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Spring, 1351
A flint arrow was notched and ready.
Sufjan sat on a large tree branch, warily watching a familiar human and dragon unknowingly approach.
Those two.
Logan Durham the human and Meratezatgh the dragon.
The Dlareheht.
She knew them well. She had spent two months fighting with them in the quest to rescue the World Shaman of the Dragons, along with a motley group of more humans and even a duregaren. It had been exhausting, it had been costly, but it had succeeded, and the freed Jutrstra had lead the Great Wyrms to rebel against their Trasgu overlords, shattering the Tassurian power for good. Logan and Meratezatgh had become great heroes in the remainder of that conflict, eventually brought the Northern Empire to its knees.
Unfortunately all of that hadn't really helped her people.
With the success of the raid, the Tassurian Invasion thankfully had ended. The Great War had been absolutely devastating to the wood peoples. The Sabine Kingdom had been completely destroyed by the Northern invasion, its cities burned, its people scattered to the winds.
At least there would be peace now, Sufjan had thought all those years ago, a time to rebuild.
However after only a brief pause, the humans betrayed the wood folk to invade the forests again. Yeoman farmers eager for new lands, serfs fleeing their lord’s estates, renegades from the Great War, all came to the burnt Ironwood Forest like carrion flies visiting a corpse. While they were uncoordinated and undirected, they came incessantly, cutting down trees and despoiling the forest, determined to carve out their own private holdings in the communal forest. The border regions reignited in innumerable raids and skirmishes. These new humans were nearly as bad as the Other Men, less brutal but just as destructive, simply through their sheer numbers and determination. And then the kingdom again intervened; after a Long Ranging Patrol had been obliterated in the Battle of Greasy Blackberry, Auxian King Owin Walker himself officially turned against his former Sabine allies and swore again to conquer the sheltered valley, amassing armies to do so. Those armies amassed but didn't attack before the forest was set upon by a new threat, the madness of the Freeland Brothers. Those base peasantry driven insane by exasperation and exploitation and having naught but the desperate hope of following false prophets, appeared, burning and killing and despoiling everything in its path like a mindless beast.
Each time the Sabines slaughtered the humans, each time the woodfolk beat back the new threat, each time the Children of the Forest bled a bit more- losses that could not be replaced fast enough- and each time the humans came again.
The Sabines had lost perhaps a fifth of their population during the Great War. That population then declined by another fifth in the succeeding years.
So the last twenty-four years had greatly weakened Sufjan’s hopes of bringing peace back to the Ironwood Forests. It certainly felt like the Changing of the Times was upon them all in full force. The end of the world, Rugibvisck.
And now these two were back.
The prophecies said plenty about the Dlareheht: how it would herald the Rugibvisck, the Changing of the Times, chaos and death and destruction. All of which occurred. The Sabines could prepare for that. It was inevitable, and they would survive the Coming of the Tides.
Unfortunately the prophecies never said anything about the Dlareheht’s return.
So why were they back?
Was Rugibvisck over? Was a new phase coming?
Did that mean that things would get even worse than it was now?
Sufjan realized that she was tensing her bow so much that it seemed like the ironwood would snap.
The First Watch of the Sentinels sighed and gradually undrew her bow.
Perhaps she was a bit unfair.
Logan was tenacious and true- for a human. Meratezatgh was kind and caring-for a dragon. Both were a credit to their peoples.
But their peoples were ruinous demons and brought nothing but death and destruction to all those around them.
Sufjan silently unnotched her arrow and placed it back into her quiver, set her bow upon her back, drew her macuahuitl, and leaped from branch to trunk down into the bushes. The Sabine would need to be careful.
She had once counted Logan and Meratezatgh as something close to friends, but a First Watch must always be sentinels ready for any threat to the Sabines.
Sufjan hoped she was wrong about those two being a threat.
***
This time, they knew what to expect.
“So they’re watching right?” Logan asked.
“Yah they’re in the trees.” Meratezagth replied, casually brushing his head in an arc. All around.
“Why haven’t they introduced themselves?” The Forester wondered.
“Dunno. Why would the Sabines help us?”
“We helped warn them about that apocalypse or whatever they called it before the war, we allied with them when we fought the Northerners.”
“…and their entire forest burned.”
“We didn’t do that, it was the Other Men! And we helped drive them back!”
“Still.”
Logan hmphed. “Doesn’t seem very appreciative.”
Mera ignored that. “Are you sure that the Sabines even have a cure? Could they just not be lying and using the claim as a bargaining chip against your human incursions?”
