Stone King - Chapter Nine - A Son of the Stone

"Kivi?  Why does that stone glow like that golem stone when we first found you?"  Kivi lowered his eyes.

"Because I can make golems."  Banus stood back from his adopted son.

"So all those years ago, that was your golem?"  Kivi shrugged.

"I don't know.  I was two years old at the time.  All I remember from that time are men in grey robes, carrying sticks, and falling stone."  Mena now felt justified in how she treated him, and pounced like he was a toy to play with.

"You nearly killed us!"  Then Mena frowned slightly.  "Wait, did you say grey robes?  Father?"  Banus nodded.

"That damned guild!  They paid us heavily for that glowing stone.  Now I know why.  It was their golem, but that doesn't explain how you can make one, Kivi."  Hella swallowed hard.

"It does, Banus.  So help me, it does."  She closed her eyes.  "That first night we had little Kivi, he laid in my arms and slept.  He even crawled up under my shirt and.....well, babies do that, don't they?"  Banus chuckled softly.  It was a thing a mother wouldn't think twice about.  Kivi was her son after all.

"Well, I dreamed wondrous, and terrible dreams that night.  Stone cities filled with wonders that I had never seen before!"  Her voice filled with emotion, and awe.  Their attention was now solely on Hella, and for the moment, Mena's anger was held in check.

"Stone battlements, castles that had towers so tall, they appeared to be in the clouds themselves!  Stone and brick walkways, planters that held fruit baring trees, and stone fountains with the clearest water I've ever seen flowed out of it!  Stone houses with two floors and two wings lined every street!  Markets with every sort of good food to eat, and people of all the Elukka tribes walked its streets!"  Then she shivered.  "Stone golems were at all the walls, and gates, but....they didn't attack anyone.  It felt safe."  Then she closed her eyes.  "That was all I saw that night.  I've never had that dream since."

"I do not remember that place, mother, but if you had a dream so vivid, someone wanted you to see it.  What I see now is this hill, our homes, and what we can do to protect them."  Kivi lifted his eyes, and Mena saw a coldness, and a strength that made her shiver.  This was not the boy she remembered.

"So, walls and gates.  What else?"  Mena cleared her throat.

"That river is swift, so they can't cross it on foot, or on horse, right?"  Jaana thought for a moment.

"True.  So that is a border that won't really need defense.  They can shoot, but it will tie up their forces in a place that will limit their abilities."

"There is a foot bridge that was built many years ago, and its in good shape still, so we'll need a gate there, with archer towers.  They would waste valuable resources trying to take that bridge, or get through the gate."  Kivi pursed his lips, and sat back onto the stone.  He sighed, and it almost sounded like a happy one, as he felt its chill go through him.

"That leaves the southern part of the hill, which will be a hard battle for them, or up around to the rear.  On the mountain behind us."  Kivi lifted his head.

"If they are foolish enough to take forces up that mountain, they'll have fewer left to attack us with.  The Wolfkin are fierce fighters, and become like shadows in their lands."  Banus thought for a moment.

"Maybe we are overthinking it.  This king is foolish, and thinks we are easy targets.  He'll try either a trick, like the oil in the forest, or sheer numbers.  A cavalry charge right up the hill to crush all defenders in one shot!  Its either that, or flank us by coming at our side from the forest to our west."  Mena growled.

"Spike walls!"  Kivi sat up.

"What?"  She rolled her eyes.

"Spike walls.  Long sharpened stakes that go out on an angle, held up by a rail to keep it at the height where it would hit the horses in the chest.  If you put two levels, one just a foot shorter, when the infantry go in to try and take them down, there is another spear at their height.  I saw them on the battle lines of the south king when we were in the forest that time.  It was before we moved out.  Didn't anyone else see them?"  Banus shrugged.

"I wasn't paying attention to their defenses."  Hella smiled.

"So these spike walls, can we make them here?"

"I don't see why not."  Mena said in a low voice.  "It was just rope holding them together."  Kivi looked at his sister.

"Mena?"

"What?"  She said, a slight huff in her voice.  He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Nice idea.  We will use their own idea against them."  She felt deflated.  He complimented her, but the warmth she always knew, his elation at her victory was absent.  This was indeed a man made of stone.





"Goodnight, mother."  He hugged Hella warmly, and turned to Banus.  "Goodnight, father.  Sleep well."  Thea took her husband's hand and found a warm smile light his eyes.  Hella watched her son, and the reflection in his eyes, and smiled at the young woman.

Both Jaana and Mena walked not far behind their guardians, soft sad looks on their faces.  Things had changed so drastically that they were not sure who this person was now.  They knew him intimately at one time, and though he was familiar, the manly qualities he now showed were completely in opposition to the boy they once knew.

"When he jumped into that river, his love for Mena died at the bottom of those falls, didn't it?"  Hella sighed sadly at her husband's words.

"A boy's love did.  I just hope its not too hard to swallow, or she'll become bitter again.  Then she'll never understand the difference between the love of a boy, and the love of a man."





Gita smiled softly, and pulled their husband deeper into their home, and down to the mattress.  Thea smiled, but sat down and out of the way.  She didn't want to interfere in this moment.  She would have her own time soon, but for now, this was her mother's night.

"Come, my Stone Man.  Your mother wants grandchildren."  He smiled a bit, and lifted her chin slightly.  His strong fingers were just as gentle as she's always known, though she's also seen the level of strength those same hands were capable of.

"I see many strong children running around our home someday soon.  I'll have to make this place much larger, with a few more rooms for them to play in."  Gita smiled, and let her eyes close.  The tears that formed in the corners were not like they used to be.  They were happy tears now.  She had a loving husband who was so strong, she didn't believe that even death could overcome him.

When she lay exhausted a few hours later, she smiled sleepily up at him.

"Don't forget Thea.  She wants babies too."  He chuckled as his mate fell asleep.

"Hear that, little one?"  Thea giggled, then blushed.

"She's right, you know."  She blushed brighter as he entwined his fingers with her own.  He stood up, and her breath caught in her throat.  His lean muscled body made her knees weak, even when he pulled her upright.

"There is a place I know, near the river, where the stones warm the water even in this late of a season."  She smiled and blushed.  "Shall we feel the warmth of the stones on our skin tonight?"

She wasn't so sure of the warmth of the stones, but he often talked about the stone like it was alive, and could do wonderful things, if you only asked them.

Less then ten minutes later, the expected chill of the water was absent as she lightly touched her toes to the water.  Kivi was already in up to his waist, his hand held out.  The steel grey color was back within his eyes, signaling a power shift of some kind, but his hands were only gentle.

"Shall we make your mother a grandchild?"  She asked, her lips showing her deep contentment at being the one he chose to share this with.

"Before we do, would it be alright if......I mean....."  Thea giggled.

"Jaana will make you a wonderful wife, Stone Man.  Just don't forget us as you draw close to your first love."  His eyes opened wide in surprise.

"If I should ever forget the two I love the most, my first wives, may I never feel the gentle warmth of the stone ever again!  I will never trade one Mirri wife for another."  Thea tilted her head slightly.  "You didn't know?"  She smiled.

"I did.  Her mane is a bit thinner then ours, so I wasn't sure if you knew.  Southerners usually miss that feature.  Enough about other women!  Is it not my time?"  She asked, with surprising steel in her voice.  He smiled, and pulled her close.

