Page 72 of Scarred

“Chief. We are ready.”

Suni frowned at the three warriors who joined them. “I thought you were only sending two warriors, was I mistaken?”

“I was, but I rethought the situation. I want to send you with my best warriors, and they are a set of three,” Ru answered. “Holt, Ekoc, and Stine fight well as a team. Sometimes I think they share a single brain.”

Suni had heard of warriors bonding while calves and living their lives together, even sharing a mate. “Will you follow orders?” he asked the warriors. “I do not want to repeat myself when action is needed.”

“While we are traveling with you, we will respect you as we do our chief,” Holt answered. “I have retrained the two deformed warriors for travel.”

“You what? Do you think they are animals?” Amma yelled.

Holt took a step back. “No, I was just making sure they were secured.”

“They are not a danger,” Amma said. “Take the ropes off. They have names, and you will not call them deformed.”

Holt quickly untied the males. “I meant no harm. What should I call them?”

“Jabari and Kofi,” Amma answered. “They cannot speak right now, but they can understand you. Treat them with respect.”

“We will,” Stine said.

Suni smiled proudly at his mate. She had handled Holt with a firm hand without embarrassing him. He felt something crawling up his leg and looked down to see Mike and Sam scampering for purchase as they raced each other to his shoulders. Since the battle, the two brothers had been staying close to him and often rode on his shoulders or on top of his head. He could also tell them apart, both by their personalities and that Sam was just a little fatter than Mike.

“I don’t know how I feel about being abandoned,” Amma said. She stared up at the little fuzzy brothers holding onto Suni’s horn. “I’m used to their weight on my shoulders.”

We are tall up here and can see far. Mike shouted.

Yes, tall. Sam echoed.

“I am sure they will return,” Suni said.

“I know. Are we ready to go?” she asked.

“Yes.” Suni placed his fist over his heart. “Chief Ru, thank you for your hospitality. May your village grow and prosper.”

Ru returned the gesture. “Thank you, may your trip home be swift and safe. If you should come upon any more Jo’s and Amma’s family, please send word. We have our hunters keeping an eye out, but they cannot be everywhere, and Jo’s family is good at hiding.”

“It’s not our fault we know how to work with nature to hide our presence,” Jo said. “Amma, I hope to see you again soon.”

Amma gave her cousin a gentle hug. “We will come visit when you have your baby. I can’t wait to see what a mix of you and Ru will produce.”

“She will be beautiful,” Jo said, and placed a hand over her stomach. “You guys have a safe trip.”

Leaving was bittersweet. Suni felt the sorrow flowing from his mate as she looked back over her shoulder before they reached the forest and Ykot was lost from sight. There was nothing he could say to make it better, so he didn’t even try. He only hoped she found peace in his family’s acceptance. He knew they would not only welcome her with open arms, but she would become a regular part of their lives.

Holt scouted ahead while Ekoc and Stine kept an eye on Jabari and Kofi. Not that they were a danger, but Suni didn’t know if the morphed warriors would have the stamina to keep up with them. He knew next to nothing about them and hoped once they reached his home village, he would be able to learn.

The first sun disappeared beyond the horizon when Suni called out, “We should find a place to rest.”

“Are you sure we should stop?” Holt asked. “If we continue at this pace, we can reach the border of our territory before the end of the day.”

“My mate is not like us, and we do not know about Jabari and Kofi,” Suni said. “We rest. Drink water and eat something.”

“I’m not tired,” Amma said. “I can keep going for a while longer.”

“I still want you to rest.” He handed her his water skin and watched as she downed over half in one long swallow, then burped.

“I’m really excited to meet your family,” she said.

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