《Scourge in the east (book one Rise of a Heathen)》


 Prologue

    The seasons may be changing from winter to spring, but, the cold seems as though it has not yet figured that out. I have lived long enough to see thirty-four winters and seen quite a few battles take place, many of which I have seen firsthand, but this is the first time I have felt so at peace before one.


    At first, I felt fear then after I got over my fear it was bloodlust and now I only feel at peace even though I go out to kill others over the rights to some parcel of land for the coming year. It is ironic, that for the tribe to grow and become healthy we must lose some of our young warriors and take the lives of others.


    I ease into the saddle as I wait for the enemy that is to come to meet us, they most likely know they fucked up by coming here and challenging the Dulfar tribe for grazing rights, but it is already too late for both of our tribes. No matter what any one of us feels, this battle must happen after the challenge has been made and accepted by both parties involve, that is just our way. So, now all I can do is sit here in my saddle and wait.


    Someone rode up next to me and I looked over to see the chief upon his prided white mare, that is the most excellent stock in the tribe, truly the Great Being blessed our tribe with such an animal. I bowed my head in respect to the chief, still eyeing his mount with some well-hidden envy, ¡°Chief, how fares the battle preparations?¡± The chief brought his mare to a stop and scanned the horizon. ¡°The young ones are in position and those with some experience, like us, are also right where we should be.¡± The chief spoke in his normal gravelly voice never once turning to me until he was finished speaking. When he scanned over me inspecting every inch of me as if to find fault somewhere, he stopped his scanning at the new wolf pelt I was wearing which was a gift from my eldest son Aridan. ¡°The boy give you that?¡± the chief asked still eyeing the pelt. I nodded, ¡°yes he gave it to me this morning, said he¡¯d been preparing it for this battle.¡± The chief nodded. It was no secret in the tribe that my son Aridan was exceptional when it came to swordplay, riding and archery which was all going to make him a fine warrior one day. It was quite refreshing to know that even the chief was taking some interest in him. ¡°sounds like he will do your house proud in the days to come.¡± He added turning back to scan the horizon waiting on the enemy. I nodded and watched the horizon myself.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The Horn tribe finally arrived around midday. I sat up in my saddle grabbing my bow as I did so, the enemy force was around three quarters of our own force. But being a veteran of quite a few of these battles, I knew that having superior numbers is not always a sure sign of victory. Once they got into my range I nocked an arrow drew back, held my breath for a second, then fired. Sadly, my skills with a bow were not on par with my sword skill so I inevitably missed my first shot but that was normal for me, so it did not faze me. the next arrow however did hit its mark, taking out one of the warriors leading the charge for the horn tribe. The others of my tribe began to loose arrows from their bows as well and we all started to ride out to meet the enemy.


    I was ready to get close so I could use my sword, I really do hate using my bow in a fight. A few of our own were taken out by enemy arrows but the losses were not enough to be a serious issue. It did not take too long for both our forces to collide in a wave of horses, blood and screams. The first horn tribesmen I came face to face with was a boy who could not be much older than Aridan but that did not stop me from running my sword through his neck drenching myself in a spray of blood as I removed my blade. I continued to do pretty much the same until the conclusion of the battle, the only difference was I was drenched in some kid¡¯s blood. The battle was an anticlimactic affair since the horn tribe is a weak tribe and the horn warriors were far too weak to give us Dulfar warriors much trouble.


    After the battle ended I was promoted to great warrior by the chief for having felled so many enemies with my blade. I was also given first pick for a new slave wife. I picked up a young girl named Taban who had only recently come of age. She was a good pick for me, she was pretty enough to look at and was young enough to produce many sons for my house. I took my new slave wife and spoils to the village that now did not have to move locations since we won the battle to keep our grazing spot.


    Upon my return Aridan was outside the yurt teaching his younger brothers swordsmanship or more like teaching them all a lesson to not cross blades with him for real and damn, if his swordsmanship didn¡¯t look good for a boy who had not even left his father¡¯s house yet. I just shook my head and took my new woman to meet the others and above all get myself cleaned up, I hate how human blood sticks, to my skin.

 chapter 1

    I awoke to the sound of moans coming from the inner part of the family yurt. It would appear that my father is breaking in his newest wife. One would think I might be slightly embarrassed by my father¡¯s actions, but I have lived around him long enough to not be bothered by such acts anymore.  My father, Alton, was just elevated to the rank of Great Warrior in our tribe, with this new title came the perks of being allowed to take on one more wife and two more slave wives as is the custom of our people. Father is one of three great warriors in the tribe, so the entire family¡¯s prestige soared after his promotion. Apparently, the couple¡¯s nightly activity was reaching a head as the moans and grunts got louder, and far more labored which became quite annoying. So, I rolled over turning my back to the noise not caring what he was doing, maybe in my younger years the act of mating fascinated me but nowadays it could no longer peak my interests. Turning had brought my face right into my younger sister, Kulan¡¯s face. She was not sleeping as she should be, but instead was staring at me intently with her onyx like eyes. Her face being so close to mine when I turned startled me and caused me to flinch back bringing a smile to Kulan¡¯s young face. ¡°the new one is loud, isn¡¯t she?¡± Kulan whispered softly making it hard for me to hear her over the noise in the background. I regained my composure and stifled a laugh nodding as I did so. She was my only sibling who would not take a jab at me, the few times I left an opening to do so, and I have always liked her the most for that reason, jealousy it would seem could turn brother on brother and I knew that all to well.


    The new wife, Taban, I think her name is, is by far the youngest of father¡¯s wives at the tender age of 16. She had just become an adult and according to the rumor was just starting to look for a husband before our tribe defeated her own tribe over grazing rights, after our victory she was one of the women taken as a slave since she was pretty, and a virgin meaning she could be useful to the tribe¡¯s growing needs. After one look at her, my father fancied the girl and took her as his newest slave wife, she was shorter than most of the take slaves but built well enough to be able to do the work the family needed done and she also looked prime to produce a few more sons for father, which is what all warriors wish for. He brought her back along with the rest of his spoils to be consolidated into the growing family. ¡°It is a great honor,¡± I whispered to Kulan, ¡°to be taken by a great warrior, now all of her offspring will have the chance of becoming warriors and wives instead of just a servant or a slave.¡± Kulan¡¯s eyes sparkled at that last part for she too was the daughter of a slave wife, and with father¡¯s newest promotion in the tribe she can become a wife to someone instead of just a slave wife. I too am pleased with the fact that Kulan can become an actual wife, being my favorite sibling, I doted on her and felt that I should look after her and help her achieve the best that she can.


    Kulan scooted even closer to me as she whispered, ¡°Who will you take with you when you leave fathers house tomorrow?¡± it then once again dawned on me that I have seen my fifteenth winter this past winter, meaning I am now considered a man of the tribe, so according to custom I must leave father¡¯s house and strike out on my own. It was the custom of our people to fight every spring over grazing rights for that next year. The Victor of that fight gets to take two women for every dead enemy warrior so as not to lead to an overpopulation of unclaimed women and the livestock of every killed warrior of the other tribe not including horses, since horses are sacred to each tribe and are not to be bread with another tribe¡¯s stock.  The spoils are all split up among the surviving victorious warriors, but some will be kept separate for those boys coming of age. In the days following the battle those who have newly come of age are given some sheep, goats, and chickens; either from the spoils of war or from their father¡¯s own stock, if they lost the battle for grazing rights or if the father is powerful and can afford to give more. The of age boys were also given servants or slaves, if there were some to spare in their families. Luckily for me my father is powerful in the tribe and has many wives and children, so many in fact that he can give me some of his own children to be part of my new family to help grow my power in the tribe.


    I tried to look as if I was thinking over Kulan¡¯s question even going so far as to put my hand beneath my chin to really get into the perfect thinking form, though I knew the answer to the question long before it had been asked. Kulan most likely knew I was putting up a front, but she tried not to show it on her face as she looked at me expectantly. After pretending a minute or two longer and really trying to show some inner struggle on my face I finally looked down onto Kulan¡¯s face and into her eyes. ¡°of course, I will take our sister Erhi, I can always use someone who can sing well and isn¡¯t scared to help tend the sheep, I also plan on bringing our brother Ulgar, I will need a decent fletcher in the house to keep myself stocked on arrows, and probably brother Erdin to keep the animals safe while I am away.¡± I didn¡¯t mention that the main reason for my choices was the fact that these are the siblings I get along with best. After hearing her siblings¡¯ names and not her own, Kulan had a distraught look written on her face. Soon enough however; the emotions were gone and instead were replaced by a face so void of emotions you would think she had turned to stone right before my eyes. ¡°Oh,¡± she said in an almost inaudible whisper, ¡°Those are all smart choices eldest brother.¡± I nearly broke out into laughter but held it together somehow and continued, ¡°Yes, I have put much thought into my choices and these four will no doubt help me grow my family in the future." At the mention of four people Kulan looked at me in confusion. ¡°Brother you only mentioned three names not four.¡± I finally let my face slip a little and gave her a small grin. ¡°Well of course I didn¡¯t mention your name Kulan,¡± my smile grew even more as I spoke trying desperately to hold back the laughter that was struggling to escape my lips, as I watched her eyes sparkle with every word I said. ¡°You were a given from the start, I could never go start my own family without my favorite sister with me.¡±. As I finished talking Kulan leapt from her bed roll and hugged me through my own blankets while I finally started to laugh quietly as not to wake the others in the Yurt who had not already been woken by father. ¡°Thank you Aridan,¡± she said as she continued her prolonged, over enthusiastic, hug, ¡°I always hoped to go with you to start your own house, I can even help pick your first wife.¡± My cheeks got hot and I blushed at the mention of a wife. No matter what our laws and traditions say about taking wives and starting a family I personally did not feel ready to take a wife of my own it would be a struggle to take care of myself and my own siblings much less adding in someone from another family to take care of as well. Kulan got off me and got into her own bed roll once more. When she saw my darkened cheeks, she giggled which certainly did not help the situation. ¡°Sorry brother,¡± she said not apologetic at all. At least she skipped over the subject that caused my embarrassment. I grunted and rolled over turning my back to Kulan who was still snickering to herself. Thankfully father was done with his nightly activities with the new wife so, not long after getting comfortable mentally and physically I was back asleep just not as soundly this time. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡­


    I awoke as the sun was starting to peak over the black mountains to the east and the light seeped into the yurt through many small gaps that had gone unpatched. As I sat up the rest of my father¡¯s house began to stir and would soon be fully awake. Soon enough this place would be bustling with activity and everyone would be in each other¡¯s way. So, as to avoid the annoyance, I quickly jumped up out of my bedroll and tucked it away in the corner ready to start my morning work with the horses. I started for the entrance when a large hand found itself resting on my shoulder. I looked back and saw my father standing there looking as imposing as ever, yet this time as I looked I noticed I had at some point in time grown taller than him and not just slightly taller no, I was at least a head taller. My father could be considered the biggest man in the tribe and I was now taller than him. I could not help but be impressed with myself and thankful to the Great Being for this gift. Father apparently seeing the smug look on my face scowled which really is not saying too much since he usually had a scowl on his face for one reason or another.  ¡°Come.¡± Is all he said in his deep voice, that would make weaker men shy away, as he stepped out past the tent flap and into the village. I followed father, curious about what he wanted, since he never interrupted anyone¡¯s jobs without a good reason to do so. Once outside the yurt, and after adjusting to the differences in lighting. I could see some of the other villagers going about their morning routines from the young kids to the elders everyone in the village had a purpose and was setting out for that purpose. Father never stopped walking he just kept going heading north out of the village, so I followed him, returning greetings and polite nods as they came my way.


    I noticed father was wearing the wolf skin I had prepared for him this last battle. Pride welled up in my chest that my father and idol liked a gift of mine so much that he chose to keep wearing it. Even if he did not voice how he felt about it I knew now that he liked it. So, the rest of our trek past the last of the yurts and pastured animals, I had a goofy grin plastered on my face.


    ¡­


    Father finally stopped. On a grassy hill, overlooking the village on one side, and a small stream on the other.  As I took in the scene of the village and wildlife, both coming alive as the sun rose and shone its light over all of us on the grasslands. I was so enthralled by the sounds of the insects and animals around the grassland and the running of the water that I almost missed the movement in the corner of my eye. That fast-moving object was my fathers fist, and the path that it was taking was heading straight for my head. Apparently, at some point after stopping he had shed off his clothes, aside from his trousers, and was now hell bent on killing me. Now instead of being awe inspired by the natural world around me I was overtaken by shock and a little fear.


    My reflexes kicked in and I ducked avoiding the blow, coming up with a punch of my own, aiming for my father¡¯s mid-section. Of course, my punch missed, he was not a Great warrior in name only. We both backed off and stared each other down feeling each other out checking for weaknesses and openings of which father had none in my eyes. After what seemed like an eternity of tense silence I ended it by asking, ¡°what the hell are you doing?¡± father smiled, and I relaxed slightly but not completely since his body language showed he was still up for a fight, there was no telling when this psycho would try to kill me again. ¡°I am seeing if you are ready to leave out from under my wing and if you will embarrass me when you do so.¡± He said still never relaxing or showing an opening for an attack. ¡°Happy now?¡± I asked still tense yet hoping he would be and I wouldn¡¯t get my ass kicked. Father shook his head and apparently having the opening he needed he launched a flurry of punches and kicks. I blocked what I could and dodged what I couldn¡¯t, sadly though father was just too fast for me, and I took quite a few punches to my stomach and one nasty blow to my head which left me dazed for a moment; A moment far to long for my father and his experience in a fight. ¡°No son of mine will just sit there and take a one-sided beating,¡± he bellowed as he dove back in to continue his beating. Anger swelled up inside me, an anger I had never felt before in my life. The anger took over and now instead of just blocking and dodging I went on the attack even if it was not as coordinated and well placed as father¡¯s it was better than sitting back and taking it. Thoughts like I am bigger than him, so he can¡¯t just push me around, and I am a man now I am a fighter of the Dulfar tribe. When I thought of the fact that I was now a man and a fighter of the tribe who, would now have to fight and defend it, my anger turned from being hot and untamed to something cold and calculated. Something inside me snapped and instead of my attacks just being erratic and misguided they became faster, stronger, and more sinister in their placement.


    You would think my father would be mad at me for taking crotch shots and landing a few punches all over his body. Instead of anger all I saw was happiness, and a shit eater grin on his face as I peeked after nearly landing a hit on his manhood. It did not take long though for him to end the fight once he got serious with me, his years of experience won over my size and anger and I was left lying on the ground panting heavily with bruises distributed all over my body. Father sat down beside me and put his large, scarred hand on my heaving chest. ¡°Now, I am happy.¡± He said looking out over the village that from this distance looked like an anthill that had its top removed. I noticed his voice had taken a softer tone than normal, but I was in no condition to point that out. I did not feel like moving after that beating, so I just laid there attempting to control my heavy breathing and ignoring the growing pain throughout my body, that was returning now that the adrenaline had worn off.  Father removed his hand, ¡°who are you taking with you?¡± I did not answer immediately not out of disrespect or confusion at his words, no, it was none of that, I just could not get the words out. A minute later I sat up and gazed over the village with father and sighed, ¡°Kulan, Erhi, Ulgar and Erdin unless you have a problem with it father.¡± I said bowing my head to him. If anything after that beating I just took I knew he deserved my respect and I was going to give it to him. Father nodded, ¡°done, they will be waiting for you at your new home with your herd after the ceremony.¡± Father stood up grabbing his clothes and brushing them off and sweeping his shoulder length brown hair over his shoulder as he did so. ¡°You are a man of the tribe now son, you are no longer just my son you are a contributing member of this tribe and will have to defend it when the time arises.¡± His meaning was clear, I may not be his equal in rank but was still a man and no longer a son. I nodded, ¡°yes fat-Alton.¡± For the first time that I can remember he smiled at me. The smile was fleeting however and was soon gone replaced by his signature scowl. ¡°Wash up Aridan, then get some breakfast before the ceremony,¡± He said pointing to the stream before walking off down to the village. I nodded to his back as he left. I watched his back for a second longer before standing up with a pained groan. The fight with Alton marked the end of my living under his wing and the start of my new life and family.

 chapter 2

    After the short and sweet ceremony that officially brought myself and a few others from the tribe into manhood I made the short trip from the center of the village, which was just a circle surrounded on all sides by yurts and animal pens, to my new home which I would be living in from now on until my family grew out of it or until I broke it in some way and needed a new one.


    As father had told me my siblings, turned members of my new house, were waiting for me out by the entrance to my new home. I could not help but smile cheekily at the realization that everything before me from the four teens standing out front, to the animals penned out behind the yurt were all mine. ¡°Happy?¡± Kulan asked with a soft smile on her delicate young face. The other three who were staggered behind her began to smile as well. For them as much as for me, this was a big part of their lives, something that would define who and what we all would become. The scary thing is, their futures now rested in the palms of my hands. ¡°I can¡¯t help but be happy with being the lord of my own house and destiny,¡± I said shaking the grin from my face. ¡°So,¡± Kulan asked shuffling from foot to foot ¡°If it is not too bold of me to ask, what are our current plans for the future¡± I was caught completely off guard and left speechless by her sudden question. I did not find it as being disrespectful that my sister and new servant would ask me about my plans for our future. Instead I was speechless because I had honestly not thought about the future beyond becoming a man and who I would take with me when I left fathers house. I thought for several long seconds while all of us were standing out in front of my new yurt it was on the verge of becoming awkward, so Kulan seeing that we had stood out front for to long motioned to the entrance and we all stepped inside, me being first and my siblings following close behind.


    Inside there was a fire already going in the center of the single room I am glad my siblings were smart enough to already have a fire going so that the room was comfortable rather than being cold and dark aside from the light let in through the ceiling. Now with the light and warmth coming from the fire the yurt was quite cozy and welcoming.


    ...


    We all sat around the fire on cushions made of straw that had been laid out beforehand. My seat was placed on a small pedestal since the head of the house is not to be on the same level as those beneath him. After we were all comfortably seated Kulan once again asked about our plans but this time she was more specific with her query. ¡°Will we follow father¡¯s house or be more independent and forge our own path?¡± she asked smiling nervously, once again worried that she might offend me in some way, and once again I was not offended in the slightest instead I was thankful she had given me some direction in her question so that instead of thinking aimlessly I had some place to start with. After a few more seconds of thinking I had come up with a plan.


    I coughed into my hand to clear my throat and got ready to discuss with my siblings the direction that I wish to lead us in the future. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about offending me Kulan or anyone of you for that matter.¡± I cut my words off for a second, so I could scan my siblings faces and gauge where their heads were at, they all relaxed in their seats at my words but Kulan audibly sighed in relief since she was the one to actually speak up and voice her thoughts. I almost laughed breaking the serious atmosphere in the room, but I held myself back and continued speaking. ¡°I would like to strike out on my own and have more freedom in what I do but with that freedom there is an added risk, a risk that I am not so eager to take.¡± I once again paused and scanned the room; my siblings were all nodding in agreement. Seeing them all agree with my words I sat up a little straighter so that I looked even more in command and more confident in what I was saying. ¡°So,¡± I continued, ¡°I will go speak to Alton while you all prepare supper for us. I will talk to him about his plans so that we can plan our next move and where we should settle down for the next few months.¡± Our tribe has lived in this location for many years, meaning all the best grazing spots have been found and these places are all first come first serve so we will need to head out early tomorrow to claim our families spot.


    You can stay in the village with the chief and his family, including some of his branch families, but the land around the village is not as good for grazing since it has been settled continuously for so long and the chief tends to take up any decent spot he can find that is left. Because of this, most families tend to leave and settle down in other pieces of our hard-won land except for those who are to small to properly protect their own, like myself, but Alton is very powerful and can afford to lend his support, so I will lean on him for the time being. Kulan nodded, ¡°Yes brother that sounds like a fine plan.¡± I feel like Kulan was just petting my ego, but I did not want to bring it up at the moment and just ignored it.


    ...


    I was lost in thought, staring into the fire, when I heard Erhi¡¯s soft, melodic voice speak for the first time this night grabbing my attention that was swiftly being captured by the crackling flames, ¡°Head over to father¡¯s brother and we will take care of the animals and prepare supper for when you return.¡± Ulgar and Erdin nodded at the mention of animals while Kulan at the mention of supper. I knew my brothers could handle the animals since I had been working Alton¡¯s animals alongside them for many winters, but to my knowledge I had never had my sisters cooking. I would just have to see how things go but if they were taught by Alton¡¯s many wives all would be fine.


    So, snapping back to reality and getting back on track, I stood from my raised seat and headed outside and over to Alton¡¯s place to get a plan together. When I made it to Alton¡¯s yurt, two of my younger brothers were practicing their archery outside, it could use some work but at least they were putting in the effort to improve. I motioned to Bataar to come over to me. Bataar set his bow down and came my way if not grudgingly. ¡°yes brother?¡± he asked. ¡°is Alton inside?¡± I asked pointing to the yurt. Bataar looked to where I was pointing and nodded, ¡°Yes he is inside going over tomorrows schedule.¡± ¡°Thanks, Bataar,¡± I said, ¡°Remind me and at some point, I will give you some pointers in archery.¡± I was being genuine with my offer, but Bataar, being one of my many siblings who had a distaste for me, just scowled and went back to his archery practice. Looking at it now it looked like absolute shit and he really could use some help, but I will be damned if he gets that help from me. ignoring my younger brother, I headed into the yurt.       Upon walking in, Alton was sitting in his commanding seat that looked over everyone in his home while Taban sat in his lap back turned to me as I entered. His seat was raised higher than mine in my own home which made me slightly jealous. When Alton saw me walk in he smiled and motioned me over to his side pushing Taban aside and shooing her into the back where I assumed his other wives were preparing supper for the rest of the house.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    My father¡¯s actions are the main cause of my siblings¡¯ jealousy, seeing how those siblings who were in the room when I entered gave me a menacing look before following Taban¡¯s example and leaving the room so that only me and Alton remained. When I was born the sun went completely black plunging the world into darkness the elderly thought it was the end times before the sun came back out and shone down on earth once again. After the event it was then decided that it was a blessing from the Great Being after everyone realized the world was not ending of course. The elders of my tribe saw this as a sign that the Great Being favored me in particular and that I would grow to do remarkable things in my lifetime. My father was overjoyed by such a thought and gave me more attention while I was growing up, teaching me all he knew, such attention that my other siblings never knew, which led to their jealousy.


    Other than the days earlier beating at Alton¡¯s hands he had never once raised his fist to me in the past so that had led to the overall shock of the earlier events, but I assume in his own way he was still showing his favoritism towards me even if it was a little messed up. Very few adults around the tribe could say that they sparred with Alton since his rise to manhood all those years ago. So, you could say I am quite lucky to have fought him, even if it was a one-sided beating.


    Once seated by Alton¡¯s side, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders in a friendly manner that showed that I was not his son, but I was a respected friend Alton is both confirming to myself and him that I am now an adult and should be treated as such through his actions. ¡°So, Aridan,¡± he said, still smiling, ¡°what brings you into my home? I would¡¯ve thought you would want to be getting your own house in order at this time.¡± I nodded back to him, ¡°indeed I am trying to get my household in order that is what has brought me here this evening.¡± If my father was going to start talking to me as a fellow man than I would throw away old habits and do the same. Alton thought over my words for a second before replying with an amused look on his face. ¡°So, Aridan you are humble enough to admit you are not yet strong enough to go settle on your own and are here to ask me for help, is that it?¡± Alton was quick on the uptake as usual, so he already knew my purpose in coming here just from my initial words. I nodded my head to Alton to show that he was correct in his assumption. Alton burst into laughter going so far to slap his knee in jubilation. I just sat there with an awkward smile on my face not quite sure what I should be doing as he continued to laugh boisterously for an extended period.       After a minute or so, he was still laughing without a break, I began to worry that I had done something wrong and that Alton was making fun of me in some way. He must have seen the unease on my face because soon after I began to worry that I was being made fun of, Alton began to reign in his laughter eventually stopping altogether as if it had never happened in the first place. ¡°I am quite pleased that you would ask me for help in your time of need Aridan,¡± Alton said clearly trying to ease my mind, ¡°a smart man goes to others for help when it is needed, while a fool rushes into the pray taking no heed to any council. I only wish I had been smart enough in my youth to do what you are doing now Aridan.¡± Relief washed over me at Alton¡¯s words, it was refreshing to know that my father, the man I thought the world of, thought I was doing the right thing because I had honestly worried that I was heading for disaster. But, now after his words I can sleep easy with my choices. Putting his arms back around my shoulder Alton continued speaking, ¡°Of course you and your household are more than welcome to follow me this summer, but you will need to grow in strength so that you can become independent in the future and not always rely on my resources and power.¡± He had a point and I too want to become independent more than anything, I would go off on my own right now if I did not worry for mine and the safety of those around me. ¡°Thank you, Alton, for the offer,¡± I said bowing my head in his direction which was awkward with his arm still draped over my shoulder, ¡°I will gladly accept, and it is also my plan to consolidate my holdings and move out on my own when I feel that I have the power to provide for and protect my household.¡±


    Alton began to laugh again just not as loud as last time. He removed his arm from my shoulder and sat up straighter taking on a more regal pose as I had tried to do earlier in my own home. Though he looked far more confident than I imagine I looked doing it. ¡°Good I am glad that we see eye to eye on this,¡± he said looking down on me after adopting his new position, ¡°We will leave early in the morning and head over to our normal spot, you need to get home and get ready so that you don¡¯t hold us back tomorrow.¡±


    I bowed my head to Alton once more standing up to leave before he held up his hand to stop me. sitting back down I waited for what he had to say. Whatever it was he wanted to say was a touchy subject since he opened his mouth and hesitated multiple times before finally getting around to say it. ¡°this may not be my place Aridan but as your father and mentor I need to know,¡± He sighed pausing once more choosing his next words carefully, ¡°Have you even thought about taking a wife yet because if you haven¡¯t that is as good a place as any when wanting to increase your overall strength.¡± First Kulan and now Alton why is everybody so concerned about my relationship status. Before now nobody seemed to care when I took my first wife or even if I would take one but now it seems to be on everyone¡¯s mind. I hesitated for a moment before answering thinking about lying before just deciding to tell the truth. ¡°No, in all honesty I haven¡¯t taken much time thinking about a wife right now I just want to focus on getting settled down then taking things from there.¡± Alton nodded as if expecting my answer. ¡°Kulan told me as much,¡± He said with a sigh, ¡°I am not rushing you, but it is a thought and you may be right it might be better to wait until we settle down before giving it much more thought, but this is something that needs to be done, you will need heirs and the more the better.¡± I know Alton is right, but it is just something a kid does not want to worry about. After that it seemed Alton was done with me, so once again I bowed my head in his direction and stood up to leave, this time however he did not stop me, and I was allowed to leave his yurt without another word.


    I walked back over to my own yurt to tell the others my plan and to get some food. After supper we all worked on getting the house and animals ready to travel. We worked well into the night and it was completely dark before I got back inside and could finally sleep. Tomorrow would come with new hardships and challenges but that was work for tomorrow while right now I just needed some sleep.

 chapter 3

    My sleep was interrupted by the screams of animals. It was particularly the high pitch scream of sheep in distress accompanied by the flustered neighing of horses which awoke me. The location of the ruckus was out behind my yurt to be more precise it was coming from my new pens. I jumped awake in a start, throwing the blankets that were covering me off to the side, grabbing my sword, that I always had close at hand, by its dark leather scabbard and bolting to the door in one smooth motion that would impress anyone watching.


    Once outside I headed around my circular home towards the pens that were out back. The pens were not directly behind the yurt but a good distance away to keep the smell of the shit and natural stench of the beasts from annoying those of us on the inside of the home, I had to run forty yards or so to get to the first set of pens that now belonged to me. I was not the only one who was awoken by the distressed screams of the animal¡¯s, others were starting to gather outside their yurts and a few were even heading over to check their animals same as I.


    I finally made it to my pens and what I saw shocked and crushed my soul all in one swift move, like a scythe slicing through dead grass. The first thing that I saw was MY horse lying on the ground unmoving with four arrows sticking out of its side, then there were the sheep and goats, at least a dozen were scattered around dead, their throats being slit, they were all now eternally resting in massive dark pools of their own blood. I had killed animals in the past, I had killed dangerous animals such as wolves to protect our herds, I had killed rabbits, sheep, goats, and dulfar to be eaten, I had even killed horses that had grown to old or had broken a leg and could no longer function properly, but never in my life had I seen such a useless waste of life.


    Once the shock had abated I was consumed by a burning rage that was swiftly overtaking me, I usually try to control my anger so that I do not do something I would later regret but not this time, no, this time, I let the anger rage through my body like an unstoppable force of nature and I let it take control of me for once. This was not just anyone¡¯s animals that had been so pointlessly killed, these were my animals, they were all my property to be done with as I pleased and now they were taken from me. I had owned all these creatures for less than a day and now they were already dead at someone else¡¯s hands and I had no say in the matter.


    I scanned the area for the culprits and I saw three dark figures standing on the far end of my pens holding bows and daggers in their hands. I could not get a good look at their faces since it was so dark, but what I could tell was that they were laughing at me and at what they had just done. I could not stand there and watch them do that, so I darted in their direction, two of the assailants, the two smarter ones apparently, started to run as soon as I did, the other however; hesitated and got a late start. That hesitation was all I needed, I was able to run him down with relative ease.


    Once I was in striking distance I removed my sword from its scabbard and slashed out at the person¡¯s defenseless back. I connected and was rewarded with a high-pitched scream and a fresh spray of hot blood that coated the tip of my blade and the hand holding it. It was not a serious wound but it was deep enough to draw a decent amount of blood and cause some serious pain. The hit from my blade tossed the killer onto the ground where I proceeded to stop running and throw my knee into the fresh wound while pulling his head up by his hair so that he had to arch back and strain in order to look up and see me. ¡°Who are you, and where are the others going,¡± I growled looking down at the human trash before me. the boy, for it was a boy younger than me I noticed as I looked into his pale and trembling face, looked into my eyes in fear but did not say a word he just shook his head dumbfounded. Either he did not know where they went, or he did not want to tell me, either way it did not matter, I already knew what I was going to do with the one I had caught. I removed my knee from his back which was followed by a shuddering breath let out by my prisoner as the pressure was removed from the wound. The relief I gave him did not last long as I stood up hand still full of his shoulder length hair, I dragged him back to the village and towards the center, no one would be sleeping tonight not before I get done with him. I would be sure to cause a scene.


    This boy probably thought he would not get caught and even on the off chance he was, that I would not be able to touch him for fear of stirring up trouble with his family but that was a severe mistake on his part. I do not give a fuck who your family is, if you mess with me I will get my revenge regardless even if you are the chief himself. I needed to stand up for myself and my new house. I needed to show the entire tribe that I was not someone to be taken lightly in order to prevent this type of attack from happening again. From this night onwards, everyone around would know just what I could do when truly pissed off.


