B'arthon sat with his new war council, looking at a crudely drawn map of the region, wondering what first moves he should make. As important as the actual combat would eventually be, he knew the first decisions would decide the course and tone of his entire campaign against Jack and S'haar. It was bad enough to be faced with such an unpredictable force. It was worse not to know where this supposed army might go.

Dek'thul was the first to break the silence. "Wouldn't they simply go to the east to make for the pass by the ocean?"

B'arthon shook his head. "No, for multiple reasons. It's way too predictable, but more importantly, it would leave them far too vulnerable. With only one direction to move, once we got on their trail, they'd never be able to escape us. But if they move north, they have far more options, meaning we'd have to split our force to find them and risk being taken apart piecemeal."

At that, Lord Sal'zar looked a little confused. "But wouldn't the hill tribes slow them down, making your pursuit easier?"

B'arthon didn't trust the lord despite his continuous compliance with all of A'ngles' demands of him and his village. After all, they'd been brought back from the brink of extinction when Jack and S'haar saved them from a pair of wolgen in the area, but he didn't need to trust him to get information from the village leader. Additionally, his presence added validity and prestige to the undertaking while allowing B'arthon to keep a close eye on the potentially troublesome leader. "No, we did enough damage to the hill people's raiding capacity last winter that they won't be able to pose a noticeable threat to their group. However, they could cause trouble for any small scouting party we send up there, costing us valuable time and bodies that we can't afford to waste. Meaning we need to send a sizable force up north to both chase our quarry while keeping the locals at bay."

At that, Lord A'ngles cleared his throat. While not technically a part of the council, as the Lord of Lords who ruled this new collection of villages turned nation, he could come and go at his pleasure. Finally A'ngles spoke. "But if you go north chasing nothing but possibilities, you risk accomplishing nothing while allowing your prey to slip the trap. So before you commit a sizable force to the attack, you need to be sure your prey is likely to actually be present."

B'arthon looked at his "father," trying not to call out the obviousness of his statement, but the old male was right. Finally, he looked back at the map and sighed. "Well, knowing what they'd decide is almost impossible, but it might be easier to rule out where they won't go. For example, they can't go too far east because then they'd be trapped against a mountain range that would lead them back into our valley, and they'd never get past our villages without being seen. Similarly, they can't go too far west because that would funnel them right back against the shore, only it would take longer and be more perilous in the process. So that leaves them running up against these two mountain ranges north and slightly east of our position."

Dek'thul nodded his understanding. "The question is, will they choose either side of the mountains or pass through the middle?"

B'arhton frowned. "Guessing won't help. We need to check all three."

Sal'zar raised an eye ridge. "I thought you said we shouldn't split our force."

B'arthon nodded. "Correct, which is why we won't. The main force will set up camp just south of the mountain pass in the middle. Meanwhile, Dak'thul will choose some of his best hunters to search east and west of the mountains while he checks the pass in the middle. The main force can keep any large parties of raiders from interfering with the hunters while waiting for a report, and the hunters should be able to avoid any smaller bands in the area. Since we're not bringing anyone or anything that can't be carried on our backs, we'll be able to move much quicker than S'haar's group and should be able to overtake them despite losing a few days scouting."

A'ngles looked pleased. "From the sounds of things, you've got this well in hand. In that case, I'll excuse myself and allow you all to plan out the details."

As the Lord of Lords exited the hut followed by his everpresent guards, the rest of the argu'n present got down to planning the rest of the "details."

-

Jack felt ice water drip down his spine at Lon'thul's words. "Wolgen. A mated pair."

Not that it was entirely unexpected. Wolgen and argu'n were both vying for the role of the alpha predators on this planet. Where one was absent, the other was likely to find a home. But to run into another mated pair so quickly and before they'd gotten far enough to shake A'ngles off their trail was more of a complication than he wanted to deal with.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The human turned to S'haar. "Should we double back or try to go around?"

S'haar thought for a moment before answering. "Going back isn't an option. We went this way to get ahead of B'arthon's reach, and retracing our steps will place us in greater danger than a couple of wolgen." Touching her headset, S'haar continued. "Angela, how viable would it be for us to circle around while continuing forward."

Angela had obviously been thinking ahead and answered quickly. "Well, we're right in the middle of two mountain ranges at the moment, and while we might be able to go a little over a mile in either direction, but from what I understand, that'll still leave us well within the hunting range of any wolgen in the area."

