for the dozenth time. He'd already made sure it was loaded and ready before they'd left, and trying to pull it out now would be awkward at best and could cause problems if he dropped the thing due to an unexpected move from the hunter carrying him.

Instead, he checked back in with Angela. "What's the status on everything?"

Angela's voice came back uncharacteristically sober. "Well, S'haar and Ger'ron are getting ready to meet whoever leads this expedition. She's not happy about you being out here, by the way, but she understands. I did have to talk her out of charging out to meet you. I expect that even if you're in the right and everything goes smoothly, there's a lecture or two in the near future!"

Jack started to shrug before deciding it was too awkward a movement right now. "Yeah, I kind of figured that... How'd you keep her from running out to meet us, though?"

Angela's voice came back a little smug. "Simple, I told her you'd have a much higher chance of survival if a small army of guards and workers were waiting to meet you than if she ran off alone. Also, I'm reasonably sure you can get to Sare'en and back before the main group catches you, so all you'll have to worry about is a couple of scouts. I'm confident you'll be fine, between Lon'thul's skills and your gun."

His sister's voice grew slightly menacing. "And if not, the cavalry won't be far behind..."

Jack didn't have enough time to question what she meant because Lon'thul came to a halt, and the human found himself on his feet again. As he turned around to get a measure of the situation, Em'brel ran past and all but tackled Sare'en. The poor herder girl looked more than a little surprised by the group that stumbled up to her. "What's going on? Why are you all here?"

To'brel, who had fared the worst in the run and was now doubled over to catch his breath, shook his head. "I'd like to know that as well..."

Em'brel looked like she was about to launch into a full explanation, but Lon'thul beat her to the punch. "Ah, nothing you should worry all that much about right now, but you'd best get the herd moving back inside the wall, quickly, just to be safe. I'll be keeping an eye on you while you move, but there's something I gotta go check out for just a moment. So you all get going."

Jack looked at Lon'thul suspiciously, but the hunter just grinned in return. "It'll be fine, trust me, I got this!"

The hunter then turned to Em'brel. "Keep an eye on Jack, and he'll keep an eye on you. I won't be far behind!"

Before anyone could argue, the hunter took off at a jog toward the nearest forest edge.

Jack thought about arguing but decided to respect Lon'thul's judgment. Instead, he finally gave in to the temptation to pull out his handgun and make sure a round was chambered correctly, though he kept the safety on. Confident he was as prepared as he would get, he turned to Sare'en. "Let's get moving."

*  

Lon'thul watched as the group started moving before stepping a little deeper into the nearest edge of the forest, his bow at the ready. There were no signs of any presence other than his own, but that was telling. Where were all the signs of smaller life that were always so persistent in the wilds? Only one argu'n he knew of could mask his presence so completely yet radiate enough danger to silence a forest like this. The hunter grinned. "Come on out, Pops, I know you're here!"

There was a low chuckle just behind Lon'thul as his father extracted himself from a shadow far closer at hand than the younger hunter had expected. Dek'thul grinned. "Getting better, boy, but I still got far closer than I should have. You're no rival for me yet..."

Lon'thul wasn’t overly concerned and grinned back. "Maybe not, but like you said, I'm getting better, and I might have a few new tricks an old male like yourself has never seen before!" He pointed with his chin to the trunk behind his father, which now sported an arrow that could have easily done some serious damage if it had been aimed differently.

As Dek'thul retrieved and examined the arrow, Lon'thul spoke up once more. "So whatcha doin out here, anyway? Did old A'ngles loan you out to Don'brel the way he loaned me to Jack and S'haar?"

Dek'thul handed the arrow back with a grin. "That's still 'Lord A'ngles' to you, kid, and no, I'm not on loan. I'm out here in direct service to the Lord himself."

