Lost Bloodline 4 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Samira took off down the road at a dead sprint. One moment she was walking at a normal and respectable pace, and the next she was tearing down the road in long strides. Her cloak billowed and flapped behind her, cracking in the sudden wind of her passage.

The enthusiasm that the caracal woman displayed brought a smile to Koda’s face, and he bounded after her with a grin. Rather than let his cloak billow though, Koda swept it to one side to bundle it up under his arm and wrapped that around his waist. The heavy leather caught less air that way since it was bundled tight, and thus didn’t slow Koda nearly as much.

Not that he needed the extra help.

Samira had fought and defeated a single troll in personal combat as well as a second in shared combat. Both acts had earned her a reward of supernatural strength as they hijacked an act that was meant to empower the trolls. Koda had, however, defeated two by himself. And one was a troll chieftain of immense size.

Koda’s first leaping stride carried him nearly ten feet down the road, his second brought him even to Samira who yelped in surprise when he landed next to her.

“Cheater!” Samira screeched as Koda bounded past her, chuckling the whole while.

Samira pushed herself, fighting to keep up with the laughing champion as he launched himself past her with ease. It was a losing battle, but Samira did her best regardless. They didn’t have far to go, with the bend in the road that hid their friends being only a quarter mile off.

Clearing the corner of the road, Koda spotted the group of six tribesfolk trotting along the road at the easy lope that he remembered them using when he had first visited them. At the head of the group was Cyrus, the older cougar beastfolk blinked in surprise at Koda’s appearance before his eyes widened in surprise as Koda covered another ten feet in a single bounding stride.

Before they could react, Koda skidded to a halt in front of the group, sending up a small cloud of dirt from the frozen soil in his wake. Behind him, Koda heard a yelp of surprise and then a skittering noise which brought him around in a turn to check on Samira.

The lithe caracal woman had managed to keep fairly close in their short race. But Koda saw the problem immediately. He’d planned how to stop and Samira hadn’t. She locked her legs to try and slide to a stop like Koda had, but didn’t have his weight to aid her in it.

Koda reacted instinctively, sidestepping to put himself in Samira’s way as the speeding woman’s foot slipped and she started to tumble. The same instincts that the goddess had given him for fighting with the bone claws on his totemic gauntlets allowed Koda to pluck the lighter woman from the air before she landed on her face, all without hurting her with those claws.

Spinning in place to bleed off the momentum, Koda pulled Samira tight to his chest to steady her. Samira shrieked in surprise as she was snatched up and then crushed to Koda, though clearly she knew who it was because she clung to his chest while Koda brought them to a stop.

“Impressive!” Cyrus said dryly as Koda came to a stop a bare ten feet from him. “I thought for sure that little Samira was going to crash into the dirt doing that. Good to see that your time living away from the Silent Plains hasn’t changed you that much.”

Samira didn’t respond to Cyrus’ teasing, instead remaining pressed to Koda’s chest. Her hands were knotted in his shirt while her slender tail was wrapped tight around his waist. There was a slight tremble to Samira that Koda was sure he only detected because she was pressed so tightly to him at the moment.

Koda wasn’t sure if she was gathering herself or not, so he decided to buy her some time. Looking up at Cyrus, he gave the older man a nod of greeting.

“Cyrus, good to see you. How was your trip? Has there been any trouble for the Silent Plains?”

He’d expected the older man to just nod or reply blithely, but Cyrus drew himself up and saluted Koda with a fist over his heart and a bow of his head.

“Greetings to you, Champion Aegisclaw. I thank you again for all that you have done to help our people and for looking after our little Samira.”

“Not that little!” Samira protested, though her words were muffled from where her face remained buried in Koda’s chest. She was moving a bit more now, but the trembling was gone.

Is she sniffing me? What the… Koda thought in surprise as the rapid rise and fall of Samira’s chest finally made sense to him. Wait, beastfolk. That’s right… they have a thing with smells. Sienna and Arthene have mentioned it to me in the past, that they enjoy the smell of me. Is Samira taking advantage of this to get a good sniff?

That realization was oddly amusing to Koda, so he didn’t push Samira away like his first instinct had been. Chalking it up to just being something her species did rather than Samira being weird allowed his concerns to settle and he focused back on Cyrus. The other man had not moved from his salute, clearly waiting for something. And now that Koda was looking up again, he saw that the other five with Cyrus were also saluting him, though two of them had an uneasy look about them.

Realizing that Cyrus was waiting for a response from him, Koda scrambled mentally before his instincts supplied a response that he thought would work.

Without releasing Samira—she’d let him know when she wanted free—Koda returned the bow though not quite as deep before speaking aloud.

“It was my honor to provide the assistance the Silent Plains required in their time of need. Samira has acquitted herself honorably while visiting us and is a credit to her tribe.”

Samira let out a small gasp into Koda’s chest and he felt her tail tighten around his waist, but he didn’t release the smaller woman just yet. Cyrus, though, relaxed and stood upright as well, followed by the others in his group.

