The creche was filled with small voices arguing over rules, what was and was not allowed, fights over who should win and once in a while some fists and fur would fly for a moment as their disagreements boiled over before simmering down again as they continued to play with the carvings. What had started as a simple donation of very poorly carved figurines of the locals and banditry had become an overnight sensation amongst the foals as they battled over who got to use them until Awe had to kick half outside at times and ration their use. Within the hour of rationing came gambling, bargaining and fighting over time and while most of the fillies showed little to no interest in the mock battles the colts were insatiable.

Some preferred to just watch the little mock battles take place on the dirt floor but most spat insults back and forth as they argued over what someone should have done. Awe had thankfully finished making the crude leather ball and even stuffed it quite well with soft, dry grasses but after seeing how the first lot of toys had gone over she had decided to hold back as there were not enough eyes to go around now. Gambling outside, fighting inside and then add a ball? She had been opposed until a day or two later and despite Sefu thinking it might divert attention Awe had won out with a glare, the ball would stay hidden for at least another day so they could calm down a little.

An argument on her part that worked was that some sat staring almost all day long as Verik sat whittling away at more pieces of wood, the foals knew where the toys came from now and waited like vultures for a new one to be tossed across the room.

Rolling the new carving over in his hands with one eye on the cluster of foals which continued to grow knowing a new one had been finished, Verik held it up for a moment and then gave it a lazy toss across the room while watching the foals scramble after it. They tripped each other, grabbed legs, bit hands, fought and jabbed each other in a wild free for all to see who could get a hold of it first.

"That not helping!" Awe glared at Verik while pointing to the mob.

Watching them for a moment he shrugged. "Gives them something to do rather than hide or climb the fence."

Sefu opened his mouth to say something but Awe immediately glared at him silencing Sefu before she finally stood and broke up the teething mass of fur. "No care! Not help if they kill each other over carving! Parents already ask many questions about bite marks and bruises!"

"Tell them their child earned it in the line of duty attempting to procure a toy, if they dont like it they can cough up some of their own time and help with the carvings because my hands are getting darn sore. I can only make so many so fast. Besides, give them the "other" thing tomorrow and it should occupy the other half nicely."

"Until one kick it over fence." Sefu mumbled and watched the fighting party go back to watching Verik start another carving. "Then they all jump fence and scatter."

"True, but Asha and myself already did our running so its your turn to chase them down now." Verik gave Awe and Sefu a sarcastic smile. "You could always make the fence taller? Besides you will need a bigger area than that tiny lot to use "it" anyway."

"No bigger area, never needed bigger space."

"Well now you will. Dont suppose there is a place big enough between the huts that would make a mock field and then seal the space in? Expand the creche several yards and turn it into a mini-field?"

"Maybe..."

Sefu mulled it over as another fight broke out, tiny fists flew over who had killed who and the disagreeing sides took their game to the next level as an exasperated Awe darted into the mass to stop the fighting.

"Enough! Take them away! Keep fighting not get back anymore! Use as kindling in fire!"

All fighting came to an abrupt halt as all eyes stared up at her and a chorus of repentant voices called out in a unified cry for her not to, begging and pleading a few cried as they began grasping the small, ugly carvings. Some sat on them and as they argued with Awe the mare became more and more exasperated by the situation until she finally smiled and stared at Verik giving him pause.

"That one make more toy yes?" A chorus of little voices answered and all heads turned to him. "Maybe he not make more if you keep fighting?"

Verik stared back for a moment. "Right. Yes. If you keep fighting then no more toys."

A hushed silence held in the air as Awe picked up the pieces one at a time as the foals remembered that the monster across the room was the source of the objects which held their affection. Lifting a foal up quickly and snatching the piece he was sitting on away she hurriedly finished her task of stuffing the carvings into their bag before walking back and sitting down again.

"Want more toys? No fighting!" Awe held the bag up. "Get these back later if not cause trouble!"

