Roma Invicta Chapter 4
Written by Mikhail the Tiger
Edited by Cimar
Artwork by CJCO on DA, (AKA aureliano276 on Tumblr)
Judica walked on her own around the bustling city. Even though she stuck to the lanes specifically designed for small mammals like herself, she continued to feel dwarfed.
Everything from the larger mammals milling about just yards away from her, to the towering statues of gods and goddesses spelled grandeur. A city which grew over millennia. The capital of the world, as it was often so pompously portrayed. Each step she took on the marble felt like it revertebrated straight into the heart of the city. A gigantic, living, breathing, well-oiled machine. And now she was part of it.
Wherever one found themselves in the city, the Colosseum and the Imperial Palace were visible. Two monuments, one towards the Emperor, the other towards the People.
The veins of the city, the Aqueducts and the sewers respectively, worked overtime to keep the city watered and clean. Seamless processes the citizens took for granted, carefully hidden behind walls of granite and marble, that were every bit as impressive as the imposing temples and baths, and just as useful and indespensible.
Eventually, she came face to face with the imposing building she had been searching for. There were only a couple of stories to it, yet it stretched for an entire street. It stood out from the rest of the rather well-off district, as it was made of stone, rather than marble. The roof was red, once again, however it was clearly only built with utility in mind, not decor. The windows were small and rectangular, not allowing one to see even a fraction of what was inside.
The only outside decorations were velvet-red banners with the Golden Eagle on them, as well as others with two crossed swords over a Scutum.
Still, the building's simplicity didn't make her feel any less nervous to join the line of mostly young predator men in the prime of their lives. However, mammals of all sorts wished to serve their Empire.
Straight in front of her, was a rhino, dock worker, judging by his fisherman's garbs and calloused hooves. Behind her, a wolf stepped up, almost stepping on her.
"Oh, sorry young lady!" he stammered, apologizing. He couldn't have been older than 20…
They were all going through the gates of Hades willingly… Why? They couldn't have all lost their brothers to barbarians like she had. Was the will to kill for the Empire that high? Or die for it? Was everyone truly convinced that Rome's wars were righteous? Or was it the soldier's wage? The Salarium[1], the reason for which the masses flocked to bolster Rome's army during the Marian Reforms one century ago?
All these questions flooded, and it wasn't until the polite wolf behind her got her attention, that she finally moved with the line.
The otter at the desk, dressed in a simple tunic with no military markings hardly even acknowledged that she was a rabbit rather than the hulking rhino that was before. He asked her name, hometown, age and other information in the same robotic, rehearsed voice which she had heard him ask all the other mammals.
"Come here tomorrow at dawn. If you're here after 8, tough luck. NEXT!" he said as he wrote her name down.
She needed the rest. Nicholaus told her in no uncertain terms just how gruelling the preliminary tests were. And she'd have to be there at 7 the latest, much earlier if she wanted to make a good impression. The money she had received from Nick allowed her to rest in a decent inn, with a bed that was a tad bit too large for her, yet allowed her to stretch as much as she desired. Her belly was full with a carrot, peas and cheese meal, which the goat host was kind enough to offer her the moment she paid for the night.
Even the rowdy songs from downstairs had stopped, the late-night drinkers and bards going up to their rooms. The once bustling streets were now empty, only an occasional Urban Cohort[2] passing by, the heavy hooves and paws of lions, rhinos, horses and other large mammals from the elite guards creating a symphony of perfect coordination, not a single hoof or paw colliding with the cobblestones even a fraction of a second later than the others.
She closed her eyes once again, trying to focus on something, anything to help her sleep. The dying, crackling flames which slowly ebbed into embers were still a pleasant sound to listen to.
She remembered the embrace she shared with Nick before they parted…. The way his large arm completely covered her, his cold armor plates nearly making her shiver, yet the warmth of his fur and his palm pads keeping her warm. It had only lasted for a moment, a passable goodbye until her rough training began, yet that moment had made her freeze up.
She subconsciously hugged the sheets tighter to her, and a small smile played across her muzzle.
And just like that, Centurion Nicolaus had helped her fall asleep, feeling safe in his embrace….
Judica rubbed her right sole against her left ankle, trying to dust some of the sand and soreness off, quickly getting back into a straight position. She had no problem standing up for hours on end, she had been doing so since she was a kit, helping with her family's farm ever since she was old enough to walk.
