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 Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:13 pm
Vlad followed Kail through the streets and listened carefully as the other told him about the shop. At the last sentence however he shook his head and grabbed Kail by the wrist. "Don't be foolish, how are we supposed to get you clothes unless you come in the shop," the warrior said as he drug the other in behind him. They were immediately accosted by the shopkeep who eyed Kail up and down before noticing Vlad's glare and deciding against speaking out against the former slave's presence in the shop. Instead the shopkeep prattled on like the village gossip. The warrior raised an eyebrow and said smoothly, "One- he's a man, not a boy. Two- I didn't give him the sword, he earned it. Three- perhaps you'd like to sell us some goods instead of talking our ears off, yes?" The shopkeep stammered and stuttered and eventually nodded, "Yes sir, please look around or if you need something from behind the counter I'll get it for you."
Vlad nodded and turned to Kail. "Go get yourself two pairs of traveling pants, two shirts, a belt, good boots, a poncho, two blankets, two tarps, and a backpack. I'll be at the counter with our good shopkeep here," he instructed his companion. With that he moved away to the counter forcing the shopkeep to trail after him. The man kept glancing at the former slave as if afraid he would steal something, but Vlad ignored the man's nervousness and instead plied him for supplies. At the warrior's request the shopkeep produced some twine, a small folding knife, a wet stone and oil, and several packages of trail mix composed of nuts, dried fruit, and jerked meats.
Vlad normally never traveled with a food supply because he always caught game, and even if he didn't he knew he could go hungry for a few days before he would have to catch something or find a village or town. With Kail coming along he didn't have that luxury anymore. The former slave needed to regain his strength, so he couldn't be skipping meals. Vlad realized that they would have to travel at an easier pace as well because Kail should get plenty of rest. His body needed to heal before Vlad could punish it through serious training again. Traveling this way would extend the length of their trip, but this didn't bother him. His only goal was to get the former warrior in fighting shape again so he could challenge him and restore his honor. And if Kail started to get impatient with the duration of the trip maybe that would be just the motivation he needed to get his life back together.
As they waited for Kail to return with his item the shopkeep and warrior began to haggle out the price. Vlad had to keep in mind the maximum amount of coin he would have to spend on a horse and tack. With that amount withheld he didn't have much left to bargain with. And Kail had been correct, the shopkeep was a hard bargainer. Vlad finally had to pull out the trump card Kail had given him and inquire about the bandits. The shopkeep admitted that bandits had been stealing his shipments on the the three main roads out of town. Luckily for Vlad, all of the bandits were working under one ringleader who had his hideout to the north. Being as that's exactly where they were headed the warrior convinced the shopkeep that he could take care of the bandit problem just by getting rid of the leader. The shopkeep agreed that that would be worth more than the goods they were getting today. But when he started talking about how he would prefer that Vlad take care of the bandits before taking the goods the warrior hammered his fist on the counter and roared that the man was insulting the honor of a warrior's oath. With that the shopkeep immediately apologized and gave Vlad a few more bags of the trail mix and a promise that he had a store credit for the future.
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:57 pm
Kail was quite surprised when his new master suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the shop despite the shops rule. His master had a point about not being able to get the correct clothing if he was not in the shop, but the shop was not for slaves. There was a separate shop for slaves, perhaps he should have told his master, but the man had said he wanted the best quality and the slave shop did not have that. Kail eyes the shop keep nervously knowing the man was not happy about him being in the shop but a glare from his master kept the man from telling him to leave. He listened with wide eyes as the shop keep explained where the large scar across his back had come from. It seemed his master however did not care about what the man said as he snapped at the shop keep.
Kail looked back to his master as the man ordered him to get things. “Yes, sir.” Kail said quickly moving away to get the items he had been ordered to get. It all seemed too much, and Kail considered not grabbing some of the items in an attempt to save his master money. After all he was a slave, slaves did not require so much stuff, and he could go months in the same pants and shirt. He however weighed the consequences of not grabbing what was ordered, if his master didn’t like what he had done. Worrying his lip he grabbed all of the items his master had told him to, he could talk with his master and explain that he did not need so many clothes; even what he had was fine. As he grabbed the desired items he could feel the shop keepers eyes on him knowing the man was watching him made Kail even more nervous causing him to drop what he was holding a few times.
