Tanaoi Migratory Camp

  Art, Man of the Tanaoi, 3rd Husband of Queen Tanya.

  The work was never finished. I set aside my quill, blunted and near useless from the sheer amount of use she had suffered after the Wyvern attack. Stocks needed to be checked, wounds needed to be catalogued, responsibilities needed to be re-delegated and all of this required reports.

  Endless reports. I might not have seen anything beyond the thick canvas and leather walls of our tent since well before the attack. The system my wife had established meant everyone with a degree of responsibility in the Tanaoi would have some document that would reach me or would speak to one of our guards reying some information in voice that the guard would struggle to rey to me. I would have the task of deciphering the scattered mass of information into a cohesive whole so that we could make the correct decisions about what must be done.

  I had long found amusement at how my Queen mented that there was no single way to spell a word or that many women did not have the temperament for the quill nor the inclination for art. I smiled fondly, remembering times when I would respectfully tease my Queen and how she would allow it, to all the world our wife was harsh but we knew the truth.

  It did not make up for how she would work us to tears however! I rubbed my hand, digging a thumb into my palm to ease the tension and received a sympathetic look from Col. Taking a break from the many reports I still had to summarise I bounded over to my chest and pulled out some bundled vellum bound with a silk cord.

  With my treasure in hand I returned to my desk and set aside anything that could damage or ink the precious works and plucked from the bundle my favourite work. It was as stunning as when I had first id eyes upon it, the most precise and bold brushwork I had ever seen, each word filled with meaning and emotion. Uid of the Pomi was truly unparalleled in his mastery of the brush and the word.

  I gave voice to the poem. Letting it fill the tent with Uid’s ment as Col and Enna took pause from their own work to listen. My cheeks wet as the words passed my lips for I could not sing by half what the work demanded. But my spirit was bolstered as Enna and then Col joined their voices to mine, they had studied the Man of the Pomi’s work as well as I had.

  We three sang as one until the final verse where my fellow husbands gave me the honour of ending the piece. I felt reinvigorated as the final word was spoken and Uid was honoured when the tent was filled with the harsh sound of cpping.

  I opened my eyes and felt my cheeks flush with shame as Cato drew his hands together in appuse. I looked at the floor and balled my fists at the indignity of a human hearing a voice meant only for the Queen and her most favoured companions.

  “I am honoured.” The old human spoke as I noticed that Furea was at his side. “To have beheld a voice such as yours. It is fine enough that it should be heard in the great amphitheatres of the Empire yet my people would question that such sweet sounds should be found beyond the civilised world.” He sighed as I stared scandalised at the rancid man who would give my voice to the mob.

  “Do you take me for a whore?!” I spat. Cato looked shocked and I was reminded at how debased the Saderans were.

  “I apologise, I meant no disrespect.” Cato quickly replied and bowed his head. I got to my feet and was to berate him again but Col wrapped his arms around me and held me to him, easing the poison on my tongue.

  “You are without grace Cato, as ever you think yourself more capable than you are.” Furea chided Cato and the Human looked angered enough that it soothed my own fury at the idea that my voice should be given freely to humans and all many of other races of the empire. I was gd that I did not have to bandy words with the Human, Furea was the first husband so the responsibility should fall to him anyway.

  “I indeed know I know nothing but shame me not for I seek to understand.” The Human snapped, turning to Furea who stepped forwards with his ears low and a grin on his face.

  “Seek forever.” He spoke softly as Cato huffed and crossed his arms.

  “You have returned, where is our Queen?” Col called out, distracting from the confrontation.

  “She has gone eastwards to challenge an Imperial force. We have returned to slow the march of the camp so that her army can join us when she has shattered the humans in the field.” Furea responded. I squeezed Col’s hand at the news of our gentle Queen going into battle.

  “But what of Enya’s force? She blocades Kontia and was expecting the rest of us soon?” Col asked.

  “Our Queen intends to dispatch reinforcements to Enya before she returns to this camp with her army. The good Brigadier will have the men, ah, excuse me, women to maintain the blockade of the city before our arrival.” Cato rushed to answer Col’s question before Furea, ignorant or uncaring as to the disrespect in doing so.