But standing up without doing anything was excruciating. A small group of coyotes, no older than 18, each of them, had practically given up, kneeling down into the sand and whispering jokes and stories to each other, beginning to laugh without as much as a regard for all the other recruits. Soon, they resembled late-night Scriptorium[3] students rather than pretendents to be the most disciplined soldiers on Earth.
She knew what was up. They purposefully made them wait for a long time to see what they were made of. Nicholaus had made sure to also include the story of how he had been made to wait for three hours straight in pouring rain when he first enrolled as a cub.
While none of the nearly one hundred mammals went to the level of unrestraidness the young coyotes did, some began chatting with each other in hushed whispers, one cheetah began jogging in place to get his stiff blood flowing, a movement which seemed innocent enough, but one she knew would not be tolerated.
The ranked deer who had given them the instructions of standing straight in the main yard of the Barracks was now long gone, only having watched them for about ten minutes before heading back inside.
She abstained herself from even the slightest show of weakness or undiscipline. They would come soon…. "They always do… You think they'd miss the chance for fresh souls on the battlefield?" as Nicholaus had said to her.
She had completely ignored the young red fox next to her and his attempts at casual conversation. She vaguely registered that his name was Kitus Knightwood, but she had blocked out everything else.
Suddenly, she thanked the gods for her natural hearing as she heard heavy, angry footsteps coming from within the main building, even as it was muffled by the thick stone walls and gigantic oak door.
"Stand up straight!" she whispered quickly to Kitus, him doing so after sending her a puzzled look.
The door burst open with a purposefully deafening creek.
The mammals that weren't standing up straight scrambled to stand up in an orderly manner, yet the damage was done.
All sounds were completely drowned out. The tiny murmur of chatter from the recruits, even the sounds of Romans going about their morning business a mere few dozen yards away seemed lost in the silence created by the hulking brown bull that filled the gates.
Two Praetorians[4], both lions with bright orange-brown manes who looked as if they could be twins, flanked him, each standing up like statues, pila in hand, their faces turning to stone. As it was expected from Praetorians, they were huge, even for lions, their bulging muscles clearly owed to years of intense training and battles rather than simply their large predator genes. Yet even they were dwarfed by their master.
Judica couldn't help but try to swallow as she saw the bull's red glare. Her throat refused to cooperate and it took all of her self-control not to cough. She had seen gigantic mammals before. Just since she arrived in Rome she saw at least three elephants pass by her. But this mammal wore it. He was purposefully using his size to its fullest. His shoulders were as straight as they could be, poking through the velvet mantle. Just under the mantle was an golden chestplate which seemed to almost burst at his broad build. She could have sworn she saw a rope-like leather coil next to his sword. Her stomach dropped to her feet as she saw it, praying that it wasn't what she thought it was…
He slowly removed his crested golden helmet, revealing more of his beady red eyes, far more than the doe or any of the recruits would have liked to see.
An air of emptiness set itself as the bull took slow, wide, yet booming steps through the yard, sizing up each and every single one of the mammals, from the grey doe to the hulking young tigers. Judica could swear that she saw the tiniest bit of fur stand up on each of their backs. Her keen ears picked up rapid heartbeats on all sides.
Finally, the frightening behemoth sat in the middle of the yard and began to speak.
"I am Legate Varrus[5], the leader of Legio XVII and XVIII. I will personally foresee your training. It is not a very common custom along my peers, however, I like to make sure that my future legionaries will be the only the very best…" he said, glaring at the group of coyotes, who swallowed all swallowed a visible knot.
"If you succeed the training, if you survive, you will become the greatest and most disciplined warriors on Earth. You will be a minister of Rome, bringing civilization and culture in the furthest corners of barbaric lands. You will guard our cities, be the backbone of the Capital of The World, but until then…" he suddenly changed his tone to an angry scowl as if he had just stepped into something terrible. "You are lower than slaves or barbarians. You're nothing but a bunch of lowly pukes who think they can play soldier to both me, and to my Centurions!" he spat.
Judica had to continually remind herself that the Legate himself would not be the drillmaster, but rather the Centurions. Still, the simple fact that he would be watching them train, his eyes on them constantly brought a chill down her spine that ended at the back of her neck.