Kail slowly approached his master and the shop keeper with the items he had gotten. He watched his master talk with the shop keep and gathered other items from the man. Kail hoped that the items weren’t for him, he didn’t want his master spending more money on him when he hadn’t even discussed the clothing in his arms. Kail watched as his master haggled with the shop keep about the price, he watched curiously and worriedly as the price went up and down. Kail wasn’t really surprised when Vlad brought up the bandits attacking the man’s shipments. Kail had begun to look around the shop when he heard Vlad slam his fist down on the counter causing Kail to jump and drop the items he had been holding. Quickly muttering apologies he bent to pick them up.
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:13 pm
To be honest, Vlad had noted what the shopkeep had said about Kail's previous master and wound, and while he had filed the information away he still couldn't comprehend the significance it might have to the former slave. He still wasn't really thinking about the once warrior as a slave and how that had changed the man's mind in such a way that any one wound or weapon would be any more significant than another. Scars were part and parcel of the business of being a warrior. He did notice how Kail was dropping his items and it irritated the warrior. Internally he cringed at the uncharacteristic clumsiness, but he tried not to show it. Kail new way of being was affecting him though. Previously he would never have so thoughtlessly grabbed the man by the wrist. Kail's submissiveness was forcing him into a dominant position and it was throwing him off his center. While it was perfectly normal for a warrior of his caliber to be dominant in almost every situation, Kail was the only person in his life besides his master that he was taught to submit to once he was beaten. As a warrior he couldn't afford to be off kilter like this. It wasn't his style to sit and try and figure out what was going on, but to roll with it and just keep going- keep moving, don't get caught standing still. That kind of behavior gets a man killed. But the situation with Kail was the strangest he had ever been in and kept demanding his attention and thoughts.
Vlad ignored the apologies as his companion picked up the items and instead focused once more on the shopkeep to try and keep pressing his current advantage. "You'll let him step back in your storeroom there and change into one of his sets of new clothes," the warrior said smoothly. But the shopkeep protested, this was just a step too far; he was sure the man he thought was a slave would steal from him if left unattended in the storage room. Vlad growled deep in his throat and leaned in towards the impudent man, "Must I remind you once more that you are questioning the honor of Vlad of the Naduk? Does your life mean so little?" The shopkeep cringed and motioned Kail towards the back room. The warrior took everything except one set of clothes and the boots from Kail, "Go change, I'll put your pack together." With that he began to roll the blankets together into a bedroll. After the blankets were rolled he wrapped them in the tarps and then strapped the entire construction to the top of the backpack. Then he placed the extra set of clothes in the bottom of the pack, put the packages of trail mix on top of that, closed the pack, and put the twine and knife set into an outer pocket. Vlad shouldered the pack momentarily to check it for balance before setting it back on the counter to wait for Kail. He found himself oddly hoping that his companion would enjoy his new clothes and boots.
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:47 pm
Kail could feel the tension in the air around the shop, he was aware that most of it came from the shop keep and having a slave in the store. However he could also feel it coming from his new master. He didn’t know if it was the shop keep was causing the tenseness in his master or if it was him but he wondered how long until the man would grow irritated enough to take it out on him. Kail knew that now would not be the best time to try and make his master see that he did not need all the stuff his master was providing. He would have to make it up to his master in whatever way he could. Kail had just finished picking everything up when he heard his master arguing with the shop keep again. Kail said nothing as the shop keep motioned him back after his master had taken everything but one set of clothes.
“Yes, sir.” Kail answered bowing his head slightly before making his way to the storage room. He didn’t know why his master was having him change in the back room. Slaves were generally not provided the luxury of a secluded spot to change. As such slaves were taught to care little about the looks of their body and were used to changing in the open. Once back in the storage room Kail wasted no time changing knowing his master had other things he wanted to do for the day. Picking up his old clothes he balled them together for keeping knowing it would probably be good to wash them. Maybe that would make them look less like rags. “Is this alright sir?” Kail questioned re-entering the main portion of the shop. His new clothing fit snugly and looked much better than the dirty mess he had been wearing which he was holding in one hand.
