Troy pov four days later

I sat on a large stone with Claw and Knuckle overlooking a valley some of our pegasus scouts spotted the retreating snake people ran too. Luna hadn't seen them before, and the Griffon didn't know them either. The ones we caught weren't forthcoming with information as they hadn't said a word. Knuckled huffed as he threw his arms up, the swords scrapped across the stone.

"Why don't we just storm the bucking valley? The three of us should be more than enough to take out a fair amount of there forces."

I nodded as I looked at him, an annoyed look on my face, I'm sure. "Were already over the border by half a mile in their borders. We get caught fighting in their country; it becomes a full-scale conflict instead of us just forcing us out of our allies countries. Were in a border war since they tried to force an expansion. That also why we're the only ones here as the three of us are the best at stealth and survival."

"Ok, so what are we going to do once they move?"

I turned back to watch the entrance of the valley. "Shadow them and try and find out if they are acting independently or if they are allies with the deer kingdom." Knuckled huffed, and I understood why he was so annoyed about this. We'd been in a small camp waiting to see some action. I sighed, then stood up and looked down at them. "That said, at this point, I don't think well gain anything by simply waiting for them to make the first move. We're going proactive to try and figure what they may be up to. Knuckle you take to the air and see what you can see and don't get into a battle if you see anything. Claw you search the area around the mouth of the valley and I'll head into the valley to see what I can find."

"Sir!"

We jumped off Knuckles talking to the sky as Claw, and I jumped around on small cliffs we were sitting above. When we landed, Claw took off to the mouth of the valley, and I jumped to the mouth and slammed into the side then jumped into the valley. I grabbed hold of the wall and slide down the wall. I jumped near the base of the wall and landed on a dry river bed. I looked around, seeing no trace of anything moving through the area. No footprints or tail drag marks from the long tails. I hummed and then pulled my scarf up and pulled my hood up before I started to walk. A few hours passed with me walking around seeing skeletons of animals and a few skeletons of what I think were deer at one point, but it was clear he'd beaten to death. He had a crushed skull, busted rips, and crushed femmes. I kneeled down, then picked up the skull and show just how bad the hit must have been.

"MASTER!'

I dropped the skull then dashed to the side as a blade-like spear smashed the rest of the skull. I stopped to see two female snakes. The first one I noticed was the smaller but was clearly the leader of the two. She was covered in black scales over most of her body with orange scales covering most of the center of her chest and tail. She also had hair with orange bangs with horns. She was dressed in straps with black eyes with yellow ires.

I looked at the other one seeing she was a little bigger then I was. She had two tones of purple with scale-like armor on and she had fins that made her look like a king cobra.

"Your too aware and too big to be a deer buck, and no griffon would cover their wings so what are you?"

The smaller one said as, the bigger snake pointed her spear at me. I grabbed my cloak then pulled it to the side. As a sign that I wasn't going to fight with them, I pulled my swords off my side then threw them over. She quickly grabbed them with her tail then threw them back to the small one as the big one looked me over.

"Not, a yak or Minotaur tall enough and bulky enough to be but no hoofs or horns."

I nodded, then reached for the scarf and pulled it down then my hook. They seemed surprised seeing my face, and I smiled as I looked at them. "My name's Troy and I'm looking for folks how attacked our camp over the border. I'm the best fighter, so I came into the valley with two others waiting for me to come back." The large snake-woman seemed to relax as she looked at me. Then she put the butt of her spear on the ground as she looked at me.

"I see, well I've never seen your race but given how your actions I guess I don't need to kill you right now."

I smiled as I lowered my hands as the smaller one walked out from behind the big one.

"So, you were chasing the river clan males that ran into our valley?"

I nodded, and she smiled as she looked at me. Her voice was sweet but had a slightly rough edge to it. I looked at her for a second and moved my arm around into my supply bag. She jumped back as I pulled a water jug out, opened the top, and started drinking. I wiped my mouth off once I finished drinking and looked at her. I held the jug out to her, offering the water. She smiled, then took the jug and waterfalled some of the water then passed it the bigger snake. She drank some then threw it back over. I grabbed it and capped it with only a few sips of water since I wasn't ready for the throw. I put it back into the bag then pulled out a bag as I sat down with my back on the stone wall.

