Chapter 66: Management
“Thank you, Scarlet.”
“Of course, Grand Hunter.”
Joseph frowned as he accepted the last of the tablets and poured over the inventory reports that Pan compiled for him. Violet had progressed enough to loosely transcribe a fair amount of the words, so even if it was full of misspellings and terrible grammar, he could at least parse what they had and how things were going if he squinted long enough. Plus, it was good practice for her.
They were doing fine on food—the constant hunting and snaring leaving them with a sizable surplus. Enough so that they should probably redirect efforts into finishing the walkway around the walls that had taken a back-seat to the Hall, since that was nearing completion.
Clothing was something that everyone seemed fine with, though extra sets of work attire wouldn’t go amiss. Pan was waiting on Harrow to dig herself out of the hole she had made for herself by burying into whatever project she refused to tell him about, so the vest she had asked for would wait to be handed over.
Scarlet had on what amounted to a barista uniform he liked from a coffee shop he used to frequent back home, the space under the light apron concealing some of her weapons and giving her a much more subdued visage compared to the gritty leathers that screamed ‘I'm a threat,’ while still offering the same protections thanks to small plates of Ironwood sewn into it.
Tel gave him no small amount of deadpanned displeasure with how he was ‘forging’ the Blade, transforming the female from a shadow of an assassin to an affable, if reticent, aide. It was a contrast that he found rather amusing, if he was honest. Nalah and Pan spent a bit more than a week drilling the most polite actions they could into her, Joseph only adding input from what he remembered from pleasant restaurants and stores he had been to. It made the nearly-black-furred female closer to what he wanted from someone expected to guard him around the clock.
With how agreeable she was to his suggestions, she was effectively an ‘in plain sight’ type of hidden danger. Hopefully, this allowed the pack to stop badgering him about protection while still feeling somewhat comfortable about it. She also helped out with the smaller things, so he was pretty happy with how things were going so far.
If only he could knock that fucking habit of calling him ‘Grand Hunter’ out of her head.
“Scarlet?”
“Yes, Grand Hunter, how may i be of assistance?”
He turned in his chair, the morning light filtering through the sky-lights in the hub making the place look rather welcoming. Maybe like a well-used library without the shelves of books, or a comfy living room you knew people sat around in to enjoy company. He hoped his new ‘office’ would feel the same way, but it really only had a desk and a few chairs for now, based on what he was told. “For the sake of my sanity, can you only call me that if it’s important?”
She stood some paces behind him, her closed eyes and a slightly downwards tilt of her head giving her the feeling of a maid or butler. If it wasn’t for her lightly folded paws and twitching ears, he would have guessed she fell asleep on her feet. A small shake of her head confirmed her wakefulness. “It is imperative that i give you the respect the title demands, Grand Hunter.”
He cycled a deep breath, staring her down ineffectively as she remained blind to his annoyance. “Can you at least call me ‘sir’ or something?”
Her eyes flicked open, an ear following the twitch as curiosity worked its way into her tone. “’Sir?’”
Her interest made him kick himself for not thinking of it sooner. “It’s a term of respect directed towards males of my species who are a higher rank.”
Well, it was also used to be passably polite to strangers or customers, but he wasn’t lying.
Scarlet thought for a moment, breaking character as her posture slipped into a more prepared form that she used to take subconsciously. “What of your title?”
He waved his hand over his shoulder, turning back to the report with about as much enthusiasm. “Use it when something desperately needs my attention. Or if shit hits the fan, i guess. That’s how everyone else does it. Otherwise, use my name or ‘sir’.”
Her voice gained a firm tone. “Of course, sir.”
He couldn’t help the slight smile. It might be a great honour for Lilhuns to have the moniker, but he honestly found it kind of grandiose and stifling to listen to so often. At least this he could find some sense of familiarity in.
The ease of his posture deflated as he continued to the portion of the report that detailed what people were having issues with.