“That is wonderful to hear. I have brought supplies with us to trade more in earnest, as well as two representatives from other tribes who wished to make contact. Allow me to introduce them.” Cyrus gestured to the two that had been slightly uncomfortable while saluting him, causing them to step forward.

One was a younger man with spreading antlers of a deer protruding from his dense hair. He was thick with muscle, nearly as much as Hans was if Koda was honest, with blunt features and wide blue eyes. The man carried a heavily decorated spear in one hand that would have looked impressive if Koda wasn’t familiar with Sienna’s weapon. The man eyed Koda warily, but didn’t seem openly hostile.

The other was a more mature female hunter. She didn’t show any signs of gray hair, but faint lines at the corners of her eyes and the more weather-beaten texture of her skin told Koda that she was likely the eldest of the group save for Cyrus. Riding high on either hip were a pair of delicately crafted tomahawks, their iron heads and wooden shafts both showing signs of care and age that told him these were prized possessions of the woman. Her animal features were a pair of large, white fox ears and an extremely fluffy white tail.

“This is Jordan, of the Whistling Grass tribe,” Cyrus said while indicating the young man. “And this is Melia of the Branching Stream. They were sent as representatives by their headwoman and man to meet you and see what the Silverstone tribe has to trade.”

“We were also sent to confirm the rumors of a champion once more walking the world,” the woman added in a brusque tone. “The fact that the champion of Thera appears to be a human makes it that much harder to believe.”

Cyrus winced at her sharp tone, but calmed when Koda didn’t take offense. Feeling Samira tensing in his arms was all that Koda needed to keep control on any shred of temper that the woman’s tone dredged up.

“I answered the call when she came to me,” Koda stated simply with a shrug. “I trusted her words and she has given me the proof that I need.”

Releasing one of the arms around Samira, Koda lifted it up to display his totemic gauntlet while keeping his eyes locked with the woman. She just quirked an eyebrow questioningly at him while the doubt hung heavy on her features.

His training with Calandra and sparring with his other mates had taught Koda what to look for. Even though this woman looked relaxed, her muscles were as tight as springs and she looked ready to leap into a fight if needed.

“Melia,” interrupted Jordan before Koda could finish his counter argument. “Your headman told you the same as mine did, I am sure. We need to see and judge for ourselves with open hearts, as Vysin and the Silent Plains have been allies for a long time.”

“It’s fine, Jordan,” Koda reassured the large man, getting a nod of acceptance from Jordan. “I can understand that it would be easier to doubt than understand in this situation. Hell, I doubt it myself sometimes. I wonder if this is all some sort of strange dream that I’m about to wake up from.”

“You’d better not,” Samira muttered into his chest, tensing up only to relax again when Koda squeezed her with the arm around her back.

Looking back to the doubtful Melia, Koda gestured with his upheld arm as he noted that her expression did not look as hard as it had only moments ago.

“These are a gift from Thera herself, a weapon forged out of her last remaining totem to equip me in her time of need. They are bound to me, and answer my call to battle. Just as I answered her call to save the last of her faithful in their time of need.”

Melia’s face twisted into a snarl—she was clearly about to decry Koda’s statement about the Silverstone tribe being the last of Thera’s faithful—when Koda banished the gauntlet back into his soul by relaxing the ephemeral muscles and ‘sheathing’ his claws.

The leather, stone, and bone gauntlet vanished in a flash of ruby fire. It happened without shedding extra light or heat, simply consumed in the energy to leave a bare arm in its place. The one that had been supporting Samira also flared with the same energy before vanishing too, though it didn’t damage the woman or her clothes.

Melia’s eyes widened at the display of power and her protests died on her lips, but her doubting frown remained. Oddly, that reassured Koda. It meant that she was sincere in her concerns and wouldn’t be easily swayed. So if he could convince her, then it would mean she could advocate for the truth of Thera’s return to others.

“I know that some things are hard to believe at a glance, but it will be proved given time. All I ask is that you take the time to observe and judge from there.”

With his point made, Koda let his free arm wrap around Samira again and she snuggled in a little tighter before pushing on his chest gently to let him know that she was done.

Releasing Samira, Koda watched as the caracal woman turned to lock eyes with the two newcomers in turn before glancing to Cyrus to ask a question.

“Have you taken them to any of the shrines?”

“No. Vysin asked to keep their locations as tribe secrets for now and the heads of the other tribes understood,” Cyrus answered, the twist to his lips showing that he disagreed with his headman, but had obeyed the order.

Samira turned a questioning look to Koda. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was thinking and he nodded his agreement.

“Last Fang is the closest one. The final resting place of the Den Mother’s previous incarnation.”

Koda’s statement made both Melia and Jordan’s eyes light up and Cyrus smiled broadly.

“Thank you for that, Champion. Please, lead the way.”

“It’s back the way you came, towards the pass. Shouldn’t take long for us to double back there and visit it. We can still make it back to the village before nightfall.” Koda gestured back the way they had come and the group turned around.

They’d made it about a hundred yards down the road before Jordan twitched and looked at Koda in question.

“What did you mean about the Den Mother’s ‘previous’ incarnation?”