Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 5.2 Shrad
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 5.2
Shrad Peace in Pieces
As the Shradian caravan continues toward its destination, things come to a stop upon quite an interesting discovery... let's take a look, shall we?
The caravan moved onward towards its destination without any further issues that required Majh's attention, so she was content to remain within her carriage for the next several days. Shadow avoided her, which was to be expected, and Tolen was still under the care of the healer. All things considered, Majh enjoyed her several days of peace and quiet, but all of that ended on the fifth day when certain events necessitated her involvement.
The caravan had just started off from its camp site when the sudden lurch of Majh's carriage caught her attention. Though the draft beasts continued onward, the hyena had no problem hopping out of the moving transport to see what the cause of the disturbance had been. Unfortunately, it only created a greater disturbance when she discovered that the 'bump in the road' had, in fact been one of the caravan's guards.
The hyena knelt down next to the bulldog searching for signs of life... but she found none. What she DID find, however, were the tell-tale signs of more than a little roughing-up. From her inspection, Majh was able to determine that the bulldog had practically already been dead by the time the carriage shattered his spine. Aside from the grevous blunt trauma caused to him, she was not entirely surprised to also see the scars of a stomach-wound that had halfway healed; the bulldog was one of the guards that had been spared the curse of the Satyr.
Majh snorted, disgusted at the only conclusion she could come to-- several of the travelers had beaten him up and thrown him under her wagon. Taking in a deep breath, the hyena was able to identify two specific body scents on the corpse: a boar and an otter. The priestess smiled in satisfaction since they would be easy to locate; there were only two otters in the caravan and one of them was Guardsman Sten... considering how familiar she was with his scent, any other otter could only leave one person. As for the boar, she was able to also detect the scent of Banniharian Pipeweed... and she knew a specific boar that craved the foul stuff.
The hyena strode confidently past several carriages until she came to the one she was seeking. With a quick hop, Majh grabbed hold of the handle beside the driver's seat and hoisted herself up onto the bench and settled in next to a brown furred hare. "Where's Nerroc?" she asked the hare.
"Said he had some stuff to deal with..." the driver responded, hocking a muzzle-full of chew over the side, "...told me to keep on keepin on 'til he got back."
"Looks like you'll be at that for awhile." Majh noted, patting the hare on the shoulder, and she hopped off the carriage and back onto the ground, leaving the confused driver to continue onward without further explanation. She raised her nose, seeking out the boar's distinctive scent... it didn't take long until she found him by the side of the road, squatting down behind some plants with his breeches around his ankles.
"Why am I not surprised to find you wallowing in shit, Nerroc?" she inquired.
"P-Priestess!" he stuttered, moving to cover himself even as he squatted, doing his business.
"Oh no... by all means, don't get up." she crossed her arms in front of herself, staring at him.
"Can... I help you, Priestess?" he asked, fidgeting, "Or... maybe I could get some privacy?"
"Privacy, no." she stated, still staring at him, "But help... perhaps."
"Maybe... I'd be better help if I didn't have my pants down." he offered with a hesitant chuckle.
"No... you're fine just how you are." she smiled, and reached down to grab him around the collar of his tunic.
"P-Priestess!" he yelped.
I'm curious, Nerroc...." Majh inquired, looking him up and down, "Are you familiar with the term 'Apophallation'?"
The pig shook his head, "No, Priestess." he acknowledged, swallowing against the shirt collar.
"And how about a recently deceased bulldog guard?" she asked, walking back toward the caravan, "Ring any bells?"
The boar struggled, holding onto Majh's wrist as the hyena strode confidently into the clearing, his hooves well off the ground as she held him up, "P-priestess... can... may I... my pants!"
"They're fine how they are." Majh noted, continuing into the midst of the caravan, even getting a wagon to stop as she walked in front of it, "You went against orders and decided to kill one of the guards... It's obvious to me, so let's go ahead and show everyone else your nuts."
The boar whimpered, "Priestess! I didn't have anything to do with--"
"Yes you did, Nerroc." Majh noted with finality.
"Okay... okay... I did... don't kill me, I beg of you!" he squealed, kicking the air with his hooves as he dangled from her iron grip.
"The truth is your salvation, Nerroc..." the hyena acknowledged, slowly lowering him until he could stand on his own two hooves... but she didn't let him go, "You may live." and she drug him around to the side of the stopped wagon.
"Oh... thank you, Priestess... thank y--" but the word got stuck in his throat when Majh grabbed hold of the flesh between his legs, "Pri--" he began, but Majh gave his testicles a firm squeeze and he fell to his knees, silent.
