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Chapter 4

The Skeleton Closet

It was an overcast day. My unit, known as the "Marshalls" had just left the house of a Caniid family. Over the last few days, we had ridden out a storm, the likes of which had not been seen in an age. A mix of torrential rains, howling winds, and booming lightning gave us all the cover we needed to catch the Caniid family off-guard and secure the shelter we desperately needed. We had hoped that we could extract some information from them concerning the movements of the Caniid armies in the area, but they were so remote and knew nothing. My commander, Ta'Jiro Lucion, told us to hunker down and do as we pleased with our "prisoners". Ta'Jiro was not someone to trifle with and had a very "no-nonsense" attitude about him. It was rumored, given the various scars on his body, only visible when he removed his armor, that he was the product of first being beaten as a foal by his father, but second, by his own hand. During our march, Ta'Jiro would often wander off at night and if it was quiet, you could hear the slapping of leather in the distance.

Regardless, when we left, the house was lifeless. We had killed every member of that Caniid family to assure no threats were behind us and to leave a warning for anyone who might be following. Though I didn't take part, some members of our unit had their way sexually with the Caniids. The cries of protestation, both male and female, made it apparent, the thin walls doing little to disguise such sounds. But I knew if I said anything, my life was forfeit. Unit commanders were judge, jury, and executioner, and Ta'Jiro would have written it up as insubordination, summarily executing me without a second thought. My only saving grace might have been that we were both from the royal houses of Ta'alia. To put it more accurately, each member of our unit was from a different royal house, hand-selected by the head of the house. Nine royal houses made up the Council that ruled over the Ta'alian empire. Each house was ruled by the "Matriarch" but each house's armies were controlled by the "Patriarch" of each house, respectively. Some of the other species found these titles too simple for royalty, but to every Ta'alian, it was ingrained in our culture.

During my upbringing, though, something didn't stick. We were constantly being told that we were superior to other species or that our kind was the greatest. Luckily, the Matriarch of the Ironhoof clan herself instilled something in me; compassion and mercy. The Ironhoof clan was known among the houses for producing the best quality metal and the Matriarch would often come to the stables during our formative years to talk about various things. While in that house, witnessing what the other members of our squad had done, I reminisced about a particular day the Matriarch came to our stables to visit. It was the day where we began sparring with proper weapons and trying to prove what we had learned up to that point. The herd of foals from the Ironhoof clan had been sparring for several hours when Ka'Tila, a strong filly, had put her sparring partner on the ground. Without hesitation, she immediately went in for a killing strike, something we were explicitly told not to do by our instructor. The tip of Ka'Tila's blade was a mere fraction from the chest of her sparring partner when a booming voice carried over the training ring.

"STOP," the voice commanded. I remember it being as if the gods themselves had rung out and echoed all around us. The Matriarch, unseen by all of us foals, then came down from the platform and began walking toward Ka'Tila.

Ka'Tila's body language rapidly switched from blood lust to terror as she realized what she was about to do. Her face turned upwards with a pleading twist as tears welled up in her small eyes. "Matriarch... I... wasn't..."

The Matriarch simply waved her hand through the air, silently commanding her to remain silent. The dust of the arena swirled in the twisting air as she continued her path toward the center. Upon reaching Ka'Tila, the Matriarch spoke. "Hand me that sword child."

Without hesitation, Ka'Tila assumed the position of attention, kneeled, and presented the blade, forgetting to wipe it down as was accustomed. Our instructor snorted on the platform realizing Ka'Tila's mistake, but the Matriarch paid it no such mind.

"Ka'Tila is it?" The Matriarch asked as she took the sword out of the child's hands.

Stammering and trying desperately to collect herself, Ka'Tila replied, "Yes... your highness."

"By your name, you are of the common stock... And yet... you were ready to kill so quickly..." the Matriarch trailed off as she turned to face the rest of the herd gathered for the training. She began inspecting the sword, rotating it to each side before continuing, "Instructor Ka'Vant, gather the surrounding foals! A lesson is needed."

Before the Matriarch could even finish speaking, our instructor had gathered us, leading us as instructed to surround the Matriarch. This was unprecedented among the Equiids. As foals, we were taught that if there was a danger that we needed to group tightly and the adults were supposed to surround us. This was the opposite.

Ka'Tlia, assuming she needed to get in line with the rest of us, rose. The Matriarch quickly turned, put a hand on her shoulder, and forced her back into the kneeling position. Then the Matriarch spoke, a lilt of anger and disappointment in her voice.

"Child, I gave you no such order as to stand or leave my presence. There may be one more lesson that is necessary this afternoon," the Matriarch said as she glanced hard at our instructor.

After only a few more moments, all of us were standing in a circle around the Matriarch with a training sword in her hand and Ka'Tila still kneeling on the ground. A silence fell over the circle of foals as the wind kicked up more dust. The sun was high in the afternoon sky and the Matriarch stood for several more moments before speaking.

