Chapter 41: War Game
“Can i help you?” He asked, not expecting a response from the mild obstruction to his peace and tranquility.
Mi’low simply stood near the fire as Joseph tempered the ironwood for the next phase of prototyping. She had arrived a while ago and had noticed he was lacking a translator, the rest of the pack being busy managing all the tasks that would need to be completed or assigned before and during his absence once the snow melts enough to make the trip feasible.
Pan was with Violet, the two preparing replacement clothing for the members. Jax was training the two males who were being assigned to security until their work specialties were applicable. Sahari was helping the two generalists get comfortable with checking the snares. Harrow was sleeping off a late night with the crossbow and Nalah was probably arguing with the carpenters about which woods to use and how to process them. Tel was... He actually wasn’t sure where she was. All he was sure of was that the High Huntress apparently wanted to discuss something with him but it wasn’t important enough to drag him away from his work.
That being as it was, he simply ignored her as he switched out the piece of ironwood to cool while another was tempered. This didn’t discourage the actress though. No, she kept idly watching him while standing at ease in a mimicry of his posture during the speech.
He sighed, taking his eyes off the process as it would take a while for the section he was working on to harden the right amount. Glancing at the observing female, he looked for something in her posture or expressions in an attempt to read what might lay behind the obvious language barrier.
She didn’t look tired; her eyes were alert, albeit slightly unfocused as she had grown bored. Her shoulders and digitigrade legs were rested, her height being brought close to Pan’s at a full stretch, so she was comfortable around him and the general situation. Her ears slowly panned around without much in the way of erratic twitching or the like, so she was aware and not lost in her own thoughts. Her tail was fairly still and hung low, which supported the supposed lack of emotional intensity in any form.
The only thing that disagreed with his assessment of her dutifully waiting for a translator was the look of expectation whenever she noticed him looking at her, as if he would strike up a moderately interesting conversation or perhaps offer to do something more engaging than his current work. A look that crossed her face when she caught his appraising eye.
The Human shifted off the piece over the fire duct, setting it with the first and placing another reduction cap over the channel to thin the heat for a smaller piece. He really didn’t know what she expected. The only reason he hadn’t shooed her away was that she had already found out about the processes and ultimate task at some point and had been watching the past few days as he and Harrow worked out the kinks. Kinks that had destroyed the last crossbow when the palm failed to absorb any impact and the ironwood snapped in half, straight through the middle of... well, everything. It lead to a complete redrawing and humouring the idea of adding oak pins to act as recoil dampeners throughout the body.
“I think she’s waiting for an order.”
Joseph snapped out of his pondering regarding the structural integrity of the weapon at the sound of Tel’s voice. “Kinda hard to tell her what to do when i don’t speak the language.” He turned to respond, eyebrows rising slightly as he gained visual of her. “Nice clothes.”
Tel smirked, pirouetting in place to show off the badger coat and full length pants, the coverings hugging closely to her form and covering her gunmetal fur with a black matte leather and white coarse fluff. He quirked a brow when he noticed the slit in the material along the side of her thigh.
Catching his curiosity, she faced away from him, bending over slightly to pull her coat up and slip a dagger out through the hole in a fluid motion. “Custom order.” She looked over her shoulder to wink at him. A wink that repeated as she raised her tail to pull the coat up further and showcase exactly how tight the fitting was, a teasing smile following shortly thereafter.
A hasty skyward glance and a cough into his fist to distract himself was his response as he replaced the pin over the fire with another before he got too flustered to remember to do so. “Looks great. Pan did a bang-up job.”
Tel poked her head over his shoulder to pout at him once she realized that he had no intention of abandoning his work to humour her exhibitionism. “No compliments for me?”
Joseph have her a sideways stare, cracking a smile and nudging the Lilhun off of him with a defeated sigh. “You wear it well. The coat gives you a refined air and the pants highlight your legs nicely.”
She clasped her hands behind her back with the expected posture. “Just my legs?”
His mouth closed itself when he almost absently completed the usual riposte, a niggling sense in the back of his mind notified him that her tail lacked the figure eights it always did when she was screwing with him, the appendage instead swaying slowly behind her. He exhaled through his nose, a lopsided grin forming as he responded. “It makes it all look good, okay? Makes it harder than usual to not stare. Happy?”
He looked at her to see the visage of victory or, if he was lucky, an expression of defeat at him finally returning the facetious flirting. What he saw instead was her scowling at the ground like it owed her money, her eyes flitting to and fro in thought. He waited for a few seconds for her to break out of the trance, swapping the pin over to a new one as he did.