“I guess, but I have to try something. Anything is better than just sitting around waiting for people to die.”
The dragon abruptly stopped. “Here’s your chance I guess.”
Logan could see nothing but trees and bushes in front of him, but he knew to rely on his friend. The Forester stuck his awlpike upon the ground and raised his hands above his head.
<Hello!> Logan called out in Sabine. It was the only word he knew of that language.
The forest did not respond.
The Forester continued talking to the empty space ahead. “Doubtless you all are watching me, ready to shoot me with the slightest provocation. But your people have welcomed me once. I am Logan Durham and this is Meratezatgh. We are what you called the Dlareheht. I would like your help. ”
A figure suddenly materialized through the shadows of the branches and trunks. It looked like a walking tree, then gradually resolved itself into the form of a female humanoid.
“Logan Durham and his friend Meratezatgh.” A familiar voice stated dryly.
Logan and Mera looked back at those piercing eyes coming from the long, striated face.
“Hello Sufjan, hope things are well.”
Sufjan looked like she could barely contain herself.
“What the hell are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough damage to us already?”
“What did I do to you?” Logan replied.
“Don’t you know there’s a war between our peoples?”
“What?”
“King Owin turned on us.”
Logan was taken aback. “Really? King Owin has always been honorable.”
Both Sufjan and Mera snorted at that.
Sufjan sighed and shook her head. “My people won’t shoot you, Dlareheht, but kindly tell me why I shouldn’t kick your asses back up to the Southern Ranges like our first time?”
“I need the help of the Sabines.”
“For what?”
“Stanton has been hit by the Scarlet Plague. A lot of people have died already. I heard the Sabines have a cure for this.”
“Where did you hear such a preposterous statement?”
“Sufjan please. You told me once that I could call on a favor from you for Fort Brecas. I think I need to call on this favor.”
The Sabine was silent.
“You’re a stubbornly righteous person Logan Durham.” She finally said, before turning to Mera. “And you enable him.”
The dragon shrugged.
Sufjan fell silent, seeming to disappear back into the forest as she pondered. Finally she appeared again slowly shaking her head. “Very well, I will call upon the council. I think I will regret this.”
Bruce Springsteen - The Promised Land
From
Howlart!
Original: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46302134/
A flint arrow was notched and ready.
Sufjan sat on a large tree branch, warily watching a familiar human and dragon unknowingly approach.
Those two.
Logan Durham the human and Meratezatgh the dragon.
The Dlareheht.
She knew them well. She had spent two months fighting with them in the quest to rescue the World Shaman of the Dragons, along with a motley group of more humans and even a duregaren. It had been exhausting, it had been costly, but it had succeeded, and the freed Jutrstra had lead the Great Wyrms to rebel against their Trasgu overlords, shattering the Tassurian power for good. Logan and Meratezatgh had become great heroes in the remainder of that conflict, eventually brought the Northern Empire to its knees.
Unfortunately all of that hadn't really helped her people.
With the success of the raid, the Tassurian Invasion thankfully had ended. The Great War had been absolutely devastating to the wood peoples. The Sabine Kingdom had been completely destroyed by the Northern invasion, its cities burned, its people scattered to the winds.
At least there would be peace now, Sufjan had thought all those years ago, a time to rebuild.
However after only a brief pause, the humans betrayed the wood folk to invade the forests again. Yeoman farmers eager for new lands, serfs fleeing their lord’s estates, renegades from the Great War, all came to the burnt Ironwood Forest like carrion flies visiting a corpse. While they were uncoordinated and undirected, they came incessantly, cutting down trees and despoiling the forest, determined to carve out their own private holdings in the communal forest. The border regions reignited in innumerable raids and skirmishes. These new humans were nearly as bad as the Other Men, less brutal but just as destructive, simply through their sheer numbers and determination. And then the kingdom again intervened; after a Long Ranging Patrol had been obliterated in the Battle of Greasy Blackberry, Auxian King Owin Walker himself officially turned against his former Sabine allies and swore again to conquer the sheltered valley, amassing armies to do so. Those armies amassed but didn't attack before the forest was set upon by a new threat, the madness of the Freeland Brothers. Those base peasantry driven insane by exasperation and exploitation and having naught but the desperate hope of following false prophets, appeared, burning and killing and despoiling everything in its path like a mindless beast.
Each time the Sabines slaughtered the humans, each time the woodfolk beat back the new threat, each time the Children of the Forest bled a bit more- losses that could not be replaced fast enough- and each time the humans came again.
