KING OF BEASTS (Hiatus)

The air grew cold as the rhinofolk waited with baited breath. Ares chuckled, trying to cut through the tension, but he had no doubt it had made such a thing worse. He could hear the rhinofolk grasping their spear and a single bow string being pulled as an arrow knocked, ready and waiting.

 

“Do not worry, as I have said, I come bringing no harm to any of you, as long as that is returned in kind.” Ares waited to see their reactions. It’to stirred the soup and nodded.

 

“I have come to speak with you merely about your state. I can see that you rhinofolk are, well… you weren’t in the best of shape when I arrived to speak with you. It seemed as though a large number of boarfolk seem to have it out for you.”

 

“It is because of that Ittalharn, he had subjugated the various boarfolk and buffalofolk within his fold to face you.”

 

“Well that was a mistake on his part,” Ares smiled as innocently as he could. “He should have subjugated a few more tribes.”

 

The rhinofolk man merely nodded his head as he placed the large wooden block over the pot and then sat down opposite Ares.

 

“That was, then, our great calamity.”

 

Ares narrowed his eyes towards it’to, waiting for him to continue.

 

“We had seen the Gorro all that time ago, and it was Ittalharn who spurred to action with no thought of our ways or tradition.” It’to shook his head as he looked at the flames sadly.

 

“A self fulfilling prophecy, one could say.”

 

“A fulfilled prophecy it was,” It’to said.

 

Ares grew slightly cold. Perhaps Rivea would go through a great calamity as well… none of what had happened had shaken Rivea to the point where it would collapse in a day or so, not like what happened to this people.

 

“What is it, then, that you have come to speak about?”

 

“I wanted to see how well the peoples were doing, those that had been left behind. Many of your capable had been killed, and I wanted to see whether or not I could invite the remnants to Rivea, to become Rivean.”

 

Ares went on to explain what he had wanted for Rivea, a place welcomed to all that would work hard for Rivea, and in return Rivea would work hard for all.

 

“We would be able to join such a place? At what price?”

 

“You need to go through the trial,” Ares said.

 

It’to glanced about his people and then looked back at Ares. “I am uncertain if my people will be able to manage such a trial.”

 

“Everyday is a trial,” Ares replied simply.

 

It’to nodded his head. “What trial is this that you speak of?”

 

Ares looked to his people. They were tired and haggard, and it wasn’t just from the attack from last night. They had the look about them of a tired and beaten people.

 

“In order to become Rivean, you must learn what it is to be Rivean. You and your people will work for Rivea for three months. You will accept whatever task is given to you, whether it be working on a wall, building a home, cooking, leather working, general labouring, whatever task that is given to you. Of course we will try and find something suitable for whatever skill you possess.”

 

Ares reached up to rub the side of his neck.

 

“For three months you and your kin will work, and if you pass such a trial, you will be afforded all the rights a Rivean has, and all the responsibilities that come with it.”

 

“We will be compensated? Housed and fed? We will be able to be free in what we choose to work as after?”

 

“You will be housed and fed,” Ares said, “ and you will be compensated with that, as well as security and such. No man, women or child will go hungry in Rivea, that is what it means to be Rivean.” Ares continued to rub the side of his neck. “The fruits of your labour is given to Rivea, all share in such fruits. In terms of freedom to choose… there is some freedom, though not quite as free as you would be used to, I suppose.”

 

“We would be able to work in whichever field, regardless of our race or clan?”

 

Ares shrugged. “Whatever you are best at, and if there are places where we may require more members, then it will be open for all to accept.”

 

It was then something was flung at Ares, though it had been intercepted by Orndu’s blade. He was quick, not quite as quick as Ares, but quick enough. The bowl disappeared a moment later as Ares raised a hand to grab onto Orndu’s sword. He looked up at Orndu with a soft expression on his face before Orndu slowly relaxed and sheathed his blade.

 

Ares turned to look at who it was that had thrown the bowl.

 

It was a girl, fairly young perhaps in her early teens, he wasn’t quite sure as he wasn’t used to the rhinofolk peoples and their ageing.

 

“We will never join you!” she snapped at Ares as the older woman beside her grabbed her by her single horn and then reached up to cover her mouth.

 

Ares stared into the deathly glare and raised his hand.

 

“Let her go, please.”

 

The older woman looked at Ares, terror within her eyes as she sweat. It’to spoke up soon after.

 

“Please forgive her,” It’to said quickly as the rhinofolk began to clutch at their spears once more. “She is but a hotheaded child.”

 

Ares did not reply, instead he continued to stare into her eyes. “You have such a poisonous look within your eyes.”

 

The older woman slowly pulled her hand away from the girl’s mouth. The young girl was still standing as the older woman clutched at her, no longer trying to pull her down.

 

“I hate you!” she spat. “I hate you!”