"What are you doing?"

I smiled as I pulled the bag out then opened it letting them see the meat I'd saved from the mess tent. "I haven't eaten today so I want to have a bite your free to have some it you'd like." They looked at me, and I pulled out a chunk of meat the took a bite out of it. I held the bag out to her, and I saw her mouth water a little, then she looked back at the big one.

"Scarlett, let's not be rude."

"Yes, lady Margo."

Margo sat my swords at my feet with her tail as she grabbed the bag from my hand. I laughed and left my sword as I chewed on my meat as they started chowing down. After a few minutes, a few more females came around and found us eating the meat. I noticed them before the two did, and I saw it was like the ponies. All of them were quite large, most about my height well built and well curved. They were all armed, and one stood out as she was about a head taller then I was. She was wearing a cloth cover over her sex and bra with a metal ring between her breast. She had a claw neckless around her neck with a long spear that looked like it was made of bronze. She had green scales with whiteish scales over her chest and tail with a nice six-pack and curves.

Margo noticed them and jumped as the biggest one walked up to

"Mother!?"

"Margo who is this and why is he still alive? You know we don't allow males in this valley."

I glanced at my swords as she walked over, spear raised.

"My chief please wait a moment."

Scarlett stood a piece of meat in her hand, catching the chiefs.

"Scarlett, where did you get the meat?"

She turned to look at me and noticed I hadn't touched the swords. I hummed a tune as I sat there, arm resting on my knee as I looked at the two. I picked up the bag then threw it over to her. She grabbed it, then showed it to the chief.

"He came here for the males we killed the other day. He said they'd attacked his camp over the border and he chased after them with two others."

"And where are they?"

She looked at me as I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes as I stood up, noticing she was only seven inches shorter than her. "There searching outside of the valley but after what I just heard I guess this is a waste of time." I stomped the sword and grabbed them as the flipped in the air. I put them back on my swordbelt, but the chief stopped me as I started to walk.

"You will go nowhere. You could be a spy the bucks hired to catch us."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her. "What do you mean?" She grabbed me and threw me into the stone wall cracking the stone. I didn't let it show, but it hurt a little as she put the blade to my throat.

"You're coming with us even though I want to kill you."

I grabbed her hand then squeezed, making her drop the spear. She let me go, and I lowered my hands, still not sure what to do. "I guess I get what your saying, and I understand why you are acting this way. I've heard and seen what those bucks do to females, so I see why you're worried about this, but." I pulled off the cloak, letting them see my full form as the cloak fell to the ground. I will defend myself if I have to miss." She frowned and locked eyes with me as the others surrounded us.

"Do you really think you can win a fight with all of us?"

I smirked as I looked at her as she tightened her grip and her spear. "Ya I think I can." I smirked and ducked the spear stabbing into the stone. I threw my leg up, breaking the wood shaft and punched her stomach and sent her flying into the group of girls behind her. Then I grabbed the second-closest woman and slammed an elbow into her stomach. She coughed out the air in her body, then I grabbed her arms while kicking out her legs and threw her into the other side, then spun and kicked the last woman. I looked down at the seven women and saw the shocked Scarlett and Margo. I smiled, and I cracked my knuckles as I looked down at them all. "Want to try again for a bit?" The chief jumped at me, and I grabbed her arm and turned to pull her onto my back and kicked her legs out from under her. I shoulder slammed her into the wall, and I felt her ribs shack as the already weak stone broke under the force. I let her drop, and she coughed as she laid on the ground. I kneeled down and looked at her as she held her chest as she looked at me.

"Why are you this strong?"