"Back to 'Apophallation'..." Majh noted, pulling out a metal cord from her belt pouch. She began skillfully tying a section of the cord around the wagon wheel with one paw, managing it even as her other paw kept tight hold of the boar. She glanced at him once the metal line was tight, "Now, my dear Nerroc," she noted, moving the other section of cord to the base of his member. His eyes widened as she looped it under his testicles, and used her gripping paw to hold the cord in place as she tightened it. He squealed when she gave it an extra hard yank.
"Priestess..." he whimpered.
"Did you know that some insects have both male and female sexual organs?" she inquired, casually holding a knife out to the boar. He opened his snout to answer, but he didn't get a chance as she continued, "There is one kind of slug that is known for permanently and irreparably getting its penis stuck during copulation." she looked down at him, "Hmm... kind of like how you are right now." she cackled as only a hyena could.
"Priestess... please..." he cried.
"In order to free itself, the slug bites off its male sexual organs..." she smiled sweetly, "That, my dear Nerroc, is the act of Apophallation... now... if you'll excuse me, I need to get this wagon started back up." and, with that, she headed back toward the front of the cart, leaving the boar to stare at the blade she left in his hand. Majh climbed up next to the driver of the wagon, a gray-beared human, "Continue." she directed.
The human looked to the draft animal pulling the wagon and gave it a quick flick of the reins, adding a whistle to it, followed by a "Hyah!" The wagon proceeded forward at a quick pace, until there was a momentary pause, followed by the shudder from one of the back wheels.
"Hold there." Majh noted, and quickly hopped off her seat. She walked around to the back of the wagon where Nerroc's body was laying several feet from where he had been standing, a clean line across his hip and chest, and over a portion of his head where he had been crushed by the wagon wheel. The hyena shook her head, going over to where the unused blade lay in the ground, several inches from the boar's unmoving hand, "Slow learner, aren't you?" she questioned, and cut the pig's genitals off for him. By that time, several others had come running, but they backed off when the hyena noted simply, "Leave him." Majh announced, and put the severed flesh into one of her pouches and the blade back in its loop.
She waved the wagon driver onward and continued across the the caravan to conduct her second interview. She decided to make a slight detour however when she saw the High priest and Loric chatting quietly, seated atop one of the temple wagons.
"I have no idea why it's created such a stir, your Eminence." Loric noted casually, taking a sip from the silver chalice he held in one paw, "Personally, I applaud your decision to allow those recovering from the Satyr attack to live."
"I appreciate your loyalty, Kriabnish." the polar bear acknowledged, "And your insight in not disagreeing with my declarations."
"Never, my Lord..." the snow fox confirmed, "Your word may as well be from the lips of the Goddess herself."
"And your men are seeing to aiding their rehabilitation, I trust?" the high priest inquired.
"By your command, my Lord." Loric acknowledged, "We already have two men back into the work force and my men are keeping watch for anyone who might decide to disobey you and harm those still under the care of a healer."
"And what of those who are no longer under a healer's care, Lord Kriabnish?" Majh interjected, hopping up grab the seat handle, riding along on the side of the carriage.
"Once they are healthy enough to be released then they are fully functional members of the caravan." the fox smiled pleasantly.
"And if someone attacks and kills them then?" she asked casually.
"Priestess, if someone attacks them when they are healed, then I would consider it murder... is that not what it means to kill someone?" the fox proposed.
"It does!" Majh nodded, and looked to the High Priest, who was gazing at her with a raised eyebrow, "High Priest, I wish to let you know that I am seeking two culprits of..." she glanced past him toward the fox, "a murder."
The polar bear glanced at the fox, "Who have your men released?"
"A stoat and a--"
"A Bulldog, High Priest." Majh interjected, "and, unfortunately, two individuals decided to release him a second time... under my wagon wheel."
"And you know who is responsible for this, Majh?" questioned the bear.
"I do." she confirmed.
"And you are handling it?" he asked.
"I most certainly am." she smiled.
"Good... then the mater is settled." Loric responded with a pleasant smile.
"I suppose it is at that." the High Priest acknowledged. He glanced back to Majh, "Carry on."
"By your leave, High Priest." the hyena grinned wide, and hopped down from the carriage, continuing on her way to her second destination; she remembered that the only otter in the caravan beside Sten worked as a laborer at the food carts.
"Good morning." she noted pleasantly to a large brown otter who was right where she expected him to be: walking beside the supply wagon.
"Morning, Priestess." he replied. She noticed how he tried to play it cool, but she could still tell that he was worried about her attention.
"You may call me Commander." she smiled, "I'm acting in a policing capacity today."
"Oh? You are?" he asked, his little round ears perking, "Okay... Commander."
"How are you this fine day?" she inquired pleasantly, "Take part in any lynchings lately?"