He frowned, staring to get worried that the comment of his had broken the little game he had gotten used to. Sure, she had taken it too far at times, her touching could get uncomfortably close, but she always backed off when he asked. Did he cross a boundary he wasn’t aware of because he had never tested the waters before committing to his comment?
“Sorry.” He spoke softly, rubbing his neck with his hand. “I thought that would be okay to say.”
Tel snapped out of her head-space, straightening up and fixing her coat. “Merely an unexpected result.”
He made a note of the tone shift as he pulled off the last pin and removed the reduction caps. “It was still inappropriate of me. I’ll refrain from making comments like that in future.”
The furry smack of a tail across his head and an annoyed stare from the Lilhun was all he had the chance to notice before she spoke to Mi’low, the red female watching the exchange with a mildly amused smile. The two exchanged in a short conversation before the High Huntress offered a shallow bow and left for the barracks.
He rubbed the back of his head, more out of habit when receiving a hit there than to soothe the painless pat her tail had given him. “What’d she say? She’s been here for a while but it didn’t seem urgent.”
Tel burned a hole in Mi’low’s back as she walked away, only shifting her gaze to him from her periphery as the High Huntress rounded the corner, her expression somehow twice as annoyed looking. “Nothing of importance.”
“Well, she was around for a reason.”
“None in which you would find interest.” She dismissed casually with a wave of her paw. “I must return to my work. I merely stepped out to test the clothing and happened to see you.”
He raised a finger to protest, but it fell flat as she walked away and entered the base, leaving him to rub his temple with his thumb and the bridge of his nose with his index. “Is it a cross-species thing for women to be impossible?”
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“I don’t give a fuck if it’s ‘easier to work with’, it explodes when there’s too much heat. We’re not making your dens out of just oak.” Nalah growled at the female, the latter having been pestering her about her choice in building materials. Joseph had been very adamant about only using it for framework and when it was further away from the fire used to warm the building, an assertion that a few suns next to said fire proved correct when the test block began splitting at random.
“We are lacking in tools to process the springy wood.” The carpenter retorted, reiterating her argument for the umpteenth time.
The blond-furred female flicked her tail and bared her teeth as she spoke. “Your settlement was made from oak. The scale of the fire was something that our building methodology would never allow to happen. Your building material popped when it got too hot, sending cinders and embers to start new fires in the surrounding materials. If our constructions were set alight as we speak, only the single building would burn despite the workshop being closer to the barracks than any two of your structures. The Grand Hunter has spent countless suns detailing the properties of the materials we have on paw and is continuously learning as much as he can with the assistance of our Head of Technology. If you don’t like it, go dig a fucking hole in the dirt and live in that.”
Pissed off or unsettled, the contractor glared at her before walking away, muttering under her breath.
“That may have been too much, i believe.”
Nalah sighed heavily, stretching out as she responded. “Jax, I’ve explained time and time again that Mama will help process the materials. They just keep complaining about how terrible ironwood is, despite their current den being far better than whatever hole they made for themselves before. It’s warmer, needs less fire, is more structurally sound, and can withstand higher loads without the frame buckling. Plus, it’s waterproof.”
The male shifted the bow on his shoulder, the bandoleer under it clacking as the weapon lightly tapped an arrow. “And using Joseph’s favourite swear while demeaning them will allow them to see the light of reason?”
She scoffed, crossing her arms and putting her weight onto one leg. “I think I’d need a spotlight to shift the shade of bullshit they see.”
Jax chuckled at her increasing adoption of their human’s foul language. “Perhaps they wish to be able to construct their dwellings with their own paws.”
She glanced at him as she exhaled through her nose. “Then they’ll have to wait until spring.”
“Spring?”
“For the forge.” She explained. “We need firebricks or something better. For that; we need clay or limestone. Soapstone would work in a pinch. None of it is something we’re getting our paws on until the snow melts. I’m not digging through the frosted ground with my claws for Void knows how long.”
“Is there nothing we could do with the ironwood?” The male walked past her, his slightly-too-far turn of his head reminding her of his injury as she lazily followed.
“Harrow is looking into it, but her and Joseph are busy ‘speed-running’ the crossbow.”
He hummed in thought, shaking his head dismissively upon failure to find another suggestion. “You should speak to the High Huntress. Perhaps she would be able to persuade them.”
“I think she’s busy contemplating if Joseph is bedding any of us and if the arrangement is open.” Nalah opined.