Mi’low had the usual complaints; she wanted him to be a dick to people and flex what little authority he had. Besides the shit that he refused to do, she wanted permission to build a dedicated office—if not have one constructed or assigned within the Hall—as well as have the Blades that kept an eye on her to leave her alone.
It drew a chuckle, at least. He wasn’t the one harassing her, but he wasn’t going to ask Tel to stop. If the High Huntress learned that petitioning him to be a hard-ass was most of the reason paint-balls made their way into her current office every so often, then she might stop, and that would mean more paint-balls flying at him whenever Pan was around with him outside.
He noted his refusal and added that her request for office space within the Hall would be brought under consideration. It wasn’t a high priority since the hunter’s lodge wasn’t exactly using the room for anything else yet. If she left him alone about how casual he was, he might have agreed on the spot, but if she wanted him to abuse his power? Here it was. No office for now.
Petty, but worth it.
The next request was from the carpenters; they wanted to take Rose and Cobalt out into the forest to gather more lumber so that they could complete the gate—a task that was much larger than anyone initially expected and was eating into supplies that were needed for more general construction. He chewed his cheek over it, placing a check-mark next to a notation to ask if they wanted to first and to include a small guard if the Atmo agree.
The lumber runs had been pretty steady with the continued expansions, but the Atmo were usually busy helping cut everything to shape and size. Add in their ability to haul stupid amounts of the stuff when attached to a wagon, and they spent a lot of time ferrying the materials between fires and sites. Them being gone for a day or two worth of work to gather more wood would be a bit of a slow-down, but it was also needed. As long as they still got time to rest, he didn’t mind having some things stall out.
Astra needed help with tending the small field they had managed, but the pulled workforce was focused on the Hall and setting up foundations for a second barracks, so she wanted him to overrule Nalah on the matter. The number she wanted was—frankly—fucking insanity, so he marked that as well and noted that another person should be added and rotated out based on who was interested, the matter to be revisited later if that was still insufficient.
The fields were nearing the first harvest for the faster plant they had on hand, a type of vegetable that was used for alcohol and apparently didn’t taste awful, so he wouldn’t be against assigning more people to it. The hang-up was that there really wasn’t much to be done with the size of their current field as far as he could tell.
A note was added to ask Nalah to assign a plot for a second after consulting with Astra before he moved on.
The rest was mostly mundane requests for new weapons or furniture, each being approved or denied based on how clearly he could read what exactly they wanted through the occasional Lilhun script Violet used when she didn’t know the word in English. Regardless, he was pretty sure they had better things for Mama to do than to make a chandelier for the bathhouse. Or at least that’s what he hoped it was supposed to read. It could have been a crude request for another toilet.
Heralt asked for the new forge to be installed, his current trial-and-error with a more primitive one outlined in the thick stacks of transcribed tablets being too cold to work the metal that they had traded for. They couldn’t run the analyzer as it was, but Harrow suggested that it was closer to a naturally occurring alloy than anything. There was regular iron ore mixed in with the new stuff, the two almost identical visually, so making anything was a bit of a pain in the ass since it took a while to sort them.
He made a note to inform the smith that the forge would hopefully be up and running once the final wisps of cold had died down and they could reasonably turn off the atmospheric regulator without killing the recycler. The two were one and the same circuit-wise, so he would need to do some creative work to make it pan out.
Heralt was doing well with what he did manage to work with, some iron tools having been made once he began casting using carved ironwood moulds and a lot of sand, something Joseph was happy to find a use for. Though the lack of a grinding wheel was being worked on, they did manage to make a massive weapon for Jax.
It was effectively a giant fuck-off war-axe mixed with a pointy hammer, one side being a large curved blade and the other being a fairly snubbed point. It was apparently made that way so that he could deal with armour and unarmoured foes in equal measure, but a sneaking suspicion suggested that Jax just liked wielding a weapon bigger than Pan.
Joseph wasn’t about to argue. Jax looked like he really enjoyed hefting the thing around, and if anyone could use such an intimidating instrument, it would be him.
