FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9: Hunters in the Night

Sar'Kal awoke to the sound of Volke's voice and him shaking his shoulder. Sar'Kal was about to ask what was happening when Volke motioned for silence. He moved away and woke both Korek and Tian'shal as Sar'Kal roused himself and looked around. The first thing he noticed was that the fire had been hurriedly extinguished with dirt and upon seeing this he was instantly awake. He got up and moved over to where Volke was, waking the others. Korek and Tian'shal woke quickly and were soon alert and wanting of answers. When they were all awake Sar'Kal spoke in a whisper. "What's the matter Volke?"

Volke motioned for them to wait a moment and he then climbed to the top of the hill once more. He quickly returned and spoke in an almost inaudible voice. "About ten minutes ago I spotted what appeared to be a large number of people moving north towards us. There were at least fifteen torches being carried amongst them. As you know, the main road is to the north of us so these are likely not the average traveler caravan. I came to wake you all and then just now, the torches had been extinguished." Volke paused for a moment and the trio realized where Volke was going with this.

"You think it could be bandits?" Asked Korek after a moment.

Volke looked at him and frowned. "I?m certainly not ruling it out. You should all grab your weapons. If we are attacked, we will have to fight. We can't run from such a large group here in the badlands.'

They all looked around at each other with worry on their faces. They quickly equipped themselves with their respective weapons and Sar'Kal donned his leather chest piece and greaves. Once they were all finished, they found a decent hiding spot for their supplies and personal items in a large crevasse and then gathered together with their backs to each other. Tian'shal strung her bow and notched an arrow, Korek and Sar'Kal both drew their weapons and watched the darkness around them. Volke had drawn two wickedly curved daggers from somewhere and was now gripping one in each hand. The leopard vigilantly scanned the surrounding area. There were sloping hills on two sides of them and on another there was a large copse of scraggly trees that stretched out of sight around the hills. On the final side there was nothing but the trough between the wavelike hills which continued on and curved out of sight.

Sar'Kal and Volke were both concerned about the copse of trees. It was large enough to hide a sufficient number of people in and they could not see more than a few feet into it. Suddenly, as if their fears had been voiced, Volke?s highly trained ears flicked towards the trees. "DROP!!" he yelled as he fell flat onto the ground. The others followed a split second later as a handful of arrows whizzed past where they had just been. "Move!" yelled Volke again as he rolled to the side and rose to a crouch. "Quickly! Follow me!" he shouted as another handful of arrows missed the group.

Sar'Kal was quickly at his side and was soon followed b the others. They kept dodging volleys of arrows as they ran, rolled, tumbled and dodged their way down the trough between the hills. They followed the trough until it curved out of sight of the trees and stopped for a moment. They were all breathing heavily and as they caught their breath Volke spoke. "We need to get out of this trough, or vision is limited and they have the advantage of height. We should stay together for now, follow me." He stopped and turned around. He motioned for them to follow again as he quickly darted up the slope of the nearest hill. They quickly followed and once on top if the hill, they could see a group of people clustered around their campsite. Luckily for the group it was a dark night with no moon and a cloudy sky. They watched as the group milled around and they could hear the faint murmur of talking.

The group that had attacked them was composed of about twenty people, each of them was apparently armed and they moved without much discipline or order. "Definitely looks like bandits." Commented Sar'Kal in a whisper. Volke merely nodded his agreement.

"So what are we going to do? They haven't chased us so they obviously don't necessarily want to kill us." Said Tian'shal with a confused look on her face.

Korek was the first to respond. "I would assume they were only after any valuables we were carrying and once they had chased us off they probably decided to look around the camp. I just hope they don't find our bags." He said quietly.

Sar'Kal and Volke were both busy watching and planning while Tian'shal and Korek talked. "What do you think Volke? Are these the bandits that have been attacking the main road?" he asked quietly.

"Our information shows that their numbers are far greater than this, but I would bet a large sum that this is a group of them." Replied the leopard. "I have never actually come across any before. I have a plan that might let us gain the element of surprise and thin their numbers a bit. First lets get off this hill for now, it doesn't look like they're going anywhere for a while." He finished. He silently made his way down the hill and was quickly followed by the others.

Once they were in the next trough, Volke turned to Tian'shal. "May I see an arrow for a moment?" he asked.

Tian'shal nodded and handed him an arrow from her quiver. Volke took it and looked it over for a moment before reaching into his jacket. He pulled out a small tube of cloth which he quickly tied to the end of the arrow. It was about a hand in length and was tied parallel to the shaft of the projectile. It had a small string of some material sticking out one end. They all looked at the leopard with confused expressions. He noted this and explained.