    I dragged the boy into the center of the village which was surrounded by the chief and his family¡¯s residences. Once there I threw him face first into the mud getting a good look at the wound on his back that I had caused earlier. It was fairly deep and still oozing blood, looks more brutal than it had when I first looked, I could even see some flesh hanging off of the wound but sadly it was not life threatening. I found a piece of wood about three feet long that looked like it would make a good stake if formed properly. I used my sword to sharpen one end of the soon to be stake while the boy was scrambling trying to get to his feet. Once I was pleased with my work I kicked the boy back to the ground and was rewarded with a satisfying squeal from the boy¡¯s mouth. The squeal brought a smile to my face as I looked around the village center. A crowd was beginning to amass, which was good for me and the demonstration that was about to ensue. I looked back down at my prey and saw that he was propping himself with his hand that he held off to his side. My smile grew to span from one ear to the other he really was making this easy for me. Without warning I drove my newly made stake down into his hand pinning it into the ground which brought a shriek of pain and terror from the boy. I can assume this was something he never expected to happen to him with the look of terror that was plastered onto his face.


    Once the boy had stopped screaming the entire village had grown eerily silent none of the on lookers daring to say a word, either out of shock, terror, or both it was not everyday you saw a preteen boy have a wooden stake driven into his hand. I leaned in close to the boy bringing my mouth up to his ear so only he could hear what I was about to say. ¡°No one and nothing but your words from here on out can save you,¡± I whispered with venom in my words making sure the point got across, ¡°So, I advise you to be honest with me from now on.¡± The boy shuddered and nodded. It would appear he understood exactly what I was saying and hopefully he would be quite forthcoming in his answers from this point onwards. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I leaned back taking a commanding stance over the cowering boy who refused to even look up at me in a submissive manner. I smiled at his stance and began my questioning. ¡°Who are you three, and why did you attack my animal¡¯s?¡±At the mention of the boy¡¯s crimes the amassed crowd gasped in unison. It was a terrible crime to attack one of your tribesmen¡¯s livestock, a crime that was punishable by servitude and even death in some cases depending on the severity of the attack and if the offended showed mercy or not. I did not intend to kill the boy, only scare him and get what is owed to me from his father, but the boy did not know this and had apparently just realized how severe his latest actions were because he began to shake uncontrollably, and from the smell he had even pissed himself. A few seconds had passed, and I still had not received an answer, so I began to grow more and more irritated the more time passed without him answering my questions. I took a step closer so that when the boy looked up, if he looked up, all he would be able to see was the empty scabbard at my waist.  ¡°I will not ask again,¡± I growled in impatience. He shuddered more violently than ever nodding his head in affirmation. He either knew what I would do to him if he did not answer me or he was making wild guesses which scared him into submission either way was fine with me since I got my way regardless. ¡°I-It was Bataar,¡± he said shaking with every word, ¡°Bataar made us do it.¡± Damn, my own little brother attacked me, that little shit, I thought while scanning around the amassed people looking for Bataar and or Alton, but I found neither, so l looked down at the kid cowering before me shaking and gripping his wounded hand. It would seem that the new wound I caused on his hand had made him forget about the gash on his back. ¡°What is your name and who was the other attacker in your group?¡± I asked kicking the boy in the side eliciting a whimper as I did so. ¡°I-I am Khenbish, a nobody so please let me go I beg of you,¡± the pleading coming from Khenibish pissed me off even more, so I rewarded him with a hard kick to his side which was accompanied a satisfying crunch beneath my foot, I might have broken a rib or two. Because he was now gasping for air. ¡°I asked for the other attacker¡¯s name now tell me who it was,¡± I yelled getting more and more agitated the longer Khenbish stalled.


    I could not say anything else or even get a response however because behind me from the group that now surpassed two hundred individuals came an irate voice screaming, ¡°Khenbish, is that my son Khenbish over there.¡± I turned to look at the owner of the voice and saw a large shadow detach itself from the onlookers and barrel is way towards me and Khenbish. I stepped back behind Khenbish putting the kneeling boy before me and the angered man who I would assume to be his father. The man stopped just before he got to Khenbish and looked him over I assume he was making sure that it was in fact his son. Apparently, it was his son because the man¡¯s breaths suddenly got more labored and I noticed him clenching his fists in apparent anger. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± he asked in a whisper that was almost to low for me to catch. If he thought he could scare me and get me to back down because he was larger than me and a seasoned fighter in the tribe then he was dead wrong, my father was Alton and he trained me personally, this man before me who I recognized as being a warrior named Muunokhoi could not come close to scaring me and I would show him that truth. I placed my foot onto Khenbish¡¯s back and leaned on my knee bringing my face closer to Muunokhoi with a cocky smile on my face, ¡°This trash beneath me attacked my animals tonight killing my horse and some other livestock and I demand compensation.¡±


    My actions and words infuriated Muunokhoi even more. He pointed his finger into my face and screamed, ¡°You little shit, you think you can do this to me and my house and get away with it? I will have your head for this.¡± I had him right where I wanted him, he was enraged and fuming just like I needed him to be in order to dig his own grave. I leaned back and looked at Muunokhoi condescendingly. ¡°Your son Khenbish attacked my house tonight killing several of my animals,¡± I spoke just loud enough so that the crowd around us could hear me and take my words to heart, ¡°And you, Muunokhoi a warrior of our Dulfar tribe are saying that I cannot have my compensation for this cowardly act but instead you threaten to kill me, do you not respect the old ways and traditions of our people?¡± At my words Muunokhoi went silent in realization, while murmurs began to pick up in full force among the crowd. This was the affect I wanted my words to have, and it was definitely working to my advantage. For the sake of face, Muunokhoi would have to give me compensation for his son¡¯s actions or risk being ostracized by the tribe for not respecting the traditions of our people. ¡°Now I am a reasonable man and do not wish to kill Khenbish for he is still young and learning, but I do need to know who all was involved and to receive some animals from you of my choosing in order to replace those of mine that were killed tonight by your son and his accomplices.¡± I said adopting a magnanimous pose and tone of voice still making sure the crowd could hear my every word. If they were on the fence before my last words sealed the deal and I had now officially gotten the crowd on my side, I showed them that I was not a bloodthirsty brute who was out to kill some kid and that I would let him off with only the names of all the attackers, and the livestock to replace my dead, this showed I was a merciful man. As long as they forgot what I did to his hand with the stake I would be ok. Muunokhoi was essentially trapped as he could only accept my terms because if he did not he would go against tradition and would be seen as petty after I had given such lenient terms to him and his boy.


    Losing livestock was hard on anyone but losing a son was worse for those not as strong as my father and the other great warriors so he could only accept and give up a horse, some goats and sheep or risk losing a son which was a much more valuable resource for smaller houses like his. Muunokhoi let his head sag as he sighed, ¡°Tell him Khenbish.¡± Khenbish finally looked up from his wounded hand and at his father but there was no relief to be seen there in his eyes since he knew that even if he was not going to be punished by my hands he would still receive a punishment by his father¡¯s. I almost felt pity for Khenbish but then I remembered the sight of my dead horse with the arrows sticking out of his body and that little bit of pity was washed away by more anger that I had to fight to hold back so that I did not lash out and kill the boy now that I said I would spare him. ¡°I-it was me, Baatar and Khubilai, who attacked fighter Aridan¡¯s livestock tonight.¡± Khenbish said turning his eyes from his father back down to the ground. The entire crowd gasped when Khenbish mentioned Kubilai¡¯s name as did I and Muunokhoi. Kubilai was not just anyone¡¯s son no, he was one of the chief¡¯s sons. Holy shit, I thought, this is bad. Just as I was thinking that I was in some deep trouble the crowd parted as both the chief and Alton walked over towards me side by side.


    I wanted to back down and just say all was forgiven but my pride would not let me, so I had to act tough until the very end, like I did with Muunokhoi. I just hope it goes as well with Alton and the chief as it did with Muunokhoi.

 chapter 4

    As father and the chief neared, many things raced through my mind. Things such as fleeing, tossing aside my pride and letting everything go and just laying low for a while. I wanted to do both things so badly that I had even unknowingly taken a small step back opening my stance up ever so slightly. I however did not completely follow through with either of those thoughts because my pride could not be overcome so easily.


    I was taught since very young to be prideful and to never back down from a fight, that my pride is a banner that I should show everywhere I went. So here I was, possibly about to go head to head with the very man who had taught me everything about being a man. You might think that would scare me, but instead of scaring me, the thought exhilarated me, and pushed me to be rasher and stand out even more so that I can show my father his teachings in action right before his eyes. Alton and the chief both stopped some ten feet before me. I released a breath I did not  know I was even holding in, and relaxed loosening some of the tension built up in my shoulders. I noticed that my stance had opened, so I corrected myself preparing for the final showdown. Pleased with my stance and newfound calmness I gave them both the fiercest smile I could muster. The chief flinched slightly, so slight in fact that I am sure we are the only two who noticed it at all. Alton on the other hand gave a pleased smirk and folded his arms. ¡°Where are your boys?¡± I asked still smiling fiercely. Alton grunted while the chief¡¯s face grew red in his apparent anger. ¡°Who do you think you are to demand for my son to be here?¡±  the chief exclaimed spittle spewing with his words. Well it seems that the chief is pissed, there is no avoiding confrontation at this point and my chance to back down had already passed so all I could do was go forward and hope for the best.


    ¡°Well chief, your son Kubilai along with Alton¡¯s son Bataar and Muunokhoi¡¯s son Khenbish attacked my animal pens tonight, killing my horse and several goats and sheep.¡± I paused to let the words resonate with the crowd once more thinking that the crowd needed to stay on my side if I was going to get out of this situation with my head still attached to my shoulders. ¡°Now you and I both know chief, that this is a serious crime and I demand payment for my lost property.¡± Demanding for payment from the chief and his son so early on in the conversation might not have been the wisest move since all it seemed to do was anger him even more and turn his face an even darker shade of red. Well nothing I can do about it now what is said is said, and I just had to move on. Before the chief could speak, or rather yell, at me again for my impudence or whatnot, Alton decided to interject and put his thoughts out there. ¡°Yes, the attacking of a fellow tribesmen¡¯s stock is a serious crime and I assume you bring some form of proof with this severe accusation.¡± Alton spoke in a calm and calculated manner a polar opposite of the chief, Alton would always be my toughest opponent whereas the chief and others in the tribe would, in their anger just use violence to get their point across. Alton would be far calmer and logical in his actions, and that would always make him dangerous. ¡®The calm ones are always tough opponents since you never know what they are thinking behind their masks¡¯ He told me in one of our training sessions. So, to match Alton I too had to be calm and collected regardless of how the chief acted and how scared I was. ¡°Of course, I have proof or else I wouldn¡¯t be here,¡± I said crossing my arms in exaggerated exasperation. ¡°There is my dead livestock for starters and then the attacker I caught.¡± I pointed to Khenbish or at least where he was supposed to be. He was not where I had left him staked into the ground. He had removed the stake and was trying to sneak away by crawling back behind me and away from the four of us including his father who was now standing to the side and behind the chief. It was clear which side of the battle lines he had chosen, he was probably hoping to avoid paying me for damages.


    I grabbed Khenbish by his hair once more and threw him between mine and the chief¡¯s side. I then removed my sword from its scabbard once again, resting the blade on Khenbish¡¯s neck causing him to flinch back attempting to avoid the touch of the cold metal which had already injured him once earlier in the night. I would make sure they all heard his words once more. ¡°Now tell the chief and Great Warrior Alton what you had told me before,¡± I said pressing the sword even more to Khenbish¡¯s neck now on the verge of drawing blood. ¡°I swear before the Great Being and everyone here that if you change your statement you will lose your head here and now and be unable to pass on into the ethereal plains.¡± Khenbish shuddered at my words and Muunokhoi threatened to lunge forward but was held back by the chief who held up his hand to stop him. It was the belief of our people that when you die in honor which meant if you died in battle, in child birth, of old age or just really died a clean death in general without dishonoring your house and tribe you would pass on into the ethereal plains which is where the Great Being and creator of our people resided. There is of course an exception and that was to lose your head as a criminal or lose your head basically in any other way than in battle fighting for your tribe or people. Since your head is the most precious part of your body, if you lose it that is the greatest dishonor and you cannot pass on into the ethereal plains. Now if you were to lose your head in battle then an Elder would have to hold special funeral rights just for you which includes a sacrifice of at least one horse and a pair of a pure goat and sheep.


    So, if I took Khenbish¡¯s head right now he would be dammed to wander the earth forever and never be able to pass on into the ethereal plain, this would be a dishonor not just on Khenbish, but also his entire family. After a minute or two Khenbish had still not spoken so I nudged my sword into his neck even more now drawing some blood and a whimper from Khenbish. ¡°Speak or it comes off.¡± Khenbish shuddered looking up at the chief, Alton and his father for salvation, salvation that would not be coming from them. Even if they wanted to help Khenbish, it was impossible since their hands were tied down by tradition, especially the chief¡¯s. If the chief bucked away from tradition he would risk him, and his entire line being eradicated by an angry mob. Khenbish seeing that no help would be offered to him by his father, Alton, or even the chief, lowered his head in resignation. I smirked behind him, things were not going perfectly for me since I have now made an enemy out of the chief but at least I was making ground and still had my life, both very important things in this situation. ¡°I-it w-was us, w-we did it.¡± I could not help but to cringe at Khenbish¡¯s words since he stuttered so badly, and you could literally hear the fear in his voice.


    No matter how much I wanted to pity the boy I could not, since he did get himself in this mess by attacking my house, and I also needed him and his confession to prove my point to everyone here including the onlookers. ¡°What do you mean ¡®it was us¡¯ what was who?¡± the chief prodded bending at the waist to lean in closer to Khenbish. If he was trying to scare the boy I would have to say that my sword to his neck probably outranked the chief in the level of scariness here. Hell, Khenbish could not even see the chief right now since his face was towards the ground avoiding eye contact with any and everyone here. I cannot blame the boy for his cowardice though, since his entire world has been turned upside down after he attacked my house it would be no surprise if he never mentally recovered from this event.


    Khenbish did not respond to the chief immediately and I do not know if it was because his mind had already broken or if he was trying to phrase his words in a way as to either get the chief on his side or just avoid angering the chief like I had done just moments earlier. Though, I do not think with everything going on around him that he would be putting that much thought into his actions. I really cannot blame him though seeing how having your back slashed with a sword, then a stake driven through your hand, followed by an interrogation from the chief himself could really traumatize just about anyone; especially some boy who had not even seen fifteen winters.


    I grew tired of waiting, so I ever so slightly flicked the edge of my sword¡¯s blade so that it would cause a small cut on Khenbish¡¯s neck and draw even more blood and pain. The small cuts are the ones that always hurt the worst and the flinch I got from Khenbish after I made my cut proved that point. Seconds after cutting his neck again, Khenibish spoke up once more and once again there was fear in his words. ¡°Y-yes sir it w-was me Baatar and K-Kubilai, w-we attacked Aridan t-t-tonight.¡± The chief¡¯s eyes lost all color at Khebish¡¯s words it would seem the chief did not want to believe that his son was involved and now with Khenbish saying right here before him, and everyone once again that Kubilai was in fact involved it would now be a firm belief in the entire tribe that Kubilai had been in on the attack.


    Even if later on it was found that he was innocent, after tonight it would not matter, his reputation was ruined and he would forever be labeled as a butcher for tonight¡¯s attack. Alton however, just grunted at Khenbish¡¯s words almost as if he did not care either way, and knowing him, he probably did not care. Alton turned to the crowd and addressed them in a loud, commanding voice, ¡°Bring the accused forward now, if they are not here then someone go find them.¡± Alton did not even entertain the thought that his orders would not be obeyed. Him being a Great Warrior, his words held much weight among our people not just in the Dulfar tribe, in all the tribes a great warrior was respected no matter where he comes from, so it is the obvious conclusion that his orders were followed without much hesitation.


    The chief got control over himself and straightened back up. He did not have complete control over his emotions however since I saw him fidgeting around with his hands and looking around nervously, I assume he was looking around for his son being brought forward. Several long minutes began to pass by as we waited for Kubilai and Bataar to show up, minutes I spent agonizing over my words and actions up to this point. I never once let my guard down though, even if I had the support of what seemed like most of the tribe, if not the entire tribe, even tradition was on my side, but I could not put it past the chief to do something stupid in his anger. Even if the chief looked nervous now, I knew that deep down he was feeling similar, if not the same amount of anger I was feeling towards what happened to me tonight. There was always that chance that he just snapped and went after me throwing tradition and common sense aside and taking me down with him. My worries turned out to be for not when Bataar and Kubilai were brought forward by a group of warriors. Everything had worked out fine to this point and I had not caused to many problems for myself, but now this would be the true test, I had to act tough and at least threaten to kill the chief¡¯s son. Thinking about threatening the chief¡¯s son, in front of the chief, I realized just how stupid it seemed. But hell, I had made it to this point and by now I just needed to see how far I could take it. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Bataar and Kubilai both walked up and stood by their fathers, but they both received very different reactions. The chief smiled warmly and nodded to his son, it seems that the chief favors Kubilai. Alton on the other hand looked down at Bataar in disdain causing the boy to shy away from him and take a step closer to Kubilai and the chief. If one thing was for certain Alton would not allow this kind of event to happen again at least if he had any say in the matter. ¡°now that they are both here I can give out my punishment and get what is owed to me by the offenders.¡± I said stepping forward no longer caring what Khenbish did since he had served his purpose. ¡°hold on a second,¡± the chief said holding up his hands in protest taking a step forward of his own to match mine. ¡°we are not actually certain if they have done the crime you have accused them of, it is now yours and Khenbish¡¯s word against theirs, and it does not seem right for you to execute them based on words alone.¡± Damn he really was going to take it this rout wasn¡¯t he. I was racking my brain on how to go forward even though I should still have most of the tribe on my side the chief did pose a good point and I could not use outright violence in this situation.


    As I was beginning to lose hope, I received help from a very unlikely place. ¡°Cut it out Karn, you know as well as I and everyone out here right now that they did it, so stop these mind games.¡± Alton said unfolding his arms for the first time since he started standing there in front of me. I was truly shocked that Alton was helping me out, and apparently so was the chief. ¡°we do not need to drag out these proceedings any longer, some of us need to get a move on soon so that we can get settled before nature prevents that from happening.¡± I had almost forgotten that we had to move on in the morning, and also that we had a very small window to do so before the rains started to come in from the north, making it nearly impossible to make a long journey. This rainy season in the spring is precisely why all the tribes fight when we do, so that we can get settled before the rains come in and turn the land to a muddy soup. ¡°very well,¡± the chief sighed in resignation, he and everyone here knew who had attacked my animals even if it was only my word against theirs, but now after Alton¡¯s words, everyone felt a sense of urgency to get this over with so that they can get moving early in the morning; this had already taken enough of their time. This was an unforeseen development, but I would not let it slip by I had to use the momentum Alton had given me. ¡°their lives or my choice of livestock to replace my damaged property,¡± I deadpanned face void of any emotion that might give away my inner turmoil. I really wanted the chief¡¯s prized white mare, no matter the cost in our future relations, so I truly hoped he loved his son more than the horse and gave the horse up to me. I mean what could I really do with a head, not much actually, especially since it was a kid¡¯s head and not some famed warrior¡¯s.   Luckily, the rumors that he truly did love his son Kubilai were true, and without much hesitation he took me up on my offer. ¡°Fine, take the animals and be gone with you, but I warn you, this is not over, and you will regret doing this tonight.¡± The chief¡¯s threat was given in a low voice so that the only people who could hear it were those of us here in the circle and not any of the onlookers. He still had to keep up appearances and had to follow tradition in the eyes of the tribe. ¡°Very merciful chief I thank you for helping me receive my justice and I will be by to pick up my new livestock shortly after I wrap things up here, so I can be ready to leave at first light.¡± I made sure to gush over the chief¡¯s mercy so that the others around would hear and be in agreement with me. I would use the crowd to protect myself as best I can.


    The crowd murmured about the merciful chief and how magnanimous he was as a person. Well they can¡¯t help but be blinded by these pretty words I thought. The chief did not wait around long and after he took my offer he and his son left heading to the chief¡¯s yurt leaving myself, Alton, Bataar and Muunokhoi to remain encircled by the crowd that by this point reached close to three thousand bodies. I looked over to Alton, who was standing completely still and intensely staring me down, as if searching for something that was hidden on my person. ¡°will you do it?¡± he asked in an emotionless voice that left me even more confused as to what he was referring to. ¡°Do what?¡± I asked confused. Alton¡¯s mask broke as he started to laugh loudly, ¡°Kill him of course, will you kill your own brother?¡± the entire village went quiet and all you could hear was Alton¡¯s laughter, which got louder as the rest of us went deathly quiet. He laughed for a solid minute and I realized he was not going to stop anytime soon, so I coughed into my hand to grab his attention. He eyed me but was still chuckling to himself like a man who had gone mad. ¡°Um¡­ yeah of course I¡¯d kill him, even if he is my brother I demand payment for what he has done tonight.¡± I said confused as Alton continued to laugh. I mean he isn¡¯t going to have me kill him it¡¯s his own son after all. I could not be more wrong. Alton stopped laughing almost immediately after I said that I would kill Bataar. ¡°Very well then, take his life as your payment, he lost all value to me as soon as he attacked his own brother, much less a fellow tribesman.¡± Alton¡¯s words were followed by a very high pitch shriek from Bataar, ¡°No father please don¡¯t let this happen to me, I beg you, I will repent and never do it again please.¡± Bataar latched on to Alton¡¯s arm begging with tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.


    The response Alton gave was not a loving or even familial one it was just pure violence something that Alton was known all too well for. He backhanded Bataar so hard that Bataar fell to the ground flat on his ass and in a daze, those tears that were welling up before were now freely falling down his now reddened cheeks. I, and maybe a few of his wives, are the only ones that have not been shown his violence on a regular basis, and I am thankful for that.


    The interaction between Bataar and Alton left me speechless, and my mouth was agape as I watched Bataar hit the ground crying, he knew all hope was lost when Alton struck him. Alton turned to leave and headed home, when he stopped and looked at me over his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t think it wise for you to follow us tomorrow, and I certainly do not advise you to stay here, so I suggest you find your own way from here on out.¡± After that he continued walking and was soon lost in the crowd that was parting to let him through. I gulped down the saliva that was building up in my mouth and looked down at Bataar who was now full on weeping in despair. As I looked at my brother in his pitiful state, coldness filled my body like a wash of cold air that hits you when you step outside on a winter morning. I took a harder grip on my sword and stepped towards my brother. Bataar noticed my advance and began to scoot backwards with his hands and feet while he was still sitting on his ass. I still felt nothing as I looked at this pitiful sight even though it was my brother I was simply advancing on with the sole purpose to kill.


    I soon was upon him since he could not move faster than me while on his ass. I stood over him as he stopped. Looking up at me with terror written on his face. ¡°D-Don¡¯t please¡± he sobbed. I looked at him curiously the scene from my animal pens playing over and over again in the back of my mind. Would he show me mercy if he were in my position or would he show me the same mercy he showed my innocent animals, I wondered and came to the conclusion that no he wouldn¡¯t show me any form of mercy he was always filled with jealousy around me and would strike me down in a heartbeat. I brought my sword up above my head and without any warning a swift motion brought it down onto my brother¡¯s neck removing his head from the rest of his body, in a spray of hot blood that covered my own body. His head rolled away from his body with a look of mute horror on his face. I am sure that if he could have he would have shrieked loud enough to shatter the heavens. I walked over to the head reaching down and picking it up with a bloodied hand. I held my brothers head up over my head and looked to the crowd of my fellow tribesmen. ¡°THIS IS JUSTICE,¡± I bellowed looking as many in the eyes as I could. I then dropped my brothers head and walked away to my yurt, I still had to prepare to leave. As I walked towards the crowd it parted for me the same as it did Alton and the chief.


    I had just killed my first person and that person happened to be my brother and I felt nothing for doing it, I felt the same as if I had just killed an animal. Though I did note that I hated the taste of blood and was busy spitting my brothers blood out of my mouth the whole way to my home. I had a lot to do before I left and not a lot of time to do it.

 chapter 5

    As the sun began to rise me and my family had already packed and begun to move. After executing my brother and taking the chief¡¯s prized horse I decided it was not the wisest decision to stick around any longer than absolutely necessary. We were heading north as fast as possible, my plan was to get to the fringes of our borders, find some good pasture land, a source of water, and set up camp for a while, and let the events of last night fade from people¡¯s minds. I really just needed everything to blow over by next spring when I had to go back to the village, and in order for that to happen I needed to be far away from the rest of the tribe, especially the chief and his lackeys. I knew that most people tended to settle in the southern parts of our territory since it was closer to the Mansurians a country made up of farming villages and people that we traded with regularly. The country Mansuria is located in a very fertile basin and for a long time our people have been friendly and openly traded with one another over the long years, even going so far as to fight alongside each other in times of need. The Mansurians would trade us vegetables, fruits, fish, and even fabrics and other clothing material for goat milk, sheep, horses, wild game, and all manner of hides and pelts. so having territory close to the Manusrians became a coveted thing among our people, and those in our tribe who settled the closest to the black mountains and the Mansurians tended to have a higher status, like my father, that is one of the reasons that I wanted to follow him and settle beside him, but that is all for naught now and I have to move on and forge my own path.


    Doing this was not ideal, however, since I would be a target for raiders who happened to stumble upon me and those who just saw me as an easy target to kill while I was isolated and away from any prying eyes. So that is one reason I wanted to be the first to leave, so that everyone else in the village would be to busy to notice me leave, and in what direction I was heading, so that maybe I would at least avoid some danger. I rode on my new horse in the front of the procession that was made up of my entire house.


    I do have to admit that the hype for this horse was all well founded, she rode so smooth that it felt as if I were floating on air, truly, acquiring her was worth angering the chief and killing my brother. I wanted to be quick and relatively silent when we moved so I rode at the front of the procession while Ulgar brought up the rear with Erdin in the middle while Erhi and Kulan were distributed between my brothers, so we could keep an eye on our surroundings and animals easy enough while still going at a good pace. It was not easy to keep all the sheep and goats in line with this few people however, especially after they had been spooked by the attack last night, but there was nothing else I could do at the moment to change how things were. I just had to move on and see how things turned out and pray to the Great Being that everything would turn out fine.


    I had instructed Kulan to ride between myself and Erdin and to every so often check on things with Ulgar, Erdin, and Erhi and report any problems that came up, to me in the hopes that if anything major occurred I could get moving and fix the problem before it turned into something to large to handle and lose most of my heard in the process. I made it my mission not to lose another animal until I got settled and slaughtered it personally, and I will be dammed if that does not happen. As time passed and the sun steadily rose into the sky banishing the shadows further west, I kept an eye on my surroundings and ears receptive to any and everything. I looked for movement that should not be there, and listened for sounds like the beat of hooves from any direction other than my rear, or the distressed call of sheep. Luckily nothing had happened yet and as I crested a hill I heard hooves from behind and they were getting ever closer. I stopped at the top of the hill and turned my horse to the side looking back on all my belongings. From sheep and goats being herded along by my siblings to horses laden with goods that ranged from cages filled with chickens, to even the yurt that we would be living in, and whatever rations of food Alton had given me when I left his home.


    Kulan came riding up to me and stopped, pulling her horse up next to mine. With the horses so close to each other I got a good chance to compare the two creatures. The first thing that became obvious was that mine was so much bigger, both in height and in girth (Not saying my baby was fat by any means), the second was the bearing of the two animals. Something about mine just felt more in command, as if she held her head higher and dominated the other horse whose head was turned down in submission. The more I noticed about my horse the more I was realizing that it was all worth it in the end. Kulan bowed her head to me as her horse bowed its head to mine. ¡°It¡¯s all going well brother, the horses are following along obediently, the sheep are attempting to keep in line as usual and only a few goats have tried to run off and get themselves killed but we got them back in order, so all is well.¡± This is why I hate goats we just left and they are causing trouble, they just wake up every morning trying to find a way to die I swear, I thought shaking my head before glimpsing back to look over the procession. ¡°Thanks, Kulan and keep up the good work, in a few hours we will take a break so until then just keep me posted on how things are going.¡± After our brief exchange Kulan rode back off towards the procession that was now almost upon me on the crest of the hill. I looked back towards the village which was now just a speck in the distance, before turning back around and heading down the hill.


    ...


    Luckily the trip was relatively uneventful, aside from a few stupid goats attempting to get away, it was a smooth one and we all made it to our destination unharmed, aside from some sore muscles. The spot I decided on was in between two hills with a creek that ran through them from north to south, so it had some natural protection from winds coming in from the east or west. And also because of the creek eroding the hillside the land was sloped in a way that allowed for it to drain naturally which would be needed here very soon when the rains began to set in in earnest. All in all, I was fairly pleased with the location itself, it had everything I needed, some grass for the animals, fresh clean water for all of us and some natural protection from prying eyes, as well as from the elements. We got to the location with a few hours left before the sun set, so we had a small window to get things situated before it became too dark to work, and we would have to sleep out under the stars. I dismounted from my horse, that I had decided to name Batzorig, and nearly collapsed due to the weakness in my legs from riding horseback so long. I stayed up on my shaky legs and slowly started to stretch out my aching body before attempting to walk again. After I was certain I could walk soundly I started towards the area I intended to place my yurt. It was a relatively flat place compared to the rest of the hillside that was pretty sharply sloping downwards. I felt pleased with this spot and noted the rocks in the area that I would have to deal with, so we could build the yurt, before I headed back to my siblings who were now dismounted and rubbing their sore bodies as I had done just minutes earlier. ¡°I say we should settle here,¡± I said looking my siblings over one by one trying to gauge where their heads were at, ¡°this is as good a place as any and I want to be settled before nightfall, any objections?¡± I decided to ask them for help since they were my only lifeline out here and I needed to use any and every resource at my disposal if I was going to survive this year and make it back to the village come next spring. They looked at each other seeing who, or if anyone would speak up. Nobody spoke up so Kulan taking over as their representative spoke for all of them. ¡°We will follow you wherever you go Aridan and this seems like a fine place for us to set up for the time being but,¡± of course there is a but, I sighed. Kulan seemed undisturbed by my actions and just kept going with her thought and I am thankful because even if I seem like I know what I am doing honestly, I am just winging it here. ¡°Are you not worried that we are to far from the rest of the tribe? Aren¡¯t we more vulnerable because of our isolation?¡± Kulan was not technically wrong, we were pretty isolated out here and that could be pretty dangerous but honestly, I feel like we would be in more danger if we were around more of our tribesmen especially since the chief held a grudge against me personally and I honestly don¡¯t know what he is capable of. the tribe might see me as being in the right due to tradition but that does not mean the chief could not sway them to eliminate me if he really wanted to. ¡°You may be right Kulan, but the chief would be more than pleased to see my head brought before him on a spike, so the further we are from him and anyone he can get to kill me, the better.¡± Kulan and the rest of my siblings nodded in understanding, it did not take a genius to understand that being near the chief was dangerous for all of us right now. ¡°And besides,¡± I added, ¡°I doubt anyone saw where we went this morning, so I think we should be pretty safe from the chief for now, my only real worry is raiders, or another tribe stumbling upon us.¡± At the mention of raiders everyone¡¯s body went stiff, that is just how feared these guys are. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Raiders can generally be summed up as horse lords who have either willingly left their tribe or been forced out due to a crime. After they leave their tribe they take up banditry in order to survive, they roam the lands from the black mountains in the east, to the sea of sand in the west, pillaging and killing anyone unlucky enough to be caught in their sights and not be able to defend themselves. They usually kill the men and take the women and animals as their own and head back to wherever it is they came from. Raiders are basically the most hated people around, but still nobody does anything about them because they do a good job of keeping the southerners from expanding into our lands. So, they may be reviled and hated but they serve a purpose in the grand scheme of things out on the plains. Some raiders have even formed their own tribes and joined back into society but that has only happened a handful of times and isn¡¯t really worth mentioning. A small house like mine out here so isolated would be a prime target for such raiders. That is why I did not want to be out her alone, but it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°I know it sucks but this is what we have to do, so just pray to the Great Being that we don¡¯t get caught and any raiders in the area pass us by.¡± Ulgar, Kulan, and Erdin nodded in agreement while Erhi clasped her hands together and closed her eyes in a silent prayer. I didn¡¯t mean to literally stop what you¡¯re doing and pray, I smiled shaking my head. Sometimes things can just go right over Erhi¡¯s head, but that is one of the reasons I brought her with me, she can usually bring a smile to my face even if she doesn¡¯t mean to. I was starting to get lost in my head almost forgetting that I had to get settled before nightfall, so I had to forcibly snap myself out of it. ¡°Alright Ulgar Erdin get the animals situated, Erhi, Kulan, help me set up the yurt.¡± After giving out my instructions I turned around to get started on moving the stones that were in the way and also so that I did not get side tracked by Erhi again. I heard feet scurrying behind me and smiled lewdly, they really have become completely obedient to me, haven¡¯t they? It really is a nice feeling to have others do as you tell them to without a second thought. This is the power my father always taught me about. I could get used to this feeling, I thought. But, instead of sitting there and getting off on control I got to work moving the rocks and stones out of the way of my homesite.