  “Tell me Cato.” Furea said with quiet fury in his voice. “Why is it that you betray your own race so? Know that our Queen’s favour for you is petty and she has no true love for you. You are useful and know that regardless of what service you offer she shall not y with you when we hold domination over her heart. She has bore my children and shall never carry yours.” Col, Enna and I stared at the furious Furea and the red faced Human not daring to speak.

  “Do you think of nothing but base eros Lepus? I do not betray my race but seek to save it, to save all races! I do not work tirelessly at the edge of civilization so that I might bed a woman! You needle me endlessly for nothing, fool! My love for our Queen is not base and physical but the love one has for a champion. The love one has for a cause!” Cato sputtered as Furea advanced.

  “So she is a tool to you? Nothing but a means for your plots and delusions.” Furea accused.

  “As I am a tool for her so that she might know Sadera! What right do you have to question me? To even speak of love? Where were you when she was cast out! You did not follow her into exile as others did, you slipped into the bed of the old Queen to save your own sk-.” Furea silenced Cato, moving swiftly to csp the Human by the throat and lift him to his toes as the Human grasped Furea’s wrist and fought desperately to bring air into his lungs.

  “Speak not of things you know nothing about.” Furea warned Cato before letting go of his neck, allowing the Human to fall at his feet gasping for air.

  “I... ugh.” Cato cleared his throat and slowly pushed himself to his feet. “I serve Tanya because Sadera is sick, it is poisoned and dying. When she walked out of the Steppe and spoke of what could be, of what ought to be. How could I not serve her. She who had not seen the world but for the endless steppe had a vision that while misguided in some pces was unmatched by my peers!” Cato gred at Furea as Enna gave both him and Furea a skin of wine.

  “I find your presence tiresome, begone to your duties and leave us in peace human.” Furea dismissed as Cato gred at him before thinking better of speaking more and left the tent. With the human gone Furea sighed and slumped down into a pile of pillows.

  “I will prepare a bath.” Enna said, taking up his out of tent clothes and donning them as I made my way over to Furea.

  “Will she be okay?” I said quietly as Furea pulled off his headdress and gloves.

  “She has her weapon Art, if she is confident then it is not our pce to doubt her but to pray for her victory.” I wanted to believe Furea as he ran a hand through his pale white hair that ran down his shoulders. But it seemed so reckless, so hopeless at times.

  “Tell me what has transpired while we have been gone.” Furea requested as he began to undress fully.

  “There was a Wyvern raid, they caught us by surprise so we did lose some supplies, mostly Ropes and clothing that was being stored as well as broken tools that were to be reforged.” I made to get up and present my report but he pnted a hand on my shoulder and nodded.

  “Any wounded?” He asked, ruby red eyes as brilliant and sharp as they ever were.

  “There were some sves wounded and killed but not many, the drills to prepare people for when the knights attacked worked. But we did not manage to bring any of the beasts down, only wound them it seems, as they only attacked twice before withdrawing when our slingers were arrayed.” At my words he nodded and got to his feet.

  “We have done what we can for now. We put our trust in the pn of our Queen. Trust in her to attain victory here and at Kontia.” I tried to find faith in his resolve but it was a fragile thing. I returned to my desk and took up the poems of Uid and took the bundle to my chest, sealing the works safely away. Within the confines of the wood and iron box they would be protected, they would be safe.

  I turned my mind away from worries and towards grooming, I arrayed a number of scents and perfumes that had been offered to our Queen from the loot taken from the Saderans. tending a fire with peat bricks cut from the wetnds to the west that would warm the water for the bath. Soon Enna returned with a train of fresh water and we readied ourselves for the pleasure of our wife.

  Captured Imperial Encampment

  Tanya, Queen of the Tanaoi.

  Bronze was well regarded by the Lepus even if it was scarce on the steppe compared to iron. In a battle any weapon be it iron, copper or bronze would be damaged by the incredible strength of the Lepus the weapon would need to endure. With a bronze tool a bde could be hammered back into shape and sharpened again with ease while an iron implement would have to be entirely reforged.