"It is indeed your time."  Those were the last words spoken between them for the rest of the night.






Mena opened her eyes the next morning, and groaned softly.  Her memories of the night before were still strong, and tormented her.  Her adopted brother was a man now, and all he had for her was an empty cold emotionless look that chilled her to the bone.

"Time to get up, Mena.  We have work to do."  Jaana said with just as much of a chill as Kivi had the night before.  She watched Jaana leave, then heard her swear out loud.

"Jaana?"  Mena grabbed her furs and bow, and slipped quickly out the door.  What she saw made her mouth fall open.

Further down the hill, the foundation to a wall had appeared overnight.

"There!  See him?"  Mena followed her finger, and gasped.  Her brother stopped for only a minute to wipe away the sweat from his brow, but then continued to push a large boulder over the snow.  She watched him shape it into large blocks, but she didn't know how it was possible.  His hand cut through it like it was a knife sliding through a slow roasted deer haunch.

"When did he become capable of doing that?"  She asked in awe.  Gita chuckled as she came around their home.

"Not long after we fished him out of the river, our Stone Man showed us what he could do.  He can still bleed, that much I've seen, but his battle prowess is unmatched."  She watched silently as he lifted huge stone blocks and put them into place.  The work he was capable of doing would take teams of skilled craftsmen weeks, or months to complete.

"The stone isn't breaking."  Mena said softly.

"You're right.  Hammers and chisels cut and break the stone down south."  Jaana was equally awed with the work, and the man before her.

"Kivi touches the stone, and though I can't be sure, it just does what he pictures.  Its like he asks it to do something, and the stone obeys."  Mena turned towards her with a frown, which made Kivi turn towards them.  Her darker emotions aimed at Gita drew his attention.

"You make it sound like the stone is alive."  She said flatly.

"I don't know if it is, but to my Stone Man, it might as well be alive.  He molds metal like it was clay, and shapes stone like it was turned on a potter's wheel."  She looked at them squarely.  "Who do you think built that house you currently live in?  It wasn't there a week ago."  She smiled a short smile, and started to walk away, but then turned back.

"Do any of you know how to whisper in the wind?  I haven't quite caught the knack of it yet."  Jaana nodded slowly.  "Can you whisper to him for me?  Let him know that breakfast will be ready when he finishes with that stone, and that he should come up to wash and eat."  Mena turned around and stomped off.

"How does she know so much about Kivi?  He's my brother!"  Jaana took a slow deep breath, but listened to the wind first.

"I'll be up soon.  Thanks."  Jaana stepped back and realized that Kivi had heard every word.  And she could feel the power of his gaze even from this distance.  She watched him move a stone that was far beyond any human man's strength, and felt another shift of the winds.

"You're no longer my little Stone Man, are you?"  Jaana could feel the power of the Stone Man in front of her, even if he was nearly half a mile away.  The Stone Man is much more then he used to be, and even while he excited her, he also terrified her.

All the Elukka, even the Wolf kin up north, could feel the stirrings of a familiar power that radiated from the stone.





"Do you feel it, brother?"  The Wolfkin sniffed the air and closed his eyes.

"Its strong.  Feels like....home."  The Hukka male scratched his claws up and down the bark of an old tree as he passed through the forest.  He didn't have to go deep.  It was just enough to mark his trail in case any of the Wolfkin sought him out.

"Its from the south.  The Great Stone city has laid its first foundation."  The Hukka blinked, then scowled.

"The Stone King hasn't been heard, or seen, in nearly a century, brother!  How could it be him?"  The Wolfkin smiled his wolfish grin.

"All the Elukka can feel it, brother.  Maybe you should stop inhaling that herb you like so much and take in a breath of fresh clean air, then maybe you would feel it too."  The Wolfkin growled lightly in his throat, but would not offer an open challenge.

His brother was not only too strong and fast for him to overtake, but he was right more often then not.





"He is stronger now."  Banus said softly.

"Too strong."  he turned towards her.

"What do you mean, love?"

"No matter how strong a person is, they are still just that.  A person.  I hope he remembers that, and doesn't try to hold the world on his shoulders.  Bitter bark makes the tea hard to swallow."

A simple proverb for those who've been in tough situations, and Banus knew it well.  Medicinal teas often used bitter herbs and barks to help slow blood loss, but it was hard to choke down.

That truth might be hard to swallow for a normal man, but was their son ever a man?  Banus had never seen him as a boy.  He was a son of nature.  A son of the stone.

Stone King - Chapter Eight - Battle Plans

"Excuse me?  Are you awake yet?"  Thea stuck her head inside the new stone house Kivi had just finished yesterday and watched as his mother rolled over.  Her eyes were shining brightly, a change from how she looked the day before.

"Just coming to, love."  Thea smiled.

"Kivi is waiting over by the river.  He wants to chat with you and his father for a bit.  He wouldn't say what about though."  She bit her bottom lip.

"He never does, love.  We'll be there when we've stretched out the kinks."  Thea smiled again.

"Alright.  We'll have breakfast ready by the time you return.  Put on the furs this morning.  The storms are about to start."  Jaana lifted her head from her fur.

"Storms?"

"Winter storms in the mountains are particularly brutal, Jaana."  She frowned.

"But we're not in the mountains."

"Its close enough to make the winters hard."  She sighed.

"Why did they move up here if its such an unforgiving place?"  She asked.

"From what I've heard, they didn't have much choice in the matter.  If the river had not snaked north around the village and then down over the falls, Kivi would never have found these ladies, and they both would be dead by now."  Jaana lifted her eyes in anger.

"Who would hurt these women?  They're so friendly and hospitable!"  Banus sighed sadly, and heard his wife's voice speak.

"The wind whispers said they were exiled because the girl is half human.  That bastard of the south pushed north every year or so, and were close to pushing them off the land entirely."  Jaana smiled.

"So the little Stone Man pushed back."  Hella smiled brightly.  That smile was something Jaana had missed a great deal.  "Is that what he wants to talk about?"

"Most likely.  To warn us what may come up the hill."  Mena turned her head away, after she heard every word.

"Why would he even care?"  She muttered bitterly.  Hella chose to ignore her words, but Jaana could not.

"Mind yourself in his home, Mena.  If you can't be polite, be silent!"  Mena turned to her in shock.

"You're turning on me too?"

"I haven't turned on you, but I will not allow you to insult our host!  He may be your brother, but he is still your host!  Remember that!"  Jaana got to her feet and left without the customary hug for the woman who still behaved as a child.




Hella noticed how hard both Thea and Gita worked as soon as she exited the house.  A cartload of firewood was already outside their door, but Thea was pushing a second one towards the house.  She smiled warmly at her.

"The place we go is just over there.  We'll have some water warmed for bathing when you're ready to wash up."  Hella smiled.

"I can see why my son loves you so."  She blushed slightly.  "Is Gita your mother?"  Thea nodded.

"We are Mirri.  We mate with whom we want, as long as they are not close relatives.  I'm not jealous of his love for my mother, and she is not jealous of me."  Hella smiled.

"Then I will not object to his love for both of you."  Thea bit her bottom lip.  "What's the matter, child?"

"I'm not sure he does love us."  Hella frowned.

"Why do you say that?"

"He's harder now.  He's still gentle with us, but his eyes seem colder somehow."  Hella sighed.

