Il'dune was surprised when his chief called for a meeting of the tribes and even more surprised when so many chiefs showed up. Growing up, such a meeting was called maybe once every ten to twenty cycles, so having two meetings only a little more than a cycle apart was unheard of. Though he was well aware of a few conspicuous tribes missing. None of the southern tribes seemed to have arrived, and Il'dune's frown deepened when he thought of the reason for their absence...

Finally, Rak'shal, the hunt master of the Wolgen Speakers, stood up and started speaking. Technically, he wasn't the chief of his tribe, but everyone knew that the Wolgen Speakers operated differently than most. As the hunt master, Rak'shal was in charge of the wolgen pack that gave the tribe their namesake and thus was in charge of any decisions involving raiding or war. Given the power his tribe held, everyone present listened when he spoke. "Why have you called us all here, An'elk? Has it anything to do with the valley people camped not far away?"

Il'dune's chief, An'elk, answered warily. "Shouldn't you know them better than that? They seem to be traveling with some of your tribe's wolgen as well as your son..."

The hunt master didn't seem phased as he responded to the implied accusation. "Those aren't our wolgen. They have methods of raising and training their wolgen that surpass our own. My son is traveling with them to learn their training methods as well as keep an eye on them."

That was unexpected. Many of the chiefs started muttering among themselves. The valley people possessing trained wolgen was definitely unwelcome news. Finally, one of the other chiefs spoke up, though he only echoed the majority's thoughts. "How did they come by tamed wolgen, if not through your tribe?"

Rak'shal shrugged. "Probably the same way we did. They took them from a mated pair."

As his audience started to laugh at the audacity of the idea, Rak'shal continued. "I witnessed them effortlessly slaughter an untamed adult wolgen that we'd accidentally chased right into their caravan. If that wasn't enough, a lone female from their group stopped one of our adult wolgen mid-charge, pinning him to the ground while she disciplined him like he was merely a pup. Admittedly, I suspect she's actually a goddess who decided to walk the land with them, but I'm not sure if that makes the feat less impressive or more so..."

At that, the audience was silent. So this group possessed the power of multiple wolgen, and a goddess walked the land with them? Il'dune could practically feel their thoughts. Was this meeting being called to rally all the chiefs against them? If so, it was a terrible fight that lay before them... But, of course, what they didn't yet realize was that the actual purpose of the meeting was far more ridiculous and possibly more dangerous than their concerns at the moment.

An'elk only shook his head wearily. "That about fits our understanding of their abilities and at least somewhat legitimizes their claims. They are here to offer an alliance. They propose the hill tribes unite with them and fight against the rest of the people of the valley."

The meeting fell silent again, and this time the tension was palpable. The loss of so many of their young males to the last of the valley people who'd come seeking their aid was fresh in their minds. Yet here they were again, seeking more of the same? The silence dragged on for a minute, then two, and soon some of the gathered chiefs started to stand, getting ready to leave, when Rak'shal spoke up again. "Where are the representatives of the southern tribes? Why are none present?"

Given the subject at hand, their absence seemed even more palpable. The southern tribes were the closest to the valley and, thus, the most likely to raid its villages in the past. They were also the tribes who'd experienced the greatest losses in the mass raid that had cost them all so much.

At the bidding of his chief, Il'dune stepped forward to address the gathered tribal leaders. "Not all of the hunters we've sent to the southern tribes have returned, but the ones that have brought word that the southern tribes have either been captured, slaughtered, or scattered. It appears that the valley people have sent a force far larger than any we've ever seen. They seemed to be attacking as a unified group rather than bickering among themselves at every opportunity like usual."

The chiefs that had stood moments ago sat once more, though it was hard to tell if it was out of consideration of their plight or simple shock that took their feet out from under them. Either way, An'elk regained control of the meeting as he spoke again. "That also fits with that which the valley people outside our village warned us. So our choice is this. Stand and fight with the valley people as they have offered, fight without them, or run and hide, hoping for the best."

After a moment of hopeless silence, An'elk spoke once more. "Before we make a decision, perhaps it is best we hear from the leaders of the valley people who have come so far to speak with us. If none object, I will invite them to join this meeting now."

When no one spoke up in dissent, Il'dune sent a hunter to bring forth the representatives of the valley people. This time there were only two, the first being the female from the first meeting, S'haar, followed by the smaller malformed male, Jack. They were both striking in their own ways, with S'haar cutting quite the imposing figure, dressed in leather armor unlike anything they'd seen before while wearing two swords at her back, and Jack looking as mysterious as ever, gazing out from his hooded robes and using a fine walking stick that looked more like a work of art than a practical aid for an injured male.

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When, at last, they stood before the gathering of chiefs, S'haar looked down at Jack, who nodded, before returning her attention to the gathering and speaking. "Honored chiefs and leaders of your tribes, I am S'haar, leader of the small group many of you saw camped not far away. I come before you to both seek and offer aid."