    I got a rough measurement of how much space I thought the yurt would take up then I added some more just to be safe. I took some sticks for starting fires out of its sack and then used those to mark my roughly measured out space. Then after it was all measured out and marked I felt good about it, so I started removing anything that would cause discomfort once the yurt was set up. I started at the center and began working my way out. I got into a rhythm and before I knew it I had a pile of stones and other debris lying to one side and the space I had marked was clear of everything but dirt and grass. I looked at my work pleased and drenched in my own sweat, but I did not let that bother me since it was a job well done. I had decided to keep the stones, thinking they could come of use later. The stones ranged from pebbles to some being as large as my head. I assumed the creek used to be much larger than it is now and that this was part of the riverbed at one time. But, there is the possibility that when it rains heavily that the creek swells up and this is all under water. I just hoped that that wasn¡¯t the case, otherwise this work would be for naught and we would be having to take down and move the yurt in the rain very soon. I pushed the negative thoughts from my head and turned to see what the girls were doing. To my surprise they had already gotten all the household items unpacked and they were just sitting there waiting on me to finish up, so we could put up the yurt. I had not realized how long I was working on clearing out a place, but it was apparently quite a while seeing how Erhi and Kulan had already finished their task and were just sitting around waiting on me. I kind of felt bad that others were having to wait on me to finish up my task, so they could do theirs. ¡°Sorry I took so long,¡± I said nonchalantly as if I hadn¡¯t just held everyone up by taking so long on my task. ¡°No worries brother we¡¯ve only been waiting for about an hour or so,¡± Erhi said with a giggle. My eyes went wide in shock, ¡°An hour?? I¡¯ve been picking shit up for over an hour?¡± I asked in utter shock and embarrassment. ¡°Oh no not an hour,¡± Kulan said with a mischievous smile, ¡°more like two and a half but no worries it was fun sitting here watching you get all sweaty.¡± Kulan tried to wink seductively at me but couldn¡¯t keep her face straight and just started to laugh instead. My mouth opened wide and I was completely speechless I was just going to ignore Kulan and Erhis¡¯s teasing and focus on just how long I had spent picking that shit up. They said I had been working for over two hours but to me it had only felt like half an hour at most. I looked into the sky checking the suns location to gauge how much time I had till sunset and noticed at best I had an hour, but it was probably closer to forty-five minutes. ¡°Damn, we need to get this up and quick,¡± I cursed ignoring my sisters¡¯ amused grins. Even if they were poking fun they still had the sense to follow me and get to work as much as I would hate to have to sleep out under the stars tonight, they would hate it that much more. So, they followed me and started to pick up some hides that would be draped over the walls while I went over to the lattice that had been folded up and tied down with leather straps this morning when we left the village, the girls had laid out all the materials for the yurt already so it was easy to find and get to. I undid the ties and unfolded the lattice extending it to its full length checking it for any damage that it may have received during the journey. There were only some minor issues, like some of the ties coming undone and other simple things that did not take long to repair. Once I was done I drug the wall over to the space I had cleared out and set it upright in the position it was supposed to be in. To my dismay I noticed that the space I had spent all that time clearing out was at least double the size that was required for my yurt. So at least half the time I spent working was just a complete waste. Kulan noticed me standing there with a distant look on my face. She looked at me funny for a second before coming to a realization and laughing out loud. ¡°Aridan don¡¯t worry about it, at least it will look good and it will be real easy to walk around our home with all those pebbles and stones gone.¡± All I could do was nod and go with Kulan¡¯s line of thinking. I did not want to believe I had wasted so much valuable time doing stupid shit. So, I just chocked it up to me trying to make the surroundings of my home look good and kept on working to get the yurt built. After the wall was set up and staked down I got the six wooden poles that would become the roof and placed them around securing them in place with leather straps and a large pole in the center of the yurt that would be removed later. At this time Ulgar and Erdin showed up after having gotten the animals all situated. At this point I welcomed their help even though my intention in the beginning was to finish my end of the work quickly and going over to help them finish their task. But, things do not always work out how you plan. After they showed up, the five of us all worked on putting the hides onto the walls and roof, when that was all done I removed the pole from the center revealing a gap in the roof for smoke to exit. With the extra hands this took no time at all and before the sun had totally set over the horizon we were already inside starting a fire and setting out our bed rolls for the night while eating dried bread that came from the Mansurians and some dried rabbit that I had hunted a few days before the battle with the horn tribe, I dried it specifically for this trip and was thankful that I had. I had things that I should be worrying about and plans that I should be making but for now I just ate my dried bread and rabbit looking around my home. It was a simple and bare home just like the meal I was eating but for some reason I felt complete for the first time in my life and I wasn¡¯t quite sure why.

 chapter 6

    The raining season had started in earnest, not a day went by where it did not rain for at least an hour or two. Even when it wasn¡¯t raining the sky was covered with a blanket of dark clouds that covered the world in gloom. At first, I was worried that the creek by my house would swell up and flood the camp. We had built up around it but luckily that wasn¡¯t the case and we were not flooded out of our home. The water drained away quickly and there was only a little swelling caused by the excessive amounts of water that was falling from the sky.


    Even when there was not a heavy downpour, there was almost always a light drizzle which was even more annoying than the heavy rain. It might be considered lucky when it only lightly drizzled since you could still go out and do some work outside, but it was still annoying when you slowly got soaked with no way to dry out until you went inside. When there was a heavy rain however we generally tended to inside tasks such as mending clothes, churning butter, making repairs to the yurt and preserving the meat we got from hunting or slaughtering a goat or sheep. Luckily today there was only a light drizzle so immediately after eating breakfast which consisted of some dried fish generously coated in some fresh butter, paired with a glass of goats milk, all five of us headed outside to do the tasks that desperately needed doing while the rain was at bay.


    It was still early spring, so the pregnant animals would be having their babies soon if they hadn¡¯t had them already, so the first thing we did was to check for any new additions to our herd, help in birthing if it was needed and sex any of the new additions if there were any. Sadly, none of the animals had given birth so we just checked on their health, making sure they were all accounted for, eating properly and not injured in some way. After that which took a decent amount of time by itself since the herd is so spread out and grazing all around our camp, we all kind of split off to do our own tasks. Ulgar tended to everyone¡¯s equipment such as my sword our knives and our sheers generally anything metal. While Erhi and Kulan went and tended to the fresh pelts we had collected over the past week, checking their condition and deciding how they wanted to use them in the future. I decided to pass this task off on them since I really did not want to deal with it. Erdin still being young pretended to be taking care of a ¡°sick¡± horse but instead was just playing around with it. I knew what he was doing but pretended not to since I did not feel like getting on to him today, deciding that he was still a kid and needed some freedom to play and have fun while he could and that it wouldn¡¯t hurt every once in a while. While they were all doing what ever it was they were doing I went down to the creek carrying two fairly large buckets to draw water so that I could fill up the large collecting bin that is beside the yurt.


    You might wonder why I was drawing water when it is raining so much, and the bin should naturally fill up, but we have been going through a lot of water lately especially the animals, and I just wanted to be sure that we had plenty in case of an emergency. Alton had always told me ¡®always prepare for the worst and you will never be caught off guard,¡¯ this was one of his many lessons that I will begin to practice religiously especially after the attack on my animal pens by my own kin, which did in fact catch me off guard, I never want to repeat that mistake. I walked down to the creek took one of the buckets into both my hands setting the other by my side and placed the one in my hands into the water, the opening out against the current so that it naturally filled the bucket. Once that one was full I did the same with the other. After that I hefted both full buckets over to the collection bin by the yurt and emptied there contents inside the bin. I did this for three trips before the bin was filled to the rim with fresh water. Satisfied with my work I moved on to the next task on my list which was checking my traps that I had set, up and down the creek. I set the snares a decent way away from the yurt as to not accidentally snag one of my own animals mainly a goat since they are so stupid and the only animal I can just about guarantee would get itself stuck in one of my traps.


    I decided to start with the snares that I had placed up stream since there was less and since I hadn¡¯t really explored that side as much as I had the land downstream from my camp. My trek would take around fifteen minutes at a fast pace and I was in no real hurry today, so it would probably take a bit longer. I grabbed an empty sack, my hunting knife that was now sharpened thanks to Ulgar, some dried meet and a filled canteen, just in case. I started walking and got about fifty feet away from the camp before stopping and turning back to look. All my siblings were doing their own things and my animals were scattered all over the hillside grazing around, but generally not straying too far away. The animals knew who took care of their needs, so they tended to stick around even without having fences locking them up. With the exception of a few goats, but that is neither here nor there. I smiled and turned back upstream continuing my trek, I had grown proud of my home and caught myself staring at it with a goofy smile on my face from time to time. The mud and slick rocks made for hard trekking at times, but I steadily made my way to my first snare about twenty minutes in to my trek. sadly, it was empty and there were no new animal tracks in the mud around the snare but I left the snare where it was just in case, we still had plenty of food at camp so I wasn¡¯t to desperate and if I needed to I could always back track and come pick it up after I finished checking all the others. The next snare I checked was about a hundred yards up stream from the last and I had placed it near a burrow I found overlooking the water. This snare had succeeded in catching a rabbit. I walked up to the small creature easily sliding my blade into its neck bleeding it and ensuring it was dead which it apparently already was when I stuck my knife in, but the rabbit hadn¡¯t gone stiff, so I assume it died recently. I held up the dead rabbit by its hind legs for a few minutes making sure I at least got the majority of the blood out of its tiny body but since its heart had already stopped pumping before I drained it, sadly I would be unable to drain all the blood. After I was satisfied with the amount of blood that I got to drain I threw the carcass into my sack and then cleaned my knife with the water in the creek. After my knife was cleaned then dried to prevent rust I put it away in its scabbard in my leather belt then went back to reset the snare hoping to catch something else by the next time I came check it. Afterwards I started walking back up stream to check my next and last snare up this way. Much like the first snare, this one was also empty, but instead of leaving it I gathered it up and continued my trek up stream. This was about as far as I had come since settling here so I decided to explore a little more of the land I was living in and to see if I found a better place to set my snare. After about five more minutes of walking I came to a decent size hill that seemed to be a tad larger than the rest, so I decided to climb it and get a better lay of the land around here.


    I climbed to the top, stopping to take in my surroundings once I got there. There was no breathtaking view once I looked out over the hill, and that left me somewhat disappointed, but the lack of beauty might be due to the dreary gray sky that just gave the entire world a dull dark tint when looking at it. Hills rose and fell wherever I looked some were larger than others while some smaller. The further I looked to the right the larger the hills got while the further left I looked the smaller they got until they would eventually give way to open plains. The creek continued on far into the distance, and from here I could not see its origin so any plan to go and find the origin was out of the window. I needed to head back down stream and check those snares as well as set up the snare I had dismantled and placed in my sack with the rabbit. I looked around for a place to set the snare while I still had the high ground. Off to the west I saw some small shrubs all around the peak of a smaller hill. I noticed this shrub was one that red berries tend to grow on towards the middle/end of spring and those berries would attract animals in varying sizes to come and eat them, and even when it wasn¡¯t bearing fruit the shrubs themselves were good cover for smaller animals. I decided that was as good a place as any to set up my last snare, so I descended from one hill and went up the smaller one to get to the top and set up my snare. Once I was up close to the shrubs I noticed the tracks of many animals such as rabbits, dulfar, foxes and what even looked like a wolf¡¯s tracks. I honestly hope a pack of wolves haven¡¯t claimed this as their territory, I thought looking around nervously. Despite my nerves and the possibility that this could be a wolf¡¯s territory, I set the snare because at this point I had already trespassed and if they really wanted to they could hunt me down from the scent I leave behind. I decided not to really worry about wolves at the moment but to just be conscious of the fact that they could be out here, and that I would need to come up with a plan to deal with them. Stolen novel; please report.


    ...


    I made it back to the yurt and everything was the same as it had been when I had left an hour earlier. Ulgar was still maintaining the equipment, Erdin was playing around with the horses and Erhi and Kulan were both doing the various household chores. I need to reward Erhi and Kulan in some way, I thought passing by, I could not survive out here without those two. I am not saying that Erdin and Ulgar aren¡¯t useful since they very much are but Kulan and Erhi have gone above and beyond my expectations. I walked over to Kulan and took the dead rabbit out of my sack, ¡°here you go,¡± I said handing her the now stiff rabbit. Kulan looked up from her work and smiled. Her smile was bright and cheerful, a clear contrast to the dreary world around her. That smile was infectious and lightened my mood that had gone sour from the weather and even worsened after finding the wolf tracks earlier. I smiled back to Kulan nudging the carcass towards her, ¡°Mind handling this while I check the rest of the traps downstream?¡± She set her work down off to the side and took the rabbit off my hands. ¡°of course, I can master,¡± she said bowing her head to me as she took it. My smile grew to span from one ear to the other after she called me master. She had started calling me master all on her own recently and I cannot say that it does not please me.No in fact it gets me going every time I hear it (At least my sadistic side likes it) and I was starting to think she knew that and that was why she kept doing it. You might think that is weird since she is my sister, but incest wasn¡¯t necessarily forbidden among our people, instead marriages were always decided upon based on power and creating more warriors for the tribe through breeding. So technically there wouldn¡¯t be anything wrong with taking Kulan as a wife even if she is my sister, but there would not be many benefits involved since she is a member of my house and I couldn¡¯t really give myself a gift for the marriage. That is one of the main reasons that incest is generally not practiced, another being that incest is actually pretty damn gross. I was getting sidetracked again and I had a lot to do, so I nodded to Kulan and slung my sack back over my shoulder. ¡°Thanks for your hard work Kulan, I¡¯ll make it up to you guys later.¡± Kulan smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to hold you to it,¡± grabbing her knife from her belt and turning to go skin and butcher the rabbit. That is what I always liked about Kulan, even when she teased she never took it to far and always prioritized her work over her fun.


    I headed back down stream pulling some jerky from my pouch, tearing a piece off in my mouth, and chewing on it slowly as I walked and thought about various things I needed to do if wolves ever came around. I was pretty distracted by my thoughts and walked much slower than usual. This time it took me close to half an hour to reach my first snare. I was in luck, I had caught a small white fox by its hind leg. From afar I noticed that it was lying there completely still but as I approached, it began to struggle trying to get away from me. once it began to struggle I picked up my pace to a slight jog not wanting to go to fast for fear of losing my footing on the slick ground but also wanting to get to my prey quickly, so it couldn¡¯t escape. When I reached the small creature, it began to struggle even more and even started to cry out in alarm. In the past when animals did this I would shy away and cringe but by now I had seen it so many times I was now deaf to the animals panicked squeals and was just zoned in on how to kill it swiftly. I knelt down beside the struggling fox, placing my left hand behind its head forcing its face into the dirt, muffling it¡¯s cries, while my right grabbed my blade from my belt, I swiftly removed my knife and quickly inserted the blade behind its armpit piercing its racing heart and quickly extinguishing its life. The muffled squeals ceased, and I knew that it was now dead. I raised the fox up with my left hand and inspected my kill. It was a decent size and my blade only made a small hole, so the pelt was in relatively good condition and could be traded to the Mansurians for a good price seeing how white fox fur was prized among their wealthier women. Once I was finished inspecting my kill I placed the fox in my sack and replaced the snare that it had been caught in. I checked my last four snares and I had caught two more rabbits in them. I bled both rabbits stuck them in my sack and replaced the snares before deciding to call it a day and headed back to the camp.


    By the time I made it back two hours had already passed since I went to check my snares that were downstream from camp. I handed the two new rabbits off to Erhi and not Kulan again since she was inside the yurt doing something, and I took the white fox over to the side to personally skin and smoke it so that it would be done right, and look as pristine as possible when I traded it. It took me close to two hours to finish skinning it and a lot of frustration but once it was done it looked good and I made minimal mistakes so I was pleased. I began the smoking process, I scraped all the fat and blood off the inside of the pelt that I could with my knife then took the pelt down to the creek and began to soak it, making sure it was clean and free of any residual fat. Once I was finished with that I went up beside the yurt and dug out a small hole in the ground about a foot deep. I started a fire at the bottom of the hole and while I was waiting for the fire to get going well I used the fox brains to brain the inside of the pelt. Once the fire was going nicely I got some green wood that we had in our wood pile and I threw it onto the fire getting it to smoke up nicely. I then placed some wood over the fire in the shape of a teepee then placed some already smoked hides on the sticks making them the walls of my teepee and forcing the smoke up, once this was done I took the raw fox fur that was now brained and placed it over the teepee so that the smoke was funneled through the fox fur and smoked it out well. I let it sit for about two and a half hours before removing it from the smoke. Once removed I inspected my work and was pleased with the result. It wasn¡¯t perfect but was decent enough and could be traded for something nice when I went to a Mansurian village to trade. I took the pelt inside and set it over on the side with the other cured pelts before going back out and checking on the animals. This was pretty much my daily routine aside from some days I went out hunting and others I just stayed around the camp doing maintenance.


    It wasn¡¯t a grand life, but it was mine and I found it to be enjoyable in its own ways. The only thing missing at this point was a wife, and I was starting to regret taking finding one lightly before I left the village.

 chapter 7

    it has now been around a month since we settled out here on the fringes of clan Dulfar¡¯s territory and we have all fallen into our individual routines. This has made life easier out here all alone nestled in the hills. We have only lost a few animals to disease and/or wild animals, but with the recent births that have just about wrapped up at this point, their numbers have been more than replaced. The rains hadn¡¯t come to a complete end yet, but their intensity had gone down a good bit from what it had been at the start of the rainy season. There were now days when the sun would come out, if only for a little while.


    Today however was not one of those days and the earth was shrouded in a dull grey veil. It wasn¡¯t raining at the moment, but the clouds loomed over the earth ominously looking to drop water down upon us at any moment, but by now I had grown used to being soaked, so even if it did begin to rain I wouldn¡¯t be too bothered by it. I decided to go out hunting after I filled the water bin and checked on the sheep, goats, and chickens. I needed to be sure my animals and supply of food was in good shape. It took me four trips to fill up the water bin and around forty minutes to check on all the animals, since they were so spread out over the hills and one of the sheep had managed to hurt itself and had a limp, so I had to doctor it up and watch it for awhile to make sure it was ok and if it needed to be locked up for further observation. Which I had decided that it did not need any more observation and that it would be ok out grazing with the rest of my herd. The herd that was now grazing further and further away from my yurt, something that was beginning to worry me a little bit. what really worried me was that with my limited manpower, if something happened to the herd and it was spread out the way it is now I would be hard pressed to do anything about it. I will need to get some help soon or move on to a new area with fresh grass around my yurt, I thought as I walked over to the yurt to grab my hunting equipment. I passed Erdin on my way, he was running around playing with a stick pretending that the stick was a sword and he was fighting imaginary enemies. Watching him and seeing his innocence and youth as he played with his stick unconsciously brought a smile to my face, I will do all that I can to defend that innocence. It was quite lucky that I caught him on the way home, I could use him to catch and ready Batzorig for my hunt, so I interrupted his games and called him over to my side to walk with me. He walked, or rather skipped, up alongside me, I opened my mouth to reprimand him for his silliness, but he looked so happy right then, that I held my tongue on the matter and just ignored it. ¡°I need you to get Batzorig ready for my hunt, Think you can handle it?¡± I asked shortening my strides as I walked so he could keep pace with me. I watched through the corner of my eye as Erdin¡¯s face lit up as bright as the sun in the morning when it finally crests the mountains in the east. Lately Erdin had grown quite fond of the animals, especially the horses, so when I delegated out tasks to everyone in the mornings I tended to give him tasks that pertained to the animals. ¡°Of course, big brother, leave it to me.¡± before I could even respond to Erdin he had started running full speed off towards the horses. I just shook my head at the site of his small form speeding off so full of energy, he certainly has become useful since I found out what he enjoys. I made it into the yurt where I found Erhi and Kulan drying out some meat, but I did not see Ulgar anywhere and I knew he wasn¡¯t tending to our tools since he had done that fairly recently, I was planning on asking him to go out with me, but he was nowhere to be seen so it didn¡¯t look like that would be happening. I thought about asking Kulan and Erhi to go with me in Ulgar¡¯s stead but quickly decided against it not thinking they would want to come along for a hunt, so I just walked over to where my gear was set up to grab my hunting equipment and be on my way. I picked up my bow, knife, sword and bedroll since I had no intention of getting back before dark I decided I would need something soft to sleep on. I went over towards Kulan and Erhi over where the food was kept, grabbing some meat and hard bread for my hunt. ¡°I am going out and plan to be gone until at least tomorrow morning,¡± I said stuffing some jerky and bread into my saddlebag. ¡°Be safe brother,¡± Erhi said with an innocent smile that matched her delicate features perfectly. ¡°we will be waiting master,¡± Kulan snickered. I just rolled my eyes and stood up tall towering over my two younger siblings. ¡°By the way where is Ulgar I intended to invite him for my hunt,¡± I said changing the subject and ignoring Kulan completely as I directed the question to Erhi. ¡°Oh... uhhh he¡¯s attending to some business,¡± Erhi said turning bright red in embarrassment. At first, I was confused by her demeaner and wondered what was so embarrassing before realizing what was going on. Erhi had very thin skin and was easily embarrassed which was quite odd and funny all at once. It was odd, since our culture didn¡¯t have much shame to begin with, but it was funny to watch her get so flustered over simple things like defecating. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I said stifling a laugh, ¡°Well please tell him that I asked about him when he gets back,¡± I managed to speak without laughing. Kulan on the other hand was bent over laughing gripping her abdomen due to the intensity of her laughter. Kulan¡¯s laughter did not help the situation any and Erhi was growing redder and redder by the second. I placed my hand on Erhi¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to embarrass you Erhi, you need to just ignore it and not let it bother you.¡± I showed a reassuring smile to which she responded with a small almost not smile accompanied by a slight nod. I removed my hand from her shoulder and slung my pack over my own shoulder before turning to Kulan and kicking her in the shin which caused her to yelp. Kulan looked at me in anger as if she were about to say something but seeing the stern look on my face she instead conceded, huffed and looked away avoiding further eye contact with me. I headed for the doorway. When I got there, I turned to the girls again Kulan still avoided eye contact while Erhi was still quite red just slightly better than before. I smiled at them both, ¡°She meant no harm Erhi that is just how she shows her affection.¡± Erhi giggled while I caught what looked like a slight blush on Kulan. I knew that if I stayed in the yurt any longer I would be caught up in more banter and wouldn¡¯t be able to get away until the sun rose the next morning, so I quickly ducked out the door letting the Dulfar hide fall back in place. As the hide fell back blocking the inside world from the outside I could have sworn I heard what sounded like Kulan saying ¡°That idiot.¡± I decided to ignore it and chalk it up to just being my imagination. Ulgar still wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen so I was just going to have to go hunting without him. I wonder what has made him so sick that he would still be gone even after all this time, I thought. I looked around for Erdin and finally spotted him out behind the yurt where he had Batzorig saddled and ready to go while he was petting her. It also seemed like he was feeding Batzorig something. I knew he was feeding her something he wasn¡¯t supposed to be feeding with how quickly he hid his hand after he noticed me walking over his way. Usually I would let Erdin¡¯s antics slide but not when it came to the health and well-being of my prized mount. ¡°Erdin,¡± I demanded as I came to a stop not too far from him, ¡°What are you giving Batzorig? show me now.¡± Erdin looked up at me with fear in his eyes. It hurt me to make Erdin afraid of me, but this matter was a serious one and I needed to be stern with him and set some boundaries. ¡°Erdin,¡± I said getting even closer, now looming over him. Batzorig seemed to want to get between me and Erdin as she poked her head in between us to which I just pushed her aside ignoring her which caused her to snort at me. Erdin looked at me nervously and then to Batzorig as if to ask her for a helping hand. I never took my eyes off him and with my intense gaze boring holes into his soul I was making him more and more uncomfortable to the point he just held up his closed hand that he had been hiding and opened it up for me to see what was hidden inside. He was so scared that he just held it out there and shied away looking at the ground refusing to speak or make eye contact. It was meat, he was attempting to feed my clan¡¯s prized horse meat. ¡°Erdin be honest with me now, have you ever fed Batzorig or any of the other animals¡¯ meat before?¡± my tone hinted at the fact that I was not asking a question but instead outright demanding an honest answer. Erdin didn¡¯t or rather couldn¡¯t speak for fear and instead just shook his head indicating that no he hadn¡¯t. I audibly sighed in relief it would be a disaster and I would have a lot of sick animals on my hands if he had been feeding all of them meat this whole time. Once the shock and anger had washed away I became curious. ¡°Why would you want to feed Batzorig some of our meat?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He shuffled around on his feet nervously steeling glances my way as he did so. I just raised and eyebrow urging him to continue. ¡°I-I like rabbit so I thought Batzorig would too.¡± I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It was hilarious how innocent he was but at the same time that same innocence that I had been letting slide up to this point nearly caused me loads of trouble. Looking at him now I was once again urged to just let him go with a warning, but I knew that would be of no help to me or him seeing how he desperately needed to learn some things. I knew this was all my fault, but I still had to correct him now so he and I both could learn from this experience. ¡°Erdin you can¡¯t feed these animals meat like that do you understand?¡± I asked hands on my hips as I stared down at him, Batzorig still trying to nudge her way in between us. It was nice knowing that she liked Erdin to the point of trying to protect him from me. Erdin nodded in understanding but I was not done just yet. I went over and placed the saddle bags on Batzorig eyeing Erdin while doing so. He relaxed his shoulders thinking that he had avoided all punishment and to an extent he had since if it were his father that he pissed off he would have been lucky to get by with only a beating. Once I was done with the saddle bags I mounted Batzorig and turned her away from Erdin but before riding off I turned my head back to look at Erdin. ¡°You will no longer be allowed to care for the horses you can still handle the goats and sheep, but you cannot touch the horses without my say.¡± Erdin¡¯s little eyes opened wide in shock. I knew the horses, especially Batzorig, were his favorite, but he needed to know there were still consequences when you make a mistake. After speaking I rode off for my hunt leaving Erdin and the camp shrinking behind me in the distance, not because I wanted to avoid talking with Erdin anymore but instead for some dramatic effect after dealing out some punishment. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The wind felt good rushing over me as I rode Batzorig up and down the hills steadily heading further west as I rode. I could start to see the edge of the flatlands as they grew ever closer while I continued with my ride, letting go of everything and losing myself in the liberating sensation of the wind cascading over my body almost as if I were flying through the sky. I couldn¡¯t just lose myself completely however since I did in fact come out here with an actual purpose other than avoiding my responsibilities back at the camp. None of my siblings would say anything to me but I could see it in their faces and their actions that they were growing nervous about our future, and honestly, I can¡¯t really blame them. As it is I am not much of a man, I¡¯m closer to a kid and I have just been thrust out here on my own and expected to do things right. It could be quite frustrating when you sit back and truly think about it. This was the real problem with losing yourself in your thoughts, your mind tends to drift towards unsavory topics.


