Ogres and Ogresses Ch. 22

They walked to Zyra's camp ground and ended up lying on their backs, staring at the stars. They were content in the tranquility of the night. Considering that it was the Ursie's last night to mate, it must have been rather late for the stillness to be so thick. It was a nice way to say goodbye. It was nice.

"Zyra?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why...don't you talk about your mother?"

His question caught her off guard. She turned and looked at him as he contemplated the stars.

"It's not that I'm trying to avoid speaking about her."

"I know. It's just, you know about my father. The Chief adopted me and I told you what it's been like. I've never heard about you and Kyzu's mother, other than...well, you know."

Zyra lay back again. It had been a long time since anyone had asked about Mama.

"Her name...was Kyzyra. You might laugh at that but yes. My mother's name is both my sister and I's name combined."

"It's pretty," he said chuckling. "Kyzyra. It's like she knew she'd have two daughters."

"I think she did," Zyra mused. "That's why she always groomed Kyzu to be a mother figure. It was more than being a Chieftess. It was about taking care of a younger daughter if...she couldn't be around."

They were quiet for a time, but the curiosity won out against the sensitivity of the subject.

"How did she die?" Rell asked softly.

Zyra smiled. "She saved us. All of us."

"How?"

Zyra sat up. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Rell nodded.

The memory of her mother was still fresh in her mind, or at least so she believed. She had been 12 when she died. Her sister Kyzu was unfortunately of age. At 20 she became the Chieftess, and Zyra found herself quite alone. Her sister was thrust into a huge responsibility. She had no time to raise her sister. Coupled with the loss of her and Zyra's semblance to her had been too much. In an attempt to find stability, Zyra had joined the hunters. Imjah had been lead huntress then. She learned from her for four years, and when it was clear that she had the ability, at 16 she became the lead huntress of the village.

"As you know the Rovians were once a nomadic tribe," she said smiling. "We would "rove" the land, looking for sustenance. Hundreds of years prior my ancestors decided that the roaming should end because the tribe wars were dwindling. The new generation was more understanding and less primitive. My mother Kyzura was Chieftess at the same time as your father—"

"Are you his daughters?" he interjected in horror.

"Absolutely not," Zyra spat. "Do you see any resemblance? At all?"

Rell let out a sigh. "I apologize. It was the first thing that popped out at me. Considering the seeming "tradition" among the Chieftans at celebration."

"That, is a creation of your father's design. It's how he keeps her fucking him."

"Gross."

"Apparently he's skilled."

Rell covered his ears and protested feverishly.

"Stop. No. No. Why? It's in my head now. Ugh...why?"

Zyra laughed. "Well anyway, she was not mating with him. In fact, she was in love with a man from another tribe. During this time, there was a tribe called the Akeera that we shared this vast land with. They were splintered off from our neighboring female tribe the Wakai. In those days we avoided them because they were cruel."

"Cruel? How so?"

Zyra grimaced just thinking of it. "They were a warrior tribe that could not stand the war being over. They treated their members like soldiers, no matter how little they were. They tattooed the mark of their village into the backs of their children so that no matter where they went, they would know they were ostracized. No one but the Akeera would associate with an Akeeran."

"That's terrible," Rell whispered. He couldn't imagine living like that.

"It is," Zyra agreed. "An Akeeran child grows without love or kindness. They are brought into the world to be soldiers, and if they run they find the world to be an unfeeling place. To take an Akeeran child in is to declare war of their tribe. They were merciless, but my mother was a good Chieftess."

A smile broke out on her face. "She could not bear to hear the stolen children of the Akeeran cry. So she went to negotiate with them the release of the ones that had been swiped. She was willing to open our celebration to them, so that they might make their own children. She hoped to resolve the matter with peace. They could not afford to fight us, nor us them. We traded amongst ourselves because the land is divided in riches. Unfortunately they did not take the words of my mother as wisdom. They took it as a sign of disrespect."

Rell put a hand on hers, giving her his strength.

"What did they do?"

"They retaliated."

"...how?"

"They kidnapped my sister and I."