“Ah, the folly of the Grand Hunter attracts yet another.”
“At least Tel was honest about wanting to bed him as a power move.” She glanced at Jax, the male nodding to concede the point. “Mi’low is being coy about it.”
“Perhaps a romantic element is at play?” He offered, stopping to idly scan the trees.
“Yeah, i can see his appeal in threatening her entire pack right before offering them a feast as a token.”
Jax tilted his head to look at her. “He subdued the dissident and instilled the fear of punishment for their actions should they choose to do such. The following words were of hope and unity, a message that seemed to have reached a few of them, Mi’low included.”
“I think she got the notion of a different ‘unity’ from the display, but i can see your point.” She allowed thoughtfully. She eyed the male for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. “Where’s your trainees?”
“Sahari returned with her set and offered to take mine out to check a different quadrant.” He answered lazily. “I am waiting for their return.”
“Ah.” Nalah voiced, joining her pack-mate in enjoying the view passively for a while. Eventually, Jax cleared his throat.
“If i may be so direct, would you be comfortable allowing me to know what it is that has you troubled?”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She stared at him doubtfully. “And that came from where?”
He looked back to the forest to leave Nalah staring at his blind eye. “I figured it would be appropriate to extend the Grand Hunter’s offer to lend an ear to your troubles as my own.”
She watched him for a moment longer before returning to gazing into the woodlands. “I have more wrong with me than right, Jax.”
“Many of us do.”
She snorted a laugh. “Any particular reason you choose to ask now?”
“We are of time and privacy.” He stated with a slight upwards inflection.
The female spared a glance to their surroundings. They were indeed alone for the moment. She considered speaking about many things, but she couldn’t keep her thoughts on such matters long enough to form a coherent sentence about any of it. “I appreciate the offer, but i don’t think I’m ready to discuss it.”
Jax nodded understandingly, patting her shoulder with a paw. “Then i wish you prepared when it is time.”
“Me too.”
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“No, I’m not ready for this shit.” Nalah crossed her arms defiantly.
“We rarely are, Nalah.”
“Sahari, do you really think this is a good idea?”
The black-furred female rested her arm over Nalah’s shoulder, pulling her into tight side-hug and releasing her before the planner could really enjoy the sensation. “It will build teamwork and relations between our packs.”
“But in the fucking winter?” She complained, knowing exactly why Joseph had asked them to do this when he did, but she wanted Sahari to spend a bit more time with her, even if it was explaining the reasoning behind holding ‘war games’ with mixed teams in the cold.
“He will be gone upon spring. We must set aside our differences before he has left, lest our divide prove to be abused in our darkest hour.”
Nalah sighed. This wasn’t what she was expecting when Joseph brought up the disagreement she had with the carpenter. A tongue lashing? Sure. A disappointed frown? Sounds like him. ‘Team building exercises’? No, that wasn’t on the list.
“Gather ‘round fuck-nuts!” The Grand Hunter called from behind the den, apparently trusting Pan to adjust the language. Sahari patted her on the back and started towards the rest of the group. The entirety of the extended pack had congregated mid-sun upon Joseph’s request under the vague notion of them all needing to participate in an activity, but no one was quite sure what to expect until he had a few of them assist him in making some bare-bones structures within the walls.
The Human waited for everyone, minus the Atmo, to get within earshot. Once they had all gotten close enough, he continued, his mate by his side to translate for those who needed it. “Here’s the deal; I’m going to be gone for a little north of two weeks when spring hits. Since i can’t be around to yell at whoever is causing trouble, i figured it would be best if we get used to stressful situations enough so that the bitching can wait until after the shit that hit the fan has been cleaned up.”
Nalah flinched, knowing that the complaint levied against her was likely the catalyst for this decision.
“We’re going to break into two teams. One team will defend the ‘HQ’,” He gestured to the moderately sized skeletal frame of a building that sat at the edge of the farm. “As well as a few items of interest called ‘flags’. The other will start at a gate and try to take it over. ‘Kill’ the VIP or capture all the ‘flags’ and you win the round. Lose all your attackers and you lose. Teams will be a mix of the two packs chosen at random. You won’t get to choose who’s around the next time something tries to stick their dick where it doesn’t belong. The attackers will have seven members and defenders will have ten.”
“Why do we not have equal numbers?” One of Mi’low’s pack asked. Nalah recalled him as one of Sahari’s pseudo-subordinates.
Joseph pointed to the speaker with a smirk. “Because the defenders will have to split their forces to win, and one of those will be an instant game-over if they ‘die’. Plus, we have an uneven number of participants and i want to play too. Good question.”