Stretching out in his chair, he noticed that a few hours had passed by, Scarlet remaining where she was standing since the last time she had spoken. The Human would have suggested she take a break, but had learned by now that she would simply refuse. Apparently, it was because there was no one to replace her, the female being the only one who had taken to guarding him more directly.
Giving up on Lilhuns and their workaholic tendencies, he found himself wishing for coffee, the strain on his eyes being worked out with balled fists.
“Think this planet has coffee? Or tea?” He dropped his arms to his side and stared out of the ceiling windows as the scent from his aide wafted due to the disturbance. He voiced an opinion to see if she would take the bait for an actual conversation. “Peppermint tea sounds nice.”
Scarlet bit. “Peppermint?”
“Like that plant you guys use to mask your scent,” he grunted as he forced himself to his feet, cracking his back and preparing himself to get ready for his Lilhun lesson with Jax. His throat didn’t get sore before he even began, so it wasn’t as much of an effort to drag himself to it anymore. “I don’t know if it’s poisonous when consumed though. Not really in a hurry to end up stuck in the bathroom or dead because i wanted to try it.”
“It is not,” she answered instantly, the flat tone suggesting that she had tried it before. He glanced at her with a raised brow.
“Suppose I’ll try boiling some water and seeing what i can do with it at some point. I’ll have to start small to be sure, though. The difference in how alcohol effects us is enough for me to be wary of it.”
“Why not ask the mistress?”
A tilt of his head showed his consideration. “I’ll ask if she can dry some. It’d be nice to have more to drink than just water.”
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Entering the bathhouse after the lesson with the Grand Hunter and confirming that the training was on schedule, Jax made his way to the private bath reserved for the Human, planning to soak for a bit while he waited. The fire under the large basin was fed, Atmo-carved stone lining underneath so as to remove the threat of flames spreading and a passage for the smoke allowing it swift egress outside—though wisps still wandered the room until they found a vent to escape from.
The larger baths for the pack were much the same, save for large stone channels to distribute the heat throughout the entirety of the basin instead of a more centralized fire like the ones for the private tubs. The water would be drained and used to supply the lavatories before being refilled from the water-tower, though the increased usage had apparently prompted Nalah to assign construction for a dedicated one soon.
A large drape was placed around in a less sophisticated recreation of the privacy field that the den baths used, subpar leather strips that would be of little use otherwise being the majority of its construction. It was a consideration that the Grand Hunter had requested, if only so that it would be exceedingly difficult to accidentally intrude without negligence.
Confirming that there was enough wood to fuel the fire should it weaken—not that rubber-wood would extinguish any time soon without intervention—he placed aside the towel and change of clothes, taking a moment to rinse off majority of the dirt in his fur with a bucket before parting the thick screen to reveal Joseph raising his brow in surprise.
“Oh, i forgot to put up the sign didn’t i? Want me to go?”
Jax smirked, shaking his head as he submerged himself nearby. “It is your accommodation, I am merely using this because your mates are bathing in the den.”
The Human shrugged, relaxing back in the large tub. An open eye and tone of voice suggested that the male was probing something to confirm. “I thought you guys didn’t mind being naked around the pack?”
The black-furred male chuckled, somewhat thankful he chose to sit on Joseph’s left so that he would not need to turn his head so much to see him. “Would you believe them welcoming to my presence?”
“I mean...” Joseph stared at the ceiling, his eye following some errant smoke drifting out of the vent above him. He nodded briskly as he reconsidered his response. “Well, Tel might have a problem with that, now that i think about it. She’s gotten pretty adamant about that kinda thing since she marked me.”
“And i prefer myself whole,” Jax confirmed with a nod of his own, gaining a snort from his alien friend. The Head raised a brow as he considered the male’s presence. “Why are you not with them as well?”
“And have them torture me?” the Grand Hunter replied, a mix of humour and genuine displeasure in his voice. “Pass. Tel would drive me nuts and Pan would be too busy laughing to stop her.”