*  

Jack knew he'd receive a warning from Angela long before any of their visitors could sneak up on them, but he still couldn't help but imagine an argu'n behind every tree they passed. Looking over at Em'brel, it was clear she felt the same. Now that her drive to reach her friend was gone, he noticed her fearlessness was fading as well. Beside her, Sare'en was looking spooked. Whatever Lon'thul was doing, he hoped it was worth it.

They were headed for the main gate, rather than the nearer north gate. Jack's logic was that it wasn't much further from where Sare'en had taken the arlack to graze, and if they did run into any trouble, they'd be headed toward reinforcements, rather than making S'haar run around the palisade to meet them.

Jack grinned down at Grim trotting along, enjoying the fresh air. At least one of them seemed relaxed. Well, so were the arlack leading the way back to their pen. Jack suspected their attitude had more to do with the complacency of the strange lizard cows than any courage on their part, though Jack was amazed at the pace they were able to keep, for such large and seemingly clumsy animals. He'd initially debated leaving them behind, but it quickly became evident he was the slowest part of the strange entourage.

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Looking back at Grim, Jack was startled to realize how big the wolgen had grown in such a short time. He'd been a bit smaller than a large dog when they'd first gotten him, but now his head was almost even with Jack's. That gave Jack an idea. "Hold up, I'm slowing us down a bit much, so I wanna try something."

Em'brel looked around like she was expecting an ambush but didn't argue. Jack walked over to Grim and gave him a good scritch. "Ok, boy, How do you feel about carrying your weight around here for once." After a measuring glance, Jack corrected himself. "Well, a bit less than your weight, if I'm any judge. Heel. Down."

As Grim laid down, Jack inspected the spines down his back. They typically folded down his back, but they rose up like the fur on a dog's back when he got his hackles up. Jack took off his cloak and tied it around Grim's waist to prevent any uncomfortable complications, giving himself a slightly less awkward seat. Then, looking over at To'brel, who'd been watching everything with silent horror, Jack grinned and winked before climbing into place with some clumsiness before commanding, "Up."

After a moment of confusion and sniffing, Grim decided this was a great new game and shot to his feet with almost too much eagerness, nearly unseating Jack. Most everyone was watching Jack with something along the lines of genuine amazement. He could even hear the young noble speaking to himself. "He's insane. That's the only explanation. This human is actually insane!" Then, after allowing Grim his moment of playfulness, Jack called out to Sare'en. "Call him over, have him follow you."

Sare'en, who'd been watching Jack's ride with confusion and apprehension, complied, calling out to the wolgen who was walking in circles trying to get a better sniff of Jack. "Grim, heel!"

It took Grim a moment longer than usual to respond, but eventually he stopped his little game and followed, bringing Jack along for the ride. Em'brel looked up at Jack in amazement. "How'd you know he'd take so well to being ridden?"

Jack, who was spending far too much attention and energy keeping himself in place, responded without looking. "Honestly? I didn't. Plan B was to have you carry me. While we both know you can pull that off, I figured Grim could maintain a more steady pace. Though I failed to consider how much effort it would take to maintain my seat with my leg. Still, we can probably stand to pick up the pace a little..."

Sare'en, who was on the other side of Grim, nodded before turning and addressing the arlack herd they were following. "Hup hup!" The arlack broke from their amble into a trot, not as fast as a horse back on Earth, but still far quicker than Jack imagined they could move. Of course, that made Em'brel, Sare'en, To'brel, and Grim pick up their own paces to match.

*  

Jan'kul found himself a spot up on the wall with his belly bow. He'd been one of the first woodworkers to arrive here at the start of last winter and was one of the core group who'd been inside the mysterious home of Jack and Lady Angela's. Many newer workers treated anyone from that original group a little differently, as though they'd been touched by some divine being. Of course, those who'd survived the winter as Jack's guests knew differently, but their oath of silence kept them from dispelling that notion. He supposed it was for the best, as it would probably only deepen the rumors, rather than dispel them if he'd tried to explain that place to anyone who hadn't stayed there.