The curious member nodded, a small smile formed before someone else elbowed him in the ribs.
“Attackers will target these as well as the VIP.” He held up a blunted spear with red strips of fabric tied to the end. “We’ll adjust the number as we go to keep things interesting, but for now we’ll say there is four of these in total. That’s two people defending each of the three flags spread around and four defending the HQ that holds one as well, assuming the VIP stays there. That’s four positions to keep an eye on or scout out. Flags have been placed by draw so some of your team may know exactly where the other three are, or none of them do and you’ll have to do recon.”
“Who is to lead each team?” Atrox held a paw up to be seen from behind Jax.
“The VIP will be in charge of the defenders and the attackers can pick whoever they want. Though, try to avoid picking the same person twice. It’s better if we give everyone a chance to try their hand at it.”
“Do the attackers have to stick together?” Another inquired. The cook of Mi’low’s pack, if Nalah remembered correctly.
“That’s up to the leader of the round.” Joseph shrugged. “You can group up to target the VIP or split up to nab the flags. Tactics are up to them.”
“Do we follow you over our leader?” Sahari called out, likely to clarify for those who would be hesitant to disobey Mi’low or Joseph should orders contradict.
The Grand Hunter laughed, the act mirrored by Pan giggling into her wrist. “No. For the duration of the game, the highest rank is the leader. If someone wants to ‘promote’ one or two of their rank, they can, but unless that happens, everyone involved is at the bottom. Myself included.”
“Mi’low and I as well.” Pan added helpfully. Joseph quirked an eye at the delayed addition in the Lilhun language but a gesture to continue from his mate had him dismiss the oddity.
“We have a bunch of blunted practise weapons from various screw-ups so you’re free to pick from those or go bare handed. Don’t draw blood or break bones. Try to avoid striking the head or throat. If you receive a blow that would be fatal in a realistic scenario, crouch where you died and hold a hand up. If you get taken out while unaware, such as someone placing the edge of their knife to your throat to simulate an assassination, the same rules apply. Assassins; you can muffle them from yelling out, but don’t make ‘em pass out. We don’t need to spend time waiting for people to wake up or someone getting brain damage because you weren't sure how long to hold the choke.”
“Can we throw weapons?” Jax inquired, the question seeming genuine.
Joseph chewed his cheek for a moment. “I’d rather you didn’t. At least until we set up eye protection and something soft enough to get hit with. Though you can throw a rock or something to make noise. Just don’t beat out my window.” He paused to laugh, several of the gathered members chuckled with him. “Yeah, don’t go looking to dome someone. Rock or otherwise.”
“Are we able to converse while ‘dead’?” Ferra asked. Nalah bristled slightly at her voice but a reassuring paw intertwined their claws with hers. She glanced to her side wide-eyed to see Sahari wearing a forcefully flat expression, her paw wrapped in Nalah’s to offer a soft squeeze to help keep her calm. Nalah suddenly felt like Ferra wasn’t as bad as she had thought. Maybe not worth forgiving for her blatant disrespect for their Paw and pack as a whole, but no longer at risk of an... accident.
“Nope! The dead stay dead. If you get taken out; shut up. Though this is just as long as nothing actually wrong goes on. For fuck sake, yell if you see wolves or something. I don’t need the ‘dead’ to actually die because they took that rule too seriously. Run too. Scream and run. Don’t be dog food.”
“What’s a dog?”
If the question caught him off guard, it didn’t show.
“Quadruped predator that Humans domesticated long before i was born, they share a lot of physical similarity to the wolves here, minus the extra legs and camouflage. We keep them as companion animals usually, but they help out in all kinds of work, from hunting to rescue operations and everything in between. Not relevant.”
“Did you have a dog?”
“No, i had a rabbit for a while though.” Joseph’s expression softened, a tint of sadness caused Pan and Sahari’s ears to droop. A clap sounded out as he took a breath to refocus. “Enough about animals. Pan has seventeen sticks here. Seven are dyed at the tip with ink. You will all come up, grab a stick, and group up with those of the same colour. Once everyone has their team, you will go to either the HQ or on the other side of the base to pick your leaders. The defenders’ leader will wear this around their neck to designate them as a priority target.” He held up a spare hexagon ironwood plate with some palm string through it.
As instructed, they all pulled the sticks out of a small container that seemed to be a retrofitted cup with a cap designed to fit the straws in so that no one could see the colour of their stick until they had chosen it. Nalah pulled a blank stick, marking her as a defender.