I smiled as I interlocked my fingers as I looked at her. "I've been trained to fight my whole life and I have strength greater than any dragon. Plus, the people in the land of my birth people like me were breed for one reason to fight." She looked at me then to my surprise. She smiled as she moved around on her knees. She laughed as she looked at me, then she stood back up. I stood back up, and she smiled down at me.

"Your people are similar to our own. We are a tribe of female warriors and I think I'd like to take you back to the village with us for the night."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"The male controls the valley by night and I don't think you want to fight off massive groups on and off in the pitch black of the night."

I nodded see her reason, but then I thought of Claw and Knuckle.
"What of my friends?" She nodded as she looked at the females.

"We have five hours so find them and bring them to the village."

"Knuckles is in the air and maybe for a while oh his a thestral by the way, and I'd say about half as strong as I am, so don't fight him if you don't have to. Claw is a tiger; try not to come up behind him if you can help it. He's fast enough to grab me when trying to avoid him." They nodded, then four of them walked back the way they'd come from. Margo grabbed my hand, then started to pull on it.

"Come, come."

I laughed, then patted her head with my free hand, then pulled my hand free. I kneeled down and grabbed my cloak, quickly putting it back on. "Say, anyone want some candy?" I turned back to see all of them looking at me with wide eyes.

"C-candy?!"

I nodded, then reached into the bag and pulled out a pound and a half bag of assorted candies. I held it out to Margo, and she smiled as she took it then ran over to all the girls. I smiled as they all started eating the sweeties. I still had some rock candy and a few jawbreakers so they could have it all since I could quickly get more in a matter of hours, thanks to Luna when I get back. I pulled my hook up then pulled my scarf up as Margo looked back at me.

"Thank you."

I nodded then waited as they stuffed their faces. The chief looked at me and smiled as she chewed on what I think is chocolate mint. As I stood there, I heard rocks moving above me. I turned my head slightly, just enough to see but not enough to let them see my eye. I saw a buck looking over the clifftop. I smirked then jumped, kicking up a dust cloud making the girls scream. I landed on the ground behind two bucks and looked at the two of them. I looked down at the two and them and cracked my knuckles as I looked at them. "So, who wants their skull crack open first?"

Margo pov

I looked up to where the dust cloud flew up to then I heard screaming. A second later, two bodies were thrown over then side, and Troy jumped over. He grabbed hold of the wall's stone, siding down as the bodies crashed into the ground. I blinked as I looked at him as he jumped down into the river bed. I looked down at the bodies and saw they were two dead bucks. Troy cracked his neck as he looked down at the bucks.

"I hate being spied on."

We nodded as he kicked the closest buck over. I jumped when I saw his throat, and an upper chest full ripped open by what I think was brute force. I looked back at him as he cleaned the blood off his hands.

"Did you do that bare handed!?"

I looked at my mother as she walked up beside me. Troy nodded as he pulled his hands back into his cloak.

"Ya?"

He looked at me with a strange look as he walked over and looked at the second deer. I looked at him and smiled as I looked at him as he pulled the swords off his side. 'My he sure is interesting.~" Once he took the swords and a bow with a giver of arrows off them, my mother started to walk back Scarlett, and I quickly started to follow. Troy walked in the back, looking over the swords he took.

"By the great serpent I'm glad he didn't fight us."

I nodded as I looked at Scarlett as we walked up to the hidden gate to our town. It was well hidden behind a massive boulder set in the front of the valley. Troy stopped outside of the boulder, and we stopped to look at him. "Troy are you ok?"

"How annoying."

He pulled out four knives and threw them. A second later, I heard a scream followed by a slam. I rushed back out and saw another deer with the four knives deep in his chest plate. I blinked as Troy kicked the body much deeper into our valley, and I saw the armor had a massive dent in the side. 'He bent the armor with a single kick!' Troy followed us after that, and he walked into the mouth and looked down at me. I couldn't tell if he was smiling, but I felt like he was as he looked at me. I smiled at him and watched as he looked away and started to walk down to the village and I walked behind him.

Troy pov

"So, what do you do for a living?"

I looked down at her, and she locked eyes with me.

