Many of the people remained around the camp. Others came to join them, as word spread quickly about the miraculous troll that could feed five thousand with food that would barely serve five. Their camp was soon in the center of a huge settlement. They pitched their own tents and started their own fires, and it looked as though the slums had moved from Bastan and relocated a kilometer away from the city.
Since he had no idea how the trick had been done, or if it could be replicated at all, Kankri set about teaching them to provide for themselves. Each night he would take out large parties and show them how to forage. Meulin did the same with hunting. She and Porrim also taught them how to make traps, fish nets, and weapons of their own. As the seasons changed the land became far more bountiful. The sight of foraging and hunting parties departing and returning over the hills soon was a nightly occurrence. And, each and every night, people flocked to the main camp to see Kankri.
They often came for food, but many came simply to catch a glimpse of the troll without a sign. They asked him all sorts of questions about the matter. And while he told many that his name was in fact Kankri Vantas, they all still referred to him as the Signless.
One night the crowd and noise became too great, he slipped away with Meulin for some peace and quiet. Together they walked over the hills and looked out at the city lights.
"We must have every lowblood in Bastan in our camp," Meulin said, clasping his hand in hers.
"We must," he agreed, chuckling. "It's a bit jarring. There's so many of them...it reminds me of when we went through Metrollpolis all those sweeps ago. Do you remember how overwhelmed we were? I didn't think there were that many trolls on Alternia, much less in one city."
Meulin laughed a bit. "I kind of like it. There are so many people to talk to. It's not like in the Tribe where everyone's known everyone since forever. Here you can just pick a direction and meet someone new. It's nice."
"Just so long as you don't find someone to replace me," Kankri said teasingly.
"Me? Replace you? It'd probably be the other way around. All anyone wants to do is see the mysterious Signless," Meulin replied, bumping her shoulder against his playfully. "I heard Porrim telling Mituna that you'll get your quadrants filled in no time with all these people clamoring after you."
He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. "Really? She said that?"
"Yeah." Meulin tilted her head to one side. "Why?"
"I just...well, I'd never thought about that before. The whole...filling my quadrants thing," Kankri said, gesturing vaguely towards the camp behind them. "Everyone else in the Tribe had known me since I was a grub; it would have been strange being in a relationship with any of them. At first I thought it'd be strange to be in a relationship with you, but I...warmed up to the idea."
She smiled, taking his hand again. "I understand that."
"And to be honest?" Kankri set his free hand on her cheek. "I don't want to. I don't want a kismesis or a moirail or anything else. I just want you."
Meulin stared at him in shock. "Really?"
"Really," he said, nodding once. "You're all I need."
Suddenly, Meulin threw her arms around him with such force they both fell over. Before Kankri could do or say anything, she planted a kiss on his lips and curled her hands in his hair. He returned the gesture eagerly, wrapping his arms around her waist. For a while they simply laid there together. Then Meulin purred and rested her head on his chest. "If you keep talking like that, I'll have to rip those pants right off you."
Kankri laughed, running his hand through her long curly hair. "I don't know if I'd be able to explain that to Mother."
"I'll tell her, don't worry," Meulin purred, grinning deviously.
He laughed and rolled them over so that he was on top of her. "What would you tell her, exactly?"
"The truth," she replied.
They both chuckled. Kankri kissed her again, illiciting purrs from both of them. It was nice to simply lay tangled in each other's arms. Ever since they fed the multitude, they'd spent little time together. They were busy teaching the impoverished trolls of Bastan how to live off the land. Now that they had a moment to spend with each other, they realized exactly how much they had missed being together.
"We should go back to the camp," he said quietly.
"We should," she agreed.
They didn't return to camp until late in the evening, when the sun began to rise.
The next night a group of trolls came to see Kankri in camp. It was not unusual, as people often came to see him. But this group was unusual for one reason: they had a sick troll with them. They dragged her by her arms, as she was too weak to stand on her own. There were lesions covering her body. Entire patches of skin were white instead of gray. She was covered in sores, some of the sores were leaking and bleeding. One of her legs had been completely engulfed, and her foot looked deformed and twisted. There were blisters on her face and arms, and she appeared feverish. It was like nothing Kankri had ever seen.
"Signless, she won't leave the camp!" spat one of the trolls. They threw her down at his feet. The troll said nothing. She simply seemed to crumble into herself. "She'll infect us all!"
For a moment Kankri simply stared at them. Then he diverted his attention to the sick troll. Her illness was an enigma to him, and it was apparently catching. Kankri knelt down beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "What is your name?"
"Leprae," she said quietly.
"We found her crouching next to our fire," said another troll, sneering. "She's got the Patch Pox. We told her to leave, but she just sat by the fire like a statue."