    I brought Batzorig to a stop and began to scan the horizon getting my mind back on task not really wanting to get to into self-loathing at the moment instead I wanted to do something helpful for everyone and bring back some more meat and fur so that everyone could sleep, if even just a little more soundly at night. I could not really spot anything out on the horizon, and was just about to move on further into the plains when a breeze kicked up from the south and with it came very faint screams that rode on the wind. At first, I thought it was just my mind playing tricks and I hadn¡¯t actually heard screams, but just in case I decided to sit there and listen for a second to see if I heard it again. And sure, enough not long after I had started to listen more intently I heard the screams once again carried on the southern wind. I was worried it was from my camp for a split second until I thought about it and my camp was not to the south it was to the east nestled further in the hills, so it couldn¡¯t be my people and animals in distress, but it was definitely someone else in trouble. Who would be all the way out here, I thought curiously. Many thoughts ran through my mind on who it could be, first I thought of the worst possible case, of it being raiders trying to trick someone into showing themselves and becoming easy prey, or possibly they were even hunting me down personally since I did kind of piss the chief off. But then again it could honestly be someone from my tribe who needed some help and me being a warrior of the tribe, was obligated to help in a situation where my tribesman needed aid. I hesitated for only a split second more before turning Batzorig to the south to investigate the screams and lend my support if need be. I decided that even if it were raiders that Batzorig could outrun them with her unnatural speed, so I rode with a new determination. I pushed Batzoirg harder than I had when I rode out for my hunt but even then, she was still incredibly smooth, and I wasn¡¯t even slightly uncomfortable in the saddle. I was steadily getting closer as every time I heard a scream they seemed to be closer and closer. I noticed that the sounds were coming more towards the southeast rather than due south, so I corrected Batzorig and spurred her on to ride even harder I didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to lend them my aid and get into someone¡¯s good graces, and maybe even gain a new ally in the tribe. Soon enough I spotted black dots way out in the distance that looked possibly like one or two yurts. My view being unobstructed from so far meant that I first spotted the Yurts while I was still a good way away from them, but I could still infer from the yurts that it most likely wasn¡¯t raiders but my tribesman instead. I let out a sigh of relief at this realization then reached for my bow shortly after as I drew closer and could see what was going on. I could see the shapes of humans running around what would appear to be goats and sheep while they were being surrounded by wolves who were running back and forth looking for an opening to attack, sometimes going in as to attack a defenseless sheep just to back off after catching the attention of one of the humans. The wolves are taunting them, I thought as I drew ever closer to the action. The closer I got I realized the screams and yells I had been hearing on the wind were one man who¡¯d I assume to be the head of the house barking out orders to those around him and trying to shoo away the wolves, but to no avail. Wolves are smart creatures and unless they are starving will not attack unless they know they can win with minimal losses. So, this battle had been lost before it even started, no matter how hard the man tried, the wolves would come out on top in the end. The wolves did not see him or those around him as a threat and I really couldn¡¯t blame them. Even from my distance I could see that the defenders, regardless of the man¡¯s efforts, were wildly disorganized leaving large openings for an attack and they were not threatening whatsoever. Through this I could infer that he wasn¡¯t much of a warrior if he even was one at all. Even though I was hastily drawing near kicking up mud and debris in my wake neither the wolves nor the human defenders noticed me which to be quite honest was a good thing. I can come in and dramatically save them, gaining their trust, I smiled to myself as I grabbed a handful of arrows and nocked one. There were over a dozen wolves so I had plenty of prey to choose from. I slowed Batzorig slightly and drew in a deep and long breath as I took aim. I then slowly released that held breath and as my lungs emptied I loosed my first arrow. Before I could even grab another arrow to nock a high-pitched squeal came from one of the wolves as it collapsed to the ground where it struggled for a few seconds before breathing its last.


    The squeal and sudden death of one of the wolves captured everyone¡¯s attention, man and wolf alike turned their gazes to me as I readied another arrow, riding around on Batzorig searching for more prey. Having around a dozen wolves to choose from I quickly found a new target. I took aim, once again steadying myself and readied my shot. Wolves are cunning creatures and the one I was now aiming for caught on to the fact that whatever I was doing was dangerous for it, so it wasn¡¯t just going to sit around and let me kill it. The targeted wolf began to run around erratically making it a hard target to shoot while a few of the other wolves ran over to attack me, trying to catch me off guard. Only a few wolves attacked while the rest kept up their encirclement it would seem they still felt like everything was under control regardless of the fact that one of their brethren now lay dead on the ground. Batzorig was a well-bred warhorse with good instincts so I let her handle the evasion while I killed the wolf that was running around as if it had lost its mind. I was not to keen on letting a target get away even if it posed a challenge. I found a pattern in its movements, focused in on it and then fired my second shot to a location where I felt the wolf would run into my arrow. Which it did but this was not a fatal blow and instead just injured the beast. Not being a cruel man and wanting to put it out of its misery I quickly nocked a third arrow and fired at the wolf again as Batzorig sped past it as it was laying on the ground whimpering in pain. With the second shot the wolf was now dead and all its comrades turned their full attention towards me and were now staring me down ignoring the people and animals they were taunting just moments before. The pursuing wolves had also stopped and they all stood still staring me down. I brought Batzorig to a full stop and turned her to face the rest of the pack and began a staring contest with the beasts. The wolves intuitively knew that I was the only one around here that posed a real threat to them and were now trying to gauge just how much of a threat that I was and if the danger was worth sticking around. We sat there staring each other down for what felt like an eternity. Finally, one of the wolves made a move. It was apparent that this was the alpha of this pack, he had a darker coat and was noticeably larger than the rest. The alpha and I stared each other down. I peered into the creature¡¯s eyes and I found intelligence there, not the normal intelligence you credit to its natural instinct, no I mean REAL intelligence. It was almost like I was looking into another humans¡¯ eyes. I was completely spooked by this and flinched back in shock which drew a snort from the alpha. The wolf¡¯s actions just proved to me that this was a vastly more intelligent creature than I had previously realized and that made it that much more dangerous. I came to the realization that since this wolf had some real intelligence and he could clearly pick up on my basic emotions by watching me I decided to try and convey to him through my eyes the message to just walk away and leave us all be. I did this for a few seconds and then the wolf just snorted again before turning and padding off in the opposite direction away from myself and the people who had been besieged. The rest of the wolves followed their leader and soon became small dots in the distance heading off in the wide-open plains. The wolves leaving was the best outcome possible, because if I had to continue to fight them I am not so sure if I could have won, especially if I killed or wounded the alpha which would kick the rest of the pack into a frenzy. I am confident in my skill, but I doubt I could kill over a dozen wolves at once as they all bore down on me, maybe if they split between me and the others but I highly doubt that would have happened in that situation. I didn¡¯t let my guard down until I was sure the wolves were gone but when they were I sighed in relief and put away my bow and extra arrows turning to the people I had just saved. They were all hugging each other with relieved expressions. They clearly knew the amount of danger they had just been in and it had shaken them greatly. The more I looked at these people I began to realize one very important feat, I have never seen these people before in my life.

 chapter 8

    I quickly took my bow back out, grabbing another arrow, nocking it and aiming at the man who had been giving out the orders. I needed to take out the leader quickly if things turned ugly. I had realized that these people might actually be raiders and I had just showed my hand trying to be the hero. These would be sorry excuses for raiders mind you but still raiders none the less. ¡®Even an injured wolf can kill¡¯ as Alton says. I was not about to let myself get killed by a lack of caution at this point so as I aimed my bow at the leader as I guided Batzorig with my legs to slowly back away. While I was inching back I got a good look at this group, sizing them up, trying to figure the amount of danger I had gotten myself into. Why¡¯d you have to charge in and be the hero, I thought chastising myself. From what I could tell it seemed to be two families since there were only the two yurts visible but by the numbers present neither family was very large. There were only twelve people present and only five of those were male, three looked to be younger than me while the man in charge seemed to be around Alton¡¯s age and the other looked to be slightly older than myself. Neither of the adult men looked to be decent fighters, with the way they held their weapons they seemed to be little to no threat to me or Batzorig. The women ranged in ages from toddlers to being around my mother¡¯s age, but they were all very afraid and I could see some were even visibly shaking. Every time I looked over one of the women they quickly looked away seeming afraid to catch my eyes. From what I could tell so far after just giving them a onceover they were in no way raiders in fact, by their body language and the way they were acting they most likely thought that I was the raider instead.


    I brought Batzorig to a stop and eased tension on my bow bringing it to a half draw. ¡°Who are you and why are you here!¡± I demanded. I was not planning on being nice because in my eyes these people were trespassing on Dulfar lands and as a fighter for the tribe I was not about to let such an offense go by unpunished. The two adult men exchanged nervous looks with each other and the older one with a hint of grey in his hair took charge like I figured he would since I had guessed he was the head of these families. ¡°We are members of the Dulfar tribe just out here settling in our tribal lands letting our animals graze.¡± With every word he grew more and more confident and by the end he was nearly yelling with his chest puffed out. Clearly, they assumed everyone in the tribe would be further south grazing and not be this close to the mountains which was also my thoughts and why I was out here in the middle of nowhere. But aside from him having the same ideas as me I could not let his lies and trespass slide. I fully drew my bow once more causing the wood to creak as it strained to do as I commanded. ¡°Lies,¡± I spat with venom in my words, ¡°I am a warrior for the Dulfar and I have never once seen you. So, I ask again who are you and why are you here?¡± I leaned forward atop Batzorig readying myself to take this man¡¯s life if his answer did not satisfy my demands. In fact, I was running through my head how I would kill everyone here if his answer did not satisfy me. I would start with the men first, probably kill them with my bow. By then the women and children would be fleeing so I would pull out my sword, that luckily, I had remembered to bring, and run them down as quickly as possible before they could flee too far. I¡¯m sure Batzorig would enjoy the sport, she tended to enjoy killing things by stomping on them especially things that I have injured, I had started to notice these habits while out on our hunts. The greying man took a nervous step back nearly tripping over his own feet. ¡°We¡­¡± he said before closing his mouth clearly thinking through what he was going to say next, he apparently knew his and everyone else¡¯s lives depended on his answer. He dropped the bow that he had in his hands and threw his hands in the air the way one would do when signaling their surrender. ¡°We are merely refugees we lost the last battle for grazing rights and the land we got simply could not sustain everyone, so we fled, and we wound up camping here when we were attacked by the wolves, so please sir spare us.¡± After his speech the greying man bowed his head to me followed by everyone else in his company. With everyone bowing their heads to me I felt very proud and accomplished. Maybe riding in like a hero helped after all, I thought smiling internally. I eased tension off the bowstring but not quite yet putting it away, ¡°so then where is it you are wanting to go?¡± I asked genuinely curious. The group all raised their heads and looked around at each other as if they too were genuinely curious as to what they were going to do and where they were going to go. It was quite evident to me that these people were lost with nowhere to go and would not be able to answer my question anytime soon, so I rode Batzorig right up among the group and dismounted. They all looked a little concerned at what I might do and got well out of my way as I moved in among them. I looked around into each of their faces all of them turning their heads not making eye contact with me. only one of them actually caught my eye among the entire group and that was a girl who seemed to be about my age. She quickly turned away when I looked at her but from the glimpse I got she looked fairly pretty. I was tempted to grab her and force her to look into my eyes, but I shrugged the thought off and went back to what I was doing. ¡°Come let¡¯s go talk inside,¡± I said motioning to the larger of the two yurts ahead of me. ¡°it would also be nice if one of the kids would collect the two dead wolves for me while we talked.¡±


    I turned and led the group into their own home. I was making it very clear that I was in control here even if it was their home. You might would think that I was filled with confidence and this was all very easy for me, but you wouldn¡¯t be further from the truth because inside, my stomach was tight due to my nerves and as I walked ahead of the two families I sent up a silent prayer that they would follow and not notice my shaking hands. If it were not for Alton¡¯s harsh training and constant verbal abuse growing up these actions would be impossible but with those ¡°gifts¡± from Alton this entire scene played out naturally and seemed to fool those around me. It probably helped that no one here was any good in a fight. To my relief shortly after entering the larger yurt the two men in the group followed hot on my heels. Maybe my prayer worked, I thought smug grin plastered on my face which thankfully the two men could not see since I was turned away from them. I walked around the yurt and got a good look at the single room. It was very similar to my own yurt just slightly larger. It also had the same interior set up with the grass fiber matts covering the floor and a sectioned off firepit in the middle with a hole in the roof to let the smoke vent out. But I also noticed that the fiber matts were well worn with some having large tears in them also there weren¡¯t many new animal pelts sitting around airing out like there were in my own yurt. Through my observations I could make some guesses as to the quality of this family¡¯s living situation but before I put my thoughts out there I was going to ask one question that would shed further light on the situation. I quickly turned back to the men startling them in the process. I just ignored their reactions acting like I didn¡¯t notice even though deep down I was happy that I was scaring them and even seen as the dominant person while standing in their territory. ¡°how about getting one of your women to cook us some meat while we talk,¡± I said looking closely at their reactions, ¡°Its not good conversing on an empty stomach and I am famished after my ride over here¡± the two men looked at each other questioningly neither giving an answer. Just as I had suspected, it looks like I had rightly inferred that they had fallen on some rough times and probably had no meat to spare if they had any at all. I had guessed this by seeing a lack of pelts meaning bad hunting, and the torn-up floor mats meant the women were working on other things other than house maintenance which was never a good sign; it usually meant the men were failing at their duties to provide. Also, when riding up and in the fight with the wolves, I had noticed they had a small herd of animals for a family of this size. It was almost refreshing to realize that even with all the bad that has happened to me that I was still better off than some. Before they answered me, which didn¡¯t look to be happening anytime soon, I sighed and went and sat in the heads seat. My actions clearly angered the younger man who looked like he was about to speak up, but he was held back by the older man. ¡°be honest,¡± I said getting comfortable in my new seat, ¡°how bad are things out here?¡± the older man sighed walking over and taking a seat to my right, a position usually taken up by the head of the family¡¯s wife or trusted friend. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve guessed, not too good.¡± I nodded eyeing the younger man who was still standing and didn¡¯t look inclined to sit anytime soon. So, I just ignored him and looked at the greying man instead knowing my time was better spent talking to him. ¡°How much longer until you have to start slaughtering the rest of your herd?¡± I asked leaning in even closer to the man. He looked up at the roof of the yurt in thought. After a few seconds he looked back down at me and looked into my eyes for one of the first times since I had met him. In his eyes I could see desperation and fear. According to Alton the combination of desperation and fear could make the most docile of creature more dangerous than the greatest warrior on the plains. Seeing this in his eyes nearly caused me to flinch back but I refrained since I was still keeping up my tough guy act. ¡°A few weeks at most,¡± he sighed still staring at me. I was getting very unsettled under his gaze but I fought to keep my cool. ¡°we have truly found ourselves in a desperate situation, that is why we ended up here in Dulfar lands.¡± I could hear the pain in the man¡¯s voice making it apparent just how bad his situation was. I would say that the people here had even less time than a few weeks before they began slaughtering the rest of their stock which should be reserved for breeding and milking. ¡°well?¡± I asked somewhat unsettled by the days unexpected turn of events. ¡°has hunting totally failed you? I have been hunting and trapping this area for awhile now and the land has produced more than enough for me and mine.¡± to my questioning the younger man answered instead of the older man for the first time since I had lent my aid. ¡°father and I were not warriors nor hunters.¡± He said, finally sitting down beside his father. ¡°he was a leatherworker among our tribe and I was his apprentice we had lived our lives supporting the warriors and chief and in turn they would support us by providing food and shelter from the dangers of the world.¡± It all started to make sense now, why they were forced to move from their tribal lands, why they lack food and why they struggled against a small pack of wolves. Artisans and others who support the tribe and its warriors tend to be supported and protected by others in the tribe and generally this is a very beneficial relationship for both sides. The artisan gets fed and protected while the warrior gets whatever the artisan makes and can even trade the artisan¡¯s goods to others in the tribe or even the Mansurians for something else he may need.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The problem with this agreement however, shows itself when the tribe is struggling. Since the artisans generally cannot provide food or protection for the tribe, they are seen as a leach in bad times so when things get rough they are the first people to be removed. Even if the leatherworker is very useful, as they tended to be among our people, in hard times if you cannot feed yourself and require others to do that for you, you can either starve or find salvation elsewhere. I can guess that they have been looking for someone to take them in and most likely have had no luck up to this point seeing their sorry state. ¡°when did you settle here?¡±      ¡°less than a week ago.¡± The father took up answering my questions again. ¡°come across raiders on your journey so far?¡± I asked sitting up straight in my seat. ¡°no, thankfully the great one has kept them at bay thus far.¡± I nodded it was very fortunate that they had been spared from the raiders. They would have easily been overwhelmed by any had they come across this group. The fate awaiting them then would only see the men killed and women taken in as slaves. Raiders did not tend to take on artisans, they did not need weak men among their ranks. ¡°what are your plans going forward?¡± I asked getting back on track. The older man looked to his son and they seemed to be having a silent discussion between themselves as they looked intently at each other. This staring match lasted for a few seconds before the older man turned from his son and looked back to me. ¡°we have been discussing that for some time now,¡± he said taking on a formal tone, ¡°and my son and I believe that our only hope for survival would be to join with another family.¡± It was evident to me that he had made that decision long ago and that he had failed to join with another family and tribe at least once already. I nodded, ¡°yes it would probably be best for your families to join with someone who could offer you some protection.¡± The father and son duo looked at each other once again and this time not wanting to sit and wait on them to finish their staring match I rose to my feet causing them to both to look at me confusedly. ¡°I am going to check on my horse and take a leak,¡± I said stretching my aching back, ¡°You two continue in your discussion I will be back shortly.¡±


    Even if I was just dodging out of there and avoiding them I still made sure to let them know I was the one in charge here. I would even bet everything I owned that they would still be sitting in their same positions when I walked back into the yurt. I stepped outside shielding my eyes from the sun as I did. I scanned the area looking for Batzorig, she has become an extension of myself since I got her and honestly, I do not know what I would do if something were to happen to her. I spotted her over by the other yurt where two of the younger boys who, from what I could see were taking very good care of her. They had removed my saddle and saddlebags setting them off to the side as they brushed her down and gave her some water. Batzorig didn¡¯t seem to mind the attention either, she seemed very content to be spoiled not sparing me more than a glance since I exited the yurt. The two boys, actions reminded me of how Erdin took care of Batzorig. Thinking of Erdin I felt of pang of guilt in my chest for having reprimanded him before I left earlier in the morning. I know that what I did had to be done but that does not make me feel any less guilty about upsetting my younger brother like that. I shook the thoughts out of my head and went looking for the next thing that was on my mind, the two wolves I had killed. I wanted to see where the carcasses were and to make sure these people weren¡¯t going to rob me of what was rightfully mine. I looked over to where I had killed them, and they weren¡¯t there, which really didn¡¯t mean much since I had asked for someone to deal with them for me. So, I assumed that they had done what I had asked them to do, most likely to get in my good graces. I assume by the time I walk back into the yurt with the two leaders of this camp that they would ask to come along with me and to join with me at least for the time being. how they chose to do that however I was not sure. I doubt they would easily enslave themselves to me but that really depends on just how desperate they are and with what I have seen they are pretty desperate people, so they just might do enslave themselves to me if it is their only choice. This is one of the reasons I left them alone inside other than wanting to get away I also wanted to give them the chance to talk privately about joining under me and how they would go about doing that. Since Batzorig was by the other yurt I figured that would be the best place to find the wolf carcasses as well. As predicted that is where they were. They were moved to the other side of the yurt which is why I could not see them when I exited the yurt that I was in.


    They had been carried up underneath a lean-to which had been shoddily built up on the side of the yurt where a girl was struggling to dress them. She was giving it her all with a solid effort, but it was obvious she had no idea what she was doing. I leaned onto one of the poles supporting the small roofed structure and watched the girl work. She was so engrossed in her task she did not even notice me standing there just a few feet away. I got a good look at her for the first time and was immediately struck by her beauty. she was the girl I wanted to get a better look at earlier but decided against, but now I could see her clearly and she wasn¡¯t shying away like before. She had black hair, tanned skin lean but still had enough muscle to get work done. Her face looked delicate, almost soft and fragile like something that needs to be protected at all costs, but when I finally caught her eyes and she turned to face me completely I could see fierceness in those piercing green eyes that showed she wasn¡¯t weak and was a fighter just as much as I was who could take care of herself if she needed to. she was startled to see me there and was left speechless which quite frankly, so was I but I was speechless for a different reason. I was mesmerized by her and in my head was going through the checklist of what I would need in a wife and she was filling all of those boxes. She was pretty, seemed healthy and strong enough to work and to fend for herself if need be. I had made a decision and without even speaking to her I turned around and headed back to the yurt I had just left moments before.


    Forgetting about the wolf carcasses I had been looking for, I walked swiftly to the yurt¡¯s entrance. The worries I had before had vanished from my mind. I now moved with a single purpose and would be sure to see my new ambition fulfilled. I abruptly entered the building pushing back the Dulfar skin flap over the entryway so suddenly that I startled my hosts once again. I no longer cared about putting on a front and trying to show dominance over these two men it should be obvious to all, who is in charge now. Both men looked at me uneasily, to them I probably looked mad and like I might even kill them. I ignored there looks and came to stop right before them, I stood there looming over them menacingly even though I was not trying to scare them or even show dominance over them its just that sometimes my face looks scary even if I don¡¯t mean for it to. ¡°join my family,¡± I spoke so quickly I nearly bit my tongue in the process but luckily, I didn¡¯t, saving me from making a total fool of myself in front of these two. They looked up at me as if I¡¯d said something crazy. ¡°Do what?¡± the older man asked confusion showing on his face and in his voice. ¡°Join my family,¡± I said again only this time slower and with more command in my tone. The two men shared a quick shocked look between themselves before turning back to me. ¡°We will not be your slaves,¡± the younger man said anger showing on his reddening face, ¡°we have not yet fallen that far.¡± I shook my head at them getting irritated and forcing myself to remain calm and not snap at them both in anger. ¡°that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± I sighed, ¡°I will marry that girl out there and join your family with mine.¡± Once again, the two men shared a shocked look with each other before turning to me in disbelief. ¡°what?¡± the greying man asked in shock, ¡°which girl?¡± ¡°the black-haired green-eyed girl tending to my wolf carcasses,¡± I said crossing my arms waiting for their answer. The answer wouldn¡¯t be coming soon however since they both seemed too out of sorts and confused by my words to give me a proper response. ¡°are you serious?¡± the older man asked still looking to be in shock. ¡°Completely,¡± I said trying to keep my face void of emotion. The two men shared another look with each other before looking back at me. ¡°She has only seen thirteen winters,¡± said the older man while his son nodded in agreement. They both looked nervous as if her being so young would make me change my mind. I shook my head at their gazes. ¡°has she had her first blood?¡± I asked. The older man nodded, ¡°yes she started just this past winter.¡± ¡°good,¡± I said unfolding my arms and walking towards the exit. ¡°get your families ready we leave in the morning,¡± before they could even get out another word I exited the yurt and headed for Batzorig. I wanted to do a little hunting before we set off. Mainly to settle my turbulent thoughts but I also knew with the addition of twelve new people I would need the meat. This is getting exciting, I thought with a smile as I mounted Batzorig.

 chapter 9

    I sat atop Batzorig scanning the horizon. I had just left my soon to be family¡¯s campsite and was now on the hunt trying to secure provisions for us all. With all the new mouths to feed I desperately needed fresh meat, but also since I was now in possession of leatherworkers, I intended to put them to use with the hides of my kills. I wanted to see what they were capable of making with fresh hides.


    Everything on these wide-open plains was built to blend in with the landscape so locating one¡¯s prey took skill and practice which just made the hunt all the more fun and rewarding. Usually I would be enjoying myself while hunting all alone with just Batzorig and nature to keep me company but not on this hunt. I thought that by hunting my mind would clear and I would find some peace to try and sort out what exactly had just happened but instead my favorite activity was tainted with thoughts ceaselessly racing through my mind.


    I was starting to think I had just made a big mistake that would have long lasting effects on my life. I barely know how to handle my three siblings and now I¡¯ve gone and gotten myself a wife bringing her family into mine, I thought while trying to scan my surroundings for prey. I had also forgotten that if I was bringing in a wife and her entire family, I would need to hold a ceremony when we got home, just another reason to hunt for some meat. I figured the ceremony would take two to three whole Dulfar give or take depending on the size. My problems have just been piling up ever since I left father¡¯s house. I sighed again for the Great One knows how many times, and tried to calm my turbulent mind. It worked a little and I became more focused on the task at hand.


    For as far as I could see there was brownish knee-high grass swaying in the slight breeze it was quite soothing from my vantage point which just helped me calm down some more. I took out my wooden Dulfar call and I blew on it a few times to see if I could catch the attention of anything within my immediate area hoping there were some Dulfar bedding in the grass within my vicinity. After finishing my calls, I stood in my saddle and began to scan my surroundings for as far as I could see. It didn¡¯t take me long to notice some movement off to my right. I could tell that at least one Dulfar had bedded down over there and was hoping that there were a few more with it. Since the animals did tend to move around in groups, to stay safe from predators like wolves. I sat back in the saddle and got out my bow and a few arrows with my right hand while with the left I put the call back to my lips using my legs to steady myself on Batzorig¡¯s back. Once I was confident that I was ready I blew again this time longer than the short bursts I had used before. That really got the Dulfar¡¯s attention and it stood up followed by two more behind it. They seemed to be decent size from what I could see but since the shedding season had already passed I couldn¡¯t tell their sex at a glance, but I could guess they were all doe¡¯s since the rut had ended and there was no longer a reason for a buck to be sticking around in a heard anymore. The Dulfar spotted me once they stood up and immediately knew something was wrong. Even these creatures knew that a snow-white horse was well out of place on the plains.


    They all three in unison began to turn to flee opposite my direction, but before they could start to run, I had already trained my sights on my first target. To me the world had gone still and was moving in slow motion. All my senses were heightened to their greatest extent. I could vividly see everything, and the world seemed so clear and bright, I could feel Batzorig¡¯s muscles strain and flex beneath my legs as she moved since she was already moving according to my wishes, she had gotten to the point that she understood what I wanted before I even gave a command and at this moment she was already on her way to running down our prey. In this state of heightened senses, I breathed in and loosed my first arrow taking the closest Dulfar in the back. Of course, that shot didn¡¯t immediately kill it, but it was hurt enough that it wasn¡¯t getting away from me anymore, so I moved on to my next target nocking another arrow and letting Batzorig guide us both to the next one. I aimed at the fast-moving target, when I felt confident with the shot, I was about to take I breathed in another deep breath and held it releasing the breath the same time as I released the arrow. This time my arrow struck the fleeing animal in its flank causing it to stumble along a little further before collapsing in its tracks never to rise again. Without missing a beat, I quickly nocked another arrow following my usual ritual before firing and hitting the final Dulfar in the rear. Cursing under my breath I drew another arrow and hurriedly released it. In my haste I missed wide. Cursing again I took a deep breath and repeated my normal process of firing my bow before I took another shot at the now injured animal. Luckily Batzorig was a good strong animal and kept me within range of my prey so I could take a third shot. this time my arrow struck true taking the animal in its flank similar to how I hit the second one. Without even waiting to watch the Dulfar fall I turned to find the first one and see if I needed to shoot it again. I scanned the area and did not see it, so I assumed it had died or just collapsed from its injury. I figured I had probably either nicked the spine or hit a vital organ causing it to collapse and even possibly die when I hit it, I didn¡¯t get too good of a look at where and how deep the arrow went so I was only guessing at this point.


    The world snapped back into focus for me with the fatigue that followed an adrenaline rush. Batzorig and I were both breathing heavily and sweating even though the temperature outside wasn¡¯t very warm and instead was starting to get chilly the lower the sun got in the sky. I slung my bow back over my shoulder and leaned down to pat Batzorig¡¯s neck. ¡°you did good girl now let¡¯s go make sure we got em all,¡± her response was a simple grunt, but I took it as affirmation even though it probably meant nothing at all. I turned Batzorig around the way we had come and began back tracking looking for the first two Dulfar I had shot. as both of our breathing began to settle, I could finally start to hear things in my surroundings since my ears were no longer filled with the sounds of labored breathing. All I could hear was the call of birds and not the shrill noises a Dulfar in distress made so I took that as a sign that I had killed all three. If that were the case, I just made a new personal record three Dulfar in one go. Not that I never had the chance to kill three or more in go but up until now I never had the need to, but that all changed since I decided to take on a wife and her entire family into my own. With the fall of the adrenaline came the torrent of thoughts that I was so desperately trying to get away from. I shook my head to clear those pesky thoughts and followed the trail of trampled grass and bushes looking for my kills. The first of the dead I came across was the second Dulfar, the one I had taken in the flank. I checked to make sure that it was dead before moving on looking for the first one I had shot in the back. This one was trickier to locate, it had run around fifty yards from the point where I had hit it before finally collapsing beneath a small batch of shrubs essentially hiding its body from being spotted from afar. Luckily it had left a decent trail of blood for me to follow so finding it wasn¡¯t impossible, just difficult. I tied a rope to two of the animal¡¯s legs and drug it behind Batzorig as we headed over to my second kill. Once at my second kill I repeated the process of tying a rope to both its hind legs and dragging it behind Batzorig along with the first Dulfar as we headed towards my third and final kill. the last one had not gotten far after I had hit it for the second time, and it took me almost no time to find it. Once I had all my kills in one place I dismounted and grabbed my knife. I got to work cutting a slit in each Dulfar starting from the chest and going down through the abdomen, once all the cuts were made, I began emptying each one of their guts making sure to remove as much as I could.


    It was nasty work and by the time I was done I stunk horribly and was covered in gore. I had amassed quite the pile of intestines, stomachs and lungs, each putting off steam as they for the first time touched the open air. The sight was quite disgusting and would make a weaker man queasy but after seeing it so much throughout my life I was numb to the site of blood and guts. Also, the blood and gore sticking to my hands and arms couldn¡¯t compare to the feel of my brother¡¯s hot blood washing over my hands as I killed him. Not much can compare to killing your own brother I don¡¯t imagine. Now that I was done dressing the three Dulfar they were significantly lighter making moving them way easier than before. I tied two behind my saddle and one in front before mounting back up. Batzorig looked back at me with an annoyed look in response to the added weight but I just ignored her and turned her back to my future in-law¡¯s camp.


    Now that the excitement of the hunt and the work of dressing my kills had gone away my mind began to once again wander. Without a task to take away my attention I was forced to dwell on my situation. In one day, my family grew by twelve people and I even got a wife. That is a lot of responsibility for someone just past fifteen winters. It also doesn¡¯t help that the men I was taking into my family could barely take care of themselves, meaning I would have to almost single handedly provide for seventeen people including myself. I sighed as I looked up into the sky giving a silent prayer. Please let this all work out.


    I continued to ride on while my mind raced through all the things that could go wrong. Quite a few times on my trip back I thought of just abandoning these people and going home just forgetting about them all together, but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to doing that. One reason I couldn¡¯t was because that girl would hopefully make for a good first wife and second, if things did workout I would become a powerful contender within the tribe and that could keep me safe from any retribution after threatening the chief and his son, and then taking his prized horse. This was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if it was going to make my life harder.


    It was around dusk when I finally made it back to the camp. To my surprise I was greeted by the children followed by what I would assume to be their mothers. My soon to be wife was also in the mix causing me to instinctively sit up straighter subconsciously wishing to impress her. But I think I had impressed them all with the three Dulfar I had tied down on Batzorig¡¯s back. All of them, adults and children alike, aside from the two men who weren¡¯t present, looked up to me in awe after seeing the three dead Dulfar. That caused me to swell up with pride. I looked to the three boys who looked to be around ten maybe a little younger or older, I couldn¡¯t say. ¡°You three know how to hunt?¡± I asked. I knew the answer was no, but I needed to ask anyways. I was taught to hunt on my sixth winter when I could finally properly ride my horse and I got my first kill on only the second time I went out. The three almost simultaneously shook their heads no. of course they haven¡¯t, their father is a fool, I thought suppressing the thought, so I did not say it aloud. ¡°you will learn,¡± I said before dismounting and leading Batzorig into the camp by the reins. As I walked the group made way for me and then fell in behind me as I kept going. My soon to be wife whose name I did not know and who I had yet to even hear speak, fell in directly behind me. they clearly told her, her role in all this, I thought as I led Batzorig along. I looked back to her and caught her staring at me, instead of turning away she just smiled at me. she had a gorgeous smile, her pearly white teeth complemented her emerald eyes well. I won¡¯t mind looking at that, I thought to myself as I nodded back to her.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    This marriage would not be out of love but out of necessity and we both clearly knew that. Her looks would certainly be another added perk in all this. I led her over to the saddlebags I had set down before I went out to hunt. I opened them up and grabbed what I needed. My skinning knives, very sharp and small blades that would be able to get between the skin and the meet and even between bone that with a larger knife could get in the way, such as my knife that I used to dress the animals that always stayed on my side. I had to take extra care of these knives since the fat from the animals they skinned dulled the blades horribly fast especially if they weren¡¯t properly taken care of. Once I had what I needed I closed the bags back up and to her relief removed the three corpses from Batzorig¡¯s back. I laid them out beside each other and made sure my audience could see. Where are the two men, I wondered. ¡°watch closely, all of you,¡± I said addressing all those watching me, ¡°this is how to properly skin your prey.¡± After those words I quickly knelt beside the largest of my three kills and began to work expertly at removing the skin from the animal¡¯s body with minimal damage being done to the meat or the hide. I started cutting around the feet of both the hind legs and began to work my way down the body from there. I made incisions then slid the blade under the skin cutting away the tendons that kept the skin attached to the meat. It was tedious work, but it kept my mind busy and I soon forgot I was being watched all together. I was lost in my work and before I knew it I was drenched in sweat and had removed the skin all the way down to the neck. I looked up from the animal and was shocked to see everyone had walked up to me as close as possible without disturbing my work.