"I fight if you couldn't tell by the way I killed the bucks." She laughed as she moved her hair out of her face as she looked at me.

"No, I did but I mean are you a guard? Maybe a mercenary?"

I laughed and was glad to see she didn't seem to know anything about me. "Um, I guess you could call me a mercenary in a since. I take payment in the form of rare and uncommon weapons I find or maybe rare metals." She smiled as she looked at me then looked at the walls of the cavern. I did the same, seeing many different metals, raw Chopper, iron, gold, silver, and tungsten vines. "My, your people control many different materials so why not mine it and trade?" She smiled as she looked forward as we walked into a laughed area.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

I walked into a massive cavern with homes carved into the walls but what shocked me was all the metals and gems. I looked up, seeing a massive lighting crystal. Then I looked down at the village, seeing a massive fire with many small fires spread around with pipes in the roof and walls to vent the smoke out. I laughed as I looked back down at Margo as the others started to walk down to the village. "Got to say I've only seen something like this one other time in my life but with the set up you lot got." She seemed surprised as she looked at me as we started to walk.

"Well, you and your friends will be staying in the east part of the village. it's for your safety and ours but before that dinner."

I smiled and nodded as I walked down to the village. I looked around seeing many young snakes, but all were females; not even a young male snakes were in the village. As we walked, I did notice that many of the women were scared up a few had lost an arm or a tail. Margo noticed and spoke up.

"They're the old wounded from our battles with the male tribes and the slaver who come to capture the new warriors their first time out of the village."

I nodded then stopped making Margo stop as I pulled my hood and scarf down. Everyone around us stopped as they looked at me as I took my cloak off. Margo seemed surprised as she knew just how big I was compared at her. I tied the cloak around my waist as some of the smaller kids came near me to look at me. I looked down at them then smiled as I reached under the cloak then pulled out some of the smaller bags of rock candy I had. I kneeled down, then opened the bag and reached in to then pulled out a stick covered in bright blue rock candy. A little one with white scales spoke up as she got a little closer.

"What's that?"

I smiled as I held it out to her. "Rock candy sweetheart." She looked at it, then snatched it from my hand. I smiled as some of the other walked closer, but some of the adults held weapons as they looked at me. The next one who came closer to me was a younger girl with blue scales who couldn't have been older than five. She walked close, then grabbed my hair as she looked at me. I laughed as I held the bag out to her as she looked down at it. "You free to have some too honey." She smiled as she reached in and pulled out a stick of green rock candy. She didn't let go of my hair, and I laughed as she chewed on it as she held my bangs. I sat the bag down then looked her in the eyes. "Can I have my hair back?" She smiled as she looked at, then pulled on my hair. She pulled the candy from her mouth, then spoke.

"No, I like the color of your hair."

I smiled then nodded as she looked at me. "Ok, then." I reached for my belt then pulled out a small knife making the adults snap to attention, but they stopped when I cut the long bang she was holding about two inches above her hand. She smiled then ran off as I put the knife back as the rest of the kids quickly rushed me and my bag of candy. I was a little surprised as I stepped back as many were more interested in the candy, but a few of the younger kids were much more interested in me. I tripped over Margo's tail and fell on my ass as a few jumped onto me. "Ah!' I could hear a few of the adults and teens laughing, if I had to guess, watched as I was losing the battle. One of them pulled at the flintlock on my side.

"What's this?"

I grabbed the hand that was on the flintlock and sat up while holding the three girls on my chest, so they didn't fall. I looked down at a smile pink scaled girl looked up at me. "Please don't mess what that I don't want a bullet in the leg or in your foot. it a new weapon for me so I don't know how much it takes to pull the trigger since I've never fired it." She nodded, and I let her hand go then helped them back onto there feet. I spent the next twenty minutes just keeping them entertained as the others emptied the candy. Margo just watched laughing as I struggled with some of the older ones trying to take my swords.

"My you good with the hatchlings."