"Therefore, if you came here thinking that you will swing some swords here for a week, then you can boast to your girlfriends that you're a soldier of Rome, think again! These Barracks are for mammals who want to fight! Mammals who wish to go out and destroy threats to our civilization. Who will lay down their life for the Emperor and for the gods. Who will ask not how many, but where the enemies are. If laying down your life for your Empire, listening to orders without questioning them, receiving punishment for defiance sounds like too much for you, the door is right there!" he screamed, pointing to the gate. The coyotes who were slacking off and joking mere minutes ago glanced at each other fearfully, then glanced at the whip on the bull's waist.
They sorrowfully began breaking line and moving towards the gate, feeling the weight of the brown bull's gaze, as well as the rest of the recruits. Judica could only imagine the shame they felt. It was why she had steeled herself for what was to come…. Losing a brother in a battle tends to do that.
A few long, agonizing seconds of silence remained in the air after the coyotes had left. It seemed as if everyone was contemplating whether the glory, Salarium and spreading Roman civilization truly was worth what the bull was about to put them through….
But no one dared to make a step. They all stood in a perfect square around the yard.
They all waited for the Legatus to say something, but the massive bull stood perfectly still, only regarding them all. Even though he wasn't even looking them in the eyes, the recruits made a point out of looking at their own feet, or at least at anything that wasn't the bull.
They were almost relieved when they heard the gates opening once again. They thought for a second that someone else had decided that this was too much, but instead, in the gateway stood three Centurions. A fox, a ram and bear came in, in perfect height order, though if anything, Centurion Nicholaus seemed to be emanating far more authority, yet at the same time, a certain assurance that of goodness and that everything would be alright as long as they were strong and disciplined.
Judica did her best not to glance back at the fox, remembering his instructions to not let the Legate or anyone else know that they knew each other. Yet even then, she felt his warm emerald gaze upon her, and it did a world of good on her troubled mind.
"Ah, here they are. Recruits, these will be your trainers. All Centurions who have led brave men and women to glory. They know how to shape a citizen who has only seen the comforts of Rome into a legionary ready to take on the most savage of barbarian lands." the bull announced.
"Now…. they shall lead you to your quarters. Each of you shall put on a training tunic that you will find on the beds and leave your personal belongings in the footlocker at the end of each bed. Anything that cannot fit in the footlocker gets thrown away." said the ram Centurion in a completely absent voice, his black beady eyes completely unreadable.
They all followed the centurions into the quarters, divided by mammal size. She was placed in the same room with a few more bunnies, otters, weasels and even a couple of foxes, including Kitus.
There was no time for chit-chat as she put on her white training tunic. It felt surprisingly comfortable, obviously having been made for long-term wear in strenuous conditions.
She wasted no time in placing her few belongings into the footlocker and getting changed. She was one of the first to present herself back at the yard, ready for anything the Centurions would throw at her…
Judica dragged her callused, sandy paws behind her, leaning on the walls, just like every single other recruit was. The first day was general exercising. It seemed easy enough, she was used to working the plough from dusk till dawn and hardly a workless day had ever passed for her since she was old enough to walk.
Yet this was different. She had watched no less than 10 city mammals call it quits after mere minutes, much to the indignation of the Centurions and Legate. After running and stumbling over the obstacle course countless times, what had to have been hundreds of sit-ups, push-ups and squats, climbing ropes, racing and pushing herself with the only respite being a five minute lunchtime break in which they were each thrown a loaf of bread, which they had to eat sitting up.
Her sweaty, bruised and scratched body dragged itself down the halls, avoiding a lion who nearly stepped on her as he tried to drag himself to his own quarters.
However, Nicholaus had been there for her. Him smiling discretely at her whenever he got the opportunity was enough to keep her going. And each time he was the one giving her instructions he was clear and concise to all of the recruits. He still shouted when they began to slow down, yet it was with a different tone, and the grey rabbit was sure that it wasn't just because she was there. He still knew how to be hard, yelling at the stragglers in the back, reminding them of the horrors that they would face and how a few extra pull-ups or another lap around the sandy yard was nothing in comparison to that.
She had learned the names of her comrades as they were shouted, catching the ones of at least the mammals that she shared her bunk room with. Kitus the fox and an otter had arrived before she had, already collapsed on the bunks, not even bothering to properly cover themselves, hardly even changing themselves into the provided flimsy nightgowns.
The bunk's mattress was made out of hay, as was the pillow. The covers were made out of a cheap textile, and while it was not exactly hoarse, it didn't exactly please the fur and skin. Still, she had bunked in worse beds during her camping trips…
She hardly even had time to consider any of this however, or to rethink what had happened, as sleep overcame her exhausted body almost instantly, the embrace of hay and rough textile being more than enough to take her into the sought-after state of unconsciousness.