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:34 am
"Yes, yes it's fine," Vlad said dismissively, his head still distracted. He pulled himself together enough to focus properly on Kail. Really looking at the man now he could see a huge improvement. Between the bath and the clean clothes Kail was really shaping up. He was still slimmer than when he was a proper warrior, and his hair was shaggier though in a bit of an adorable way, but he cleaned up nicely. There was still that haunted look in his eyes however. Vlad didn't like it and wanted to see some more spark there. "Actually you look great! Much better now!" he complimented the former slave. The warrior put an arm over Kail's shoulder and brought him before a full length mirror. He wanted the man to see himself looking more like a full man than a slave. Vlad took the dirty ball of rags out of Kail's hands so they wouldn't ruin the picture he was trying to paint. Realizing what was missing he belted Kail's new sword around the man's waist and stepped back to let him have the vision in the mirror to himself. "That's more than a few steps up from before right?" he encouraged his companion. Leaving Kail to admire himself, Vlad stepped back to the shopkeep. The store owner had really irritated the warrior. He grinned as he shoved the ball of dirty slave clothes into the shopkeep's hands. "Be a good man and take care of those for me hmmm? Do what you want with them, though they're probably only good as cleaning rags or fire fuel," he said, enjoying watching the man cringe. The shopkeep probably hated having to handle the slave clothes, and Vlad felt like rubbing it in even more. He called out loudly to Kail, "Ready to go get your horse?" knowing full well that it would gall the shopkeep to see a slave being treated to something so fine.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:48 pm
Kail nodded his head when Vlad said it was fine, he was glad his master was being more dismissive with him, it put him more at ease. Or at least it would have put him more at ease had the man not suddenly started complimenting him and pulling him in front of a long mirror. Kail felt uneasy at what he saw, the person standing before him did not look much like a slave, or at least not one of his class. Higher classed slaves got clean, brand new clothes like he was wearing not him. He hadn’t noticed Vlad remove his old dirty clothes from his hand. As the sword was belted around his waist the slave in clean, new clothes disappeared a bit. Now he saw what could have been a person, a warrior, Kail was a bit confused. Was the mirror or his mind showing him what his master claimed to be his old life. Was it showing him the small things he had begun to remember, unnoticeable to himself he straighten up a bit looking himself over a bit more. He was beginning to feel a bit more confident with himself.
Everything disappeared in a moment though when he heard Vlad tell the shop keep to take care of something, looking over he saw his dirty, old clothing. He wanted to call out to his master that he could still use those clothes but he did’t want to offend the man so he bit his lip once more. Kail’s eyes widened at the mention of getting a horse once more. “A horse sir?” Kail questioned. “Are you sure, I could just walk to where we are going, I’ve walked far distances before.” Kail tried to protest unable to hold back anymore.
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Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:55 pm
"What? Yeah, yeah, of course I'm sure! You don't want the trip to take any longer than it has to do you?" Vlad said with a smile. He didn't mention the hometown or sister because the damn shopkeep was such a gossip. It was enough that he knew they were headed north, and towards the bandits. Vlad didn't want anyone knowing any more than that. Inside he was frustrated, but he was trying not to show it. It was irritating that Kail kept questioning him about things that were for the man's own benefit. The warrior caught himself; was he wishing that the former slave be even more submissive? No, he should be celebrating that Kail was questioning him at all. It was so confusing being in this position. Some things would just be simpler if his companion would just go along with everything and do as he was told, but that was the exact opposite of what a warrior would do.
Vlad picked up Kail's pack and handed it to him. "Let's get going," he said as he nodded to the shopkeep. Just to rub it in a bit more, the warrior grabbed a few apples out of a barrel next to the counter. He tossed two to Kail, "Breakfast is served!" With a loud crunch he bit into his own crisp and juicy apple. It was sweet and oh so refreshing. Turning his back on the shopkeep the warrior stepped back out into the street and waited for Kail to lead the way to the stables.
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Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:57 am
“No, sir. I don’t want to delay you.” Kail affirmed when Vlad questioned him about making the trip longer than necessary. Kail followed Vlad from the shop slowly taking the pack that was handed to him. He put it on and continued to follow his master. Kail caught the apple tossed to him a bit awkwardly. He couldn’t believe that his master had just snatched it up but he didn’t fight it. Taking a small bite of the apple he gave a soft smile. “Thank you sir.” Kail said softly.
