As we drew close enough, the people on the walls saw us coming and called out our arrival to those found within the bounds of the city. There wasn't any delay as my people gathered to welcome our return. Dozens immediately swarmed the walls, shouting welcoming words.
"Zaaktif!"
"Our people!"
"To victory!"
"For Nievtala!"
To my pleasure, Sybil was one of the first to appear on the walls, her scales growing even more lustrous by the day. Instead of a dull brown, she shone almost like a burnished bronze. Seeing so many of us all together, I think the Misti Hawar prisoners' last hopes of escape dissolved, and they shrunk against each other as we continued on our path forward. The closest to an escape attempt that I'd witnessed in our approach was when, in a moment where the surrounding fires had dimmed, a single shadow danced out of our encirclement. Hala had immediately flared her magic and made the fires blaze brighter than before, singing most of Iskatti's fur.
It was a little humorous to see the most mostly white furred male with several scorch marks, especially since that was in response to whatever he was attempting. Maksulah's pleas for his life had barely managed to keep him alive, especially giving her reminders of the apparent international laws of prisoner keeping. It had been rather refreshing to watch the prideful scout bow his head again and again as he thanked his companion for saving his life.
"You return victorious, I see." Sybil's voice rang out across the clearing between us and pulled me back to the present. I grinned widely as she continued, "We are glad to have our Zaaktif with us once more."
I raised a fist, my grin wide as I spread my shoulders and declared, "Always victorious. Victory by fang and blood!"
My pack of 50 echoed the sentiment as they shouted. Then, my people on the walls answered in kind. An overwhelming burst of enthusiasm and self-aggrandizement swept over me, and I grinned. As my people grew more excited, though, Maksulah looked more and more terrified.
In the same moment I gave her a fraction of my attention, she prostrated herself in the snow, only barely keeping her face from being buried as she begged, "No blood! Please, Zaaktif."
To my surprise, she spoke in the Saharliard tongue. I felt my frills and tail twitch ever so slightly in surprise, given that she was able to teach herself hints of the completely foreign language we Saharliard spoke over the past 12 days since her capture. Obviously, she didn't really understand very much, but she was trying.
"It's fine. We're not going to kill you." I spoke in the common tongue. "Victory by fang and blood is our rally and cry, and has been for as long as I have led my people. If we were going to kill you, we wouldn't have brought you all the way here for it, as, if we're looking to avoid legal repercussions, it would be better to not have you all in the city alive and never exit."
To her credit, the prisoner didn't mind having been wrong, and showed no signs of embarrassment. Instead, she stood and bowed once more to me. "I apologize for my ignorance, Zaaktif. if I were more intelligent, then there would not have been any confusion."
I looked at her with a level gaze, finally considering who I should trust her captivity to. She was too clever to be left alone, but probably also too clever to be kept alongside any of her fellows. So what should I do to deal with that problem…?
"We bring prisoners! How are the others?" I called up to the walls and gestured towards the four tightly bound Mist Hawar.
"They live." came Sybil's simple answer. She didn't expand on that any further, instead waiting for me to draw close. For my part, I was done waiting, and gestured for the rest of the pack to continue bringing the prisoners into captivity. Then, with a slight draw on [Spear of the Many], I jumped forward and up onto the walls. Then, in arm's reach of my mate, I drew her close and nipped at her jaw and down her neck. Though she didn't say anything in response, Sybil leaned into the touch and subtly tilted her neck away to allow me to continue greeting her.
"And how are the children?" I asked in a whisper.
"They grow every day." Sybil's firm stance softened. "Ragzak is nearly able to walk, though he relies too heavily on his tail for it to be called true walking. Thia and Hashthi are happier to crawl than their brother. They have been almost marching in unison, and there are none who have been able to avoid finding great joy in their lives."
"And I've been finding myself lacking in joy. I'm sure you and they can help alleviate that." I leaned into my mate as I said as much, taking her by surprise and making her stumble a step further away. She looked at me, and though there was no obvious expression of her emotions, her faint disapproval towards my overwhelming affection was obvious, and I laughed.
"Don't fault me for being happy to see you."
"I merely desire for you to express it when we do not have the entirety of our nation and prisoners observing you do so. It is a weakness."
I flared my frills in a limp surrender and stepped back. Then, looking out across my people, I saw that there were a surprising number of Khatif and Kha assembled in the center of the city. It almost looked like they were prepared for the ants to march out, but there was no sound of combat and no cries for back up. They needed to be something that I was missing, and I squinted at my mate.
"What is it that I've missed?"
"Merely a new individual to meet. You have met her sister, she says." Sybil provided, and my mind flashed to where all my people not here were assembled, before I asked, "The ants? Another of their Royals has appeared?"
"Yes, you remain our Zaaktif. With her, she has brought some measure of entertainment that the wolfstags and hyenas have especially enjoyed."
"And obviously you're not going to tell me anything until I see it myself." I stated, flicking my tail over to tap teasingly on Sybil's flank. She didn't react, merely watching as Brutus and Hala led the four prisoners forward towards the wall. Instead of going through the gate, though, Brutus commanded for others to go on the other side, where another Hak'Tal Keel waited for him. Sybil and I both grinned as Brutus picked up the first of the Misti Hawar and hurled him over the wall to where he was caught by the other Hak'Tal, who I only then realized was Took. She had ornamented herself somewhat with a white paint, and I looked at Sybil in confusion.
"There are other things that you should learn." Sybil's eyes seemed to glimmer with the hint of amusement as the second of our prisoners flew screaming through the air into Took's arms. I shook my head and gestured for my mate to lead the way. Wherever she chose to lead me first, that's where it would be best for me to start my reintroduction to my constantly changing city.
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