"Do you see 'er now?"
Max Winterhaven pointed out past the clearing to a small thicket, his low gravelly voice barely carrying far enough for his student to hear him. Cyrus peered intently where his teacher had pointed, but still couldn't see the boar they hunted.
"I see nothing, Max." The boy responded in disappointment. This was only his fifth hunt, but the first without the aid of his brother and the other members of their customary hunting party. He'd hoped that his tracking skills would improve if he was to hunt alone and Max had agreed. The big man knelt beside him in his usual hunting attire: a black and gray fur lined leather jerkin, dark brown breeches and worn leather boots. His broad shoulders and head were covered by a magical cloak that allowed him to blend in more easily with his surroundings. His flowing mane of curly black hair peeked out from the corners of his low hood, the shadow of his wild beard making it seem that only his steel gray eyes were uncovered. Max's student was similarly dressed except he was cloaked in dark brown elk skin. Cyrus' hair was straight and as black as the moonless night, tied into a ponytail to keep stray strands out of his bright blue eyes. He continued to scrutinize the underbrush for their quarry. Even after only fifteen winters, Cyrus was more than a match against any other youngster in the clan, but his senses just weren't as keen as the other young adults. Because of this, he struggled with the skill of tracking.
"Don't let it bother ye, boy." Max urged his pupil. "Yer eyes ain't as keen as t' others. Ye gotta use all yer senses together." He patted Cyrus on the shoulder. "Be calm and fall into flow with t' natural world around ye."
Cyrus nodded absently and closed his eyes. He took several deep rhythmic breaths and did as Max had suggested. He felt the breath of the cool spring wind on his face and arms; the touch of the currents teasing his flesh. He could hear the rustling of the fallen leaves as they lazily danced across the dampened earth. His nose took in the scent of the trees and grass, damp from the recent rain. He caught something else then; a familiar aroma that was both sweet and sour: the smell of fear. Cyrus focused on that scent and tried to bring the others to focus as well. A low grunt resonated just beyond a copse of thick bush. With his senses centered on one spot, he opened his eyes and gazed again upon the nearby undergrowth. He noticed a glint. A trick of the eye, Cyrus thought? No. The glint was from the eye of the boar, a subtle turn of her head having caught sunlight. The sign was almost missed.
"Yes." Cyrus smiled, his eyes never leaving that spot. "I see her now. She is watching us."
Max beamed with pride. Cyrus took a little more time than the others, but he was acclimating at a remarkable rate. As a babe, Cyrus was given to the care of Forge Redblade. The man raised him as his own son, but he was only human. The Klah'hin clans of the region, while appearing human, were gifted with an ability they called The Joining, a talent that allowed the warriors of the tribe to take the form of their clan's animal avatar. Max, being one of the few surviving Black Bear clansmen, could take on the attributes of the bear - enhanced strength, smell and hearing and vicious claws - or could give himself fully to his avatar and actually become a bear. Cyrus' clan is called the Gray Griffons, one of the largest clans remaining in the region. Years ago, the province was full of tribes, but since the end of the Clan War almost a thousand years ago, only a few thousand souls remained. Though the world's views of the Klah'hin tribes had improved in recent years, most of the civilized races still viewed them as uncultured beasts with no place in society.
"Now, ye need to find out how to get to her so ye can catch her swiftly." Max whispered. "What the beast is giving ye is helpin' yer tribe to survive. For such a sacrifice, we don't want 'er to suffer needlessly." Max ran his finger across his taut neck. "Quick and painless."
Cyrus nodded and surveyed his surroundings. The thicket covered a fairly oval shaped area with a large boulder, partially concealed by briers and vines on the east side. Since the winds were blowing east, he thought it most advantageous to approach the boar from the north, opposite his current position, while the sow's attention was on Max. He could slip around the boulder and not be seen. Setting his path, he crept towards his right, slowly removing himself from the watchful eyesight of the boar. With the boulder between him and his prey, he continued to creep around towards the opposite side, careful to keep his steps sure and silent.
As he reached the other side, he readied his dagger and surveyed the area before him. He almost panicked when he realized he couldn't even see Max, much less the boar. Remembering his lesson, he closed his eyes and stretched outwards with his senses, searching for his prey. He spotted her quicker this time and also located the raspy breathing of Max. Cyrus smiled as he opened his eyes. Finding the sow was easy, but the shifting abilities of Max's cloak made him difficult to spot. Satisfied that the boar's attention was still on Max, Cyrus began to slowly stalk towards her, his blade firmly gripped in his right hand.
