(Ok good to know lol)
"Hah. Probably." Menard grinned. "We fighters will understand you way better than the scavengers ever could. All they understand is food and tinkering, and most don't even know that much. Take that dork Ango, for instance. He's always leaving camp to go foraging, but he never even brings anything back. I think he must get out there, forget what he came for, and sit around birdwatching or something until supper. His brain is full of moths." Reaching camp, he waved to the sentry and made for a campfire. "I dunno why the chief even keeps him around, honestly."
Taran remembered Ango's playing earlier, and snorted. "He does have his head in the clouds, that's for sure." She shrugged. "Then again, sometimes those people have the best ideas." She flashed a grin full of teeth. "And you'll notice I said sometimes."
She brushed a stray strand of silver hair from her face and glanced at the sun. "You're probably right about me understanding more. I don't like to think too much if I can really help it."
(Oof, sorry it took me so long to reply)
Menard grunted in agreement and sat down among the other fighters, leaving enough room for Taran. he was about to say something else when there came a sudden loud whistle from the top of the camp. Everyone looked up to see the second-in-command Renzi standing there, waiting until he had everyone's attention. Sitting behind him on a tree stump was Boar-back, quietly watching the clouds.
"Listen up," Renzi called. "You can all stay where you are and eat your supper, but the chief wants to make some announcements, so keep your ears open."
"Toldya Chief was plannin' something," Florida muttered to Menard, passing everyone plastic plates of badly-cooked rabbit. "I hope it's somethin' fun."
(You're fine lol)
Taran flopped onto the ground next to Menard, maybe a bit to hard, jarring her tailbone slightly. She ignored the slight pain and glanced around with a yawn, examining the other Fighters with observant, half-lidded eyes.
She glanced up at the sound of a whistle. What did they need? She was hungry, and needed to finish her arm before it was too late.
She made a face at the food.
Boar-back stood and took Renzi's place. He didn't speak right away, instead taking a minute to sweep the crowd silently with his gaze. This had the effect of making most of the bandits stop whispering and stare back at him uncertainly.
"I'll keep this short," he said finally. "First of all, I'm going north to meet with the chief of the Lakes tribe tomorrow, before dawn. Some of you will be going with me, mostly as an honor guard. Renzi will let you know tonight if you're one of those people. He'll also be in charge while I'm gone." The tall man paused to make sure no one had questions, then continued. "Second of all, I know you're probably all wondering when we're going to start raiding other tribes again. Well, I've decided. When the moon's half-full, we'll launch a major attack on the Oakrot tribe and overthrow them."
There was an exited cheer from the bandits, many of them shaking their weapons fiercely. But Boar-back held up a hand to quiet them.
"Until then, we continue raiding villages for supplies as usual. Don't antagonize other tribes, report anything strange directly to me, and keep the night of our attack a secret. Anyone caught disobeying these orders will be in some very hot water. Is that understood?"
"Yes, chief!" the crowd shouted.
"All right then. Eat your supper and don't stay up too late."
"'Don't stay up too late,' he says," Taran muttered with a snort. "Because people will listen to that." It reminded her of her school days, when her parents used to tell her to get to bed earlier rather than later. She pursed her lips to hide a smile and glanced around at the other bandits to see what their reactions were.
She was fairly excited. She would be taking part in a raid soon, the first with these guys, and she wanted desperately to see what it would be like.
"Dude," Muddybones said. "A raid! Hasn't been a real raid since spring. I guess the boss musta been holdin' back so's we could build up our strength and crush Oakrot!"
Menard squinted thoughtfully. "Maybe…..'s kinda weird, though. You wouldn't know, Kali, since you're new, but normally we spend all summer havin' turf wars with other tribes. But this season, we've been raiding villages instead, for supplies mostly. Chief won't say why." He bit into his food with a frown. "He's been having a lot of meeting with the Lakes lately, too. I say somethin' big is going on, and we're not supposed to know about it."
"Ah, you're thinkin' too much," another bandit snorted. "Boar-back is just playin' the long game, like any smart leader. Besides, we're after Oakrot at the half-moon, so you got no reason to gripe. Want some more supper, Kali?"
Taran frowned slightly. She wasn't sure why, but she could see why Menard would be feeling suspicious. It did seem strange… and Boar-back seemed like the kind of person who would be planning big things without telling anyone else.
She shook her head, snorting. "Nah. The food is horrible, who would want more." She flashed a grin, showing all her teeth.
The bandits laughed. "Looks like we got ourselves a picky one here," Muddybones said, elbowing Menard. "Well fine, more for us. You goin' straight to bed then, Kali, or what? Gonna work more on that new arm of yours?"