"I have a feeling that has nothing to do with you.  The past is a shadow that has chilled his warmth.  Make sure you light up his future.  That will warm up his eyes again."  Thea smiled.

"Thank you, mother."  Hella blushed a little.  She hoped that soon one of these women would bare a son and she would be a grandmother.

It took a few minutes to get to the place where her son waited, but when he turned towards her, she could tell that these things they would discuss would be unpleasant.  However, when his eyes fixed directly on her, she could see the life return to his eyes, and a fire ignite.

"Mother, you're looking better."  She smiled.  "Father."  Banus lowered his eyes.  Kivi rarely called him father, but when he did, it gave him a deep sense of contentment.  He had missed his son.

"What is on your mind, Kivi?"  Hella asked.  "Is it Mena again?"  He looked at her and blinked.  No, that hadn't occurred to him.  "Then what is it?"

"You could always read me, mother."  He looked down the river, towards the bottom of the valley, and the hill country laid out for many miles.  "War is coming.  We need to prepare our plans for defences, homes, grains, water, and the inevitable influx of those who will need protection, and guidance."  Banus frowned.

"Guidance, Kivi?"  He nodded.

"This is our land.  The Mirri to the southeast will be forced from their homes.  They have an elder council that has already failed to plan."  He then looked straight at his father.  "The Wolf kin to the north will not allow us into their territory, but they will come to us soon."

"The Hukka will come to us?  Why?"  Kivi looked down the hill, then to his left and in behind him.

"Straight up the hill is not the only way to get to our farm."





Kivi looked directly at his mother and pinned her hard with a stare she had never felt on her before.

"Eat, mother.  Do not eat slowly for fear you'll miss something.  I feel your pangs from here."  She lowered her eyes.

"Sorry, Kivi.  I.....thought you were dead.  I had no reason....."  Kivi cut her off.

"Jaana is reason.  Father is reason. Mena is reason.  Eat."  She lowered her eyes and let a few tears fall.

"I'm sorry."  She said in a small voice.  Thea looked at her husband.

"Be nice to your mother, Kivi.  It is not nice to twist a knife that you've already removed."  He looked up in surprise at the young woman he had recently mated with, and heard the steel in her tone.  He also heard the wisdom.  He watched his wife put her arm about his mother's shoulders.

"He doesn't mean to be like this."  Hella nodded then lifted her eyes.  She had the steel back in her own gaze, and it made Kivi smile wide.

"I know, but he had better remember who he is talking to."  She said in a low hard voice.

"I do know, and that is why I'm telling you to eat.  I need you alive and healthy.  We all do."  His voice was gentle again, and he lowered his eyes, then cleared himself of any emotions that would make it difficult to discuss the necessary and vital points that lie ahead of them.

"Love, can you make a rough drawing on some leather of the hill, the river, where the village is located, and the place you were last pushed from."  Gita nodded, and got up out of her seat.

"What's got you tied up, son?"  Banus asked.

"The river is our life.  Its water can keep us alive after the food has run out.  It will help our crops grow, and keep any animals alive.  Its also why we have so much meat smoked.  The deer and predators always come to the river each day to drink."  Banus heard his son's words and thought for a moment.

"The city has an aqueduct that brings water in.  Its on the surface where it meets up with the river, then goes underground for the rest of the way into the city, to protect it from damage and sabotage."  Kivi thought for a moment.

"Its possible to do that here too.  Make a large cistern underground, and it would be fed from the river, and that cistern would feed some wells in various places.  That would take a lot of time though.  Time away from defenses, and farming."  Jaana listened carefully.

"What if you make a large well, then dig a trench about four feet deep, line it with stones to make a shallow tunnel, then cover it back over?  We only need enough water to keep us going, not to feed an entire city, right?  That river runs swift and deep, and feeds entire lakes far to the south.  Its unlikely they would try to block it, or even search it.  They won't even believe we have the ability to protect ourselves."  Kivi smiled when Thea spoke up.

"If you make a trench, why not make a gate that you can close if you need to?  That way if you need more water, you can close the gate, expand the well system, then open it right back up!"  Gita laid the map out on the floor in front of her husband.

"Here is what I could remember, love."  He smiled when he looked it over.

"Thorough.  Only thing missing are the markers of the Wolf kin."  She frowned.

"Markers?"  He took her charcoal piece and put several points further up the hill, and several hundred yards away from their home.

"The Wolf Kin marked their territory with claw and scent markers.  We'll put a gate right here,"  He marked a spot to the north, then to the east, and the south.  "These gates will allow those we want inside."  Then he marked an area that stretched far down the hill and into the valley below.  "And this will be the territory we'll need to feed those people."  Gita put her hand on his shoulder.

"Kivi, love, that's where we used to live.  The farmers there won't take kindly to us pushing back down the hill."  He nodded.

"If I'm correct, the king will put soldiers there, take over the farm after they've planted and gotten close to a harvest, and push them north towards us.  The soldiers will use the harvests to feed themselves, and use it as a base to launch a much larger attack against your people, and us."  Banus thought for a moment.

"How will we defend against a larger force?"

"Thea said it once.  The homes we build will be on the outskirts, and will use the outer part of the wall to make part of their construction.  Each occupant will be responsible to build portions of the wall their house is attached to, and for several yards in either direction.  We'll organize the rest."

"A large force and walls means a siege."  Kivi nodded.

"But it won't be a long one."  He picked up a small stone and rubbed it until it glowed.  "We'll have assistance."

Stone King - Chapter Seven - A Strained Reunion

"Poppa, she's not doing so well."  Mena sat at her mother's bedside and tried to get her to eat, but she refused almost all requests, cajoling, and even threats to force it down her throat.

"She's lost her will, Mena.  That can't be restored with food or water."  Mena's face closed up, and her eyes took on the look they had gotten used to.

"This is Kivi's fault!"  She didn't use the past tense.  His shadow still loomed large in her life, and caused her no end of the guilt she faced every day.  Her mother still shouldered the worst of the pain, and slowly withered away, but she knew it was a knife she had put in her mother's heart.  It was easier to blame the one who would never do what she had done.

Banus shook his head.  There was no way he was going to keep banging his head against a wall.  She refused to see that she was the problem.  Her and her unreasonable hatred of the one who loved her beyond reason.  To Kivi, Mena was his big sister, and so much smarter and wiser then he was.  Mena had a very convenient memory.

Banus went outside and found Juuka walking through the village.

"Juuka!  Might I have a few words with you?"  The Mirri turned towards his human friend, and mused silently about his tone.  He appeared to be disturbed, but that was natural if you considered the fact that he now watched his mate slowly die before his eyes.

"Yes, Banus?"

"I need to take my wife away from the place where our son died.  I don't know if it will help, but her heart is slipping away!  I can't sit here and do nothing!"  Juuka nodded, then watched as Mena came out of the house.

"Poppa!  She's talking!"





"What are you doing, Kivi?"  He smiled softly and lightly petted Thea's mane.

"Its called Dream Whispers.  I'll be asleep for a little while.  Please don't try to wake me."

"Alright, but may I stay?"  He nodded.





"North.....north.....go north!  Come to find me, mother."  She appeared to be feverish, with sweat beading on her brow.  He knew that wasn't the case though.  Her face wasn't flushed, so there wasn't any heat.  She was dreaming.

"Mother?  North?"

"What's going on?  Is she feverish?"  Banus shook his head.