Still, with Ger'ron shouting at the guards and Lady S'haar looking as though she wanted to leap into action rather than pacing in front of the gate like a caged animal, several workers turned to him for answers. "What's going on? I heard it was another raider attack! If they bring an army, will we be able to hold them off?"

Jan'kul raised the bow into position, aiming toward an imaginary figure running out of the distant trees before easing it back and turning to the worker who'd spoken. "Honestly, you know as much as I do right now, but I doubt it's raiders. With the beating they got last time at the hands of Jack and a handful of hunters, I doubt they'll be showing their faces again anytime soon. And even if they do, our guards are better armored, and us workers are better armed than any of them. So they'd find trying to scale these walls an expensive lesson in futility!"

The woodworker nodded down to the small group of guards now joined by Lady Fea'en down by the gates. "And if they were raiders, I don't think the Outpost leadership would be planning on meeting with them like this. We'd probably be shooting as soon as they cleared the treeline, instead."

The newer worker looked confused. "Then what could it be? What's the point in bringing out all the guards and workers if there's no raiding party on the way?"

Jan'kul shook his head as he made sure his bolts were set up and easy to get his hands on. "Honestly? I don't know, but my guess is it's tied to that new guest of ours. You know, the one related to Lady Em'brel? We're probably here as a show of force to add a little weight to our side of any negotiations. I mean, what else could it be?"

*  

Jack was relieved to see they were making good time. In a few moments, they'd be back to the Outpost, safe behind its walls. Just to confirm, he checked in with Angela. "How long before our visitors arrive, and where's Lon'thul?"

Angela's voice was calm but serious. "The main force is a ways behind you, and you should beat them back easily enough. There are several scouts in the area, but they seem to be pulling back and avoiding you. I'm guessing they're under orders not to start anything."

That was good. Maybe the worst part of this encounter was Jack telling S'haar about this all later. Angela continued. "Lon'thul's on his way back; he'll be arriving not long after you all, but I'm a little unsettled by who he met back there. It was his father, Dek'thul. The conversation was ambiguous, but I'm sure Lord A'ngles is behind whatever is happening here. I think he finally decided it was time to make another move... Be careful."

Jack sighed. He'd suspected that Em'brel's uncle wouldn't be able to produce a force as large as the one approaching. This definitely added a whole new level of complexity to the situation. He wondered what other unpleasant surprises were in their near future.

They were within sight of the main gate now. Jack could even see S'haar and a few guardsmen waiting anxiously for their arrival. Angela's voice kicked up a notch in pitch and volume. "One of the scouts changed direction and is headed right for you!"

Without hesitation, Jack drew his gun and thumbed off the safety. He shouted for everyone to get behind him when an impossibly fast argu'n cleared the nearby treeline and rocketed toward him in the air. Jack got off a wild shot but couldn't tell if he'd landed a hit before the argu'n plowed into him, launching him from his seat.

As he fell, Jack felt his heart was thundering in his chest, but rather than experiencing the painful sensations of heart failure, it continued beating normally, meaning his pacemaker was doing its job. He was starting to wonder at the odd things that occupy one's mind at times like this when he hit the ground and rolled to absorb the impact. But where his roll was wild and chaotic, his assailant's looked graceful and controlled. It was almost as if it had been choreographed, rather than improvised at the last moment.

As he stood, the mystery argu'n was facing away from Jack, but the human saw something that turned his blood into ice water. On the male's otherwise pristine side plate was a familiar gouge. It was probably the only mark of its kind on the planet. It was a place where the plate had already been damaged by a shot from Jack's handgun, but the recipient had been fast enough to avoid a more lethal blow.

Jack could hear S'haar and the guard running toward them, but he knew this particular assailant could kill them all before any help arrived. As the male turned, Jack's fears were confirmed. Standing over him, with two intact swords this time, was S'haar's father, De'haar.