“Unsatisfied with your mates?”
“No, just...” Joseph sighed, weight drooping his shoulders. “Tel’s holding off on doing anything more than getting me going, i guess. It’s frustrating.”
“Do you not satisfy the requirement with your bond?”
“That’s not—” The Human stopped himself, shooting Jax a scowl. “I’m not talking about this.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Jax held up a paw in defence. “Merely offering an ear to confide in.”
A deep breath eased the sour expression. “I just don’t know what’s wrong.”
The black-furred male tilted his head, an ear following suit. “Have you not inquired?”
“She keeps dodging the subject, but it just feels like she’s waiting for something. I could press the issue, but i don’t want to do that to her either. I don’t want to force it if something is on her mind.” Joseph submerged himself for a moment, exhaling a breath as he situated himself again to free his mouth from the water. “Pan says that it’s nothing serious and not to worry about it, but i don’t want to put any distance between whatever shit I’m balancing here by dedicating too much...time to either of them, ya know?”
Jax grunted in agreement. A happy den is one where mated groups are all afforded affections that align with their needs. “Are they getting along well?”
“Pan and Tel?” the Human confirmed with a raised brow before tightening his face in uncertainty. “Yeah? Tel makes comments about us, but at the same time I’ll wake up to the two of them snuggling into each other some mornings looking happy as can be.”
Jax smiled at the loving look on his friend as he continued.
“Like, Tel will pull her flirting off while Pan is literally sitting on my lap, and Pan is just happy to stay there with the occasional tail squishing her into me.” Joseph covered his face as he groaned, pulling the fatigue down with his paws. “I don’t know. It just feels like there should be more problems. Or that Tel should have more issues with...yeah, besides just making fun of me.”
“Do you wish for them to disagree?”
A snort preceded the instant response. “God, no. That would be a nightmare. I’ll keep the confusing back and forth i have with them as it is.”
“Then why must you avoid them?”
Joseph glanced at him, a tired smirk forming on his face. “I’m not. I didn’t know they were in there. I wanted to just soak for a while without someone barging in.”
“Ah. Apologies.”
He waved his paw dismissively. “Not you, you’re fine. You’ve seen me naked enough that i got over it.”
“Is it something to be uncomfortable about?”
Joseph’s face turned red, though the source seemed not to be from the warmth of the water. “It’s a Human thing. At least where I’m from. Don’t really want people to know...size, i guess, since it’s a bit of a sensitive topic for guys.”
Jax thought about it, not entirely sure how his friend would be perceived by females of his own. “I do not believe there is anything to be ashamed of. You may be smaller for a male of my kind, but you are average for a female. It has not impacted your ability to find a mate, at any rate.”
Joseph inhaled with a concerned look on his face, blowing out the air forcefully as a conflicted expression remained. “That’s... Well, that too, but that’s not what i meant. Though, thanks, i guess.”
The frown on his face intensified as the Head thought about it longer, ignoring the soft clicks of claws on the floor beyond the leather curtain.
“CANNONBALL!”
The splash of Harrow launching herself into the tub without a care blinded the two of them for a moment, Jax fighting the amusement and guilt of not remembering to inform the Grand Hunter that he had planned on bathing with his mate, and Joseph stunned by the sudden female sitting in his lap.
Harrow went wide-eyed, glancing over to Jax before confirming who she had landed on, the blush and sheepish quality of her voice an entertaining sight to behold. “Um... Hey... Joe...”
The Human fixed his gaze upwards, deliberately not looking at the naked orange-furred Lilhun seated on him. “Off.”
She complied, quickly crawling her way to Jax’s left so as to use him as a blockade. “I’m sorry, i didn’t know you were in here.”
“It’s fine,” Joseph sighed out, lowering his head again now that doing so wouldn’t end with him ogling her. “Accidents happen.”
“We can go,” the female offered once she was adequately covered by Jax’s form.
“Fuck it,” he declared, sinking back into the water and closing his eyes. “Just do me a favour and don’t do anything while I’m in here.”