"No, she thinks she's talking to our son.  She thinks he's whispering in her dreams.  Calling her home."  Juuka lowered his eyes.

"I see.  She wants to die."  Banus sighed.  It would be difficult to explain to the Mirri man that their son was a special sort, and one who could do many things that no one else could do, including whispers within a dream.  However, its been almost a year since their son died, and he didn't believe that Kivi could still be alive, and talking to his wife.

"Is there a place we can go in the north?  I noticed that not many patrols bother heading that way."

"That's because the north is controlled by the Hukka.  The Wolf Kin.  We don't enter their lands, and they respect ours."  He breathed a bit heavily, then thought for a moment.  "Wait, there is a place just north west of here.  A widow and her daughter live there.  She might put you up until you decide what you wish to do."  He thought for a moment.  "The only thing is that you should not go empty handed.  Take some supplies with you.  And be polite!  Their protector is quite a.....I don't know how to explain it so you might understand!  He's already utterly destroyed two southern units that came up against him, and though it cost him for several days, his abilities are frightening!  He will not stand for any insult or threats to those he protects!"  Banus nodded, but felt a chill go right through him.  If he didn't know any better, that sounded exactly like his son.

"As I've taught all who work with us.  Honor the door and the roof of those who live there."  Juuka smiled.

Just as they have here.





"We have guests coming, Thea.  I'll finish up the other home over the next day or two."  Thea frowned.

"Guests?  Who?"  Kivi drew her close, lightly ran his hand down over her mane.

"Old ghosts and memories.  Tell your mother to come and talk to me when she has a chance.  I'll be outside breaking stone for the house."  Thea looked a little uncertain, but waited until Kivi was outside before she went for her mother.  She didn't want to admit how her knees seemed to shake whenever Kivi petted her mane.

The two of them had grown closer in these last few months, and his touch made her feel warm.  She had no experience with men to tell her what that meant.  She hadn't even told her mother, though she was sure her mother already knew.





"We are almost there, my love."  He sighed sadly.  "Just over the hill and we'll be at that farm Juuka told us about."  He wanted to tell her, but he still wasn't sure himself.  It would kill her if he said her son was alive, but it was someone else.  Then she began to thrash in her sleep.

"Kivi!  Kivi!  I can't hear you!"  She lifted up onto an elbow and opened her eyes.  "I can't find him!"





"There they are, my love."  He took Gita's hand and lightly petted her mane.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?"  He asked her, still a little concerned.  As soon as his hand ran through her fur, she started to purr a bit.

"We are.  We've already discussed it.  Its time to put these old memories to rest, and bring your mother home."  He nodded.

"Go greet our guests.  I'll call to my mother."  Gita smiled.

"I wish I could whisper with you, even if I can hear it now."  She touched his cheek.  "You're stronger too.  The last time you worked that hard, it drained you for four days."  She smiled saucily.  "I'm glad to see you on your feet."  He chuckled.

"Yes, yes, you'll see me on my back tonight.  Be good, kitten."  She chuckled and walked towards the wagon as it approached.  He heard Banus's voice and felt a shiver go down his spine.  It was a reminder of who he left behind, and how much he missed them.

"Alright, mother.  Time to wake up."  He closed his eyes.





"Kivi!"  Her head thrashed from side to side.

"Poppa!  She's getting more upset!"  She then watched as her mother lifted herself up onto an elbow again and saw her eyes more wild then ever.

"Kivi!  Please!"  She implored.  "Whisper to me!"  Mena frowned.

"Wind whispers?"  She watched as her mother forced herself to sit up and stuck her head out of the front of the covered wagon.  She watched her father fall backwards on the cold ground and openly weep.

"Its him!  Its really him!"  Was all he said.   She then heard a familiar, yet stronger voice, that sent chills down her spine, and made her extremely angry.

"Hello, mother.  I see you haven't been eating."





Mena seethed with rage as she watched her mother gorge herself on bread and meat dipped in gravy.  All that she had to do was see Kivi and her spirit was revived.  Gita offered it to her and she felt starving to her core.

Gita could feel the happiness roll right off of Kivi's mother, and a deep sadness from both his father and the Mirri woman known as Jaana.  Nothing but black and angry thoughts from the younger girl. It was something the Mirri could feel more keenly then other races, but Kivi was a master of the scents far beyond her.  She couldn't stand it for very long before she pinned a glare of each of them.

"I'll not have you staring at my husband with such hatred in his own home!  It was that hatred that drove him into the water in the first place!"  Banus sat back on his heels in surprise.

"Husband?"  Thea giggled a little before her own face closed up.

"Yes, our husband.  We are Mirri, and we have mated with the Stone Man."  Kivi smiled only a small smile, but it was devoid of emotions.

"My mates are naturally concerned about my emotions.  They pulled me from the water nearly dead over eight months ago, and I've felt a responsibility towards them ever since."  His face then reflected an inner anger that made even Banus question his son's restraint.  "They've been forced from their lands, and attacked twice already!  I've killed to prevent it from happening, and I will kill again to protect them!"

"I understand, Kivi.  I also protect my family....but why not tell us you were alive?  Your mother.... she's fine now, but....."  Kivi held up his hand.

"You know why.  I will not explain my reasons."  He lifted his eyes and looked directly at his sister.  Her black hatred was still there plain to see.  "And if she does not like being in my presence, then she can leave.  This is MY home."  He got up and went out the door.

"Kivi!"  His mother lifted her hand to stop him.

"Do not worry so, gentle mother."  Gita said softly at her ear.  "He is just going to prepare your home by starting a fire in the fire pit.  We didn't get the time to make furniture, or beds, but there are plenty of furs to keep you all warm tonight."  She looked at Jaana who only sat quietly, her eyes sad.  She left her home and went after her husband.

"He's married."  She said softly.  Thea put her hand on her shoulder.

"Are you Jaana?"  She lifted her eyes.

"You know me?"  Thea smiled.

"He spoke of you a few times.  He missed you."  She lifted her chin.

"He did? But....he's married now."  Thea giggled.

"Yeah, to two Mirri women."  She cocked her head.  "You don't know that among the Mirri there is no jealousy?  As long as the husband agrees to treat his wives properly, we are happy."  She sighed happily, and laid her chin on Jaana's shoulder.

"Really?  How can you share him like that?  Knowing that another woman also has his affection?"  She smiled.

"How can you let him go so easily even if he loves another?  He said he loved you as soon as he saw you.  Are you not Mirri as well?"  Jaana blushed.

"He was only a child when I came to know him, and....that's all I ever saw him as.  A child."  Thea smiled.

"Really?  A child?  Did you ever see him move faster then a shadow across a field?  Or watch him lift a stone larger then himself?  Did you ever see him pull iron right out of a stone and make an ax, or a knife with it?"  She smiled again.  "I did, and I never saw him as a child after that."  She got up and went to the door.

"When you've eaten, you should grab a torch and come to the house just to the right of the door, a little bit down the hill.  He built that for the family that he was sure would come here.  Something about wind whispers.  I never really understood what he meant by it, but I think you do."  Jaana lowered her eyes.

"Wind whispers?"  She watched Hella continue to gorge herself, content in the knowledge that her beloved son was alive, and much stronger then she remembered.

Kivi had taught all of them about the meaning of whispers in the wind.  The wind could talk if you listened hard enough.  If you did not listen, it was like any other lover.  The wind would ignore your call until you let her in your ears with an open heart.

