This was not how he had planned for the day to start, but here he was. Keiren walked down the extremely busy road with King Jade and Utkr, as well as Sythe and a few others. The docks were normally busy, with Basidian shipments coming in and out regularly, new soldiers and supplies to help sustain their growing need, but this was different. This was far more than he was expecting, with a much larger assortment of people than normal. Humans and Wolves grunted as they walked past, hauling a long box of carved bamboo rods in it, and behind them were several Ishtaer carrying barrels of salted fish of all kinds. "Where did that come from?" Keiren asked, wondering who could be so generous to sell them all of this.

"There's a massive fleet of ships in the dock. The captain told us to empty the entire cargo hold of most of them."

"Who ordered this shipment?" There was a pause as the men glanced at each other, frowning.

"I… I don't know, sir. I just was told to unload this and come back with more help."

Keiren moved aside to let them do their job, but shook his head. "I didn't do this. I don't even recognize where this came from. There were no markings on those crates."

"It was not our doing either, they are not from my home." Jade turned her eyes to the docks ahead, and Keiren followed her gaze. Like usual, there were a few merchant ships coming and going, the normal ones bearing easily recognized sails with emblems on them. There were of course the scores of fishing boats, from little vessels to massive ships. But it was the fleet that was new. Some were anchored in the sheltered bay, some ran aground, still more at the docks being unloaded, and still even more were coming into dock.

As they approached, Keiren was able to realize that this was the Fox clans, as there were many walking around, both sailor and soldier working hard to get their ships unloaded, or in some cases, disassembled. He saw many weapons he knew, sword and spear, bows and harpoons were common, but there were less conventional weapons among the soldiers that gave him pause. Some carried nets and slings, others with hatchets and snares, even one particularly burly soldier carried what looked like a ripped up tree. "They're armed with whatever they can carry, or rather, whatever they want to carry." King Jade muttered, clearly not approving of the improvised weapons.

"If it gets them to fight with us, then I won't complain… though I'm not sure I want him swinging that tree around near anyone. Maybe offer him a maul or something. Excuse me!" Keiren stopped one of the more professional looking soldiers as they walked past. "Who's in charge here? I must speak with them."

"The commodores are on the main dock, coordinating the landing. One has a big hat, you can't miss it." With that, the soldier walked on, quite unbothered by the question. Keiren glanced at Jade, who looked equally intrigued by the strange description. Through the mess they went, weaving between boxes and barrels, swords and salts, rations and ropes, and all other manner of supplies, until they saw them.

"Someone go fetch Barret and Anriea. They should be here for this…"

…

"You're still here, after all this time?"

"Where else would I go? You saved my life. You saved all of our lives. We are your tribe, whether you like it or not, we will follow. We've told you before, and we'll remind you as many times as we need to."

"And you know I don't want to be a leader."

"You are a leader. You don't have to want to be, but you are. We chose to follow. We chose our leader. We chose you. And no matter how many times we have this conversation, I will say the same thing again and again, so get used to it!"

Barret rolled his eyes. He hadn't been planning to spend the last half hour talking with Anriea, but they just happened to be going on the same path. Barret had come down to town to talk with Keith about the upcoming expedition to Mount Tanji, as well as simply check on the town. He didn't like leaving the estate much, especially with so many eyes on him at all times, but she was right. She was always right. He was their leader, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. "What will you do when I'm not fit to lead anymore?"

"When that day comes, I hope to be long since turned to ash. I foresee you will be a great leader, one who does not need to ask for loyalty, but one whose actions spurn others to greater heights."

"Okay, I finally have a new question for you: why?" Barret stopped and turned his entire body to face her. "Why do you think I'm going to be such a great leader? Why am I set apart from everyone else? Why me?"

Anriea was not quick to answer, taking her time to make her thoughts as clear as possible. "Why you? Because I saw what you did. I saw who you became. As soon as you saw there were people in danger, you stepped up to show them the way, even after your brother died in your arms. You stepped up to make sure we were all cared for, putting your life on the line again and again. You did not have to take us with you, but you did. You did not have to risk outrunning the Templar army, but you did. You did not have to stand tall on the front lines of battle, holding the line against all odds, but you did. Why you? Why would I choose to follow anyone else? Who else would do such things?"

Barret frowned, turning away. "I only did what needed to be done…"

"And that is why we all followed. You did what needed to be done. You could have chosen the easy way, you could have left us, you could have stayed behind, but you chose to do what was right. Not what was easy. So, we will follow."

He was about to make a snarky comment, but movement caught his eye. A young Basitin was running toward them, bearing the crest of Edinmire on his tunic. "You're both here! Good! Keiren has requested your presence at the docks immediately. Both of you." he said, panting.

"Both of us?" Barret glanced at Anriea, who looked equally confused. "Why? Why do we need to go to the docks, and why both of us?"

