Chapter 5: A Queen in Shining Armor

Avriel winced as another twig snapped under her foot. She following behind one of the Lios women, Mel, who had volunteered to act as her guide. Tara had offered but Avriel had commanded her to stay behind and watch over Azriel and her daughter. Avriel moved as quietly as possible and in truth made very little noise but when compared to the Lios leading her, who moved as silently as a shadow over the ground, she was highly aware of every sound she made. The vibrant greenery of the forest engulfed them as they moved closer to Prowel. Sun streamed down through a break in the lush canopy over head and Avriel looked up into the sky and was releaved to see the cloud she had expected overhead. The cloud was merely a hologram projected by a swarm of minuscule flying robots. She had been worried that their limited sensors may have lost them in the dense foliage.

“We are almost there Rasheena,” Mel whispered barely above breathing volume. Avriel touched the Lios back to indicated she had heard. Two days she had planned this rescue. She had spoken to every one of the Lios and asked them innumerable questions. They had cooperated although some of the questions they didn’t understand the reason for and some they had no answer for. The Lios’ who had made the cavern home had begun referring to her Rasheena, the female term for leader as Rashak is for men. At first she had tried to get them to stop but when they became extremely upset she had simply allowed them to call her what they wanted. She had wondered about it and come to the conclusion that they somehow lumped her protecting them with her being the leader. Mel stopped suddenly and Avriel almost crashed into her back but she caught herself and froze holding her breath and listening to the forest around them.

“What’s wrong,” she demanded quietly. Mel crouched down and Avriel copied the movement and through a break in the foliage could see the village beyond.

“Thank you Mel, head back to Base and be careful not to be seen,” Avriel ordered and was surprised when the Lios shook her head.

“I will go with you, the others will not trust you,” Mel replied with determination. Avriel, not having an argument to counter her, shrugged and studied the village again. After twenty minutes of watching and not seeing anyone she asked Mel, who’d remained silent, about the absence of people.

“The males will be out hunting and patrolling the forest around the village. Thanks to your cutting their numbers down they can’t leave more then a handful to guard and patrol. We must get in and get the others before the hunters return with their catch. There should be no more than two or three in the village. There shouldn’t be anyone in the hut with the females during the day time,” Mel explained.

“Alright, you go and get the others ready to go I will search the village for guards then join you,” Avriel ordered and Mel moved off silently with a nod. Avriel crept through the underbrush at the edge of the village watching for any movement to give away a guard. An utter lack of movement was all she found other then empty huts. A loud noise halfway between a scream and and roar came from the direction of the huts where the females were being held. Avriel turned and bolted towards the larger building, abandoning stealth for expedience. She rounded at hut to see Mel on the ground as a male Lios beat her with the haft of a spear. Several female Lios watched from the doorway of the large building to fearful to come out of the building let alone give aid to Mel. Avriel rushed at the Lios back and as she neared him she realized she knew this one, Slant. His leg was bandaged and splinted and he was very unsteady on his feet as he swung the spear which, luckily for Mel, leeched most of the damage from his blows. Hearing her rapid approach he turned his eyes widening in surprise as she closed the distance between them. He frantically turned back to Mel and tried to grab her to use as a hostage but Mel had managed to get to all fours and crawl away a little and was out of his easy reach. He snarled viciously at her in frustration and that was the last thing he did before Avriel’s sword swept down and severed his head from his neck. Several of the Lios women in the door let out a little shriek and began talking so fast over each other the the bracelet couldn’t interpret was they were saying.

“Mel are you okay,” Avriel asked the Lios and gently lifted her to her feet with a hand under her arm.

“I’m alright,” Mel answered breathing heavily.

“Get these women ready and I’ll leave a message for the Rashak,” she ordered and Mel nodded and wobbled into the building with the hysterical Lios. Avriel grabbed Slant’s spear and with a heavy drove it point down into the earth and then she grabbed his head and forced it onto the end of the haft. She turned back to face the building just as Mel led a procession of Lios from inside.