I looked up at the chief as she walked up as one girl pulled on my hair as I sat there. I laughed as I looked at her. "Well, I have some young ones of my own so I don't care about the hair-pulling or much else as long as one does start kicking me in the face when I sleep." The two laughed as I finally stood back up.

I patted my self and stopped when I felt the bag holding the imperial arms was gone. I quickly turned around and turned white as I saw a little girl running off with it. "AH! SWEETHEART COME BACK IF YOU OPEN THAT YOU COULD REALLY GET HURT!" I took off after her, and a few of the adults took off after her too. She was an older black scaled girl in, and she turned down a road and ran up another woman working in a forge. She was a large woman, well-muscled, had a cobra hood wearing a set of leather shorts, and bandages wrapped around her huge breast.

I caught up to her as the hammer-wielding snake saw me running up behind the girl. She threw the hammer, and I grabbed the hammer midair then threw it back, burying it into the stone wall. She looked scared, and I grabbed her girl's shoulder when she stopped. She looked back at me, and I reached over and grabbed my bag from her hands. I glared down at her, Maiaand she shrank as she quickly ran off to the large female who'd grabbed a spear as the chief and Margo ran up beside me. The chief looked inraged as she looked at her.

"Maia! Your daughter is still stealing items again?!"

I saw the girl flinch as she yelled, and Maia pushed her behind her more.

"She a young hatchling how many times did Margo still raw metals from my forge when she was young."

Margo blushed as the chief huffed as she looked at Maia.

"While that may be true Margo didn't still from a guest of the chief."

I watched as some of the color drained from her scales. I raised a hand and walked over to the two. Maia raised the spear, but I pulled the second bag off as I looked at the young girl. "You saw the candy and thought you'd take the rest right?" She nodded as she held onto her mother's shorts. I smiled, then kneeled down and looked at her as I pulled off the second darker bag off my belt, and I showed her that I'd tied the bag shut. She took a step out from behind her. "Sweetie, the bag you wanted was this lighter one in my left hand is the one you want it's a magic bag made to hold hundreds of items."

"Then what did I take?"

"What you took is a collection of weapons from my home." She looked away from me as she spoke.

"Sorry."

I laughed as I looked at her then nodded my head as I looked down at her. I set the locked ag back on my belt then opened the supply bag I kept. I pulled out a bag of candy apples and sat them down on the ground at the mother's feet. "There are some candies apples in there. Next time ask if you want something from me more times then not, I'd be happy to share." The mother had a look of shame on her face as I stood up and waved everyone back. They left, and I walked off with the Chief and Margo. Soon we walked up to a large house with holes in the walls that looked bars. 'A jail?"

"Sorry but will be having you all stay here for the night but there's a well in the center, a kitchen on the right, and rooms on the left."

"Margo why don't you stay with him until his friends are found."

She looked at her mother then back at me. "I don't mind someone to talk to would be nice." Margo nodded, then grabbed my arm then pressed her breast into the side of my arm. I suddenly got I pretty good idea of how this may play out. She pulled through the large set of doors. When we walked into the house, I felt the air become much colder. Margo quickly started to shack, and she hugged my arm more. 'Oh.' I smiled, then pulled my arm free and grabbed my cloak back, adding heat energy to it, then wrapped it back around her. She blushed as she looked back up at me, and I laughed as her cheeks turned bright orange. I rubbed her shoulder, then walked up to the kitchen. I looked in, seeing a large cooking pot with logs over to the side and saw a large wood stack in the corner. I took the cloak off, letting it all on her, then walked over to the wood and grabbed some as well as some of the kindling.

"What are you doing?"

I looked back at her as she wrapped the cloak tighter around herself. "Getting a fire going to help you stay warm. Plus, I have some potatoes, and other stuff in the other bag so I can make us some dinner." She smiled, then walked over and sat down next to the cooking pot. I nodded, then sat down and with what light was coming from the doorway stacked wood. I put a hand on the kindling and then used my fire to light it. Once that was going, I pushed it under the firewood with another stick.

