Joseph VIII
"Sir," someone tapped his shoulder. "Vanessa should be heading back now."
Joseph was immediately awake. These days he slept lightly, ready to spring into action at any moment. He pushed himself off the boulder and stood up. "Take me to her."
The guard led the way back to the top of the ravine. Joseph carefully picked his way across the narrow pass, trying not to rudely awaken any of the survivors who were resting. The rough stone floor was a messy tangle of arms and legs, since the ravine was barely wide enough for a grown man to lay across, head to toes. A few pale beams of sunlight managed to pierce the thick golden foliage above and glint down into the ravine, to illuminate heaps of dozing men and women. It would certainly make for an alarming scene, should some random passerby chance to stumble upon the camp. If the scouts do a good enough job, nobody should be able to get anywhere close to our camp. I just hope Vanessa isn't being followed.
Joseph and the guard ascended the ravine slope, pressing against the walls to get through some of the slimmer gaps. He felt the rough stones scraping against his skin as he made his way out to the other end. The ravine entrance was disproportionately wide compared to the narrow gap where his survivors slept. It was here in the widest section that they corralled their mounts; a trio of green parasaurs, one iguanodon, and four gallimimus. There were not enough mounts for everyone, so the privilege of riding was constantly being rotated every night. Joseph dared not bring any elk with them, even if it gave everyone something to ride, since it would be a dead giveaway to their northern heritage. A few of the creatures opened their eyes or snorted when Joseph passed. He patted their scaly hides to soothe them back to sleep. It was good that they were adapting to the humans' nocturnal behaviour. The first few days of their journey had been particularly difficult, since the beasts were exhausted from their normal schedules being flipped completely upside down. It had been a rough transition for everyone, but it was necessary to stay safe; traveling under the cover of darkness kept them hidden from prying eyes.
After a small climb over a pile of rubble, Joseph emerged into the forest. The wildlife was as vibrant and noisy as always, completely oblivious to the group sleeping just a few feet away. Birds were chirping, insects were buzzing, and giant lizards were rumbling to one another across the woods. Joseph blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the brightness. Although the canopy still shielded them from the worst of the sun, it had been much darker in the ravine. When Joseph was oriented, he jogged to catch up to the guardsman. He kept a watchful eye on the forest, lest some monster sneak past the lookouts he had stationed in the trees. Fortunately the clearing was safe.
Joseph crouched when he neared the edge of the cliff, then sank down onto his stomach and wormed his way forward. When Joseph was at the edge, he quickly scanned the surroundings. The cliff overlooked a great plains, where countless fronds of grass swayed like burnished gold against the sapphire sky. In the middle of the grasslands was a small village, about twenty houses or so. Some were hardened clay huts with circular thatch roofs. Others were sturdy log buildings. However, the most important detail about the village was the absence of a stone keep. It meant there was no garrison stationed to defend the land or enforce laws.
Joseph and his party had been travelling for about a week. During that time they had stumbled across a dozen villages, some abandoned and in ruins, the others heavily garrisoned and well defended. There had been no opportunities to question the locals without being spotted by the military, so they had stayed in the forest and moved deeper into enemy territory. This was the first village without a garrison, which gave them plenty of opportunities to gather information without the looming threat of being attacked. Joseph knew it was folly to approach the village with his entire group; that would just make the villagers panic, flee, or attack them on sight. Instead, he had sent his most trusted lieutenant to pose as a traveller and gather as much information as she could.
"Did you see which house Vanessa went into?" Joseph whispered.
"She was in one of the houses near the outskirts, m'lord. That's all I can recall."
Joseph scanned the perimeter of the village. There were a few women in the fields gathering the latest harvest with woven baskets. A handful of stegosaurus and triceratops were also plodding through the farm, with huge wicker baskets fixed onto their backs and sides. Closer to the cliffs, a few wild animals were eyeing the crops hungrily, but a pair of tamed dilophosaurus kept a vigilant watch over their antics. Joseph was relieved to finally spot a hooded figure making their way up a gentle slope. He could tell it was Vanessa from the way a few stray curls of auburn hair peeked out from beneath the brown fabric of her cloak. With her tattered clothes, walking stick, and dusty old satchel, she played the part of a traveller convincingly. Joseph instructed the guard to continue watching the village, then backed away from the cliff and retreated inside the forest to meet his Head Ranger. Joseph looped his way back around to the slopes, making sure to keep out of the village's sight. If they saw anything that seemed amiss, he could potentially jeopardize the entire tribe. As far as the villagers were supposed to know, Vanessa had just been a lone traveller stopping to rest in their houses and ask for directions. Nothing more.