“Let’s go,” she ordered and Mel took the lead. They traveled halfway back to Base when a small band of Lupos detached from the greenery surrounding them. Avriel immediately drew her sword and leapt to place herself between this new threat and her charges. The Lios shrank away from the Lupos in terror that is the few who didn’t begin screaming bloody murder.

“Peace,” the lead Lupos said in perfect common and he held his spear horizontally in a loose grip, the universal sign of non-aggression. The other five Lupos look nervous but none raised a weapon in a threatening manner so Avriel paused but did not lower her sword.

“What do you want,” she demanded.

“We want the same freedom and safety you have offered the feline-kin. The males of our kind are not treated as harshly as their females but our society is matriarchal and males are treated little better than slaves by most of the females,” the Lupos answered. Avriel studied him for a moment. He stood nearly eight feet tall and towered over her but he loom or try to intimidate her with his greater size.

“Why not simply fight for your freedom,” Avriel asked and lowered her sword after deciding to believe him. He relax infinitesimally as here weapon lower but gave no other sign the weapons presence had effected him.

“The Lupos people give birth to female children two or three times as often as males. Not even counting the Lupos females who are not trained to fight, the males are outnumber by a significant number,” he explained. Avriel nodded her understanding and then with a sigh she slid her sword back into it’s sheathe. One of the Lios behind her whimpered in fear as the weapon was sheathed and Avriel looked back to see all of the Lios females practically trembling in terror.

“What is it,” she demanded of Mel who wasn’t as panic stricken as the others.

“They are afraid of the canine-kin. We are told from birth that if we are captured by one of them, they will hurt and rape us until we beg for death. Then they will eat us,” Mel explained and shiver at the visual she painted with her words. Avriel turned back to the Lupos and even though his face was so very alien from her own that she found it difficult to read emotions she could discern the shocked outrage in his eyes. He was the only one to reacted to Mel’s words at first but when he turned back and spoke to them, in a language consisting of yips, small barks, and whines, the look transferred to every other Lupos face.

“We have never touched a feline-kin female, nor have we ever heard of one of our kind who has done such a heinous thing. Most of us have never even seen a female feline-kin before today,” he refuted.

“How did you come to learn the Lios language,” she asked. It took him a moment to connect Lios with feline-kin but after he realized what she was asking he spoke.

“The canine-kin and the feline-kin was often but in the times of peace, they trade goods with each other. Some of the males are taught their language so they might handle the trading. All canine-kin females know their language but rarely choose to interact with them due to the feline-kin’s view on ‘a females place’. Avriel nodded her understanding and turned to face Mel and the other Lios.

“They will not hurt you, you have my word,” she said and they relaxed, the terror drained from their faces but they still eyed the Lupos nervously.

“What is your name,” she asked the lead Lupos.

“Jaren,” he replied.

“You and you group lead the way to Base, were I live,” she ordered. He nodded and switched his grip on his spear to a more ready position and began to turn away but paused and then faced her agian.

“There are more of us here. I thought it best if we only approached in a small number to avoid alarming you,” Jaren said. Avriel opened her mouth to speak but closed it then nodded and motioned him forward. He turned without a word and vanished into the under brush silently. Avriel and the Lios’ continued on towards Base only occasionally catching glimpses of the Lupos in the trees ahead as they moved. When they arrived at the field in front of Base, Avriel was shocked to see the group of Lupos had swelled to nearly a hundred strong.

Avriel paused for only a moment at the sight before hurrying forward. The Lios who followed her crowded close to her back, bumping against her wings and making it difficult to walk but the terror on their face, as they look at the Lupos, when she turned to reprimand them stopped her. She sighed in resignation and hurried for the front door of Base. The door opened as she approached and Sidbot rolled out the door the robots arms were formed into cannons and they pointed at the unknown Lupos.