"And you want me to make her leave?" Kankri asked, looking up at them.
They nodded solemnly. Leprae looked up at him with pleading brown eyes. He imagined he looked much the same when he had fallen ill as a youngling. They wanted him to turn her out, or perhaps put her out of her misery. Surely that's what would have happened to him had he not grown up amongst unusually kind trolls.
"I won't," Kankri said. He clasped Leprae's pox marked hands and helped her to her feet. She had to lean heavily on him, and her skin was on fire with fever. "What if you were in her position? She never asked to get sick, it's not something she can be blamed for. I fell ill once, and the only reason I'm alive tonight is because someone was kind enough to help me. What kind of person would I be if I cast her out?"
"But she's a patcher!" one of the trolls protested. "She'll get others sick!"
"No, she won't," Kankri said. He turned his attention to Leprae, who seemed awe-struck. "You'll have your own tent where you can recover. I'll make sure someone tends to you until you're well."
At this point Porrim stepped in. She was immune to most (if not all) diseases due to her status as a rainbow drinker. It would be more sensible for her to care for this troll rather than her son, who was still very susceptible to illness. "I'll take it from here, Kanny; I'll have Meulin set up a tent for her."
"You're too kind," Leprae said, looking between Kankri and Porrim. "You don't even know me."
"I don't need to in order to show basic kindness," Kankri said. He looked pointedly towards the trolls who had brought her to him. They looked down as though they were being scolded by their custodians. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. Why do you want to punish people for things beyond their control? It's the same as a highblood beating you for simply being a lowblood. It's not something you choose; if we could control our bodies to that degree, no one would ever get sick, we'd all be sea-dwellers, and my horns wouldn't be this nubby. Try treating people with a bit more compassion, or else you'll find no one there when you are in her position."
When he finished speaking he found that everyone had grown silent. All the trolls within earshot had stopped what they were doing to listen to him. Multiple pairs of eyes were locked on him. The trolls before him looked ashamed.
"...we are sorry, Signless," one of them said quietly.
"I..." Kankri continued to look around. It suddenly dawned on him that these people were beginning to look to him as a leader. They brought Leprae to his camp so he could deal with her. They looked like ashamed wrigglers when he scolded them for their lack of sympathy. And when he spoke, everyone stopped to listen.
In his previous life, he'd tried to be a leader and failed miserably. (Perhaps because he was an insufferable prat.) Yet now he seemed to have stumbled into the position completely by accident. The thought was slightly terrifying. All of these people were looking to him, expecting him to guide them in the correct direction. But he could hardly run from it. Word was already spreading about the so-called 'miracle'. People were beginning to seek him out from other cities.
The best thing he could do was lead these people on the right path. The path of compassion and equality. And the path of forgiveness.
"Apologize to Leprae, when she is well," Kankri said. "You have done nothing to injure me. I'm just disappointed."
"We'll apologize," said the trolls eagerly.
"When she's well," he reminded them. "For now, she needs to rest. With any luck she'll recover soon."
Three nights later, Kankri and Mituna sat next to their fire preparing for supper. Between them, Kankri and Meulin had gathered up a suitable dinner. As was now the usual, other trolls flocked to their camp for supper. While Kankri gutted a fish, a young troll called Aoihnn sat at his side and watched him, questioning him about the process.
"What are you doing now?" asked the little one.
"I'm taking out the guts," Kankri said, smiling slightly. "Want to see?"
Aoihnn squealed and drew back, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Kankri laughed, then winked at the child. While Mituna was not looking, he tossed a piece of the fish's intestines at him. It landed right on his friend's shoulder.
"FUCK!" he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. He knocked it off, then turned around to glare at Kankri. His friend was busy laughing uproariously with his new playmate. Suddenly a blast of red and blue energy shot at Kankri, a blast he scarely avoided. The laughter, however, did not die down. Kankri held his sides. The child was practically crying he was giggling so hard. Mituna snorted. "Laugh it up, assholes."
"We will!" Kankri said, winking at the little one.
"Kankri, dear, how old are you?" Porrim called. She was sitting beside her tent, attempting to stitch up the child's gloves for him.
"Oh, ten sweeps or so," he said, grinning sheepishly.
"I suggest you act your age then," she said, glancing up from her work to smile at him. She looked to Aoihnn. "As for you, little one, don't let him be a bad influence on you. Here are your gloves, dear; and you're welcome to stay if you need a meal."
The child took his gloves and slipped them on, admiring the craftsmanship. "Thank you, lady."
"You're welcome," she said, smiling and ruffling his hair.
Kankri smiled. Seeing his custodian with another little one brought back memories of when he was a youngling himself. It seemed so long ago, yet it also felt that his childhood had passed by in the blink of an eye. Time was strange like that; he supposed the rest of his life would pass by just as quickly.