"Go! Stand with the others, young one," the Matriarch finally said. Ka'Tila quickly rose and did as she was told, tripping slightly, either out of fear or nervousness. "Foals, I want you to think of someone you cherish. A friend, a parent, a pet. It matters not." I remember thinking of my father, the Patriarch.

"Now, consider the tactics and training you've been taught. Somewhere in this world are other young also training to join the ranks of their respective armies. One day, you will meet them on the battlefield and you'll have a weapon similar to this one," the Matriarch said as she quickly stabbed it into the ground. "You are all training to protect, not only your families but also, the entire Ta'alian empire. Those of other species are simply doing the same."

The hooves of a foal quickly raised their hand and the Matriarch acknowledge them. "Yes, foal. Speak."

"Your highness, they're our enemies. Should they not be killed at every opportunity lest we be consumed by them?" the young foal said questioningly.

The Matriarch contemplated the foal's words for a moment before continuing. "There's a fine line between defeating your enemy and slaughtering your enemy, child. Ka'Tila was about to slaughter her opponent, and it would have been tragic. She allowed her rage to blind her. The two were sparring, not fighting for life and death, and yet, she was prepared to kill. The same can be said for the real battlefield. Keep a level head and remember that no matter the species, each has a life and a family. Defeat your opponent but do not slaughter them, for if you do, you are no better than the wild beasts of old."

Coming back from halcyon, the Matriarch's words rung in my head as we continued marching. We had just reached the outskirts of a large wood known as a resting spot for the Caniid armies. To my understanding, Ta'Jiro intended to catch them off guard during the night. While the rain had let up, the drizzle and drippings from the trees still made enough sound inside the woods, hopefully covering our movements and scents. While we were trained in all manners of stealth tactics, our weight and hard hooves were still a challenge to overcome. Though the padded wrappings we often wore to cover our hooves were uncomfortable, they certainly did the job they were designed for.

Silently, Ta'Jiro lifted his hand into the air, ordering us to halt, and the other eight of us froze and instinctively scanned our surroundings. The rain continued to dribble from the trees and collect into puddles on the uneven ground of the forest. Ta'Jiro whispered his deep, gruff voice, "They're already upon the woods." There was no mistaking the smell of the Caniid's wet coats against the smell of pine needles and occasional oak. "Ta'Ulvon and Ta'Hutra, scout directly ahead in a fan. Ta'kom, Ta'Sutr, and Ta'Qulina, start setting up a camp right here. Keep the fire small..." Ta'Jiro stopped briefly, licking his finger, holding it up to determine the direction of the wind as his wrapped tail swished. "Should be ok for now. The rest of you, keep patrol of the perimeter. I need a moment to think." At this, Ta'Jiro walked over to a large rock jutting out of the ground, creating a small area of dryness beneath it.

Without question, we set about our tasks. Had we been wearing regular issue battle armor, it would have been impossible to catch the Caniids unawares. Our unit, however, was issued oiled leather armor, making our mission of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance much easier. Just as my squad finished getting the small camp prepared, the two scouts returned, reporting to Ta'Jiro in his makeshift command area. They were out of earshot, but from all of their body language, it appeared favorable to our plight. I had just done maintenance on the weapons of our unit when Ta'Jiro made his way over to the main camp.

"Gather up," Ta'Jiro commanded quietly. His voice grated against the serene sounds of nature that surrounded us. "According to our scouts, there is a small group of Caniids in a camp a little way north of here, counting six. Though there might be a few not in the camp right now, so remember that. More than likely, they'll have at least two guards after dark." Ta'Jiro snorted in a half-hearted chuckle before continuing. "Predictable Caniids. Make sure those swords are sharp, Ta'kom. Your family's name depends on it."

Not stopping for a second, I replied, "Yes, sir. Can't let the Ta'alian Empire down now, can we?"

The slight grin on Ta'Jiro's face washed away into a scowl. "Something the matter Ironhoof? Don't think I didn't notice you back at the filthy Caniid peasant's house." Ta'Jiro stepped away from the group to stand directly in front of me. "Something you need to get off your chest?" Ta'Jiro said as he positioned his hand's hoof tip into my forehead mockingly. "At least the rest of us had a bit of fun with those disgusting beasts."

Not wanting to disrupt the operation, I continued sharping our weapons. "No sir. No problems here. Just concerned about these weapons right now. My family is known for our metalwork. Gotta make sure I don't fail them now."

Ta'Jiro's naturally red irises bore holes through me and I could almost feel a seething rage coming from his body. "That's what I thought, Ironhoof," Ta'Jiro said before turning around. "As I was saying, there should only be two guards this evening which mean, at least four will be asleep. Seven of you will get in a round pin formation..." Ta'Jiro said as he broke off a branch from a tree and started drawing in the dirt at our feet. "Ta'Quilna and I will be on opposite sides providing covering fire with our longbows."

