by Jim Galford
When he finally approached Lihuan’s tent, he found a group of six foxes of varying ages and colorings—none of whom he recognized—standing guard out front. At his approach, they all tightened their formation, placing their hands on short axes at their sides.
Estin took a deep breath and started to approach Lihuan’s tent in what he hoped was a calm appearing manner, but the nearest two foxes stepped in front of him, physically stopping him.
“I need to see my pack-leader, Lihuan,” he told them, but neither budged.
“Our pack-leader is talking to him right now. Until Insrin finishes, the village can burn for all I care. No one’s getting inside. If you try, I’m under orders to cut down anyone who approaches,” declared one of the two males.
Estin waited and fumed, pacing about as the tent remained closed to him, mulling over the name. That had been the one Feanne had mentioned long ago as the male who was to be her mate, though she had been sure he was dead. Nowhere along the way had anyone mentioned that he was a pack-leader.
Others from the camp came by to see what was happening, but would usually leave after a minute or two of watching the tent. Eventually, Asrahn joined Estin, walking slowly up beside him and then standing there, her back straight as she watched him, rather than the others.
“Let it be, Estin,” she told him, standing quite still, even as he paced. “She made an oath. We had no way to know he had survived. This is the way of making rash promises, which she has a penchant for. Either she will abide by her promise and go with him, or she will be cast out of this camp for the rest of her days. Neither result do I have any say in.”
Barely thinking rationally, Estin growled and let out a growl that seemed out of place for his breed, catching himself and even Asrahn by surprise.
“This display will not help matters, child.”
“That’s hardly my concern,” he snarled, his mind racing through ways he might be able to fight off all of the foxes. He knew that was insane to even consider, but he could not help himself.
“Then what is?”
He stopped short, realizing that he was making it very clear how he felt about Feanne, which would earn him—and possibly her—a swift death if the wrong people knew. Fighting down his internal rage, he tried to remain still at Asrahn’s side, though he knew his tail was lashing back and forth, beyond his ability to control.
“I am worried about my friend. She put her trust in me and I do not want to see her hurt.”
Asrahn raised an eyebrow in regarding him. She leaned close and loudly sniffed once for emphasis, then cocked her head.
“I am doubting your intent, oh so very much, child. Do be smarter with future indiscretions and at least hop through a creek to hide the scent. I am no fool, Estin, so do not treat me as though I am.”
Estin began shaking, fearing he had just doomed Feanne. Rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand, he whispered, “Asrahn, please. If you value your daughter’s life, do not talk to anyone of this. She is afraid of what will happen if the camp learns.”
“Who would I tell, child? I’m a half-breed who’s been all but abandoned by her life-mate. Do you think I’m so shocked by anything people do? I did not expect this, but I am hardly surprised. She could have brought far worse home. Your secret is no one’s concern but your own.”
“Knowing this…what can I do, Asrahn?”
Asrahn shook her head sadly.
“The poor girl agreed when her father made the arrangement two years ago. Just because it was not enacted does not make it any less of an oath. An agreement to a life-mating is not something you can directly back out of. Meeting someone new a couple years later does not make the oath vanish.”
“Directly? How does one indirectly get out of it?”
“There are not many ways. He could have died, which apparently he did not, or did not stay that way. He could change his mind, then if she also had changed her mind, it could be forgotten…this also appears not to be the case, or he would not have come. The only other way I know of is if she has found another male she favors, she could call him in to fight for the right to take her instead.”
“So if she just calls…someone…out as her preferred, he can fight to win her?”
“Stop right there, child. Just stop. Look around and tell me what you see.”
Estin saw little in the area, other than the six foxes, who were watching him as though he were their blood-sworn enemy. They were all on-edge, ready to strike at the slightest reason.
“His honor-guard, I would guess,” he answered, staring down one of the armed foxes. The male smiled grimly, his fingers tightening on the grip of his weapon.
“Precisely. Let us assume that Feanne feels strongly enough to choose you as her favored. You attack him and win. What then?”
“Not caring a whole lot right now,” he admitted, his fur rising angrily as the foxes laughed at his challenging behavior. Now they entirely ignored him. “If I die, so be it.”
Asrahn grabbed his arm, snapping him out of his rage.
“I sent you to her to learn to fight, not to lose yourself in your emotions like this. Estin, you need to compose yourself, or I cannot help you. Anger and fury have their place, but not when it guarantees your death. You are no predator and a week’s training will not entirely change what you were born as. They will kill you where you stand and if Feanne cares for you at all, she will see to it that you do not have the opportunity to throw your life away. She will not call on you…I assure you of this.”
He growled deeply, but nodded and forced himself to relax. Nothing had happened yet, so he had to remind himself that he was assuming the worst. Perhaps she could argue her way out, or her father might renege on the deal. He had to believe that something could be done. There was always a way out, that much he had learned in Altis, running from the guardsmen.
They stood there for another hour, with Estin sometimes hearing raised voices from inside the tent, but he could not make out the words. Just when he was beginning to wonder if the meeting was going to last into the night, Lihuan came out of the tent slowly, looking older and more tired than Estin had ever seen him.