Both Jaana and Hella knew they had stopped listening, and since Kivi stepped into that water, so had everyone else.

"Jaana, go talk to him."  Hella smiled and let herself fall back against her husband.  "We'll be there soon."  Her eyes traveled to her still silent daughter, but Jaana understood the reason immediately.  Things had to be said before Mena said something improper in Kivi's home.

Something that would drive him away again.  Or do something far worse, like drive Mena away when she was not ready to protect herself.

"Mother, how can you forgive him so easily?"  She said in a furious rush of words.  Hella looked at her daughter and right through her facade of anger.    She was angry, but filled with a new, and uncomfortable bitter jealousy.

"What?  Forgive him for surviving?"  She asked.  Mena opened her mouth, then closed it.

"What?  No!  For jumping into that river in the first place!  For making you worry like that!"

"Should I forgive him?"  She shook her head.

"No!"

"So that means I shouldn't forgive you for driving him into that river with your hatred then."  Mena's mouth fell open.

"What?  I didn't....."

"You hated him, and wouldn't forgive him.  But I am asking you what did he do that made you hate him so?  What was so horrible that dying would be better then facing you?"  Her mouth closed, and she looked ready to go on one of her tired tirades, so Hella shut her up quick.  "If my son had not died before I found you, would you have hated him to the point that he would rather die then be around you?"

"What?"  She asked in a small voice.

"Kivi didn't jump into that river because he did something wrong.  He did it to get away from your hatred.  To get away from you."  She let that sink in for a minute or so, but she could see her daughter shrink in upon herself.  She didn't want to face the truth.

"When I think about all the pain you caused me, it should make me hate you."  Mena's mouth fell open again, and tears formed in her eyes.

"Caused you?  But I love you!"

"And yet you knew how empty I felt when I lost my son, and then you drove my other son away from me!  Did you consider how that would make me feel, or did you just think of yourself?"  Banus looked uncomfortable now.

"Hella, love, please....don't say something you'll regret."

"No, I regret not speaking up when I had the chance!  He's alive, but different now!  He's now a man, with wives, and responsibilities!  And I missed that!  I missed seeing that happen!"  She started to cry.  "My daughter, whom I love so much drove my adopted son away and I missed how he grew up!  I saw everything up until now!  Everything!"  Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Mena had to watch as her beloved mother fell apart.

"I had to watch while the one he loved more then me drove him away with nothing but hatred!"  Mena's heart stopped.

"What....did...."

"Don't act like you didn't know!  Kivi loved you!  Jaana had to watch him trail after you, day after day, with love in his eyes that would just not die no matter how much poison you spit at him!  She loved him too!"  More tears followed the first.  "He loved you so much that when you wanted my attention, he would go to Banus!  When you wanted your father's attention, he went to Jaana.  And when you wanted Jaana's attention, he came back to me, or went off by himself to sit in the trees, and watch over you!"  Mena felt her world shake and crack all over again.  Her mother was alive, and coming back to life with more vitality then she had showed in months, but her words were like stones thrown from a catapult.

"He was a boy, becoming a man, getting more and more powerful with each passing year, and each operation we went on, he made sure you were safe!"

"What?"  She cried out.

"He put you high enough in the trees that no arrow could reach you!  He put you behind cover, and killed anyone who dared to target you!  Just....."  She laid her head in her husband's lap.  "Just how much can one little boy love a girl and she not even notice?"

"That's not possible!  He took you away from me at every turn!  He moved me back so he could be near you!"  Hella laughed sarcastically.

"Is that what you believe?  Doesn't matter now.  I've seen the results.  The boy I knew died in that river.  The boy who loved you is dead."  And the words that fell out of her mother's mouth struck her harder then anyone had ever dared to before.

"My Kivi is a man, and I'm not sure there's room for anyone else in his heart."  And finally, Mena knew the truth.

No one had ever hurt her before because Kivi killed everyone who dared to try.

Stone King - Chapter Six - The Price of Power and Authority

"Mom, its been two days, and he hasn't woken up yet."  Thea said, her gaze locked on Kivi who still slept after he defeated ten armored soldiers.  It was not for glory, honor, or prestige that he killed those men.  It was to protect those important to him.  The ones who now looked down at him with kind eyes filled with concern.

"I know, baby."  She sighed sadly.  "When he uses his speed, it costs him.  Its almost like he's borrowing from either the future, or the past."

"Borrowing?"

"Using energy he would have today, or yesterday, and used it before he should have.  But that is only me making a guess."  She took a deep breath.  "Feed him some broth, Thea.  I'll bring in some wood for the fire and take one of the swords with me.  I want to check on that pyre we built, and make sure no wolves are about."  Thea nodded and turned to the pot warming over the fire when her mother opened the door.

"Damn.  We have visitors."





"Ten soldiers?  He killed ten?"  Gita looked at Juuka angrily.

"Yes, ten!  The horses over there are proof of that!"  She took a deep breath and cleared her mind of the anger that rose up.  She didn't like to be questioned, as that reminded her of how her people perceived her.  Someone who left them to be with a human.  That made her untrustworthy.  She thought for a moment.  "Its actually a good thing for us that you decided to visit us."

"Well, we wanted to come earlier, but the elder made us wait out the night.  With the length of the trip, we weren't sure what we'd find."  Although the trip should only take a few hours as the crow flies, the river is too swift, and the terrain too uneven to directly travel to Gita's home.  They had to travel down the river, cross at a more shallow point, then cross where the river snaked in the other direction on a footbridge to the southeast.  "Wait, you said its a good thing?"  Now he was confused.  Last time they showed up, she was still quite angry with them.  Not that he blamed her.  Being exiled for having a child was a rotten thing for their elders to do to a fellow Mirri, even if her child was half human.

"Yes, we have those ten horses, which now makes eleven.  We only need one for emergency use.  As well, we have all their swords, bows, daggers, and armor.  Some will have to wait for Kivi to get around to repair it, but most of it is intact.  We have no need of it, and we can't care for so many horses with no hay laid in for them.  We can take care of one, but not ten more."  Juuka frowned.

"I see.  You want to know if we want them."  She nodded.  "We could take them south and sell them in one of the towns far from the capital.  That would bring in some silver for you."  Gita thought for a moment.

"Alright, take them with you, as well as all their equipment.  Take thirty percent of the sale for your share of the work done.  If you would also take the majority of the armor and weapons, you can keep what you think you can use, sell the rest, and use the silver you get from the sale of the gear to cover the costs of what you keep."

"Momma!  Kivi is saying something!"  Gita burst out of her chair and rushed to the bed.  It was the first time he's even moved during that time.

"Kivi?"  She leaned down.

"Half.  Keep half gear.  Rest gift."  His eyes closed again, and she thought about his words.

"Keep half?"  She turned to Juuka.  "He wants us to keep half the gear, but give the rest to your village."  Juuka frowned.

"Why a gift?"

"It may be as payment for agreeing to sell the horses.  What I want to know is why he wants to keep half."  Juuka thought for a moment.

"I don't know, Gita.  I'll ask the elders when I get home.  We'll do as he says then.  We'll bring all the silver from the sale of the horses to you."  Gita shook her head.  "No?  Now I really don't understand!"

