Bear Coast Page 28

  “I think so,” said Felx, an eyebrow raised.

  “Captain Felx!” came a loud call from Councillor Gerak.

  His sharp loud voice was enough to quieten the crowd.

  “I expect you to undertake you duty!” Gerak stated loudly.

  In the meantime, the expeditionary force had mostly arrived on shore, holding back expectantly near the bottom of the gangplank.

  Captain Felx looked at Sergeant Brex who held his steady gaze.

  “Or do others have to act for you!” Gerak continued darkly, obviously referring to Millan, who was still waiting for an order.

  Felx smiled shrewdly, a simple act which put Gerak onto the back foot.

  “Lieutenant Millan!” he commanded loudly, “please be kind enough to undertake our obligations,” he added more kindly.

  The Lieutenant gave him a cold side glance, her emotions unreadable. Nodding for a moment, she motioned for her soldiers to follow her.

  Calmly, she walked towards the waiting expeditionary force.

  “Captain Felx!” Brex shouted loudly, so as to get everyone’s attention, “and Lieutenant Millan,” he added with a shrewd smile.

  “On behalf of myself and Sergeant Kirra,” he continued in a loud clear voice, “In our capacity as military leaders of the Lion Empire contingent, and with the agreement of our fellow soldiers, we will now undertake the traditional, sanctioned exchange of weapons with our Wolf Kingdom allies, as a sign of respect and gratitude to our fellow comrades in the battle just gone.”

  There was an instant uproar as the crowd reacted to this surprising move.

  Sara and Trex watched as wolves and lions exchanged daggers.

  “You two as well,” said Katan to the side.

  Sara and Trex exchanged glances.

  “Oh yeah,” said Trex, fishing out his utility dagger from his belt

  Sara untied her own dagger and satchel. It was not the one she usually used, and like the others in the expeditionary force, she had chosen weapons she could bare to part with, but it was tough to let go none the less.

  “Take good care of this,” she said, handing it over reluctantly.

  “You too,” said Trex, giving her his own dagger in its sash, “I probably won’t get a replacement for that.”

  The two bowed towards one another, as they had been told to do.

  Both looked down at the small weapon they had just received, it actually suddenly meant a lot more to them then either of them would have thought.

  The tradition of an exchange of weapons with an ally was an ancient one. It was held in high regard and was shrouded in honour.

  Trex looked back down to the shore.

  Lieutenant Millan had stopped, waiting for the crowd to calm down again.

  “But aren’t the wolves still armed?” asked Trex. He had not been fully informed of what they were undertaking.

  “Technically not,” said Sage Filfia with a smile, “under the old tradition, the weapon received can never again be used against the clan that has given it, on pain of death… they may as well be decoration.”

  Down below, a flustered Councillor Gerak walked forward towards Millan. The crowd quickly quietened again, knowing something was about to happen.

  “You do not have the authority to do that!” he said sharply towards Sergeant Brex.

  “He does,” said Captain Felx loudly, “actually.”

  Gerak glared back at Captain Felx.

  “I!” shouted Shaman Katan loudly from above, “as senior Shaman of RefugeCross bore witness to this comradery and confirm that honour has been served by this action.”

  The crowd looked on with interest, silence returning, eager to see who it would further develop.

  Gerak’s teeth gnashed as he stared back up at the unhelpful Shaman.

  “I don’t care!” he shouted suddenly, “the law is clear, Wolves are not to carry weapons in the lower planes.”

  “They are not technically weapons anymore as far as lions are concerned,” said Millan calmly.

  Gerak spun around to stare at the lioness, as if not believing his own ears.

  “Technically?!” he questioned, “these wolves still pose a threat to the population, it is your duty to ‘disarm’ them.”

  “They are no longer armed,” Millan said calmly, not turning her head from the mixed group in front of her, “they can never use them against lions on pain of dishonour and death.”

  “Fear of dishonour?!” said Gerak loudly and clearly, he had regained some of his composure and was switching to debate mode. It did not serve his interest to lose his cool under these circumstances.

  “These are wolves,” he said darkly.

  This comment created an instant murmur of discontent from the wolves in the crowd that heard it.

  Gerak stood up tall and proud, not caring how his comment was interpreted, there was only one Anthro he needed to convince.

  Lieutenant Millan closely inspected the wolves and lions in front of her. Brex, Kirra and the Mayor all had bandages, and many of the others were even more seriously wounded.

  Nearby, the other two ships were also beginning to unload their passengers. The injured huddled close to the gangplanks as they waited for a clear development. There were plenty of lions and wolves in stretchers and they were all mutually assisting each other to the shore.

  There was also an increased murmuring from the crowd as the colonists made their way ashore. The halflings and the Anthro bear Pettana clearly visible to all.

  The Lieutenant frowned.

  She turned her head to look back at the Captain.

  “It is your call Lieutenant,” said Captain Felx confidently.

  This comment caused a moments concern amongst the other members of the winged light organisation, none having the confidence in Millan as Felx seemingly did. Some couldn’t help but think he was playing a dangerous game… but that was the type of game he played.