An unexpected wave of nausea struck Cyrus hard. He would have fallen forward had he not reached out and grabbed a small pine tree for support. As the nausea began to subside he fought consciousness as wave upon wave of sensory information assaulted him. It took him a moment to process it all before he began to understand what it was he was feeling. He could sense the dampness of the soil beneath his feet as if he weren't wearing boots. Subtle vibrations that he understood to be worms worked their way through the soil. He could smell the pungent scent of Max's breath and knew the big man had eaten ham and eggs for breakfast earlier this morning. He could also tell that the big man had a rotting molar. He could smell the fear and apprehension coming from the sow, but there was something more. He focused through the sounds coming from around the woods; the bear fishing for salmon in the river a mile to the west, the snake slithering through the brush nearby, the growl of a dire wolf stalking prey, the sound of a couple talking. He could now hear the boar as she breathed. He could hear her heartbeat - no, two heartbeats - one loud and strong, the others faint and quick.
As quickly as it had hit him, the nausea faded. Cyrus took a couple of deep breaths as he contemplated everything he'd felt. He still wasn't sure what had happened, but he was certain his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. For a moment, all of his senses had been enhanced nearly a hundred fold! As amazing as that was, should he keep what just happened a secret, or should he tell Max? For now, I should tell no one, he decided. I want to find out exactly how it happened so I can recreate it later, if needed. With that he stood up straight, sheathed his dagger and began to walk purposely towards Max. Surprised, the sow let out a quick squeal before darting around the boulder and eastward to freedom.
Max strode towards his student, shrugging helplessly as he lowered the cowl on his cloak, breaking the enchantment. "What happened? Ye nearly had her."
Cyrus lowered his eyes, disappointed in himself for having let down his teacher. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't. The sow was with child."
Max scratched his chin through his thick beard. Was the boy lying to him? He had seemed so confident earlier. What could have stolen his courage from him so quickly? "I couldn't see that from here. How are ye so sure?"
Cyrus shook his head. "It was just a feeling." The boy looked up at his teacher. "I'm sorry that I've let you down. I should've struck when I had the chance."
Max grabbed the boy by both shoulders. "Yer always too hard on yerself, boy." Max reassured him. "Yer blood might not be Klah'hin, but yer heart surely is. Ye ain't lettin' me down yet, Cyrus." he gestured towards the direction the boar fled. "If yer thinkin' there was a reason for not killin' that one, well I guess I'll trust yer reasonin'." Cyrus smiled at Max then. He really wanted to tell Max what he'd felt for those few brief moments, but still his conscious told him to be patient. All would be revealed in time.
A shrill cry broke their respite and instinctively tensed them for battle. The cry sounded distinctly human which worried Cyrus. He knew there were several small villages nearby, but the hunters there would rather hunt in other areas around them than compete with the Klah'hin on their own hunting grounds. He also remembered hearing the whispered conversation of two people earlier. From which direction did the cry come from? As they listened attentively, they were rewarded with the howl of a wolf and another cry, this one clearly a cry of distress. Both barbarians ran towards the cry, reasoning that it was fairly close by. They soon reached a clearing surveyed the area from the tree line.
A young human woman, perhaps in her mid-teens, stood over an injured male writhing in the grass. The man was clutching his left arm which was covered in blood. The woman swung the sword awkwardly in an attempt to fight off a lone dire wolf that circled the couple. The gray furred beast stood nearly four and a half feet at the shoulders and weighed close to 200 pounds, a worthy foe for any warrior. Surprisingly, the woman's ungainly swings seemed to be keeping the wolf at bay. Low growls from the beast were quickly followed by an extended howl. The howl could only mean one thing; the wolf was calling for aid.
It wasn't uncommon for a Klah'hin hunting party to run across a group of humans, but this meeting was a little different. Usually, the barbarians left the humans alone and would only give aid if asked. Cyrus, being human himself, could only feel empathy for what would happen when the other wolves of this one's pack showed up. He looked at Max with an almost pleading expression and was met with a hesitant nod. It would be wrong to leave these two to their fate and Max didn't want their deaths on his conscious any more than Cyrus did. The big man pointed towards the girl, slapped his right shoulder and then pointed in a curving motion to the east. Cyrus nodded his understanding as Max disappeared into the brush and was gone.