Stepping back out onto the street with Vlad it appeared far more busy than when they had gone into the shop. “The stables are this way, sir.” Kail said leading Vlad through the street to the stables. “This is the place.” Kail explained. Inside the stables horses whinnying could be heard.
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Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:32 am
Vlad was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the stables they arrived at. The building was neat and tidy with groomsmen working with the animals and tack. The long central hallway was lined with spacious stalls and a quick head count showed about twenty horses for sale. If the animals were in as good of shape as the building then they set. Of course none of these horses were likely to be warrior trained like Kerchak, but that was something they could work on along with the rest of Kail's retraining.
Vlad motioned to one of the stable boys, "Go fetch your boss." He walked slowly down the aisle, looking the horses over. There was a good variety here of mares and geldings. The warrior tried not to feel the disappointment when the thought crossed his mind that Kail probably couldn't even handle a stallion at this point in time. He brushed it aside as he turned back to the other. "Come on, go make yourself a new friend," Vlad encouraged the former slave. All the animals looked to be healthy, so what really mattered was finding one with a suitable temperament for Kail. And of course the man himself would be the best judge of that.
The warrior stepped aside as the owner approached. He waved at Kail to go ahead and look over the horses, "Take your time and pick a good one. I'll sort out the tack with this gentleman here while you do that." The owner nodded and led him to a large side room filled with racks of the blankets and leather goods. Vlad looked over the items with approval. The leather was of good quality and the owner only offered soft bits in the bridles. This pleased the warrior greatly as he thought hard bits were unnecessarily harsh on the animals. Only riders who didn't know what the hell they were doing used hard bits. After inspecting everything Vlad finally selected a dark all leather saddle, simple bridle, and thick black horse blanket. The owner was a fair man, unlike the shopkeep, and they were able to haggle for a suitable price. Once this was done they returned to the hallway of horse stalls to see how Kail was faring in his selection.
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Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:55 pm
Kail followed Vlad into the horse stables knowing there was no rule against slaves here. In fact many slaves came to look at the horses whenever their master let them alone. The owners of the stables knew a slave couldn’t and would generally try to steal a horse and they felt that the slaves felt some sort of connection to the tamed beasts. “Yes, sir.” Kail said moving away from his master to look at the horses.
Kail walked slowly down through the stables looking at each of them, some seemed to take interest in him briefly before turning away as if knowing they weren’t right for him. Kail somehow knew it to, like a piece of his soul was calling to something much stronger than the horses that lay before him. He continued to walk through the stables towards the back when he heard a horse’s whinnying. At first he ignored it knowing it was coming from a back room he would not be allowed in, but when he heard it again he felt like it had called to him. Casting a glance back to where he knew his master was, Kail followed the noise into a separate room. What he found surprised him, a black stallion was tied to a post. It didn’t seem like the others he had passed, this one remained unbroken. It would not tame, not to just anyone and it would only break under cruelty. The horse was rearing at the post trying to break free of its bindings. Kail entranced by the creature ventured forward giving soft hushing noises. The stallion at once paid attention to the dark haired slave, it settled down and allowed Kail to approach it. The stallion did not seem the least bit threatened by the slave and when Kail reached his hand out to pet the animal the horse put its nose into the small male’s hand. Kail smiled knowing somehow that this horse knew him.
“Hey what are you doing get away from him!” yelled a stable hand walking into the room startling the horse. The horse didn’t immediately rear up like many of the others would when Kail jerked his hand back and whipped around fearfully. Instead the moved forward quickly butting its nose into Kail’s chest knocking him backwards as it got between the slave and the stable hand giving an angry neigh to keep the man away.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:39 am
Vlad became alarmed when he and the owner entered the hall and Kail could not be seen. Had his old owner followed them here, just waiting for him to leave the former slave alone for a moment? The warrior swore he would kill the man this time. Just as these thoughts entered his head there was a commotion down at the far end of the hallway. A stable boy was running into a stall that was separated from the rest. He was yelling something and they could hear a horse screaming. "Stars above! If he's in there that stallion will kill him!" the owner cried.