    They seemed to be quite impressed with what I had done. The two men had also come out to watch, and they too also seemed to be impressed. I was once again filled with pride and feelings of gratitude towards Alton¡¯s teachings, because without his harsh lessons I would not be where I am right now that¡¯s for sure. I nodded to the two men and received slight bows of the head in return. I¡¯ll have to get used to that, I thought feeling uneasy at their shows of respect, since now I was the head of both our households. I grabbed the animal by the neck and made a cut around it finally releasing the hide from its body signifying that one step of the processing was complete. As the animal¡¯s head fell to the ground out of my grip I turned to my new family as I still held onto the freshly removed hide. ¡°that is how you skin your kill,¡± I made sure they all heard me before throwing the hide over an empty tanning rack that seemed to be sitting out without much purpose. I needed to get all three hides removed and cleaned before I started the tanning process, but this was a start. I wiped my blade that was now covered and slick with fat on my shirt cleaning it up somewhat, before turning back to the group watching me. ¡°Who wants to give it a try?¡± they all eyed me curiously seeming to be unsure if I was being serious or not. I was most certainly being serious, I wanted to get started on their training, so they could be of more use to me as soon as possible. I couldn¡¯t afford to be carrying around dead weight right now. It is harsh but that is just how life is out here in the wide-open expanse that my people call home.


    I looked them all over one time and nobody spoke up and took the opportunity I was giving them. ¡°No one wants to learn?¡± I asked with an edge to my voice. I felt somewhat annoyed they were still being so hesitant around me. I know I have no reason to be annoyed because I barely knew them, but I was feeling annoyed nonetheless. Still no one took me up on my offer and just stared at me awkwardly. ¡°screw it,¡± I huffed turning around to start working on the second Dulfar. Before I could get in my first incision however A soft melodic voice spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± she said. I quickly turned to see who the owner of the voice was, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was my soon to be wife¡¯s voice. A nice voice, another bonus on the growing list, I thought smugly. It hit me that this was the first time I had heard her voice since meeting her. That almost made me feel bad, but it was a good match and feelings didn¡¯t really matter in these types of things. ¡°Here,¡± I said grabbing the knife¡¯s blade and offering it to her by the hilt. She timidly grabbed the blade from my hands and knelt beside the Dulfar carcass, much the same way I had on the first one. I stood over her to watch and give instruction where it was needed. She mimicked my cuts as best she could and slowly began to cut around the dead animal¡¯s hind legs as I had done earlier. Her movements were not as well practiced as mine and she had to go over them a few times to completely break through the skin down to the bone and muscle. It was evident to my eye that she was trying her best to mimic my work as well as not damage the meat and hide of the creature. I was quite pleased with how she moved with such care. I did not mind that it was taking her so long to do the work as long as it was done correctly, I could wait as long as I needed to, I would even have a fire made to give light if it got too dark to see as long as the work got done. The dead Dulfar weren¡¯t going anywhere anyways. But the longer we took the stiffer the animals would become and the harder they would become to deal with. ¡°You can cut deeper don¡¯t worry,¡± I said trying to sound as encouraging as possible. My words got through to her and she did begin to make deeper cuts the first time. Making deeper cuts to begin with made for less time, meaning her work began to speed up.


    Her work was far from perfect and needed a lot of practice but for what I would assume to be one of her first times doing this she was doing quite well. I only had to correct her a handful of times and in just over an hour the skin had been removed. There was more fat attached to the skin than there was on mine and the cuts were more jagged than mine but all in all I was pleased, and I wanted her to know that. I reached over and took the hide from her and began inspecting it. ¡°Not to bad,¡± I said running my eyes over her finished product, ¡°still need some work but this is acceptable.¡± I set her hide next to mine then took the dirty knife from her hand. I cleaned the knife as best I could by just wiping the gore and fat off. I looked over to her and saw that she was beaming with pride. Seeing her like that made me smile genuinely for the first time in a while. ¡°Wanna give it another shot?¡± at my words she snapped her head in my direction and gave me one of the most beautiful smiles I had ever seen. That smile left me speechless and I couldn¡¯t help but stare admiring her beauty and charm.


    Maybe I was being biased since she was to be my first wife, but still, I do not think I have ever seen a more beautiful site in my life. While I was still lost in her smile she reached out for the knife catching me off guard. She held her hand out expectantly for a few long seconds before I caught onto what she was doing, and I belatedly handed her back the blade. My rigid and unsteady hands made the normal handoff look almost comical, but she didn¡¯t seem bothered by it, which helped ease some embarrassment. I still looked away trying to collect myself before turning back to her. When I looked back at her she was back at work on the third and final Dulfar. This time around she was much more at ease and she made less mistakes than with the first one she skinned. I still stood over her and gave her guidance where it was needed. Forty-five minutes later she was finished. Once again, I grabbed the freshly removed skin from her hands and held it up to eye level to inspect her work. This time she did a better job with her cuts, they looked smoother and were less jagged. I was genuinely pleased with how fast she learned. I looked down at her and smiled, ¡°excellent work this time, it could still be better, but good job.¡± Once again, she smiled up at me as she swelled with pride. She had sweat beading around her forehead and some of her hair in the front was wet and matted, but regardless of all of that, she still looked stunning in my eyes. I was more pleased with the girl doing the work than the work itself. Her ability to learn fast would come in handy down the road. Alton always told me that the best wife was submissive and learned new things quickly and from what I could see, the girl before me was both. I really got lucky out here huh? I thought as I put away the last skin.


    I still have yet to butcher any of the Dulfar corpses and they were already starting to stiffen up so instead of trying to teach my new family members how it is done and let them give it a try themselves I decided to just quickly get it over with myself and teach them by example. I started with the biggest one first and immediately got to work. I made sure they were all watching me as I worked. I lost myself in my work and in no time the animal was dismembered with the different cuts of meat put in separate piles including a bone pile. Every piece of the animal would be used. Not wasting any piece of the prey is how the hunter shows respect to the animal that died to feed others. ¡°Put the meat away,¡± I told those watching and turned to the second largest Dulfar corpse and got to work butchering it as well. I got finished butchering this one quicker than the other one and soon I had several piles of meat and bone lying around me. I used my forearm to wipe the sweat from my brow as I stood up stretching out my back. I looked around and noticed that all the bones and meat for the first Dulfar had been removed and presumably put away like I had asked. I looked at those around me which was less than before. It seemed most of the women had gone somewhere probably to put away the new meat.


    It was completely dark by now but with the fires that had been set up around the camp I could see perfectly fine. I pointed to the last and smallest Dulfar, ¡°we will cook this one whole and feast throughout the night. The joining of our families requires a celebration.¡± At my words everyone listening loudly cheered and rose to their feet. Even the two older men cheered, the prospect of having meat seemed to have overridden their reservations toward me, food did tend to do that. I just smiled and got to work on getting the last Dulfar ready to cook. Once the animal was rea I left it to the women and went and washed up. I felt grimy and could use a quick rinse. As I walked away from the camp to the small stream I could hear the camp was alive and well. They were all talking loudly and happily which brought a great sense of pride within me knowing that I helped make that happen. I got to the stream and removed my shirt setting it off to the side so it wouldn¡¯t get wet. After discarding my shirt, I walked up to the water¡¯s edge and knelt beside the slow-moving body of water. I dipped my hands into the water, the water was cold, and I was compelled to remove my hands from the cold, but I fought through the discomfort and began to wash my hands within the water. Once I felt like my hands were clean enough I began to scoop the water up and wash my neck and hair. Once I was finished cleaning up and washing the sweat off I stood up feeling refreshed. I turned around to grab my shirt to see that it was not on the ground where I had left it but instead in my future wife¡¯s hands. I looked at her with part shock and part confusion. ¡°what are you doing here?¡± ¡°To serve you,¡± she said handing me my shirt. ¡°thank you,¡± I smiled grabbing it, ¡°Mind giving me your name?¡± I had just realized that I did not even know her name. I may have rushed into this too quickly. She blushed and bowed her head to me, ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for not already telling you,¡± she said head still bowed, ¡°I am called Yesui.¡± I walked up to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. When I did so she shuddered, that made me feel guilty that I had inadvertently scared her. It was not terribly uncommon for men on the plains to beat their wives when angered. But for me this little mishap was nothing to be angered over. ¡°no need to fear,¡± I said hand still on her shoulder. To my words she looked up into my eyes with hers that looked like two emeralds adorning a crown. ¡°that is a truly beautiful and fitting name Yesui.¡± Her cheeks started to darken at my words. ¡°My name is Aridan, let us get along from now on, okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said beaming with joy, ¡°Lets.¡±

 chapter 10

    The feast we had, had gone quite well and everyone ate ravenously meaning the Dulfar did not go nearly as far as I had anticipated, forcing us to cook some more of the meat that had been gathered. Which meant I would have to go back out to hunt for some food sooner than I had planned. I looked to the Brightside however, planning to use this upcoming hunting trip to train up Yesui¡¯s three younger brothers with Ulgar on how to properly hunt. Once everyone had their fill of the fresh meat, everyone went their separate ways to bed down for the night since we would have an early start the next morning. At least everyone bedded down except for me. I stayed awake checking the surroundings for any danger and making sure Batzorig was alright. One thing I did not want to lose was my horse since she had become one of my most valuable companions and in my eyes even a member of my family. After walking the perimeter of the camp a few times, the fatigue from the day finally hit, so I headed back into the camp to get some much-needed rest. I had offered my new family to sleep beneath one of the lean-tos on the side of the Yurts since I did not feel like sleeping under the same roof as people I didn¡¯t yet know well. I had also decided not to have my new wife until after we got back to my camp since I didn¡¯t want another distraction with all that was going to be going on. they had agreed, and I slept in the lean-to where Yesui had first caught my eye. I didn¡¯t expect it, but I slept soundly that night even if in the morning I awoke sore from sleeping on the hard ground with only my saddlebags and a small blanket as my only comfort. That just goes to show how tired I truly was. Even if I slept well that doesn¡¯t mean that I slept comfortably and that was proven when I awoke with an aching back. I cursed myself for sleeping on the ground instead of one of the Yurts. Nothing to be done now I thought attempting to stretch away the soreness.


    I awoke as the sun just started to come over the horizon and by the sounds in the yurt beside me, I was not the only one awake. Which was good since I wouldn¡¯t have to wake those inside and they could start getting packed as soon as possible. I immediately packed up my blanket and changed my rawhide shirt out for a new one before slinging my bags over my shoulder and grabbing my saddle to go call Batzotrig up. By the time I had Batzorig saddled and ready to go the camp was fully awake and in motion packing up and getting ready to move. I had pulled some jerky from my saddle bag and was chewing on it as I walked Batzorig back into camp. Yesui walked up to me and bowed her head before falling in line with me to my left. ¡°You eaten yet?¡± I asked only sparing her a glance before going back to see what the others were doing and where they needed help. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You packed and ready to move?¡± ¡°No sir,¡± She said in a almost inaudible whisper, ¡°I came to see if you needed anything.¡± I stopped dead in my tracks and looked over at her causing both her and Batzorig to stop as well. ¡°Why would I need help this is all I have with me?¡± I asked indicating to Batzorig. ¡°Umm I-I just thought my place was at your side now.¡± She said nervously fidgeting with her hands. ¡°Yes, you will be my wife soon meaning your place is at my side but I have yet to take you and right now we need to get moving so your place is helping your family pack, and then when we leave this camp you will be taking up your place at my side.¡± without another word Yesui bowed her head and hurried away to help her family pack the camp. I know she was just trying to be respectful and probably keep an eye on me so that I wouldn¡¯t just up and leave but we needed to leave as soon as possible to get to my camp before nightfall we had little room for error and I would have everyone being productive to get us on the move. Since we were taking an entire camp, animals and all, it would take far longer to get back than it did to get here and being on the move in such a large group was very dangerous and there would be many opportunities for something to go wrong.


    I scanned the camp again this time looking for Yesui¡¯s father or brother both of who¡¯s names I didn¡¯t know but I planned to change that soon. I needed to talk to them both about what to do with the new wolf and Dulfar hides we had. I want them to use their skills to either make something useful for us to use, or I could trade it. I saw her brother first and waved my hands to him to catch his attention. He noticed me, so I beckoned him over to where I had been standing since speaking with Yesui. ¡°Yes, master Aridan?¡±     ¡°first of all, what is yours and your father¡¯s names?¡±                ¡°of course, sir my name is Od and my father¡¯s name is Yul.¡± I nodded my head to him taking note to remember those names, before looking back over the camp as one of the yurts was being taken down, starting with removing everything from the inside next, they would begin to remove the hides around the outside of the Yurt then the support beams. ¡°Thank you Od, secondly I wanted to talk about the new hides we now have.¡± ¡°Yes, sir I figured you would wish to talk about that before we got moving, but I would like to talk to father about things first.¡± I nodded, ¡°good, go fetch him I would like to get everyone moving out soon.¡± Od bowed his head before turning back to go grab Yul.


    While Od was getting Yul I went to go get the wolf and Dulfar hides which were still hanging on the tanning rack where I had placed them the night prior. I placed the hides over Batzorig¡¯s back and began inspecting them one by one as I waited for Yul to show up. The wolf hides were all basically butchered so they would only be useful as tanning, but the Dulfar hides had some worth just preserving since they were pretty well kept except for the first one Yesui had worked on. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps behind me. I grabbed up the one Dulfar hide and all the wolf hides and turned around to Yul and Od. I tossed the hides in my hand to Od, ¡°you two can take these and do with them as you wish, they have little value in the state they are in.¡± Od caught the hides tossed his way and folded them up. ¡°Yul what can you do with that?¡± I indicated the hides now folded and tucked beneath Od¡¯s armpit. Yul was lost in thought for a minute before answering. ¡°I¡¯m not to sure at the moment they will have to be tanned first but most likely the leather will just be used to repair some of the equipment around camp before working on any bigger projects.¡± I nodded, ¡°that is agreeable. That¡¯s all I needed from the two of you at the moment. So, now let¡¯s finish packing the camp, so we can get out of here.¡± Both Yul and Od bowed their heads before turning back to leave, leaving me alone with Batzorig once again. I decided to mount up and go round up the animals so they would be bunched up and easier to move once everything else was packed.


    ...


    It took over two hours, but finally everything was packed and ready to move. Since I had already rounded up all the animals once everyone had loaded up the horses, with their necessities and whatever else could be brought, we could finally mount up and leave. I employed the same formation for moving everyone as I had when I first left the clan at the beginning of spring. We had someone at the head of the column and someone at the back with the rest interspersed between keeping the animals in check. This time I would ride at the head with Yesui while Yul came up the rear and Od rode back and forth between us keeping everything in line while the rest of the women and children stuck to the middle of the column where it was safer. Sadly, Yul and Od¡¯s families were not as good on horses as mine was, or even as good as the children within the Dulfar clan, so they were constantly running down rogue sheep and goats meaning we were making slow progress. We had only been moving for a little under an hour and already three goats two sheep and a foal tried to slip away from the rest of the heard. Even the animals are poorly trained within this house. To say I was displeased with our situation would be an understatement. Apparently Yesui could see the displeasure on my face. ¡°in our old clan others would always help us move.¡± ¡°Then your old clan and your father are fools, moving camp is basic for our people and you cannot even do it. I fear for our future if such basics have been ignored.¡± Even with the excuses this was too much. Our people move camps many times in a year so how could someone be so unable to do it. This will be a long day, I thought rubbing my forehead due to the stress. ¡°Maybe so,¡± Yesui said capturing my attention once again, ¡°If father wasn¡¯t a fool we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.¡± ¡°Aye, we just have to make the most of it now.¡± I said looking back at the convoy. ¡°You will all learn in time, especially the young ones. I¡¯ll make sure they are useful to me in time.¡± We rode in silence for a while and finally things were beginning to smooth out with less runaways as time went on and people got used to their roles within the convoy. I felt it was time to talk to Yesui about her role since we hadn¡¯t really talked about it, which almost caused a problem this morning. ¡°when we get home, you will begin working with Kulan to run my household. You will not be going back to your father¡¯s house again, from now on you are mine.¡± ¡°Who is Kulan?¡± Yesui asked concern written on her face. I realized then that I hadn¡¯t explicitly made it clear to her yet that she was to be my first wife. The title of first wife was one of the greatest honors a woman could have for our people, seeing as they typically ran their household and held great sway with their husbands. ¡°Kulan is my sister who I brought with me from my father¡¯s house to help me start up my own household.¡± I said trying to reassure my new wife. ¡°You, Yesui will be my first wife and soon you will run my house, including Yul¡¯s house since he has joined with us.¡± Yesui sat there stunned for a time, clearly just now realizing that she was now more important than her father and older brother. This caused me to laugh at the situation. It was not often that someone so young took a position higher than their parents. ¡°Yes, Yesui you will become quite important within the clan soon, especially with my position as a warrior.¡± Slowly she went from having a look of surprise to one of pride and joy. For this life we will lead we¡¯ll both need a sense of pride, I thought as I watched her reactions take dramatic changes over a short period of time. ¡°think you can handle this?¡± I asked. She jumped at my words coming out of whatever thoughts were going through her head. ¡°I will devote myself to you and to not letting you down Aridan.¡± I cocked an eyebrow at her, ¡°You weren¡¯t going to devote yourself to me until you learned of your new position?¡± Yesui¡¯s face went deathly pale which was quite a feat considering her tanned complexion and the smile that had been on her face just seconds before. ¡°O-of course not I-I would never think of it.¡± She stammered. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her reaction to my jest. It was quite refreshing and helped ease me out of my previously bad mood brought on by our slow pace. She began to look more and more distraught at my laughter which made me more amused causing me to laugh even more. ¡°A-are you messing with me master Aridan?¡± she asked sheepishly. ¡°Yes, Yesui I apologize, but your reaction was just too funny.¡± I managed between fits of laughter. My response just caused her to pout in her saddle which just brought on another fit of laughter since she just looked so cute pouting. Yesui harrumphed, at my continued amusement at her expense, and pulled back on her reins to fall back behind me to avoid me altogether. This marriage is going to become quite fun isn¡¯t it, I mused. I waited for Yesui to come back up by my side but quickly began to realize she had no intention to come back to my side. This observation became quite apparent when I looked back at her and she quickly looked away to avoid eye contact with me. So instead of waiting on her to come to me I slowed myself down to match her pace and ride beside her again. To my dismay her response to my action was to speed up and ride ahead of me. ¡°the hell.¡± I blurted out as she sped past me. She didn¡¯t stop she just kept riding ahead of the column. Before throwing caution to the wind and chasing after her. I looked around and caught Od looking at both me and Yesui with an amused grin. ¡°take the lead,¡± I said before chasing after Yesui without waiting for a reply from Od with the look on his face he seemed to know what was going on even if I didn¡¯t. She may have had a head start but there was no doubt in my mind that Batzorig could easily catch her. Still that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t give us a good chase. But after a few sharp turns and an all-out gallop Batzoirg got me up to the side of her horse where I grabbed Yesui¡¯s reins bringing all of us to a stop. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what to do now that I caught her, so I just let my body move on its own since it was already moving before I could even think. I pulled both of our panting horses close to each other to where I was facing back the way we came and Yesui was still facing out the way she was going. This was when my mind completely quit working and my body took full control of the situation. And before I knew it, I had pulled Yesui up out of her saddle and placed her before me at the front of my own saddle. And I kissed my wife for the first time which just so happened to be my very first kiss. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for unmarried boys and girls to mess around in the winter when the whole clan was together, but I had always been busy with Alton¡¯s teachings so my only experience with this sort of thing was what I had seen others do. I was most definitely screwing it up with my inexperience as I fumbled around with my hands groping every inch of Yesui very aggressively. Our tongues moved between each other¡¯s mouths entangling many times trying to imitate what we had seen our parents do in their passion. Even if we sucked at the whole thing one thing was for sure and that was the fact that this kiss lacked no passion or lust for each other. I was still tracing her body with my hands, but I finally just decided to rest my hands on her hips as the kiss got more heated. One thing I noticed was the taste of her, it was a sweet flavor that I couldn¡¯t seem to get enough of as I began to get more aggressive with my tongue chasing after the taste and feeling of my wife¡¯s mouth. I tried to exert control with my tongue as I moved it around her mouth and tangled with hers even more. I wasn¡¯t the only one being aggressive either, Yesui was running her hands all over my body and groping the muscles on my arm as she let out gentle moans into my mouth which just made me more and more ravenous, her tongue was also fighting against mine, trying to wrap itself around my own. She was clearly teasing me, but I didn¡¯t care I was in bliss enjoying the kiss and her embrace. The longer we kissed I became more and more confident and less nervous. All I could think was that I wanted more. I wanted to take her right there on Batzorig¡¯s back. Thankfully my mind finally came back to me and I pulled away from Yesui¡¯s lips before I took things too far. Even after we broke off the kiss Yesui continued to fondle my arms. ¡°we will finish this tonight,¡± I said which got another pout from Yesui who apparently didn¡¯t feel like stopping. I turned Batzorig around to head back to the column that was most likely waiting on us. Even as she was pouting, she was panting heavily from the kiss, as was I. I didn¡¯t realize until now just how exhilarating a kiss could be. Instead of putting Yesui back on her horse I left her sitting there in front of me where, after she finished pouting, she leaned back into my embrace after she adjusted to get more comfortable. Batzorig would just have to deal with the added weight since I did not feel inclined to let Yesui out of my arms for the moment. Yesui¡¯s horse followed closely behind Batzorig as we made our way back to the rest of our people to continue the journey. When we got back Od just smirked. Od was just making the entire situation awkward. Making me quite aware of how things looked with Yesui in my arms. Even if she was to be my wife this was still all a first for me making things that much more awkward. I ignored it as best I could, ¡°we will take over things here Od.¡± Od left without saying a word still smirking all the while. ¡°I will have to go hunting tomorrow.¡± I said trying to clear the awkwardness from the situation. ¡°But you just killed three Dulfar last night.¡± ¡°Yes, but I now have to feed a much larger family than I did in the past, I intend to get ahead so we have to slaughter less of the livestock since that will just cause a strain on our limited resources.¡± ¡°Will you go alone?¡± she asked looking up at me. ¡°No, I will take my brother Ulgar and your three younger brothers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to take my brothers?¡± Yesui asked concern written all over her face. ¡°yes, they need to learn soon,¡± I said resolutely, ¡°They should have already learned how to hunt, and I plan on making them warriors in the future anyways. They will follow in my footsteps and not in Yul¡¯s.¡± ¡°why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°because we need to strengthen the house and the quickest way to do that is to have more warriors within the house and more leather workers will do little to help us in the near future.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± She said looking back to the front. ¡°They will learn quick and soon will be able to hunt alone so that I don¡¯t have to so much, and can focus on other things.¡± ¡°But hunting is dangerous Aridan and they are young.¡± ¡°ha they are older than I was when I was first taken out on a hunt, if anything Yesui they are a little too old to just now be learning. Like I said they should have already learned¡± Yesui just sat there staring at me for a moment thinking over what I had just said. ¡°how old were you when you first went out?¡± ¡°I was six when I first took up a bow to hunt and I was eight when I first began to wield a real sword in training.¡± ¡°That seems young,¡± she said shaking her head in disbelief. I do have to admit that Alton did start all my training a little earlier than most even earlier than my own brothers, but it is because of that training that I am still alive today, so I cannot blame him but instead thank him for the lessons he taught me even if they were harsh and I hated him for it at the time. ¡°Maybe it was a little young, but I am stronger for it and will very soon surpass my father.¡± Yesui just nodded her head in response not wanting to take the conversation further which was perfectly fine with me. It is always a young man¡¯s dream to surpass his father, to be stronger and more powerful than him but I was patient and I could wait for now, rushing things too much could lead to disaster and I was already courting disaster with all of my recent decisions.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    We rode in relative silence the rest of the way to the camp. Thankfully we had no major incidents and just the minor annoyance brought about by the goats and sheep. The horses are smart animals, and generally do as they are told and don¡¯t try to run away and die like their smaller counterparts. Before nightfall my camp came into view causing Yesui to gasp. Well the camp wasn¡¯t in view since it was well hidden and couldn¡¯t really be seen from this distance, but the animals were in view and they were being worked by Ulgar. ¡°you have a lot of animals,¡± she said still watching Ulgar working the animals in awe. ¡°we have less mouths to feed than your family did, and we have also had a lot of luck hunting, so we haven¡¯t lost much of our livestock to us eating them.¡± ¡°we will have plenty of meat.¡± ¡°Haha yes, Yesui we will have plenty for the near future, but we can¡¯t get complacent.¡± Yesui nodded, ¡°yes we will have to work hard to keep the heard healthy and let it grow.¡± I liked her talking about the animals and camp as hers as well as mine it would make the integration of her family go smoother. ¡°Yesui,¡± I said trying to get her to look up at me, ¡°welcome to your new home.¡± She smiled up at me with a look of pure joy on her face. I leaned in and gave her a kiss. This kiss was much less passionate than our first kiss but to me it still felt amazing. We broke off the kiss and I spurred Batzoirg on to go faster to get to Ulgar. ¡°Ulgar!¡± I yelled waving my hand over my head. He saw me and stopped what he was doing to come over to me. Ulgar rode up on his brown mare eying Yesui and the rest of the convoy behind me curiously. ¡°You just went out to do some hunting so what is this Aridan?¡± ¡°I only feel like explaining myself once so let¡¯s get back to the camp and all sit down and have a little talk.¡± I said bluntly. ¡°Very well.¡± He said pulling his horse alongside mine. ¡°good hunt?¡± Ulgar smirked looking at Yesui who was curled in my lap like a small animal sticking close to its mother for warmth and protection. ¡°I hope so.¡± I said cautiously. It was true right now things seemed like they might workout, but only time would tell. Ulgar looked back at the herd following us, ¡°you seem to have gotten a few more animals than usual¡± Ulgar said surveying everyone behind me. ¡°Yes just a few.¡± I said with a smirk of my own. We made it over the hill and into the camp shortly after. I was greeted by Kulan whose face went from joy to aggravation shortly after seeing us arrive. ¡°what is all this Aridan?¡± she asked accusingly. ¡°gather everyone up so I only have to explain myself once.¡± Kulan rolled her eyes and reluctantly turned to do as I asked as Ulgar got off his horse. I sat Yesui on the ground before dismounting Batsorig myself. ¡°go get your horse taken care of.¡± Yesui bowed her head and walked over to her horse to remove its saddle and brush it out after the days trek. I did the same for Batzorig, I took off her saddle bags and set them off to the side I was about to take off the saddle when Od and Yul rode up to me. ¡°what should we do?¡± Yul asked pulling his horse to a stop. ¡°set the animals out with mine and then start making camp here, there is plenty of room for two more yurts and a few more animals.¡± ¡°Od put up the animals I will start on the Yurts.¡± Od nodded to his father and bowed his head to me before leaving. ¡°while you do this, I will talk to my siblings about our situation.¡± ¡°very well we will start work right away.¡± ¡°Oh, and Yul,¡± I said catching his attention before he left, ¡°There will be a celebration tonight just let your family know.¡± Yul bowed his head and left to get to work on putting up the yurts and I got back to cleaning up Batzorig. I had just gotten the saddle off of her when Erdin ran up behind me. ¡°Aridan let me clean her please.¡± Hearing his voice made me remember what had happened when I left the day before. The guilt hit me again, Erdin was one of the only people I didn¡¯t want to hurt and yesterday I had done just that even if it needed to be done. I had also stated he couldn¡¯t take care of Batzorig anymore, but I don¡¯t think that rule would be lasting too long. I turned around and Erdin was smiling up at me expectantly. Yes, I definitely can¡¯t deny him, I thought. I handed him the Brush, ¡°here finish up, and be sure to get her all brushed out before setting her loose and remember absolutely no meat as treats.¡± ¡°of course, brother I will get Batzorig all cleaned up and taken care of.¡± I left Erdin to finish up with Batzorig who seemed quite happy to be with Erdin again, and went to pick up my saddlebags and saddle to put them away so they weren¡¯t just lying around in peoples way. Once I was done Kulan, Erhi, and Ulgar were waiting for me, Erdin was most likely still messing around with Batzorig and I didn¡¯t feel like it would matter too much if he didn¡¯t hear what I had to say. ¡°well I have a wife,¡± I said bluntly. ¡°What!¡± they all cried out in unison. ¡°her name is Yesui and her family has joined ours of which I am the head, so our family just grew by twelve members and we will have to work hard to provide for everyone.¡± ¡°have you thought this through?¡± Ulgar asked. ¡°Yes, have you?¡± Erhi chimed in. ¡°Yes, I have put some thought into this and the decision has already been made.¡± I really hadn¡¯t put in too much thought, but I wasn¡¯t going to tell my siblings that much. ¡°so, from here on out our family has grown by twelve and we must work hard to ensure our survival.¡± I repeated. ¡°brother have you seen them?¡± Ulgar asked almost in a whisper trying to avoid being overheard. ¡°they don¡¯t seem all that competent.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± added Kulan, ¡°they seem soft especially the men.¡± ¡°If they were competent do you think they would have so easily offered themselves up to me?¡± I asked with a sigh. ¡°the two men are leatherworkers, so they aren¡¯t good in a fight, but the three younger boys will be trained as warriors starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°you have to be kidding us Aridan.¡± Ulgar said clearly aggravated. ¡°You just added on a load of deadweight that will drag us all down.¡± Kulan added. ¡°How can this be a good idea?¡± asked Erhi. ¡°I understand your concerns and yes, at first things will be hard but I forsee the payoff being far greater than the immediate cost. I really just need all of your help to get our new family situated and to work towards bettering our lives.¡± ¡°I hope for all of our sakes you¡¯re right brother,¡± Erhi sighed. ¡°agreed,¡± added Ulgar while Kulan just stood there looking at me angrily. ¡°I will leave the women with both of you Kulan and Erhi while Ulgar and I will train the boys to hunt and fight.¡± ¡°what about the men?¡± asked Ulgar accompanied by a nod from Erhi. ¡°I will let them do what they are good at, and that should be making leather if anything we can use it but hopefully it is at a quality that we can trade to the Mansurians. That is all I have to say about it. We will celebrate our union tonight so go get working on it.¡± Ulgar nodded and walked off followed shortly by Erhi leaving myself and a very pissed off Kulan standing there. Well this is awkward, I thought as we both just stood there staring at each other. ¡°why did you do this without consulting us?¡± she asked clearly upset, ¡°this affects every single one of us and you made this decision on your own.¡± Is this why she is mad? I thought confused. ¡°do not forget your place Kulan. This was my decision to make and it has the ability to propel our house into prosperity very quickly.¡± ¡°you¡¯re bringing up rank now Aridan?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never questioned my decisions before and I won¡¯t have it happen here right now.¡± ¡°you have never made this kind of decision before Aridan. We are barely out of father¡¯s house this is a huge decision I thought you would go to him first before finding a wife and now you just got one that came from who knows where.¡± ¡°I do not need Alton making decisions for me anymore, I am no longer a part of his house I am my own man, and this is my own house.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it Aridan,¡± Kulan fumed turning around storming off. ¡°watch your tongue with me Kulan.¡± I said to her retreating back. What is her problem? I asked myself still watching her leave. I stood there for a moment mulling over what was just said, and yes, my siblings had made some good points, this could end up draining us, but the decision had been made and there was no going back now all that could be done was get everyone situated and survive. Luckily, we had plenty of livestock and could survive through winter at least and I could prove myself in the next battle getting us more resources to survive on and I planned to go to the Mansurians to trade soon anyways so we should be fine.