Their response was a long and depressed "yes" as they continued to stare first at her and then back to Verik who had begun carving again. All eyes were on his hands as the small blade removed one sliver of wood at a time as he whittled away and made the occasional off remark when he removed too much. The errant piece he had tossed was borne forth by a foal and Awe almost stood up to grab it but froze as the foal stared at it and began walking towards Verik. His own whittling slowed as the very young colt took one tiny step at a time towards him until he stopped beside Verik and held the piece out.

"Something wrong with it?"

"Forget to carve eye."

Asha and Sefu choked back a laugh while Awe sat with a blank expression as Verik took the piece back and looking at the face nodded. Carving out the eye quickly he handed it back to the colt who stared at it before sitting down and staring up at him, watching his hands move the blade and wood back and forth.

"You toy maker?"

Verik stopped for a moment and gave the others a curious and strange look as Sefu gave him a knowing stare. "I guess so?... Yes. I make toys."

"But you mercenary."

"True."

"Mercenary very evil. Mean. Take others away and make hurt."

"Also true."

"Not mercenary now?"

"Dont really know how to answer that, I help Sefu there protect the village and work for Tendaji."

"What crime?"

"Crime is when someone does something wr-"

The colt shook his head and patted Verik's arm. "No, crime, you do very bad thing? That why you here now?"

"I have done a whole lot of things in my life that are highly illegal and would have gotten me locked in a deep dungeon by the fed, not that those bastards-... Nothing for a long time now... Why?"

"Oohhh..." The foal stared at him again. "You do big bad then?"

"Why do you want to know what I have been doing?"

"Not shave you naked unless you do big bad." The colt patted Verik's furless arm.

Verik stared confused for a moment as Asha broke out laughing while Sefu turned his head away and began making a choking sound.

"What? No one shaved me naked."

"No fur!"

"I have never had fur."

"Have fur! On face and have mane!"

"My beard? That is just natural for men, but I have never had fur. I am not a- Well not sure what to call you, an equine? Equinoid?"

A gasp left the other side of the room as the foals all stared and began whispering to each other about a creature being born without fur and what heinous crime he must have committed that the creature would not speak of it. Most agreed he was lying, that he had done something and indeed was shaven naked as punishment.

Asha nudged him in the side a little and whispered into his ear. "When someone do very bad crime, sometimes they shaven as punishment. Also shave if lice not go away."

"Ah... Well, they ignore me until I start making toys and now I have a boy who is not afraid me-" His voice died off as the throng inched closer until they covered the floor in front of him, leaning back to Asha he whispered. "They ignore me forever and suddenly they think I committed some big, terrible crime and now they want to get close? Shouldn't they run from the horrible criminal?"

"Tendaji never shave anyone, last one who was shaved naked made Fareed tax collector very, very mad. Had him shaved."

"Right... So they think, and rightly so, that I got the same and am more like them somehow?"

Sefu gave a short laugh as Verik remembered his hearing was exceptional. "Foals are foals, not question it, go mad if think too much."

Staring at the furry mass that had moved closer Verik watched them for a second before continuing his carving. "Not scared of me anymore?"

One that was a little older in the front shook his head. "Scary but... Not so scary. Make toy, give us toy, make more toy. You make us more toys?"

"Yes, I will should I have the time. It's a shame you dont have any and it keeps me from getting bored while sitting around here all day."

"You bored?"

"Yup."

"Cause too much trouble to be bored!"

"I wouldn't know about that."

"Where you learn to make toy?" The conversation stopped as the little colt holding the carving beside him looked up at Verik after sitting down.

"Never really did... When I was about... That ones age, yes her, I started whittling and experimenting with pieces of wood. Quit though, haven't tried again till now."

"Why?"

"Don't know why, I just quit."

"But why?"

"No idea."

Another foal piped up. "Where you come from?"

"Far away, far, far away. From a place unheard of and unknown. May it stay that way for all time."