At that Vlad flew down the length of the hall, the owner huffing behind him weighed down by the tack he was carrying. Because of that the warrior reached the stall several seconds before the owner. He quickly appraised the situation, yanked the stable boy away, and held up a hand to calm the owner as the man caught up. "I think we have a winner here," Vlad said with a smile. Indeed, the fiery stallion was nosing Kail like a puppy now that the stable hand had been pulled aside. The horse had cast a hard glare onto both Vlad and the owner, but dismissed them as a non-threat and went back to communing with the former slave.
The owner's eyes were wide. "By all the stars in the heavens, I can't believe what I'm seeing," he said in bewilderment. Vlad raised an eyebrow at the man. "You don't understand sir," the owner explained, "This beast has been completely unapproachable. I had given up all hope of making a useful animal out of him. He's caused me nothing but trouble, biting my stable boys and breaking everything we've tried to contain him with. It's gotten to the point that I was thinking of killing the beast because he wasn't worth the cost of keeping him." The warrior crossed his arms and nodded towards Kail, "This stallion is a one man kind of animal, and it looks like he's made his choice. How about we take him off your hands for you?"
The owner nodded vigorously, "Yes sir, that would make me a very happy man. I'll even give him to you half price." Vlad appreciated the offer and replied, "In that case why don't you go ahead and upgrade that bridle to that one with the silver hardware I had been admiring." The warrior had wanted the fancier bridle in the first place, but had to admit it was too expensive. In some ways he still thought of Kail as the warrior he once was; a man who was used to the finer things. Though now he was coming to understand, if not accept, that Kail was different now, he still felt that he should honor all that the man had done before he became entrapped by the slavers. So it pleased him to be able to afford the better bridle now; he felt it was more befitting of of the man he was going to turn into a warrior again.
The owner went back to the tack room to exchange the bridles. Vlad looked back at Kail and the obvious bond the horse had made with him. He was thrilled inside that the stallion had chosen the once warrior. It was a vote of confidence in Kail as far as he was concerned. A horse like that was prideful and wouldn't let someone unworthy ride him. Vlad couldn't help but crack a big grin as he asked, "So, you happy with him? He obviously likes you! He's all yours if you want him. You can get him saddled up and name him and ride him out of here if you want!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:45 pm
Kail was sitting up from being knocked to the floor when Vlad entered the room with the horse that now seemed to be protecting him. Seeing his master and knowing he was in a place he shouldn’t be made him edgy and the horse seemed to sense it as it glared as Vlad and the stable owner even as his master pulled the stable hand away from them. The horse turned back to the small slave still on the ground when he was sure the men would not venture near but he continued to keep his body between Kail and the other humans. He lipped at the small slave’s shirt forcing him to rise to his feet to avoid damage to his new shirt. When Kail had risen the black stallion shook his mane and turned to look at the other humans once more over Kail’s shoulder.
Kail listened as the stable owner said that the horse had seemed untamable. “He didn’t want to be tamed,” Kail spoke up softly. “The only way you would have been able to do so is if you were cruel to him.” He continued petting the stallion’s nose gently. “I don’t want to tame him, I like him how he is.” Kail said giving a soft smile after hearing his master say he would buy the horse.
“Of course sir, he is a very majestic creature and quite head strong.” Kail said patting the horse. “He means no harm though he just wasn’t meant to be tamed. Much like you sir, warriors are nothing like slaves. Where slaves are stuck to one master and that master’s ground a warrior like yourself is free to roam the world.” Kail answered softly patting the horse. “Aslan, I think… ” kail murmured when Vlad said he was to name him. The horse gave a soft whinnying noise along with a even softer butt of its head to Kail’s chest causing the small slave to give a small laugh.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:21 am
Vlad nodded at Kail's words. "Aslan is a good strong name. You've got a very special animal there Kail, and he chose you," the warrior stated solemnly. "Plus, he matches the gear I picked out perfectly!" he added with a laugh. It was true, the black blanket and almost black leather of the saddle and bridle were going to look very handsome on the stallion. Vlad picked up the blanket and approached the steed, but Aslan immediately bared his teeth and rolled his eyes at the warrior. He chuckled and handed the blanket to Kail, "I think he's only going to accept this from you." Vlad stepped back and Aslan immediately calmed again. The warrior just smiled and crossed his arms while he waited for Kail to saddle the stallion up. The owner returned with the new bridle and passed it along to Kail. The silver scrollwork shone brightly and would make a beautiful contrast against the black steed. "I hope you like it," Vlad said, almost shyly, as the bridle was presented. Suddenly struck by the oddness of what he just felt, the warrior quickly turned away and began counting out the coins for the owner of the stable. Getting the deal on the horse left him with enough change that if he wanted to he could have gone back to the supply shop and paid off his debt instead of going after the bandits. But he couldn't stand the thought of dealing with that irritating shopkeep again and reasoned it would be better to have a little coin on him in case of emergencies. He thanked the owner for his business and finally turned back to Kail, "Let's head back to the inn and get Kerchak so we can hit the road."