A series of dull thuds began to stir her brain from her dreamless sleep. She kept her eyelids glued shut, keeping her brain in the pleasant mist it had been in. She was too tired…. She needed the sleep. She hardly even registered the mediocre mattress she was on anymore. She felt like she was floating, her limbs limp and-
"RISE AND SHINE, RECRUITS!" a shout filled the room, accompanied by a deafening, terrible bell which hurt her eardrums nearly to the point of bleeding, making her fold her ears over her head. The transition from her pleasant dreamless sleep to the bellowing Centurion's voice ringing inside of the wide room was so violent that it made her groan. As well as all the other mammals.
She felt something slide to her bed. As she looked down, she saw a bucket and towel at the foot of her bed.
"CLEAN YOURSELVES UP! ON THE FIELD IN 5 MINUTES!" The bellow finished. She hadn't even realized whose voice it was and by the time she lifted her head, the Centurion was gone.
Most of the legionaries continued to groan, barely getting out of the bed, trying to wake themselves up. However, Nick had taught her better. She quickly grabbed her towel and began to wash herself.
"Hurry up! Wash yourself!" she whispered to Kitus who was barely still fluttering his eyelids. He doubted the rest of the mammals would appreciate her repeating the orders like some teacher's pet.
The dark orange fox nodded, his dark eyes fluttering open further, splashing some water on them. He tried to straighten the almost black bit of fur that stood up on top of his head, the hay having made it go in all directions. He seemed to be quite concerned with his looks.
She heard a horn blare three times, something which Nicholaus had taught her meant calling the soldiers on the field.
Quickly washing herself and changing herself in record time, the cool water straight from the aqueducts reviving her almost closed eyes.
She, Kitus and an otter were the first on the field from their size division, a lion and a wolf also being already there. In the middle of the sandy yard was Centurion Nicholaus, who despite him not giving a sign that he knew the Hoppsen girl, did allow himself to send her a brief, fleeting smile of assurance, as well as pride that she was one of the first on the field.
She hadn't had to wait long before more and more recruits joined them, stumbling from the quarters, eager to not anger the Centurions.
They all aligned themselves in perfect order, as they had done so dozens of times the day before. It had already entered their blood, in their reflexes, their brain knowing they'd be needing it.
Several others entered nearly a minute later, still rubbing their eyes, barely dragging their feet behind them. They straightened up the moment the bellows began once again.
"IS THIS THE BLOODY VAESTAL VIRGINS[6]!? SORRY TO DISTURB YOUR NAPTIME, LADIES! BUT WE HAVE SOME REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO TODAY!" Bellowed the fox. Judica cringed. She had never seen him this mad. She had only seen his soft side so far, even in battle, the anger only being transmitted through sheer determination and bravery. Now, he seemed genuinely intimidating. Even some of the larger recruits seemed to take a step back. The ram Centurion stepped into view, his black beady eyes actually fiery with rage.
"Correction…. It's this guy who's pissed." Thought Judy to herself.
"All of you lazy pukes that decided to comb your damn fur for the ladies and came later than the others…. 50 push-ups, right now!" the large ram ordered.
Aside from the occasional groan, they all went prone and began working their tired bodies. The mammals who were late also had to eat standing up, not being allowed to eat breakfast in the mess hall along with their comrades.
Judy sat next to Kitus and opposite an otter and a wolf. Discussion had been minimal, yet she exchanged a few words as she ate the bread, olives and cheese they had been given for breakfast. Kitus Knightwood was an apprentice to his father on fixing the axles on wagons. It was not exactly the most honorable of crafts, yet it would have been more than enough to put food on his table. Yet, after reading some books on engineering, he had decided to put his crafting abilities to the test on broader, far grander projects. His time in the Legion would have been a sort of apprenticeship.
After the horn sounded once again, calling them back on the field, they came face to face with weapon racks. Shields, pila and Gladius were aligned on the racks in perfect order, almost mimicking the soldiers that were about to handle them.
