Yanrid flew over the colony' settlement, he looked at the poor state of the tribe but he could do nothing, he was the commander of the hunting and foraging units which was one of the most vital roles in the tribe, thousands depended on him and he was not about to let them down, and the first step was to ensure that the new ant king was capable enough to lead them and not some sickly child playing king.
Yanrid kept flying while having such thoughts, as he was in the air, other Antmen on the ground spotted him because of his wings that shone with a mystic blue light that he alone had in the tribe.
As he flew, he looked like a shooting star since the ant tribe settlement was thousands of meters in the ground and it was dark and the source of light was mostly torches and glowing crystals.
"I see commander Yanrid is back." Said an Antwoman
"So, it means the expedition on the surface must be over and winter has ended." Said an old Antman surrounded by children who were listening to his stories about the ant tribe.
.........
After flying for almost an hour, Yanrid drew closer to the Ashfang castle Emberhive which was surrounded by other small settlements and houses.
The Ashfang clan was the only clan to possess a castle in their underground habitant but it was not as big as the royal palace of the ant king which was a real piece architectural beauty standing since the time of the first ant king.
he walked slowly towards the wall which had been plastered with the ant tribe's special red clay, he touched it and remembered how he and his brothers used to climb this very same wall to hone the climbing skills and how he was the worst among them, ''It's good to be home." He murmured softly.
He then walked towards the heavy 30 feet tall wall and pushed them with a bit of struggle but he managed nonetheless, as he pushed open the heavy doors, a gust of warm air hit his face and it reminded him of his childhood with his siblings when they were raised in Emberhive.
Upon entering he met with two guards who were kneeling. "We have been waiting for your return lord Yanrid." The said in unison.
He walked past them as he was removing his cloak and he went straight to the doors of the inner wall led to the heart of Emberhive castle. ''Where is my father?" he asked already suspecting the whereabouts of his father.
"He must be in the of courtyard, my lord." Answered one of the guards.
"Then I'll go meet him right away." Yanrid hurriedly went to the courtyard and he reached it within a few minutes.
As he entered, Yanrid could see a figure that he had seen way too many times and he was not particularly fond of him, a towering man,7.8 foot tall, wearing a fur battle skirt which was girded with black leather belt, and a visibly worn-out breast plate a testament to his relentless training and prowess in battle. He carried a thick round wooden shield with one arm and carried an iron spear on his back.
He had a red skin and fierce golden eyes which was a unique trait of the Ashfang clan, upon seeing Yanrid, the towering individual smirked evilly and his killing intent was so potent that even other Antmen outside the courtyard could feel it.
Without warning he removed the spear on this back and threw it directly at Yanrid clearly aiming to wound him.
Without much effort Yanrid side stepped and dodged the spear that pierced the fortified wall of the courtyard as if it was a piece of paper.
The red skinned assailant then dashed to Yanrid's position and threw a punch at him which Yanrid blocked with both his arms.
"I've come to speak with father I have no business with you...…Azir." Yanrid said clearly annoyed and tired by his brother's actions. This was not the first time he had tried to attack Yanrid.
"I will not hear words from weak bastard." He said with a mocking tone and adding the pressure he was applying on Yanrid. Yanrid was not small in any manner ,6ft and not an inch taller but he was smaller than Azir who was 7.8ft and also bigger.
Upon hearing these words, Yanrid frowned but he wasn't angry but only exhausted but this.
"If it's a fight you want then I'll give it to you." Yanrid said coldly.
An icy blue aura oozed out of Yanrid's body showing his power as rank 3 aura practitioner, "Don't come crying later." he moved in a flash and landed a punch that sent Azir flying to the other side of the courtyard, crashing into a wall.
Yanrid walked calmly to Azir location who was trying to get back to his feet, blood was pouring out his mouth and he had a broken jaw.
Yanrid removed the great sword that was on his back clearly ready to deliver a death sentence to his brother.
"That's enough Yanrid." A voice said as Yanrid was a few meters from his helpless brother.
A figure that looked like the mature version of Azir , about the same size but the difference came to hair whereby Azir had black dreadlocks with white ends that reached his shoulders while this man had long grey dreadlocks that reached his lower back, he wore a black robe with red ends that covered one side of his chest and exposed the other and his skin was covered with tribal tattoos.
"Amir." Yanrid said with a tone that showed his respect for his elder brother and he bowed down his head.
Amir walked to Yanrid and hugged him tightly "Go father is of your presence and he would like to have a word with you." He then gestured to the people who were behind to go and attend to Azir. "Take him to the shaman on duty, he will know what to do with him."
"Sorry, I lost control." Yanrid said with a tone that was definitely not sorry for his actions, seeing this Azir could only laugh at Yanrid's behavior. "Let's leave that for later but I suggest that you go and talk to Father." Amir said with a tone carrying some seriousness.
"Where is he?"
"Throne room."
"I'll go at once." He then planted his great sword into the ground, and went straight to meet his father.
After walking through the Emberhive castle corridors, he reached the entrance of the throne room.
As if they sensed his presence the doors of the throne room opened, he walked and he kneeled on one knee, a few steps from the throne of bones of subjugated beasts and foes and there he was seated, the one who was named blade of the Ant king and referred to as the strongest in the Ant tribe.
Yajin Ashfang, lord of Emberhive castle and patriarch of the Ashfang clan.