KING OF BEASTS (Hiatus)

When Ares awoke, he stared up at the sky. It wasn’t quite as bright as the day before, but that may be because it seemed as though it had been raining in the evening, his clothes rather damp. He had sweat quite a bit, so hadn’t noticed such a thing, plus he had the ability to quickly dry off, so he wasn’t quite so bothered by it. 

He sat up and then rubbed his eyes, before rolling out of his tent and then hopping onto his feet. He glanced around to see that some people had joined during the night, whereas some had left whilst he buried the bodies. 

He saw that Aspara was there, calling to him before she turned to lead him away. She led him to Torak, who was sitting down and watching as three oxfolk women were holding the children's hands, letting them walk with their assistance. 

"Morning." Ares called out, and Torak bowed his head before motioning to the children. 'Weird, Torak doesn't seem to the the type to…' Ares stared as Runar began to stumble on her own two feet, hands only centimetres away from the milk mother. 

Ares watched, his body frozen. Did oxfolk children develop so quickly? He hadn't even seen her crawl, nevermind walk. However, there she was, walking on her own two feet. She almost fell, but in an instant Ares found himself there, an arm across the child's stomach. He lifted her up and then held her side to his front, bouncing her slightly. 

A swelling sensation, like a river of happiness, began to fill his chest. He placed his cheek against hers and held her there as she reached over to clutch at his shirt. He didn't say anything, instead he stood there with a smile on his face, letting Runar hold onto him. 

With his eyes only half open in delight, he turned to the milk mothers and continued his child-like smile. "Thank you for all your work." He then turned to Aspara. "And of course, yourself as well. Did you sleep well?" Ares asked, recalling that she had been up for some time the day before. 

Aspara merely bowed her head, but before she spoke she was interrupted by Rori. 

"Chief. Trouble." Rori stated as he then led Ares around towards the edge of the camp, with Aspara following him, as well as another milk mother. 

There were two oxfolk that were kept apart from one another by several oxfolk each, Jorgan in between them. Jorgan seemed to look rather annoyed, and partly exasperated. 

"Chief." Jargon called out as Ares swiftly made his way towards the wolfman. 

"What happened?" Ares asked, keeping an eye on the situation. However, with him here, the oxfolk that were enraged began to shout out. 

"That black blood, he's been giving me the eye ever since my family and I arrived." The female oxfolk was broad shouldered, who he a giant axe firmly in both hands.

"That horse huff, he's as vile as his damned ancestors!" The other replied back, a large oxfolk with a giant maul.

Ares then looked towards Jorgan, but they shook their head. "Bad blood from generations ago. Apparently they're accusing the others ancestor of stealing some well prized gems, that no longer seem to be in either's possession." 

Runar began to cry within his arms as the pair continued to insult one another, and Ares began to rock her. "Tell the oxfolk to let the pair go." 

Jorgan did so, but as soon as they had, the pair went feral. However, they also found themselves covered in mounds of dirt as Ares reached out his free hand, still holding Runar as he shifted from foot to foot. He buried them under slightly, and once they got out, they seemed bewildered. 

"If the pair of you continue to shout, I'll have your tongues cut out." Ares stated as calmly as one could. The pair remained silent, though glared at one another. "Now… I understand you perhaps have had some issues in the past. However, it seems as though these gems no longer with us, and that this issue stems from generations ago. I don't know the truth, and I very much doubt that you do either." Runar then stopped crying as Ares let her suckle on a finger tip. 

"I'll ask you kindly, once, to bury whatever ill feelings you have with one another. If you cannot, then I ask for you to wait until breakfast, which should be made soon, and then we can deal with it then. If I hear you are acting up between now and then, I'll cut your tongue. I hope I've made myself clear." Ares said as he then turned to leave, cooing at his little one as they returned back towards the large pots that were cooking some stew. When he returned, he let Runar rest with a milk mother, before Lana then called for him.

It seemed he was going to be dragged around everywhere. She led him out to a large tent that was overflowing with an assortment of furs, weapons, meat and other trinkets.

"Gifts for the chief." Lana said. 

Ares hadn't expected this, nor had he heard that such a thing was occurring. No doubt Rori had seen to this particular task. 

"Gifts… for me, or my tribe?" 

"You?" 

"I suppose it does make little difference… gifts to me will somehow make their way to the tribe." He reached up and then shifted the meat into his ring. Then he asked Lana for her opinion on the weapons, but she went and brought another woman by the name of Olga. A mighty woman, with a mighty stomach. She was both muscular and curvy, and at her side was a rag and a hammer. Definitely a smith, that's classic smith attire.

"Olga. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

"Yeah you too, chief." She replied with half a grunt. 

"Can you tell me how good these weapons are?"

She pointed at a few of them. "Good quality, Sanders make." Then pointed to a few others. "Fine, basic, Bargo." Then she pointed to the remaining few. "Very good, I made." 

Ares smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you." He then began shifting them away in the piles of who made them. They would make decent gifts for fine warriors. He then offered her a pelt for her appraisal, but she declined and then left without a word, Ares couldn't even protest.

Lana stared at Ares. Ares turned to look at her. "I don't think she likes my company." 

Lana smiled. "I do." 

Ares raised his brows, but smiled all the same. "I enjoy yours as well… However, I don't think I should be flirting here with you, there's work to be done." Ares could feel the heat in his cheeks as he then shifted the rest of the gifts away, heading back towards the cooks. 

He didn't grab a bowl, instead asking for Rori to bring those oxfolk that had been quarrelling. He checked to see whether or not his children were about, seeing that Torak was nearby, before he then addressed his people.

"It seems as though some of you who have joined have some bad blood between you, and have brought such a thing into the tribe. I'll say this only once, but you leave that nonsense back where it came from, your previous tribes. If I hear any more about such things, I'll be slapping your very soul out of you during our meal times for all to see. Now, these two fine oxfolk there." He motioned his head to the pair that seemed to still be glaring at one another. "They are going to both come at me with everything they have, and I'm going to beat the bad blood out of them. Once that's done, all will be forgiven and forgotten, and we'll be able to move along, and I will be happy to eat the soup made by our wonderful cooks. I don't mean to say that whatever quarrels you have had are insignificant, but that they do not belong here. If any of you have such quarrels, you are welcome to bring them up, so I can slap you here and now, and then it will be gone…" He waited to see if anyone would take him up on his offer. Though some did seem to react, and one almost stood up, everyone remained where they were. 

Then finally, Ares motioned for the pair of oxfolk to come at him, though they didn't move. "Since you are fighting over gems, I will offer the pair of you my mithril sword, as well as many other objects of value, if you are both able to defeat me." He said, handing over the sword to Rori. 

It was that which spurred them to attack him once he had given the go ahead, but as soon as it had started, he had already beaten them down. He had once held up by their throat, the other he pinned down their head with his boot. There was no flashy theatrics, he had merely stepped aside, kneeing one into his hand to choke them, and then tripping the other. 

They struggled against him, but he choked out one, gently placing them down beside the other for them to see, before they stopped struggling. Then he them go, letting an oxfolk help the one he had choked unconscious.

"Great! I've been looking forward to this soup." He laughed before then letting the cooks to pour him two bowls of soup. Governing was hungry work.