"I just realized that silver is fine if we have somewhere to use it.  There are no markets nearby.  Instead, buy as much grain as you can, seeds to plant, root vegetables, and fruits.  Hardy vine vegetables too.  Like gourds."  He frowned, but he realized why she asked for it.

"Most would want silver, but you are wiser then I expected, Gita.  Supplies are more valuable to you then silver.  You can't feed your child with silver."

"Take all eleven horses, get a wagon, and load it with as much as you can buy with the sale of the horses.  Keep the eleventh to pull the wagon."

She watched from the doorway as Juuka gathered the gear, making sure to separate out half the armor and weapons, and decided to take some damaged gear so their smith could repair it.

It didn't feel right to him to just take the best.





"A gift?  Five sets of armor and weapons, with the agreement that we sell the horses, buy a wagon and load it with as much grain and supplies as we can for them?"  Juuka nodded.

"He wanted to keep half for some reason.  I don't understand it though.  It took considerable effort for him to wake up to pass that information along."  Elder Kaiho looked to his left, then to his right.  Both Elder Bastion and Elder Raffu looked concerned.

"Very well, Juuka.  Get moving and do as they asked.  Waste no time.  Get on the move tonight, and do not tarry in the town.  Make the sale swift, and collect the supplies just as swiftly.  Do not spend the night in the town.  Make it look like that is what you'll be doing though."  Juuka frowned.

"Do you expect trouble?"

"We are Mirri."  It was a simple statement, but it had implications.  They weren't human, and as such, they had to expect trouble, or they would be surprised by it.

They've already been attacked once this year, and that small farm of Gita's had been attacked twice, by a larger force the second time around.  With three defeats, the king in the south would either be more cautious, or put more might behind the next attack.

Juuka left with two other well armed warriors, and saw the door close behind him.  That meant the elders were to discuss things privately, and undisturbed.  It had nothing to do with the cold, as there were other Mirri waiting for their wisdom.

"He kept half, but from what Juuka said, and their actions so far, he most likely would have given all of it to us.  He expects something."  Bastion thought for a moment, which allowed Raffu to speak.

"One large attack on us, and two on them.  They wanted that land, and ours."  Both nodded their assent.

"Which means he expects more trouble.  That's the reason for the gift itself.  To keep armor suggests that he expects they'll have visitors who will have need of it."  Kaiho didn't want to voice his opinion, but Bastion didn't feel such restraint.

"What would happen to us if we were the next target?  With a much larger force?"  Bastion asked, a bit of anger in his tone.

"We would either be forced from our land, or all be slaughtered."  Kaiho said softly.  Bastion nodded.

"And if we were forced from our land, where would we go?"

"We couldn't go straight north.  The Hukka wouldn't allow us to invade their territory without a response."  Raffu closed his eyes.  "Where would we go if that wasn't a choice any longer?"

"We would go north west.  Where we already know someone who's driven them off before, with a way to feed themselves, and supplies already set in."  Bastion said wearily.  "Clever boy.  Are we sure he's not of the Mirri?"

"He's not.  That's also why I asked Juuka to hurry.  Not only so they get their supplies, but so that we develop a closer relationship, in case things go really bad.  Also, Juuka can tell us what the south tastes like."

"Do you expect an attack before the storms?"  Kaiho shook his head.

"Only a fool would force his men to march in the dead of winter.  The risk to their soldiers if we push them back, or they destroy our village which will give them no where to stay during the worst of the cold....kingdoms have had rebellions for less."  He closed his eyes.  "However, we didn't expect that first attack either.  Have the smith repair the armor and get our men into them.  Send out our scouts more often, with orders to be silent and unseen."





"Momma, he's awake."  Kivi sat up and put his feet on the stone floor.  He lifted his eyes and smiled at Thea, then moved his eyes to Gita.  He was completely naked, which he had gotten used to, but so were the women.  They curled up together each night, just like cats who used each other to stay warm.  She knelt down on the cold stone, and only grimaced for a few seconds.

"Juuka has returned with a wagon load of grains and supplies.  The five sets of armor are still in need of repairs, but there have been no whispers on the winds.  No scents that should not be there."  He nodded, and stood up slowly.  She frowned.  "Did....you grow while you were asleep?"  He wouldn't answer that question as he wasn't sure if she was correct.

He walked unsteadily to a chair and sat down slowly.  His muscles still felt weak, and Gita could tell he didn't have the energy to waste at the moment, but his body no longer looked as youthful as it once did.  There was a hardness to muscle she didn't feel before, and a maturity to his physique that he once lacked.  In the days that he slept, he also appeared to grow several inches taller.

"I just put some stew on, but the shank of the deer should nearly be finished.  Would you like a meal now?"  He nodded, then reached out for her hand.  "What is it, Kivi?"

"The winter storms will keep them at bay, but when the spring thaw hits, they may want to hit either us, or the village."  She sat down, and pursed her lips.  The cold wood did not feel good.

"Is that why you kept the armor?"

"They may have need of it, but if the Mirri are defeated at the village, they will need it here as well."  She sighed sadly.

"So you expect that they'll be victorious, but you also plan for failure."

"Which means I will need to plan our spring carefully.  Homes, empty buildings, or defenses."

"Kivi?"  He looked up.

"Yes, Thea?"  She bit her bottom lip.

"You built some flat areas out there already, right?"

"Yes, foundations with a view for a possible future."

"Well,"  She took her time and thought about it for a moment.  "Mom used to say how the cities in the south used the outside walls to build their home against.  Saves money on a wall, but it becomes their responsibility to repair that part of the wall, or keep watch on it."  Thea tried to put her thoughts into words, but they just wouldn't flow.  She felt like she stumbled all over them, and she didn't feel smart around him at all.

"That....isn't a bad idea, Thea."  She lifted her eyes in surprise, and grinned.

"When I look around, we have the river for water, the salt in behind the house, but they always come up our hill.  They have to come up to us!"

"I like your way of thinking, Thea."  Kivi smiled.  "So we just have to plan for the river, the salt, and the hill.  Also, we can't forget the territory of the Hukka is behind us."  Gita lifted her eyes in surprise.

"You know of them?"  Kivi smiled.

"More importantly, they know of us.  There are small bands that go through every couple of days to watch the hill, and us."  Thea put her head down on her knees.

"Momma said this was as far as we could go."  Gita took her daughter's hand.

"They have a right to protect their lands, baby."

"Don't worry, Thea.  We won't be expanding up the mountain, or retreating into their territory.  We'll be expanding down the hill."  Gita looked carefully at him, then got up and cut some meat off the shank over the fire.  She put a clay plate in front of him, with a pinch of salt to season the meat.

"The farms to the south will call for aid, Kivi.  They'll attack us."  He turned towards her.

"I know, but they already attacked us.  I also assume that directly south is where your old farm is located?"  She nodded.  "How far away?"

"About ten miles.  It was as far as we could get and not stray into the wolf clan's territory."

"Still far enough away to not be a nuisance, but if they are seen on our lands, they'll get run off."

"Are you planning on starting a war?"  Kivi's eyes hardened.

"They've already started a war, and its my responsibility to fight, and protect those I care for.  Its also my responsibility to protect those who will come to us for protection soon."  Thea looked up again.

"Who will be coming, Kivi?"

"The Mirri?  Those who just want to be left alone to live and not have to worry about fighting?  I am not sure, but I am sure someone will come.  And before the winter is through."

