Chapter 3
Lexa knew that in no uncertain terms she would lose a hand or worse if she dared to release the laugh that stuck in her throat.
The scene before her was almost too surreal to be true.
She could almost see the steam rising from Anya's ears over her frustration for the insolent Flokru warrior in front of her. The woman was bold were Anya was reserved, reckless where Anya was cautious, openly joking and sarcastic while Anya kept that side of her for only Gustus, Indra and Lexa when she felt the younger girl was worthy of snark.
Clearly not intimidated by Anya's outburst and seething rage, the newcomer watches with unashamed amusement.
With bated breath Lexa kept her eyes on her mentor; free hand curled into a tight fist slowly whitening at the knuckles.
'She's going to kill her.' Lexa wondered how fast Indra would have them thrown out for Anya pummeling a representative of another clan.
'I'm going to kill her.' Anya did not have a temper.
Gustus is the first to break the silence with a laugh that rolls from his core and shakes the tension from the air.
"Well met Killick kom Flokru! Pay no mind to Anya, she's not used to…well, you. Now, if we're done here I'd like to be on our way from this Gods forsaken mess." His hands gesture to the once white painted corpses that litter the ground.
Killick nods, throwing Anya a wicked smirk and wink as the blonde reluctantly relinquishes her hold.
"It's no trouble, Luna gave me fair warning." The redhead rights herself from the tree that had gotten so well acquainted with her back, pushing into Anya's space. "She didn't mention that you'd be so…forceful." Killick speaks low enough so only Anya can hear her, throwing another sly wink at the blonde.
Side stepping around a fuming Anya the warrior makes towards her spear, still embedded in an Azgedas chest.
Having finally snapped to her senses Anya's flicks the blood form her sword before settling it on her back.
"You two! Get the horses and wipe that smirk off your face!" Clearly that last bit was directed at Costia who was more than amused at the newcomer's antics.
"I like her." Costia settles on as she tugs Lexa by the arm to where the horses had wandered. " I've never seen Anya so riled since…ever really."
And riled she was. Anya was still working out how to make away with the insolent woman while she waited for the pair to return.
'I don't know how it happened. Never seen her in my life.' That's what she would say to Indra when she would explain how the woman ended up dead. Anya's cheeks were still burning, the woman had gotten under her skin so fast.
"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to take the damn thing down?" Killick, already the bane of Anya's existence, was still eyeing her kill.
"Fun is a foreign concept to you isn't it?" with one foot firmly planted on the tree and one on the spear the redhead gives a hard tug sending corpse to the ground and freeing the spear. It's a curious weapon; three separate prongs surround the end of the 4 foot shaft, more trident than spear.
Killick wipes the blades, checking for damage and maneuvers the weapon to its holster on her back.
"Fun. Fun?! I don't know what you're playing at but this is pretty much war. There's more important things than fun." Anya's practically seething at this point.
"All the more reason to have fun, we could all be dead tomorrow, or the next day. Enjoy some part of your time here."
"Right. Well, try not to get killed while you're having all this fun."
Gustus pushes between the women, who were now standing toe to toe. "The girls are back with the horses."
Anya spares one last angry look at the redhead before securing her horse from Lexa.
"It'll be a humorous story to tell Luna; hopefully my spirit remembers it in the next life. I can't think of a better way to go, than with a smile on my face" Killick shrugs and returns her axes to their place on the heavy leather belt encircling her hips, a similar belt attached to either shoulder guard, fastened together over her chest by a crude buckle and disappearing behind her back to join the other side of the shoulder guards. "Is she always this…angry?"
Gustus shrugs as he wipes his face free of gore and grime. "Not usually. Stern yes, but not normally this angry. Clearly you have a gift."
"Well! It's not as though Luna doesn't threaten me as often as there are stars in the sky." Killick smiles at the large man. "Apparently I'm to blame for her going grey." The older man claps her on the back before gesturing to his own second who is heading towards the pair with two horses in tow followed closely by Lexa, rubbing the back of her head while Anya shoots her a furious scowl to match Indra's own.
"She is much the same" is his reply as he points to his temples, turning to take the reins of his horse from Costia and mounting the creature in a fluid motion.
Anya pushes past Killick with her own horse in hand and makes to sit alongside Gustus, jaw set in a hard line.
Killick turns when there is a slight cough from behind her and is met with the green eyes of the brunette who Anya had knocked on the head. "Your horse Killick kom Flokru." The girl stats, holding the reins out in her hand.
"Mochof…" Killick stumbles, unsure how to address the girl.
"Lexa kom Trikru. I am Anya's second" Lexa replies, nodding her head at the prickly woman with her back to them, talking in rapid Trigedasleng with Gustus.
"Ah. Mochof Lexa." Killick takes the reins of her dappled horse bowing her head in thanks, wild red hair dropping over her shoulder before she stands and pushes the mess of braided hair over her shoulder and out of her face. "Would it make a difference to apologise for almost killing her?"
Lexa shakes her head as she mounts her own chestnut mare. "It is best to let her be. She will calm down before sun rise" She sets her horse after the others leaving Killick to mount in in silence before surging after the group.
"An excellent first impression." Killick muses to herself, making to mount her horse but stops as she spies Anya's severed braid stuck to the sole of her boot. Plucking the braid from her boot, she tucks it soundly under her bracer before hoping on her mount.
Passing the rear of the group she eyes Lexa and Costia, the later receiving a scolding for bringing Anya's wrath down on Lexa, all the while affectionately rubbing tender circles on the hand of her accuser. Killick smiles softly at the pair before passing alongside Gustus, making her way to the head of the group.