The elder looked around, spotting Asrahn and Estin. He gave a subtle shake of his head when meeting Asrahn’s eyes, then started to walk away from the tent. The fox guards blocked him.
“What are you doing?” Lihuan asked one calmly. “You need to move.”
The fox shoved Lihuan back towards the tent, drawing muffled whispers from the camp members present and a sudden rise of tension.
“Until Insrin comes out, no one comes or goes.”
“Insrin is coming out in a moment,” Lihuan said, his tone firming and his back straightening. “We are under treaty, young one. You will remove your hand from my chest and had best learn not to disrespect me in my own camp. There will not be another warning.”
The fox grinned broadly and gave Lihuan another push, but froze as Ulra’s paw closed over most of his arm, even as Estin was starting to advance on the foxes.
“You do know you were assaulting our pack-leader?” Ulra asked, stepping into the middle of the group, hoisting the male fox an inch off the ground. Estin could only guess she had been sitting near one side of the tent the whole time, out of sight. “Do so again, I return your limbs to your master in a satchel.”
The tension held, with the fox guards keeping their weapons to themselves, but not backing down. The only one moving was the held fox, who struggled to free his arm unsuccessfully.
Estin prepared himself to leap into the fight if it broke out…half-hoping it would. He checked around him, seeing many of his pack mates gathering to watch. He guessed at least half would jump to their pack-leader’s aid if needed. He met the eyes of as many as he could, securing silent promises of aid from most. Whether the fight was to protect Lihuan or Feanne, he was counting on those others to back him.
“The large one is correct,” announced a new voice.
A tall male fox, grey-furred, y
et likely seven or eight years old, emerged from the tent. The muscular male wore an elaborate outfit mixed between leather and cloth, as well as a lengthy necklace, covered with feathers and claws. Under his shirt, Estin saw the glint of chain armor, something he had not seen in some time. The male surveyed the group—taking in even Ulra’s handling of his guard—with a complete calm. As his eyes passed over Estin, he paused and sniffed, as though evaluating what and who he was.
“Stand down,” the grey said, focusing his attention on his own guards. “You will bring no harm to the members of this pack, so long as they seek no harm against us. The next one of you who lays a hand on anyone from this camp without provocation will face me in battle.
“Lihuan, I am sorry my orders were not more clear.”
“No harm was done,” Lihuan said gracefully, though Estin saw him size up the fox who had pushed him. That look told him that if Lihuan had his way, the younger wildling would not have left the camp alive. “The young find ways to make themselves feel important and it sometimes gets them in trouble. I could tell you of many who were as hot-headed as this one over the years.”
Coming out behind the grey fox—likely Insrin, Estin had to assume—Feanne stepped into the light and stood straight and regal, her eyes on the ground and her hands folded in front of her. She looked at no one, but seemed to specifically avoid looking at Lihuan as he passed her to approach Insrin, going so far as to turn her head away when he stood before her.
“When will you be wishing to have the ceremony?” Lihuan asked. “I can begin preparations within a day or two. Some of our cooks are actually quite excited about serving you and yours some of their finer dishes.”
Estin very nearly retched on the spot. His vision blurred and all he could think was to attack, run, or fall down and weep. He did none of them, but had to put a hand on a thin tree between the tents to stay standing. He felt Asrahn close beside him trembling, and he swore he heard a faint feline growl.
“Tomorrow,” Insrin said firmly, glancing at Feanne, who did not move or react in any way. “I have already sent a runner to inform my camp to prepare for it.”
“What?” Lihuan looked genuinely taken aback. He shot Asrahn a concerned look, but Estin saw that Asrahn was watching Insrin intently, as though waiting for her own chance to strike. “The ceremony is usually with the female’s people. Tradition dictates this. I can tell you where that tradition began, if you like, but I must insist on it. When your father began the discussions of Feanne joining your pack, that was quite clear.”
“I am not my father,” Insrin answered smoothly. He was not condescending, but firm. “Where I choose to have my mating ceremony is none of your concern. For security reasons, I prefer to be surrounded by my kin. That will not change just because my father believed things were more safe years ago.”
“The least I can ask is that you bring my people in as well,” insisted Lihuan, standing straighter, as if to more directly challenge Insrin, though the younger fox seemed to ignore the action. “We have a right to act as witness to Feanne’s life-mating.”
“Of course. If you or any other,” Insrin paused and looked around at the assembled wildlings, his eyes falling on the few foxes among them, “respectable members of your camp would like to attend, I will see what I can do. I can make no promises, but you would need to have them assembled within the hour. I will leave guides out in the woods to lead appropriate guests in.”
Lihuan leaned more heavily on his walking stick for support as he met the angry eyes of the non-foxes in the crowd. He made a point of not looking directly at Estin and any other non-predators present.
“Very well. Then I must insist that we must take care of the remaining public part of the ceremony. Having it done at your village rather defeats the purpose. She would have no one to call as her chosen in your village.”
Insrin sneered, but replied, “Very well. Does anyone have a claim to this female?”