Cyrus drew his long sword and readied himself for battle. As he prepared for a fight, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. To the west were four more dire wolves, each loping anxiously towards their pack leader. These four seemed slightly smaller than the big gray but were still just as intimidating. The woman's attention was completely focused on the big gray and she had no idea the others were closing from behind. Cyrus had to act fast!
Although large for his age, Cyrus was very fast. He closed the distance between the wolves and the girl quicker than even he expected. The girl turned as he approached, eyes wide in terror at the large man bearing down on her. The big gray was just as surprised, taking an extra lope away from the girl as Cyrus approached. Cyrus stopped just in front of the girl off of her right shoulder, sword at the ready and his attention on the now slowing pack of dire wolves. The girl looked from the big gray to Cyrus, trying to keep the unwieldy sword trained on both of them.
"You appear to be outnumbered." Cyrus informed the girl as he slowly circled her and the injured male. When he stepped to her left, his eyes met with those of the big gray, which now appeared much larger than he had from the safety of the tree line. "There are four more coming in from behind you."
The girl turned quickly and gasped when she saw the now creeping pack of four spreading out around the three of them. She trained the sword on the newest arrivals as a whimper escaped her lips. The wolves had done this routine before and had no doubt that they would feed well tonight. They continued to spread out and waited for one of the two to drop their guard.
"What do we do?" the girl asked in a quivering voice. "I...I've never used a sword before."
"What is your name?" Cyrus asked.
The girl hesitated for a moment. "Elise." She responded.
"Okay, listen to me carefully, Elise. No one is going to die here if we can help it, but I need you to be strong. Your friend's bleeding is going to draw them to him first, so you'll need to keep an eye on his at all times." Cyrus motioned towards the fallen male, hoping she noticed the gesture. "We are here to help you, so stay calm and everything will be okay."
Elise was on the verge of tears. "Who is 'we'?" She cried.
"No time!" he hissed. Cyrus immediately regretted his tone. Though he was as human, and likely as young, as she was he had already seen his share of battle. Too often had he joined his tribe in fighting off packs of dire wolves, bands of raiders or a wandering giant. He knew how scared she was, but if they were going to live through this, she needed a quick lesson in defending herself. He stole a quick glance at her. Her golden hair was tied into a pony tail and, other than a little awkwardness and unfamiliarity with her weapon, she seemed to have a pretty good form. "Feel the balance of your weapon. When you swing, keep control of it. Don't let it fly out wide or you'll open yourself up to attack. Keep the point in front of you as much as possible."
As if hearing his words, the big gray launched himself at Cyrus just as two others leapt at Elise. Cyrus arched his back and swung his sword in an overhead arc, hoping to keep the beast's teeth from any of his vital areas. His blade sliced into the front paw of the big gray rewarding him with a squeal of pain. Elise brought the sword up to meet the two smaller wolves. One slowed while the second jumped out wide. She swung the sword outward but was only able to shave a few hairs off of his tail. The first wolf took the opportunity to dart under her strike and bite down on the fallen male's boot. A low groan issued from the man's throat as the wolf began dragging him helplessly away.
"Natty!" the girl screamed as she brought her sword over her head. The wolf released his hold on the man just as Elise swung the sword. The blade was stopped by a block from Cyrus' own; inches above the injured man's calf.
"That would've taken his leg." Cyrus admonished her. "You need to learn control."
Elise's shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm trying." She moaned. One of the smaller wolves darted towards her while another appeared to be ready to spring. She swung at the first wolf and almost didn't get the sword around fast enough for the second one. Already in mid-jump, the second wolf couldn't stop itself when it realized her sword was waiting for him. The blade slid cleanly through the beast's chest and into its heart. Elise was staggered a few steps but remained on her feet as the dire wolf plowed past her, jerking the blade free of its body as it hit the ground, already dead.
Another of the smaller wolves took the opportunity to charge at Elise, hoping to knock her over. The beast had almost reached her when Cyrus brought his blade around in a one-handed arc and cleaved the head from the beast. The head and the body both hit Elise at almost the same time. The girl released her hold on the sword as the wolf's body knocked the wind from her lungs and slammed her into the ground. Hot blood gushed from the stump of the freshly severed head and covered the front of Elise's bodice in a large crimson stain.
The big gray, ignoring the blood flowing from its paw, launched himself at Cyrus again, gnashing teeth searching for the barbarian's neck. Cyrus was knocked onto his back and lost his sword as both hands grabbed handfuls of gray fur on either side of the dire wolf's head. He managed to get his legs beneath the beast and launch it over backwards, but he didn't have the strength to throw it far. The big gray landed just over Cyrus' shoulder and swiftly righted itself for a quick kill. Cyrus rolled over to his knees and prepared to fight off the beast. A large black ball of fury slammed into the dire wolf and launched it into the air. The big gray crashed into the ground fifteen feet away, the air blasted from its lungs.
