Steep hills and frozen grounds glinted in the moon light. The distant fires of a larger camp was just moments away, their wall thinner but more flexible than the bulkier wall that Tahliz and Qahnaar was used to. Two warriors stood at the gate, they instantly went on guard when they saw Tahliz and Qahnaar. "What's this, Captin Noctua?" The first guard asked, his eyes narrowed at the twins that held an elk on their shoulders.
"Captin Noctua? Oh right! Wait wasn't his brother their chief? His name wasn't Saxum though" Tahliz thought, his head tilted slightly, curious now as to what had happened. "They got lost, hunted too close to the border, I couldn't leave a couple of kids out alone at night" Captin Noctua had explained. The warrior just nodded though Tahliz couldn't ignore the sharp glare they gave him and his sister. Qahnaar even huffed as she walked through.
Captin Noctua, led the twins through the camp, their houses and buildings were far more stretched out and left plenty of leg room for each path compared to theirs. Tahliz and Qahnaar couldn't help but take in all that they could see, their architect and organisation was far different from what they were used to. It amused Tahliz, finding it interesting that they lived just a forest away but yet so different. "Looks like Cheif is out" Captin Noctua sighed, setting down on a bench in the middle of the camp.
"So we wait out here?" Qahnaar asked, her gaze on a small herd of a new animal that the twins hadn't seen before.
These creatures had a long neck, tough and toned shoulders, a tail that whipped any fly that landed on their backs and their fur built a main that flowed from the top of their necks. "Yeah, you can set your game down here" Captin Noctua pointed to a butcher table, no-one was around but the twins just wanted the heavy weight of their shoulders. Once Tahliz sat his elk down a curious nose huffed on his head as it sniffed, the mained creature looked to be expecting something.
"Oh, hey there" Tahliz nervously chuckled, hesitant to pet the creature.
"Oh that's just Frost" Captin Noctua explained, gently guiding Frost back to the pen. "We got them from a tribe that lives further south, they called them horses" he continued to explain.
"What? You farm them? They sure look to have enough meat' Qahnaar looked somewhat impressed, they weren't the size of a bison but they were larger than the deer.
"No! They're mounts, like mushing dogs, in our fields they provide perfect transport" Captin Noctua gently petted Frost, the horse nuzzled into the gentle pets to his forehead.
"Mount's?" Tahliz echoed, his curiosity peaked, "so what's this other tribe like?".
"They're far different" Captin Noctua answered, "they said they had travled miles and that they have never seen this much snow before, if at all. They also explained how different their life was like, like their tribes were three times the size as any of ours" he finished. Tahliz nodded, curious as to how someone would stay on the back of a creature like this, let alone communicate where to go.
"How'd you tain them?" Tahliz asked, gently petting the neck of another hourse, a younger one that shook and backed away from Tahliz.
"It's a little tricky, they don't respond to food based trianing the way a dog would, it's like it's completely built on a relationship with them. Once you get that right, it ain't nothing a house won't do for you" Captin Noctua patted Frost again then leaving the pen so the horses could graze. "Come on, we can wait in the hall until Cheif Saxum returns" he pointed to a hall that was ontop of the hill.
"May I ask?" Tahliz started, following the older Captin, Qahnaar just behind him.
"Yes?" Captin Noctua nodded, looking back at the apprentices.
"Last I remember, Cheif Saxum wasn't the Cheif of your tribe, what happened to Cheif Requiem?" Tahliz asked and Captin Noctua sighed deeply, his breath misting in the cold air.
"My brother didn't make the winter, kept taking too many risks and basically stayed out in the blizzard too long" Captin Noctua spoke with a tone heavy with grief. Though Tahliz saw a slight resentment in the elders eyes but he chose to ignore it for now.
They entered the hall, stepping into the dim building as the main fire in the middle of the room warmed the air. "I'll take you two to a guest room" Captin Noctua yawned, walking to the left side of the building and opening a door that opened to a small hallway. There were four other rooms that were all simple rooms. "Enjoy your stay, you can either cook up your deer or find something to eat in the kitchen that's just at the end of the hall" Captin Noctua instructed before leaving the apprentices alone.
Tahliz put his satchel on the bed of the first room, Qahnaar at the door frame. "When was the last time you actually ate? You'd said you'd eat in the morning but we had a little run in with the thieves" she raised an accusing eyebrow.
"Probably" Tahliz took a seconed to think, "yesterday at lunch?" He shrugged, he felt hungry but he didn't feel too bad. Qahnaar, however groaned in annoyance.
"You need to eat, come on" Qahnaar grabbed her brother's arm and basically dragged him to the kitchens, inside was a very confused elf.
"Urr, may I help you?" The elf asked, trying to be polite by tone but her expression showed her dissaprovel.
"Sorry, Captin Noctua said we were allowed a meal here" Qahnaar spoke up, looking at the elf who was buissy cleaning.
"Oh, urr help yourself" she gave a friendly smile and gestured to where some cooked food was being stored. Qahnaar handed Tahliz a bowl then grabbed herself one, heading out to eat just outside the kitchen.
"Why didn't you eat a snack or something? Not normal to go a whole day and not eat" Qahnaar sounded more concerned at this point, "honestly, most days it feels like you'd starve if I didn't remind you" she added, chewing on a bite of some kind of stew.
"Guess, I got too focused? You know I don't like to eat too much" Tahliz answered as honestly as he could, eating the stew and finding it rather appealing. Most foods at their camp seemed to be so plain and bare but this stew had some kind of after tast that made it all the more satisfying.
Qahnaar only nodded but continued to eat her own bowl, she finished first and sat waiting for her twin to eat. Tahliz took his time, he was never the type to scoff food down, always taking small bites and chewing slowly, so as he was half way done his sister was already finished and waiting for him to finish. Once he was done, Tahliz took both the bowls back to the kitchen, the elf already gone so he decided to leave the bowls where he found them.
"Took you long enough, come on, we should rest before heading back home" Qahnaar grumbled, sulking her way back to the guest rooms.
"Could at least act a little grateful" Tahliz teased, following her over, having already forgotten where to go. "I should pay more attention" Tahliz thought to himself, this time taking in his surroundings.
The hall was large and had some kind of council table that wrapped around the large fire place. A huge skull hung over the fire, the smoke wafting through the jaw and through the nostrils. The skulls jaw was lined with sharp, predatory teeth and the bottom thangs were like tusks that wrapped their up and passed the snout. "Yeah, impressive that they got a howler dragon's skull, what kind of tail does this skull have?" Qahnaar spoke from behind him.
"It's also fresh" Tahliz pointed out, pointing to where small bits of flesh were still gripping on.
"Oh yeah, wow, which warrior was brave enough for that?" Qahnaar looked more impressed, nodding approvingly before heading back to the guest room. Tahliz followed, taking his armour piece off then flopping onto the bed and passing out.