 

Ares grit his teeth. The girl truly did hate him, that much was certain. She was red with rage, unable to say much more.

 

“What is your name?” Ares asked.

 

“I hate you! You! You! You pot fucking, pink flesh-”

 

The woman grabbed at her mouth again.

 

“Enough, Mitta, enough!”

 

Ares waved a few fingers forward. “No, let her speak.”

 

The woman relented once more, letting the girl fling insult after insult at him. She was rather creative, a good quality in a youngster.

 

“I can’t stand it! How can you let him eat with us after all he’s done?” This time she was snapping at her fellow peoples.

 

“What was it that I did?” Ares asked.

 

“You killed them! You killed mom, and dad, and uncle Izzy, and-” she tried to splutter out whatever else she could but she ended up cursing him instead.

 

Ares ground his teeth once more. He blinked a few times, trying to keep the tears coming to his eyes.

 

“I did kill them,” Ares stated plainly. “I’d do it again if I had to. I don’t regret that. I won’t, ever.” He tried to keep his voice even as he stared into the girl’s eyes, which went from rage to shock.

 

“I’d kill your mother again, your father, your uncle Izzy, I would do it again and again, with my hands if I needed to.” Ares held her gaze within his own, neither could give up at this point. “They had come to Rivea, not to chat and exchange pleasantries, but to kill my people.”

 

Ares clenched his fists and then relaxed his fingers. “Do you think you are the only one with a family? Your mother, your father, your uncle, they had come to attack my family. My wife, my children. My little Runar, my Ozar and Ozri too. They had come to attack Torak,” Ares motioned a hand to the oxfolk beside him, “who looked after my children.” He turned to Saykkera. “They had come to attack Saykkera, who has saved my life.”

 

“Ezak as well, though he was newly joined, they would have killed him too perhaps. What of Zika, who had been threatened as well, though she is not yet Rivean, and had come to save me when I was surrounded by a wall of buffalofolk.”

 

Ares then motioned to the human. “Jiaga as well, and the hundreds of humans that had come to seek refuge within Rivea, no doubt they would have died. Beor was off in his own world of problems, and if it weren’t for Heria, no doubt you would have regrouped and come back to try again. We had quite a few in that battle.”

 

Ares then stared back into the girl’s eyes. “If I attacked your family, I wouldn’t be angry that you would have come to attack me in return. Do you believe you are the only one with a family?”

 

Ares ground his teeth once more. “Fine, be angry at me. Know this though, it was you and yours that came to attack my family first. I am allowed to be angry at that too, so call me a pot fucker all you want, but if you’re coming to attack me and mine, then you are worse than a pot fucker, and you’ll die worse than a pot fucker.”

 

The girl had long flown into tears. The rhinofolk were still ready to jump into a fray, but Ares then sighed out and relaxed.

 

“I understand your anger, you aren’t the only one that has lost people close to them. I’ve lost some people to war, and some to the effects of war.” Ares thought of Inta who had been captured and tortured. “At least I’m not as bad as the humans,” Ares said. “No offense,” he said to Jiaga. “Not your people, but the others.”

 

Jiaga merely nodded his head.

 

“Our people have long been repressed, even by Ittalharn and those of his ilk.” It’to looked to Ares. “We were once a clan of great warriors, and generation after generation, we were relegated to farming.”

 

“Farming is a noble profession,” Ares said.

 

“We were not allowed to take arms, and our warrior culture had died out slowly. Within Rivea, could we regain that culture?”

 

“Rivea always needs more warriors. We are still recruiting for more warriors though most of yours are a little too young… though we do have a younger force around to help out.”

 

“You will guarantee that we will not face the same death?” It’to asked.

 

Ares stared into It’to’s eyes. He then turned to face Mitta for a moment as she continued to sob and cry.

 

“Once you become Rivean, you will abide by whatever culture we have. If you wish to join the army, then make it known, if you wish to be great warriors, make it known.” Ares then turned to face Zika. “Zika was part of a mercenary force of great warriors, she was the Queen of Zanz. She had given it up to become a member of one of my elite warriors and is currently going through her own trial to become Rivean.”

 

Ares then looked down at the flames to think for a moment. He was still unnerved by the little girl and so needed an extra moment to compose himself. He looked back up to It’to.

 

“Once you become Rivean, you will give up your old bonds and creed. You will become Rivean, and you have my guarantee that we will not oppress you for your race. You will be as Rivean to me as Torak or Heria, two that were once the chiefs of their own tribe, and now are happily Rivean.” Ares turned to look at them. “Or at least I hope they’re happy to be Rivean.”

 

“It is a great honour,” Torak said.

 

Heria shrugged. “It’s not so boring being Rivean.”

 

It’to nodded his head. “Then if you will guarantee such a thing, then I will join.”