Zyra paused as the memory came flooding back. A rough rope tying her wrists together, her sister fighting and being smacked so hard she passed out, and then loneliness. The bitterness she felt towards Kyzu for escaping inside herself and leaving her to her captors. They teased and taunted the daughters of the woman who dared defy them. She had not cried, not given them the satisfaction of her tears when they had bounced her precariously on their hard shoulders so it would dig into the tender flesh of her belly. These women were not women, they were animals who could smell fear.

"We were lucky to be alive," Zyra recounted vividly. "I was sure they would kill us. Instead, they had planned to take us as their own. They would use their methods to...convince, us to become like them. I supposed they knew they would have to give back Kyzu being that she was my mother's heir, but they beat us first. When my mother arrived with the huntresses in white war colors, they agreed to give her back, but it was me that was to pay the price of her insolence. I was to stay, and forget my mother, or die."

Rell squeezed her hand, his eyes full of sorrow. "I didn't know...you and the Chieftess had been through so much."

"It was not meant for you to know," Zyra scoffed.

"You mustn't become so disheartened," she said squeezing his hand. "What happens now is this."

Imjah had made it a habit to tell the story over and over until both children could recite it by heart. She was good in that way, she kept the oral tradition alive. She was a follower, but she always had the Rovians at heart.

"Our tribe hunter, but we did not hunt for other humans as the Akeerans did. So with a hunting party, she journeyed to the Wakai tribe. My mother was a quiet Chieftess with silent action and great presence. Her words convinced them to join us in our fight. The Wakai tribe was only too eager to have a reason to strike down the Akeerans, and knowing what they had done to the heir of our tribe, felt a deep insult had been dealt. With her, we first began our treaty with the Wakai."

Zyra released Rell's hand and stood. She reached up high, taking a long breath of fresh air.

"You should sleep Rell," she said lightly. "The moon will be gone soon."

"I want to hear the rest," he insisted. "You can't stop there. What happened?"

"Well..."

"Yes?"

"We..."

"Zyra!"

She laughed. "My mother hid the members of the Wakai tribe on our land. She did this with a series of hunting parties. They had given my sister back and so under the pretense of a welcoming back feast, she sent the huntresses out. When they returned, she would add one member of the Wakai to each party and subtract one of our own, that way they Akeerans would not see a change in number and get suspicious. That member would be painted with our war colors, so they would not seem suspicious. This continued until all of the Wakai we needed were in the village, then and the huntresses came back. The next night they attacked. The Wakai wiped out all of the Akeeran warriors, save the Chief. Venya abandoned her tribe. When the bloodshed was done the Wakai took the bounty of the Akeerans, but they would not take the children. They were afraid of them you see."

Rell frowned. "Where are they now?"

"Here," Zyra said happily. "My mother took them into our tribe. Those who chose to stay live in this tribe even now."

"Wow," Rell said breathlessly. "Like who?"

"It is not my place to say," Zyra said. "My mother saved my sister, myself, and dozens of children."

"But...how did she..."

"I did say one Akeeran survived yes?" Zyra's face was cold and she spoke without inflection. It was as though she was a puppet and her words were not her own.

"Venya wanted her revenge. In the middle of the night she stole to our tents and grabbed us. She had the strength and evil to drag us to the cliff that lies at the far end of this camp. It was like she was...possessed by a demon," Zyra declared. "There are no words in common tongue or hunter code to say how I felt that night. I watched as she tossed the girl off the cliff."

"Kyzu survived that?"

"It was not Kyzu. She thought it was Kyzu because she slept beside me. In her rage, she did not look. She killed a huntress named Iridis who was there to watch over me. Then, she went to toss me over. It began to rain. I cannot forget how the mud felt between my toes." She sighed mournfully. "Never. My mother came from out of nowhere and she grappled with Venya. Venya was too powerful, and I was too weak. When my mother understood that she could not defeat her, she threw herself off of the cliff, holding Venya tightly with her. They both disappeared into the churning rocks and water at the bottom of the cliff face. We planted flowers in her memory, the same field that Nima plays in to this day. My mother was a hero and a true friend."

Zyra grew silent then, staring up at the stars with a sense of peace. It was always painful to tell that story, but she was grateful that she had it. Her mother would live on in her words and deeds. It was the very least she could give to the woman who had given her life, and given it to her again.

