My friend and I rode hand in hand, silently for the most part. I wasn’t sure what to say. Freedom from Nu-reeh had been such an overriding goal, I hadn’t stopped to think what problems may lie ahead.


    It never had urred to me that my men would be judged harshly by their peers.


    The air was bitingly cold on my face when light suddenly shone ahead of us. We passed out our narrow passage into arger cave. There appeared to be a t, ckke with arge circr ind in the middle. A series of big camp fires lit the ind and surrounding area. In the dim light I could see small openings all around theke. It was like a hub with spokes running off from it.


    On the beach were several transports like ours. I saw men milling around passing in and out of the light.


    “We lost this bet, Brother,” one of the men on my transportughed. “They beat us.”N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Our transport came to rest next to another and settled down the with a slight crunch on the ground. Men were everywhere. The noisy engine cut off and men approached us talking happily to their friends. Looking to the side, the other transport that had been traveling behind us also came to rest on the beach. I could see the lump that was Fujiying very still.


    Men approached and one leapt onto the other transport to examine my friend.


    “You bound a freed ve? Cousins, what were you thinking!?” the man’s voice asked angry and incredulous.


    Rose and I rushed toward the voice and Fuji. Shey listlessly on the transport as the man pulled off her bindings. The man undoing the ropes cursed our rescuers severely for their ipetence. His hands on Fuji were gentle as he removed the ropes, though. He seemed intent not to harm her.


    “She fought us, Gunth,” the men tried to exin. “She refused toe with us andshed out with…. her tail. We did not want her to hurt herself and we thought if we could just get her here…”


    The man, Gunth, just ignored our rescuers and eased Fuji out of thest of her binding. He was a powerful looking man and slightly graying. Even in this dim light I saw his prominent stripes. The men present all seemed to defer to him.


    The men on the transport continued to talk about how Fuji resisted. They had not meant to hurt her. Obviously Gunth’s opinion was very important to everyone present.


    “Looks terrifying,” the man named Gunth said caustically while picking up Fuji and cradling her, “tiny thing like this and you idiots-”


    The man’s rant was cut short as Fuji screamed and bounded out of his arms. When she wanted to be, Fuji was fast. She moved between the men, intent on the area behind their camp. Rose and I followed and were shocked at what we saw.


    Damien’s family, Basin’s family, and Stayne’s family all sat, bound hand and foot. Fuji got to Stayne’s side and screamed in her nativenguage. That wicked tail whipped around and the sharp tip cut through the bindings on her owners.


    “Release our friends, Fuji,” Stayne growled as he jumped to his feet.


    The men around us gasped in obvious fascination as Fuji’s tail made short work of whatever was holding our men. Rose and I used their confusion to move quickly beside our respective families.


    “Almost nothing can break stike rope,” I heard Thom’s amazed voice say. “The knives we use to cut it are made out of a rack’s w…”


    Damien’s family and Basin’s family rose to their feet and faced the other men. Their shirts were torn and all of them looked bloody. Rose and I were quickly pushed to stand behind them.


    Fuji’s tail whipped furiously around, but one of her owners forced her back behind them. Her tail never stopped moving though.


    “What are you doing with the women?” the man named Gunth demanded to know. “They are not yours to control and I do not like the way I saw you touch them.”


    Damien’s voice sounded furious. “We discussed our difference of opinion earlier and the debate became physical. None of us wish to see our weakest family members involved in a brawl.”


    Gunth made a sound in his throat as did the other men present.


    “Family!” Gunth said angrily. “How exactly do you see things. You take and abuse these small, soft creatures excusing it as ‘family’? You make no sense.”


    “We do not abuse-” Basin started to say and he was cut off.


    Gunth clenched his fist and his teeth grew, “I have lived free my whole life, boy, so don’t mistake me for stupid. I know what you do to ves. Little things can’t shit without your permission. Those women are free now and I don’t like seeing them pushed around. Allow them to stand where they wish. Your ways are not permitted here and they won’t be tolerated.”


    Damien’s voice was low and forceful. “Cousins you have brawled with us once already today. The women would be destroyed if they were caught up in that. Their bones are fragile and their skin is weak. We fear you will fight us again and put these females in danger.”


    Gunth and Damien stared hard at one another for many moments before Gunth’s stature rxed.


    “You battled us because you did not wish your friends there,” Gunth motioned to Stayne’s family, “to be brought with us. It is not a point of discussion. Several of their female breeders are part of the resistance. They will not allow their male offspring to stay at thepound. It will not be safe for the family there. Once you all were taken the women might have demanded answers from them.”


    Fuji made a low whining sound in her throat followed by several soft clicks. I’d never heard her make that noise before. Stayne’s family stiffened and one of the Brothers moved toward her. He spoke to her in a firm voice, but I did not recognize thenguage.


    Fuji made the sound again and her tail increased its tempo behind her.


    Stayne’s brother continued to speak to her and once he was close enough he stroked her spine. The caress and the words seemed to soothe Fuji and the tail slowly receded back into her body.


    Gunth’s attention shifted back to Stayne and I saw his eyes narrow.


    “You and your family go with us, vers, whether you like it or not. The females are free, whether you like it or not. None of these things are points of discussion,” Gunth said forcefully.


    The strange clicks from Fuji started again and the tail whipped out going back and forth. Stayne nced back at her and I saw the silentmunication between him and his Brothers.


    “Give us a moment and make no moves toward us,” Stayne finally said sounding defeated. “Our… girl is upset. The way you speak has upset… her. She would fight you to the death so that we can do as we wish. Any… creature from Batra would do the same. Allow us to calm her.”


    Gunth rxed his posture and so did everyone else. I felt like we were ying arge game of red rover and someone had just called time out. My assumption was that attacking Stayne when he’d said he would be distracted would be dishonorable. At least the sense of honor was consistent.


    Stayne’s family made a circle around Fuji and started to talk softly to her. I’d heard Fuji pray in hernguage once before and what the men did sounded like that. Apparently they could speak whatevernguage it was that Fuji did.


    “Ciara,” Damien said softly and I looked up into his face, “are you well?”


    “Yes, the ride here was strange, but it seems I fared better than you,” I said, touching a cut on his cheek.


    “They expected to battle with us,” Christof said as way of exnation. “They had weapons we had never seen before…”