Jax frowned, figuring that the male must be exceptionally troubled to discard the situation. Harrow patted him to draw his attention, a shrug returned to the worried expression she offered. She hesitantly leaned into him, speaking to the Human after a moment.
“Everything okay, Joe?”
Joseph gave a slow facial shrug, his brow raising and relaxing. “Besides the usual shit? I’m fine.”
Jax pulled him in, a yelp of surprise being muffled as the male was fixed to the Head’s chest. “Decompress with us, Joseph. It may be but a short moment of respite, but we are willing to speak about your difficulties if it will ease your burden.”
“Not much to talk about, Jax.”
“Forget that we can smell your stress?” Harrow chided him, ducking away slightly when Joseph glared at her before sighing.
“Yes, actually.”
“So what’s wrong?”
The Grand Hunter righted himself, though didn’t bother distancing from the arm around his shoulder. Jax felt it would be more expedient to provide the conversation so far, skipping the latest curiosity that had been revealed and ignoring the annoyed look Joseph gave him. “He worries there is an issue with his pairing involving Tel.”
Harrow flicked an ear. “I think it’s going okay. Pan and Tel seem to get along well enough.”
“They have yet to bed one another.”
“Oh?”
“Jax,” the Human scolded, disapproval clear in his tone.
Jax allowed his arm to hang over the male’s chest, patting it to reassure his friend. “She is a part of me, much the same as Pan is a part of yourself. She is also means much to you, does she not?”
Harrow waited for Joseph to exhale the taken breath in defeat before she spoke. “Do you want me to talk to her?”
“I don’t want to make it a whole thing,” the male grumbled, running his claws through his hair.
A prod of her claw to Jax’s side had him suppress a chuckle. “Perhaps we could help deal with your stress?”
“What do you—“ Joseph glanced over with a raised brow, shunting his eyes closed when he noticed Harrow cheekily covering herself with an arm and tracing a circle on Jax’s chest. “God dammit, Harrow.”
The female chuckled, easing back into her mate’s chest. “You need a break, Joe.”
“I don’t need to see my friend’s girlfriend naked, and i don’t need to sleep with you.”
Jax grinned, glad that the levity had returned to the Grand Hunter’s voice. “I fear seeing us without our garments has long since passed, though i can hardly picture a more opportune moment to accept our proposal.”
Joseph flushed, pushing himself away to arm’s length. “And now that image is burned into my brain again. Thanks.”
“Need a refresher?” Harrow cooed as she tried to see how much it would take to fluster him.
“Nope.”
“Remember it fondly?” Jax ribbed, fighting back his laughter as the Human made a point of staring at the far wall.
“I hate you both.”
“But you’re still here?”
Joseph glanced at the female, instantly turning redder and looking away again and speaking in an annoyed quiet tone. “It’s probably best i don’t move yet.”
Harrow tilted her head as she took a breath. “Why wouldn’t... Ah.”
Jax raised a brow at Harrow’s stunned expression, opening his mouth to speak as someone parted the leathers after barging into the room.
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Nalah watched as the workers finalized the interior walls of the Hall, the building being about half as big as the den doing nothing to detract from the overall size. It was easily the biggest construct in the settlement, something that Joseph was iffy about until she explained that it was for hosting foreign dignitaries, or close enough to such that imparting an impression like this would be beneficial. It would also double as an administration hub for when they reached the prerequisite size, so it was good to include space for it.
He eventually conceded, requesting they limit the second floor to some offices and something he chuckled about calling a ‘hidden sanctum,’ though it was just a private patio connected to his office resting atop some of the first floor. Ignoring the Grand Hunter’s odd excitement regarding an outdoor meeting area, she had to agree that it made the building look more lavish and less utilitarian. It was a good look for showing the pack’s prosperity.
