The walls of Nievtra initially stood as a bastion against the empire's subjugated peoples. Now, they stand as the shield behind which the innocent cower in fear. May long they stand, and may their defenders always be victorious.
-from the transcript of a speech delivered by a Moonchild refugee.
Dragging the bodies back to the den was slow going, since we didn't leave a single wolfstag or keelish corpse behind. I personally dragged the two large wolfstag corpses I'd selected before, and each step required that I draw deeper on what little reserves of energy remained within. The wounded tried their best to help themselves along, but most required no small amount of support. Regardless of the wounds, though, I was excited to see the unanimous and unconditional support being shown by each of the healthy keelish, carrying the bodies and their companions alike.
Seeing the help each offered, I felt a pang of remorse. Not that there had been casualties in our vengeance, but that I hadn't known the names of the four who'd died. I couldn't call myself an Alpha and a true leader when I'd spent a full moon with all these keelish and hadn't taken the opportunity to get to know all of them. I was their superior, their leader, and I needed to know them.
With that in mind, I took time to speak with every keelish nearby I didn't know the name of. I didn't remember every name immediately, but I could see the change in every one of them and their demeanor. Once one, named Silf, saw that I was actively talking to him, he stood taller and more energetically dragged the wolfstag he carried. Another, a female named… Solia? I couldn't remember, but she spoke of one of the fallen, a male named Houl. They had been together since hatching, initially in Tieran's, then Shemira's pack. They'd always worked together, and she welcomed the opportunity to remember his short life.
As I continued asking questions and listening to the members of the pack, the pack as a whole sped up and more easily made their way onward. For the first time, I was leading them without any aggression or rage, just companionable conversation and glorying in our success. Another facet of leadership that I had forgotten as a keelish. With the large and cumbersome bodies of the wolfstags, we went to the larger, hidden entrance to the den, where we could more easily drag in our prey.
Now that we were totally in our own secure, safe space, I could feel the bulk of the pack relax. We hadn't been fully safe until we'd returned to our home, and without any further threat of harm from whatever may be lurking in the nearby jungle, the pack as a whole nearly skipped through the tunnels to our territory. As we finally arrived at the den, with a sigh of relief, we dropped our cargo and collectively sagged to the ground. While conversing had lightened the mood, it had still been a grueling fight with casualties followed by a nearly two mile hike carrying at least your own body weight in meat.
I laid, exhausted and pleased, as Sybil stumbled over to me.
"Yes, Beta?" I couldn't keep the gentle tease from my tone.
"Do you know where Took is?"
"What?"
"Do you know–" After a moment, my exhausted mind caught up with what she'd asked. Was Took not resting in the den? Why wouldn't she be in here? I knew I knew where she would be, but again, my exhausted mind strained to put it together, until finally, it clicked.
Suns burn me. Had she been killed for being the bearer of bad news? Could my absence be considered bad news? I couldn't believe that Rulac would do such a thing, but I also couldn't say that if Redael did so it would shock me. Trying to shake the fatigue from my mind and body, I stood.
"I know where she might be. I'll go check." Without another word, and without listening for any response from Sybil, I began to leave the den.
I was tired, but nowhere near so wrung out that I couldn't run down the tunnels towards Redael's lair. By now, I knew the path well, and every step I rushed down I worried more and more for Took. Even if she hadn't been hurt by Redael, she was recovering from a potentially mortal wound and we couldn't say how much Vefir's healing had actually recovered.
My steps lengthened, and I found myself leaping into the walls on turns, taking two or three steps along the walls so I wouldn't have to slow myself. As I rounded a turn, nearly to my destination, I was blindsided by a massive arm that shot out of a den entrance and slammed me to a stop. Before I thought about it, I ducked the second hand that reached for me and lunged into the attacker's chest. Redael's training snapped into my mind and, given that my assailant was surprised by me, I pushed the advantage, keeping them on their back foot.
I linked the scales on my left hand together and plunged it forward, driving to stab my hand deep into the offending keelish's chest. Rulac caught my hand with relative ease and pushed me back. As I stumbled back a couple of steps, he raised both hands in the universal sign of peace before he spoke.
"Easy, little guy. I think I know what you're here for." With that, Rulac turned his back on me and strode back into the den he'd come from. I followed, my exhausted legs only barely continuing to step forward after having come to a sudden stop. It wasn't long before I turned a corner and saw a familiar shape laying on the ground. If I hadn't seen her through my thermal vision, I'd have worried, but as it was, I could see that Took was alive and, with just another moment's observation, I could see the gentle rise and fall of her breathing.
Rulac chuckled, "We think she was making her way down here when she passed out in the mouth of this den. Someone sent for me, and I've been keeping an eye on her since. Given her size, she's one of yours. What was she doing down here?"
Relieved, I sagged onto the ground, my lungs heaving from my hike, hunt, and retrieval capped by my panicked sprint here. My legs burned, and I realized that was the first time that they had since I'd become a keelish. More and more did I appreciate this body, regardless of the many faults that came with it.
"Thank you, Rulac. She's my Beta. She was wounded, stayed behind." I was beginning to catch my breath, and so I slowed myself and continued to speak in a more collected tone, "I asked her to come down and tell you or Redael I wouldn't be able to make it to the practice today, and looks like she tried to when she shouldn't have. I should have gone myself, or sent one that was able-bodied."
Rulac sized me up. "I'm looking forward to your story. You can tell me after you return from speaking with Redael. I'd guess your Beta here will have woken up by the time he's done with you." Before I could respond or make any sort of response, Rulac laughed his belly laugh, "Good luck!"
I would need it.