" -as we cannot have any trust in those savage brutes. You claim that they have converted to the true faith, but we are not willing to believe that sort of hogwash; so many of us have seen those beasts raiding our villages and murdering people, and some have even witnessed them eating our kits! Beasts capable of commiting such crime surely lack souls to be redempted. We'd rather fight alongside Mussulmans than fight along with them."




Ever since the Holy Empire took refuge to the north and introduced advanced tools and agricultural techniques to the region, northern foxes have been pioneering out to the boreal forests lying east, reclaiming land to support their burgeoning populace. They eventually encountered various hunter-gatherer tribes of wolves as they expanded further inland. Numerous conflicts followed between them and the wolves, and animosity began to grow. However, not all tribes remained hostile to the foxes, and there were few rare cases of tribes converting to Christianity.

With the memory of lupine guards who fought valiantly against the Muslims during the first siege of Dimitriopolis still lingering, the emperor and his court was more than welcome to accept them into confederacy. That wasn't the case with native nobles and soldiers, however, and incorporating them into imperial army met great resistance from both officers and common soldiers. This objection waned only after the War of Reconquest(known as the Great Northern War among Muslims), as the lupine regiments proved their valor and usefulness by shattering enemy formations countless times with their fearful charge. However, the sense of distrust and uneasiness against the wolves continued to last among fox soldiers, even long after the wolves abandoned their old customs and outfits.

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Another uncreative doodle.

* Oops, noticed a wonky thumb too late. Alas, I threw away the doodle, so I can't really fix it. How unfortunate.