"Lord Joseph!" Vanessa looked surprised when they nearly bumped into each other in a densely shrubbed area of the forest. "I did not expect to see you awake."
"I came as soon as I heard you were returning. What news do you bring?"
She shook her head somberly. "A few scraps of information, but not much aside from what we already knew."
"I want to hear it all anyway," Joseph insisted. Any offhand piece of information could mean the difference between life and death when they were so far from friendly territory. "Come, you can brief me on the way back to camp."
They headed in the general direction of the ravine. Joseph guided them as best he could using only his memory and a few landmarks. Unlike the woods around Open Hearth which he knew like the back of his own hand, Joseph was out of his element here. His small warband was deep in uncharted territory, and straying further from home every day. Joseph listened to his lieutenant carefully while they picked their way back to base camp.
"Even if they were a little wary of me, the villagers were all friendly people," Vanessa said as they walked. "They gave me water and a warm meal without a second thought. I tried questioning them for the information we needed, but bear in mind I had to play the part of a lost wanderer."
"Did they suspect you at all?" Joseph asked.
"They asked where I was from, but didn't press much farther." Vanessa shrugged. "I told them the story we went over together."
"Right. You washed ashore three months ago and travelled in search of civilization. The villages you encountered spoke of a powerful tribe and a great city in the south."
"Aye. It seems your intuition was right and it's a common tale. They pointed me in the right direction and wished me luck before I departed."
"What else did you learn while you were there? Names? Locations?"
"A few things that could be of strategic importance. The village is called Hayford and they've been annexed for four years. Everyone I talked to seemed happy about it, since they don't have to deal with bandits or raiders anymore. In exchange for protection, they pay a portion of their harvest every fall."
"What of the tribe that conquered them?" This was the most important part. It was the entire reason they were travelling this far south.
"I only got a name," Vanessa frowned. "They call themselves the Protectors of Man. The villagers don't seem to care much about their ongoings. All they know is that a few officials stop by every once in a while to take a population census or collect taxes."
"And the military?"
"It's as we thought. They don't have any garrison here. I asked about that too. It appears this village is far from the tribe's borders but also from its capital city. All those villages we saw earlier? Those are where they station most of their forces."
Joseph nodded thoughtfully. He was beginning to get a good picture of the other tribe. "We've been very lucky so far. The fact that we were able to get past their borders so seamlessly was a stroke of fortune."
"We need to continue pressing our luck if we are to find the information we need."
The two of them arrived at the ravine. Joseph gestured into the crack. "You need to rest first. The sun will set in a few hours and you need your energy for when we move out."
"Sleep would be welcome," Vanessa agreed with a yawn. "What about yourself?"
Joseph glanced at the evening sky. "I've already slept for most of the day. I'll go relieve one of the lookouts from duty and wait till night."
The redhead nodded and made her way toward the ravine entrance. Joseph went in the opposite direction, walking amongst the autumn forest until he reached the perimeter of their camp. Joseph squinted into the trees and spotted a pair of legs dangling from one of the branches. Joseph called out to the lookout, who jumped down and reported that he hadn't seen any humans, just wildlife roaming the area. Joseph thanked him for his work and told him to go back to the ravine to get some sleep before they moved out. With the previous lookout gone, Joseph searched for a spot to set up his own watch. He found a good tree to climb and scaled up the rough bark, using branches as handholds to pull himself into the orange foliage. A pair of thick branches bent near each other at one point. It would make for a good seat. Joseph made himself comfortable amongst the trees and waited.
The forest came to life around him. It was always relaxing to sit still and observe details. Whenever Joseph was rushing from one place to the next, he completely missed the little things in life. Now that he had time to spare, he sat patiently amongst the leaves and watched wildlife emerge from their hiding places. A few small rodents were scampering around searching for nuts, while birds of prey and larger lizards stalked them from afar. A pair of crows landed on the tree adjacent to Joseph and squawked at him before flying off. In the distance, he heard the rumbling groans of forest giants like parasaurs and iguanodon. Joseph licked his lips and wished he had brought his bow when he spotted a plump phiomia rummaging around in the mud. It would have been an easy shot. Unfortunately, even if he had been able to kill the pig, they would not be able to roast its meat over a fire. Whether it was day or night, the smoke and fire would give their camp away. Instead, the group had been relying on foraged fruits and dried rations for the past week. Joseph was quickly growing tired of stale bread and hard jerky, but eating old food was a lot better than being discovered and killed by enemies.