Jabbing his side hard, Asrahn whispered to Estin, “It’s a trick. If a male claims her, they will be executed. Female foxes make the claims, not the males. I have seen this trick used to see if the female has friends who simply dislike the would-be mate and wish to speak up for the sake of fighting, rather than winning her.”
The area remained silent.
“And,” Insrin continued, turning to face Feanne, “do you wish to claim another male as your chosen and have him fight me for the right to be your mate in my place?”
Asrahn’s fingers bit into Estin’s wrist, holding him firmly. When he tried to move, he felt her claws begin to come out, digging painfully into his skin.
Lifting her eyes for the first time since leaving the tent, Feanne looked directly at Estin, then past him, scanning the whole crowd. She then came back to him, her eyes widening slightly and showing him a moment of fear as she lingered on him just a moment, a silent warning in that brief second.
“No. I cannot not ask anyone here to fight for me.”
“Well then it is settled,” announced Insrin, grinning broadly.
“There was far more to our bargain, as I recall,” Lihuan reminded him. “Though we are not in so dire a situation as we were when your father negotiated with me originally, I would still expect the deal to be honored. Thus, I must ask when your merchants will be coming here with sufficient supplies for a rough winter.”
“When I feel your camp has something beyond a mate to offer me, Lihuan. Until then, why would I send our supplies anywhere near your camp?”
Lihuan looked even more betrayed and turned to Feanne, who stared blankly at the ground, her hands tightening together.
“This was not our deal…”
“My deal was with her. My father’s deal was with you. I simply returned to finish the terms that she and I had set forth during my last visit. Whatever deals you made with my father hold no import with me, as I feel he was giving away what we will need, simply to ensure a proper mate for me. I remember distinctly that he said, ‘I will have my merchants,’ and as you are well aware, I am not him. Take your concerns to my father’s grave, if you desire.
“I am well aware of your penchant for twisting the words of others, Lihuan. I will not have you use my father’s words against me. I will honor what I have promised and nothing more.”
Ulra let out a short rumbling growl and stepped in alongside Lihuan, as Estin pushed forward, ignoring the claws that tore into his wrist.
“No, he is right,” Lihuan said, raising a hand. “I overstepped my authority in this matter. The wording was in his favor, I am afraid.”
Insrin bowed slightly, then turned towards the southern end of camp, his guards following at his heel and Feanne walking silently with them.
“Send any respectable guests south,” said Insrin over his shoulder. “We will do our best to get them to the ceremony.”
Estin pulled free from Asrahn, feeling blood running down onto his hand. He moved alongside the other pack’s group, trying to catch Feanne’s eyes. She would not look up even when he let out a whistle that caught the unhappy notice of one of the guards, though Insrin smirked.
As they exited the camp, Estin stopped, watching the party move quickly away. Feanne’s tail hung still, as though she could not muster the strength to wag it at all. Until the moment the last of the fox guards vanished into the woods, he did not see her lift her head once.
Estin turned to go back into camp, his temper getting control over him once more. Yet again, Asrahn was there, waiting for him, blocking his path.
“Move!” he barked at her, trying to step around her, but the older female made a point of being in his way.
“Estin, this is beyond our control. Let her go.”
“What would you do if you were my age in this situation?”
Asrahn blinked and thought a second.
“If I believed the one I wanted was being taken from me without a choice…I would have killed every one of them somewhere where their bodies would not be easily found.”
&nb
sp; He mulled that briefly, then went around Asrahn, bypassing her through the rows of tents.
“Estin!” she called after him, but he took off at a run.
Estin raced through the camp, spotting people he knew and cared about, but who could not help him this time. Ulra would be too slow and easy to spot. Sohan would not keep his mouth shut and was too young for Estin to risk. He went through the whole camp like this, knowing where he had to turn and not liking his options.
Finally reaching the northeast corner of camp, he found himself in front of Ulra’s tent. Approaching reluctantly, he announced himself to whoever was inside, if anyone.
“Yes, yes,” grumbled Doln, Ulra’s mate, as he came to the tent entrance that towered over Estin’s head. “What can I help you with?”
“Doln, do you still have that dwarf here?”
The bear chuckled and motioned inside. There, Finth sat on the ground, with a keg in front of him, a cup in his hand, and a lightly-cooked slab of meat in his lap. The dwarf wiped a bit of loose meat from the tangles of his partially-regrown beard as he saw Estin.
“Welcome back, monkey,” the dwarf said, grinning as he leaned against a tent post. “I have to say, if this is how the bears raise their young, I really grew up in the wrong town.”
“You stayed here for a reason and I have no time for pretend friendship,” Estin began, cutting him off. “Did Nyess send you here?”
The dwarf smiled but just sipped at his drink, his eyes glittering.
“I’ll guess that he wanted you to find me. When you couldn’t, you let yourself be captured. I don’t doubt for a second that you could leave here if you wanted to and you probably intend to when you can bring me in more easily.”
“And why do I give one ball-scratch what you guess happened?”
“Because right now,” Estin said, glancing over at Doln, then lowering his head in agony at what he had to say next, “I need your help.”
“This is the part where I tell you to suck me and walk off a bridge. I can give you directions to a good high one.”
Doln reached over and smacked Finth across the back of the head.
