KING OF BEASTS (Hiatus)

The sun had beat down upon their bodies with it’s warm rays, the heat much for most of the Statue Seven to bear, bar from the glittering Zika whose scales sparkled near blindingly. The buffalofolk were far less concerned with the heat than the others, whereas Torak and the rest of the party had taken off their heavy furs in order to deal with the heat.

 

The flush of embarrassment filled Ares as his body tingled recalling when he had spoken to his companions about dressing appropriately for the weather, not realising that the heat would be so much. At the very least it was an easy fix to facilitate with the powers of his ring, which seemed to surprise the buffalofolk who could now understand how another wall had appeared outside the encampment.

 

“Is it always this hot?” Ares asked. He was sweating profusely, though the heat did not affect him as much as someone like Ezak, who was half dying as they walked. Ares topped up his waterskin whenever Ezak sipped from it as though his skin was filled with a portal to Rivee’s domain.

 

“It is about so,” Boranran said as he took a swig of his own waterskin, “often it grows hotter in the summer.”

 

They had arrived soon to a large village made up of many different tents and a few huts here and there. There was a large amount of greenery nearby and a lake that was close to the village, and yet they were a little ways from it. There was a wall all around the village made of wooden planks stuck to the ground, a seemingly popular choice for the beastfolk, though there were some areas where rocks and earth had been piled to form a wall, a second ring of sorts.

 

The village was filled with chatter and movement, though soon the chatter grew more and quiet, whereas the movement grew less and quiet. The villagers looked out to see that their own had brought back strangers dressed in peculiar wear and some whom wore peculiar skin.

 

Zika’s tongue flickered in the air as she tasted it, growling quietly towards Ares. “Much blood is in the air,” she said quietly, though her voice was rather harsh and coarse so most anyone around could hear her.

 

“There’s always blood in the air,” Ares said, “isn’t that why you joined me?” Ares couldn’t help but laugh at his awful joke, throwing a look towards Boranran who seemed to not react. Uta, the larger buffalofolk, grinned wide at the statement like a savage.

 

Then Ares and the others had moved to the inner walls towards the centre of the camp where there were the more permanent buildings, rarely were there tents within these walls, one one out of perhaps ten buildings.

 

Ares had tried to surmise just how many buffalofolk were here, he gathered perhaps there were two thousand at his best estimation.

 

“We will speak over food,” Boranran said, “we shall consume a hearty meal of buffalo and it’s milk.”

 

“As long as we eat from the same pot, I do mind such a thing,” Ares said with a knowing smile, flashing the buffaloman with a wink.

 

“Such things are beneath we great warriors,” Uta said. “You will not need to worry of poison and sorcery when you are within these walls.”

 

“Indeed, is that so? Then perhaps I should leave my worry to unspoken attacks when I least expect it,” Ares said as he looked out to the centre of the village which was open, a large area of bareness where people were bringing large rugs. “At least I know which cowardice you partake.”

 

Uta’s smile turned quickly into a frown at the shameful words and his face grew darkly though he remained silent. Ares would still need to be careful within these lands.

 

“If you suspect treachery why did you follow us here? We outnumber you now at least a hundred to one, it is certain death,” Boranran asked.

 

Ares smiled. “Do you hear that, Torak? We are outnumbered a hundred to one, the great chief says. It is certain death, the great chief says.”

 

“I have heard such said many times, Ares,” Torak nodded his head as he followed Ares.

 

“Many times, is that so? What of you Orndu, have you heard that before?”

 

Orndu nodded. “I have,” he said.

 

“Jiaga,” Ares looked to the dark skinned man who kept his axe and shield to himself close, “you have seen so with your time in Rivea, have you not?”

 

Jiaga nodded his head as he walked as tall as he could, though his darting eyes betrayed his great anxiousness.

 

“Yes, we Riveans have often been outnumbered, and we’ve often been told that we will suffer certain death. What were their names? Nevro, is it? No, no, he was another commander. I don’t quite recall their names… ah yes, even Ittohorn, or whatever his name was, the rhinoman that had led close to twenty thousand against ours, he too thought the same,” Ares smiled as he turned to face Boranran.

 

“Perhaps you’d like to ask him what he thinks of such a statement?” Ares waved a hand as the head of the rhinoman fell across the way, rolling until the horn was planted into the ground, and there stood like a broken tree, the head of the fallen Ittalharn.

 

The buffalofolk stared at the head for some time and quickly understood the intentions behind Ares’ statement.