  Felx had been busy digging into his Lieutenants background, and he was sure he had caught a glimpse past her icy façade. He trusted in what he saw.

  Back by the gangplank, Brex nodded towards Kirra. He and the two senior wolves stepped out of the way to allow Kirra and the other three stretcher bearers to move towards the healing station with their one fallen comrade.

  Millan turned to see the four walk towards her, two lions and two wolves, all with exchanged daggers.

  The crowd hushed as Millan took a step to block their path. The four stopped just in front of the Lieutenant.

  Kirra and Millan exchanged a steady meaningful glance.

  Millan suddenly held out her hand, palm up, expectantly.

  “She was mortally wounded while fighting by my side you know” said Kirra carefully, referring to the body she was carrying.

  “Do you really want to take her weapons away from her?”

  Lieutenant Millan’s face remained impassive.

  There was deathly silence as all waited for the response.

  “You are injured,” said Millan suddenly, turning towards the female wolf soldier next to Kirra who had a large bandage across he torso.

  “Go and get yourself checked out, I will take her from here.”

  The female wolf looked stunned, but then slowly gave her corner of the stretcher to Millan.

  The crowd didn’t hear the exchange and held their breath as Millan suddenly took over the corner of the stretcher.

  “Assist the injured,” Millan commanded her nearby troops as she walked on with the others. To any one who was close enough to really hear her, it was obvious that she was torn internally with her decision, and not overly pleased with the developments.

  Nearby, just behind of the barrier of reservists, an older female wolf began to clap. She was a retired experienced soldier herself, and the simple exchange between warriors had moved her deeply.

  The spell that held the moment broke.

  Captain Felx and the healers suddenly moved forward as the expeditionary force moved away from their hud
dles around the gangplank.

  Clapping and cheers erupted from the majority of the crowd. Only about a third of the lions present stood silently, watching with disapproving stares at the development, but they knew that they were in the minority… for now.

  The cheers and clapping grew louder as Felx finally made it over to his Sergeants and the Mayor.

  Trex and Sara were also quickly coming down the ramp with Filfia and Katan close behind.

  “Looks like you had it tough,” said Captain Felx with a smile.

  The Captain looked over at the other ship, seeing the colonists.

  “Did they all make it?” he asked. Looking over.

  “All but two… Xerisa didn’t make it,” said Mayor Petrice with a sad smile. She could see Carrion in the distance organising the colonists.

  Captain Felx frowned momentarily.

  “I will ensure that your fallen wolf warrior is treated with full honours,” he said to the Wolf Mayor.

  “Thank you,” she said with a nod.

  Many of the family members of the expeditionary force were making their way through the barrier of reservists, including a few wolves that had travelled down from Torstberg, messages having been sent ahead by the fleet.

  “Felx!” called Trex happily, making his way through to them.

  “Trex, Sara” said Captain Felx with a smile.

  Felx and Trex exchanged a brief hug.

  “You look terrible,” Felx said with a grin while holding the youth at arms length. He looked over at Sara, nodding in recognition.

  “Thanks,” said Trex sarcastically.

  “It was worth it though,” continued Trex, “we managed to hold off a whole army of bears.”

  “An army?!” questioned Felx, a little confused.

  He looked over at his Sergeants for confirmation, not having heard what happened in any detail.

  “By all accounts a big victory, and lucky escape,” said Brex seriously, for once showing a measure of humility.

  Around them the cheering and clapping had calmed a bit, but it was by all accounts still persistent.

  “I’m eager to hear the details,” said Captain Felx with a smile. “But I think we have to give your soldiers and their allies a proper welcome.”

  The Captain turned to some of the active reservists and soldiers assisting nearby.

  “A cheer for our returned soldiers and allies!” he shouted loudly. “Hazza, Hazza, Hazza!”

  There was a moments pause before many of the soldiers in the immediate area automatically replied to the call.

  “Hazza, Hazza! Hazza!” went the shout, this time it was heard by most of the crowd. The third call was even louder as the majority of remaining lions joined in.

  “Hazza!! Hazza!! Hazza!!” went up a massive shout.

  This was followed a moment later by the wolf shout, slightly muffled at first, as it gathered momentum.

  “Hurrah Hurrah Hurrah!”

  The final shout came from the many wolves living in the occupied territories.

  “Hurrah!! Hurrah!! Hurrah!!”

  There was some more cheering and clapping.

  In the centre of the mayhem, Councillors Gerak and Herrol quickly moved to leave the celebrations, their core of conservative citizens following them in disgruntled silence. They all wanted to get away from the overwhelmingly positive projection around them. Gerak shuddered at the sound of the wolf cheer, this was not a sound that he found in the least appealing.

  Trex was looking through the masses. He had a large smile on his face. The sudden great cheer was infectious. Even the more seriously injured were smiling as emotional projection flowed freely like a heady cocktail.

  Many of the families of the soldiers had made their way through to their loved ones. Trex had not given up hope that his own family was there somewhere, and suddenly, there they were.

  Karthen, Sharlee and Zea suddenly emerged from the crowd.

  “Trex!” called out the little halfling enthusiastically.

