He saw Kirrah move suddenly, her black-furred body nothing more than a streak in the night-dark forest. That was the cue the rest of the cats needed. Several followed her lead, taking down the horses in one fell swoop. There was a horrible commotion as the horses fell. The armored men were thrown, their weapons falling to the forest floor, lanterns shattering. One lantern lit the forest floor ablaze for a brief moment, but the body of a horse smothered it quickly.
“Attack!” one of the knights yelled. “We’re under–”
He was silenced by an arrow as it lodged into his throat. Kaleb briefly saw the form of one of the human-form warriors holding a bow out, before he disappeared behind the trunk of an ancient tree.
From there, chaos broke out. With the horses down, the knights were forced to fight on foot. Their heavy metal armor might have stopped the biting fangs and slashing claws of the feral-form Kkyathi, but the human-form Kkyathi were right there to take care of the rest, with their blades and arrows.
Kaleb wasn’t comfortable with attacking one of the armored men without provocation, but he did fend them off when they attacked the ferals. He rammed his body into that of a knight, who was thrown off course as he tried to attack a bobcat with a leather cord and moon-disk around its neck. With the knight thrown off course and his helmet knocked aside, the bobcat started a counter attack that involved the man’s exposed head. Kaleb turned away, to his next target.
On it went. He helped the cat warriors out as they needed it, helping them knock armor aside so they could attack. He even saved one of the big cats from a deadly sword, pushing the cat to the side before he circled back around and went to take the knight down. The cat warrior was momentarily offended, before he realized what Kaleb had pushed him away from, and what Kaleb now offered to him as an open attack.
The battle around Kaleb was a mass of hissing cats, writhing fur and gleaming metal. The horses were down for the count and a good number of armored men lay still on the forest floor.
When there were only a small number of men were left, Kamu stepped forward, pointing her dagger at one of the knights. “Leave, knights of Emeralde. We have defeated your companions. Don’t make us have to defeat all of you.”
She tripped over her carefully formed words, in the native tongue of the Emeralde knights. There were few Kkyathi who could speak the Emeralde tongue, but it was learned out of necessity, with the constant conflict between her tribe and the kingdom. Kikkaho was much more fluent in the Emeralde tongue but her half-sister wasn't here.
The knights admitted defeat fast after that. With Kirrah in feral form, Kamu directed the knights, allowing them to collect their dead. A few feral Kkyathi left the battle field, returning with a small wooden platform that they dragged behind them with lengths of rope. They allowed the knights to mount their dead on the platform, but the knights had to drag it out of the forest themselves.
The Kkyathi warriors didn’t relax until the knights had crossed out of Kkyathi territory and back into the Emeralde Kingdom. They followed the knights right to the border of the territory, howling their victory into the night. It was infectious. Kaleb had barely engaged in combat but he felt the same victory that the others had. He felt a sense of connection deep within himself, connect himself to the warriors he had fought with. Their victory was his own.
The shape shifter was a useful asset.
Kirrah changed back into her human shape, covering her naked body with a spare cotton dress the warriors had brought back with the wooden platform. As she covered herself, she glanced back to the shape shifter, watching as he and Kamu went around their warrior party and checked the warriors over for injury. Kaleb had been useful in battle. While hesitant to attack the knights, he had saved her warriors, even pushing a knight out of the way before he would have taken a swipe at her.
He was definitely a useful asset.
As the knights were forced out of Kkyathi land, the warrior party she rounded up begins the journey back to their camp ground. She felt a soft hand at her back and knew Kamu was the one touching her. The red headed werefox came up beside her.
“The shape shifter helped us greatly in battle,” Kamu said, her golden eyes amused. “What do you think about making him an honorary member of the tribe, as I was made?”
Kirrah couldn’t hide her smile. The woman before her was the only one who could make her smile so. “I agree with you, dear. He was a great help. I think we can reward him with an honorary membership.”
The journey back to the camp ground was a different journey than the one away from it. The warriors were mostly silent, thinking over the battle and tending to their wounds as they walked. It didn’t take them long to reach the edge of the forest. The edge of the forest held the guard tower, a small pillar where warriors kept a nightly watch over the camp ground, defending it if necessary. When the men in the guard tower saw the war party coming from the forest, they reached for the set of drums nearby. The Kkyathi victory song rose from the air, encouraging the warriors and their village.
The warriors arrived back with much of the same applause as they had received the last time they had returned. Kirrah headed to her father, bowing her head slightly in respect at the village chief.
“Dearest father,” she said, her voice formal. “There were indeed knights in our territory but after a small battle, we exiled them from this land.”
Korjah bowed his head to her as well. “Good job, dearest daughter. You make a fine war leader. I’m sure your warriors were brave as well.”
At this, she grinned, revealing her fangs. “Yes, father. Our newcomer, the shape shifter Kaleb, was a great asset as well. He saved several of our warriors from attack. Kamu has suggested that he be made an honorary member of our tribe for his bravery.”
