In the calm of the Shanklands,
Bandur felt the winds of Etu
Lift the hairs on the back of his neck.
Peacefully,
Quietly,
Bandur stretched, its mind in thought, and
It sat on the rock beside Taxiss, the Hirogen.

'Thoughtful Taxiss,
Let me ask a single question of you,'
It said.
'You are indeed a reasoning creature, and
Your wisdom will lead me down the path
Into the Wild
Should you choose your words wisely.'

Bandur looked at the Hirogen.

'Should you not choose your words wisely
As you have done this far,
I will lead the Irro further
Into the Shanklands,
Further into the Great Beyond.
I will lead them so far that
None of your Hirogen brothers
Will ever scent them again.
You and your kind will be left
To deal with the vengeful wrath
Of an angry Gratta, and
He Who Governs will punish you
For your disobedience.
For, if you are here
With the blessings of Remoor,
Then you will choose
Your words
Wisely.'

The Hirogen lowered his hands and
Sat firmly on the rock.

'I await your question, Bandur,'
Taxiss said.

'If I allow my end
To come at the hands of a Hirogen,
Who will protect the Irro?'
It asked.
'They will be without leadership.
They will be without so much that
Has come before.
They will be stranded in the Shanklands
With no idea of the slaughter that
Is yet to come.'

Taxiss breathed.
He looked up at the sky,
Thinking for a time
Before venturing to speak.

'Bandur,'
He finally said.
'I will speak plain.
I have no desire
To mislead you
Or any of the Irro.
I am here, in your counsel,
For peace, not the Hunt.
Remoor the First has confided in me that,
Should he fail or should he succeed
In this endeavor,
He is doomed.'

'Doomed?'
It asked.

Taxiss looked at the Irro
Instead of the blue sky.
'While you might escape
The Cold of Death now,
It would only arrive later
By Gratta's hand,
In an act of anger,
As Remoor believes will be his Fate.
Whether you consent or decline,
Remoor believes he is doomed.
His challenge to Gratta will
Spell it clean.
One death today
May mean life for the Irro,
The Hirogen, and
All of Etutheria tomorrow,
But I fear this affair
Will end in more than
A single freakling growing cold.'

'You fear?'
It asked.
'You are Hirogen.
You know no fear.'

'You have said yourself,
Bandur,
That I choose my words wisely,'
Taxiss said.
'Fear is not beyond
My being.
Fear is part of my Blood.
It is part of the Brotherhood.
It is part of the Hunt.
It will forever be, sadly,
A part of life,
With or without the governance of
Gratta.
Still,
A road is safer traveled
Than merely tested,
For without the journey
We will neither know nor speak
Of the evil
That awaits us.'

Bandur rose.

'Remoor is plain,'
It said.
'He is the Irro Salvin.'

Confused,
Taxiss looked to the creature.
'I do not know this word, Salvin.'

It walked in a small circle,
Considering whether an answer
Was safe.
'Since our brethren, the K'rta,
Were slaughtered,
My kind have taken to following
A call other than the one
From Etutheria.
Some choose to name the call nothing, but
Others have called it Salvin.
Remoor has earned the title
Of Salvin for the Irro
In my mind.'

'Thank you, Bandur,'
Taxiss said.
'Remoor the First will be pleased
To learn that he still holds your respect.'

'Gratta will be displeased,'
It said.
'My only happiness in the Cold
Will come from knowing that the
Expression on Gratta's face
As he looks upon
My flesh growing to dust was
The fate I chose,
Not He Who Governs.'

Bandur looked to the nearby hills.
'What of the Irro?'

'Remoor has said
That they are to head
Upwards of the Path of Etu in the Sky,
Into the lands of Woolenly,'
Taxiss explained.

'Ah, Woolenly,'
It said.
'The ground is green at Woolenly,
I have heard it said
Among my brothers.'

'There,
The Irro will be protected by myself, and
Thurn, and the Brotherhood of Remoor,'
Taxiss said.
'By my Blood,
I give you my oath that
No harm will come of them.'

'Then bring your lance,'
Bandur said,
Sitting on the ground,
His claws relaxed.
'I wish to rid
Myself of this news.
I wish to rid myself
Of this burden
At once.
If this is the role I am to play,
Then I wish it to begin at once.'

Taxiss rose, and
He opened both palms in a show
Of kinship.
'I will summon Thurn,
Brave Bandur, and
I give you my word
That he will be swift.'