A huge black bear stood on its hind legs, towering over human and wolf alike. It roared loudly enough that Cyrus could feel the vibrations shudder through his entire body. The two remaining smaller wolves slowly began to back away. Elise was finally able to push the headless body of the smaller dire wolf off of herself and began crying. As she sat up, big gray charged her. Cyrus leapt at her as well, if only to knock her back into a prone position. The black bear vaulted over the two humans and met the dire wolf head on. Claws and teeth met flesh as the two began tearing gashes into each other. One of the smaller dire wolves took advantage of the confusion and tried dragging the limp male's body away again. His efforts failed as the cold steel of Cyrus' thrown dagger pierced the side of its head, killing it instantly.
The black bear and the big gray circled each other, growling menacingly. As the gray launched itself, it was caught in mid-air by the swiping paw of the black bear. The bear hit the wolf with enough force that Cyrus was clearly able to hear its spine snap. It hit the ground hard and cried loudly in pain. The cries were enough that it sapped the courage from the remaining dire wolf. He fled from the battle as fast as he was able. The big gray moaned for a few moments more before finally drawing its last breath.
Cyrus helped Elise up and she immediately went to check on the unconscious male. He seemed to be all right though he'd passed out from the pain. The gouges on his arm were no longer bleeding, but they needed attention quickly. She looked around for something to use as a bandage and settled on a strip from her dress. After she'd bound the wound on his arm, she covered him protectively as the black bear ambled back towards them, several gashes and scratches on its hide. Cyrus turned and approached the bear, nearly six feet high at the shoulders, with his hands out.
"Calm, my friend." He said in a soothing tone. "The battle is over. It is time to rest." Cyrus reached out and laid his hands on the bear's side, checking the wounds. "The scratches aren't too deep. You will only have a few more scars to complain about."
Elise looked to Cyrus and the bear and wondered about the young man. He was clearly a barbarian by his tattoo and the clothing he wore. She'd heard many stories about barbarians and their control over certain animals. Did he have some kind of control over this bear? Is this what he meant earlier by 'we'? It clearly fought to protect us from the wolves and now seemed almost sleepy. Cyrus stood and looked around briefly before running off towards the east edge of the clearing, leaving her alone with the beast.
As she thought about the strange connection between the two, the black bear plopped down on its backside and began to shrink before her eyes. The snout started taking on human-like features as the fur gave way to pink flesh. Claws retracted into human hands. In the space of a few moments, the bear had transformed into a burly – and quite naked – human.
Cyrus returned moments later with an armload of clothes. "Did...did you just see that?" she stammered. In all her young life, she'd never seen anything like that. A bear transforming into a man?
"He'll be fine in a few minutes." Cyrus sighed. He dropped the clothes in front of Max. The big man fished through the garments and began putting them back on slowly. "The Joining takes a lot out of him at his age."
"Joining?" Elise asked. Something occurred to her then. A memory of a story told to her by her grandmother. "He's a Klanin barbarian, isn't he?"
Cyrus chuckled. "It's Klah'hin, but yes. He's of the Black Bear clan. His name is Max Winterhaven." Cyrus remembered he'd had no opportunity to introduce himself. "And I am Cyrus Redblade, son of Forge Redblade of the Gray Griffon Klah'hin." He bowed low before her, as his father had taught him.
"You're barbarians?" she seemed almost afraid again. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to trespass on your hunting grounds. Are you going to hurt us!"
Cyrus screwed up his face in confusion. "Hurt you? Why would we hurt you?"
Elise looked relieved. "Just something I remember being told as a child." She covered her friend with her cloak. "I'm sorry. You just saved my life and here I am being awful rude to you."
"How's the boy?" Max slurred, almost completely dressed now. Fresh scars could be clearly seen on his biceps and forearms, a reminder of the fight with the dire wolf.
"Natty? He should be okay. He hasn't lost too much blood, but his arm is mangled pretty badly." Elise stood, unsure of what to do next. "Would you mind helping us back to our village? It's only a couple of miles past the hill there at Thrall's Hold."