    I was still standing there thinking when Yesui came up to me drawing my attention away from my thoughts of the future and back to the present. ¡°they don¡¯t seem very happy.¡± She said from behind me. ¡°They are just worried about our future is all.¡± I said still gazing before me. ¡°their lives are changing, that is hard for anyone don¡¯t you think?¡± I asked turning back to face her. she just laughed, clutching her stomach in her mirth. It took her a minute to get herself composed enough to speak, the whole time I just sat there watching her let loose and release some of the tension she had built up over the last couple of days. ¡°Yes, Aridan change can be hard and even downright stressful but still we need change in order to grow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right Yesui, without change we just stagnate and eventually fade away replaced by an ever-changing world.¡± I began gravitating closer to Yesui as I spoke. ¡°this will be hard but me and you will have to make it work.¡± By the time I finished speaking I was standing mere inches from her. I could feel her breath against my skin and I was tempted to just take her right there in the open but luckily, I was able to hold back my urges enough to leave it to a heated kiss. I lifted her chin up to me and our lips met. Within seconds the kiss went from a peck on the lips to one born of pure passion. We were both using our connection to wash away the stress that had been building up, this showed with how ravenously we were going at each other. She began to fumble with my clothes attempting to remove them. I wanted to let her continue but I knew I couldn¡¯t, at least not yet we needed to celebrate with the whole family first. I removed my hands that had been fondling her hips and used them to take up her hands that had nearly gotten my pants off. I broke the kiss panting heavily from the heated encounter. ¡°we have to finish making camp and celebrate our union before we can continue.¡± I said still very much out of breath. She looked put out and not happy with being stopped from stripping me, but she still nodded before slipping out of my grip to return to getting the camp put up and her family situated. Before she was gone, she turned back to me and gave me a playful wink. This will be a fun night.

 chapter 11

    I stood alone in my Yurt getting ready for the night¡¯s festivities. I had already prepared the place for Yesui¡¯s arrival and even cleaned myself in the river that sat next to the camp. Now all that was left to do was get myself ready and go celebrate my marriage and the joining of our families. The food would be plentiful, and Alcohol would be brought out to make the celebration that much more enjoyable and probably a little rowdier. Even if they were annoyed by the situation, my siblings still did their part, Ulgar slaughtered two goats and a sheep while Kulan and Erhi prepared the meal with Yesui and the rest of the women from her family. After finishing up with my clothes and making sure I was presentable I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for what was to come.


    After calming my mind and nervously fidgeting with my hair and clothes a little more I walked to the flap that stood as the only entrance to the yurt and the last thing to separate me from the security of my current life with the new and unknown. But before I could even open the flap and dramatically make my entrance, the damned thing opened from the outside allowing Kulan to walk in. She stood there in front of the entrance and let the flap fall back into place, looking at me with a neutral expression. We both stood there staring at each other for a few long moments in silence which started to become awkward the longer we went without speaking or making any movements whatsoever. I was on the verge of breaking the silence myself when Kulan finally spoke. ¡°are you sure you are going to go through with this brother?¡± she asked face remaining void of any emotion. ¡°I am not starting an argument over this again Kulan,¡± I sighed in frustration, ¡°But yes I am sure I want to go through with this.¡± ¡°I am not here to argue Aridan I just wanted to be sure this was what you wanted, I have had somewhat of a change of heart after speaking with her.¡± she said nervously picking at her hands and shifting on her feet. ¡°Oh?¡± I asked cocking an eyebrow, ¡°how so?¡¯ ¡°She is a good person and will treat you well, she is willing to learn and will eventually run your house well. And from what I¡¯ve seen she doesn¡¯t despise you, so I won¡¯t have to worry about her slitting your throat in your sleep.¡± Her last words hit me hard because I honestly hadn¡¯t put much thought in the fact that it was a possibility for her to knife me in my sleep. It wasn¡¯t totally uncommon for a new wife to slit her husbands throat while he slept if she despised him, but that typically ended with the wife¡¯s limbs being torn apart and scattered in every direction, so people tended to avoid doing that. It would seem people kind of liked keeping their appendages attached to their body¡¯s. ¡°well,¡± I said shaking my head trying to remove the image of waking up to my throat being slit, ¡°that is good that you have come around to my side of things Kulan, I made this decision to help all of us. I intend to propel our position in the clan further before we return for the winter.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand that now after taking some time to think. You have made enemies with the chief and having more numbers within the house will certainly help keep us safe this winter. I will personally ensure that everyone works tirelessly to make this a smooth transition.¡± ¡°thank you Kulan hearing you say that removes a huge burden from my back.¡± After saying that, I stepped forward and embraced my sister. We stood there in each other¡¯s arms for a short while before I stepped back hands still on Kulan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Now we need to go and celebrate,¡± I said smiling at Kulan, ¡°it isn¡¯t every day that a marriage comes with such an added bonus.¡± ¡°No Aridan this isn¡¯t a normal occurrence,¡± Kulan laughed shrugging off my hands and stepping through the exit. I followed her shortly and stepped outside for myself to greet this new life.


    The festivities had yet to start, apparently, they were all awaiting my arrival and even when I stepped out into the camp no one went for the food or drink they just stood there looking to me. They were expecting more. Most likely a speech to kick things off. Not many things typically made me feel nervous but for some reason I felt incredibly nervous because of all the eyes staring at me expectantly. I swallowed down the saliva building up in my mouth and took a deep, hopefully calming, breath which didn¡¯t help much at the calming part. Well here goes nothing. ¡°well everyone,¡± I said raising my voice so everyone could hear clearly what was being said, ¡°I am not really good at speeches, but I got roped into this one.¡± That got a few chuckles out of the crowd which made me feel a little relief and gave me the courage to keep going. ¡°from here on we are one family,¡± I paused to let my words sink in, ¡°I will tell you now things will be hard at first and life won¡¯t be easy, it never is. But I will do my very best to guide this house into the future and make us powerful and influential within the Dulfar clan. We will be both respected and feared in due time. This house will be known for producing high quality leather products and ferocious warriors for the clan.¡± I paused once again and stared down both Od and Yul making sure they knew I was expecting great things from them and would expect nothing less than perfection. ¡°I expect everyone to fulfil their roles within this house and in time become productive members of this household. I will need all of you to work hard to make this family work. It is never easy to combine two houses and the fact that Yul¡¯s house is from another clan will just make this endeavor that much harder.¡± Heads within the crowd began to nod in agreement and understanding at my words. ¡°but all of this will be done in time, tonight is not for such things tonight is for celebrating so let us celebrate.¡± My words were met with a cheer and everyone began to disperse and mingle going about grabbing food and drink.


    I just stood there watching everyone move about with an amused smile on my face at the thought that all of these people now hung on my every word. As I was still reveling in my power fantasies Yesui walked up to me with some food and drink which she offered up to me. I took the offered refreshments while she bowed her head to me. ¡°how were things with Kulan?¡± I asked putting the drink to my lips enjoying the sweetness of the mead. ¡°She seems nice and is very knowledgeable when it comes to running a house.¡±                    ¡°she had a good mother who taught her many things which is one of the reasons I brought her with me when I left Alton¡¯s house.¡±                          ¡°good choice then. What were the other reasons for bringing her if I might be so bold?¡± she asked looking up at me with a hint of jealousy in her eyes. I just brushed off her jealous look tossing it up to her feeling inferior and just plainly answered her question between bites of food. ¡°She is one of my few siblings that I actually get along with.¡±                            ¡°you have problems with your siblings?¡± she asked thoughtfully.                   ¡°ha,¡± I laughed nearly choking on my food while Yesui looked at me confused. ¡°that would be an understatement, I hold little love for most of my father¡¯s children. I even had to go as far as to kill one of my brothers before I left the camp this spring.¡± Yesui looked at me mortified. ¡°you killed your own brother?¡± I swallowed down my last bite with a drink and looked at her plainly not taking on a neutral expression, ¡°I do what I have to, in order to protect my own.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± She said still looking conflicted. ¡°Now let¡¯s not bring up sad topics this is a celebration and you should go grab some food and drink and enjoy this night. This party is for you as much as it is for me.¡± she smiled at me before bowing and going on her way to do as I said. Is it so hard for others to rationalize my decisions, I thought to myself watching her go?


    I enjoyed the food and drink and mingled with my siblings and new family all while keeping an eye on Yesui. I wanted to be sure she enjoyed the festivities as much as I was. I noticed she seemed to be happiest when talking with her mothers and other siblings. She even spoke at length with my sisters. I was curious what they were talking about but didn¡¯t feel like eavesdropping, I would just ask her later on if it was anything important.


    as I was watching Yesui mingle with Erhi and Kulan, Ulgar came up to me taking my attention away from the girls who were now all acting quite amiably towards each other. ¡°have a second brother?¡± Ulgar asked. ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t doing anything,¡± I said turning my gaze from Yesui to my brother. ¡°You truly think this is wise?¡± he asked eying me curiously. ¡°honestly brother I am looking forward to the marriage but like you I have my worries about bringing in the entire family with her.¡± I said sighing in relief after finally letting my true feelings out. ¡°Good that¡¯s what I wanted to hear.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be worried?¡± I asked dumfounded? ¡°Well Aridan I was honestly concerned you had been blinded by a pretty face and weren¡¯t putting us, your family, first,¡± Ulgar said with a sigh. I laughed boisterously at his words drawing looks from those nearby, ¡°she is quite captivating, but I am cautious by nature and will not do something to threaten what we have.¡± I said reassuringly. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it, and honestly after speaking with them I can see what you are planning here, and I believe with some work things will work out and will boost our house¡¯s standing and prestige within the clan.¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes, that is what I am thinking, we will let Od and Yul do their work while me and you train the other boys to be useful in other ways.¡± ¡°you want me to train any to be fletchers?¡± ¡°no,¡± I shook my head, ¡°that is your job and will continue to be so. We need them to take over the hunting for us and one day fight for us adding to the honor we gain in battle.¡± ¡°I take it you¡¯re not letting any of us leave your house?¡± he asked giving me an odd look. ¡°no Ulgar, sadly I cannot afford to let anyone leave that includes you, I need you more than most.¡± ¡°and what if I or anyone else wants to leave to start their own house?¡± ¡°Anyone wishing to leave will have to beat me in single combat,¡± I said clinching my fist, ¡°are you willing to try me Ulgar?¡± ¡°No brother I cannot best you, at least not yet. I was never trained by Alton like you were.¡± I stepped closer to Ulgar staring him down intensely forcing him to look away. Seeing him avoid my gaze I continued in a whisper, ¡°I will not have this family fall apart, you are to be a cornerstone on which I build. So, I cannot have you leave.¡± Ulgar nodded, ¡°I understand, and I will stay, as long as you don¡¯t do something to jeopardize our family.¡± ¡°good,¡± I nodded, ¡°I do not plan on doing anything to hurt what we have brother, trust me on that.¡± Ulgar bowed his head before leaving making his way back into the small crowd of people around me.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Once again I was alone, lost within my thoughts, something that had been happening too often here as of late. I sighed looking up at the night sky, the talks with Yesui earlier and again Ulgar more recently had brought back to mind the incident with Bataar, something I wished to not dwell on. I may not have cared for him, but he was still my blood and I had killed him with my own hands. ¡°what are you thinking about,¡± a soft voice asked pulling me back to the present. ¡°What?¡± I looked down to Yesui who at some point had walked up to my side. ¡°what are you thinking about?¡± she asked again looking up at me with those beautiful green eyes. ¡°nothing really,¡± I said with a forced smile, ¡°why aren¡¯t you mingling?¡± I asked steering the conversation into a new direction. She looked at me incredulously but didn¡¯t ask any more questions, instead, she let me steer the conversation on to a new topic. ¡°I could ask you the same.¡± She said with a wink. ¡°I like to watch,¡± I said with a wink of my own, ¡°so, you¡¯re just a watcher huh?¡± she asked with a giggle. I walked into that one, I thought with a smile. ¡°depends on the situation,¡± I said stepping closer to Yesui. ¡°hmmm we will see wont we?¡± ¡°Yes we will,¡± I said embracing my wife. ¡°Think we should wait for everyone else to scurry off to bed or slip off on our own?¡± I asked with a smirk. Yesui purred nuzzling into my neck like a pleased cat. ¡°I¡¯d like to go now but we should wait just a little longer.¡± She emphasized her last few words just trying to tease me, and boy she was certainly getting the best of me. my inexperience with women just made it all worse and easier for her to get under my skin, I so desperately wanted to know what a woman felt like and to have one so close yet so far away made me burn with desire. I was so close to just losing myself to my desires and carrying Yesui off to my Yurt, but she was right, and we needed to wait. It was rude of the host to be the first to leave the party. So, I reluctantly waited for everyone to go their separate ways with Yesui in my arms. I watched everyone laugh and enjoy the atmosphere and usually I would enjoy watching them mingle with a drink in one hand and a piece of meat in the other. But instead right now I couldn¡¯t get the thought of finally having Yesui all to myself out of my head. The fact that she would occasionally start rubbing her body up against mine didn¡¯t help things either. Every time she did, I would look down at her and she would quickly look away and stop her movements as if nothing had ever happened but we both knew what she was doing. Soon enough my manhood was standing at attention and I awkwardly shifted myself around so that the others wouldn¡¯t look over and see me in such a state. I still needed to act imposing and in charge even if I was currently at the will of a little fox sitting within my arms. Yesui was torturing me and the night just seemed to drag on and on with no one seeming inclined to head off to bed, even as it got later and later into the night.


    Finally, after enduring as much as I could from Yesui the first couple of people began to leave. It started with Od and his wife followed by the younger children and finally Yul and his harem of wives. I didn¡¯t care what my siblings did I didn¡¯t consider them my guests and instead lifted Yesui up in my arms and carried her off to my Yurt. After entering through the doorway, I beamed down at Yesui curled up in my arms and said, ¡°welcome home.¡± Without letting her go I carried her over to my pallet where I laid her down gently. My heart threatened to pound straight through my chest and my hands began to shake due to my excitement mixed with nerves. My hands shakily caressed Yeui¡¯s body as I planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Lord she is so soft, I thought feeling every inch of her body with my hands. Even through her clothes I could feel how delicate she was and all I wanted to do was protect and cherish her. Without even realizing what I was doing my hands began to remove her plain brown dress. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t fast enough however because before I even had the thing over her shoulders Yesui sat up, breaking off the kiss, and removed the dress herself before leaning back in to continue the fight we were having with our tongues. From what I could tell her breasts weren¡¯t very large, mainly due to the fact she was so young, but I did not have anything to compare them to, so it didn¡¯t faze me in the least. my hands immediately went to her breasts as if they were being drawn to them by some unknown force of nature. I began to inexpertly play with them, even if I was making a mess of things my movements elicited moans of pleasure from my wife. Those soft, sweet noises coming from her lips pressed against mine just made me more ravenous, kneading harder with my hands. Soon enough both of us were breathing harder and we were both panting heavily forcing us to break away from each other¡¯s lips which did give me a good unimpeded view of my wife¡¯s naked form. Looking at her like that had me completely speechless. I would say that it left me breathless, but the kiss had already done that. I propped myself up with my arms as I stared down into Yesui¡¯s green eyes. A smile couldn¡¯t help but form on my lips, because I had never been happier in my short life than I was right now in this moment. ¡°what are you smiling for?¡± she asked looking up at me puzzled. ¡°sorry,¡± I said still smiling, ¡°You just make me so happy.¡± Yesui blushed and looked away shyly. I didn¡¯t think it would be possible for her to blush anymore with how red her cheeks already were but somehow, she managed to do it. When she looked away from my gaze, she left her neck wide open and seeing the opening I dove in sinking my teeth into her skin. My actions caused her to gasp loudly. She reached out wrapping her arms around my back trying to pull my shirt over my head. I leaned up and let her remove it. After taking my shirt off she laid there looking up at me with a pleased smile on her face. It was now my turn to ask what her smile was about. ¡°what are you smiling at?¡± I asked looking down at myself confused. ¡°I am just like looking at my man.¡± She said still smiling. I couldn¡¯t help but blush at her brashness. She had been proving as of late that she was not the timid girl I had made her out to be at first glance. ¡°well then, look at me then,¡± I said standing up and removing my trousers. She just lay there with a sultry smile on her face watching me strip for her. As I got my pants down to my ankles someone burst through entryway capturing my attention. I turned around angrily looking for the person who interrupted me. Lo and behold, it was my four siblings all staring at me giving me varying looks. Such as surprise from Erhi and Erdin, to a smirk from Ulgar and oddest of all what seemed to be annoyance from Kulan. ¡°what?¡± I asked aggravated, ¡°never seen a cock before?¡± Yesui giggled from the floor where she had covered herself up with a blanket and leaned up to get a look at our intruders. Ulgar shook his head and walked over to his bed while Erhi guided Erdin over to their beds which were side by side while Kulan still stood there looking even more annoyed. I ignored my siblings and looked back down at Yesui kicking my pants off to the side. ¡°where were we?¡± I asked. At that she removed the hide blanket that was covering her. I now noticed at some point in time she had removed her small clothes and was now completely naked. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her body that was on full display now. So, this is what a woman looks like? I thought. ¡°just gonna stare?¡± she purred. ¡°most definitely not,¡± I said finally coming back to reality. I brought myself down on top of her, propping myself up on my arms, once again finding myself staring deeply into her eyes. I could probably stare into that green abyss for an eternity but at the moment I had other things on my mind. So, I positioned myself between her legs and slowly guided myself inside of her. Yesui winced at my intrusion, causing me to stop all my movements and wait for her to get comfortable with me. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she panted, ¡°You can continue.¡± Without needing anymore urging I started to move my hips in a rhythm that I unconsciously found myself in. I completely lost myself in the moment and in Yesui. I do not know how long this went on for I was just too consumed in the pleasure I was feeling and after only a short time of being inside Yesui I was on the cusp of release. At some point I had started to grunt rather loudly but that was being drowned out by the moans coming from Yesui. Her moans were a mix of pleasure and pain and usually I would be worried about her being in pain but right now I was too consumed by my own pleasure to care. ¡°I¡¯m close,¡± I grunted mimicking what I had heard Alton say many times while in the throes of passion with his wives. ¡°please,¡± Yesui panted beneath me. that was all I needed to hear in order to finish with one final grunt thrusting as deep as I could go.


    Afterwards I slipped off to the side and lay beside my wife panting from the exertion. I lay there trying to catch my breath reveling in all the newfound pleasure that had just assaulted my person. After a while of just lying there I looked over at yesui. She looked exhausted and her eyes were closed tight but I didn¡¯t miss the small smile on her face. Seeing that smile of hers made me happy and proud knowing that she at least enjoyed our recent activities. I can get used to this, I thought before drifting off to sleep the exhaustion finally taking over. The first night with my young wife was successful and would hopefully be followed by many more blissful moments with her by my side.

 Chapter 12

    ¡°Damn you boy, fight back,¡± Ulgar yelled as he jerked the wooden sword from the kid¡¯s hands. ¡°Aridan come let¡¯s show them one more time,¡± Ulgar and I had started to train Yesui¡¯s three younger brothers in earnest the day after our joining, but for the oldest of the three, Temur things were not going so well. It would seem he was not too keen on violence which I found to be quite disgusting. How can someone hope to survive being so timid? So, once again I took up my practice sword and strode over to Ulgar¡¯s position. ¡°like this,¡± I said sprinting the last few steps to Ulgar giving him little chance to ready himself for my blows. Even if this was just practice and I was trying to demonstrate to my new students that I did not hold back in the slightest. I had come to realize that the best way to learn was to either get your shit kicked in, or watch as someone else had their shit kicked in. I slashed at Ulgar with all my might and built up momentum from sprinting. He attempted to block the blow but was unable to get his feet set properly so my blow threw him off balance and forced him to stumble back away from me. I gave chase not wanting to give him a second to breathe or go on the offensive himself. By the time he turned back to face me I was already on him once again, this time going with an overhead strike baring down on him with all the force I could muster. Ulgar tried but failed to get his sword up in time to block my blow so he took most of it on his shoulder. I was aiming for his face but sadly at the last moment he shifted his body, so the blow landed relatively harmlessly on his shoulder. Ulgar grunted and tried to get away from me and create some distance but the damage was done and now he was favoring his left arm meaning for the rest of the fight it would most likely be out of commission. Even injured I still wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until he was completely out of the fight, so I relentlessly pursued him making sure he had no room to breathe or think up a strategy to fight back. In all the times we have sparred Ulgar has only gotten one hit on me and usually doesn¡¯t make it past my first two blows, so this was actually impressive for him. Ulgar took up a stance so that his right side faced me, and his injured arm was protected by the rest of his body. His sword was raised poised to parry my next strike or strike me if the chance arose. But I did not intend to give him that chance. I planned to end this demonstration duel in just one more strike. I rushed up to him and abruptly stopped right out of his reach which caught him off guard since he thought I would do as I had the last two times I attacked and use the momentum from running to give him a powerful blow. That is exactly why I changed things up this time. Alton always said, ¡®being predictable will inevitably get you killed, always keep your foe guessing what your next move will be keep them on the defensive never let them go on the offensive if at all possible.¡¯ That lesson had been brutally beaten into my brain with a wooden sword and there was no way I could forget it.


    While Ulgar was trying to figure out what I was doing, I brought my sword down next to my hip and crouched low. In one smooth motion I lunged forward bringing my weapon up for an uppercut. My blow knocked Ulgar¡¯s sword from his hands and the tip of my own weapon caught him in his jaw knocking him to the ground. I stood over his body putting the tip of my sword to his throat, ¡°you done?¡± I asked with a cocky grin? ¡°Done,¡± he said spitting out some blood as he spoke. I tossed my weapon off to the side and reached down to help him up, but he refused my help and grunted as he got up on his own power. I ignored him and turned back to look at Temur and the other two boys standing by his side. Temur looked to be shaken by the little fight he had just witnessed while the other two looked on in admiration, something they tended to do whenever I personally gave them a demonstration. ¡°what¡¯s wrong boy?¡± I asked Temur even though I knew what was wrong since this had happened more than once already. ¡°Y-you hurt your own brother,¡± he said visibly shaking, ¡°he could have died.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a tired sigh. This again? I thought to myself. ¡°He isn¡¯t dead,¡± I said pointing to Ulgar who was rubbing his jaw which was now quite red around his chin, ¡°And now he will be stronger than he was before. This is how things are, this is just the way of the world, the strong survive and the weak get put into an early grave by someone stronger than they.¡± My words were harsh, but they were the truth and he needed to hear it lest he end up in an early grave himself. ¡°But its not right master,¡± ¡°The world doesn¡¯t care what is or isn¡¯t right,¡± I said throwing my hands up in defeat, ¡°You have to learn to live with that fact sooner rather than later boy.¡± Temur stared at the ground for a long moment and inside I was praying to the heavens that I had finally gotten through to him, but he opened his mouth and dashed that hope. ¡°I just can¡¯t accept that,¡± he spoke almost in a whisper, ¡°I can¡¯t except people hurting each other like that and I don¡¯t want to live in a world that does.¡± After speaking his mind Temur ran past me off towards the creak. ¡°Come back here boy I¡¯m not done with you.¡± Temur didn¡¯t turn back or even hesitate for that matter and just kept running. ¡°Damn fool,¡± I spat. He is too idealistic for this world, I thought as I watched him attempt to run away from reality. I turned back to his brothers to see what they had to say but neither said a word they just shuffled around nervously. ¡°Do you two share Temur¡¯s thoughts?¡± both boys immediately shook their heads negative. ¡°good, I don¡¯t need any more deadweight around here.¡± I turned back towards camp picking up my discarded practice sword as I went. ¡°Finish things up here Ulgar we need to speak later.¡± I didn¡¯t wait around for a response from Ulgar I knew he would get things done so I just kept walking. ¡°Yes, brother we will be back shortly.¡± Temur is a lost cause it seems, I sighed looking up into the morning sky.


    Other than Temur things had been going quite well up to this point. Yul and Od had been proving themselves useful with their leatherwork while the women weren¡¯t all trying to vie for control over household maintenance and had been differing over to Kulan which was a relief. I had worried that the older wives would try to exert their dominance due to their age, but Kulan had assured me that things were going well, and the transition was a smooth one. Yesui was also doing her best to learn what she could from Kulan and the other women to be a good wife and head of the household work. I think that one of the reasons that things had been going so smoothly on the women¡¯s front was due to the knowledge that one day Yesui would be the one leading them and having one of your family in control meant you yourself would have more power in the long run. This was all fine by me, it meant one less headache to deal with and allowed me to focus on my other tasks. There were many things I needed to do such as secure our food stores for the next few months, train the boys, and I needed to go trade with the Mansurians. The house desperately needed some salt so we could preserve our meat for the coming winter. Vegetables would also be good to supplement everyone¡¯s diet especially once berries would no longer be readily found in the vicinity. I planned to be self sufficient by the time we made it back to the clan. I had no intention of relying on others for help during my first winter being independent.


    Most young men receive help from their fathers during their first few years on their own, but I wasn¡¯t most men and my own pride wouldn¡¯t allow me to be reliant on others. Maybe that was wrong on my part and maybe I was pushing everyone too hard, but still this was what I wanted and the way I wanted to run my house so no one could really fault me for that. I was still young and na?ve and was bound to make plenty of mistakes in the future, but we would just have to deal with those as they came, no use fretting over something that had yet to occur.


    So, in order to fulfill my ambition of self-reliance we mainly needed three things to happen. Firstly, we needed plenty of preserved food for the winter months which required a trip to Mansurian lands. Second, plenty of warm clothing to ward off the cold which required the hard work of Yul and Od along with the women of the camp, plus plenty of furs courtesy of the livestock and mine and Ulgars hunting. Third, we needed fuel for our fires, some of which we could forage from the plains, but we still would need some wood from outside the borders of the plains which would have to come from trade. After coming to that conclusion there really was only one thing for me to do and it should be done sooner rather than later since right now, we had plenty of food stocked up from all the hunting I had been doing lately with Ulgar and the boys. It required me to leave the house for a time and that greatly worried me. I needed to have a talk with Kulan, Yesui and Ulgar about it so that is where I headed after leaving the space set aside for training swordsmanship.