Ta'Sutr spoke up. "Sir, don't you think it would be better to..."

Ta'Jiro stopped drawing and jabbed the stick directly into Ta'Sutr's chest, cutting him off with a growling snarl. "I don't remember asking you for your opinion, fucknuts. When I'm ready to pay attention to the musings from any member of House Sheltson, I'll denounce my name."

The jab to Ta'Sutr's chest was almost enough to knock him off of his hooves. The members of House Sheltson, while hearty, were much smaller than the other houses. "Apologies sir..." Ta'Sutr answered.

With his blood-red iris' fixated, Ta'Jiro stared at Ta'Sutr intensely before closing his eyes, collecting his thoughts. Ta'Jiro then continued to go over the plan. After a short time, he completed his thoughts. "Now that I'm finished... is there anyone else that has an opinion?" he asked. Other than the continued sounds of the rain dripping, the light crackle of the fire, and the occasional sound of my stone scraping our swords, none of us made a peep.

"Good," Ta'Jiro said, finally breaking the silence. "I don't care who does it, but two of you start a watch. Ta'kom, make sure those weapons are finished before nightfall." With that, Ta'Jiro made his way back to the dry outcropping.

The rest of the day passed without event and none of us spoke a word. There's always a "calm before the storm" as they say, before any battle, and each of us had our routines and meditations. With each ring of the stone against the sword, my mind focused on exactly how tonight would go down. With any luck, we'd take out the guards quickly and quietly from opposing ends. Then we'd silently kill the others as they slept. Quick and quiet; our normal method, excluding that farmhouse...

I was so wrapped up in thought, I had not noticed that night had fallen and the others were collecting their things. Ta'Jiro promptly broke the spell I was under by quickly kicking his hoof across the fire, blanketing me in darkness. "My sword, Ironhoof..." Ta'Jiro spoke gruffly.

As the fog cleared from my mind and my eyes adjusted, I replied, "Yes, sir. Should be to your liking." Ta'Jiro's eyes pierced through me as I handed the sword upward from my seated position. His hand reached out and snatched the sword away from me in a quick motion. The disdain in Ta'Jiro's face was apparent, but the why of the matter I was unsure of. Maybe it was just the unnatural look in his eyes that always made me feel uneasy. To my knowledge, Ta'Jiro is the only Equiid born with eyes like his. His whole body was almost... demonic.

Regardless of the details of Equiid physiology, we still had our mission. The sun had been obscured by the overcast sky for the day and as it peeked through the dense, gray clouds for the briefest of time at the horizon, our group finished packing up everything. The two scouts began covering our tracks as the rest of us got into the standard rank and file of our group. Ta'Jiro, after looking at the site of our rest, satisfied with the hurried cover-up, took his place at the head of our troop as the two scouts took up the rear. Slowly, we moved deeper into the woodlands as darkness overtook the land. Though we were all silent, I believed the same thought was on all of our minds. Tonight, there would be blood.

After an hour of trudging deeper into the pine forest, with only the soft sounds of our hooves and dripping water, Ta'Jiro once again threw his hand up, motioning for us to stop. While still starring forward, he moved his hand in a circular motion, meaning for us to huddle together tightly to quickly, and quietly, discuss our next course of action. Once huddled, a space still open for Ta'Jiro, he quickly turned, dropping into his appointed position. With whispered words barely audible even to the 8 of us around Ta'Jiro, he laid out how this operation was going to happen.

"Ta'Ulvon, Ta'Hutra, Ta'Gos, and I will go around the right side. I'll motion one at a time for each of you to stop at a position, pointing in the direction you need to travel once the usual signal is given. Ta'Sutr, Ta'Perta, Ta'Kom, and Ta'Refl will go around the left side. Space yourselves out as evenly as you can. Ta'Refl, you'll be in charge of positioning. Ta'Qulina, you'll stay here on this side. Keep your ears sharp for anything. Kill any guards you come across and do it silently. Once Ta'Refl reaches my position, I will give the signal to hold the position. We'll then wait for one hour to ensure no surprises. After that, I'll give the signal to move inward to the camp. There, we'll take the sleeping dogs out one by one."

Ta'Jiro looked up at the rest of us and, as expected, we each gave a confirming shake of our heads, showing we understood our roles. We had each done this, as a group, dozens of times. Tonight shouldn't be any different. Ta'Jiro then blew a stream of air out of his nose forcefully, a sign for us to move out. With no further gestures, our teams split up and moved toward our assigned positions. Ta'Qulina began making a blind from which she could stay while the rest of us headed out. We'd each do the same. All of this was routine.