"Work on my arm," she said, rolling her eyes at them. "I don't like being a cripple." She stood and brushed her hand off on her pants, sending them a mock salute. "Don't eat so much you blow up." She grinned. "Unless, of course, that's something you guys like to do."
"I'd love to, if we had enough food to make that happen." Menard gave her a wave. "Catch you tomorrow, I guess. If you see Florida around, tell her we had fun with her little hide-'n-seek game earlier."
"I'll do that," Taran said, waving back at him as she left. "And she probably won't try to kill me if I do." With a grin, she headed back to her tent, and didn't get lost, which made her feel so proud of herself.
As darkness fell, the camp slowly quieted. Boar-back stayed in his cabin, discussing things with Renzi while Blue Tommy kept watch by the door. In the medical tent, Brandon and Shiv were busy cleaning every inch of the place, while two bandits tried to wheedle some painkillers out of them for minor injuries. One by one, the fires died down, and those who weren't on sentry duty began trailing sleepily to bed. Only Muddybones remained, carefully sorting through the scrap heaps in search of interesting trinkets.
Around midnight, after several small explosions, one trip to get new materials that had broken, three coffee breaks and one redrawing of her entire arm plan, Taran was done. Wiping sweat from her forehead with her hand, she stared at her masterpiece with joy.
It was perfect. Sleek, silver, smooth, and perfect.
Carefully, she fitted it to her shoulder and strapped it on, connecting the wires to her flesh, and then moved her shoulder and arm.
It felt natural, like an extension of herself.
There was a light knock on the wooden post by the entrance to Taran's shelter. A moment later, Renzi's voice followed.
"Kali, you still awake? Mind if I talk to you for a second?" He paused. "And is that coffee I smell?"
"Sure, come in!" Taran said, glancing over and then sweeping her tools off her makeshift desk and into a box. "And yes, there is coffee." She glanced at the cup. "Although it's cold and way too sweet."
"Still. First coffee I've seen around here since the doctor stabbed a man for a package of instant black." Renzi cautiously stepped inside, giving Taran's new arm an appraising look. "Wow, nice work. Is it finished, then? Also, are you exhausted now, or do you have a little energy left? Asking for the chief."
"I have enough energy left," Taran said, swinging her shoulders to let out the tension in them, at least a bit. "And I'm fine. I've had too much caffeine to be able to sleep for a loooong time." She smiled ruefully. "But it's coffee. You need something?"
Renzi gestured to the outside world. "Remember how Boar-back said he was going to meet another chief tonight? Well, he wants you to be one of the people that comes with him. It's not something he asks just anybody, and honestly I'm not sure why he's letting such a new member of the tribe tag along, but it's his call. If you come, you'll probably be one of the guards that protects us in case of an ambush or trap. So what do you say?"
"Sure, why not," Taran said, looking startled and pleased. "I'd like that. I don't have much else to do now that I've finished my arm." She glanced at him. "When do we leave, then? And did he say why he asked for me?" She was honestly surprised. She hadn't talked to the chief that much…
"I dunno why, but you can probably ask the chief himself. We're pretty much leaving now, once I get everybody rounded up." Renzi gave her a nod and backed out of the tent. "Grab a weapon and go wait by the top of camp with the other guards. I'll catch up to you."
"I'll do that, then." Taran grabbed a jacket and slipped it over her arms. "I don't need a weapon. I have a new one right here." She held out her metal arm, rolling up her sleeves, and with a quiet pop, about a dozen weapons popped out of the dull metal. She left the tent, pulling her sleeve back down once the tools went back into their places.
Renzi raised his eyebrows at the sight, then grinned and trotted off with a wave. "Tell the chief I'll be right there."
The group of bandits waiting by the doctor's tent looked up curiously as Taran approached. It was a small group. Blue Tommy was there, as well as Menard, and two other Fighters that hadn't introduced themselves yet. Menard nodded at Taran, adjusting his well-worn hat against the chilly night air.
"So Boar-back called for you too," he whispered. "We were bettin' he might. Eyyy, nice arm."
Taran grinned slightly at him and jogged over to stand beside him. "Thanks," she said. "I wasn't expecting him to. Why did you think he might?" She opened and closed the fingers of her metal arm several times, and smiled at how smooth it was. This might be her best invention yet. Or one of them, at least.
"That arm's the main reason, we think," Menard replied. "You're craftier and more skilled than most newbies we've ever had." A sound came from the left, and he glanced over his shoulder. "Here comes the big man now. Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Boar-back, when he strode out of the gloom, was dressed a bit nicer than usual. His worn leather boots had been polished, and he had a matching brown coat with a closely clipped fur lining around the collar. A couple of extra rings glinted on his huge hands, and as he adjusted the axe slung over his shoulder, that glinted as well.
"Ask me what?" he inquired mildly.
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