"How, did you do that?"

I smiled as the fire started to take as I held my hand up. I snapped my fingers, and a flame came from it. "I can use energy to make fire king of like unicorns use magic." She nodded, then I stopped the flame as I looked back at the growing fire. Margo leaned into my side as we sat there. I rubbed her head as we sat there.

"Say, the camp you were talking about. it was the army camp just over the boarder right?"

I huffed as I nodded my head. Ya, in fact, I'm the commander, and the two that came with me are the captain of the tiger core and a friend named Knuckles." She laughed as she looked up at me.

"I could guess you were in charge you seem like the type. You seem like you'd be an alpha male if I've ever seen one."

I laughed as the flame really started to go as she sighed.

"So, I guess you know why my mother sent me in here with you."

"Ya, I knew what she was getting at after she said that. I have no intentions or doing anything to you, Margo." She nudged my side, making me turn my head to look at her. She rested her and on my chest as she looked at me.

"I wouldn't mind, you're a strong powerful warrior."

I blushed as I looked at her as she let my cloak drop to the ground. I moved to stop her, but she quickly moved herself into my lap. "Um, Margo." She smiled as she rubbed her hands on my chest. 'Oh, shit."

"BOSS!"

We jumped, and Margo yelled, then shoved me back, and I hit the floor hard. I back, seeing Claw laughing into his hand as he looked down at me. I smirked as I looked at him. 'Brother you just earned a week's worth of booze.'

"Knuckles is waiting outside."

Margo got off my lap as Claw smirked as he looked at me. I felt an eye twitch as I looked at him. "I'll give you three seconds to get a head start." He didn't need to be told twice before he took off. I sighed, then got up and dusted myself off then looked down at her. "You can head home, and if you don't mind, send your mother here with any maps you have of the border. I need to talk to her about what's going to happen from here. She smiled then nodded as she got up my cloak in hand. I took it from her then wrapped the cloak around her, and she smiled up at me.

"She's be here soon Troy."

I nodded, and she quickly walked out of the kitchen. I waited a few minutes, then Claw and Knuckles walked in and noticed a wet spot on his neck. I smirked as I looked at Knuckles as he rubbed the back of his head. "Seems like someone may have found a friend." He laughed as Claw looked between us.

"You two are the same."

I laughed as a smirk formed on my face as I looked at Claw. "Na, he could maybe go two or three rounds. I've gone whole nights before I don't think you can do that." That proud look on his face dropped as he looked at me. Claw laughed as he looked at Knuckles. Knuckles looked like he wanted to punch me but knew that would only end with her on his ass didn't do a thing. "Both of you get a room for yourself and if you want try your luck with locals feel free. I'm going to talk with the chief about everything around here. We need to know where the hell the attacking tribes are hiding." I pulled out some candles for them to use as light so they could get a room.

"Right."

They walked over, and each took four each, then lite-on before walking off. I left the other on the small shelf then started to get dinner ready. I'd finished the prework as I heard someone walking up behind me.

"So, you didn't want my daughter?"

I sighed as she threw the maps down beside me. I hummed as I reached into my bag then pulled out a small set of spices. "it's not that I didn't want her. It's more the fact I don't have the time to dance around like that. I have to be direct, but I guess that's not what you wanted to hear. She walked up beside me as I slide the potatoes into the cooking pot.

"I get it you want to get straight to the point I can understand that. So, there are copies of the map we have of all the villages near here and there are only two male villages around. The scales and the vipers both work with the deers. We will help you deal with them and deers if you attack or supply you with anything you need but, for I want something for you."

I cleaned my hands in a bowl of water and looked at her as I leaned back onto the wall next to the cooking pot. "What do you want?" She smiled as she fixed her bra then spoke.

"I want a settlement in Equestria near a river so we can start to rebuilt our old way of life. The deers destroyed our cities when they conquered our small nation."

I looked at her for a second then nodded as I pulled out a map.