"You not eat us?" A little filly zebra stared at him.

"If I was going to eat you wouldn't I have done that a long time ago?" The air was silent as they stared and looked worried. "No. I will not eat you."

"You make other toys?"

"Maybe."

"Why have sharp teeth?"

"Because I eat meat."

"But you not have big long ears."

"What?"

"Nuru tell stories! Long ago, big tall things with tall ears, not have hooves. Much sharp teeth!"

Another foal cut in. "See in dark good to! Nuru say in time forgotten they come in big, big mass. Conquer much and then slowly leave or killed."

"Oh? What did they look like?"

A mass of scrawling in the dirt took place as the foals argued over what the mythological creatures looked like but as they continued features began to stand out as they agreed on certain details. Asha, Awe and Sefu however remained quiet as it took place, the later two content for the attention to be elsewhere and Asha just sat and smiled at Verik. Once they were done Verik stared at the horrific visage of a ghoulish creature and raised an eyebrow.

"Ghastly looking thing, they used to live here?"

"Nuru say far north! No come here anymore, unwelcome."

"Why is that?"

"Eat meat, very, very scary."

"Or just smart enough to know this region is a hellhole and to stay far away..." Verik stared at the scrawling again. "So they were tall?"

A colt threw his arms up in the air. "Huge! Giants! Bigger than Sefu!"

"Riiggght. So tall, dark, fast, long ears, tails, no hooves or even feet apparently... So they floated along? Ghosts?" The foals all looked at each other confused. "A lot got lost in the history book burning parade then, but long gone now. Well, I have no idea what this thing is supposed to be but I am not whatever that is or related to them. Maybe I should ask Nuru about that, sounds interesting."

"Scary stories!" One foal shook his head as another took up where they left off. "Bad scary!"

"Well judging by this visage they must be."

"Bite and tear flesh with sharp teeth! Like your teeth."

"Well I am not going to do that. Wonder why they left though..."

Details from Nuru's stories flowed out rapidly as they spoke over each other about how the terrors had come from the north and carved a bloody swathe through the lands driving zebra and Arabian alike south until finally being driven out again, but as he listened it was clear they had remained for quite a significant amount of time before packing their bags and departing slowly but not until leaving a mark on the landscape and in the minds of those who survived them.

"You murd-rur-er?"

Verik's thoughts came to a screeching halt as a new foal poked his arm. "Am I a what?!"

"Murd-rur-er."

"No."

"But you smash zebra head in with rock! Bite!"

"Ohh him... That was a duel to the death, he challenged me over Asha."

"No! Know what duel is!"

"Smart kid..."

"You smash others with rocks, bite, stab many till they dead. Scare many. Crazy murder."

Sefu's ears stood up catching on. "That one speak of bandits when first meet."

"Ah. That, well that was a group of bandits that attacked the caravan and I was left on my own..." Verik scowled at Sefu. "So since I was left to fend for myself I took matters into my own hands and killed anything that moved which was not one of you Wete."

"Why you bite?"

"In the duel? Sounded like a good idea at the time."

"That why you bite during duel?"

"Yes. Scares the heck of someone when I latch down on them with these and dig in." Verik showed them his teeth and the foals partially backed away before becoming interested.

"My brother say you insane! Even teach him strange things!" Everyone stared at the filly who had just shouted.

"Raswan..." Verik nodded at her. "Your brother is correct, I am utterly insane. A madman, off my rocker, the bird that flew the coop. I am even crazier for having this conversation with you, if anyone asks just nod your head. Yes, Verik is very insane."

"You like Asha!"

"Just how did we change topics that fast?"

"Get used to it." Sefu had stretched out on the floor and gave a faint wave of "good luck" to Verik.

Looking back at the mob Verik nodded. "Yes, I like Asha very, very much."

A loud chorus of "oohhh" filled the air as he looked across the room at the other two. "Sefu?"