Kivi already knows the price of power, and he already learned the painful lesson about the price of authority.  Some want to take it, some what to keep it, and others will resent it.

It was a lonely life before, and would be unbearable without Thea or Gita to care for.  Without his mother, Mena, or Jaana to watch over, his heart was just like the storm outside.

The king of the south should get down on his hands and knees and thank Thea and Gita profusely.  Without them, he would have went south and town by town, city by city, he would have slaughtered them all.

And committed an unforgivable act.  He would have poured innocent blood upon the Stone.

Stone King - Chapter Five - The First Snow

"Hm, I don't think that this roof will keep out the rain."  Kivi said to himself, but found slender arms around his neck.  Thea giggled.

"The flat roof works with stone only because the Mirri use mortar, Kivi.  Logs have such big gaps, and the mud will wash away if we put in a roof like this."  He looked at the first one Thea's mother built, and nodded.

"You're other home has a round roof, so the water rolls down.  I can't do that with such long sides.  There would be too much weight on top."

"What about a roof like this?"  Thea took her hands and put her fingers together, but held her palms apart.  Most of the ceilings up north were either flat, or round, and the ones down south were flat, with short walls on top so the owners could sit up on the roof in the evening to keep cool.

"Like a mountain peak?"  He asked.  It might work.

"Yeah, but longer.  Just two sides, front and back.  The water would run down either side."  He thought for a moment.

"Whole logs wouldn't work.  Half logs, split down the middle?"  She bit her bottom lip, and wondered if she was asking too much, but decided to keep going with her idea.

"Mm, maybe thinner?  About as thick as your hand, three times as wide, and over lap them, that way the water hits the top and runs off to hit the side of the next one, instead of the edge."  He cocked his head a bit.

"Really?"  Then he thought about it for a moment.  "That might work.  A roof down south is sealed with tar, or bitumen.  What did you seal your roof with?"  Thea giggled.

"Wax!  Hard to get because bees are real nasty when you try to take their honey!  Just heat it up, let it cool, and take the wax off the top!  We used the honey to preserve fish we caught because bugs don't seem to like so much sweet to get to what they want!"  Thea had a way of talking that always sounded excited.  She sometimes made him feel sluggish with all her energy, but he was happy to know her, and be here to protect her and her mother.

"We use smoke in the south.  Makes the bees sluggish.  If you make them a house to live in, and let them keep half the honey, you always have a source for honey and wax."  He sighed heavily.  "There is still a lot to do before winter hits, but this roof idea of yours sounds good, Thea.  Lets get started!"  Thea looked up at him in surprise.

"Really?  You're so smart, I thought you would have a better idea."  He shook his head.

"I know how to do things, like make metal, but there is a lot I don't know, little one."  He turned his head when Thea sniffed the air.  "What's the matter?"

"There are Mirri nearby."  She shivered as she watched Kivi's eyes harden.  She was glad he was kind to her and her mother, as she had already seen what he could do to people when he was angry.





Kivi stood outside the doorway, and searched the land spread out ahead.  He didn't see them at first, but when he did, he realized why he missed them.  There were three Mirri men, wearing packs, and walking single file.  He also didn't sense any animosity from them, which was probably why he didn't sense them in the first place.  However, he didn't relax.

"Hello, stranger.  We're looking for the Mirri woman and her child."  They looked around, then drew their swords.  "You didn't run them off, did you?"  Their animosity rose, but towards himself, not the ones he was there to protect.

"Put your swords away.  The ladies are safe."  He turned away from them and called out.  "Thea?  Find your mother, please."  Thea poked her head out.

"She's bathing at the river, Kivi.  I'll go fetch her."  She dashed off, a bit frightened of the new arrivals, and hoped things wouldn't go badly.

"Why does she seem so scared?"  One of the men asked.  Kivi turned towards him.

"You dare ask that when it was your people who drove her and her child away first?"  They lowered their eyes, and Kivi could see their shame grow.  "If you hadn't done that,  the other men would not have kept on driving them further north!"  Kivi was angry, but when he saw Gita appear with her long thick mane slicked to her back, he started to relax.  When the girls were away, he became someone he didn't like.  She came up to his side, and he felt himself relax more as she pressed against him.  It was for his strength, but still, her presence soothed the wildness in his soul that he still struggled to suppress.

"Why are you here, Juuka?  We've not been back to the village in many years."  Gita was a little bit stiff in her words, and her eyes were not unkind, just unwilling.  She didn't feel she needed to be friendly to the people who made her life so hard in the first place.  He lifted his eyes, and sighed heavily.

"We know."  His discomfort grew, so he forced himself to break the tension.  "Ah...well, we've come to make sure you were alright.  We've also brought some provisions for you and your daughter, so you can better survive the winter."  She raised an eyebrow.

"Charity?  After all these years?"  Kivi looked at her carefully, and discerned she was a little bit proud of how she had made their way all by herself.  This must have felt like an insult.  An idea popped into his mind.

"Gita, we have some things to trade.  Why not make a deal for the food?"  She looked at him and began to smile.

"Trade?"  Juuka asked.

"Yes, we are not destitute, Juuka.  We have some salt we can trade with."

"Not just salt, Gita.  Why don't you men come inside and have some stew with us?  We have a few things that might help you, and will have more in the future."




Things went as Kivi envisioned them.

"Two swords, one bow, with a full quiver, one dagger, one horse with full tack, and two large barrels of salt."  Juuka's jaw dropped.

"Gita, how did you come by all this?  The village could make good use of the weapons at this time, and the salt will help us immensely!"  Gita smiled.

"Our protector, Kivi, dispatched the king's patrol sent north to drive us off our land again.  They will come again, with a bit larger force, but will meet with the same fate."  Her eyes reflected her pride in the one who protected them.

"Never again will they drive Gita and Thea  away, and steal what they worked so hard to build!"  She laid her hand on Kivi's shoulder.  He instantly calmed at her touch.  He was seated on a stone to the right of the table he built for them, and she could see bits of the stone crumbling as his grip increased.

"You did that?"  She nodded.  "Then you have my respect, young man.  We faced a large force not that long ago, and took some casualties as we were not prepared for their numbers.  By facing that patrol, you've made sure they can't make a camp behind us."  He looked thoughtful for a moment.  "But you offer far too much for what we've brought.  Even half the salt would more then pay for twice the amount of food we have to barter with."  Gita smiled.

"Then, consider it an advance payment for what you can bring us.  More root vegetables, the ones that can keep through the winter, and some wax.  To seal our roof."  Juuka appeared thoughtful again.

"That might come up to the cost of the salt, but the weapons?"

"I have an idea about that."  Kivi said, a small grin on his lips.

What are you up to, Stone Man?  Gita couldn't help but wonder what this beautiful man had in mind.





"I don't believe you asked for those things!"  Thea said softly.  "You could have asked for something for yourself, Kivi."  Gita nodded, but knew that he would not do that.  It wasn't in his character to be selfish.

"Leather for clothes, a potter's wheel so I can make some jars for the food, and a few more pelts for our bed.  What made you ask for the furs?  You hunt so quickly that I didn't expect that."  Kivi shrugged.

"As the snow starts to fall, it will be easier for me to hunt them, but we'll have enough meat to last through the winter soon.  There would be little reason to kill the deer other then their hide, and that feels wrong."  Gita smiled, and though she was already attracted to him, her respect just took another large bounce higher.