After walking for around fifteen minutes, Ta'Rafl pointed at me, then pointed at the ground. This was my spot. After only a moment, the rest of my herd continued to move to their positions. Just as Ta'Qulina had done, I found a depression in the earth and formed a small blind as quietly as I could. This was the least favorite part for me. My hands were used to working with metal, not slimy, smelly earth full of bugs and who knows what else. Especially in the darkness. For all I knew, I was digging into a heap of dung, or worse, fire ants. Regardless, I had to hunker down amongst the gifts of the earth and remain here, silently awaiting the signal to move.

Equiids are not ones to be in solitude for very long, but in large groups. A herd. A family... not so unlike the family that we had 'taken prisoner' as Ta'Jiro stated. What was it about that event that had suddenly flipped through my thoughts? Had I really been blind to how each of the species was simply trying to live? And my Matriarch? Would she be ashamed of how we handled that aspect of our mission? My mind continued to mull over many various realizations that had now entered my mind.

_ "I'm a member of a royal house of the Ta'alian Empire, for fuck's sake!"_ I thought to myself. "I was selected to defend our nation, not to contemplate how similar we all were."

_ _ I'm not entirely certain how long it was that I continued to entertain those thoughts, but reality suddenly came flooding back to me as my ears twisted around toward my backside. The leaves, roughly behind me and to my left, rustled, albeit quietly. Slowly, I moved forward just enough to peek around my blind in hopes to make out what had made its way to my backside, all the while gripping my sword hilt tightly, expecting a fight.

To my surprise, it was not a 'someone' behind me, but a 'something'. Just a short way from where I was now crouched, a feral doe was gently making her way to wherever she was intent on going to. My grip loosened, but I continued to watch the wild animal slowly graze while it continued to move. Until this point in my life, I had never given feral creatures a second thought outside of their intended purposes. I had tended to the feral horse herd during my blacksmith training. I had hunted feral deer when there was a need for meat. I had even helped milked the feral bovines and goats a time or two. But here, in this dark and wild place, where only the light sounds of rain falling from the trees could be heard, my mind only absorbed what was in front of me; a simple, wild doe. Simple, yet connected to the rest of nature by a sometimes-vicious cycle of life and death. For her, there were no conflicts of empires, no attention needed for pomp and circumstance, and certainly no mind for dealing with those like Ta'Jiro. This doe's concerns in life were very simple. Food, water, mating, caring for potential young, and staying alive. I wasn't naïve, though. A pack of feral wolves would assuredly hunt her down one day if one of the greater species didn't do it first. Though her life was in near-constant danger, she seemed to only be concerned with now, the present. Each ear moved this way and that, listening for potential dangers, and each hoof of her legs slowly took her toward its destination...

Then came the whistle. The doe's head shot up, ears pointed directly toward where the sound had come from. After only a moment of being frozen still, she gracefully sprang away, still only making only the softest of noises. This was our signal to wait. Cautiously, I settled back into my position inside the blind. The reality of the situation I found myself in was front and center in my mind now. One hour from now, we'd begin our slow march toward the sleeping camp of Caniids and kill them. They are the enemy of my species. From the stories I've been told, they'd kill and eat each one of us without hesitation. We're doing nothing more than defending our right to live and prosper.

I continued to focus on the mission at hand. Over the last several days, my mind had been entirely too occupied with musings over experiences unrelated to my training and our mission. Silently pulling my sword from its sheath and feeling the metal of its blade, I focused on the task ahead, steeling my mind. This blade had killed before, by my hand, and it could certainly do it again. So could I. The edges of the double-sided blade were as sharp now as it had ever been, expertly crafted by my father, the Patriarch of the Ironhoof clan.

Before my mind could drift once again, the signal for us to move floated across the night's air. Leaning forward to stand, the makeshift blind collapsed behind me. None would be aware I had ever been here without expert knowledge. The earthen matter returned as it had once been before my arrival, covering the weight of my body that had indented the ground below. Just as I stood up, in the distance to both my left and right, nearly simultaneously, I could make out the gurgles of two male Caniids. Ta'Jiro was right. They only had two guards.

Making my way toward the Caniid camp, it wasn't long before the light from the low fire cast itself outward enough to see four small tents and a small fire pit in the center. If Ta'Jiro was right, they would sleep two per tent. With each step closer to the camp, the beating of my heart increased. Looking to where each of member of my squad should be, I could just barely make each of them out, besides Ta'Jiro and Ta'Qulina. They'd be far enough away to only provide covering fire. With the two of them betrothed to each other, there was no need for either of them to be put into direct danger, given the other seven of us could easily handle the situation. Quietly, each of us moved ever closer to the Caniid camp.

"Sheath your weapons and put your hands in the air," a gruff Caniid voice called out, seemingly from nowhere. "Though you intended to surround us, you are the ones who are now surrounded."