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:07 pm
ail smiled as Vlad said the name he had chosen was a good name. He was surprised at hearing the man laugh when he mentioned the gear matching the dark horse. Kail gave a gasp and put a hand below the stallions neck when the horse bared his teeth at Vlad. “Hush now hes our master.” Kail tried to explain, he took the blanket offered giving a soft frown. “I’m sorry sir, I’ll try to make Aslan understand.” Kail said bowing his head. Aslan however just gave a snort and butted his head lightly against Kail’s chest once more. Kail placed the blanket over the stallion’s back, when the bridle was passed to him Kail couldn’t help but look in awe at the thing. He ghosted his fingers over the metal for mere moments before presenting it to the horse who turned his head away. “Come on please, master bought it for you. Its very pretty.” Kail tried pleadingly. Aslan seemed disinterested but finally after a few moments allowed Kail to put the bridle on.
“Amazing that horse choosing a slave like that.” an awed stable hand said as he watched Kail deal with the stallion. “He doesn’t even look like he knows how to ride a pony.” Finally Kail had Aslan saddled and he turned back to Vlad holding the end on the reins.
“Yes sir.” Kail said before looking to Aslan who gave a soft shake of his mane but started forward.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:16 am
Vlad hadn't heard the master comment whispered to Aslan, but he did hear what the stable boy had said. He scowled mightily at the lad for his insult. Kail was looking much better since his bath and new clothes. He even had a sword! Vlad fiercely wanted to declare Kail not a slave and set the boy straight, but he bit his tongue out of deference to Kail's fear of being revealed. Instead he just made horrible faces at the boy until the kid ran off in fear.
Ready to go, they stepped back out onto the street. Aslan's coat shone in the bright daylight. He was the picture of strength and health. And the tack looked damn good on him as well. If anyone who once knew Kail as a slave could even recognize him in his new look with a sword and stallion they would probably s**t a brick. Vlad was keeping a sharp eye on the street. He couldn't wait to get out of this town. That b*****d from last night seemed just the type to go get a bunch of his no brained friends to start some trouble all over again. The warrior had definitely hurt that man last night, but you never knew with those thick headed ones whether the lesson sunk in.
They made it back to the inn without incident however, and went around the back to the stable. "Wait just outside here since we don't know yet how Aslan and Kerchak are going to take to each other. I don't want to be caught in a tight space when two stallions decide they don't like each other," Vlad stated as they reached the wide doorway to the hall of stalls. He moved quickly down the length of the stable to where Kerchak waited patiently. The warrior murmured a quiet hello to the stallion and rubbed his nose before grabbing the tack hanging next to the stall. It only took a minute to get the dapple grey stallion suited up in the warm red-brown colored blanket, saddle, bridle. With a click of his tongue Vlad had the stallion marching beside him.
Vlad paused slightly at the entrance of the stables. There was about 15 feet between them and Kail and Aslan. The warrior put his hand on Kerchak's neck and began speaking softly to him. "This is our new traveling companion, so I need you to work well with him, ok?" he kept repeating himself gently as the stallion huffed noisily, taking in the scent of the new horse across from him. Kerchak tossed his head a bit and pawed the ground as he sized up Aslan. After waiting a minute for them to get used to each other at this distance, Vlad moved them a bit closer. There were only 10 feet between the two pairs now, and Kerchak reacted with more of the same posturing, though he did not escalate beyond whipping his tail back and forth some. The warrior was more concerned with the newcomer and was keeping a very careful eye on how Aslan was reacting to all this.
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