"Come, my people will be glad to see you and be on our way. I'll need to collect Haka and Jersey, if there is anything to collect." She states with a heavy sigh, she didn't expect to lose anyone on this journey, let alone two young warriors. The dread of lose had set in, replacing the usual carefree exterior with one of solemn thought. Their ashes will be passed along to their families in hope that their spirits will return one day. "They died well."
"They did, a fine death for a warrior." Gustus affirms; voice low and somber. "We will burn the bodies when we reach TonDC."
"Mochof" Killick replies softly and urges her horse to the head of the group, leading them towards the makeshift Flokru camp, tugging her hood over her head.
Anya's eyes follow the redhead as she passes, ignoring the questioning glance from Gustus. Red hair was uncommon among the grounders, usually found in the northern lands and hardly ever in TonDC.
The travelled in relative silence, the only noise coming from the quiet whispers between Lexa and Costia and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Anya was lost in her own mind, reliving the battle in her head. She had replayed the spear coming by her face and the axe that severed braid from head over and over in her mind and settled on one conclusion;
'If she wanted me dead, I would be.'
The Flokru were known as the Boat People, and for good reason. In the warmer season their people travelled the open seas to lands unseen; the hunted and lived by the sea. It was only natural that they would be skilled with a spear. Sure Trikru trained with spears, but for relatively close combat, never for distances like what Killick had thrown today.
Killick stops the group a little ways south of their battle, certainly off course, in a small thicket of trees and gives a series of short sharp whistles.
A short gruff man makes his way from the thicket, arms like trees to make up for his lack of height. Striding towards Killick he eyes the rest of the group with shifting eyes before stopping in front of the tall woman, arms crossed over his chest.
"I don't like them." He states plainly, eyes never leaving Killick. Her eyebrows quirks up at the sentiment.
Behind the pair Anya bristles, uneasy in her saddle, while Lexa and Costia exchange worried looks.
"They're taller than me, even the young ones!" his face breaks into an easy smile as he claps a hand around Killick's forearm, pulling her into a hug.
Costia snorts from behind Gustus trying not to laugh at the absurd man, her First not bothering to contain a laugh. Lexa and Anya share a similar bewildered expression, eyebrows raised so high they've been lost in hairlines.
"Flokru." Anya mutters.
"Hunter, this is our escort from TonDC; Anya, Gustus and their Seconds, Lexa and Costia. Be nice, just because you will always be in my immense shadow is no reason to be rude to our guests." Killick nudges Hunter in the shoulder and motions for the group to follow as they walk the meager distance to the rest of the convoy.
"I would watch your words Torch hair, I can always cut you off at the knees. Then we would be even."
Torch…hair. That was as clever a name as she could think to describe the red hair of the Flokru Second. Anya and the rest dismount, leaving the horses to graze on shrubs and other small plants in the area.
Anya and Gustus share a look, Anya of slight horror while Gustus looks more amused than his counterpart. She can only imagine how Indra will react to the Flokru and their strange ways, not well. She can almost see the scowl on the Chiefs' face.
Anya is broken from her day dream by a crisp white banner with the blue swirls of the Flokru entering her vision. The camp is small, a few horses are tied nearby being tended on by a middle aged man while the other in the group are huddled around a small fire or inspecting the goods tied down to a large cart.
Her eyes go wide, she knew that Flokru were fairly successful during the summer months on the sea, but this was unheard of. Barrels lay on their sides in the cart, runes on their lids denoted their contents; Inks of blues, blacks and purples, whale oil, salt, fish, pearls from the depths, shark teeth and crab. Atop the barrels lay a thick layer of Kota pelts, their slick furs deterring the heaviest rains the Gods have to offer.
Azegeda's attacks on the Flokru made sense, not that they needed much reason to attack anyone. Supplies like these were invaluable. Spies must have tracked Flokru movement for weeks, waiting until the convoy set out, to strike.
The foods stores and oil alone were invaluable in the winter months; Azgeda was simply too cold and too isolated to be able to procure the likes for themselves. They hardly had good standing with the other clans to barter trade.
Azgeda and Flokru had always been bitter enemies; especially when it came to the northern territories. Both sides claimed rights to the northern shores where the majority of Kota called home.
The Ice Queen meant to end the feud by starving out the Flokru and claiming their territory in the name of the Ice Nation. The next target would be Luna, without the Chief Flokru and Azgeda would go to war.
Without the supplies they would starve or freeze before they broke through the Ice Nations defences and Azgeda would control the means to sustain their people through the siege.
She pushed passed Gustus and Hunter towards Killick .
"We need to talk." Anya spoke sternly, eyes flitting to the edge of the woods.
"It's fine Hunter." Killick didn't look at Hunter instead keeps her eyes locked on Anya's. "Go keep our guests occupied. Feed them while you're at it."
"Sha." Hunter replied, looking to guide Gustus, Lexa and Costia to the fire. All looked refreshed at the promise of warmth, food and drink.
Anya released Killick's arm and motions for the other woman to follow her. Killick follows in silence as Anya led her into the forest. The sun had dipped behind the trees; the majority of the light came from a small flicker of the fire from the convoy camp in the distance.
Satisfied with the distance Anya surveys the treeline around herself and Killick before releasing a sigh and turning to face the redhead who was taking a mouthful of dark liquid from a canteen taken from camp.
"Azgeda means to attack the second convoy and kill Luna. They want to start a war to your people."