Rell watched Zyra as she stood bathed in the starlight. At first he had thought of her willingness to sacrifice herself as naivety. It was almost foolish. After hearing her story, he wasn't so sure anymore. Whether Zyra realized it or not, she idolized her mother. She had become her in more ways than one. She was an amazing woman destined for great things. It was this that scared him the most. What was Zyra going toward? What kind of life would she lead if her mother's sacrificial nature was the idol she aspired to?

She would die.

"I understand you," Rell said softly.

Zyra looked down at him in confusion. "What?"

"I finally understand you." He stood up and walked in front of her.

"Zyra," he started. "Tell me you know you are important."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Rell, I don't understand what..."

"I want to hear you say it Zyra," he stressed.

He watched the struggle he feared within her eyes as she opened her mouth. "I'm impor—"

"You don't believe it," he said exasperatedly. "All the things you've done and you don't believe it."

Zyra wanted to lie to assuage him, but she could not. "I'm not that important," she said shrugging. "I am not Chieftess and there are several huntresses to replace me."

"She died for you," Rell said gravely. He held her shoulders and made her focus on him. "Kyzyra died for you Zyra. Does that not show how important you are?"

Zyra's eyes widened as she took in the irate blonde man before her. "I-I..."

"You don't feel important because you were never the coveted one," he said. "When Kyzu was rescued, you were left behind. Being second born makes you feel as though you are unimportant."

"I never said—"

"You didn't have to."

Rell hugged her then, holding her tight. "Listen to me. Please Zyra," he said in her hair. "You can't sacrifice yourself. You are not your mother. If you die, your mother's death will be in vain. You are important. You must make yourself important enough to keep alive, or you will die."

His words struck a chord in her heart. What if she was running down a path to oblivion? What if her selflessness really was about to lead her behind her mother, down the face of that cliff? Kyzu had told her to make herself important, but she had never told her why. Now she understood. She had to make herself important or her survival was in danger.

"Thank you Rell." She held him tighter to her. "I needed that."

He stroked her hair with a gentle hand. "Please be safe. Promise me you won't do anything reckless."

"I'll miss you," she said, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. Her voice began to waver with emotion. "I will miss you very, very much."

Rell pulled back from her to see her scrunched up face, and without a word, leaned down and kissed her.

It was a chaste kiss, compared to the ones Kail

had given her, but she was stunned by the warmth of it. It was close lipped, gentle, soft, and then gone. With a small smile Rell pulled back and released her. He stepped backwards, his expression unreadable.

"I'm sorry," he said with a small grin. "I'm going to sleep at my own tent tonight. Thank you for the story."

"You're welcome."

"And Zyra?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything."

Then Rell turned away and walked off. Her heart pounded as she ducked into her tent. She considered pondering what the kiss had meant, but sleep began to push aside those worries. Single unshed tears leaked remorselessly out of the corners of her eyes, and she lay down in her furs. She had always wanted to be more like her mother. Maybe that was the problem. Zyra needed to find who she was. She would always be her mother's daughter, but she needed to stop emulating the actions of the dead.

________________________________________________

Kail could not fall asleep after his visit with Caligula. Instead he sat by his fire pit, staring at the blackened meat he had put on the fire ages ago. He watched it burn, knowing that when it had been perfect, he had had no appetite. Still, it seemed like a waste. Perhaps he would give it to some wayward tiny carnivore that would be friendly or greedy enough to accept it. Kail could use a pet, it might give him some peace.

He let out a long heavy sigh. Today the Ursies would return home. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he was rather glad that Rell would be returning. Whether the boy realized it or not, he had strong feelings for Zyra. The problem was that their dynamic kept changing. Until he was certain that Rell saw Zyra as a sister and only as a sister, he would not be comfortable with them being together. Not that he had much choice in the matter. He let out a loud yawn, his sharp fangs peeking out from under his lips. He thought about heading to the village but decided to be patient. Zyra would be coming any minute now. All he had to do was...

The sound of someone interrupted his train of thought. Normally he would have been ecstatic to hear Zyra, but this was not her. This person was not heading towards his dwelling, they were sneaking up to it. Frowning, he stood up and walked towards his house. There was a dagger just by his door frame, if he could just—

Suddenly an arrow whizzed past his head. He took a step back, his eyes widening as another came towards him. He dodged it and fled to the house, locking himself inside. He grabbed the knife as the person approached.