"Recruits, today we shall begin with the truly important training! Before you, you have your Gladius, pila and Scutum. They will be your mother, your brother and your lover on the field of battle. They will take care of you so long as you take care of them." explained Nick in an almost cheerful tone, excited to see what the new recruits could do. This was always his favourite part of drilling, to see just what they were capable of. And after a few sword swings, they will begin to trust themselves as part of the Legion. From this day, each of them would feel like a true soldier. Perhaps not truly ready, but simply feeling as if you have the power to form a line and stop a barbarian charge was enough to truly get them there, alongside uncompromising training.
Judy grit her teeth as they all climbed the hill. The clattering of Lorica Segmentata, equipment and rhythmic footsteps created vibrations which created a constant uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The sour smell of sweat intensified, particularly from the males. The furca strained her shoulder through the metal plates of the Lorica. The calluses and rashes were getting more and more pronounced each day. One day, she had found an ointment at the feet of her bed, with a note signed by Nicholaus, and it had done wonders to soothe the pain on her many calluses and rashes, caused by unshaven wood, sand, heavy weights and falls…
She could hardly see the rolling hills of Italia, with golden wheat fields and Topaz lakes, her sight dominated by steel, red banners and unidentifiable patches of fur from the future Legionaries around her.
Many of the recruits had quit or been kicked out. Those that remained were hardened with one month of intensive training. One month…. 30 days…. It seemed like such a short amount of time. But it wasn't. This was her routine now. Getting up each day at 6 in the morning, eating a frugal, yet filling meal, training with wooden weapons that were twice as heavy as the real things. Handling the real things now that they had them on their first march felt like handling feathers…
They had two hours of spare time each day, in which they could even walk around the city, so long as they were back on time. She and Nick took this opportunity to occasionally meet at inns or at the Colloseum, despite the risk. Simply talking away all the two hours with him about his many campaigns, and the hardships which she would have to face. His face twisted with foreboding suffering as he described the dark, damp forests of Germania, the scorching heat of Africa, the blistering cold of the Alps…
She continued to assure him that she was ready, always grasping his paw… and each time holding it there just a little while longer to stare into his eyes…
Her thoughts were interrupted by sharp whistle by Nicholaus, who was at the front of the Cohort alongside the Aquilifer[6], the Golden Eagle watching over them. They all knew what that meant.
They all stopped and stabbed the Furca into the ground, letting it rest on them as they tried to catch their breath standing up, not letting their guard down once.
Kitus was panting next to her, kneeling down, his almost brown fur glistening with sweat.
Sure enough, barely 5 minutes later, the whistle blew again, signalling them to continue their march. She forced herself up, burying the weight of her Furca, her Gladius and her Scutum. Strain and pain were an old friend, to be welcomed and cherished.
The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon as the almost melodic rhythm of three whistles announced that their march was over. However, that didn't mean work was done….far from it.
Several of the bigger mammals went into the nearby forest to collect wood as she and the rest of the Cohort unpacked their gear, tents and weapon racks being erected within minutes. Wood was brought in in record time; bears, tigers and bulls dragging trees that were just the right size and gait for a palisade.
Kitus gave careful instructions to the builders, how to fix the palisades in the ground better and with fewer bolts, adding in some ingenious breaks and even a gate system. Drops fell on Judica's armor and fur, several more splashing around the iron. Dark clouds gathered over their emerging makeshift camp, the few droplets soon turning into an all-out freezing rain while Hades himself seemed to be throwing the icy pitchforks on Earth. Judica grabbed a mantle from one of the chests, draping it over her armor so that it wouldn't crust away. Cleaning the corrosion off would have been hell.
Her tired muscles begged her to stop as she continued erecting the poles, setting tents and laying equipment on makeshift racks. However, that is one thing she learned quickly in training. Pain and tiredness are an abstract. They're just limits which you can climb by denying your own urges. She could almost imagine the ram Centurion yelling at her every time she began to slow down. A small feeling of constant dread in the pit of her stomach that followed her constantly. One of the first and many prices she would have to pay to become a Legionary.
In just a few hours, however, the camp was done. Rows and rows of tents of various sizes stretched over the soaked grass and earth, weapon racks made on the go from chopped wood around them. Campfires around were fizzling furiously, cooking the rations they had taken with them as well as whatever the Legionaries were able to forage and fish from the forest and nearby stream. Even watch towers had been erected in mere hours, the logs intermingled to provide a solid base, all thanks to Kitus and the other engineers.