"I'm not sure. I was only told to come fetch you, not why. I'm glad you're here though, and not up in the Legacy Estate. That would have been quite the run."

"Very well then, we should get going."

…

The road was far busier than he had ever seen. Even with the Basitins coming and going through the port, this was a lot. It didn't take him long to realize that many of those going into town were Fox Keidrans, which most likely meant that their clans had shown up by sea rather than by land. Men and women carried food and metal, weapons and tools, lumber and nails and all other sorts of supplies past them, a never-ending caravan. "In all my years, I have never seen such a thing as this. Human, Keidran, Basitin, and Ishtaer, unified. It is truly glorious."

Barret smirked. While he wished she would walk faster, he knew her wisdom was far too valuable for him to leave. "I only played a small role. You should tell Trace and Keiren how you feel. This is almost entirely them."

"True, but before the end, everyone will have a part to play." They were split up for a minute as several Foxes trudged past with a pile of treated planks, a crate of nails rattling on top. "That's wood for building ships! Are they taking the fleet apart for resources? Are we truly that desperate?"

"I'm afraid we are. I overheard Trace mentioning that a few days ago, seems like we've been using our supplies faster than we can gather them. If we don't make a move soon, we may have to disband everyone." They fell quiet as they reached the docks, which teemed with activity. Sure enough, entire ships were being taken apart, hauled onto dry land with teams of people ripping them piece by piece. A quick glance, and Barret didn't see Keiren, but King Jade first. She was not easy to miss in a crowd. As they got closer, they could see Keiren standing next to her, with a handful of advisors nearby, and they were speaking to a couple of sailors in very fine clothing.

One was a Fox, a red and gold uniform with several medals clearly on display, as well as a large brimmed hat with a feather stuck into it. By his side was two handed sword, and on his belt was a large number of pouches, as well as rope, daggers, and many other tools for sailing. Of everyone on the dock, he stood with an air of superiority, yet his clothes were wrinkled and dirty, with a bandage on his left arm.

The other though…

"Ah, Barret, there you are!" Jade caught him out of the corner of her eye, and heads turned to them both. "It is most fitting for you both to be here to greet our new guests. This is Grand Admiral Kanik [can-IHK]." The Fox gave a light bow as the dragonfolk joined the crowd. "And this is Jhani [J'hanEE, of the Seafaring Tribes."

"You're wrong." Anriea smirked, eyeing him up and down. "You may be of that tribe now, but you are of the Minor Tribes originally."

The Ishtaer looked at her in the same manner, his bronze scales a stark contrast to his green coat. Slung over his back was a steel trident, and on his belt were knives and tools. He was a bit shorter than Barret, but his tail was longer, with a vibrant gold tip. "I haven't seen you in years! I last heard you were dead!" Jhani smiled, and held out his arms.

"Removed from the world, but not dead. It's good to see you again." Anriea let him hug her, as an old friend. "So, you are captain of this motley crew now? It hasn't changed your drawl or your limp, I see."

"There's still a piece of boar tusk in there, and it's never going to come out. At this point, it's probably fused to my bone. As for the drawl, you know how I grew up, mother was quite assertive about me speaking correctly."

"I was not aware you two knew each other." Keiren smiled. "I had only asked for her to come because she has great knowledge about the other tribes, and thought her expertise would be helpful."

"Aye, she's cunning. Far more than you give her credit for." Jhani's eyes suddenly darted to his left, taking in every detail. "And this is the legendary Barret. I have heard many things about you, many rumors. If even half of them are true, then I am pleased to meet you."

"I don't know what rumors you may have heard, but it is a pleasure to meet you as well. I admit, I wasn't expecting to have any other Ishtaer tribes join us."

"That would partially be our fault." Kanik tugged at the bandage on his arm, clearly wanting to scratch it. "If we had not been sailing past, they would not have come here."

"Oh, don't be so rash. We are merchants, pirates, whalers, and anything else we need to be. We most likely would have made our way eventually, you just gave us that extra push."

"And yet I see you unloading supplies." Utkr said, staring up at the sleek ships moored nearby. "Are you truly giving up your lifestyle to help us?"

"While there are many who would relish the opportunity to reclaim our ancestral home on Mount Tanji, no. We are only stopping for a short time. However, just because we are not staying does not mean we are not helping. We are merchants and pirates, which means our ships must be light, fast, and agile. We are able to navigate more easily than most thanks to the higher keel on our ships, and we can take routes through reefs others would deem too dangerous. We can catch up and outrun anything else that sails, even the Templar navy. With that in mind, we are more than happy to bring any goods you might need, anything that might help you. Name it, and we will find it."

Keiren and King Jade exchanged glances. "Unexpected, but not an unwelcome offer. You'll have to give us some time to figure out what we need most, but that is a very generous offer indeed."

"Then perhaps while you figure that out, Anriea? Would you care to join me on deck to catch up for a bit? It's truly been too long, and you bear many new scars."