"Huh?" he asked, pausing to regard her.
"Just wondering." she smiled. Her smile only widened when he turned and ran; she loved it when they ran.
Majh returned to the caravan less than ten minutes later whistling pleasantly to herself. The otter was not hard to catch; though he was in good shape, it was mostly muscle, and that much muscle didn't go very fast. The fact that he wasn't very smart really helped her since he obviously wasn't able to tell the difference between a pig penis and a Satyr's. Once she had the severed pig's organ suitably jammed up the otter's tail it didn't take much to convince him that he too would become a satyr. After that, handing him the blade and reminding him how to save himself made her job very easy... he just kept stabbing, looking for the little black sphere of energy.
The hyena gazed down at the gore-covered blade in her paw, "Tell me, blade... are you familiar with the term 'moron'?" she asked it, "Of course you are! You just met one!" she cackled, sliding it back into her belt. As she approached the outskirts of the caravan, however, she quieted down, looking on as Nori and Shadow skirted the Highway, keeping watch at the edge of the wagon train.
"Stop the caravan..." Nori spoke, just within earshot.
"What's wrong?" Shadow asked, glancing in the direction Nori was faced.
"There's something to the side of the Highway." he pointed.
Shadow peered, squinting toward the spot on the horizon, then nodded, "I'll talk to the wagon master and have the scouts dispatched."
"Tell them to meet me up ahead... I'm gonna check it out." the ferret stated, and disappeared into the tall grass beside the road.
"Mr. Darkfang..." Majh rose up from the landscape as he approached her.
The wolf glanced her up and down, his eyes lingering on the bloody blade dripping red down her thigh, "Commander..." he noted neutrally.
"I have a favor to ask of you." the hyena noted.
"You can order me," he stated, "but you have no reason to believe that I'll grant you any favor."
"Precisely why I would still like to ask it of you." she smiled pleasantly, "One of the guards cursed by the Satyrs died this morning." The wolf's eyes went to the blade again and Majh saw him tense up. "I saw to it that those responsible punished themselves." she added.
"...why?" Shadow inquired.
"Because, my dear Mr Darkfang... unlike how it may appear, perhaps I do care a little more than I let on." she responded with a grin and a wink, "Just don't let everyone know... it's our little secret."
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"If what happened this morning is any indication, there may be reason to believe that other unintelligent individuals may decide to kill perfectly useful members of our caravan."
"Hmm... 'Perfectly useful members of our caravan'..." shadow snorted, "You sound so concerned."
"I said I might care a LITTLE more than I let on, Shadow..." she smiled, "Don't ask me to care THAT much."
The wolf didn't take more than a few seconds to make the connection, "You want me to keep an eye on them once they're released by the healers."
"Good boy." she smiled.
"Why me?" Shadow demanded.
"Because you care TOO much... which means you'll do the best job." she winked, "Now go warn the caravan leaders like you promised Nori." and she let out a hyena laugh as she strolled back toward her carriage.
Ten minutes later the caravan did come to a stop. Nori checked back in before the scouts were sent out to find him. Majh remained where she was, watching across the distance as the High Priest and Lord Kriabnish joined him with the wagon master. The group continued to grow as Shadow approached the leadership. Smiling, the hyena also noticed that Tolen stepped into the huddle, flanked by Gerard.
The addition of the rottweiler made her pause... but even more was the fact that the healer didn't shy away from the bounty hunter. "Well... that's the biggest surprise so far." she smirked, "This day is just getting more and more interesting." For once, Majh Blackpaw was content to sit back and see where the wild ride would take her. She was not disappointed.
* * * * * *
This post ended up a little more Majh-heavy than I originally planned, but I still think it comes together nicely, especially because of the growing fan base that acknowledges this as "Team Majh", plus because I need to get more of her in before the upcoming Milestone. ;)
Anyway, the second of four posts for chapter five details the Shradian Caravan's first sighting of a destroyed caravan ahead of them. At this point, the party will have to determine the next step:
1) Move the caravan en masse to the site of the ruined wagons-- bringing the entire military force will get the job done if there are any problems.
2) Camp the wagons on the Highway and send a large force in to deal with uncovering the secrets of the ruined wagons.
3) Send a small group (the named characters, obviously) to the wreckage of the caravan off to the side of the Highway and keep the caravan moving... the group can always catch up and the caravan is behind schedule anyway.
4) It's a ruined caravan... a dime a dozen. To heck with it-- just keep going.
As usual, you have until this Thursday (Sept 1st) to get your vote in. Remember: vote by midnight!
Oh... and if you hadn't guessed, this chapter is listed as Extreme because of Majh's rather grotesque 'antics'.