Just as the unseen figure finished speaking, a tall and muscular Caniid stepped into the light of the fire, shortly followed by Ta'Jiro, bound and gagged, being dragged behind the massive wolf like being. "Come on, the rest of you. We've got your leader and we know there are eight of you. Unless you want him to die, I better see the other seven of you here pretty soon."

"Eight? Doesn't he mean nine?" I questioned to myself. Before I could even finish the thought, Ta'Qulina came dashing out of the woods toward the camp.

"No! Don't hurt him!" she called out as she ran toward the camp with her hooves high in the air. As I briefly glanced at Ta'Jiro, I'm not sure the rage on his face was because he had been captured or because Ta'Qulina had given in to the demands so easily. It was apparent she was acting on her emotions and not on the mission.

The hulking Caniid continued as two other Caniids came into view to bind Ta'Qulina. "Ah good. At least a few of you are smart. Now I've got two future corpses if the rest of you don't come out here soon." A mixture of what seemed like growling and laughter soon erupted from the maw of the giant Caniid after a momentary silence. "I'm normally a very patient one but given that you all turned two of my men into corpses, I can only assume you guys are ok with a little eye for an eye." He then drew a dagger from his belt and held it up to Ta'Qulina's ear. "I'll give you to the count of three and I'm taking her ear..."

After this, the air of the forest hung silent for only a moment, then was filled with blood-curdling screams. The small dagger had cleaved her ear clean off, and she screamed into the darkness of the surrounding woods. "Don't say I'm not a man of my word, you fucking pack mules! Now get out here before the situation gets any messier. I'm here to take you prisoner, not to kill you. Come quietly and I won't 'have' to kill you," the Caniid said as he sheathed the dagger in his belt. Ta'Qulina was leaning her head hard into Ta'Jiro's chest, still whimpering with tears flowing from her eyes, either to stop the bleeding or simply for comfort. Either way, Ta'Jiro looked as if his gaze should be enough to kill any who looked upon him.

The large Caniid stood silently for a brief time before kicking the dirt toward Ta'Jiro. As he starred down at him, each of their gazes locked onto the others, he exclaimed once again. "One hour! We've been tracking the eight of you for over a week and I am sick of it! I'm giving the rest of you one hour to get out here or I'm killing these two, then coming after the rest of you!" The ripped Caniid lifted his nose into the air, stretching the taut muscles of his neck, and took a deep breath. "... and I'm pretty sure I'd have no trouble tracking you from this distance."

"But how? We'd been sure to cover ourselves at each stop. We've hunted Caniid forces before. We knew their tactics in and out. Our training covered how to deal with Caniids and their sense of smell. How in the world was he able to sniff us out?"

_ _ Just as quickly as the questions had entered my mind, the answer followed behind along with the answer why he assumed there were only eight of us. "The Caniid peasants' house..." This was the only difference between every other mission. Excluding myself, every member of our team had raped that poor Caniid family. Even Ta'Qulina remarked at some point, enjoying the knotted cock of the family's father. Though I didn't see the carnage afterward, I heard it. I'm not sure who killed him, but it wasn't long after Ta'Qulina's moans had finished. The desperate gurgles of a Caniid could be heard as his life left this plane of existence. Ta'Jiro was moronic for allowing any of that ordeal to happen on his watch. He's the reason all of this is happening. He left a perfect scent trail for the Caniids to follow should they come across that house. It wasn't the natural odor of our bodies but our sex fluids that betrayed us and all of it landed squarely at Ta'Jiro's hooves. How many times had we been drilled on covering our scents? All of them? The only way for us to have prevented this would have been to burn the house to the ground. This was a complete failure, but now wasn't the time to be pointing fingers.

Over the next hour, one by one, each of the members of my team left the woods, hooves in the air and weapons sheathed. As each entered the small camp, they were all bound, gagged, and forced to the ground. No longer shouting, the leading Caniid now addressed the rest of my squad, his voice just loud enough for me to make out his words.

"Good. It looks like you guys aren't as stupid as I took you for. Most of the Equiids I've encountered have been... dullards, if I may." He paused and turned the opposite direction and started walking to the other end of the line of prisoners. He continued, "You guys, however... well, you must be more important. Never seen such a small group of Equiids and certainly ain't seen none skulking around the woods at night." Then, the muscle-bound Caniid confirmed my suspicions, "If it hadn't of been for the fucking mess, you all left at the old Copperpelt's place, not sure if I'd have ever caught up with you all. Now I've seen some sick shit before, but that tops the list. My orders are to bring you all in alive, but if it were up to me, I'd kill you all right here just for that one thing. Well, six things if we're counting bodies." Once he had reached the end of the line, he once again turned in the opposite direction and began strolling toward the other end.