Cyrus looked at Max for approval. He wanted to make sure they at least got home safely before heading back to Forge's Den. Max shook his head and smirked. "Bah!" he growled as he got back to his feet. He walked towards the still form of Natty and pulled a corked vial from his belt. "Human medicine would leave 'im out here without a care in t' world. Lemme see tha' arm."
Max squatted before Natty's still form and checked his bleeding arm. He poked the man's shoulder, which elicited a slight groan. "Shoulder ain't broke." He removed Elise's makeshift bandage and poured a few drops from the vial onto Natty's arm then reapplied the bandage. He leaned in close the man's body as if checking something. In a loud growl he bellowed "Get up, boy!"
Natty's eyes fluttered. He opened them and gazed around briefly before settling on Elise. A wide grin split his face. "Hey, sis!" he slurred. "Are the dogs gone now?"
"Yes, Natty. They're gone." She turned her gaze towards Max. "What did you give him?"
"Just a lil' somethin' that'll help wit' the pain." The big man giggled. "He'll be loopy for a bit, but get him to a life mage and he'll be better 'for ye know it."
Elise led them out of the clearing and found the nearby road that would lead them to Thrall's Hold. Over the next three hours, Cyrus and Max took turns helping Natty along the road until he was able to handle walking on his own. Elise asked many questions, primarily about the clans, their traditions and their history. Max was only too happy to oblige. The old man was always quick with a story and he was glad to finally have an attentive audience. The time seemed to fly by until they finally found themselves on a stone bridge just on the outskirts of Thrall's Hold.
The village of Thrall's Hold was just a carry over for the name of the fortified stronghold it surrounded. The citadel was well maintained even though it was very old. A small contingent of the Province's army had been stationed here generations ago with their commander maintaining his residence in the keep and acting as the village's leader. Since the village was entirely made up of family and friends of the soldiers posted here, leadership for the stronghold soon became nothing more than a title and rank held by the one person the village could trust. The people here maintained the stronghold and each member of the community had a task to do should the aging fort be put to use again. Though they'd fought off raiders and bandits, it had been two generations since the countryside had seen war on a large scale. The people of Thrall's Hold hoped they would never have to see it again.
As they approached, the four of them were met by two of the village's sentries wearing dark red tabards and cloaks on horseback. Elise told them the situation and one turned his horse and headed into town to find Elise's father. The second one offered to escort them to the keep when he noticed something.
"Hold!" the guard bellowed before getting off of his horse. He looked at Cyrus and Max briefly before drawing his sword and readying his shield. "Those tattoos; Are you from one of the barbarian tribes?"
Cyrus shrugged. "Yes, we are. My name is-"
"You'll go no further, savage! We won't allow your kind to enter our village." The guard ordered. It was obvious from the quaver in his voice that he was frightened of something.
"How dare you, Jorus!" Elise balked. "These men saved our lives! So what if they belong to a barbarian tribe."
"I'm sorry, El." The guard kept his sword pointed at Cyrus' chest. "We can't let these beasts in or they'll ruin what we've built here."
"Beasts?" Max growled. "Savages? How's 'bout I show ye a real beast!" The big man took a step towards the guard, who swung his sword towards him. Max's eyes went black briefly and Cyrus almost believed Max meant to take on the form of the avatar again. He knew that a full transformation took time, a few minutes if needed in an emergency. The fury in Max's eyes almost made Cyrus believe he could do it in an instant if needed. For a moment, even Cyrus was frightened at what he saw. He put his hand on Max's chest and shook his head. Max calmed somewhat and nodded at his student.
Four men riding horses came from the town and stopped before Cyrus and the others. "They're barbarians, my Lord!" Jorus called out to them. Two of the men remained on horseback and trained crossbows on Cyrus and Max. The other two dismounted. The first was a burly man in a guard's uniform. He immediately drew his sword and held it at the ready, his ornate rectangular-shaped heater shield covering his body from throat to knees. The taller of the two appeared to be the leader. The man's face was weather-worn and deeply tanned his salt and pepper colored hair cut short with a matching beard. He was dressed in a casual shirt and breeches, but still retained an air of aristocracy around him. An ornate black battle axe was secured into a sheath and slung over his right shoulder.
"Elise." The man sighed. The girl ran to him and gave him a familial hug. "What happened to Nathaniel?"
"He got attacked by a dire wolf in a clearing by the south woods." She responded. "These two men saved our lives. If they hadn't found us, we would have been torn to pieces."
