Ares and his crew travelled back to the rhinofolk village. It had taken until noon to approach it before they paused to take a quick break for Ezak to catch his breath, as well as to have a light meal.

“We can continue heading the same way,” Beor said. “There are probably more rhinofolk villages across the way, or we can head eastward slightly and meet with the boarfolk, which would you prefer?”

Ares crossed his arms and then went deep into thought. He could go and speak with the boarfolk, but that seemed like a bad idea since he had just started a little fight with them, just a bit of banter that may not have been appreciated. They would need some time to cool off.

“Let’s head to the rhinofolk,” Ares said. He thought about how easy it was to get the rhinofolk on board, but he also wanted them to have more of their own nearby so they didn’t feel so alone. Though then again, the demographics of Rivea would change radically if they introduced too much more, even if most of them were civilians.

Ares sighed and then rubbed the side of his forehead. He hoped everything was going to go well, the rhinofolk joining him had eased him somewhat, but it had felt a little… too easy. Stressful, sure, but it had been quite easy.

“Worried,” Torak asked as he sipped on his bowl of soup.

“A little,” Ares admitted.

Torak nodded and then continued to sip along the soup. “You will do fine.”

“Thanks…” Ares wasn’t sure if he agreed with Torak, but so far things were working out.

“If things don’t work out fine then we’ll just have to make it fine.”

Ares smiled. “That’s true enough.”

“You worry too much,” Heria said as she lazed on the back of her great wolf, who was snoozing at the moment, licking it’s face now and again.

“You sound like Lana,” Ares sighed.

Heria raised her brow. “I don’t think I hold the same power over you.”

“Thank Rivee,” Ares chuckled. “If you did, I’m not sure I’d be able to survive the journey.”

Heria continued to raise her brow at him and Ares just sipped along his soup.

Ezak was sipping on his soup slowly, enjoying every moment of the water pouring down his throat.

“Enjoying yourself?” Ares asked.

Ezak sighed out. “The soup is delicious.”

“I’m sure it is, you’re the one who made it.”

Ezak tilted his head in such a bashful way, like a small child being praised. Ares just wanted to spoil the little Bitan, but he had to keep some pride. He wasn’t going to lose face in front of everyone here, plus Ezak wasn’t a little child, he was man grown, or whatever they called it around these parts.

Ares finished up the soup and then stood up, heading off to stretch his legs. He walked towards where Zika was eating her raw meat. Ares had given the raw meat to her instead of the dead people, he wasn’t sure how he felt with her eating such a thing around him.

It was kind of weird.

“Enjoying your meal?”

“It is delicious,” she said, “thank you for the meat.”

Ares nodded his head. “Everyone should be eating well around me, for now at least.” He thought about the future when he’d lead armies. He’d eat the same kinds of things they’d eat.

“We are heading to the other horned ones?”

Ares nodded as he looked out to the open plains, sunburst and sparkling as the rays of the sun bounced off of them. He couldn’t see anything for some ways. He wondered how far each rhinofolk village was from one another.

Finally they were all ready to leave, and so Beor led the way once again. As evening approached Ares and his company found an abandoned village. Beor glanced about and Torak helped. Heria’s wolf sniffed the air and Heria repeated the action.

“It was recent,” Torak said.

Heria nodded and Beor kicked over a small pot that was empty, checking to see that it was truly empty.

“Boarfolk?” Ares asked.

Heria rode her wolf around the way and then she returned, nodding her head.

“Hmm…” Ares rubbed his chin and then looked about the area a little further, just to collect his thoughts. “How long ago?”

“A few days at most,” Torak said.

“So it could have been when we saw the boarfolk at the other village… probably a little before?”

“Seems like it,” Torak agreed.

“See if you can find anything useful and then we’ll head out,” Ares said before he stopped. He had heard… something.

Ares furrowed his brows and then he stepped towards the sound, slowly approaching a home. He crept in, his boots lightly tapping against the floor before the groaning and whimpering noise stopped.

“Hello?” Ares called out.

Orndu was right behind him, bringing up the rear with a hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to pounce.