Awe stood up and motioned for Asha to follow her and as she reached the door looked down at Verik. "When it time to eat you get break maybe, if not... Bad luck. Asha, come, time to make food."

Verik stared at the mass of foals as they continued to ask questions faster and faster, each one speaking over the other as their voices rose and fell in a massed chorus. Sefu however just laid where he was with eyes closed, refusing to budge.

"They not fear you now."

"I can see that." Verik called back over the voices before raising his hands to the mob. "Quiet! Ask one at a time!"

The voices quieted for a minute before beginning again as none were willing to wait for a turn at asking questions, giving up Verik went back to his whittling and when he caught a more clear and concise question he would point and answer them.

"Yes, no, no, yes..."

"You remove chief?"

Everything stopped for a moment. "No, I am not going to replace Tendaji. Why?"

"Mercenary come when things bad, take over village."

"Your not from Wete are you."

"No."

"I already told you, I am here to help Tendaji and Wete. Not take it over."

"But maybe you will, bring back more mercenary like other did! Kill chief!"

"No! I have no outstanding issues with Tendaji, we have an agreement and he has honored it, begrudgingly... Therefor, so long as he does so there shall be no problems."

"No trust mercenary!"

"I know you dont, nor should you ever."

"Liar then."

"Do you know why I am a mercenary?"

"No." The filly shook her head.

"Because I have nothing else, I had no home until coming here and Tendaji, though it was more the doing of Asha and Nuru... Were the only ones who offered me somewhere to stay. I am not going to turn on my home and do harm to it. But I am also a mercenary because as you can see... I am not a Wete, you see I have this problem with authority so the only way around it was for your chief to hire me as a mercenary as I refused to swear fealty. Thats all, no other reason."

The foals looked confused for a minute until the filly spoke up again. "Not swear to serve?"

"Was that what your family did?"

"Brother swear when he old enough."

"Very feudal of you folks, but no I did not swear to serve. I made an agreement to aid Wete."

"You never be Wete."

"Nope! Never. Don't want to be either."

"What are you?"

"Tribe?"

"Uh-huh."

"None, I have no tribe, I am just me and the arms I command. For now." Verik realized he had spoken the last bit aloud and regretted it but hoped the foals would not catch it.

"You command big army?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You protect Wete."

"Sort of true, more a joint effort with Sefu. Why do you care so much?"

"Mercenary promise protect, want more, chief say no, they cut chief head off so we run here."

"Ahhh... Well I understand why you are worried but I am not them."

"They say that to! Say they have..." She paused for a minute. "Have pri-cinpel and honor. Make scribbles on rolly thingy as proof. Mercenary lie, betray. If you mercenary then you betray us."

"Well, all I can say is had I been there when they tried that I would have tried to take their heads for betraying your tribe. I honor my agreements, ask Sefu if you dont believe me because a Wete was very underhanded in our agreement but I still honored the deal."

"Then you not mercenary."

"Okay... Then what am I?"

Giving off a mass shrug the foals all stared for a second and then began muttering words back and forth which they thought suited him but none stuck. A few almost stuck but one tended to pop up more now and again compared to others as they struggled with pronunciation and verbiage. He had to admit the one word had a certain ring to it though.

The foals all stared at him again when the argument was over and had proven inconclusive. "What if Tendaji no pay you?"

"Then we might have a problem but that would most likely mean I leave you to your fates and go somewhere else and assist those who actually honor their word."

"No burn Wete?"

"No burn, unless Tendaji attacks me and then who knows what will happen."

"Why Tendaji attack you?!" The voices were concerned.

"Maybe Fareed tells him to, who knows."

"Fareed not like you?"

Verik gave them a small grin. "He wont, he just doesn't know it yet."

Author's Notes:

Enjoying the story? Consider making a donation, every penny helps!
Also, those of you already donating, check the patreon as I did an art dump the other day.