Hanto dropped the bow and picked up his spear, his blood-lust mounting with each step he took. The cowardly ogre had run. He chuckled at the thought of it.

"Stupid beast," he hissed. "I know you can hear me. Come out! Face me!"

There was no answer. A smile broke out on his lips as he eyed the burning fire.

"Fine," Hanto seethed in a sweet saccharine voice. He walked over to the fire and pulled out one of the branches. The heat from the fiery branch threatened to burn him, but Hanto was too enraged to feel fear.

"Have it your way." Hanto tossed the burning branch onto the top of Kail's wooden dwelling.

The natural breeze of the land encouraged the fire to spread and Hanto watched his handiwork with pride.

"Chose your death," Hanto shouted. "Fire, or me!"

Inside, Kail tried to find water, but the small collection he had gathered was useless. So the hateful brother had come to kill him? Kail wasn't sure what he could do. If he killed Hanto there would be no one to tell the story but him. He was already on shaky ground. A move like that could end his life, but he couldn't just let Hanto kill him. As the shack began to fill with smoke Kail's eyes narrowed. At the very moment he could no longer tolerate the smoke, he would go out and fight. If Hanto died, so be it. Zyra would have even more incentive to run away with him.

He discarded the dagger and reached for a spear he had finished. He gave it a twirl. It would have to do.

Zyra woke up with the sense that something wasn't right. She figured it might have something to do with her current emotions. She was not happy that Rell had kissed her, but she was not happy that he was leaving either. And part of her had...felt something when he kissed her. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved Kail, but the fact that he kept pushing her away weighed heavily on her mind. Then again, Rell was leaving. Forget her affinity for green men, what if her true fault was that she liked men who could not be kept? Disturbed by that notion, she freshened up and dressed.

Stepping outside her tent, her senses were instantly assaulted by the smell of burning. She sniffed curiously, wondering if the farewell meal was being prepared at the fire pit. Sniffing again she saw that the smell was coming from the forest, deep in the forest, near...

The feeling increased tenfold and she abandoned her logic for action. Sprinting with all her might, she headed towards Kail's campground.

"Rawr!"

The ogre jumped out of the burning building with a spear in his hand. Hanto jumped back from the strike and charged with a war cry of his own. They locked spears, pressing their might against one another. Hanto sucked in a breath as his feet slid against the ogre's superior strength. He locked eyes with it, furious to find defiance and amusement in it's yellow depths.

"Die!" Hanto screamed, pulling the spear back.

"How?" the ogre teased him. "Is a fool like you

going to kill me?"

"Your sins must be purged with blood," Hanto hissed. They began to circle one another slowly, the dwelling becoming more and more engulfed with flames.

"You sound like a witch," the ogre growled, the undertone of his voice raspy with savagery.

Sensing that he had been gravely insulted Hanto launched another flurry of attacks at him. The more he attacked, the more he realized the ogre was holding back. In truth there was no contest among them. The ogre was the stronger brute, but Hanto understood that the beast had sense enough to know what it might lose.

"You'll have to kill me!" Hanto barked as he thrust the spear towards his chest. "Or I'll kill you!"

The ogre blocked it with practiced skill, his eyes angry. "It won't be long now. Do you realize what you've done? You've gone mad! They will see the smoke."

"I don't care if they see," Hanto stated dryly. "I don't care if they know I have killed you. I just want you dead. You will die before they come to this dwelling."

Kail gritted his teeth. "You're really going to make me do this aren't you? Does pride mean that much to you?"

The mad man in front of him quivered with hatred, his tense body over the edge.

"I have nothing left to lose."

Kail could see that this man actually believed that.

"You blame me?"

"I blame all of you. But once you are dead..." he smirked, "I will make Zyra pay too. In a way that only a woman can."

If Kail had understood that this man was insane, he might have understood that he was being tricked. Hanto was not the smartest or stronger warrior, but he understood a few things that proved very useful in his battles. He knew how to sense weakness, and he knew how men thought. The civilized man and the primal beast were not too different. It was hard for a normal man to control it, let alone a beast man like, an ogre. So when Kail heard what Hanto said, he snapped.