  Sara watched as Trex made his way through the masses to his family, being enveloped in a hug by all three at once. The young wolf didn’t have time to reflect on this though, as she suddenly recognised a black haired wolf to the side.

  “Sara!” called out Fera from the barrier.

  “Fera?” said Sara to herself, not expecting to see her sister. She began to move over towards her sister when she recognised her father and mother making their way to the barrier of reservists.

  Sara moved towards them as the three finally convinced the female lion reservist holding them back to let them pass.

  Sara was immediately hugged by her father and sister. The surrounding jovial mood was also influencing them and they freely expressed their relief, not caring what other Anthros might think of their display of public affection. For all this, Sallice still remained back a bit.

  Sara was finally released from her father and sister and her mother took a step closer.

  “You look even worse then last time,” said Sallice calmly.

  “This time it wasn’t my idea though,” said Sara with a wry smile. The atmosphere was too jovial to be in any way negative. The two exchanged relieved glances, not needing to state out loud how happy they were to see each other.

  “I know,” said Sallice, sighing.

  Sara’s mother seemingly resolved something internally. She blinked and her expression softened further, returning a small smile.

  “I’m just glad you’re ok.”

  Mother and daughter embraced.

  Patt happily put a hand on either of their shoulders.

  “Where’s Trex?” asked Patt a moment later, once the two had separated again, he had not seen the young lion through the crowd.

  Sara hesitated for only a moment.

  “He’s over there,” she replied, her tone taking a more serious edge for a moment.

  Sara’s family turned to look were Sara was pointing. It was the same moment as Trex’s family looked over.

  It was the first time the sisters had seen each other in many years.

  In the midst of the mass of jovial emotions a hole suddenly materialised, it was as if the two small groups where in their own silent spheres in the middle of the commotion, and all this from mostly the two wolf mothers.

  Nearby, this change had not gone unnoticed by Sage Filfia, who turned, sensing the sudden isolated change in atmosphere against the background projections.

  “Hello?” she said, referring to the scene.

  Nearby, Tasch and Brekiz were greeting the tired looking Katan. All three looked over as well, hearing the Sages comment.

  “Oh,” said the young lion Brekiz, looking over at his friend and recognising what was transpiring, “this should be interesting.”

  “Let’s make sure everyone stays for the celebrations,” Sage Filfia said calmly, reading the situation developing a little way off.

  “A good idea,” said Tasch, also looking over.

  Back with Trex, the silent awkwardness had lingered as each family did not want to disturb either of the two sisters.

  “She looks just like you,” said Zea suddenly, somewhat ignorant of the tension and breaking the silence.

  Sharlee blinked out of her initial shock, looking down at her daughter.

  “Yes she does,” Sharlee confirmed eventually, a little hesitation in her voice.

  “And they look like me!” said Zea suddenly, pointing to some halflings who had made their way over to the healing station. Carrion was visible with his wife Loetta as well as another mixed race family with a halfling boy of about Zea’s age.

  “Mommy!” Zea said, clutching at her mother’s leg. The young girl’s eyes were suddenly full of tears as she seemed to be overcome with emotions.

  Even in Zea’s young mind there had been a growing realisation that she was quite different to everyone else. And even the continual love, acceptance and reinforcement of her parents had not been able to dispel all of the young girl’s doubts. This was somethi
ng that she had begun to stow away after first realising that she was indeed unique.

  “Zea?” said Sharlee, kneeling down with concern.

  The concerned mother took the halfling into her arms.

  “Is she ok?” asked Karthen, leaning down.

  Sharlee looked over at the halflings that Zea had just seen.

  “She’s… happy?” she said a moment later, reading her daughters emotions more clearly then her husband.

  “Happy?” questioned Karthen, looking over at the other halflings.

  He and Trex looked over. It was indeed a wonderful sight.

  Back over with Sara’s family, the four members had followed the small girl’s outstretched arm and saw the halflings for themselves. Sallice’s and Patt’s drain on surrounding positive emotions increased further. Sara and Fera could feel the conflicting emotions in their parents. And both knew that they must have calculated for this eventuality.

  “Well,” said Patt, breathing back out, “here we are.”

  “Here we are,” repeated Sallice, looking back over at her sister.

  Sallice took a deep breath as her two daughters tried to fathom what was going through their mother’s mind.

  It was long since dark and the large square and riverfront where the ships had docked had been transformed from a temporary hospital into a place of celebration. Large mobile fire emplacements had been scattered around the open square between the few fountains and ornamental trees. A local mixed race band provided music to one side.

  Spread out between the fires was the expeditionary force, their families, friends and the colonists. Food and drink had been provided for by all of the citizens of RefugeCross, Anthro wolf and lion alike was using the opportunity to celebrate. The merriment extended throughout the lower city, as pleasant music and laughter came from every street, every park and smaller square.

  At one of the fires in the riverfront square, Carrion was shaking the hand of Captain Felx.

  “Thank you once again for your continued support of me and the colonists,” said the young halfling sincerely.

  “I will do what I can to make sure you all have the chance to rebuild your lives as quickly as possible,” Felx replied with a kind smile.

  Carrion nodded, also acknowledging Mayor Petrice, who was sitting nearby and watching the two males intently.