“Stand down Sidney,” Avriel ordered and the arm transformed back to normal. The Sidbot rolled backwards into the cavern ahead of Avriel who was closely followed by the Lios. With cries of joy there occupants rushed forward to greet the new arrivals. Avriel waited by the door until all the Lios were in then called Jaren to her.

“Yes,” he asked.

“I need to explain the situation to those already inside and I need you all to wait out here. I don’t want to cause a panic which will almost assuredly happen if I just bring you inside,” she explained. Jaren thought for a moment and then nodded his understanding.

“Good, just wait out here until I call for you. I will leave the door open, if some kind of danger approaches you are to all retreat inside,” she order and he nodded again and leaned forward toward her but halfway down towards her face he paused and a looked Avriel couldn’t understand settled on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out as it seemed he was having trouble explaining what exactly the problem was.

“You have no muzzle,” he finally said.

“Yes, I am aware,” Avriel answered confused, not understanding what her lack of a muzzled to do with anything.

“Canines lick the muzzles of their superiors. It is a sign of submission and you have no muzzle,” Sidney informed since Jaren seemed to be struggling with explaining himself. He nodded vigorously at Sidney’s answer and looked the small robot over with a quick interested glance before turning back to Avriel.

“My kind salute to show respect or deference. Depending on the species or cultural group the salute changes but this is my peoples,” Avriel told him. She clenched her right hand into a fist and pressed it over the left side of her chest. He duplicated with the wrong hand awkwardly and she hand to fight back the urge to laugh. A small smile slipped out and he grinned back at her in return.

“Like this with your other hand, its always the same hand unless you have some reason for not being able to use that hand,” she explained and smiled at him when he corrected himself in a perfect salute. He turned and walked back towards his waiting warriors and she headed for Tara.

“We need to gather all of the Lios so I can speak to them,” she told Tara. Tara looked at the open door of the cave but headed off to gather her people. Avriel waited near the door, leaning against the rock of the cavern tiredly.

“I have a announcement which most if not all of you probably aren’t going to like,” Avriel began as soon as they all stood in front of her. A nervous growl ran trough the crowd at her words but silence quickly fell and she continued.

“On our way her we met a large group of Lupos. They have requested permission to live here and I have granted it tp them,” Avriel said. For three second there was absolute silence in the cavern before the congregated Lios began yowling and hissing loudly over top of one another trying to be heard. Avriel closed her eyes and ground the heel of her palm into her temple in an effort to massage away the headache that was rapidly forming behind her eyes. The cacoffiny continued for a full two minutes with no sign of abating before Avriel had heard enough.

“SILENCE,” she yelled and at of the Lios stilled instantly.

“This is my home for the moment and I have allowed you to become a part of it. To live here in safety away from those who would oppress you and it has brought me a great deal of trouble. I have gone out of my way to rescue those of you left behind in your village because it was the right and decent thing to do. This is not my planet and you are not my people but it would have been wrong to ignore the injustices you were suffering. I HAVE given them permission to live here with us in peace. Any of you are free to leave if you don’t like it,” she declared and turned and stepped up to the door.

“Jaren it’s okay now,” she called. When she turned back to those in the cavern she was unsurprised to see them retreating to the farthest point of the cavern from the door. Jaren stepped into the cavern first and looked around curiously. He shot Avriel a glance when he spotted the Lios hurrying away but she just shrugged at him and gestured inside. He motioned over his shoulder in a forward movement and head for the building shaped Sidney as his troops entered Base.

ATTENTION READERS READ THIS OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!!!!!!
This will be the last chapter of this stroy that I post on this website. I will post one more chapter for each of my other stories then I will not be posting on xnxx anymore. HOWEVER I will continue posting them on wolfpub.org and on karaxs.com. Karaxs.com is still under construction but a link on the page will direct you to the temporary sight where my stories are located.

Thanks for reading,
Karax