The staff was slowly removed from his mouth; then he was smiled upon. “Well then, how can I take the life of their father?”
His large brow came together. “You’re allowing me to live?”
“I am, but there are some conditions you must follow.” His round ears came forward. “Since I’m the new ruler of this territory,” He barred his teeth. And Alex brought the staff to his black lips again; quickly remembering who the new leader was, he hid his teeth. “I will allow you to be my second in command. As long as I am away you will remain the acting lord.” His eyes widened, realizing he could still rule. “Now as to your new policy: You must not kill humans who are passing through unless they are a threat to you and your family. Mark my territory more clearly by peeling the bark off of trees with your claws. Frighten them with a roar if you deem it necessary, but no more unnecessary killing.” He planted his staff in the ground and seriously looked the Grizon in the eyes. “If you ever try to disobey my rule, I will put you down…permanently, and replace you with someone else more capable.” The staff shifted to his other hand as its ears wilted in submission. “Call your mate to help you out, I must leave and I trust you will follow your orders.”
“I will my Lord.” He said in distaste, but he would follow orders.
As Alex left he roared out for his mate.
It took him several minutes to find everyone. “ALEX!” Lily shouted and before he knew it she stood in front of him and gave him a once over. She was strangely worried for him when she saw him being chased into the trees, but she didn’t want to show Alex her emotions so she masked her features and leveled her tone. Then the smell of a clean sea breeze sent his senses reeling. Her purple eyes locked onto his. “Are you hurt? Did you manage to kill it? What happened?”
“I’ll explain shortly, but first how are the others?”
“Shade is still out of it. Marlin ran off to find Clift.” She pointed where some rounded horse prints sprinted into the forest.
Lily followed as Alex ran over to Shade’s side. His large furry chest continued rising and falling, as he breathed slowly. He lay completely on his left side, in obvious pain that was too much to bear. His legs and tail were all completely limp and his ears were laying soft rather than pointed and alert. His large bottom jaw hung slightly down, about halfway between his long and curved sabers. His tongue lay in the lush green grass and his nose twitched as he continued to breathe. The normally alert golden eyes of his remained closed. I’ve never seen him in a situation like this. Alex thought worriedly.
Alex rubbed his soft cheek and spoke both calmly and clearly. “Shade? Come back to me little brother. Don’t tell me that you were actually hurt?” When he didn’t react Alex whispered in his ear. “If you wake up you can have a snack.” Food was his number one motivator and it worked because Shade groaned. Then a hand grasped Alex’s shoulder. “Is he alright?” Lily asked.
Without looking at her he said “I don’t know. Go check and see if Marlin caught up with Clift.” Her hand moved away and then she began walking away. She knew Alex was worried for his brother and wanted to be alone for the moment. Lily entered the woods and began to track down the fisherman and the chestnut stallion who fled.
It was slow, but with a little coaxing, with a slab of smoked fish, Shade’s eyes opened groggily. His nose kept twitching and his mouth had begun to water. He began speaking incoherently so Alex pulled the meat into smaller pieces and fed him. A few minutes later Shade began speaking weakly as he remained at his side. “Alex? What happened?”
“We’ll get to that, but tell me how your feeling first.”
“My head hurts something fierce and my back legs are tender.”
“Stay awake, but don’t try to move. I’m afraid you might have a concussion. I’ll explain what happened.” For the next few minutes he listened to his brother’s accounts. He laughed weakly once he was told him that Alex is the new lord of these lands. His ear twitched as a branch snapped in the distance. Several scents wafted in his direction and he recognized each and relaxed.
On the other hand Alex wheeled around defensively, until realizing it was the others who had arrived. Marlin was rubbing his sore bottom as Clift walked onto the trail, looking ashamed. Lily took the rear and soon all three strolled up to Shade’s side. They were still obviously shaken from the attack.
“How is everyone?” Alex stood tall and waited for everyone’s status. When Marlin fell he landed on a stone. His tailbone was all that was damaged. Clift said he wasn’t harmed and Lily said she only slightly hit her head after being thrown off. She looked like nothing had happened because sudden battles were part of her former everyday life in the King’s Guard.
Marlin asked about Shade’s condition, which Alex answered slowly. “He’s hurt and needs rest. We’ll camp here for the night.”
Lily evenly asked “What happened to the Grizon?”
“Once we get settled, I’ll explain.”
Clift stood awkwardly at Shades side, ashamed for running off. Shade managed to raise his head off the ground, but it was the most he could do. Marlin found a water source nearby, but the water needed to be boiled to be safe enough to drink. Dysentery was a horrible condition, one they all wished to avoid. Lily helped collect dry tender while Alex started the fire close to Shade. During Lily’s scouting she found a wild berry bush and she filled her pack to bring back to the group. Shade loved berries and Lily knew it. She gave him half of what was in her pack and divided the rest between the others.
By now the night had taken over. “So what happened?” Marlin asked again.
Alex explained everything without missing a detail and Lily finally asked “What do you mean that you are the new lord of this territory?”