    I walked over to my Yurt expecting to find Yesui and Kulan to be working on something around my home, but I didn¡¯t see them anywhere around the vicinity of my Yurt or any of the others for that matter. So, since they weren¡¯t outside, I slipped into the Yurt where I found Kulan, Yesui and Od¡¯s wife sitting around the fire working on some clothes and conversing quite amicably. It made me happy to see them all getting along so well, it meant the integration of our families was going as smoothly as Kulan had said. As the old saying goes a happy wife makes for a happy life. They looked up to me and stood as one when I entered the room. I nodded to them and walked over to my seat at the head of the room. As I sat the three women resumed their positions as well but instead of going back to their work, they looked up at me expectantly. I just watched them for a while not wanting to break the silence that had settled over the room since I had entered. I let things stay as they were for a moment just enjoying the quiet and the view of my wife that this spot gave me. I had been so busy since breaking off from my father that I very rarely had time to just sit and relax. But I knew there were things that had to be done so I couldn¡¯t just sit around idly. I adjusted to get more comfortable ¡°how are things going around the homestead in your eyes Kulan?¡±. Kulan sat there looking panicked at my sudden question. Apparently, she didn¡¯t expect me to call her out so suddenly. Why wouldn¡¯t I ask my sister for advice? I thought as I watched Kulan struggle to formulate an answer. ¡°U-umm honestly brother I think things are going well.¡± She said clearly flustered, ¡°everyone seems to be integrating well and becoming productive we shouldn¡¯t have food or fuel problems for a while.¡± I nodded, ¡°those were my thoughts as well, but we are lacking in certain areas.¡± They all three began to nod at my words. It¡¯s clear I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed our shortcomings. It was heartening to see that others were thinking of the future and it wasn¡¯t just me. Seeing this lifted a large burden off my shoulders since I knew I could rely on the others to look to our futures and it wasn¡¯t just me. ¡°I will have to travel east to the Mansurian trading hub and trade for what we can¡¯t make ourselves or forage from the land,¡± I said rubbing my head which as of late always seemed to be aching for one reason or another. ¡°Do you, personally, have to go?¡± Yesui asked. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who I can trust to get it done, so yes I have to go personally.¡± ¡°Th-that may be right,¡± Yesui said looking dejected at the prospect of me leaving for an unknown amount of time. ¡°Well,¡± Kulan said drawing my attention away from my saddened wife, ¡°who will be going with you?¡± ¡°It will just be me. we cannot afford to have anyone else leave.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± asked Od¡¯s wife. Yesui and Kulan both voiced their agreement with her question. ¡°Yes, but it is more dangerous to take anyone else away from here.¡± ¡°What if you¡¯re attacked out there all alone?¡± Yesui asked. ¡°I can handle myself in a fight,¡± I retorted. Yesui just stared at me, frustration written all over her face. I know she is just looking out for my safety, but I too am looking out for everyone else¡¯s safety in my own right. So, we just sat there staring each other down. I was not going to change my stance and Yesui was upset that she could not talk me out of doing this. ¡°Can you promise us that you will return safely no matter what?¡± Kulan asked breaking the oppressive silence that had taken hold of the room. Yesui glared at Kulan, annoyed that Kulan wasn¡¯t taking her side in this but Kulan ignored the glares and focused on me waiting on my response. ¡°I promise you that I will do everything in my power to return here safely.¡± Kulan nodded, ¡°good then that is all we can ask since you¡¯ve already made your mind.¡± Kulan stood then looked to Yesui and Od¡¯s wife to follow her out of the Yurt. ¡°by the way when will you be leaving?¡± she asked while standing by the door. ¡°The day is still young and the sooner I¡¯m off the sooner I can return,¡± ¡°Then we should hurry to get you ready,¡± she said before she slipped out of the Yurt followed by Od¡¯s wife while Yesui still sat there staring at me.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°You know as well as I that this has to be done Yesui,¡± I said trying to placate my angered wife. ¡°I know that but why does it have to be you, why can¡¯t someone else go?¡± ¡°I already told you why, I can only trust myself to get this done right.¡± ¡°still why do you have to go alone, why can¡¯t at least one other person follow you?¡± she asked her voice getting higher in pitch the more she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough men to protect the camp in my absence Yesui, I don¡¯t like having to go alone either, but this is how it is, I have to protect you above all else so this is just how it has to be.¡± Yesui opened her mouth to speak but shut it again before any words could come out. She wanted to keep fighting me on this but couldn¡¯t without looking too disrespectful, the only reason she was fighting me so hard at the moment was because we were alone. Even then if I were a lesser man, I would¡¯ve taken offense to any back talk and punished her for it but I liked getting others opinions on things since it opened me up to new ideas, its just at the moment there really wasn¡¯t anything else we could do in these circumstances. All Yesui could really do was sit their looking dejected. I found that I could not stand the sight of her being upset so I stood up and walked over to her. Yesui looked up at me confused, ¡°what are you doing?¡± she asked tense expecting a blow that would never come from me. I leaned down and picked her up into my arms holding her close. She squirmed around trying to break free from my sudden assault but after realizing she wasn¡¯t getting free and I wasn¡¯t angry, she stopped struggling and just accepted my attention. ¡°I have to go,¡± I whispered while running my fingers through her long black hair. Lately I had found that Yesui rather enjoyed having me run my fingers through her hair and right now I was trying to placate her any way possible. ¡°I-I know,¡± she sighed, placing her chin on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for questioning you like I did.¡± I pushed back from her and looked her in the eye, she tried to turn away but I forced her to look at me, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you I want to hear your opinions on things and I won¡¯t hear you apologize to me for stating your opinion again.¡± ¡°But others were here when I did it,¡± She said shaking under my intense gaze, ¡°it will look bad for you if your wife disrespects you like that.¡± ¡°Fuck everyone else I don¡¯t care what others think, understand?¡± She looked away again and once again I forced her to look at me, ¡°do you understand?¡± I asked putting pressure into my grip. ¡°Y-yes I understand husband.¡± I nodded at her response pulling her back into my embrace. ¡°you are the only thing that matters to me right now,¡± I said soothingly, ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less what others think, only you Yesui.¡± ¡°I-I understand,¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said releasing her from my grip, ¡°Now go help Kulan and the others get things ready for my trip.¡± Yesui collected herself before swiftly leaving avoiding my eyes the entire time.


    Once I was alone, I let out a deep sigh, I really don¡¯t like seeing her upset. Our relationship had been moving fast but that was just how life was out here, you never knew what day would be your last, so you had to live life to its fullest. I need to get ready to leave, I thought as I finally turned my attention away from the door where Yesui had just left.


    When I finally left the Yurt, everyone had gathered around to see me off. It seems the girls had already told of my plans. Batzorig was saddled and ready to go while two other horses were tethered to her loaded down with goods for trading. I waisted no time walking over to Batzorig and placing my packed saddle bags upon her back. Ulgar walked up behind me holding my bow and a full quiver. I took the bow and slung it on my back while he strapped the quiver to my belt opposite the side of my sword. Once he was finished, I pulled him close and spoke so only he could hear, ¡°If anything happens to Yesui while I¡¯m gone you better be dead, otherwise you will wish you were.¡± Ulgar nodded to my threat without a word. I mounted Batzorig and got settled into the saddle when Kulan and Erhi came up to me. ¡°Be safe brother we will be waiting for your return,¡± Erhi said. ¡°Remember your promise,¡± Said Kulan. ¡°Will do,¡± I replied to both of them. After Kulan and Erhi walked away Yesui came to see me off. Before she could even get out a word, I reached down grabbing her and pulling her up placing her in front of me. Shock was written all over her face which I found quite cute and I just couldn¡¯t resist kissing her in that moment. She was shocked at first but after a moment she too got into it and what started as an innocent kiss soon got rather heated but before I could fully lose myself in my wife murmuring from those surrounding us brought me back to reality and I grudgingly broke off the kiss. ¡°I will be back in a week if things go well,¡± I said nearly out of breath. Yesui nodded, ¡°I will be waiting for you,¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said picking Yesui back up and placing her back on the ground. After Yesui was out of my lap I readjusted in the saddle to get comfortable again, before looking at my family. I let my gaze drop onto Yul, ¡°Keep everything running smoothly.¡± ¡°Of course, everything will be as you left it master,¡± He said bowing his head in respect. ¡°Good,¡± I said while hitting Batzorig¡¯s flanks. me and my three horses got moving and before long we were out of sight from my family heading east towards the mountains and the Mansurian trading center on this side of those imposing peaks. Let¡¯s hurry up with this task so I can get home to Yesui, I thought with a smile on my face.

 Chapter 13

    So far, my journey east had been going quite well, the second day of my trip was coming to an end and I had yet to have any major incidents. The only thing to really come up was a rainstorm. Which that was more of a blessing than anything else because I was worried about running out of water since I was only able to pack enough for three days, but in the early hours of the morning a rainstorm came up from the south and I was able to replenish all the water that me and the horses had drunk so far. Meaning, I should be able to make it to my destination before I ran out. Even if the rain was a good thing overall, I was still drenched and that made riding Batzorig a rather uncomfortable experience. But now that was a thing of the past and by the end of the day, I was finally dry again.


    I was currently setting up for the night in a thicket of small gnarled trees that were desperately trying to live in this unforgiving land that my people called home. Seeing these hideous excuses for trees was a good sign since it meant I was getting closer to my destination. I should be seeing some real trees by midday tomorrow and I may even make it to town by nightfall if I really push it, I thought as I unloaded the two pack horses. The hardest part of my trip so far, other than the loneliness, was the lack of shelter and my unwillingness to light a fire for fear of drawing unwanted attention my way; however tonight I would at least have a little shelter thanks to the thicket I had come across. For the most part of the first day I was overjoyed with being alone and not having to worry about the day to day tasks of running my home but at some point, I went from enjoying my solitude to despising it. Being out here alone allowed for my mind to wander and it was making me question all the decisions I had made recently. I kept second guessing myself over and over wondering if the path I had chosen was the right one and if I was leading myself and my family to ruin. The worst part about it was the fact that all I could do was think, I was unable to act, so all my worries just stayed bottled up inside me with no way to escape and it was slowly driving me mad. Out here all alone I had no one to vent to other than Batzorig, who was a great listener but that was all, she couldn¡¯t respond to my questions or offer support in any way when I vented to her. She just listened to my rants and walked along as I commanded her to.


    After I unloaded the horses and let them loose to graze, I sat down with my back to a tree with some jerky in one hand a handful of berries in the other watching the horses graze on some grass unbothered by my sour mood. I was about to go back to questioning myself again when I stopped myself and thought of Yesui instead. The girl who caught my eye the moment I saw her and the only reason I was where I am now. She was the reason I made many of the decisions I was currently torn over, but I couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t blame her for any of it. from the moment I saw her I knew I wanted her and was willing to do anything to have her. I was definitely rushing things to try and secure a future for her which was leading to most of my stress but even then, whenever I thought of her waiting for me and willing to follow me no matter what, I felt refreshed and my worries drifted away like they were never there in the first place. I felt like I could take on any hardship as long as she were there by my side helping me see it through to the end. I closed my eyes picturing her sweet face letting it calm me down after my long day of travel. Letting myself be completely taken over by the exhaustion was a mistake and without noticing I had fallen asleep sitting up against the tree leaving my meal left untouched.


    I awoke to the sound of horses panicking. I quickly got up of my ass, crouching low, and grabbed for the sword at my hip. I scanned my immediate area and found my three horses looking nervously towards the way we had come. They were anxiously stamping their feet and neighing, I could tell without a doubt that something or someone had spooked them. Shit someone could¡¯ve trailed me, I thought as I made my way deeper into the brush as quietly as I could. I needed to see what was going on before being seen myself, if that were even possible at this point. Someone or something was out there, and I needed to take any advantage I could get, hopefully I could get hidden and get some intel before it all went down. Once I found myself in a particularly thick piece of brush I hunkered down and watched the direction my horses had their eyes set on. I stayed as quiet as possible and listened carefully trying to pick up on anything that would shed some light on the situation, but the horses were making far too much noise for me to hear anything other than their panicked neighing. My heart started beating wildly in my chest to the point it felt like it would beat right out of my skin.


    I sat there deathly silent and still for what felt like hours, but couldn¡¯t have been longer than ten minutes, without seeing or hearing anything. I was getting to the point of thinking that there really wasn¡¯t anything out there and thought maybe it was just a fox or some other harmless animal that had spooked the horses. I was about to stand up from my hiding spot when I heard it. A stick breaking off towards my right, I nearly missed the sound over the racket coming from the animals, but luckily for me, I was still able to make out the sound. I held my breath and tried to locate the source of the noise, but for the longest time I could see nothing but the gnarled trees and brush. Finally, I caught some movement in the corner of my eye. Whatever it was it was moving in the direction of the horses and would soon walk parallel to my position and when it did, I would finally be able to see what I was dealing with. There, I spotted a man slowly making his way through the thicket towards the clearing I had set up in, its humans at least. I was worried that it would be a bear or a wolf pack either of which would be very hard to deal with in this brush, but humans would have the same disadvantages as me in these tight and dark spaces.


    Now if I could only figure out their numbers and could get the drop on them that would make things much easier. So, bided my time and waited for my chance to act. If there were a lot of them, they would¡¯ve attacked me in the open instead of waiting for me to set camp to lay an ambush like this, I thought while waiting. I figured there were no more than ten which weren¡¯t great odds, but also weren¡¯t impossible if I got really lucky, so I hoped for less than ten. Less than five would be ideal but I¡¯d take what I could get at this point. The sun had already dipped below the horizon some time before I woke up and the land was draped in shadow, the perfect time for a sneak attack. I was just holding out hope they didn¡¯t spot me moving to my current position since if they were watching the clearing, they could have easily seen me get up and move. But if they didn¡¯t see me move and noticed I was gone from the clearing, I hoped they thought I had made a run for it when I caught wind of the danger coming my way.


    Apparently, that¡¯s what was going on, because all at once six figures moved into the clearing including the man that was to my right. They had encircled the clearing and were now standing in a large circle around the edges of the trees and brush. ¡°See where he went?¡± one of the men asked. Thankfully for me the answer was no, meaning that I still had surprise on my side, even if it was one versus six it was still possible to get out of this alive, I just had to make my move before they came searching for me. They all turned to the horses and my goods laying about the clearing, leaving their backs wide open to me, and I knew I wasn¡¯t getting a better chance than this, so I had to make my move before they took off with my things or came hunting for me.


    I took out my knife since I could get it out of its sheath much quieter than my sword and locked my sights on the closest thief. When he bent down to go for one of my saddle bags I jumped from my hiding spot and lunged for his vulnerable back, knife poised to strike a killing blow. One of the other thieves saw or heard me, and called out to the others but it was already too late for my target and before he could even fully stand up, I plunged my knife between his ribs eliciting a pained gasp from my target. I pulled the blade from his back sideways trying to cause as much damage as I could, while I could since I had to immediately face the other five now alert men surrounding me. with the knife removed from his back he fell face first into a growing puddle of his own blood as I unsheathed my sword to face off against my next opponent. I moved to put my back to the woods keeping my enemies in front of me where I could keep an eye on them, I couldn¡¯t afford to get taken from behind right here with the odds stacked against me. I began to skirt around the clearing, looking for an opportunity to quickly take out another thief and even the odds a little more in my favor.


    I didn¡¯t have to wait long, one of the thieves pressed his luck and lunged for me breaking away from the group of his friends. He rushed At me, sword raised over his head, poised to take my head off. I waited for him to get close and when he did, I side stepped his all or nothing attack bringing up my own sword and shoving it through his gut. I went to swiftly remove my sword that was embedded in the dying man but before I could get it out two more thieves came rushing at me so I had to abandon my weapon for the time being and retreat back a step to avoid a sword strike that nearly took my hand off. Shit, this is bad. ¡°we got him,¡± one of the attackers said as him and his friend closed the distance with me. left with only my knife and no where to run I pressed my attack which caught the two men off guard. I launched for the one closest to me shrugging off a sword blow with my knife, his attack having failed and his weapon deflected away I got inside his reach driving my knife home into his gut, I then used my weight to turn his body and use it as a shield against the second man who was rearing back to strike me with his own sword. Ilet him attack, and used my newfound shield to take the blow for me, the shield got a nasty cut across it¡¯s back for its work, but I couldn¡¯t care less.


    I dropped my shield and attacked my next target which had an appalled look on its face for what he had just done to his friend. I used that moment of shock to end his life by lodging my blade into his throat. He fell to the ground hands grasping for his throat trying to stop the rush of blood, but it was too late the damage was already done and he was not long for the living. As I was stepping away from my fourth kill, my back lit up in pain as if it had just been set on fire. My eagerness to kill these two men had left my back wide open for the last two thieves and I had just paid dearly for my lapse in judgment. The blow forced me forward which saved my life since it put me out of reach from any new attacks, but I was still in a bind since the last two men were now both coming after me. it was now two to one but they both had swords while all I had was my knife and now an injured back which would definitely slow me down and make things that much harder. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I didn¡¯t know how bad my back was and didn¡¯t have time to check but I did know it hurt like hell and I could feel my blood flowing down my entire backside, so it really wasn¡¯t a light wound by any stretch of the imagination that was for sure. I had to end things quickly before the adrenaline flowing through me could no longer keep me upright and in the fight. On top of being injured and outnumbered I was on a tight schedule to get this over with or else I was a dead man, even if I did kill them both if I didn¡¯t get this wound taken care of I could still lose my life in the long run. ¡°You gave good boy, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± the one who struck me smirked, ¡°but this is it.¡± The man attacked as soon as he quit speaking followed by the last thief who thrusted out his own sword. If I¡¯m about to die then I¡¯m taking them out with me, I thought as I readied my knife to block their blows. I succeeded in blocking the first swing, but the second man¡¯s thrust caught me on my left arm. Luckily the cut wasn¡¯t deep, but it still hurt like a bitch and would make me favor that arm for the rest of the fight. At least it¡¯s not my strong arm I thought as I kicked the first attacker in the chest knocking him back. The other man wasn¡¯t quick enough to get his sword up and block my coming strike, but he was quick enough to dodge a killing blow and instead received a cut on his own arm.


    Before I could press my attack and finish him off the other man was on me once again. we exchanged several blows neither could get in a hit and I was running out of time. Both of my injuries were wearing on me and I was steadily running out of stamina. I was getting slower and slower with my blocks and would soon be unable to lift my blade in time to block an attack. My attackers knew this as well as I did so they were just biding their time wearing me down so they could finish me off without risking their own lives. I blocked another attack, the power of which drove me to my knees. I tried to stand but was unable, I was completely exhausted, all my strength had finally left me, my injuries finally taking their toll. By now my entire back was completely soaked in my own blood and my eyes had begun to lose their focus. There was no escaping what came next and everyone left alive in the clearing knew that. Cruel smiles were plastered on my last two attackers faces as they nonchalantly walked closer to me. ¡°that was the best fight I¡¯ve had in a very long time boy,¡± my soon to be killer said as he stood over me, ¡°in honor of that I¡¯ll give you a clean death.¡± ¡°Thanks for that,¡± I said my voice weak and almost coming out as a whisper. He raised his sword to take my head, all I could do was watch as death came down on me there was no fight left in me anymore. as I watched his blade, that still had some of my blood on it, all I could think about was Yesui and how I wouldn¡¯t be keeping my promise. I closed my eyes and waited, soon I would be on the ethereal plains where I would wait for my family to make it there in their own time and be with me again for an eternity, but death didn¡¯t come as I thought it would. Instead there was a strange popping sound and something warm flew onto my face. Did he change his mind? Is he going to torture me to death? I thought, opening my eyes to see what had happened. As I looked up, I saw an axe embedded deep within my attacker¡¯s skull. I just stared up at him dumfounded as his body fell to the ground motionless, who? I looked over towards the second man thinking maybe he killed his friend but no, he was laying in the dirt, face first with an axe sticking out of his own back. As I stared at the man lying there with an axe placed deep into his spine, a mountain of a man walked up to him, put his boot on the dead man¡¯s back and ripped the axe from its resting place. After he was done retrieving his weapon, he looked over to me and flashed the creepiest smile I¡¯d ever laid witness to, if it could even be called a smile. Now that I was looking, there were three men standing before me, each one was taller than anyone I¡¯d ever seen, each would be a head or two taller than me if I were standing next to them which is saying something since I was one of the biggest people in the clan.


    The three of them just stood there staring at me each holding an axe in their hands¡¯. I stared back at them, well at least I tried too but the blood loss and exhaustion finally got to me and I could hardly keep my eyes open or even sit upright properly. Even if they didn¡¯t take my head the thieves still got me in the end. I fell out onto the soft ground knowing that this was the end. At least I got four of them, I thought as I finally let go and lost consciousness.


    ~


    I awoke some time later, as the sun rose on a new dawn, with intense pain racking throughout my body. It took some time of me fighting to gain some focus through the pain to notice the hands that were holding me down and to wonder why I was even awake at all since I was sure the wound on my back had turned fatal. ¡°What the fuck,¡± I managed to say through gritted teeth. The only response I got for my trouble was some harsh words in an even harsher language that I couldn¡¯t possibly make out even if I tried. Great now I¡¯m being tortured to death by foreigners, I thought as I futilely struggled to get free of their hold on me. I was weak from my previous fight and the wounds it left me with. But still, I struggled, thinking that if I were to die I would put up any resistance I could. I thought they were trying to harm me but a new set of hands finding their way to my wound proved that thought wrong. The new set of hands were busy trying to clean and dress my wound while I struggled against the death grip the other set of hands had upon me. once I realized what was happening, I quit fighting against it and just lay there gritting through the pain. That was proving quite hard since every time the slash across my back got touched, which was happening more often than I liked, sent a shock of pain through my entire body. The pain was the worst I¡¯d ever experienced in my life. It was to the point that it made the regular beatings I had received at Alton¡¯s hands seem tame in comparison. Thankfully the pain did not last forever, and I was granted a reprieve when they were done bandaging the wound. Once my wound was bandaged the hands holding me in place let go and I was left laying face first in the dirt panting, thoroughly exhausted and in a lot of pain even if no one was touching my back. I just laid there for a moment trying to catch my breath and to get some of my wits about me before I sat up and greeted my saviors face to face.


    Once I was ready and could ignore the throbbing pain that was my back, I pulled myself up to a kneeling position to get a look at my surroundings and to see who it was that had saved me from certain death. Four men stood directly in front of me staring at me curiously. The three foreigners looked on at me curiously while the fourth man who was clearly a Mansurian looked at me with worry written on his face. The three foreign men were tall brutish looking men with long unkempt blonde hair and equally long beards each of which was tied into a different type of braid. Each one of the men were wearing a strange type of leather and chainmail armor which had without a doubt seen better days. T


    hey each had an assortment of axes on their persons. The axes were the likes of which I¡¯d never seen before, each was an implement of killing and would have little use for anything else. The axes were also covered in odd looking runes from the head of the axe going all the way down the shaft of the weapon, making each axe seem to be a work of art as well as a tool designed to take lives.


    I was thoroughly confused on the origin of these men since I had never seen the like before or even heard stories of warriors similar, but even more confusing still was why a Mansurian was travelling with these foreigners. Could be a captive, I thought, or a guide one. I looked away from the men and realized we were still in the same clearing I was attacked in with the decaying corpses of my six attackers from the previous night. All my things were still where I had left them, and my horses had been tied up to a nearby tree so they wouldn¡¯t go wandering off. It was now without a doubt clear that these men meant me no harm and had come to help me for some reason. But why is that, I wondered. ¡°Why are you here,¡± I asked, ¡°why did you save me?¡± At my words the three foreign men turned to the much smaller Mansurian who was standing behind them. He stepped forward to stand in front of the other men and looked down at me for a moment, the worry that he showed previously completely gone now.


    ¡°I am Nurhaci and these three men are my bodyguards,¡± Nurhaci said indicating the three foreign men standing behind him.


    I nodded, ¡°I am Aridan of the Dulfar tribe.¡± I said bowing my head in respect to my saviors. ¡°But why did you save me,¡± I asked, ¡°and how did you find me when you did?¡±


    Nurhaci looked uncomfortable hearing my question and took a moment before responding. ¡°well about that,¡± he finally said, ¡°we were travelling east back to my homeland when we were set upon by a rather large group of raiders, we managed to dispatch them at a great cost to our manpower,¡± he said a look of sorrow overtaking his features as he recalled the losses he had incurred at the hands of the raiders. ¡°Six of them managed to escape and to take vengeance for our fallen comrades we hunted them down,¡± he said only pausing to look at the six corpses in the clearing, ¡°our pursuit must¡¯ve led them straight to you, for that I apologize and for killing four of the vermin I thank you.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said getting more of the picture now. ¡°there is no way for me to hold a grudge against you for running these raiders straight to me since you saved my life in the end.¡± ¡°but the reason you needed saving to begin with is because we chased them into you,¡± he said apologetically. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said, ¡°I may be a little beat up, but I still live, nothing to apologize for.¡±                  ¡°Oh,¡± he said, ¡°I was told by my men that you still being alive is more to do with your own ability rather than our intervention.¡±       ¡°Nonsense they had me beat and I nearly lost my head before you and your men showed up and saved me,¡± ¡°Maybe so but you still took on six men on your own and managed to kill four of them before we showed up.¡±      I just shrugged in response. ¡°I was also led to believe that had you not been injured you probably could have killed all six of them without our help at all.¡±                  ¡°But I did get injured,¡± I said holding my hand up stopping a response from coming from Nurhaci. ¡°You may have put me in danger Nurhaci, but you saved me in the end, so I¡¯d say we are even now,¡± I said with a wince, the movement of my arm caused the pain in my back to flair up. ¡°very well Aridan if you say we are even then it is so.¡±          ¡°good,¡± I nodded, more pain coursing through my back at my quick movement. ¡°so, where are you fellows coming from and where are you going?¡± Nurhaci smiled and looked up to the sky,     ¡°that my friend is a long story.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said shifting off my knees and sitting down, trying to get comfortable which was hard with the pain shooting through my back with every move I made. ¡°I won¡¯t be going anywhere anytime soon, and a good long story might help pass the time.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± he said moving over to sit next to me, ¡°the story really starts at my birth some seventeen winters past.¡± He said a distant look in his eyes. Thus, I became immersed in the tale of a new friend¡¯s life and its many twists and turns.

 Chapter 14

    Nurhaci was born the third son to a wealthy Mansurian merchant who had based his business on the border between the Mansurian homeland and that of the horse lords to the west. The man was so wealthy that he basically controlled Nurhaci¡¯s home city of Noho. Trade flowed through this area from all over the known world. Goods from the great dragon empire to the south and from the silk road to the west made their way into Mansuria for her agriculture and mineral wealth making the Mansurian people rich beyond measure, no citizen of this land lacked for anything. There was no conflict and all the citizens of every clan within Mansuria were happy and content with their lives. At least that is what the leaders of Noho would like for you to believe, but according to Nurhaci the political intrigue and fighting among the wealthy of his homeland could make it far more dangerous than the steppes at times, they were just better at keeping their underhanded dealings a secret.


    Being from a wealthy family Nurhaci was raised away from the common folk of Noho and spent his younger years surrounded by other wealthy people and the slaves owned by the leaders of Noho and surrounding cities. He was sheltered as a child and kept blissfully unaware of the state of things outside of his home and own social circle. He lived like this for thirteen years before he finally came face to face with the dark side of humans and of the city that he had, to this point thought was a Utopia on earth. Nurhaci had been born rather late in his father¡¯s life so by the time Nurhaci was thirteen his father was quite old, and it was common knowledge to those in the household and in the city, that he would soon be leaving his earthly body. When he knew that he was nearing the end of his life he had decided to split his assets among his three sons in an effort to avoid fighting between siblings once he was dead.


    Nurhaci had little care for such things since he was still young and didn¡¯t really understand the gravity of the situation, but Nurhaci¡¯s mother and those around her were ecstatic since they knew that Nurhaci and them would be cared for, for the rest of their lives if things went well after his father¡¯s death. Time passed and Nurhaci¡¯s father¡¯s health took a turn for the worse. The doctors called by the family could do nothing and in the summer of Nurhaci¡¯s fourteenth year his father died an old man leaving Nurhaci and his two older brothers all of his assets to govern over. On the night of his father¡¯s death as the family was mourning another tragedy struck. Nurhaci was fast asleep in his room, tired after spending most of the day going through different mourning rituals meant to aid in his late father¡¯s passing, when the door to his room burst open. The noise woke Nurhaci who jumped awake startled looking over to see who the intruder was who had just burst into his room. To Nurhaci¡¯s confusion the intruder was one of his brother¡¯s personal slaves. Nurhaci just sat there looking at the man confused. He was wondering, why does this slave dare to enter my room? And, why is he holding his hand behind his back? Before Nurhaci could ask the slave what he was doing the slave spoke up first. ¡°I apologize but it¡¯s the master¡¯s orders,¡± after the slave finished speaking, he rushed towards Nurhaci revealing that he was hiding a dagger behind his back when he entered the room.


    The attack was so fast and unexpected that Nurhaci was almost completely powerless to act. Nurhaci should have died then and there without really knowing what was going on but luckily for Nurhaci his survival instincts kicked in even before he was able to process the situation that he found himself in. The slave who was hell bent on Killing Nurhaci may have been older and larger than Nurhaci, but he hadn¡¯t been trained for combat over the past few years as Nurhaci had been. Nurhaci quickly rose to his feet before the slave got to him. The attacker Lunged with the dagger aiming for Nurhaci¡¯s gut. Nurhaci used the slave¡¯s momentum to push the weapon wide right and used this opportunity to punch the slave in his side. The hit caused the slave to hit his knees and gasp for air. Nurhaci could have taken this opportunity to run away but he felt confident that he could win so instead of fleeing he stayed in his room and fought. While the slave was trying collect himself after that unexpected blow, Nurhaci grabbed a metal candle stick that sat beside his bed, reared the stick back behind his head and bashed the slave over the head knocking him flat on his stomach and sending the blade in his hands sliding across the floor. Nurhaci rushed over to the dagger picked it up and turned around only to be bodily slammed into the ground by his attacker. Both people rolled around on the ground struggling for the dagger.


    Nurhaci tried his best and used the methods taught to him by his combat teacher but the difference in size and strength between the two left him at a clear disadvantage. Before long the victor was decided, and the slave sat atop Nurhaci with the dagger in his hands with a disgusting grin plastered on his disheveled face. Nurhaci knew that this was going to be the end of him, but even if he knew that much, he still didn¡¯t know why this was even happening to him. Nurhaci¡¯s brother¡¯s slave raised the dagger over his head getting ready to plunge it into Nurhaci¡¯s chest and end the young man¡¯s life. Nurhaci didn¡¯t look away or close his eyes he just looked at the weapon curiously, noticing little details about the blade like how he had seen this blade on his brother¡¯s hip many times in the past and how there were specks of dried blood around the hilt where it hadn¡¯t been cleaned properly after use. The blade looked beautiful as it shined in the dim light, if he was not so close to death Nurhaci would have liked to sit there and continue to watch the blade. Nurhaci knew he did not want to die, even if he was out matched in strength and already thoroughly worn out, he was not ready to pass and would go out fighting until the bitter end if need be. In a last-ditch effort to stay alive he through his hands up into the path of the falling blade, to try and block the blade from penetrating his chest. Technically this move was successful, and Nurhaci caught the dagger with his own flesh. With the adrenaline Nurhaci didn¡¯t feel too much pain it just felt like a sting from a bee and nothing more. Nurhaci used this opportunity of having the dagger stuck into his hands to kick his adversary off of him.


    Luckily for Nurhaci his little stunt of allowing himself to be stabbed got the slave off balance giving him a chance to get free, however kicking his opponent off caused the dagger to rip out of his hands covering Nurhaci¡¯s face with his own fresh blood. Once free from his constraints Nurhaci ran for the door and didn¡¯t look back, he knew that if he were to attempt to fight anymore that he would die this time and there wouldn¡¯t be another chance to leave. Nurhaci ran through his father¡¯s house passing by confused slaves and priests of the house as he went. Nurhaci knew that his home was not safe for him so he made his way out as quickly as he could, not even stopping to check on his mother for fear of being found by someone else who may be after his life. He made his way through the compound making sure to avoid the more populated areas in order to avoid any unwanted encounters. He made it outside the walls of his father¡¯s hosing complex without any more incidents and swiftly made his way to the only place he thought he could find safety. He made his way through the dark streets of Noho on memory alone as his mind was clouded from the pain that had finally set in once the adrenaline had begun wearing off.