The main meeting office was done, if sparsely furnished, and the guest rooms would only take a sun or two to get fully functional, if somewhat boring. There was a few additions to Joseph’s future office that Tel insisted on, most being focused on passages and entrances to be used by her so that others would be unaware of her presence should she need to intervene. It was something of a challenge to create them to her requirements without allowing the extended pack to be privy to their locations, but a few suns and carefully scheduled workers ensured that none worked on it enough to parse what exactly it was they were making.
Any additional flourishes were added by the Atmo, Atrox directing them once everyone else had moved to the other parts of the construction that were planned. The group wished to be of use, and Joseph was in favour of allowing the insects to express their culture prior to the events he had described, so no one objected to the decorations they hewed into the surfaces.
As odd of a choice as it was to her, the artist, when combined with the Atmo, had a remarkable effect of the atmosphere of a room. Even with little excess in the way of furnishings, the detailed carvings and carefully shaped corners gave the impression of much more time spent on such trivial details than they had actually afforded. Though, she found the design in the Human’s office to be a bit much for her tastes.
The Head Planner was a little concerned about using fire within the building to colour the walls to supplement the ink, but Rose made a point of carrying some buckets of water in the new saddlebag that Pan had created with some help from Joseph, and the results looked nice, so she was willing to overlook it for now. Even if Atrox seemed a little too enthusiastic to carry a torch around a fully combustible building.
The pressed moss that resulted in a hydrophobic substance also seemed to add some light fire retardant properties, so that was to be added after the group was finished. Although she expected the male to complain once it would be exceedingly difficult to modify his work further, he was fully in favour of preserving it, which lent her some small peace of mind. One that was ruined for the moment when a panicked voice called out.
“Head Nalah!”
The blond-furred female glanced over to the security member, them likely having come to inform whoever was closest of whatever had them running. “Something urgent?”
They nodded their head, their breath being even despite the distance showing that the endurance training was paying off. “There is a caravan approaching the settlement.”
Nalah felt her expression harden. “Size?”
“Unknown. I was sent to inform someone as soon as they were spotted.”
“Alright. Return and await further instruction, though arm yourselves in case it is needed.”
Waving off the security member, she let out a short two-toned whistle, waiting a moment for a Blade to appear. Though they did not listen to the pack as they would Joseph or Tel, they were asked to respond if the signal was given. It only took a few moments for one of the black-clad females to appear, the annoyed expression on their face likely mirrored on her own.
“Where is the Grand Hunter?”
The female’s eyes widened slightly at her tone. “He is bathing in his private room within the bathhouse.”
“Thank you. That is all. Remain in the area for if he is in need of you.”
The Blade frowned, but nodded all the same, disappearing around a corner with only a few steps and little else to hint of her arrival in the first place. Nalah rolled her eyes and started towards where Joseph was, informing those she passed to expect company. Those who were tasked with manning the gate readied their weapons, while the rest were passing along the information and preparing arrows and bolts for those who needed them. It would be a first for them to suppress their presence with arms such as this, but they carried out their orders dutifully.
Entering the bathhouse, she took a right, passing by the male section and into the smaller alcove of Joseph’s personal bath that laid behind a simple sliding door. Wasting no time, she threw open the leather blinds, modesty be damned, to tell him that he was needed.
Well, she was going to, but the sight made her pause with her mouth open and breath caught in her throat.
Harrow was leaning across Jax and reaching towards Joseph, none of them having a single scrap of clothing covering their forms. Based on the subdued heat in the air, it seemed that the Grand Hunter had finally been worn down by the mated pair.
A deep breath of shock as she tried to process what she was seeing, and the mild fear of what Tel was going to do when she found out, was apparently enough time for Joseph to launch past her and grab a towel to dry off.
“What happened?” he barked, his words clipped and accented by a mild embarrassment as Harrow stared at where he had been with wide eyes, a curious flicker of her gaze directed at the Human following.
Nalah shook off the awkwardness and tried to keep things professional. “A caravan is approaching.”
He paused as he pulled on his pants. “How many?”
“I wasn’t told.”
“Fuck.”