"This cloth tube is filled with flash powder. When ignited, it is bright enough to stun a person on a bright sunny day. On a night as dark as this it should disable them for several minutes. My plan is to have you shoot this arrow into the group of bandits and after it ignites we will move in and thin their numbers a bit. I would like to take a couple prisoners in order to question them, but we will have to be swift and decisive." He finished and made a chopping motion with his dagger.

Tian'shal frowned ...ok..." she said hesitantly as she nodded and took the arrow from Volke. She notched it and nodded that she was ready. They all looked at each other and Volke motioned for silence as they moved up on the bandits from the other side of the hill. Once they were about twenty yards away, Volke motioned for them to stop. They moved up so they were just below the top of the hill and waited. Volke moved over to Tian'shal and produced a small apparatus which he placed over the end of the fuse on her arrow. He made a sign for ten seconds. And she nodded her understanding with a nervous expression. Volke squeezed the apparatus and sparks shot out and ignited the fuse. Tian'shal drew back the arrow and sprang up and over the crest of the hill. She took her aim and released the arrow. It whizzed by and stuck in the ground amongst the bandits. They all jumped with surprise, but Tian'shal had already dropped from sight again. The bandits all turned to look at the arrow just as the fuse was burned up.

The flash lit the night sky and the bandits screamed as they attempted to shield their eyes, but to no avail. They grasped their faces as their eyes burned from the intense light and some dropped to their knees. After a moment Sar'Kal, Korek and Volke came running down the slope, weapons drawn. Tian'shal stayed atop the crest of the hill and notched another arrow. She hesitated for a moment then aimed and released, and the first of the bandits fell with a dull thud. The other three reached the group and quickly downed three more with swift strokes from their weapons. Two more bandits fell with arrows protruding from their torsos as Sar'Kal brought his scimitar down on another bandit as he clutched his eyes. Korek made quick work of two bandits with simultaneous slashes of his twin swords, catching them both in the neck. Volke was a shadow as he moved form bandit to bandit, expertly striking with his curved daggers. He brought down four more as Sar'Kal cleaved another in the back and Korek finished off another with a thrust of his swords. Tian'shal let fly with one more arrow which hit its mark.

The group stopped their attack as the remaining bandits began to recover from the flash. Tian'shal joined them and they quickly subdued the four survivors and tied them to the trees on the edge of the copse. They gagged them for the time being and Tian'shal retrieved her arrows with a sick expression on her face as the others cleaned off their blades. Once they were done cleaning up they turned their full attention to the prisoners.

It was clear now that these people were indeed bandits. They were dressed in rugged gear and their equipment was worn and had the same rugged look as their clothes. The bandits themselves were dirty and gruff looking and had the unmistakable look of people who lived a hard life outside of a city. They were currently glaring at their captors and fruitlessly trying to throw them insults through their gags.

Once Tian'shal had retrieved all of her arrows she slumped down against a large rock and stared at the ground. She was trembling and her hands were shaking. Sar'Kal got Korek's attention and motioned towards her and he nodded his understanding. They both left Volke and the bandits and walked over to where Tian'shal was. She jumped as Sar'Kal placed a hand on her shoulder and they both crouched next to her.

"Are you alright Tia?" asked Sar'Kal in a concerned voice.

It took her a moment to find her voice and when she did it was nervous and trembling. "Y-yeah... I...I think so." She said softly. Her hands were still shaking as she spoke and Korek looked at Sar'Kal with a knowing expression. Sar'Kal gave him the same look and shook his head.

Korek placed his hand on Tian'shals other shoulder and spoke softly. "Tia... it's alright. Those men were violent and deserved their fate. They probably took many lives and ruined many others. You did what you had to do. You just need to accept that and move on. Kal and I have both been through what you're feeling." He finished with a reassuring smile and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

Sar'Kal was next to speak. "Tia... look at me." He said calmly. She raised her head and looked at him with a troubled expression. "Tia... it's alright to feel bad, but you have to move past it. The first time I took a life, I was much younger than you and I was troubled for a long time. It took many months for me to move past it. You were very brave for doing what you did and you should not feel ashamed. Like Korek said, those men were terrible people and deserved their fate."

Tian'shal sighed and placed a hand on Sar'Kal's arm as she looked him in the eyes. "Thank you." She said weakly. "I know that they may have deserved what happened, but I can't get past the feeling of taking another person's life. It feels so... horrible. I can't really describe it." She said quietly.

Sar'Kal nodded his understanding. "I know what you mean. It's something that never really changes. You just have to put it behind you and look forward." He said with a reassuring rub of her shoulder.

Korek nodded his agreement. "We'll be here for you if you ever want to talk Tia. Don't ever feel like you can't talk to us about anything."

Tian'shal smiled weakly. "Thank you. I know I can always count on you to be there. I will try to be strong and look forward." She finished as she stood up. Her hands were still shaking slightly but the rest of her was steady.