She looked around, noticing that only Sahari, Jax, and herself were on the defending team. Seven others of Mi’low’s pack populated the remaining numbers. Atrox and his mates, The carpenter female she had the argument with, the two male generalists, and finally, Mi’low herself.
“Alright! Attackers break off to the other side of the den to work out what they’re doing. Defence, sort out your VIP. End of the game will be announced by a loud low whistle. We start in ten!” Joseph called out with a nod to Nalah. He started walking around the corner, the group they will be fighting against in minutes following after him.
Jax glanced at the members of their force before leaning in to whisper something to Sahari, the female barking a laugh and needing to stifle it with a paw.
Nalah raised a brow. “What did he say?”
“He wished to wager on if Tel would ‘assassinate’ Joseph.” She snickered with a soft shake of her head.
The planner cracked a smirk. “I thought that would get Harrow laughing, not you.”
Sahari waved a paw. “Even i am not above bemusement regarding those two.”
“Fair.” She allowed, looking over the others as they began gathering at the ‘HQ’. “I guess we should go see who’s in charge first.
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It wasn’t much of a surprise to Jax that he was posted to the furthest flag from the HQ. Less so, even, that Sahari had been thrown out here with him. Nalah had been posted at another flag with Atrox, given that he was the only one who didn’t seem cross with the female to any notable degree.
Adding to the list of things that were entirely expected, given the pack distribution, Mi’low was picked as the one in charge for the defenders. As such, the Grand Hunter’s pack was placed the furthest from the HQ, either to combat the members they knew the best or to be out of the way while the other defenders did their thing.
“Whom do you believe to be in charge of the attack?” He asked his flag-partner with a casual glance.
Sahari leaned on her spear, the blunted tip sitting in the snow. “I doubt they would be as obvious to place Joseph in charge.”
“He is not an expert tactician.” Jax agreed. “Though he may have an interesting perspective to share.”
“Such as?”
He shrugged, the sash of arrows he was expecting to shift across his torso being absent. “I know not of how he thinks, merely of what he prioritizes. He may very well await for us to tire of monotony before rushing the VIP.”
The black-furred female barked a laugh. “Or he would charge from flag to flag with every member.”
The Security Head gave the flag nearby a cursory once-over, the red fabric swayed slightly in the light wind. “Whom would you elect for leadership?”
She thought it over with a bored expression, her tail swaying side to side. “Perhaps Harrow.”
“Harrow?”
She looked at him through the corner of her eye. “She has learned much of Joseph’s thinking but has our training. It would be a novel combination of concepts.”
“And Tel?” He prodded. He knew that they had been acquainted before the ship, but the nature of their relationship seemed an odd mix of casual friendship and professional hierarchy.
“She would send a distraction and assassinate the VIP herself.” She replied instantly with a tone that would not be out of place were it used to discuss the weather.
He raised a brow. “A familiar stratagem?
A second side eyed glance. “Perhaps.”
Jax nodded, knowing that she wished to change the topic. They had been in each others company long enough to be aware of when the other wished to speak no longer on a subject. Though he doubted the cook was as arrogant as to ignore the security detail that surrounded their ‘leader’, he knew well of her ability to arrive unannounced. Even if he was still stumped as to how their Grand Hunter seemed to know of her presence without issue.
“Who do you think he will request to take on his task?” Sahari prompted, the slow tilt of her ears betraying her attempt to portray a lack of interest.
He scanned the area as he considered it himself. Pan would be required to remain as they had no other leadership in both Joseph’s and Mi’low’s absence. Harrow was a possibility, her work would be to experiment with their materials while he was gone, should she stay, though it would not be vital that she remain since such work could be delayed. It would be unfortunate if the Grand Hunter were to request her accompaniment, but Jax knew that she would return as long as the Human lived. He himself would be willing to go, but he would likely be requested to act as Pan’s escort around the settlement in the, admittedly likely, event that the remaining pack would take issue with her decisions.
Which leaves the other three likely options.
“Yourself, Nalah, and Tel are candidates, i would believe.”
“Harrow?”
He shook his head after pondering it again. “Possible, but i think him reluctant to split our pairing for any notable time.”
“And you’re needed to support Pan.” She stated dryly, straightening up to stretch. “Nalah would be required to arrange the construction.”
“She has stated that they would require tools before they would be allowed to create their own dens. In addition, she could leave plans with Pan to communicate.” He pointed out, raising a claw to punctuate his position. She nodded in agreement.