The Grand Hunter whistled sharply in a single ascending note that the pack still couldn’t copy, the shadow of a Blade appearing in the doorway a moment later giving way to Scarlet wearing her new attire. The hospitality-oriented clothing presented her as a well-dressed servant, rather than someone who was being trained in many forms of combat on top of their history as a Blade. The almost-black red-furred female bowed her head lightly and folded her paws in front of her, a flat attempt at a ‘customer-friendly’ voice marring the image.
“You called, sir?”
“Get me info on the caravan coming here. Numbers, arms, contents. Intent if you can manage it. Send two of the Blades to do that without being seen and grab Pan and Tel from the den. Tell them we might have company.”
Scarlet paused, a slight conflict playing out on her face. “But what of—”
“Now, Scarlet.”
The Blade’s voice hardened instantly, losing any semblance of her previous persona. “Command received, Grand Hunter.”
The female bowed deeply before vanishing back the way she came, something about the way she walked making no sound and leaving only the knowledge she was there to prove she ever was.
Joseph looked back to the slightly surprised remainders in the room. “Nalah, Jax, i want you two organizing everyone for if shit goes sideways. Harrow, get the prototype bracers for Pan and me. Yours too, if they’re ready. Grab my coat while you’re at it; i need to be armoured without looking like it. Tell Volta she’s in charge of keeping the Atmo inside the base until i say otherwise. They should be with Atrox about now around the back.”
Jax quickly tossed on his clothing with no regard for his soaked fur nor nudity on display for everyone else and left the room, Harrow following suit without the slightest hesitation. Nalah found herself with too many questions, opting for the simplest first.
“’Sir?’”
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Joseph accepted the coat and bracers from Harrow, donning the slightly slimmer pair for himself to wear under his coat and pulling up the hood, bringing his total weapon count to six. It was likely more than he would prefer to have, but the four punch-daggers—only two of which were made with the intent of doing lasting damage—rounded out his levels of attack if things needed more than a fist to settle. He could lacerate, gouge, and now sever limbs if required, though the ironwood nature of the weapons meant that they would falter rather quickly if it became a longer altercation.
The orange-furred female ignored the annoying feeling of damp fur as she donned her own pair, her thin armour designed to have things clipped to it being barren of devices in which to attach. Her bow was left behind in her haste, leaving her dependant on the pack until she had a moment to retrieve it if the need for ranged weaponry became apparent.
Pan wore a different set of bracers designed for her, the broader surface acting as a shield when she raised her guard. The higher weight acted to compensate for her smaller frame in increasing her rotational velocity when she used kicks, as well as adding blades to her arms when she balances herself. Joseph claimed it would be dangerous to fight without getting used to the added strain on her arms, so the Paw was tasked with spending some time each sun lightly practising with them. It seemed to have paid off, because her slow tests to confirm the fitment spoke of no discomfort.
Harrow didn’t understand the comment he had made when he watched her for the first time using them, but a ‘spin-top of doom’ seemed to be a formidable item to contest with based on his surprised expression.
Tel had been caught-up by Scarlet, the latter standing opposite of Pan next to the Grand Hunter while the former had slipped into the environment around the settlement along with the other Blades. Where exactly the grey-furred female was remained to be discovered, but Harrow figured she wouldn’t stray too far from Joseph unless he asked her to.
Jax had amassed the security-trained members for a show of force, them all armed various ironwood melee weapons when Sahari suggested they keep the crossbows hidden for now. Harrow’s bond was resting a large bladed instrument upon his shoulder—something Joseph called a ‘war-axe’—that Heralt had created with the limited iron he managed to work with, given the state of their metals. It was a surprisingly adept creation given the lack of machinery in which to work.
Nalah had gathered the support-oriented of the pack and instructed them to remain near their dens unless it became apparent that there would be issues. Construction would be put on hold until the caravan either left or was confirmed to be non-hostile, the carpenters reassigned with more subdued work until such was sorted.
All these observations happened as Harrow tried not to think about seeing the Grand Hunter’s...