The older man smiled and nodded. “I agree with this, my daughter. Come, first we will tend to our warriors. Tomorrow, when the sun is new, we will reward our visitor for his efforts.”
“Yes, father.”
Kaleb couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Kirrah had come up to him and explained that in the morning, he would be rewarded for his bravery with honorary membership into their tribe. There would be a celebration, just for him, to honor the effort he had made to save their warriors.
It felt as though he had barely fought on the battle field earlier, but he had apparently done something great by helping them out. Pride welled within him. He had never really been praised for much throughout his life. There were the accomplishments he made with the Shadow Assassins, but that was already after he had left his so-called family. His blood relatives had been afraid of him, ready to get rid of him. There was no praise there, no love and no honoring.
Not like the Kkyathi. He was thanked by the warriors he had helped save. The injured went into a tent to be treated and healed but the rest filtered into their cabins or other tents. He was confused as to where he was going to stay but Kikkaho approached him again. It was almost a relief to see her after all that had happened on the battle field.
Her face was positively aglow and not just because they were near the social fire. “I heard you were a great asset to our warriors!”
He filled her in on what had happened during the battle and she praised him for saving the tribe's warriors. Her praise filled him with a strange joy. He didn't know why her opinion mattered so much to him.
Their bubble of happiness continued until she informed him that he would be sleeping with in the Chieftain’s cabin. It was where she, her father, Kirrah and Kamu stayed. He was led into the largest cabin, where three sleeping pallets sat, resplendent with lush pillows and blankets. There was one separate room that Kikkaho explained was for her father. Kaleb had been invited to share their house for the night, until the celebration in the morning.
Sounded perfect to him.
He settled in with them, admiring the family unit they had. It made him long for a family unit of his own. The Shadow Assassins were the closest thing he
had, but he felt distant from even them sometimes. Did they miss him, now that they were separated?
Not the line of thought he wanted to be on, especially with celebration in the air. He watched as Kirrah made jokes, poking fun at Kikkaho. Despite the jokes, the two sisters were getting along fairly well and Kamu fit right in with them, already accepted as family. The chief entered the cabin sometime after, thanked Kaleb for his actions and went to bed.
There was a rustling of sheets and blankets as the three girls settled in for bed. Kamu and Kirrah kept each other close, cuddling up to each other and sighing contentedly. Kikkaho disappeared under a pile of blankets. That left Kaleb alone with his thoughts once more.
This werecat tribe seemed to have taken a great liking to him. He thought back to his own family, who had feared his powers and tried to get rid of him. The Kkyathi didn't seem like the type to abandon one of their own. Maybe he was at home, here...
He must have drifted off because when he opened his eyes again, Kirrah was talking to a warrior who sounded rushed. Daylight was streaming into the cabin and he squinted in the sudden light. There was a small party of warriors gathered at the door of the cabin.
“Are you up for another hunt, Kaleb?”
He looked up and saw Kamu reaching for a weapon she kept under a pillow. “More knights?”
“Just two people, but they may be knights or spies. Not sure yet, but they're not supposed to be on this land.”
He got up with her and joined the war party that was heading towards the forest. It only took a moment for him to change back into his tiger form before he was running with the feral warriors. They found the intruders fast. When Kaleb saw who they were hunting after, he almost tripped over his own paws.
Evangeline was in front of him.
Chapter Eleven
“Kaleb!”
Evangeline was more than relieved to see her friend. He was in tiger form, but she recognized him instantly, having seen the same tiger with the same markings before. The tiger clearly saw her. It looked as though the tiger was about to trip over himself, in a gesture that was too human to be wild animal.
It was a good thing she had caught sight of him, too. She wasn't stupid; she could sense all of the animals and weres approaching. Her demon senses were excellent at picking up presences around her. There were maybe a dozen warriors, some in large cat forms, others in human forms in the trees. Each one of them registered as something close to Kaleb, but foreign enough for her to understand that they were werecat, as Erik had said.
Erik had been much too generous to her. After revealing her demon form in front of him and his associate, she thought for sure that he would try to attack her. His knight had been ready to. He only regarded her calmly, reassuring her that he was no threat and that he would not turn on her. It was something she already knew, but hearing him say it was a small comfort.
He had mentioned that they were crossing into Kkyathi territory soon and they had to be quick about it. The werecat tribe was not kind to intruders on their land if the intruders were from the Emeralde Kingdom. She saw how right he was. The large cats they faced were ready for bloodshed with their fangs bared.
“Kaleb!” she called out again.
“You know one of them?” she heard Erik ask from his horse beside her.
“One of my friends, who I lost!” she said.
One of the large cats transformed back into a human form. Naked as nature intended her to be, she put a halt to the cats before they would have attacked.
“You, stranger, how do you know our visitor?” she asked in a strangely accented voice.
Evangeline edged her mare closer to the predators, knowing how terrified the poor horse was. “He is one of my friends. We got separated and I've been looking for him.”
At this, the tiger began to warp, his shape changing from that of animal to man. She saw Kaleb clearly and he looked just as relieved to see her, if not a little weary.