The Sabines had lost perhaps a fifth of their population during the Great War. That population then declined by another fifth in the succeeding years.
So the last twenty-four years had greatly weakened Sufjan’s hopes of bringing peace back to the Ironwood Forests. It certainly felt like the Changing of the Times was upon them all in full force. The end of the world, Rugibvisck.
And now these two were back.
The prophecies said plenty about the Dlareheht: how it would herald the Rugibvisck, the Changing of the Times, chaos and death and destruction. All of which occurred. The Sabines could prepare for that. It was inevitable, and they would survive the Coming of the Tides.
Unfortunately the prophecies never said anything about the Dlareheht’s return.
So why were they back?
Was Rugibvisck over? Was a new phase coming?
Did that mean that things would get even worse than it was now?
Sufjan realized that she was tensing her bow so much that it seemed like the ironwood would snap.
The First Watch of the Sentinels sighed and gradually undrew her bow.
Perhaps she was a bit unfair.
Logan was tenacious and true- for a human. Meratezatgh was kind and caring-for a dragon. Both were a credit to their peoples.
But their peoples were ruinous demons and brought nothing but death and destruction to all those around them.
Sufjan silently unnotched her arrow and placed it back into her quiver, set her bow upon her back, drew her macuahuitl, and leaped from branch to trunk down into the bushes. The Sabine would need to be careful.
She had once counted Logan and Meratezatgh as something close to friends, but a First Watch must always be sentinels ready for any threat to the Sabines.
Sufjan hoped she was wrong about those two being a threat.
***
This time, they knew what to expect.
“So they’re watching right?” Logan asked.
“Yah they’re in the trees.” Meratezagth replied, casually brushing his head in an arc. All around.
“Why haven’t they introduced themselves?” The Forester wondered.
“Dunno. Why would the Sabines help us?”
“We helped warn them about that apocalypse or whatever they called it before the war, we allied with them when we fought the Northerners.”
“…and their entire forest burned.”
“We didn’t do that, it was the Other Men! And we helped drive them back!”
“Still.”
Logan hmphed. “Doesn’t seem very appreciative.”
Mera ignored that. “Are you sure that the Sabines even have a cure? Could they just not be lying and using the claim as a bargaining chip against your human incursions?”
“I guess, but I have to try something. Anything is better than just sitting around waiting for people to die.”
The dragon abruptly stopped. “Here’s your chance I guess.”
Logan could see nothing but trees and bushes in front of him, but he knew to rely on his friend. The Forester stuck his awlpike upon the ground and raised his hands above his head.
<Hello!> Logan called out in Sabine. It was the only word he knew of that language.
The forest did not respond.
The Forester continued talking to the empty space ahead. “Doubtless you all are watching me, ready to shoot me with the slightest provocation. But your people have welcomed me once. I am Logan Durham and this is Meratezatgh. We are what you called the Dlareheht. I would like your help. ”
A figure suddenly materialized through the shadows of the branches and trunks. It looked like a walking tree, then gradually resolved itself into the form of a female humanoid.
“Logan Durham and his friend Meratezatgh.” A familiar voice stated dryly.
Logan and Mera looked back at those piercing eyes coming from the long, striated face.
“Hello Sufjan, hope things are well.”
Sufjan looked like she could barely contain herself.
“What the hell are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough damage to us already?”
“What did I do to you?” Logan replied.
“Don’t you know there’s a war between our peoples?”
“What?”
“King Owin turned on us.”
Logan was taken aback. “Really? King Owin has always been honorable.”
Both Sufjan and Mera snorted at that.
Sufjan sighed and shook her head. “My people won’t shoot you, Dlareheht, but kindly tell me why I shouldn’t kick your asses back up to the Southern Ranges like our first time?”
“I need the help of the Sabines.”
“For what?”
“Stanton has been hit by the Scarlet Plague. A lot of people have died already. I heard the Sabines have a cure for this.”
“Where did you hear such a preposterous statement?”
“Sufjan please. You told me once that I could call on a favor from you for Fort Brecas. I think I need to call on this favor.”
The Sabine was silent.
“You’re a stubbornly righteous person Logan Durham.” She finally said, before turning to Mera. “And you enable him.”
The dragon shrugged.
Sufjan fell silent, seeming to disappear back into the forest as she pondered. Finally she appeared again slowly shaking her head. “Very well, I will call upon the council. I think I will regret this.”
Bruce Springsteen - The Promised Land
From
Howlart! Original: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46302134/
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Western Dragon
Size 1280 x 925px
File Size 292.3 kB
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