    Before he knew it, Nurhaci was standing before a door, he had seen this door many times over the years, a door he used to be scared to enter in the past but now was his refuge where he could feel safe and secure. He went to knock but moving his hands in such a manner caused too much pain so instead he kicked the door to get the attention of the home¡¯s sole occupant. ¡°Master open up, it¡¯s Nurhaci,¡± he yelled between intervals of kicking the door. Nurhaci stood there kicking the door and calling his master for what felt like hours but was just a few minutes at most before his master opened the door looking angry at being disturbed so late in the night. The look of anger quickly turned to that of shock instead at seeing the state that Nurhaci was in. ¡°What happened boy?¡± asked Nurhaci¡¯s master Bashimur. Nurhaci looked up at his Master and said, ¡°I was attacked in my sleep by my brother¡¯s slave.¡± Bashimur¡¯s eyes went wide and looked around the vicinity cautiously as he beckoned Nurhaci inside. When Nurhaci came inside the house, he noticed that a half-naked woman was present in the home making Nurhaci feel uncomfortable. Bashimur shooed the woman away handing her some money telling her to leave which she did looking somewhat displeased. ¡°I am sorry for disturbing you two master,¡± Nurhaci said shyly. Bashimur waved off Nurhaci¡¯s concerns, ¡°Don¡¯t worry boy you are much more important than some whore off the street. Bashimure grabbed Nurhaci¡¯s shoulder and began guiding him to the kitchen. Bashimur sat Nurhaci down in a chair in his kitchen and began to tend to Nurhaci¡¯s wounded hands while they talked. ¡°which brother¡¯s slave was it?¡± he asked while cleaning Nurhaci¡¯s wounds. Nurhaci did not even have to think about who it was, he immediately knew the identity of his attacker since he had known the man since he was a small child. ¡°Dorgon,¡± Nurhaci said, ¡°it was Dorgon¡¯s slave who attacked me.¡± ¡°Figured,¡± said Bashimur as he finished patching up Nurhaci¡¯s hands. ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Nurhaci. Bashimur stopped what he was doing and stared at Nurhaci. It seemed to Nurhaci that he was trying to find something as he peered into his eyes. Bashimur stared into Nurhaci¡¯s eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time. Nurhaci was almost to the point of looking away but Bashimur looked away first releasing Nurhaci from the awkward situation he found himself in. ¡°your tutor has failed to teach you a valuable lesson about this world Nurhaci,¡± Bashimur said looking off into the distance, ¡°no, I should have taught you myself instead of expecting others to teach you everything about life¡¯s harsh realities.¡± ¡°what are you talking about?¡± Nurhaci asked confused. ¡°Do you have any idea why you were attacked?¡± Bashimur asked. Nurhaci responded by shaking his head no. ¡°figured as much.¡± Said Bashimur. Nurhaci looked at Bashimur quizzically urging him to continue on with his point. ¡°tonight you learned the most valuable lesson in life, a lesson that should you forget you¡¯ll wind up dead and your body discarded with the trash somewhere to be forgotten about by the world,¡± Bashimur said as he moved his seat closer to Nurhaci so that he was sitting directly in front of Nurhaci¡¯s face. ¡°Everything and everyone in this world are out to get you and if you slip up and let down your guard for even a moment someone or something will finally get you and end you. You found that out tonight and you now bear the scars to prove it,¡± Bashimur finished up by pointing to the dressed wounds on Nurhaci¡¯s hands. Nurhaci looked down at his hands and was reminded just how much pain the dagger caused as it plunged into his hands, causing him to wince in pain at the sight. ¡°Master I still don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°what do you not understand?¡± asked Bashimur. ¡°Why did this happen?¡± Nurhaci asked back, ¡°why did this happen to me?¡± ¡°there are many reasons this happened to you and none of them are easy to accept but this is the reality of the world and in order to move on you will need to accept these facts,¡± Bashimur said sternly. Nurhaci nodded for Bashimur to continue wanting to hear what his master had to say about his situation. ¡°the first reason is your inheritance,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°You were to receive a piece of your father¡¯s estate and your eldest brother did not wish to see the estate broken up, if I am correct he probably had your other brother killed as well in order to inherit the entire estate rather than just a piece as your father had wished.¡± Nurhaci looked at Bashimur shocked. In his na?ve mind he had not once thought that one of his brothers would try to have him killed for their inheritance. Bashimur nodded, ¡°You are beginning to understand.¡± ¡°But we are brothers even if he wants father¡¯s money why would he go this far?¡± Nurhaci asked shocked and in disbelief. ¡°Money can turn the most honest man¡¯s heart as black as night,¡± Bashimur said with a distant look on his face as if he were remembering something as he spoke. ¡°I-I see,¡± said Nurhaci. ¡°Your father should have seen this outcome coming but sadly it seems he thought familial bonds would have kept things civil among you brothers.¡± Nurhaci hung his head at Bashimur¡¯s words. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    So much had happened to Nurhaci in such a short amount of time that it was hard for him to take it all in and process it. His mind was a buzz with activity as he was trying to come to terms with the fact that his father was dead, and his oldest brother was probably out to kill him for their father¡¯s inheritance. Nurhaci just sat there, head held low, for a long time trying to come to grips with this new reality. Finally, Nurhaci raised his head and looked at Bashimur, ¡°what could I have done to stop this?¡± Bashimur smiled at Nurhaci¡¯s question, ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked because that was another of my points on why this happened to you.¡± Nurhaci leaned in closer, now very interested in what Bashimur had to say. ¡°in order to have stopped this from happening, you would have needed far more power than you currently have,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°and not just marshal power but the power you get from influence over others.¡± ¡°Influence over others,¡± Nurhaci asked, ¡°what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°who attacked you, Dorgon or his slave?¡± asked Bashimur. ¡°Dorgon,¡± Nurhaci replied. ¡°Exactly,¡± Beshimur exclaimed, ¡°He did not need to do it himself because he held power and influence over others so that they would do the dirty jobs for him.¡± ¡°I think I am beginning to understand,¡± Nurhaci said, ¡°You¡¯re saying I need power in order to survive and without it I am doomed.¡± ¡°That is a start yes, but there are other circumstances that are not always so easy to control regardless of how strong you are.¡± ¡°Then master will you help me get stronger?¡± Nurhaci pleaded. ¡°Of course, you are my disciple and it is my duty to train you, but first we must leave Noho before your brother can find you,¡± Bashimur said standing up, ¡°I would not be surprised if he is already hunting you down.¡± Nurhaci nodded and stood up with Bashimur, ¡°yes master but what of my mother shouldn¡¯t we fetch her before fleeing?¡± Bashimur looked down at Nurhaci with a pained look on his face, ¡°Nurhaci your mother is dead, and you will do good to remember who did this to her¡± Nurhaci stood there shocked, not being able to comprehend what Bashimur had just told him. Soon that shock turned to grief and finally the grief turned to anger at himself and at his brother. Nurhaci swore right there to grow stronger so that one day he could avenge the injustice done to him.


    ~


    Bahimur was a nomad from the steppes and like me he was raised to be a warrior for his clan. He fought in many battles every spring for his clan¡¯s grazing rights. In his time there were many victories helping his clan grow in prestige and power. until one spring where his clan was crushed in defeat by a much larger clan and forced to fold into the larger clan. Being a strong warrior Bashimur was invited to be a free warrior in the new clan but Bashimur¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to accept the deal so he banished himself and wandered towards the east. He eventually made his way to the Mansurian¡¯s land where he acted as a mercenary for many years putting his training and experience to good use. Bashimur found himself in Noho on a contract where he met Nurhaci¡¯s father. He took a liking to Bashimur and after Bashimur had finished his contract in Noho, Nurhaci¡¯s father hired him to be Nurhaci¡¯s tutor in combat, going as far as giving Bashimur his own house not too far from his estate keeping Bashimur close at hand. Since the house was a gift from Nurhaci¡¯s father Bashimur knew that the entire estate knew of the house, his existence and his relationship to Nurhaci meaning that they were not safe from Drogon and his lackeys while they were in the house. So, after tending to Nurhaci¡¯s wounds, packing some supplies and grabbing some horses, the two of them sneakily left the house and headed west out of the city.


    Nurhaci did not know the plan and was just following Bashimur blindly until they got out of Noho and he started to wonder where they were going and why they were heading west in the first place. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Nurhaci asked, riding alongside Bashimur. ¡°My home,¡± He replied flatly. Nurhaci was shocked, he had grown up hearing stories about the steppes. How they were a barren, harsh wasteland home to vicious barbarians and beasts alike. ¡°why would we go there?¡± Nurhaci asked somewhat shaken. ¡°Dorgon will follow you anywhere you go in Mansuria, he has enough money and influence to find you in any of the Mansurian clans but he and his subordinates will think twice before entering the steppes, he will most likely assume you¡¯re dead once he finds out that¡¯s where we went.¡± Nurhaci nodded his head, understanding the logic behind Bashimur¡¯s words but still scared of the thought of entering the steppes for the first time. ¡°don¡¯t worry I know my way around, what places and clans to avoid and where it is somewhat safe to go.¡± Bashimur said reassuringly. ¡°Somewhat safe?¡± ¡°Yes, somewhat,¡± Bashimur replied, ¡°there isn¡¯t anywhere truly safe on the steppes, just about anything and everyone is out to kill you out there.¡± ¡°how do people live there then?¡± Nurhaci asked. ¡°Most don¡¯t, just the strong survive.¡± Bashimur said face void of any emotion. Nurhaci shuddered at his words. He was beginning to realize just how much his life was changing all of a sudden and it all started with the death of his father not even one day ago. ¡°are we going anywhere specifically?¡± Nurhaci asked after some time of thinking about the future. ¡°We won¡¯t be staying in the steppes long,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°we will continue west and hopefully we can catch some merchants along the way and act as guards.¡± ¡°Merchants to where?¡± Nurhaci asked confused. ¡°the silk road travels along the southern borders of the steppe and that is where we will be going, those merchants can always use extra guards since so many find themselves dead along the way to their destinations.¡± ¡°wait we are going along the silk roads to the countries in the west?¡± Nurhaci asked dumfounded, ¡°Why are we going out there?¡± ¡°We both need a fresh start Nurhaci, and this will be a good opportunity to get stronger and see the wider world.¡± Nurhaci sat in his saddle shocked, trying to grasp what was happening. Finally, he turned around in the saddle and looked back towards Noho and off into the distance saw the first few rays of sunlight. ¡°Will I ever be able to come back here?¡± Nurhaci asked turning back around to face the front again. ¡°that depends on you,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°But if you do come back make sure you have the strength to take back what was taken from you.¡± ¡°how will I get the power and people to take back my home if I am so far away?¡± Nurhaci asked confused. ¡°only time will tell,¡± Bashimur replied, ¡°But I will guide you as best I can from here on out.¡± ¡°thank you Bashimur I appreciate your help.¡± Bashimur smiled at Nurhaci, ¡°you are like my son Nurhaci, and I will support you as such.¡± Nurhaci was shocked at what Bashimur had just said, and the more he thought of it he started to notice that he too looked up to Bashimur as a father figure and not just a teacher. Thus Nurhaci¡¯s great journey west began.

 chapter 15

    Nurhaci and Bashimur traveled westward down the old beaten path that led to the silk road on the fringes of the nomadic horse lord tribes¡¯ lands for three days without a sighting of any nomads or merchants alike. The excitement of going on a journey had long since faded and Nurhaci was left to deal with the emotions that came with the loss of his old life and everything he used to know as well as the pain in his hands from his wounds. Riding in the empty steppes gave one a lot of time to think, and when Nurhaci wasn¡¯t focused on the throbbing pain in his hands he was lost in his mind repeatedly going over all the events that had happened to him that led him to his current predicament.


    Bashimur did not help much in keeping Nurhaci distracted since he was a quiet man who seldom spoke and spent most of the journey watching their surroundings and keeping them from straying from the path and getting lost in these dangerous lands. Nurhaci kept up as best he could but after three days he was physically and mentally exhausted to the point of breaking and he could no longer keep everything bottled up inside. ¡°Bashimur,¡± Nurhaci said, ¡°do you even know where we are going?¡± Bashimur looked back at Nurhaci and studied his face for a while from atop his own horse. After a while of studying Nurhaci, Bashimur turned back in his saddle and looked forward once more. ¡°we continue to go west,¡± he finally said. ¡°Yes, I know what direction we are going,¡± Nurhaci exclaimed, ¡°But we have been riding for three whole days upon this old, worn-out road and we have yet to come upon any people, nomad or Merchant alike!¡±     ¡°I know,¡± said Bashimur, ¡°we are far from settled lands so it will take time to see any other people but if we keep going, we will run into someone eventually.¡± Nurhaci grew agitated at Bashimur¡¯s words, he was growing restless, and doubt was beginning to set into his mind with each passing day that they saw no signs of people.         ¡°do you even know how long it will be or are you just making guesses?¡± Nurhaci asked, ¡°we do not have much food and water as it is so if we take much longer, we will starve to death before long.¡± ¡°We are no longer in your homeland Nurhaci we are far from any city or settlement,¡± Bashimur said turning his head back to look at Nurhaci. ¡°the only people that wander these roads are merchants, adventurers, bandits, and nomads so it will take time to come across anyone else.¡±                                             ¡°I know, you¡¯ve said that already,¡± replied Nurhaci, ¡°but what about the food and water what if we run out and die before seeing someone else?¡± ??????                                    ¡°that is a possibility, and I wish we could have prepared better back in Noho, but we did not have the time to do so, and now we just have to hope that things work out in the future.¡±                ¡°Hope,¡± Nurhaci exclaimed, ¡°we are leaving our lives up to hope!¡± ¡±do you know better?¡± Bashimur asked anger in his voice, ¡°do you know anywhere else to run to that is a better option than this? Because if so, I will gladly go that way.¡± Nurhaci was shocked by Bashimur¡¯s outburst. Bashimur had been harsh at times during training but he had never been mad at Nurhaci like he was now. Nurhaci looked away from Bashimur¡¯s angry eyes and looked off into the distance before shaking his head no. ¡°as I thought,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°Now if you have no better alternative then we will just have to keep going and hope for the best, yes we must hope that things work out and that we do not run upon any bandits until we can get some support.¡± Nurhaci did not respond and instead continued to look off into the distance and sink back into his thoughts not wanting to anger his only lifeline any further. The two continued on their way Nurhaci being more careful about what he said from then on.


    ~


    A week had passed since leaving Noho, they had still yet to see any other humans during their Journey and the food and water situation had only grown worse, making both Bashimur and Nurhaci worried about their future. Earlier Bashimur had stated that if things got any worse, they could start to kill the horses to extend their limited food supply just a little bit more if need be and pray for rain or for their path to come across a water source to get more water. Slaughtering their means of transportation did not sit well with Nurhaci but if it came down to it, they did not have much choice. It was late in the day; the sun was sinking below the horizon and night would soon be upon them. Bashimur began to look for a decent place to bed down for the night.


    They had found the place they would sleep for the night and Nurhaci was about to dismount when he noticed that Bashimur was sitting in his saddle deathly still staring off towards the north, concern upon his face. Nurhaci followed Bashimur¡¯s gaze and there he saw two horses in the distance with riders on their backs. As soon as Nurhaci saw the two riders in the distance, he was reminded of the stories he was told as a kid about the bloodthirsty bandits from the steppes who swiftly road around killing and pillaging all they could without mercy. ¡°w-who are they?¡± Nurhaci asked. ¡°Quiet,¡± Bashimur snapped back. By Bashimur¡¯s tone alone Nurhaci knew that these people could mean trouble for the two of them. The thought of that scared Nurhaci as much as being attacked the night of his father¡¯s death. Nurhaci nervously watched the two people off in the distance. He wanted to run away and was tempted to voice his opinion to Bashimur but after he was told to stay quiet, he didn¡¯t have the courage to speak up. So, he sat there in silence watching and waiting for the situation to change in some way.


    They sat there in their saddles until the last rays of the sun vanished into the distance and darkness fell upon the land and they could no longer see the strangers. Bashimur let out the breath he had been holding in and turned to look at Nurhaci. ¡°Come get some rest I will stay up and keep watch for the night.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you also tired and need some sleep?¡± Nurhaci asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine don¡¯t worry and get some sleep.¡± Nurhaci was hesitant and wanted to argue with Bashimur and was going to offer to take a watch himself to let Bashimur get some rest as well but he knew that Bashimur wouldn¡¯t agree with him so, he got off his horse and prepared to bed down for the night.


    Nurhaci thought that he would not be able to sleep with the events going on, but his worries were unfounded. Almost as soon as he laid down and closed his eyes, he was asleep. He fell asleep so quickly that he did not even know where Bashimur was or what he was doing. Sometime during the night, Nurhaci awoke to voices not far off from where he was sleeping. Nurhaci immediately jumped awake and looked to the place where the voices were coming from. He found Bashimur sitting around a fire with two other men. They were all staring at him and were no longer speaking. The three had apparently heard him wake up and now Nurhaci had become the center of attention. ¡°Come over here,¡± Bashimur said waving Nurhaci over with his hand. Nurhaci walked over to the fire nervously, well aware of the eyes following his movements.


    Nurhaci took a seat by the fire near Bashimur and began to get a good look at the two men he did not know. By their skin tone alone he could tell they were not Mansurian they looked more like Bashimur than himself so he could guess that they were both steppe nomads commonly called horse lords. One of the men seemed to be middle-aged and around Bashimur¡¯s age while the other man looked to be only a few years older than Nurhaci at most. They both had brown hair and their features seemed to be related in some way. The four of them sat there for a while, no one speaking, making Nurhaci restless under the gaze of the two men. ¡°Nurhaci,¡± Bashimur said catching Nurhaci¡¯s attention, ¡°We are guests in these two men¡¯s territory¡± Nurhaci nodded at Bashimur¡¯s words, ¡°where are we then?¡± The two men laughed at Nurhaci¡¯s question almost as if Nurhaci should know what tribe owned the territory, they were in. ¡°We are in the steppes Nurhaci, the ancestral homeland of the horse lords,¡± Bashimur said giving Nurhaci a harsh look as he spoke. The two men continued to laugh at Nurhaci causing his face to flush red in embarrassment.         ¡°I know we are in the steppes I meant what tribe¡¯s land are we on,¡± Nurhaci said flustered.                                                 ¡°We are of the Yemere Tribe,¡± said one of the two men.                  ¡°I see,¡± said Nurhaci contemplatively. He was trying to figure out if he had ever heard the name Yemere before but since there was not much information in the wider world about the horse lord tribes, he could not think of a time that he had ever heard the name.


    At Nurhaci¡¯s pondering look the two men began to laugh again this time even louder than before greatly confusing Nurhaci. Bashimur saw the confusion in Nurhaci¡¯s eyes and leaned over to whisper into his ear, ¡°Yemere was one of the founders of the horse lord tribes and his lineage dates back further than the founding of Noho.¡± Nurhaci was shocked at Bashimur¡¯s words, he never knew how old the tribes were that were living on the steppes, he was beginning to realize that there was a rich history here in this land that he was blind to up until now. The discovery of something new to him was making him more and more excited about the journey that he was on and the fear and trepidation that he had been feeling as of late began to fade away. ¡°our ancestors were the first men to settle the steppes and made it our own,¡± one of the men said.        ¡°I see,¡± Nurhaci said in response. Both men nodded at that.             ¡°they will be accompanying us and following us as we travel through their lands,¡± Bashimur said. Nurhaci looked at Bashimur and back at the two men confused as to why they would be coming with them. ¡°They will be ensuring that we stay away from their settlements and the other members of their tribe,¡± Bashimur explained.                                              ¡°it would be for the best if you stay away from the rest of the tribe,¡± The older man who had been the only one talking said. Bashimur leaned back into Nurhaci¡¯s ear, ¡°we have not earned the right to visit the clan and these two are warriors from the tribe protecting the tribe and keeping outsiders away from their homes.¡± Nurhaci nodded coming to understand that these were a cautious and secretive people.                                             ¡°A trade caravan passed through our lands not too long back we will take you on your way and help you catch up with them starting tomorrow but for now let¡¯s get some rest, our lands are relatively safe so nothing bad should happen through the night.¡± The man said thus ending the talk and the four of them began bedding down for the night knowing they would need to be up and off early the next morning.


    The desperate food and water situation that Bashimur and Nurhaci found themselves in was fixed by the two Yemere tribesman who provided them with food and water for information on affairs outside of the steppes, which greatly relieved Nurhaci, putting him more at ease than he had been in a while. They rode for many days not coming across the merchants, or anyone else for that matter, which Nurhaci had assumed was due to their new companions more than there being a lack of people around. he had guessed that they had been intentionally avoiding anyone else like they said they would do on the night they had met. During their journey Nurhaci¡¯s hands had fully scabbed up and the pain had greatly lessened over the past few days and he was able to get more use out of them allowing him to be of more help to Bashimur on their travels.


    After they had traveled for almost a week with the tribesmen the situation changed after many monotonous days of riding the same direction and seeing the same scenery with little change from day to day. Apparently, there were some changes that the tribesman saw that Nurhaci could not, regardless of how much he tried to. they came to a stop and looked back at Bashimur and Nurhaci from the leading position they had taken during their journey together. ¡°This is the edge of our tribes grazing lands, so we depart from you here,¡± the older man said with a wave. ¡°thank you for guiding us,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°How much further from the caravan would you say we are?¡±. The two men looked to the west ponderingly for a moment. ¡°Just keep heading west another one of the tribes who have rights to these lands will contact you soon, as we did, and they will be able to better explain to you the situation.¡± Bashimur nodded, ¡°I see, thank you again, brothers,¡± the two men nodded to Bashimur first then Nurhaci then they both rode off to the north and soon enough they were gone from view while Bashimur and Nurhaci watched after them. After they passed away into the distance Nurhaci looked at Bashimur, ¡°So the Yemere tribe is not the dominant tribe on the steppes?¡±. Bashimur shook his head at Nurhaci¡¯s words, ¡°No there is no dominant tribe out here there are those clans that are larger than others, but they do not function the way you are used to.¡±           ¡°How so,¡± Nurhaci asked.                                      ¡°These tribes do not fight for dominance like in other places, instead they fight each year for the land to settle in for that year called grazing rights so that their animals can graze there for the year.¡±                               ¡°So, the tribes don¡¯t conquer each other like our clans in Mansuria,¡± Nurhaci asked.                                                   Bashimur shook his head, ¡°No they do from time to time if a clan is small and deemed unworthy by the larger clans but this doesn¡¯t happen as often as it does in other places, maybe a few times a decade if some tribes find themselves on hard times.¡± Nurhaci looked on ponderingly for a while taking it all in since this was all new to him, things he never knew about his clan¡¯s closest neighbor. ¡°if they are so decentralized and spread along the plains then how come they have never been conquered before?¡±                ¡°Some have tried in the past, mainly the dragon empire in the south and some others to the west but in times of need the tribes come together and send their warriors to battle together in defense of their homeland.¡±              ¡°that¡¯s incredible,¡± Nurhaci said in wonder.                           ¡°No one knows the steppes better than them and their cavalry makes the best skirmishers in the world putting an attacking force through hell as long as they stay here,¡± Bashimur said just adding to the wonder that Nurhaci was feeling. ¡°How devastating would it be if they united and attacked other nations,¡± Nurhaci asked really starting to get into the conversation. Bashimur thought for a while trying to come up with a good answer. ¡°Hard to say,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°but I do know that many would die and before it all ended many great nations would fall before the hordes of horse lords attacking them.¡±                     ¡°Wow,¡± Nurhaci said wide-eyed, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what that would be like.¡± Bashimur laughed at Nurhaci¡¯s reaction bringing Nurhaci back into reality and embarrassing him as he realized the stupid look he had on his face. ¡°You aren¡¯t the first whose thought of this,¡± Bashimur said reassuringly, ¡°Many have wanted to see the devastation that my people united under one banner could bring.¡± ¡°Then why haven¡¯t they,¡± Nurhaci asked. ¡°The different tribes are very prideful and want to rule themselves,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°They all have their own elders and their own chiefs who relate to them better than any other tribe¡¯s leaders could so they don¡¯t usually come together unless it¡¯s due to necessity.¡±    ¡°But they do sometimes take in other tribes,¡± Nurhaci pointed out.       ¡°Yes,¡± Bashimur replied, ¡°and when that happens many choose to die or flee than to bend the knee to the new tribe¡¯s leaders.¡±                        ¡°I see.¡± Nurhaci now saw that uniting the tribes would cause a lot of bloodshed if it were to come about quickly. ¡°Come let¡¯s get going,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°there is more daylight left and we need to make up as much ground as we can so we can swiftly catch up with our target.¡± Nurhaci nodded and they both started off once more. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Nurhaci followed behind Bashimur and thought about what it would be like to see hordes of the horse lords riding to battle and conquering distant lands. He did not want to admit it, but he found the prospect exciting and deep down he wished to see it for himself.


    It took two days for the two of them to notice that they were once again being watched as they had been before they had met the Yemere tribesman. Bashimur decided to ignore their watchers and just cautiously make their way through the land they were trespassing on. ¡°If they want to make contact,¡± he said, ¡°then they will on their own terms it would be futile to go chasing them.¡± ¡°But if we can find them we can enlist their help,¡± Nurhaci said back. ? ¡°Maybe,¡± Bashimur replied, ¡°or they could see our actions as being aggressive and kill us. The risks outweigh the rewards.¡±                       ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The conversation ended and the two continued riding ever westward seeing no man, other than those watching from a distance, and very few beasts. It took him a while, but Nurhaci noticed the lack of animals in this area which was different from the places they had been traveling through in the days past. ¡°Where are all the animals, we have hardly seen anything other than a few rabbits for the past couple days?¡± he asked Bashimur. ¡°Someone has been settled here for quite some time and have depleted this area''s resources,¡± Bashimur replied. Nurhaci looked all around them into the distance curiously. ¡°Well,¡± Nurhaci said, ¡°If someone lives in these parts then why haven¡¯t we run into them?¡±                                                   ¡°But we have,¡± Bashimur said with a chuckle.                     ¡°When,¡± Nurhaci asked, ¡°Where?¡± once again he looked all around trying to find these people he had apparently already seen. At Nurhaci¡¯s actions, Bashimur began to laugh aloud causing Nurhaci to feel much frustration. He began to give Bashimur a not so kind look from behind and if his eyes could shoot arrows they would have pierced his skull already. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me that way,¡± Bashimur said as he attempted to contain his laughter somewhat successfully. ¡°Then answer my question,¡± Nurhaci spat. ¡°They have been watching us for days now,¡± Bashimur said answering Nurhaci¡¯s questions with a chuckle. Nurhaci looked all around again squinting trying to see as far as he possibly could. ¡°You¡¯re telling me there is an entire tribe settled near here?¡±             ¡°An entire tribe,¡± Bashimur said running his fingers through his scraggly beard as he thought, ¡°No, a few houses at most. A tribal chief and his aides wouldn¡¯t dare to settle this close to a road that brings in outsiders.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nurhaci asked confusedly. ¡°Every summer the tribes wander freely inside the territory they fought for in the spring,¡± Bashimur explained, ¡°The many houses can choose to leave the area where the clan settles for winter and freely roam within their territory. They tend to stick together with their family for safety but sometimes they settle alone if they are large enough or brave enough. And from what I can guess by those watching us a few houses at most have settled this area.¡± Nurhaci sat there upon his horse for a moment silently soaking in this newfound knowledge. ¡°You can tell how many houses have settled this area based upon our observers alone,¡± Nurhaci finally said, ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°These are my people,¡± Bashimur said looking to the sky in thought, ¡°I used to live like them, and I know their customs deeply.¡±                      ¡°You said houses settle a place together for protection, what do they need protection from this deep in the steppes?¡± Nurhaci asked. ¡°Beasts for one,¡± Bashimur said, ¡°but most of all its protection against the tribeless raiders who usually prey upon outsiders but don¡¯t hesitate to attack other nomads that they deem to be an easy target.¡± Bashimur and Nurhaci were so engrossed in their conversation and their own thoughts that they failed to notice the lone man riding up to them until he was almost upon them. When Bashimur finally noticed the rider, he brought his horse to a stop and held his hand back to Nurhaci commanding him to do the same. ¡°Shit,¡± he said, ¡°I got careless.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± Nurhaci asked nervously from his position behind Bashimur who was acting as a shield for him. ¡°Quiet,¡± Bashimur snapped back which quickly shut Nurhaci up. They were both sitting there silently as the newcomer brought his horse to a halt right before them and gave them both a once over before turning his attention solely to Bashimur. While the man took a good look at Nurhaci and Bashimur, Nurhaci studied the man as well. He seemed to be middle-aged and by the aging lines on his face and the way he held himself atop his pitch-black steed he seemed to know how to use the sword upon his hip and the bow slung across his back. ¡°You two looking for the merchant¡¯s heading west?¡± he asked in a stern voice to which Bashimur nodded yes. ¡°Well then, you¡¯re in luck, not two nights passed they were set upon by raiders and lost many guards and merchants alike,¡± the man said not even batting an eye at the mention of death, ¡°Last I heard they are currently licking their wounds about a day¡¯s ride up the road.¡± The man pointed further down the road leading west indicating that was the way to our query. After that, he turned his mount and headed off to the direction of those who had been watching Bashimur and Nurhaci these past few days. ¡°Thank you for the directions my good sir,¡± Bashimur called out to the man as he rode away but he did not turn back or respond he just continued on his way. ¡°He didn¡¯t look familiar,¡± Nurhaci said watching the man¡¯s back as he rode away, ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve seen him among those watching us.¡± ¡°Because he hasn¡¯t been watching us,¡± Bashimur said spurring his horse forwards along the road. From the tone of his voice and the way he sat in his saddle Nurhaci knew that Bashimur would say no more so instead of talking anymore he too spurred his horse on and followed Bashimur.


    The Man was right and in less than a day they found the caravan they had been looking for, for the past few weeks. They could see the caravan in a distance set up in a defensive formation with the wagons encircling the various people within the circle of sturdy looking wagons. As they got closer to the group Nurhaci could see mounds of dirt littering the land around the road. He could guess that these mounds were the fresh graves of those who died around three nights past. ¡°Will they just let us ride up to them?¡± Nurhaci asked. ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Bashimur said unfazed by all the eyes looking at him from within the encirclement. The closer they got the guards, who all wore an assortment of armor and weapons from plate armor and great swords to leathers, iron daggers and bows, drew their weapons and looked at the two with hostility. Bashimur stopped his horse and held up his hands in a non-threatening manner. His actions did not change the way the guards and merchants looked at them however as they still had their weapons drawn and glared at Nurhaci and Bashimur with murderous intent. ¡°We are both just travelers heading west and hoped to catch a ride with a caravan,¡± Bashimur said as calmly as possible trying to ease some of the tension in the air. His words seemed to have not helped any as no one responded to him and nobody lowered their weapons. It seemed that things would end poorly for Nurhaci and Bashimur until a man dressed in elegant clothes stepped forward and stood among the most well armored and equipped guards in the group. ¡°Where do you come from?¡± the well-dressed man asked the two. Nurhaci did not dare answer and make the situation worse, so he left the negotiations up to Bashimur to handle. ¡°I am a mercenary and have been selling my sword to the people of Mansuria for many years now,¡± Bashimur said still holding his hands up as not to seem like a threat. ¡°And him?¡± the man asked pointing to Nurhaci. ¡°This is an orphan that I found during my work,¡± Bashimur said giving Nurhaci a look that meant to go on with his story. ¡°Can he fight?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bashimur replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been training him since I found him, and his skills aren¡¯t bad for a boy his age.¡± The well-dressed man stood there rubbing his chin as he studied both Bashimur and Nurhaci for a moment. ¡°Well as long as you can pull your own weight I will hire you both since I have found myself shorthanded recently,¡± he said before waiving his hand at his guards, who all lowered their weapons, and walking back to the group of people in the center of the encirclement where many tents were set up. Bashimur nodded to Nurhaci before guiding his horse into the wagon encirclement. Nurhaci followed Bashimur and joined him in the encirclement. Not even a full month since his father¡¯s death and leaving Noho the city of his birth Nurhaci found himself being hired as a mercenary at only thirteen years old. Bashimur looked back at Nurhaci and said, ¡°Now the journey can really begin.¡± Nurhaci could only smile at the prospects of what was to come.