I tapped the large fall off of what was canterlot mountain. "You can pick between these two rivers. One goes near the new capital of Equestria Ponyville and the other is heading towards Baltermare and there are mountains and a dense forest rich with resources near the river."

She nodded, then I let her take the map. I sighed as I looked down at the maps then picked them up. I unrolled a large map and saw it was mountains, for the most part, this valley. The rest and most populated areas would belong the coastline under their control. The strange thing was they only had one port city so close to the border, and we could launch an attack and cut off their slave trade. 'Hm, this is instresting.'

"Um."

I looked up from the map seeing Margo in the doorway still wearing my cloak. "It's not ready and if you want to know no you can't come back with us right now."

"Had to try."

I laughed then nodded my head as I looked back to the map. "You're free to stay and talk but I will be trying to come up with a battle plan." She smiled as she walked over and looked down at the map.

"So, what are you going to do?"

I tapped the port city then stood up. "I was thinking of forcing them into peace talks, and I want that city. If we cut off their slave trade, then we cripple their economy and force them into giving rights to the doe's in their country." She nodded as Claw and Knuckles walked into the kitchen. We all talked until dinner was ready, then we ate. After that, Margo left still in my cloak, but I could get another one from the set Rarity I made. I walked up to the well and sat down, swords by my legs as I leaned back onto the stones. I was taking the first watch as I still didn't trust the chief, but I'd given her a golden opportunity she's be stupid to turn down. I pulled out my message book then opened it pen still in the spine. I took the pen out, then started to write to Luna. 'Luan you there?' A few seconds later, I saw her writing her response.

'Ya, we've sent the griffon king and prince back to their capital. We've gotten word the forces guarding every defensive fortification have abanded them. We have set up plans to attack their solo port as well as we have worked out who gets what if negotiations come.'

'Those are?'

"Isa wants the river and trading town near their border, Akai wants the lost mountain range, the griffins want the land and rights back to the mines taken but force two hundred years back. We will take the port as well as a city along the western trade roads. I was thinking of turning it into a fortress city to keep these bucking bucks under control.'

I laughed as we wrote to each other for the better part of three hours until Claw came to let me get some sleep. I wrote love you, and she wrote back, love you too. I closed the book then walked over to the rooms. I took an empty bed. I was asleep soon enough as it been a long day.

Knuckle pov next morning

We walked back through the forest Troy leading the way. I smiled as I looked at his back, see the symbol of my leader looking back at me. He stopped, and we did too. I grabbed my swords as Troy moved his right hand to his sword. He drew it then turned as I heard rushing feet. I turned back to see the black snake rushing out of the trees. She fell to the ground holding her leg with an arrow deep in her thigh. Troy rushed passed us the sword drawn as a large male snake burst from the trees. Troy cut him down then kicked him back into another one as He picked the girl up and threw her over his shoulder.

"You two get back!"

We did as we were told as he slammed a foot down on the ground. A huge wall of ice flew up, blocking them. He sent the wall far along the forest, making sure they wouldn't get at us any time soon.

"Fucking... Damn it get the arrow out and treat the wound I'm going over."

"WHAT!?"

Claw and I helped her back down; then, Troy jumped over the ice wall once she was off. A few seconds later, I heard a fight as Claw pulled out a vile then gave it to her.

"You can drink that, and it will help the pain and knock you out in a few minutes. You're lucky too; it looks shallow, so we can pull it out by opening the wound. Other why's we'd have to push it out."

"Ok."

Claw nodded as the sounds of fighting stopped as she drank the vile of green stuff. Troy jumped back over then landed as Claw drew a knife, slid it, and then opened her wound and slid out the arrow as I held her shoulders. She cried a little as Claw finished getting the arrow out. Like Claw told her she passed out as Troy pulled out a roll of bandages then threw them over to Claw. He wrapped the wound the Troy got her on his back. I helped get her on then we started to run for the border.

"Fucking hell, I told her to say at her village."

I laughed as I looked at him then nodded my head. "You know someone young doesn't listen to anyone." He nodded as we ran.