“So she would be likely to join him as a translator.”
“I believe Tel would be an interesting choice.” He mused, claw to chin as he scratched at the thought.
Sahari gave him a curious expression, her eyes tracing his face for a hint at something more behind his suggestion. “To bring a cook?”
He turned to face her, a lopsided grin spread across his muzzle. “To warm his bed.”
She laughed, hitting his shoulder with her spear as subtle tension left her body. “And what of myself?”
“You have experience as a mercenary, no?”
Her expression darkened slightly. “I would rather not remember those days.”
“You would see him without a bond for the duration of his trip?” He prodded. “Would you see yourself without him?”
The ex-Grand Huntress scowled at the distant wall. “I would rather not, though i am aware it is not of my station to demand a position along his side. I’d imagine Pan is of the same mind.”
He conceded the point, raising a shoulder to agree. “The Paw seems to be of anxious mind once he has merely left her vision. I worry she would fall apart if not for her dedication to representing him well.”
Sahari’s ears droops, her shoulders following suit. “She will find it difficult, i am sure.”
“Perhaps she would be better off having you to hold her paw through the experience?”
“Perhaps, though i believe she would be just as placated by any of us.” She shrugged. “Nalah would serve as an outlet, given her recent apology to him and the invitation to mend their strained relationship. Harrow would serve as a calming reminder of him as well. Even you would be of use.”
He didn’t miss the wink at the thinly veiled insult. Not that he would mind, that is. He had long since grown fond of the slight barbs the pack have been using against each other. “I am sure i would be able to assist in some way.” He chuckled.
“Found one.” Sahari snapped quietly, a subtle nod in a direction drew his gaze to a slight orange fuzz poking out of a bush.
“I was just hoping i could see her again.” Jax smirked, taking a step towards his ‘hiding’ mate. A paw to his chest stopped his advance.
“No need to abandon our post. Mi’low asked us to stay here unless engaging. Keep an open eye on our surroundings, she may just be a distraction.”
He raised a brow at her. “I am surprised you are taking this so seriously.”
She huffed a laugh. “It has been a long while since we have participated in a purely recreational activity, we may as well engross ourselves in it.”
Jax returned his gaze towards Harrow, a grin growing as he noticed her ears poked out of the bush slightly. “Yes, i find this unexpectedly amusing as well.”
“As do we!” Pan’s smug voice called out from his side. He felt the blunted edge of a test dagger press to his neck.
“It is surprisingly enjoyable.” Tel confirmed from behind him.
He glanced to Sahari, seeing a shocked smile on her face as Pan held her arm behind her with a blade to her throat, a foot pressed to her knee to reduce the height difference. Laughing, he crouched where he stood, ‘dying’ as the two attackers retrieved the flag from them and made off with it towards the Head of Technology.
“How did they get behind us?” He whispered to the other ‘corpse’. “Was Pan always that quiet?”
“I believe Tel was in charge.” Sahari responded with a lilt to her voice as she watched the three females walk out of sight without a shred of caution. “I have no answer for our Paw, however.”
“I will take your word for it.” Jax nodded.
It didn’t take long until the whistle rang out through the settlement, the game called to an end.
The victory was allotted to the attacking team, having only suffered a single ‘casualty’ in the form of the male smith. It seemed that the other flags were acquired through similar tactics, the mastermind behind them being, surprisingly, Harrow. Joseph distracted the members at the HQ by quite literally running circles around them while laughing. It wasn’t that he had outpaced them, the male was actually fairly slow as far as his maximum speed was concerned, but he had played to their desire to remain close to the defender’s leader to avoid an instant loss by maintaining a fluctuating distance that proved to be a tantalizing target until the others could slip the HQ flag out from the structure.
“Alright!” The Grand Hunter called out to the gathered members, his clothing damp from sweat. “We’ll do this again in a few days. In the mean time; you’re free to discuss the strategies used and theorize your own amongst yourselves. Me? I’m getting a fucking shower. Good game everyone!”
He waved them off with a smile, passing by Jax as the Security Head addressed him.
“Harrow didn’t come up with the idea alone, did she?” The question was more of a statement than a genuine inquiry.
Joseph grinned at him. “She asked us all what we would do and combined the ideas.”
He raised a brow. That sounded like something she would suggest. “What would you have done?”
The human made a show of pretending to think about it before shrugging with a smirk. “Who knows?”
He patted Jax on the shoulder before leaving to bathe. Jax simply shook his head. At least it was interesting.