-

As Jack shuffled in with S'haar, he tried to ignore his limp. He knew there was little chance of fooling a bunch of predators, and after sleeping on the ground so long, the pain was slowly getting worse. At least he was moderately sure S'haar took most of the attention off him. The way she strode out in front of everyone present and assumed control of the gathering made it hard for anyone to focus on anyone or anything else. Or maybe that was just Jack looking at her through the proverbial rose-colored glasses... Either way, everyone was silent, waiting for her to speak.

S'haar looked to Jack, and he nodded in affirmation before she began her introduction. Honestly, the token gesture was unnecessary since S'haar was actually the one in charge, but the minor motion was a quick yet effective way for her to communicate to a group of important argu'n they'd never met that Jack was someone to be respected and listened to, rather than just some hanger-on.

Jack was honestly quite amazed at how well S'haar had grown into her position as a leader in such a short time. He'd always known she was intelligent, but her ability to command attention and respect was no mere feat of intellect. She had an instinct for these things that surpassed Jack's capabilities in many ways. That thought made him grin. He'd chosen wisely when he'd left her in charge after his recovery.

Looking at the gathered chiefs and leaders, it was clear no one was happy with what S'haar was saying, but they all listened intently regardless. As she pleaded for cooperation, a few heads nodded in agreement, but there seemed to be far more faces frowning or otherwise showing dissent.

During one of her pauses, one of the more neutral-looking chiefs stood up to draw attention to himself before speaking. "Your words are persuasive, it's true, but not long ago, another from the valley asked us for our aid in battle in return for promised riches. But rather than bringing home plunder and honor, many of our most promising young males were abandoned to die in the wilderness. So why should we listen to you? What's to keep you from leaving us to die while you escape like last time?"

As the outspoken chief sat down, S'haar took a moment to decide how to respond. Jack wasn't sure what she could say to answer his concerns, but judging by the number of heads nodding in agreement with the dissenter, it would have to be very persuasive. He began to wonder if this fight was already lost.

Finally, S'haar began moving closer to the gathered leaders as she began her response. "First of all, while we hail from the same valley as those you speak of, I want to make one thing very clear. We were not the ones who abandoned your young males. We were the ones they were sent to raid."

S'haar stared down every argu'n present, daring any of them to interrupt her speech, but they all remained sitting and attentive as she continued. "Over a hundred of your people descended on our little outpost while most of our people were away. They attacked an outpost held only by an old guard, injured and long past his prime, one male from distant lands, smaller than some of our children, and one young female, the target of their raid. Despite their overwhelming advantage, several raiders died that day, but they succeeded in their objective while severely injuring the second male, putting a spear through his leg. With plenty of time to get away before any nearby villages could muster enough guards to be of any threat, it must have seemed like an easy victory, but I'm sure any survivors who made it back to their people told a different story. A story involving a lone demon tracking them through the wilderness, hunting them down, and picking them off alone and in groups. A demon who turned one quiet night into a living nightmare for all who lived to speak of it."

Almost everyone was frowning now. Jack had an idea where S'haar was going with this, but if anything, it seemed to have the opposite effect she hoped for...

However, S'haar seemed undeterred as her story unfolded. "What your young males failed to realize was that they'd severely underestimated the small male they'd injured. He wasn't some child. He was a powerful wizard, and the female they took from him was his daughter. The first thing he did was use his magic to rapidly heal his leg, even knowing that in doing so, he'd likely cause permanent injury in the long run. Then he chased after them, using his people's unmatched endurance to travel day and night to close the distance. Then, standing alone, injured, and exhausted against over a hundred argu'n and realizing no help would be arriving for an entire night and the better part of a day, he did the only thing he could save the young female who'd been taken from him. He waged war."

At least the crowd seemed attentive, though Jack noticed several bared their teeth and others gripped fists so tightly it drew blood. He made sure the strap holding his handgun in place was loose so he could draw quickly if it came to that, but S'haar seemed oblivious as she continued. "This wasn't some honorable duel between two warriors. It was a single injured male against an entire army who'd kidnapped his family, so he didn't fight with honor, but I challenge anyone to claim he fought without bravery. Alone in the dark, he laid his traps, used his magic, and killed anyone between him and his daughter. Then, when the light of day revealed his position, he fought on. When his magics failed, and his leg muscles tore themselves from his bones, he fought on. When his eye was clawed out of its socket, he fought on."

Now S'haar glared at her audience, her eyes shouting the accusations her words didn't quite verbalize as she continued. "Who here could say they wouldn't do the same if it meant their child's life? Who here could say they would have simply walked away, leaving their daughter in the hands of some raiders?" Shaar pointed at Jack, and suddenly all eyes were on him. If his mind wasn't hyper-focused on assessing the threats to their immediate survival, he probably would have been terrified of being the center of so much attention. "The only difference between this male and all of you was that he was capable of doing that which he set out to do."

Walking over to Jack, S'haar pulled back his hood and carefully but dramatically removed his eyepatch for all to see as she finished her story. "Meet Jack, my partner and the demon who haunts the survivors' nightmares. He is the most terrifying monster in existence to his enemies and the most loyal ally alive to his friends. Now ask yourself one question, which would you rather be in the coming war?"