Her father looked over the two men critically, his face scrunched in disgust. Cyrus bit back a remark about that look and hoped Max would do the same. He gently pushed his daughter behind him as one of the other guards grabbed Natty by the shoulder. In moments, both of them were flanked by the two archers still aiming their bows at the barbarians. "My name is Cassius Riverstone, commanding officer of Thrall's Hold. What were you two men doing in the woods so close to our territory?"
Max nudged Cyrus' arm, telling him silently to hold his tongue. "We were huntin'." The big man clenched his fists as if ready to take on the entire town. "We've done nothin' here except make sure the lass and her friend got home safely."
Elise's father crossed his arms and sighed. "My thanks for rescuing my son and daughter, but so simple a gesture won't erase generations of barbarism, mistrust and murder." He nodded to the two guards, who took one step forward, sword and shields in readiness. "We've all heard the stories of you barbarians. I will not allow you to defile our home with your presence."
Cyrus put his hands up to calm the men. "I don't know what you've heard, but we're not here to harm anyone." He gestured to Max. "Like my friend here said, we only wanted to be sure these two arrived home safely." He started backing away slowly, hoping the men weren't really looking for a fight. "We'll just leave now."
The two footmen stood their ground and didn't pursue. The two archers never let up on their bows as they continued to aim the weapons at the two clansmen. Cyrus and Max, the latter grumbling under his breath about honor and gratitude, turned their backs on the group and began walking away.
"Wait!" Elise broke from the crowd and her grasping father and ran into the arms of a surprised Cyrus. She hugged him tightly for a moment with a whispered "thank you" before repeating the gesture on Max. Cassius' face was a deep crimson as he commanded his daughter to return to him. She walked back slowly to her father, who grabbed her by the arm and tossed her back towards her brother.
"Don't punish the lass for her outburst. Her eyes are opened." Max suggested. "If I be rememberin' me bloodlines, Riverstone is a Klah'hin family name. Jungle Panther, me thinks." Cassius' lips tightened, but Max simply grinned. "Ye should judge yer neighbors by the deeds ye know and not the tales ye heard. When ye hear yer tales of murder and mistrust again, think back t' this day, Riverstone." With a nod to Cyrus, the two men turned away and headed home.
It was many minutes before Cassius and his contingent left their positions on the village side of the bridge. Elise stood with her arms crossed over her chest, a profound sadness on her face. Natty had been taken to the village Life Mage to look after his wounds. The excitement brought on by the Klah'hin arrivals was over and everyone went back to their lives. Cassius mounted his horse and helped his daughter up to sit behind him. She gave her father a weak smile.
"Can you teach me to fight with a sword, daddy?" She asked. She continued when she saw he was about to object. "It didn't feel important until today. I had to use Natty's to keep the wolves away from him."
Cassius lowered his head and sighed deeply. "I had hoped to train you to fight when I felt the time was right. Maybe I shouldn't have waited so long." He turned to her as they approached the front gates of the stronghold. "I wanted you to learn leadership first so you could take over for me here when I'm gone. Your brother's a fine swordsman, but he is more of a fighter than a diplomat. He lacks the subtlety of diplomacy."
The horse cantered through the front gates and approached the stalls. Elise leapt off of the back of the horse and landed lightly on her feet. "That's what I thought I was doing earlier when I thanked the two Klah'hin warriors for saving our lives."
Cassius dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to a stable boy. He shook his head at his daughter. "That's different. They are a barbaric people who lack the graces of civilized living. Do you expect me to walk into their village and talk trade?"
"That's exactly what you need to do, daddy." She reached out and hugged him. "Even I thought they were bad, until I spent time talking with them. Their people aren't so different from us. They're a hunting tribe so I'm sure they have plenty of meat they can trade us." Her expression changed to one of curiosity. "Do you think Max spoke true? Could our family have descended from a barbarian clan?"
Cassius laughed and hugged his daughter tightly. "I don't know, pumpkin. I've never checked that far back. Most of those clans died out hundreds of years ago. As for trading with them, we'll see, El." He stared off in the direction the two barbarians had gone. The two men did seem so different from what he'd been taught to believe about the Klah'hin tribes. Even the older of the two, as haggard and grizzled as he was, seemed saddened by his spiteful words. Of course, Cassius had never met a real barbarian in the flesh before. Maybe a short trip to Forge's Den to talk to the clan's leader wouldn't be a bad idea. What could it hurt? Cassius actually began looking forward to a meeting. If trade with their neighbors could enhance their own lives, then it would be beneficial, especially this far out into the frontier.
"We'll see."
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