 

“You aren’t the first to think in such a way and you certainly won’t be the last,” Ares warned with a voice dripped with obvious poison.

 

Boranran remained stoic, merely nodding his head. Uta on the other hand grinned savagely towards Ares, seemingly eager to test out such a statement, and yet another bulky buffalofolk grabbed onto his elbow and pulled him away, yet the eager glint within his eyes did not falter.

 

The food was cooking well, with a number of herbs and spices Ares hadn’t seen before, as well as some flowers that seemed to be placed within the food. Ares wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about such a thing as he recalled eating flowers to be a poisonous affair, and yet the food was going in the same pot that the other’s would eat from, so Ares assumed it would have been fine. Ezak even offered his own spices for the buffalofolk, who accepted with good manner.

 

Some of the buffalofolk began dancing around the place as the music began, drums and flutes, as well as a rudimentary type of stringed instrument. The strings were rare within the song, drawing emphasis to the other stringed instruments, like bread to a sandwich. Often times the bread was there, but it shouldn’t be the main star, at least that was Ares’ philosophy.

 

Finally the food was served, the roasted meat was served first with some form of watery soup and flat bread, thought he flat bread was larger than the flat bread Ares was used to, and there seemed to be some kind of seed within it.

 

“We welcome you King Ares to our humble village,” Boranran said, motioning his large arms about the area as the many hundreds of people watched on silently.

 

Ares narrowed his eyes, suspicious of such a gesture, though quickly realised this was merely the process of things such as this and so he looked around and then bowed his head auspiciously.

 

“Thank you, great chief Boranran, I feel most welcome within your village,” Ares said. He could feel the warmth of Orndu behind him, who sat in such a way that Ares’ back was covered. Zika and Jiaga were beside him, where as the others were beside Ares.

 

Boranran broke his flat bread and dipped it into his food before then eating it. With that the rest began to eat, with Ares doing so immediately once Boranran had taken the bite. Ares was hungry, the morning’s food was already long gone in that long trek towards the village.

 

“It is an honour to have such a fine guest,” Uta said. Boranran threw a sharp look towards the other muscled buffaloman, though Uta continued. “You call yourself Master of Waters, Kin of all Riveans. By what right do you?”

 

“By the right of the great Rivee, who had offered me this crown that sits on my head, and granted to me all of these titles,” Ares motioned to the crown that sat atop his head.

 

“So you have met the great Rivee, the same Rivee who had gifted this land with the great lakes that even our humble village has been graced with,” Uta said as he motioned a hand towards the lake that they had seen nearby.

 

“Perhaps they are one in the same,” Ares said as he sipped on some soup.

 

“I would like to see it for myself, if you are as strong as you pretend you are.”

 

“Oh, are you finally going to ask me for a fight? I had half expected you to just toss an axe at me again, or are you now above such cowardice?” Ares cocked his head aside, a smirk on his face.

 

Uta stood and then flexed, cracking his neck this way and that. “I don’t need an axe to deal with you, human boy.”

 

Ares finished up the soup and then placed it down aside. A buffalo had been brought along and milked nearby and a young man offered Ares a bowl of it’s milk after offering one to Boranran. Ares thanked the youngster and then drunk it down quickly before he stood, dropping the bowl into the other empty bowl.

 

“I suppose I do like to work for my main dish, why don’t we have a little play then?”

 

“Orazuta! We are to eat, King Ares is our guest.”

 

“If he is eager for such fighting, then why not entertain us all with such festivities?” Uta said.

 

“Why just us?” Ares asked. “Why don’t you invite your friends, and I can invite my own? There are seven of us, I’m sure you could find six more.”

 

“What cowardly words do you speak? Do you intend to hide behin-”

 

“Orazuta!” roared Boranran, finally losing his stoic expression as he stood, hoisting up his axe. Like an angry tiger he leapt at Uta, who turned to face the raging Boranran. Boranran grabbed at the man’s thick neck and brought up his axe. “You will dishonour me no longer! Cease this shamelessness at once, or I shall cease it for you!”

 

Ares raised his hands. “Now, now, let’s settle down. After our food we can fight to blow off some steam, let us first speak of the matter at hand? Would that please the pair of you, Orazuta and great chief Boranran?”

 

Boranran release the large buffaloman and returned to his seat, whereas Orazuta sat down to finish his meal. Ares returned to the large slab of meat that awaited for him and then devoured it, though his body was hungering for something else now.