Ahnaressu's Travels Ch.10 Options

[Dantrag]

"Is that it?" Cali asked impatiently. they had been scouring the ashlands for days looking for the Urshilaku.

"Possibly." Ahnaressu answered, squinting his eyes to try to tell whether or not those tiny dots on the horizon were yurts. "I can't tell until we get closer."

They kept walking, but Ahnaressu stopped to pick up a tiring Relgar.

In a matter of minutes, Ahnaressu was sure that this was indeed his tribe. He took a deep breath and continued walking. Would his tribe accept him anymore after leaving for so long? He would find his answer soon enough, he decided.

An ashlander ran out from behind a rock and stood ahead of them, obviously one of the perimeter guard. His hand was resting easily on the hilt of a chitin blade.

"You are not allowed here. you are no friend of the Urshilaku." the elderly dunmer said with authority.

"You are wrong, Yassour." Ahnaressu said with a smile, recognizing the kindly but stern old mer. "I am of this tribe."

The dunmer was astonished that this young stranger knew his name, but didn't show it. Who did he think he was?

"What is your name?"

"Ahnaressu Sul-Khar." he answered.

Yassour squinted, trying to find similarities between this mer and the one he knew six years ago. "Hmmm, yes." he said, "Son of Zaldin."

Ahnaressu smiled. "So is he." he said, nodding his head towards the sleeping Relgar he was carrying.

"We thought the baby was dead in the raid. I'm glad he wasn't." Yassour said solemnly, remembering that fateful day. "Oh, where are my manners? Who is this young lady?"

"I am Cali, nice to meet you." she said with a slight curtsy.

"Well, Cali, Ahnaressu; come sit in my yurt for awhile while I speak to the ashkhan of your return."

"Thank you." Ahnaressu said while Yassour led them to his yurt.

They all sat down by the fire while Yassour went to inform Sul-Matuul.

"Nice place." Cali remarked, trying to start some conversation.

"Yeah - not exactly the welcome I was expecting though." Ahnaressu said sadly. "When we walked through the camp, nobody even recognized me."

"It's been a few years..." Cali said, trying to reason with him.

Ahnaressu was about to answer, but Yassour came back in. "Sul-Matuul wishes to speak with you." he said flatly.

---
It seems I neglected this story since I started writing parodies...well here you go.

enjoy.

[Dantrag]

Surprise.

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Ahnaressu's trek was fairly uneventful, and he couldn't help but see it as the eerie calm before the thunderous storm. That foreboding feeling intensified as he left the bleak gray of the ashlands and entered the green plains of the grazelands. With the maze of foyadas behind him, the reality of the upcoming fight became even clearer and his resolve became firmer.

The calm was over, he realized, when he saw the darkest black clouds hovering above the cluster of yurts that made up the Zainab Camp. The clouds didn't follow any natural pattern, and gave Ahnaressu an uneasy feeling in his gut. Passing the feeling off as pre-battle jitters, he kept moving. The tiny dots that the dunmer knew to be yurts became larger, and he suddenly realized the truth of what was happening. The sound of clashing steel and battle cries reached his ears and his brisk walk became an all out run.

I can't let Valnor kill anymore. I can't let Valnor live anymore.

He repeated those to sentences to himself over and over until he entered the battle. He began his planned killing spree with a burly orc. The orc was occupied with fighting a young ashlander, and never even saw Ahnaressu or the bright green flash of the katana that tore his ugly head from his body. The young ashlander nodded in thanks before engaging another enemy.

Ahnaressu recognized the dunmer he had just saved, though it was obvious that the observation was not a mutual one. A few years ago, during the short while he had lived among these people, there had been an ashlander about his age who treated him with even less respect than the rest of the tribe. Strangely, Ahnaressu realized that he no longer held any grudge against Yas; a common enemy had a strange way of dispelling minor quarrels like that. Ahnaressu continued his fighting, and though none of the Zainab recognized who he was, they did recognize him as an ally.

With every short break in fighting that Ahnaressu got, he watched fruitlessly for any sign of Valnor. The clouds above them became blacker as the minutes went by, but with the more pressing problem of armed attackers, the ashlanders paid no notice.