Joseph had a lot of time to reflect over what he just heard from Vanessa. He had been desperate to collect information ever since they left, but circumstance prevented him from learning anything. Now that information was finally starting to trickle in, he could begin piecing together everything he knew about this enigmatic tribe. The Protectors of Man, they call themselves? Joseph frowned. That doesn't sound like the bloodthirsty marauders I had pictured. Their title sounds very noble and chivalrous, the sort of tribe we would do well to align ourselves with. Joseph paused, watching a small tree lizard silently stalk a bug before striking in one decisive blow. That snapped him back to the reality of his situation. However noble their intentions, that doesn't change the fact that they were spying on us, waiting for an opportune moment to take action. Or. . . was it even them?
Joseph was starting to doubt himself. He wasn't sure if they were travelling through a single tribe's territory, or if they had passed half a dozen smaller tribes on their way here. He certainly hadn't risked his rangers' lives to find out. The lack of information deeply troubled him. Without proper knowledge, they could not hope to strike at shadows dancing at the very periphery of their vision. Until I have more decisive knowledge on whoever was watching Open Hearth, I'll just have to consider all possibilities. Suppose these Protectors were the ones spying on us. What are their motives then? Joseph tried to place himself in their position. What would I do if a new tribe appeared to the north? Well, I would feel threatened by their very existence, even if they established their castles far from my own territory. I would want information about them before even considering negotiations, so that explains their current tactics.
But what then? Their spies must have seen that we aren't mobilizing an army to invade them. We're just rescuing new castaways off the beach and combing the nearby woods for signs of enemy tribes. . . Joseph slapped his head. That's right. I haven't exactly been subtle about trying to dig up information about them. One of the first things I did upon establishing Open Hearth was sending out patrols to search the area. Whoever's watching us knows we're looking for them too. . . That was troubling news. In a world where neither side knew what the other was planning, only mutual distrust and suspicion could manifest. If I wanted to forge any sort of alliance with these Protectors of Man, I've surely already made a bad first impression with my poking about. I just have to pray that they don't know about our current expedition. We've never left Open Hearth in force before and they might take this as an act of hostility.
However this situation plays out, I need to be alert at all times. In an ideal world I would want to ally with the Protectors of Man, but I can't neglect the possibility of conflict. Thus far, Joseph had received conflicting information about the tribes in the south. Alysanne had recounted a tale of brutal slavers in the area, bent on building up power. But that had been months and months ago. Things could have changed. On the other, Vanessa's most recent report had indicated that the strongest tribe in the area was a benevolent defender of the weak. And then there was a third possibility that they were two completely separate tribes. Joseph shook his head in distress. I'll prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
As the sun slowly set, the forest grew more tranquil. A few animals were beginning to retire to their dens and nests for the night, while others were just awakening. When it was starting to get dark, Joseph dropped down from his branch. A few alarmed compies scattered from the clearing but Joseph paid them no mind. He made his way back to the camp, where men and women were already preparing for the next phase of their journey. The other lookouts were also returning to the camp since it was time to move.
A parasaur groggily shambled out of the ravine entrance, then another. The huge duck-billed creatures were their designated beasts of burden. They were the bulkiest of the mounts, and accordingly carried most of the group's gear. Inside their saddlebags were all the necessities; food, weapons, tools, sleeping furs, maps, and medical tonics. The green lizards rumbled happily when they recognized Joseph, and he patted their necks. As the leader of the group, he often claimed a parasaur whenever they moved out. The beasts of burden travelled in the center of the column and Joseph found this spot the most convenient for his purposes. It was easier to coordinate his rangers when they knew his location at all times.
Joseph peered into the ravine and saw more people squeezing through the gap to emerge into the night. Everyone was relatively well rested, at least as much as one could be after sitting in a cramped hole for the entire day. The other mounts were being saddled and groomed as more people poured outside. The group numbered twenty in total; enough to overwhelm and silence any enemy scouting parties, but small enough to evade larger forces. So far they hadn't had any run-ins with enemy patrols. Joseph was cautious whenever they spotted fire in the distance and they would always go the long way around to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Vanessa was the last survivor to exit the ravine, after making sure everyone else was accounted for. A few hushed conversations were echoing through the forest, but otherwise the group got prepared silently and efficiently. It was a sharp contrast from the first night when they joked and bantered while leaving the safety of Open Hearth amidst the backdrop of a meteor shower. Some rangers took the spectacle to be an omen of their success. Joseph had allowed his rangers relative freedom on that first night, anything to soothe their nerves in anticipation of the journey ahead. But from the second night onward, when they officially left friendly territory, he had been stricter about following procedure. By now the rangers were all familiar with the rigid schedule and behaved accordingly. Joseph did not even have to interfere to get them sorted into formation. The men and women got into their spots and waited for his command to go. Even the mounts mulled about the clearing patiently, nibbling on shrubs but ready to leave at a moment's notice. With enough repetition, anything could become routine.