Her question made him smile. “You know that fiend lords are exceedingly rare.” She nodded. “Well a lord owns and runs a large territory and defends it with all he or she has. When the lord is defeated, the victor takes the entire claim of his territory with all its spoils. Once I defeated him, I gained all of his land and even all of the fiends and animals within his territory.”
She seemed pleased about the explanation for some reason.
After four more quiet hours a crashing sound alerted them to an approaching presence in the woods. Shade tried to become defensive and protect everyone, but his back legs were too weak to support his full weight. Clift amazingly moved in front of him; defensively. He knew the predator needed help, but Clift was still frightened. Both Lily and Marlin stood by Alex’s side as they peered into the darkness, waiting for the visitors to be seen properly.
“What do you mean you lost to that human?!” A female voice shouted.
Lily and Marlin became even more defensive after hearing a growl. He whispered “Great…the Grizon is coming back for more.” He increased his bobber’s weight to its limit.
“He won’t live to see another day.” Lily promised calmly, preparing to bathe her swords in blood.
“I swear he did and I was forced to submit.” It was the Grizon’s voice from earlier. He was bringing someone else with him. “When you meet him you’ll understand why I lost.”
Alex put his hands on both Marlin’s and Lily’s shoulder. “Ease up you two. They are coming to greet us.”
They both stood and understood when he said they. They both clutched their items, but managed to look less dangerous.
Soon the massive Grizon lord walked out from behind a bush. He looked as terrifying as ever in the firelight, but Alex planted the staff firmly in front of him. An air of tranquility and strength seemed to emanate from him. The lord from earlier bowed his tremendous head and planted his two shoulder arms on the ground. It was a prostrating gesture. “My lord, my mate and I have come to speak with you.” The honoring movement showed off many scars that proved he has fought and survived many battles.
“I would be honored to meet your mate.” Alex said humbly.
Slowly another Grizon moved from the bush. She wasn’t even half his size, as sh
e stood by his side. Her shoulders came up to the middle of his ribs at most. Her claws were dangerous, but not as long as her counterpart. Her body was rounder than his, but the fire in her eyes reminded Alex of someone equally terrifying in their own group that was proud and unyielding. She had a look as dangerous as Lily when angered. Her voice was scornful. “So are you the new lord that defeated my Crush?”
“I am. My name is Alex.” He remained motionless.
Her eyes darkened even more and then she turned her head and bit her mate’s foreleg to get his attention. She pulled away as he looked at her in shock. “You lost to a puny human like him, Crush?” She accused angrily. “You’ve gotten soft if you can’t even take down one so small.”
An idea popped into his thoughts that would settle everyone’s temper. “Madam,” She quickly looked at the human who can speak to her. “Would you like to try and reclaim his territory back for him?” Her eyes widened and then became dark at the possibility. “There is but one condition you must abide by. If you win you keep your land, but if I win you must acknowledge me as your new lord for all time. Will you accept my condition?”
She barred her teeth. “Unequivocally,” then she lifted her head to roar “Come witness the challenge for this land! I Leera, mate to Crush, am challenging the human who beat him for full control! WITNESS!”
Alex looked at her mate and ordered “Crush!” He looked at his new leader. “You will not interfere with her challenge. Move back to give us room,” his voice then changed to speak to his companions. “Both of you are to stay out of this. I’m being challenged and neither of you must aid me until it’s over.”
Hesitantly Crush, Lily and Marlin moved away from the two preparing combatants. Sounds of movement suddenly came from every direction. The fire was too his back and he could easily hear Shade struggling to stand in vain. He growled in frustration. Clift snorted for him to stay down.
Things had gotten quiet as the creatures of the forest began to come out of the shadows to witness the challenge. Squirrels, snakes, rabbits, rats, raccoons, foxes and even two wolves appeared to witness. Shade saw his species’ cousins for the first time yet he didn’t have anything to say. Three younger Grizon also arrived behind Crush to witness. Lily and Marlin were shocked to see so many animals coming to witness the fight. Lily did her best not to cut a viper’s head off that slithered by her foot. Clift snorted when any animal came too close to him or Shade. They gave them a wide berth. Once Alex and Leera were surrounded by witnesses a quiet settled over the area and the only remaining sounds came mainly from the crackling fire.
Her brown eyes didn’t seem the slightest bit worried for her victory. Alex remembered how Crush attacked hours before so he was more prepared for her movements. She spread both of her arms out and roared as she began her charge. She wasn’t nearly as fast as Crush and Alex knew that he was swifter.
Just as she approached, he stepped to his left and clutched the staff between his hands. She was now close enough to use her right arm to slash at the human’s face, but he ducked below the impressive strike. Since she was still running he tripped her forelegs with the staff and she slid face first into the ground, rolling over once.
A sudden gasp came from every creature.
