Thud!

Rakhail silently crept to the now slumped over scout and removed a long slender metallic needle from the back of the sleeping man’s neck. Go proudly into the Jungle mother’s embrace he thought all the while reaching for his Rakanian kukri. The beautiful but aged Rakanian bone and steel knife had served him faithfully over the years and was always strapped to his back or just within arm’s reach… At least it was supposed to be.

Abruptly, a firm hand was clasped over Rakhail’s mouth and another pressed something sharp against his own throat. Killed by my own blade, the Jungle mother sure has a strange sense of humor. He tried not to laugh at his own thought.

“Be careful old man, your starting to leave your belongings all over the Jungle. One could simply take such a pretty thing and you would never know it.” The silent whisper sent a shiver down his spine.

“Alia?” he mumbled in a low and muffled voice.

Alia couldn’t help but silently laugh removing her hands and returning his knife to him. “Why are you here Alia? This is not the time to play.” It took all he had to keep his voice low as he spat out those angry words.

Alia casually placed a single hand around the fallen scout’s neck and squeezed ever so slightly almost as if she didn’t hear him. The audible sound of snapping bones was followed by a crunch. Rakhail’s anger had quickly dissipated now that her palm print was embedded very clearly into the formerly sleeping man’s neck.

“There all dead, let’s go”, her cold yet affectionate voice called to him. Rakhail didn’t get the chance to question her before she continued, “Don’t be mad, I was just having a little fun.”

“What do you mean they are all, dead? I…”, before he could finish his question she continued. “We can feel each other you know. Not like you or the tribal scouts, finding prey is different.” She could sense his heart beat a little faster. She wasn’t going to harm him but it felt inexplicably good knowing she could if she wanted to.

No, he would never truly be able to escape if I really wanted to hunt him down, it may even be fun; a smile escaped her lips. She dismissed the thought and took a deep breath, “just so you know, I tracked you through your scent on the wind and could feel you move as I got closer.”

She got up and turned back towards the village, “We have five hours left before Shole and the others begin Kaden’s part of this plan. Let’s go, the first boats should be ready to leave in within the hour.” There was a sort of unquestioning finality to her words.

Rakhail followed her back to the village with a new reality dawning on him. He was a good, in fact one of the best the Legion had to offer. The only one who was his equal was Kaden a strange boy from Jungle mother knows where. And now Alia, a girl he had known most of her life had suddenly managed to sneak up and disarm him without him even noticing. No, this was different. Kaden’s and his skills were still that of a human, Alia’s was something else entirely. The way she stalked him was definitely something very different. It was more like animal than human.

“I am getting to old for this”, he sighed. “Perhaps it is finally time to get a boat in Leece and go catch fish for a living.”

He quickly caught up to her placed his hand on her shoulder as she smiled back at him. “You know, I was only joking about that old man comment.”

All the boats with the villagers and supplies set sail downstream except for one that was left behind for Shole and the other to follow.

5 hours later

“ARrrr Rrrr, ARrrr Rrrr”, the pack leader called behind them

“Why Shole why?” Sana’s voice called back to him as she vaulted over a low hanging branch.

“Why what?”

“Why am I here? You are more than perfectly capable to piss off a pack of Spine-backs by yourself without needing my help. So Shole answer the question, why am I here?”

“If I remember correctly, it was you who said, and I quote, “Shole, why don’t we do more fun things together, just the two of us like we use to? I miss that.” So sweetheart being the good listener that I am and wanting to make you happy I thought it would be a good opportunity to do just that.” His imitation of her voice clearly not going over well.

She brushed past another tree before she responded. “Dear husband, when I expressed my desire to spend more time together, I didn’t mean volunteer us for a dangerous mission that could get one or both of us killed. I was thinking more along the lines of something romantic, you know, some dinner by candle light, perhaps you could recite a poem for me, all the stuff you use to do. Now, I am thinking it would simply be and more fun if I just stabbed you repeatedly, over and over, in a certain specific place until it made more sense to change your name from Shole to Shala.” Her loving tone had notably caused Shole more than a little discomfort.

The two of them were more than halfway to their destination when Shole decided it would be in his best interest to set things right, “Now sweetheart, I love you. I may have made a mistake on this one, possibly not thinking everything through thoroughly enough. But abusing your poor husband to any point injury isn’t something to joke about”, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. “Also, you can’t say that your bored any more, I mean this is kind of fun in its own way. Look, the pack isn’t even close to catching us all thanks to Padvor’s serum. We even have to slow down a little so they don’t give up completely.”

“Dear husband it isn’t what’s chasing behind us that I am worried about,” she called back to him. “Anyway we are almost there, we should lose the pack soon and hopefully they will pick up the other trail.”

“Arrooor”, the pack leader had picked up a new scent and commanded the pack to follow.

The two of them had successfully managed to evade the new larger Spine-back pack. “Are we going to stay and watch the fun a little or should we get going?” Shole’s voice was all but a whisper.

“You always want to take me to the most interesting places…”, she gave him a sarcastic glance. “Come on you big oaf, let’s get a quick look. Their scouts should have been forced back to help defend the camp with the rest of the tribe. The more information we can get the better our chances.”

The two of them crept as close as they dared not wanting to get caught up in-between. The Spine-backs had already begun their full assault as the tribes hunters had started to rally. “This can’t be a hunting party, it’s too large.” Sana held traces of shock and surprise.

“It’s not.” Shole had quickly grasped the situation, “It’s a bloody invasion.”

His words hit Sana like competing Arbors charging at each other during rutting season. It was rare but every three or four hundred years the tribes would raid the cities of Rakan as a show of strength. Each city that was raided would surely be reduced down to less than a third of their population with little to no remaining food or shelter.

“There are legionaries down there, look.” She followed his outstretched finger to see three legion soldiers locked in a cage. “We have to save them”, his voice serious.

“No Shole, we don’t.”

“Sana we can’t leave them, and this is a perfect opportunity. There is no one guarding them.”

“You think, sneaking into a camp that is currently under siege is a perfect opportunity to save a few soldiers? Think Shole, we would have to fight our way in, free them, fight our way back out, then manage to make it back to the village. O and don’t forget the boat that is waiting for us carries only three people. So no Shole we are not going to save them.” She loved her husband but sometimes his heart was bigger than his head.

“But…”

“But nothing”, her voice was as stern as it was commanding.

“Fine”, she relented looking at his pleading gaze. “This is the most I am willing to do, it’s up to them from here on out.” She reached for her bow, “Gi Veme St Ren Gth” and let lose a furious arrow that struck the now formerly locked cage. “Let’s go, we need to finish this and let Padvor know about the invasion.”