Day turned to night. Infinus stopped to rest for their next battles. The burning campfire lit up the eerily quiet outpost as each elite checked in on the warriors.
Jakery was the first to check in on his men. Open wounds, broken bounds, and serious injuries that could kill somebody if they were untreated. All things Jakery saw during his trips.
He ordered Suth to form a small group of Sky Beasts to bring every injured warrior back to Volknair, where the people there would look after their wounds before sending them back to Krugi.
"How many men did you loss today, sir?" Decka curiously asked his leader.
"What? 'sir?' who?" Jakery quickly turned to look at Decka. "We lost... wait no, don't call me 'sir,' please," he corrected.
Decka made a double take. "You don't want me to call you 'sir?'"
"My brother taught me we shouldn't pretend like we're any stronger or better than one another. I can tell you're a better leader than I am already," Jakery explained.
"Where is your older brother? Is he going to throw some knives down at our enemies later?" Decka chuckled.
Jakery narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth. "What? Oh, Demon isn't the one that taught me that. Ether did, and why do you sound like you believe Ether is dead?"
"Wait, he is alive?" Decka frowned. "Those bastards lied to me!"
"Yeah, he's the reason why this Legion started," Jakery said while helping warriors take off armor. "Did someone make up lies and claim he died?"
Decka joined in with Jakery. He took off helmets and neatly placed them in a straight line on upside down empty crates of explosives. All the bombs that were inside were taken out to prepare for their future encounters.
These Infinus warriors curiously looked at the unfamiliar Feral and Zegus that were carelessly wondering the outpost. Meanwhile, the warriors taken from the Light Legion kept their distance.
Everyone there was afraid of who they believed to be their enemy. But Jakery and Decka helped sooth the tension between the two groups.
"Oh yeah. There was a parade dedicated to his death and Frosticus Fall inside the Legion. It was odd seeing so many seemingly innocent people celebrate a death," Decka finally replied.
Jakery cautiously made his way to the Light Legion's side of the outpost. Their Variants rested in the dimly lit outskirts of the fire.
"Hey, the ocean wind is cold. Do you not want to get closer to the fire?" he asked the group.
No one replied.
"Right. How about you introduced yourselves to my men. We'll accept you despite your background in the Light Legion... Infinus is open for everyone!" Jakery tried convincing them to talk.
"Why should I talk if I was torn away from a Legion I sworn my life to? Why should I introduce myself to a Legion full of bloodthirsty combatants?" A Light Legion warrior said.
Risk walked out from the darkness, his body was cold and stiff from the weather. He grabbed the warrior and dragged him in front of the fire.
"I got a wee little popper that makes not-so-wee-little-explosions," he reached down for an explosive. "Do I need to show you what happens if you show defiance to -"
"Let him go. He is homesick, and rightfully so. His family probably thinks that poor fella is dead. Unaware he was forced to bow to another Legion," Jakery explained.
Risk reluctantly agreed and let go of the warrior.
The first thing he did after being released, was look around. He studied the unfamiliar faces surrounding him, as if it was his first time seeing other Primes.
"Why did you make me let go of a perfectly good example?" Risk questioned Jakery.
"That was you one day. A lowly combatant. Have you ever thought about that?" He answered.
Risk let out a faint growl. "If I talked like that to my faction, I expect to be punished accordingly."
"But not everyone expects to be punished with death because they spoke their minds. Give them all some time and see if they enjoy the Legion," Jakery calmly replied.
Everyone fell silent. The tension was heavy and the fire's crackles felt like war drums. Each crack was a step towards their enemy. Until they heard actual steps coming from behind them.
Jakery grabbed one of his daggers and readied for the attack. Until Kellenas along with four of his Ferals stumbled into the light.
He noticed the Ferals had something wrong with their face. Their cheeks, they were different colors. Something Jakery hasn't seen on any other Variant before.
"Kellenas, what's wrong with your face? How's Hizentre and Quill??" Jakery quickly asked.
"Our face... this is Dulshing, it's a way to communicate to one another without speaking. And they are doing fine, just had to bring my tired Ferals here before they continued in the morning," Kellenas answered.
Dulshing is a trait Ferals adopted after becoming ambush predators. It's when they blush in different areas on their face and different colors to represent emotions and health.
Jakery sighed in relief. He hoped they were alright. Most of their day has been warding off incoming reinforcements and avoiding unnecessary fights.
"Hey! More Ferals! What pack??" One of Risk's Ferals called out.
One of Kellenas' Ferals looked at the unfamiliar pack. "We're the Eterra pack, coming from Etek Dur. Which are you?"
"The Murmosa pack!" He replied.
Risk walked up to meet Kellenas. "Looks one of your girls caught the eye of one of my boys, haha!"
"Light Legion Feral, not being held down by chains. How odd," Kellenas responded.
"We may be from different Legions, but I can assure you your Ferals are safe to rest alongside my own. I will treat each one with respect and value them like my pack," Risk convinced Kellenas.
Kellenas looked down at the little batch of Ferals he brought with him. "Very well. My Ferals are yours to look after."
The Eterra members walked between the two Legions, their careless stride told a tale to the two sides. It showed their willingness to accept outsiders into each other's groups.
Something both Legions were refusing to do with one another. Neither was expecting to sit across from their enemy while resting for the huge day the next day.
The two packs welcomed one another with gentle chirps and welcoming nibbles to their shoulders and necks. A sign Ferals trusted one another with their sharp teeth.
Everyone silently listened the Ferals interact with one another. Kellenas looked at Jakery one more time before turning back around into the vast shadows of the night.
"Why did he trust you so easily?" Decka didn't hide the amazement in his voice.
Risk turned to look at his ally, then smiled even wider. "Because Ferals are not animals. We will only break into a primitive mental state whenever we're starving. But Murmosa is well fed, we don't need violence."
Jakery allowed the two elites to converse with one another while he sat away from the main group.
His soft back touched the cold metal of his armor, keeping him awake while he struggled to drift to sleep.