B'arthon leaned forward in his chair and looked at the nameless hunter before him. "What do you mean Dek'thul hasn't returned in two days?"

The hunter bowed as if fearing punishment for bringing bad news, but as angry as B'arthon was, he wasn't in the habit of punishing those who bring him information just because it was distasteful. Eventually, the hunter found the courage to continue. "Just that, my Lord. He went out to scout the enemy's position like he does almost every night, but he didn't return. A bit of a delay could be anything, but I thought you'd want to be informed after this long."

B'atthon growled and fought the urge to throw his drinking mug. "I would have preferred to be informed sooner!" As the hunter's bow deepened, the noble continued. "I won't punish you today but see to it you bring me information like this more quickly in the future, and you'll be compensated instead."

The hunter seemed confused by that. Perhaps he was one of the late additions from a different village and was unaware of how things worked. But, no matter, the noble didn't have time to be distracted by things like that. "What about the camp down there? Do we have any eyes on them?"

The hunter bowed again. Honestly, it was starting to grate on B'arthon, but showing his annoyance wouldn't get him the information any faster. "Not directly, Lord. We have the watch towers up with a good enough line of sight to keep a distant eye on them, and the hunters are patrolling the perimeter paired with some of your guards. Each group remains within viewing distance of another, as you directed. The only one who ever went into the valley itself was the hunting chief, Dek'thul. He gave strict orders no one else was to go. He said there was a hunter in the valley too dangerous for anyone but him to handle." Then after a moment's hesitation, he looked up. "Would...would you like us to begin patrolling the valley?"

B'arthon sighed. "No, the old fool is probably right. That sounds like an excellent way to lose a bunch of hunters and guards. I just wished he would've listened to his old advice. Between him and my father, the arrogance of our elders continues to cost us more every day..."

The hunter seemed wise enough to realize it probably wasn't a great idea to comment one way or another and remained silent instead. B'arthon sent him away with a wave of the hand and sat back in his seat, considering what this meant for his plans. Did Dek'thul betray him? It wasn't likely, but not impossible.

Either way, there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. The better question is, what should he do about this now? If they were good enough to take down Dek'thul, they could probably get at the hunters and guards on the rim, but not without causing a disturbance that another patrol could see. He'd even given them strict instructions to send a runner even for something as insignificant as a dropped torch in the night. If a follow-up runner didn't arrive, giving a reasonable explanation shortly after that, word would be sent down the line by a series of runners. After his father had told him of the debacle with the raiders over a year ago, several of the surviving raiders they'd interrogated explained how Jack had picked them off in small groups in the night. While the noble didn't think the injured human was capable of such a feat a second time, he wasn't about to assume his ambiguous prowess wasn't somehow transferable. Between S'haar's martial mastery, Lon'thul's natural talents, and the metal "goddess," there were probably a few tricks yet to be revealed.

No, the best course of action was the one he'd chosen. Wait them out. There was a limit to how much food existed in the valley, and they were running out of time. All the noble had to do was be patient, and their hands would be forced one way or another...

-

Chal'ac was having a good day. She'd been instrumental in bringing down the one male she hated above all others. It was a shame S'haar decided to spare the old wolgen, but even so, seeing him bound on his knees, then seeing those legs broken had truly brightened her day. So it was with a light step that she walked into To'brel's tent and plopped onto his bedroll while the male was seated on his "chair," which was really a log only shaped in the loosest sense of the word. However, based on the emotionless expression on the young noble's face, and the fact that he seemed unaware of his guest's presence, he was not having so great a day.

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After a moment or two of impatience, Chal'ac cleared her throat to get the male's attention. That snapped him at least partially out of his daze, and To'brel's eyes focused on hers, but he still seemed somewhat distracted. Finally, the huntress decided to poke him and see what was causing his concern. "So I was having a good day and came to celebrate with you, but something seems to be weighing on you. What's got you so bothered?"

After blinking his eyes a few times, To'brel seemed to come the rest of the way out of his thoughts and acknowledged his guest. "Oh, hey, Chal'ac. Sorry about that. I was just...lost in my thoughts."

The huntress smirked and snorted. "That much was obvious. I'm pretty sure I could have chased a kovaack through here, and you would've never noticed!"

To'brel smiled sheepishly before answering. He was kind of cute when he did that. "Oh, it's nothing new, I suppose. Angela was just going over human history today, and it got me thinking about our situation. You wouldn't believe how many wars Jack's people have had over the years or the number of people who died in them. Honestly, it's more than a little frightening. It's got me wondering, what happens the day that we really make contact with his people and not just a couple of lost explorers? What happens if someone like Lord A'ngles is in charge and we go to war with them? Our entire civilization wouldn't last a day in that war."

That perked Chal'ac's curiosity as she sat up a little straighter. "Are they really so frightening? I know Jack has all sorts of strange knowledge and magics, but I find it hard to see that small, frail human and find him intimidating."

The youth shook his head. "You don't get it. Do you know the 'magic' guns he has, the ones he used to kill dozens of veteran warriors in the last battle? The ones he used to wage a one-man war against those raiders last year? Those aren't even weapons of war!"

That one confused the huntress. "What do you mean? Those things are death incarnate."

To'brel shook his head. "No, they're really not! Those are 'primitive hunting and emergency survival weapons,' the rough equivalent of the small knives you carry in case you lose your actual hunting spears! Their "weapons of war" are designed to kill by the hundreds!"

Chal'ac tilted her head back in thought. "Huh, so why doesn't he use some of their actual weapons and put an end to this war?"

To'brel looked at Chal'ac like she'd gone mad. "Do you have any idea what you're suggesting? Suppose they did. Why stop there? Why not wipe out the raiders too. Or maybe any villages that attacked us? Or any villages that refused to trade with us?"

The huntress shook her head. "Yeah, I don't really see Jack as the kind of person who'd do that."

With a sigh, To'brel sat back in his seat. "You're right. He's not. He's decided to let us determine our own fates, whether good or bad. But what about the next human to visit us? We need to have a system other than the 'strength rules' by then because, in a contest of strength, we'll be found lacking..."

Well, that certainly threatened to dampen Chal'ac's mood. But she decided not to give up that easily. The huntress hopped back into her feet and gabbed To'brel by the hands, pulling him off his improvised chair. The younger male looked confused. "What are you..."

However, Chal'ac cut him off. "You've spent enough time with those depressing thoughts. I'm having a good day and don't want you to spoil the mood with all these worries about a distant future that might never be a problem! So let's get you some fresh air and food, get you moving instead of thinking, and we'll see what the night brings our way! Besides, I'm the broody one in our relationship, and I won't let you steal my thing!"

Chal'ac felt a slight jerk as To'brel came to a halt behind her. Looking back, she could see a thoughtful expression on his face. With a sigh, she proded him a gain. "What is it now?"

The younger male's eye ridges scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean relationship?" Chal'ac's confusion must have been apparent because he tried again. "You said 'our relationship.' What exactly is 'our relationship?'"

At that, Chal'ac grinned and shook her head. "Do you want me to sit down and give you an explanation like one of Lady Angela's, or do you want to come with me, get some food and drink, and find out for yourself?"

Evidently, the younger male's exhausted mind finally put the pieces of the puzzle together because he uttered an eloquent, "Er, yeah, that sounds good..." just before Chal'ac all but pulled him off his feet to get him moving again.