She sat down with her Contribernium[7], consisting of herself, Kitus, two other foxes, a brother and sister otter, a striped rabbit named Jacobus and two tall jackrabbits, both brown. They all wolfed down their meals, the predators enjoying some roasted fish haphazardly sprinkled with salt and cheap spices, while she and her fellow rabbits were satisfied with a simple salad and some berries, waiting for their turn on watch duty.
There was always something to do in a camp, even after it was erected. Always some supplies which needed to be taken to the other side of the camp for whatever reason, a pole which hadn't been properly secured, a tree which obscured a watch tower's field of view and needed to be cut down…
She was thankful when night had finally fallen. She knew that she'd be called for guard duty shift sooner or later, but any hour of sleep was welcome. The tent did a decent job of keeping the elements out, and the woolen blankets kept her warm.
She and the rest of the Contribornium spent little time chatting, although Kitus kept them up a little bit with some of his crazy student stories. His family was not exactly wealthy, but they were able to afford him an education. Stories of stupid tavern escapades and causing trouble and mischief, and then finding ways of getting away with it.
All of her comrades within the tight tent laughed with him, praising him for his slyness. Judica merely forced herself to cackle to keep the group tightly-knit. They had just done their first forced march and built their first camp…. Who was she to kill the mood? Just because Kitus's Academy stories reminded her of Albinus…. How he boasted to his siblings of his misadventures both as a student and a town guard…
She forced herself to continue this painful show, for their sake, pretending to have a good time, until finally, they decided to take advantage of every minute of sleep they could have. It was only a matter of time before they were called in for guard duty anyway…
She went out of the tent as soon as she sensed them to be asleep. She quickly went to the wolf with a bow and arrow in the watchtower, making up an excuse that her tent needed more tinder for the campfire. She walked a few paces into the forest, just enough so that she could still see the camp…. And then began to sob herself dry.
She was doing this for him…. She would avenge him…. She and all of Rome would make sure that this would never happen to anyone else ever again… Then why did she feel like she had already failed? No matter how many enemies she slew, no matter how many barbarian dens she burned down, even if they would somehow manage to bring Romanization to even the furthest of tribes…. The damage was done…
She flinched as she felt something touch her shoulder. She flinched once again as she saw the helmet crest of a Centurion. Now she was in trouble…
Thankfully, the next thing she saw was the familiar russet fur of a fox she had spent way too little time with lately…
There was no need to ask why she was crying. He knew all too well why. Slowly, he opened his arms and allowed her to collapse into him, knocking the wind out of him despite his chestplate. He rubbed the inside of her ears to calm her. To his surprise, she stopped, only looking at him with bloodshot eyes.
They stood in each other's arms like that, in awkward silence. Eventually, the fox decided to break the tension.
"You've done great you know…" he whispered.
"Usually, we have a couple of recruits fainting, and everyone is just collapsing when we reach the end of the march. You went straight to helping with the camp. You really wanted to make this fox proud, huh?" he grinned. She smiled back, much to his relief.
"Well…. Not just you…" she said, looking up at the starry sky, as if searching for the Elysian Fields, where all of Rome's fallen heroes rested.
He looked up himself, chuckling.
"He's proud of you, alright" He stated simply.
"You know, when we chatted once, I offered him to enlist. He loved the idea, but he wanted to become a doctor, and couldn't bear the thought of leaving you and your family." he stated simply, looking at the camp with her.
She bit her lip, remembering his brother's last request… Tell him how you truly feel….
Why not do it now? Maybe this is why she felt so uneasy…. He was still watching her, waiting for her to do this simple, natural request. Admit your love to someone.
She would. No, not would, but, is. No more delaying. No more hiding.
"I love you…" she breathed out. She cringed the moment the words left her lips. That's it!? She mentally scolded herself. That blunt? No build-up? No thank you for how he had kept her sane through all this!? How he put his own promising career at risk to help her get recruited in his own Legion?
She expected him to look bewildered, his nose to twitch as if to sniff her for a disease, to ask her if there was something in those berries she had foraged for her dinner.
She began to stammer for explanations, not a single word being formed, instead automatically spouting out gibberish as if to truly convince him that she'd gone mad.
Instead, she felt something soft and welcoming close her muzzle. Soon, she realized that he was kissing her. She settled into the kiss almost instantly, the redness of her cheeks ceasing, the naturality of the moment seeming way too powerful to be able to make even the slightest hint of opposition.
"Silly bunny…" he breathed out, looking at her as they seperated, his long powerful paws around her slender frame.
"Took you long enough…"