"And, knowing how you guys think, you're probably thinking you killed that entire family and that you'd never be caught. That's why you got 'sloppy' for a lack of better terms. Well, ya didn't. One daughter had gone to the local town to get some supplies. So I guess good on ya for ruining that poor girl's life. And for that, I'm gonna make you all suffer a bit before I take you in." The oddly creepy smile that had been on his face slowly twisted into an evil, scowling mockery of its former self. "I've known that family for as long as I can remember. Watched all their kids grow into the adults they are... were today." One by one, besides Ta'Qulina, whose head was still buried into Ta'Jiro's chest, and Ta'jiro lowered their heads toward the ground, assumedly in shame. Ta'Jiro held his head high, his muzzle pointed directly toward his large Caniid captor. Whether it was in defiance or simply out of pride, Ta'Jiro didn't waver.

The Caniid spoke once again, looking directly at Ta'Jiro. "And you? You 'must' be the leader of this little band of ruffians. Look at you! Sitting there feeling nothing. I'm not sure if you ordered your men to do what they did or if you just turned a blind eye." The Caniid stood directly in front of Ta'Jiro. With a swiftness unseen in even the fastest of our courier runners, the Caniid backhanded Ta'Jiro squarely across his muzzle, the force knocking his head to one side. Slowly, Ta'Jiro lifted his head back into its previous position and fixated his gaze once again. "Yep! Just like I thought. You're the leader! The rest of the chumps wouldn't dare stare at me like that. Look at them..." The Caniid paused, expecting Ta'Jiro to follow his command, but Ta'Jiro just continued to be defiant. With a roaring growl, the Caniid commanded, "LOOK AT THEM!" he said as he grabbed either side of Ta'Jiro's face, forcing him to look at the rest of our squad. "These... are the people you command. They're all pathetic pieces of excrement. You know what that means? You're the biggest turd of them all. I can only hope I get to see you hang once I get you back."

After this, the Caniid leader began the torture of each of my squad members. Just as he said, his aim wasn't to kill them, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Over the next hour, each member of our squad had passed out either from shock or pain from the torture each received. All of them except Ta'Jiro. After an hour of trying, Ta'Jiro was still lifting his head defiantly regardless of what they did to him, though bloodied as he was.

"Well, it looks like you're one nut that I'm just not going to crack this evening," the large Caniid final said, exacerbated. Putting his enormous paws squarely on his hips, he then spoke to his pack. "Alright boys, let's pack it in for tonight. Get some rest. We've got a long march back to Grilsmeth and the more time we spend hanging around here, the less time I'll have with Issy when we get back. I need to let off some steam..." he said as a hardy laugh escaped his maw. "Might even give her a litter this time!" The rest of the pack let out a bit of laughter as the fire was smothered. The Caniid leader spoke once again, this time to Ta'Jiro. "You guys just hang out here for tonight. The rest of your herd is asleep, so I suggest you join them. You might not get another chance in the next few days," he paused for a moment, seeming to think to himself briefly before continuing, "My name is Jo-ny, but you... well, you can call me Jangles the Butcher. Remember, it when you're swinging from the gallows in a month, you worthless sack of meat." With that, he turned toward the tent farthest from my squad and entered. The rest of the Caniids followed suite shortly there after.

After all the time they had spent beating my squad mates, they did not know that I was still in the woods, especially given the fact they didn't leave anyone to guard the camp. However, even if I was to free them, they'd be useless in a fight, not withstanding Ta'Jiro. That was a gamble, too. I know the arms of several of my teammates had to be broken simply based on the screams that filled the cool night air. Ta'Jiro, though, never made a sound. He was gagged, but he didn't even make muffled sounds. He simply took it. Each blow from the captors seemed to affect him very little, besides the obvious bleeding lacerations around his body and face. My options were limited, but I was duty bound to free them, even if it meant my own life. So I waited, though. I'm not entirely sure for how long. The drippings of the trees from the rain had finally stopped, replaced by the various insect and bird calls associated with wilderness. It was time I began my rescue.

Slowly, I made my way to the edge of the camp where they had lined all of my squad up at. Immediately, my observations of the situation were proven true; each of them passed out, still bound with their hands behind their back, hooves tied together, and then those two bound. Starting at the end of the line away from Ta'Jiro, I cut the ropes for each of them, freeing them if they should wake. Ta'Satr roused somewhat once his bindings were removed, but the most he could do was move his eyes to look at me. His lips had been split in two and his teeth were shattered, leaving only jagged pieces behind. The soft tissues of his muzzle were ground apart from the blows to his face. Even if he survived this, he'd certainly be removed from service or put into a non-combat position.