“Is anyone there?” Ares asked before he dropped down. He looked down at the earth and then brushed a hand along it. It was solid, that was for sure. Then he looked under the bed to see… it was earth too, but as he ran his hand along the ground, it did become slightly uneven. He then tried to push the earth along as he saw a crack appear next to the wall as the floor shifted slightly.

He grabbed onto it and then pulled it off, the floor wasn’t exactly heavy, but it was unwieldy.

A gasp and a whimper followed as he looked down in the darkness to see two figures. One was slightly bigger, a rhinogirl youth, and cradled within her arms a much younger rhinoboy.

She looked up at him with hazy eyes, her cracked lips quivering. She then, with a shuddering hand, covered the small blanket over herself and the little boy to hide themselves away from Ares.

Ares reached back to his water skin and then dropped down into the small area, now cramped since he had entered. He lifted the blanket off of their faces.

“Here, drink up.” Ares motioned with the water skin. “It’s water, quickly.”

The girl reached up and then sipped on the water before then bringing it down to the boy, who was breathing ever so lightly. His chest moved every few seconds, the only sign of life he could really see from the youngster. He sipped the water slowly before he pulled away, having drunk about half the water skin.

The girl then finished the rest of it as she sighed, staring up at Ares still half at attention. She was breathing quite poorly as well. Ares retrieved the water skin.

“Let’s get you out of here, alright?” Ares then reached over to take the boy, but the girl pulled the little one aside. She refused to let him go and Ares sighed.

“Alright, I’ll lift you both up then.” Ares wrapped his arms around then and helped hoist them out, with Orndu taking them after before Ares leapt up. Orndu held the pair awkwardly.

“Can you stand?” Ares asked.

The girl shook her head.

Ares dragged over the bed and then Orndu placed them down onto it. Ares got a better look of the girl and boy. The girl was in her early teens, the boy probably a toddler.

The doorway’s light was blocked for a second as Torak entered and then he looked at the pair before then throwing a look at Ares.

“What’s with you and children?”

Ares shrugged. He summoned a pair of flat breads for the pair. “Here, eat this. Take it slow, alright?”

The girl took the bread and then tore a little before bringing it to the boy’s lips. She took a bite right as she fed him and the pair began to slowly chew. Ares waited until they were done with the bread.

“Better?” Ares asked.

The girl nodded her head.

“Can you talk?”

The girl nodded her head.

Ares looked at Torak with a look. He turned back to face the pair.

“How long have you been here?”

The girl went to think for a long moment before revealing her hand and then revealing a five on her hand.

Ares raised his brows. “That’s a long time…” He wondered how they used the bathroom. Ares checked the pit to see part of it had been dug up and such. That made sense.

He turned to face her. “What’s your name?”

“Ikkora,” she said in such a raspy and low voice.

“What of the boy?”

“Iggin.”

“Is he your brother?”

The girl nodded her head.

“Are you still hungry?”

The girl nodded her head.

Ares placed down some more food for them to eat. “Eat up, slowly. You’ll fill easily so don’t over eat just yet.”

He continued to feed the pair with bread and some milk, he didn’t really have much else. Ah, right. He summoned some viper meat and the pair took that quite kindly.

‘These kids ain’t so bad.’

After they were full of food and milk and water, Ares tried to think about what to do next.

“We can’t just leave them here,” Ares said.

“We can’t just leave them to wander the plains either,” Torak said.

Ares and Torak exchanged a look with one another. Ares read the question in Torak’s eyes, but shook his head.

“We could send them back with a few of ours?” Torak offered.

Ares tried to avoid the deathly glare at the back of his head. “We could…” Ares said. His eyes slowly began to travel the room before they reached a particularly short wolffolk woman, who looked as though she was about to stab him.

Ares stared into her eyes, and he could see just how serious she was about not wanting to go back. Ares continued to stare into her eyes.

“If you have something to say, say it!” Heria finally snapped at him.

Ares’ eyes then travelled to Saykkera, who had nothing to add to the matter.

His eyes glanced between the pair of women.

“We should be able to get to another rhinofolk village if we keep traveling,” Beor said.

Ares’ eyes snapped to him now. “Beor, you’re a good man,” Ares said as he placed his hand onto Beor’s shoulder.