S'haar nodded. "That's what I'd thought. We'll continue forward, though we'll take precautions. Recall the hunters. I want them to be within sight of the main group so they can't be easily picked off by a hungry wolgen."

Turning, S'haar addressed the collum behind her. "Attention everyone, there is evidence of a mated pair of wolgen in the area. Therefore, all the guards will don their armor and keep spears at the ready while marching. All non-guards will keep their belly bows slung across their back or at the ready as they move with a quiver or bolts at hand. I'll take up the front while Angela maintains her position as rearguard. If one or more wolgen show up, Angela and I will move to intercept, and the workers will move to take shots from the side or back of the beast with the guards standing between them and the threat in case the workers draw the attention of the wolgen."

S'haar let her words sink in before speaking up again. "You already know of last year's hunt, a mated pair taken with only one life lost. However, this time we are better armed, armored, and trained than we were that day. So if it comes to a fight, there will be no losses! If you have questions, look to the nearest master of a trade, and they will direct you. We will be resuming movement in ten minutes, be ready!"

With that, the caravan broke into noise and bustle as everyone began speaking among themselves while also preparing according to S'haar's instructions. Jack saddled up to S'haar, who was putting on her own hardened leather armor. "What about Grim and I? You want us upfront with you?"

S'haar looked Jack in the eye, clearly indicating that he wouldn't like what she was about to say. However, she was not about to brook any argument on the subject. "You and Grim will stay in the middle of the formation. If a wolgen shows up, you'll be in charge of those with ranged weapons. I don't want Grim getting involved under any circumstances! He might be near his adult size, but his musculature is nowhere near fully developed, and even if it was, he's far too small compared to most wolgen. If he got involved, he'd create far too much chaos and ultimately get himself killed. The only time you unleash him in this fight is if I'm already dead, understand?"

Jack didn't like the implications of her words but had to acknowledge their wisdom. It would be one thing to shoot at the side of such a massive beast with a smaller target out in front. It would be another to hit the correct beast if two such monsters were rolling around in a dust cloud while tearing each other apart. He bit back any arguments and nodded instead. "Alright, as much as I want to argue, you're right. Just be careful, alright? Last time you took the kind of hits we can't afford to have a repeat of on this journey!"

Seeing she wasn't going to have the fight she'd been expecting, S'haar's expression softened into a smile. "I'll be careful, but I meant what I said. Between your belly bows and armor, I expect this time to go much more smoothly. Not that I'll be taking anything lightly, I still remember what happened last time, but we're in far better shape to deal with this kind of threat than we were then."

Jack nodded, S'haar was right, of course, but that didn't stop him from worrying. Still, he smiled and winked, though a part of him wondered if a wink had the same effect with only one eye. "Alright, I suppose all that's left is to tell you to break a leg!"

S'haar looked horrified. "Why would you say such a thing?"

Jack's smile wavered as he realized how stupid the idiom might sound to someone unfamiliar with it. "Oh, it's not what it sounds like! Remember how I told you that talking about how good things are going is bad luck? Similarly, wishing something bad on someone is supposed to invoke good luck!"

The expression now on S'haar's face was one of confusion mixed with something between annoyance and incredulity. "How did your people become so advanced when they are so clearly insane? There is something deeply wrong with anyone who can follow that kind of logic!"

Jack smiled and shook his head. "You're not wrong, but you love me anyway!"

S'haar rolled her eyes, then hugged the tiny human. "You might be right, but that just brings my own sanity into question!"

-

Lon'thul was making his way back to everyone else as ordered but frowned, trying to pick out what was bothering him so much. It had to do with the wolgen tracks; something just didn't seem right.

He bent down to examine one of the sets nagging at the edge of his mind. It was hard to read because the hill people had walked over them, obviously following the path they'd created. Except something was wrong with that assessment. That was when he caught it at the edge of one of the tracks. The wolgen footprint went was covering one of the argu'n footprints. As if some of the argu'n had been in front of the beast! How could that be possible? Were they trying to lead the wolgen into a trap? But the argu'n didn't have enough weight in front of his footprint, so he'd clearly been walking, not running. Maybe one of the scouts had just been unlucky enough to have been followed by a second wolgen while he was following the first? Perhaps, but again, the wolgen's pace seemed too uniform, lacking the starts and stops that happen when tracking prey.

Lon'thul shook his head. He was taking too long and needed to get back to the group before they sent someone out looking for him. Still, he worked over the puzzle in his mind as he walked.