“Evie,” he said, using the unwanted pet name everyone used on her. In this case, she didn't mind the name; she was too relieved to care.
“Have you seen the others?”
At this, Kaleb seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and answer her seriously. “No, you're the first I've seen. Have you?”
She shook her head. “You're the first I've seen, too.”
The grave announcement sucked the happiness out of their reunion. It left behind the cold truth that somewhere out there, their friends were still lost, probably alone and in danger. She didn't doubt that they could take care of themselves, but considering the war Erik had mentioned, she didn't want them to be in any line of danger.
Kaleb spoke up, breaking the silence. “I've been with the Kkyathi since I landed in their territory. So far, the only people to cross in have been knights. The Kkyathi are good people, though. They've taken good care of me.”
Evangeline couldn't help but smile. “Same here, with my companion. He is very good company.”
She saw Erik smile from the corner of her eye.
“Who is he?” Kaleb asked, curious.
Evangeline introduced the prince to Kaleb. She saw her friend's eyes widen, but what caught her attention was behind him – the line of warriors whose eyes narrowed and whose weapons drew up.
“Prince of Emeralde!' the naked woman hissed. “How dare you step into our territory!”
There was a confusing commotion next, as cats and warriors surrounded the prince's horse, cutting Evangeline off from him. Nightstorm protested and reared back, almost dumping the prince from the saddle. Erik hung on, looking absolutely regal as he gained control over his horse, trying to move the horse back and out of the way.
“Leave him alone!” Evangeline yelled. “He's of no danger to you!”
The Kkyathi weren't listening. The non-feral warriors bared their teeth at him, as if they would grow fangs and transform right there. There was a great thundering of cat growls as the feral warriors also announced their disgust.
From atop the protesting horse, Erik shouted, “This is not my war! I do not support it!”
This got the Kkyathi to hesitate. In the pause that followed, Erik pointed at the dead knight laying on the ground. The kill looked recent and, with horror, Evangeline realized that the man on the ground was the same man who tried to fight her previously. He was now dead, killed by the Kkyathi. How they hadn’t run into him and his men as they traveled through the same territory was a mystery, although Erik had said that the path they were taking was the less common route – to stay away from the knights he had a feeling would be following them.
“If I supported the war, I would be where he is, dead from combat!” Erik's voice rang loudly through the forest. “I have raised no weapon against you. I hold no grudge. I only wish to escort this lady through your forest, without conflict!”
At his words, the Kkyathi backed off grudgingly. When Evangeline caught sight of Kaleb again, she explained, “Erik is helping me get to Moonriver Academy. Remember, that's where Dirk said he was from? I'm willing to bet that he's there now, searching for us. Come with us, Kaleb. We can look for the others from there, and still do the job Dirk wanted us to do.”
She expected Kaleb to chime in with his usual enthusiasm. In the Shadow Assassins' normal operations, he was usually one of the ones to volunteer to do something first. Instead, he hesitated and drew back. She doubted he even realized his own movements, but he drew closer to the Kkyathi.
What came out of his mouth was equally hesitant. “The tribe was attacked recently, Evie. I don't think they're safe yet. I...I think I want to hang around here for a bit just to make sure no more of those knight raids hit the tribe. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving, otherwise.”
She could tell he was lying. Kaleb was usually so honest, so any falsehood that came from him was obvious. There was more to the story than he was telling her, but knowing him, he wouldn't say anything until he was comfortable with it, himself. If he had some kind of deeper relationship
than the tribe he had been around for only a few days, she didn't know, but he didn't seem to want to leave him.
“Alright,” she finally said, “but remember that we do have a job to do, at Moonriver. Dirk is probably looking for us and we need to get to him.”
Kaleb nodded. “I'd just feel better knowing they were safe.”
Evangeline smiled at him, and drew her friend into a small hug. She didn't want to leave him behind, now that she had found him, but forcing him away from a cause he wanted to help with wasn't right, either. The least she could do was wish for him to be safe. As she told him just that, he hugged her tighter.
She stepped back after they released each other, then glanced around at the warriors around here. Speaking to the naked woman, she said, “Is it alright if the Prince and I travel through your land safely? All we want to do is cross through. We're not looking to harm your people.”
The woman clearly wanted to say no and escort them back out in the same way they entered the forest, but she glanced at Kaleb momentarily, then agreed.
“As long as you leave fast,” she added on.
She met the gaze of the warrior woman before her. The werecat clearly looked like she was itching for a fight. Instead, she graciously wished them luck. Whatever connection Kaleb had to this tribe, it was clearly working in their favor.
“You sure you want to stay here?” Evangeline asked as she headed back to her mare. When her friend only nodded, she nodded as well, before mounting Silverstorm.
“Be safe,” was the last thing she said before she and Erik took off through the forest.
It didn't feel right leaving her friend behind. She wanted to turn back around, but she knew it was a lost cause. Kaleb had made up his mind about staying, for whatever reason. It killed her to leave him, but there was no way to force him to come with her.
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