When I got to Ta'Jiro, his eyes were still just as filled with rage as they were earlier. Those red irises burned a hole through me with a look that could only be described as pure hatred, though I wasn't sure if it was directed at me, the others, or the Caniids. Possibly all the above. I removed Ta'Jiro's gag first, but he said nothing. His eyes never once moved from their fixated position. Then I removed the binding of his feet. Slowly, he repositioned himself so that he was sitting on his rear instead of on his knees. He then motioned for me to remove the bindings on his hands, to which I obliged. The moment those binding had slipped off, he swiftly maneuvered, taking the sword from the sheath at my side. Ta'Jiro, then stood, closed his piercing red eyes, and took a deep sigh. Following his lead, I stood up as well. As I reached my full height, Ta'Jiro opened his eyes once again, starring directly at me from the side, his eyes still filled with blood lust.

Had I not been paying attention at that moment, Ta'Jiro would have surely killed me. With a blinding flash, Ta'Jiro swung my sword upwards as if to cut off my muzzle in one swift blow. With some measure of luck, I could turn my head just enough so that only the tip of the sword caught my cheek and eyelid, missing my eyeball by merely a hair's width. Surprised by this, I let out a quick, yet loud, scream of pain, awaking the Caniids in their tents. Realizing this, Ta'Jiro then focused his attention on the now awakened Caniids but not before saying, "I am going to kill you, Ta'Kom."

Though I had just been betrayed and stunned, blood now pouring down my face, I hastily looked to find a sword to defend myself with, knowing full well that I'd be struck down should I not have anything to defend myself with. Again, luck was on my side as the Caniids had simply piled up my squad's gear. Just as I had reached the pile and picked up a sword, a Caniid soldier was already pouncing in my direction. It was at this point I had lost track of Ta'Jiro. More worried about my own life, I slayed the first solider only to be met with another. The night was suddenly filled with the sounds of clanging metal on metal as Ta'Jiro and I fought off our attackers.

The first soldier that was upon me went down easily. As he jumped directly at me, my sword found purchase at the clavicle, plunging deep within his chest from his momentum. The second swiftly came around the corner of a tent to meet my gaze no sooner than the first one had hit the damp earth below our feet. This soldier was certainly not very experienced as after only a few dodged attacks, I swept the Caniids feet out from under him, then plunged my sword squarely into the soldier's chest. I'm not sure if my mind had forgotten about Jo-ny or not, but with no warnings, his hulking frame was standing before me. With a deep growl, he spoke. "I don't think we've been properly introduced yet, cupcake," I said nothing in return and simply held what little ground I had with two dead Caniid soldiers at my sides. Just as quickly as he hit Ta'Jiro earlier, the Caniid's meaty paw caught the side of my head with an audible crack. This was the last thing I remember before passing out the first time.

After a short yet indeterminable amount of time, I was roused to the sounds of fighting. As my eyes opened, reality took its time coming into view as my vision cleared, revealing that all the tents had been knocked down, the sun was now barely above the horizon, and a light fog had settled over our surroundings. Then my attentions were brought directly toward the center of the camp as my sense of hearing returned to me. Jo-ny and Ta'Jiro were still fighting and, from the looks of them, they must have been at it for quite a while. The thick fur and hide along Jo-ny's back had been split open in three different places, one slash bisecting the other two, as blood poured out, dripping from his matted fur. Ta'Jiro, though not showing any fresh injuries, was worn from this fight. His movements were sluggish, and he slumped forward slightly, looking to be only standing through willpower alone.

"So... little colt..." Jo-ny taunted. "How long... do you want to play this little game?"

Ta'Jiro responded in kind. "Until you're not breathing."

As soon as the words slipped past Ta'Jiro's lips, Jo-ny pounced directly forward, attempting to tackle Ta'Jiro to the ground. In my addled state, my eyes may have been playing tricks on me, but Ta'Jiro vanished, reappearing to Jo-ny's side, plunging his sword directly into the hulking Caniids spine. With little fanfare, Jo-ny hit the ground, no longer making any sort of movement as a pool of blood surrounded the body. Ta'Jiro pulled the sword swiftly out of Jo-ny's back, threw his head backwards facing the sky, dropped to his knees, and let out a terrifying cry, shaking me to my core. His voice was unnatural and beastly, seemingly from the tales of legend. Ta'Jiro remained there for a short time, dropping his head now to face the ground below as if to take a quick respite. Slowly, Ta'Jiro once again stood up and faced toward my fallen squad.

"You have all failed me..." Ta'Jiro spoke in a hushed tone as he walked toward them, only stopping long enough to pick up one of the Caniids hand axes. Kneeling down before Ta'Qulina and gently brushing her matted hair aside to reveal her bloodied face, he spoke once again.

"I'm sorry, my love."