Korek and Sar'Kal stood with her and Korek offered to clean her arrows for her. She refused his offer and said she would do it herself; that she needed to do it. Korek acquiesced and let her go about her business. He made his way over to Sar'Kal and they moved out of ear shot. He sighed and spoke. "That really troubled her. I had hoped to keep her from any fighting for as long as possible, but I suppose it was inevitable. You do realize that once we get to the capitol, this will most likely become a very different sort of journey, don't you?" he asked calmly.

Sar'Kal looked at his friend and nodded his head. "Indeed I do. I must meet with the king of Shar'Kahn and relate to him the events that I can remember. What happens then can only be guessed. As for Tia, I suppose it is better that this happened early rather than in a more dangerous situation where hesitation could be fatal. I know it helped with my career." He finished with a solemn tone.

Korek cocked his head and looked at his friend. "You've never told me about the first time you took a life." He said inquisitively. "It was early was it?"

Sar'Kal gave a heavy sigh and looked over at Tian'shal as he spoke. "I was sixteen." He said and paused to collect his thoughts. "My memory of my father triggered this memory to surface as well. It was during a training session. I was sparring with a nobleman who was a good friend of my father and he was superior. After several losses I began to get angry. In my anger I did something incredibly foolish. In an attempt to make an opening in his defenses I threw my shield at him. It surprised him and hit him square in the temple. He died instantly. My father was furious and after that we spoke very little. I don't think he ever really forgave me until he died. Like I said before... it took me many months to overcome my grief at what I had done." He finished speaking and he was now trembling much like Tian'shal had been.

Korek placed a hand on Sar'Kal's shoulder. "I am sorry my friend. That is indeed a sad tale. For something like that to happen at that age?" he tailed off and dropped his hand. Sar'Kal smiled a reassuring smile at him.

They both walked back over to where Volke was just standing from where he had been crouching next to one of the bandits. They looked at him questioningly.

Volke looked at them and motioned for them to get Tian'shal as well. They made their way over to where she was finishing cleaning her arrows and gathered together. Volke spoke quietly. "Well I have learned that these were indeed a part of the group of bandits that have been troubling the road. There is however some bad news. It would seem that the main group is only a few hours walk behind this group. They didn't give me any real numbers but I suggest you get moving. You will need to be far down this road before they arrive here. Even then you will need to move as quickly as possible in case they decide to give chase. You need to leave now. Hurry and gather your things and keep your weapons ready." He finished quickly and motioned for them to go.

"What about you?" asked Sar'Kal. "What are you going to do?"

Volke smirked. "Don't worry about me, I'm going to take these four back to Varala and question them further. I doubt they will give me any trouble, I can be very persuasive. Now, Hurry! You three need to get moving!"

He finished and left them to get ready. They retrieved their bags from the crevasse and double checked that everything was there. They quickly made their way over to Volke once they were ready. "Good. Now follow the path through the hills and do not veer from it. It will take you directly to the capitol." He pointed them in the right direction and then reached into his vest and pulled out another two tubes of flash powder and the strange sparker device. He handed them to Tian'shal and showed her how to tie the tube on to an arrow. "I trust you will know what to do should the time come. Now go! Get to the capitol as fast as you can." He finished and saw them off as they walked over the hill towards the path.

As the trio made their way onto the path they looked at each other with a worried expression and took off at a very quick pace. The going was much better at night, without the heat of the sun, but after several hours, their legs began to protest each hill they traversed. They did not stop, but instead they kept walking well into the night until the moon was in its descent.

It was only a few hours until morning when they finally decided to stop and rest. They were exhausted and their legs screamed from climbing hill after hill. They bedded down in a small area off the path that was free of snake holes and brush. They didn't bother taking watches and quickly fell asleep without any conversation. After several hours, they awoke with the sun a couple hands above the horizon. Korek went to look down the trail as Sa'Kal and Tian'shal gathered up all their bedding and prepared to leave. When he came back he had a smile on his face. "Well it doesn't appear that the bandits followed us. I could see a long way down the trail from the top of one of the hills and there was no sign of them. We should still keep moving though." He finished and took his bags from Sar'Kal.

They agreed and then continued on their way. The made their way down the trail at a more comfortable pace and soon began to feel at ease again. The rest of the day went by without any incidents and they made a fire when they stopped that night. There wasn't much conversation however. None of them mentioned it, but they were all thinking about Volke and what could have happened with him. They all went to sleep and didn't wake up until morning.

It took them only two more days to traverse the badlands and they soon found themselves on flat terrain once again. The grass of the plains was a welcome sight as they crested the last hill. The sight that really took their breath away however, was what they saw off in the distance. The massive citadel of Sharak'Thal could be seen as it erupted from the flat plain it was situated on. They stopped for a moment and took in the awe inspiring sight. Tian'shal looked at her friends with a dumbstruck expression and Korek laughed with Sar'Kal. They quickly continued onward toward their destination with renewed vigor.