"Are you sure you're not of the Mirri?  Or one of the Elluka?  Your southern people don't have that much respect for life."

"Some of them, that is true.  However, my mother and father taught me respect for other living things.  If we didn't need all of the animal, the meat, and the skin, we didn't need to kill that animal."  Gita sighed and hugged him lightly.

"I hope I get to meet your mother and father one day.  They sound like good people.  We don't meet enough of those."  Thea saw his eyes lower, and instinctively wanted to stop the thing that did that to her friend.

"Kivi!"  He lifted his eyes quickly.

"Yes, Thea?"  She giggled.

"We have to work on the roof, remember?"





"They're coming, aren't they?"  Gita said softly.  He could feel her fear.

"They are just over the hill.  A larger group this time.  Maybe an entire company.  More armor too.  They aren't taking chances this time."  She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure we should stay, Kivi?"  She looked to the north, away from their hill, their home.  "We can....."

"No!  I will not allow that monster from the south to keep pushing you to your grave!"  She drew back at the energy she could feel roiling within him.  Angry waves that felt like thick black hatred.  As suddenly as they appeared, they disappeared.  "I'm sorry, Gita.  I don't want to frighten you.  Please.  Stay inside.  I won't be long."  Thea took her hand and watched a man who was near to her age, someone her mother would normally try to protect, walk out their door to face armored enemy soldiers.

"Mom?"  Her mother didn't respond.  She sat quietly at the table, and held her hand.  Within less then half an hour, Thea could no longer stand the quiet.

"Should we....."  The gallop of horses filled their ears, and though Thea became terrified of what they might do to them, the screams that followed were worse.  Screams that were cut off as quickly as they started.  One after another, cursing and swearing, followed by the clash of steel, the frightened whinny of a horse, then a yell, then silence.

"Oh no.  Kivi."  She said softly.  Her mother grasped her hand and knew the mental anguish that she felt.  Their beloved protector had to use his strength to kill, and that felt so wrong to them.  He was someone who cared for them, and used his strength to help, not to kill.

Again and again, those sounds played.  Curses.  Metal on metal.  Angry yells followed by painful screams as they realized what they faced.  The horses began to gallop again, but fewer of them.  One by one, they were cut off as well.

It was followed by a deathly silence that felt much much worse.

There was a knock at the door.

"Gita.  Stay inside.  I'll burn the bodies this time.  Please.  Don't come out.  You shouldn't see this."

Gita went to the door and opened it.  Kivi stood there, blood spattered clothes, and one lone cut on his cheek.  She hugged him tightly, and stepped outside.

"Thea, stay inside, please.  I have to help Kivi deal with the mess."

"Mom, I can help!"  Just as she shook her head,  Kivi breathed heavily, then fell to his knees, and his eyes closed without his permission.  She looked down at his still form, and shed one lone tear.

"I have to help, Momma.  He needs us."





Gita and Thea worked long into the night before she was assured that all the bodies were properly prepared.  Any good clothing was stripped off, along with any armor.  They wore mostly metal armor, so she was sure Kivi could either fix it, or make it into something new.

They had ten new horses, so Thea worked hard to give them grass to eat, and brushed them down.  She also took their tack and any bags off their backs.  She piled up the bows, daggers and swords inside their old house.  Kivi had built a paddock for the horse they kept, so she put the other ten in there with him, and closed the gate.  That would make it easier on the horses as they didn't need to have a bridle on all night to keep them from running off.

"We'll need to set up torches around the pyre, and keep adding wood as long as necessary to burn the bodies into ashes."  Thea looked up at her mother.

"Why, momma?"

"We don't want any wolves or bears to come along and try to taste the men.  That would give them a hunger for us, and I don't want to make it any harder then it already is."

"Will Kivi be alright?"  Gita lowered her eyes.

"Yes, baby.  He'll be fine."

"Momma?  Are you using the bad words?"  Gita smiled a bit.

"Maybe stretching the good ones, baby.  Just a bit."





"We need to go north and check on them!"  Juuka said fiercely.

"Not tonight.  We'll gather the supplies we promised, then go."  The elder said flatly.

"But they could be run off their lands!"  The elder nodded.

"And if they are, there is nothing you can do about it in the middle of the night.  Take five good strong soldiers with you, fully armed, and what you promised to bring them.  If they are alright, you can finish your trade deal.  If they are not alright, you can drive that group out of there, and set up some more sturdy fortifications to prevent them from trying again.  That is my word."  Again, no modulation in tone, but when an elder said it was his word, it was Juuka's job to listen.

"As you speak, elder, we obey."  Juuka said firmly, but closed his eyes.

"It does not sit well with you, young Mirri, but obey anyway."  He nodded.

"I know my duty, elder.  I will not abandon it."  The elder looked at him with a look as strong as steel.

"I hope you do.  It is not to the widow.  It is to your village first, your family second."  Juuka's posture went slack when he realized that the elder was far more experienced then he was, and could see his set of planned actions.

"I understand, elder.  I just....."  The elder lifted an eyebrow.

"Speak."

"I just feel the Creator's displeasure upon us for abandoning the widow for all this time!  I feel his eyes upon me for our failure, and every day that passes and we don't help her properly.....I feel it will only grow worse for us!"  The elder closed his eyes for a moment.  There was no other alternative then what he had already put forward.

"I understand your words, young Juuka, but also hear mine.  I am not wrong.  If she is alright, and you rush off without preparing yourself, or bringing her what you promised, you'll be breaking your word."  He sucked in his breath in surprise.  That was not something the Mirri did lightly.  It would mark all their dealing from that day forward.  "If she is not alright, there is nothing you can do for her.  Go with the hope that she still lives, and that your dealings with her will continue long into the winter, and the years ahead."

"I understand, elder."

"I see that you do now.  However, to make it so your energy will not be wasted in foolish steps, start your preparations now.  When the light starts to break the sky, set out.  Do not set out without what you promised her though!  It will not do for a Mirri to break his word!"

Foolish steps.  A waste of energy to pace back and forth when you couldn't sleep.  It would be better to put the energy to constructive use and prepare for their journey.

"I will not break my word to the widow, elder.  She has had enough disappointment in her life that I don't have to add to it."  The elder smiled a small knowing smile.

"That is true.  That thorn is now beneath the nail."  Juuka left the elder's home with energy enough to get the things they needed together.  The things he promised.

He was also happy he was the one who was able to push that thorn beneath the elder's fingernail.





"He defeated them?"  A hooded figure silently moved through the forest high on the mountain.

"Yes.  They will not be pushed further up the mountain."  He turned his back, the hood slid off his head and revealed grey fur and sharp pointed ears.

"Good.  We don't have to get involved yet.  Have the scouts keep an eye on their farm.  If things get too out of hand, we might have to offer some assistance."  A furry eyebrow lifted.

"Really?  They are the Mirri!"  He superior turned towards him.

"They are Elukka."  That was all the answer that was necessary.  If one of their kind needed help, no matter which clan they descended from, it was their duty to assist, even if it was in the background.

They were the Hukka, the wolf clan of the Elukka.  The Mirri were not their prey, so it didn't matter if they helped them or not.  As long as they didn't invade their territory, they could help.

"The first snow of the year."  Gentle flakes floated in front of their eyes.  "The storms are not far off."