With this, he swung down the hand ax hard into her neck, beheading her with one fell swoop. My mind reeled. What was Ta'Jiro doing? Had he gone insane? With no further words, Ta'Jiro went down the line and beheaded each of my squad, kicking their heads to the side as they hit the ground, taking two swings to fully cleave Ta'Gos' head off, given he was of the Draft breeds. Once he was finished with them, his attentions turned toward me. He had not realized that I was conscious until this now. The mostly blank look on his face, mixed with a modicum of sadness, morphed into a look of hatred and anger once again.

"You... Why?" Ta'Jiro growled beneath his breath.

With a noticeable lethargy, Ta'Jiro made his way toward me, his expression not flinching, with all of his focus on me. Though I had just came to only a short time ago, my mind was still somewhat fuzzy. However, with each step he took, my heart beat harder and faster until my mind was fully to its self. My vision was clear now. Ta'Jiro was about to make good on what he said earlier.

"I am going to kill you, Ta'Kom."

_ _ His words echoed long and heavy in my ears, each hoof-fall reverberating them again and again and as he reached my position, he stamped each of his hooves down hard, causing the dirt beneath them to plume up into a swirl of dust. I could feel the thump of the ground as they took their positions. Ta'Jiro looked down at me and tightened his grip on the hand ax, drawing the ire of the leather wrapped handle. For a moment, the sounds of the waking forest were drowned out by the tension in the air. Looking up at Ta'Jiro, my sight limited by the now dried blood covering my left eye, I could see the hot air billowing out of his nostrils with each labored breath in visible clouds in the cool morning air. Through gritted teeth, Ta'Jiro finally spoke.

"Why are you, among all of us, still alive?" Even with my mind clear as the most cloudless day, my body refused to move and my dry throat could only make a semblance of speech. "Pathetic," Ta'Jiro spat at me, "you can't even speak, but you did witness everything that happened here. It's odd Ta'Kom," his visage now moved to a sarcastically curious glance. "I took no one in the Ironhoof clan to be a traitor..." I realized what he was planning now.

Slowly kneeling down, his face now level with mine, he took my cheek in his hand, lightly raking his thumb across the blood clots. "It's all clear to me now, Ironhoof. You've been working with the Caniids! Why else wouldn't you revel in killing those dirty dog peasants back at that house? It makes perfect sense why you'd wait until we were all captured to then come to our rescue in some kind of twisted repentance. But now, I'll be a hero. The Matriarchs will all gather upon my return and hear of how I, not only took down a group of Caniids alone but, ousted an informant within our own royal ranks." Ta'Jiro then gripped the hair on the side of my head, hard, pulling my muzzle very close to his own. "You're less than nothing! I'm going to make sure your entire clan is brought low, no longer recognized as royalty but forever remembered as traitors who were the sole reason the Equiids struggled during the war."

At his words, I felt my heart sink. All of my actions had been nothing but loyal to the cause of the Equiid Empire and yet, by simply not taking part in the wanton violence against an innocent family, regardless of their species, my lineage would be forever shunned. Ta'Jiro had truly lost his mind, covering for his own mistakes by using me as a scapegoat. Not only that, but he's the one who killed our squad, beheading each of them one by one. He'd have already done the same to me had I not been conscious.

"I can't let Ta'Jiro get away with this." As Ta'Jiro stood again, I noticed I had regained the feeling in my right hand, which still held a sword. If I could just...

"I can only imagine what you're thinking right now," Ta'Jiro chuckled. "I assure you, I'll make your death quick... as a mercy. I admit, had you not untied us, that lump of fur they called a leader might have had the pleasure of making good on his word."

Ta'Jiro, now standing at his full height, whispered in an obvious moment of clarity, "It's not really your fault but I can't return with a blemish."

As he finished talking, I felt a burning in my chest, a fire lit in my soul. I was still alive and as long as I was alive; I had to stop this. With all of my remaining strength, I thrust the sword in my hand upwards, only connecting with Ta'Jiro's hip. The blade sliced across before plunging deep, a gash opening wide, exposing the bone under the stallion's taut skin. A look of shock quickly replaced the hatred in Ta'Jiro's eyes as he stumbled backwards, pulling the sword out of my hand, still stuck in his hip.

Tripping on a rock behind him on the ground, Ta'Jiro fell backwards, landing squarely upon his rear with a thud. His body sat in a half-crescent shape, struggling to not give in to his exhaustion. Slowly, his body relaxed, his legs straightened, and his back rested gently on the ground. Softly, he said, "No..." before passing out himself. The slash that I had inflicted on his hip was a pretty deep wound and from it, blood began pooling beneath him. Swinging that sword took every ounce of strength that I could muster, and just keeping my eyes open was a struggle against futility. Before passing out myself, I surveyed the limited view of my surroundings. Seeing the destruction of my squad, though heartbreaking, I felt a small amount of comfort knowing Ta'Jiro had been taken down. Maybe this was his ultimate punishment. After a few more moments, my eyes could no longer resist the urge to close and my mind was swept to a sea of black.