He looked back down at his work, removing the rest of the organs from the fish. As he set about taking off the scales, a cry went out in the camp. When he looked up, he saw trolls rushing towards him. They looked panicked. Meulin, who had been resting by the fire, jumped to her feet with a growl. Mituna and Porrim both watched the group approach, their brows furrowing.
"Signless!" one of the trolls cried. "Threshers- they're in the camp-"
Porrim hissed. "It was only a matter of time."
Kankri got to his feet, setting his work aside. The fish could wait. A situation with the authorities could very well result in a riot, and that was the last thing they needed. "Take me to them, please."
The trolls led him back through the camp. Mituna walked beside him, eyes narrowed. Meulin and Porrim were not far behind. Trolls were withdrawing into their tents and shelters. They watched them pass with scared, yet hopeful eyes. Kankri wondered how many threshecutioners had shown up. Surely, if it came to combat, they could overwhelm them...but he didn't want it to come to that. Then the hammer would only come down harder. It wouldn't be a handful of threshecutioners then, it would be an army of cavalreapers or even subjugglators. These people were not hardened criminals or warriors. They were hungry, desolate, and poor. They longed for nothing more than warmth and a full belly. Kankri didn't want to involve them in any sort of struggle.
"This way, this way!" the trolls said, leading them along. The threshecutioners came into view. Kankri counted twelve of them. They'd already trampled five or six tents. The the other trolls were backing away from them, like a group of skittish antlerbeasts preparing for a panicked stampede.
"What is the problem here?" Kankri asked, his voice far more confident than he felt.
The threshecutioners looked to him. "Are you the leader of this rabble?"
"These people look to me for guidance," Kankri admitted freely. The trolls had moved back and were now standing behind their group, as though the four of them could protect them from all the dangers of Alternia. "I try to provide it when I am able."
One of the officers advanced threateningly, his sickle in hand. Kankri's hand went to his hip. He did not draw his weapon, but he was prepared in case the situation turned violent. But as soon as he got a good look at the troll, his grip slackened. The officer was a blue blood. He had long shaggy black hair and horns that sloped over the top of his head. His blue eyes narrowed.
"Dismiss this group at once," he said.
"There are no crimes being committed here," Kankri said, strangely calm all of a sudden. He stared up at the troll, and was certain that he was the same one. The night of the fire came rushing back to him. He could smell the smoke and see the blazing forest. Even the burn scar on his forearm, his only reminder of that night, seemed to ache.
"They have left their stations," the thresher said. "They have gathered here, when they should be in the city-"
"Why does it matter where they starve?" Kankri asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Inside the city, they're registered gutter-bloods. Outside the city, they're living in an unregistered area without approval and are therefore considered feral," he said. "You will tell them to return to the city, or there will be consequences."
Kankri frowned and pushed his hood back. The threshecutioner froze. He wasn't sure what exactly had startled him. Did he recognize him? Or was he simply shocked by Kankri's burning red eyes? "As I recall, you have been merciful to ferals in the past. But these people are hardly wildlings, and we both know that very well. You have been commanded to take them back because it makes you nervous having lowbloods where you can't watch them. They're out of your control, and that scares you."
The threshecutioner offered no answer. He simply stared at Kankri in complete shock. "You're that youngling...how did you..."
So he did recognize him. "I made my way back to my people."
"They survived?" he asked, his voice tight.
"Some. But you won't be able to find them," Kankri replied with a slight shrug. He remembered running up to the to camp with Meulin at his side, only to find that about half the tents were missing. They'd lost so many people in the fire that night. Some of them possibly even fell to this troll's sickle. But Kankri couldn't bring himself to be angry. It had been sweeps ago. The ashes of his fallen friends were long cold. It was time to take the path of forgiveness. He offered his hand, looking towards him. "Putting that aside, I need to thank you."
He knew all of his companions were staring at him as though he were insane. Kankri had never told anyone about being spared by a thresher when their camp burned. Even Meulin didn't know.
"You spared me, and I owe you my life," Kankri said.
The threshecutioner stared at his hand. "You're thanking me?"
"Why wouldn't I? You could have just as easily killed me," Kankri said, withdrawing his hand. "But you let me live. Why?"
"You were a defenseless youngling," the threshecutioner said. "It is not so now. Tell them to disband and go back to their place in the city. And you- you ferals- will go back to the woods you crawled out of."
"So you can track us back to the others and finish us all off?" Porrim ventured quietly, growling underneath her breath.
"We will leave," Kankri said quickly, attempting to cover up his custodian's remark. If the threshers attacked they would defend themselves. And regardless of the result, it would all go downhill from there. "I will advise the others it would be best to return to their hives in the city. But I cannot force them. They'll do what they wish."