All of the lessons Lily taught Alex in fighting were paying off. She taught him how to allow his opponents to tire themselves out by making them do most of the work. Because of her unorthodox lessons, his body wound up sore, but the skills proved effective in action. She showed him the most advantageous places to knock the opponent off balance and even how to strike only when the opponent thinks that they’ve won. Lily’s lessons were saving his life right this very moment.
Leera finally managed to stand back up, but she looked at the human with complete shock. Fighting a human was foreign to her, but she’s never felt so humiliated. She charged him four more times and always landed face first onto the ground. It had only gotten harder for her.
After the last fall she was breathing heavily while too exhausted to charge again. Alex sat on his heels and locked his unwavering grey eyes onto hers and she looked afraid for some reason. “Do you yield?” She was still stunned so he raised his voice. “Do You Yield!?” that strange sensation flickered in him again, like she couldn’t disregard Alex as her true leader.
Her eyes finally blinked. “I yield. You are truly the new lord of this land for all time. What is to be my punishment for losing the challenge?”
A buzz erupted from the on-looking animals after hearing her submission.
Leera went rigid as he reached out and rubbed her head. His tone softened as another period of silence began again from all in attendance. “There will be no punishment. I’ve already told Crush what my laws are. He will explain them. Once I leave he is in command and will be until my return. He only has to answer to me and no one else, so go easy on him. Nothing will truly change in your livelihood. He will still be in charge during my absence. Go home to your cubs and live like you’ve always been doing, without fear of losing your home or life. When I return you may challenge me again if you wish.” His smile was so kind that all she was able to do was blink.
She slowly stood up and he followed. “Yes, Lord Alex, but I won’t challenge you ever again as part of the challenge. And I thank you for the kindness you have shown.” She looked around the witnesses and found the largest one. “Crush, let’s go back to the cave.” As Leera moved away, Crush caught Alex’s eye and bowed one last time before returning to the forest. Alex returned the gesture with a dip of his head.
Once they were gone, along with the other excited animals, Shade began laughing. Alex turned to see that he was standing weakly on his back legs. “That was quite a show, Alex.”
Marlin and Lily were standing to either size of him and were clueless to his words. Alex walked back to the group and said “Shade, you need to rest.”
“I cannot argue with that.” He slowly sank back down into the grass.
For the next hour he rubbed Shade’s back legs while explaining what had happened to Marlin and Lily. Once he finished Marlin asked “What are you going to do in this new territory of yours?”
“Not a thing. It is just a formality.”
Next he looked at Lily. “If it weren’t for all of your lessons I would have lost. I’m glad to have you with us.”
She threw her head back and laughed. It was a musical and very calming sound. She slapped her knee and said “I was glad to help. You learn quickly. Those moves you made were all well done and delivered properly. Next time, try and strike the jaw at an angle. It severely disrupts their equilibrium and they won’t be able to walk straight, let alone see straight for a minute or so. Now…”
The rest of the night, while they remained wide awake, she explained a little more on fighting tactics and disarming opponents.
By the time they were ready to leave, Shade’s back legs were still sore, but he insisted he could continue. Lily showed the others where the berry bushes were and they picked every one that was left. Both Marlin’s and Lily’s packs were filled to the brim, Alex kept the meat separate in his pack. Lily knew she couldn’t ride Shade in his condition so she settled for walking alongside Alex. Every now and then, when the wind shifted, she’d smell something musky, like tilled earth and freshly cut grass. Throughout their treks she didn’t realize until she stepped closer is that the scent came from Alex. What confused her even more was that she enjoyed his smell. No other man she’s ever come across made her feel so strange and warm. She didn’t know why she felt so off-balance. Was it a positive attraction or something else?
They continued walking the worn game trail throughout the day. They slowed their pace so Shade wouldn’t have to struggle to keep up with them. Every now and then Lily would slip Shade a berry and he would stick his blue tongue out for all to see. Sometimes he was the most playful of pups, though his laughter only served to dull his aching back legs. He is still only over a year old, so he had much time to act young and enjoy
himself.
When the night came again, Shade’s legs had begun to heal because he wasn’t favoring them like he was early this morning, but they remained tender. Marlin and Lily sat beside the fire while Shade and Alex sat away from the blaze, enjoying the comforts of darkness.
While Marlin and Lily were talking, Clift walked past the collaborating duo and right up to Shade and Alex. He walked oddly up to them with quizzical look in his eyes. He had something on his mind, but didn’t know how to quite ask the question. He stopped a few paces from the predator and the human brothers and threw his head back in a dignified manner, when his mind came to a conclusion. “Shade, may I ask you for a favor?”
He tilted his head and opened his muzzle. “What’s on your mind, Clift? You’ve been quiet all day, looking like you were chewing on bitter grass.”
Clift’s tail swished in surprise. “I’ve actually been thinking of yesterday events. When that Grizon, Crush, surprised us, I was spooked. When we first met I did the same exact thing. I’m tired of fleeing every time I end up being scared. I’m a stallion, but I’ve been acting like a newborn colt.”
Untamed Gift (Book One of the Items Trilogy) Page 30