Joseph nodded toward the outriders and they left first, scouting ahead of the main column. The four gallimimus headed off at different angles to cover as much ground as possible. They were the swiftest creatures on the Island and great at scouting for danger. The gallimimus had already saved them more times than Joseph could count. He had given the riders free reign, as long as they stayed within a 20 minute ride of the main group. This allowed them to search the area for dangers and report back if they found anything troubling. The party had been able to completely avoid many patrols this way.
With the gallimimus riders safely on their way, Joseph climbed onto a parasaur's back and signalled for the rest of the group to move out. Although they had scouts ahead of them, Joseph erred on the side of caution and always sent rangers to cover his front, flanks, and back. The survivors would stay just barely within sight, but form a protective screen around the main group so they could never get caught by enemies or wildlife unaware. After sending out experienced warriors to watch the flanks, Joseph kicked his heels into his parasaur and got the main group moving. The nine remaining survivors always stayed close to the parasaurs and iguanodon at all times. Although these men and women were the best fighters Open Hearth had to offer, it was always reassuring to have a three-ton monster at your side in case things took a turn for the worst. The four herbivorous giants were the anchor on which everyone could fall back on.
The night was relatively peaceful but Joseph kept his guard up. He immersed himself in the sounds of footsteps crunching on dead leaves, leaves stirring in the wind, and insects buzzing in the darkness. Occasionally the air would be pierced by the sharp cries of some forest creature or the gentle hooting of an owl. Over his time in the south, Joseph had learned to vaguely distinguish the calls of herbivores from carnivores, but he entrusted his mount to discern those matters. The parasaurs seemed relatively calm. That's a good sign. So far, their intuition had been flawless, and they had saved them from many deadly encounters. The parasaurs were usually excellent at detecting potential predators lurking in the woods using their astute senses. Just last night, the parasaurs had saved them from running into a carnotaurus, then a pack of raptors. Whenever they refused to go in a certain direction that was generally a good indication to loop back around the far way.
Joseph would have wanted to have some carnivores on their own side, but the creatures were notoriously difficult to tame. He had set up pit traps around Open Hearth, but nothing except some dodos had fallen for them. Joseph did not want his rangers to go hunting them on purpose either, at least not until they had more mounts and manpower. Before leaving on his expedition, he had instructed his castellan Gerald to continue endeavours of trapping carnivores. Even a single raptor or dilophosaurus would be a great help to their cause, and hopefully Gerald would have already caught some upon Joseph's return. If I do get back in one piece, that is. These lands are full of danger, and I suspect not everyone will return whole.
Joseph focused on the path ahead of him. He was determined to bring his rangers back home safe and sound, but he could not shake the dread looming above him. It was the same feeling he recalled from the night of the megalosaurus attack, the moment before everything turned to hell. Joseph felt as if he was waiting for some hidden enemy to strike from the shadows and devastate his tribe. The tension surmounted with every step into unfamiliar territory, every night that creeped past. How much do the Protectors know about us? Are they also sending scouting parties deep into our territory as well? Open Hearth guards the frontier, but they could be creeping toward the Wolf's Den at this very moment, just as we move toward their capital. Whatever the case, Joseph had a feeling that the next few weeks would decide the fate of both their tribes.
Friend or foe remains to be seen. Joseph steeled his grip on the parasaur reins. But if this tribe dares to harm my people, I will not hesitate to unleash my wrath.
Author's Note: Just a reminder to vote on the poll under my account! The question will only stay up for one more week before it moves onto the next question, so make sure to express your opinions while it lasts!
DinoNerd89, For sure, Otto's deliberation is a sign of a great leader. He just has a tendency to doubt himself but everyone has their own learning curve! His partnership with Jeyne will definitely do wonders for the tribe.
Bladerunner24k, Thanks for the praise! I've been trying to incorporate lots of setup rather than action, especially during this phase of the story. And don't worry there will be more Argentum in the future!
Einria, Thanks for the feedback on both the chapter and the cover image! I'm glad the romance wasn't too bad lol.
Caleb R. Watson, I can arrange for a scene with Otto and Winter like that to happen! As for Joseph, he's done everything possible to stay out of trouble but then again there's only so much control you can have over your situation before something inevitably goes wrong!
Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!
- DaRumpyBurr