Well, it was a fair bit different than she remembered.
“Fucking thirty-two. They send fucking thirty-two for a trade caravan,” Joseph grumbled, struggling to keep the sun out of his eyes with his hood. “I thought six was a declaration of war or some shit.”
“At least only a few of them are armed,” Harrow muttered, pleased that the likelihood of conflict was minimal, though annoyed that her bath had been disrupted all the same. Atrox burst through the formation around them with something in his paw, his ragged breaths suggesting he had run a fair distance in quite a hurry.
“Grand Hunter Joseph! I have a gift!”
The Human glanced to the Head of Technology, Harrow remembering to translate after a second of confusion. “He has something for you. A gift?”
Joseph frowned, but accepted what was held out to him.
Atrox beamed, his eyes expectant. “Mama and myself have cooperated in the pursuit of beauty, and although i am regretful that there is little time to present to you the totality of our creation, i am hopeful that this small portion will be satisfactory.”
Harrow blinked. “Him and Mama made it for you. There’s more, but we’re low on time.”
The Human checked it over with a raised brow. “It’s a...fucking terrifying mask. Is this a moss-wolf skull that’s been carved and burned? It looks like something a psychotic cultist would wear.”
The artist smiled, choosing not to comment on the Human’s observation as Joseph thought about it.
“Ya know what? ‘Fucking terrifying’ seems like exactly what we need right now.” He slipped on the mask, securing the back before flipping his hood back up. “How’s it look?”
Harrow took a step back, the entire outfit shifting his image to one of death putting her on edge despite the familiar scent of her friend.
The skull almost looked to melt into the trench coat, the top carved to catch the seam of the hood and blend into it. The muzzle was carved with intricate patterns and designs that had been blackened between fire and careful applications of ink to draw the eye away from the barely visible jaw of the male underneath, though a quick adjustment of the collar amended the issue. The orbital cavity looked as if the very Void itself was clawing to escape the piercing pupils they framed, making the act of meeting his gaze uncomfortable.
“Like you shouldn’t wear it near kits... Or me.”
Joseph laughed, the jovial tone of the sound clashing with the unsettling visage. Atrox seemed to be on the edge of euphoria as he revelled in the image he had created with the male, the smallest hint of dissatisfaction telling of his desire to complete the look with whatever else he had prepared besides the mask.
The Grand Hunter checked over his equipment when one of the security team informed them that the caravan was near, glancing at Atrox for a moment to ask a question with a surprisingly serious tone despite the banality of the contents. “Think you could make a few of these designed for Lilhuns?”
Harrow paused, hesitant to know what exactly he wanted to do, but she passed the request along anyway, the artist excitedly agreeing before being shepherded back to the rest of the less combat-able members. She frowned at Joseph.
“Plan to use them?”
The voice that returned from the male sent a shiver down her spine, an iron will stained with sadness imparting force to his words that warned her of the gravity behind them, and his reluctance to embrace it.
“I hope not.”
“Shall we give them a proper welcome, Grand Hunter?” Sahari called, pausing when he turned to look at her before nodding tersely in approval. “It seems you have reached the same conclusion.”
He shook his head, the closed eyes behind the mask not doing much to ease the image. “Just found out what Atrox had been working on. I’m kinda interested in seeing what else he’s been at now.”
The black-furred female raised a brow, but accepted the answer. “I recommend the three of you await our guests in the office of the Hall while Jax guides them in. We will have our members await with their weapons for if they are required, though it seems unlikely.”
Joseph stopped his adjustments of his bracers, glancing at Scarlet and Pan when Sahari gestured to them. “We’re keeping things peaceful, right? Just going to scare ‘em a bit?”
“Unless they see reason to do otherwise. Then your mask may be telling of their fate. For now, i believe it is time to acquiesce to Mi’low’s requirement.”
The cold chuckle finalized Harrow’s opinion of whatever Atrox was doing for the Grand Hunter.
She was very happy that she wasn’t the one it was meant for.