  There was little issue with the avaibility of minerals as the vast steppe was fnked by mountains that were rich in iron, copper and tin as well as many other mineral deposits. Copper and tin mines were scattered about the expansive territory of the Lepus but these were worked by sves on a seasonal basis, normally in preparation for small tribal wars rather than in a continuous and productive manner.

  Bronze was easy to work and maintain and held a shine that was well regarded by the tribes of the steppe. The weight to strength ratio was hardly an issue for the Lepus who were naturally strong and enhanced their strength further still with a subconscious use of body reinforcement formu, something that I was quite frankly baffled by.

  It seemed highly improbable that any species would develop the capacity to cast a specific spell via evolution alone. Sadly none of the Lepus, even ones who practiced magic themselves knew about the formu or how the Lepus had come to use it. It was a subtle thing and I only noticed it as I knew exactly what to look for. But regardless of the murky history of my people it was another element in the popurity of the heavy bronze pte armour that was favoured. That such pte armour was practically impossible for other races to make use of due to the sheer weight of the armour was a point of petty pride for the Lepus.

  In truth bronze was roughly comparable to low quality iron and thus the only real advantage iron offered the Lepus was the logistical ease of mining and working it. Something the tribes simply had no drive to take advantage of. There was never such an excess of Lepus bodies to put mass produced weapons to work in tribal conflicts.

  It was easier to take weapons from Centaur or Goblin tribes, or from other Lepus when required.

  That would have to change. But for now, every battle, every raid offered us Imperial arms and armour that while often of questionable quality were superior to Lepus works. But for a force of Equates? There was little that was useless here.

  Not just iron, but steel. Swords and buckles and chain vests. At times rare instances of pte armour such as pauldrons or gauntlets, helmets and bracers. These were pieces of equipment that were vastly more capable than anything we could produce but had the weakness of simply not being made for the Lepus.

  Anything made for human legs was uncomfortable to use at best for the Lepus due to longer, thicker and slightly differently shaped feet with Lepus naturally walking on the balls of the foot rather than the heel. Most Lepus also had fur on the backs of our upper arms and shoulders. My own being particurly thick and fast growing and making armour hot and uncomfortable when worn.

  I mused upon the difficulty of using the looted equipment, despite the necessity of doing it as I picked up a steel helmet. It was frustrating, deeply frustrating that the most valuable piece of armour was so difficult to design for the Lepus head it was nearly universally discarded.

  With the Lepus ears not residing on the sides of our heads but higher up and sticking out like that of a rabbit, helmets were simply not used. I had made many experiments with cutting holes in helmets to accommodate Lepus ears but they had all compromised the functionality of a helmet enough to make them pointless.

  I had not lost hope for a Lepus standard issue helmet but such a design would not come soon. I sighed and threw the helmet upon a pile of metal intended to be scrapped into something more useful such as spearheads or one of the many thousands of nails and tools that were consumed by the migrating horde on route to Kontia.

  I looked out at the once Imperial Camp that was now a flurry of activity as it was packed up ready to be carried back. The Imperial Equities force still existed and was reforming but we would be gone before they were a threat to us again. Hundreds of Lepus were jumping, running and getting used to the new Imperial Equipment they were assigned and would soon depart on horseback to Kontia.

  With the sound of a horn carried across the rolling hills the first battalion began to move back west, burdened by months of Imperial supplies. Yes, while I had not utterly crushed the Imperials this was very much a victory.

  But there was still so much to do.

  Over one thousand miles southwest of Kontia.

  The forest was still, birds silent and the world held its breath. Between old trees and new growth stalked a nymphlike maiden. The slight girl hummed as she pnted one boot before the other on the firm dirt road. Her left hand drumming at the shaft of the halberd resting on her shoulder with a discordant beat.

  Without warning her jaunty walk ceased and she stared bnkly into the air for a moment before groaning.

  “That far?! I just got here! Ugh, fine.” She shook her head and turned about from the road and began to run eastwards. Leaving the wood and bound for the steppe.

  And the forest sang once more.

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