This chapter contains parts of violence, and may not be appropriate for younger audiences. Please use common discretion. All the characters within are my creations, so don't use them or distribute this story without permission. For once, I'm actually fairly pleased with how this chapter came out (It has to be better written after the total disaster that was chapter 5). I apologize for taking so long to get it out though. Between college, work, and very severe writer's block it's been a long time coming. I hope you enjoy. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated and can be sent to nightflurry@yahoo.com. Chapter VI. "The Dark Forest" Stultum est timere quod vitare non potes. It is foolish to fear that which you cannot avoid. -Publilius Syrus Lucian mumbled incoherently to himself as he paced though the camp again. It would be light in about an hour and most of the soldiers were waking up by this point. He'd gone to get Alexi, but the raccoon was not in his tent this morning. That, like almost everything else, made Lucian aggravated. In fact, now that he thought if it, he didn't see Naorume either. That was very out of character for Naorume, who made a well known habit of rising before dawn every morning. Ironically, the fox's normal early rising normally annoyed Lucian. Now, it was the opposite catalyst for the otter's annoyance; he just couldn't win. He made his way though the maze of tents toward Naorume's. The camp was beginning to stir to life; in the solemn way camps do before a battle. Soldiers were quietly filing out of their tents and preparing for a light meal. Some were in no mood to eat; likely the younger and green soldiers. They spent their time checking each other's armour and equipment. Lucian reached Naorume's tent and opened up the flap. He bent low and poked his head in; his eyes opening and jaw dropping at the rather unexpected sight awaiting him. "Damnit Naorume, you couldn't halved save this until after the battle?" The fox groaned and tossed something at Lucian as he simultaneously nudged Alexi's side. The raccoon stirred and blinked at the vaguely silhouetted intruding otter. "I'll be right out, Lucian." The otter swore under his breath and retreated. The remaining pair remained motionless for a few moments. Naorume was the first to move. He slipped out from the covers and reached for his clothing. Alexi followed suit, but realized that he only had his linens in the tent; he would have to make an awkward journey back to his own to get his armour. The fox was apparently thinking the same thing from the humored look upon his muzzle. The raccoon growled and put on what he had. The fox have him a pat and spoke carefully, trying not to giggle. "I'll meet you by the generals, they're sure to be conferring. Go get something appropriate on." Alexi peeked his head out into the chilly morning air and peered around...nobody looking, good. He exited and wrapped his arms around himself as a cold gust of wind hit him. The Enforcer began the walk towards his tent at a brisk pace, still unseen. That didn't last too long though, not like it could've been expected to. A rider trotted up, and the mounted mouse soldier looked down upon the raccoon. "I have a message for Enforcer Comelius...seen him?" Alexi cleared his throat and waved his paw sheepishly, nodding. "That would be me." The mouse cocked a brow inquisitively, staring disbelievingly down at the barely dressed raccoon. The rodent shrugged and handed the little scroll to Alexi. "That's an impeccable uniform, sir.." He trotted off before Alexi could get any decent comeback. He shrugged as well and looked at the message: Council of War in one hour, please attend. General Caius He finished the short walk unmolested; most of the troops were off eating. As he donned his armour on this morning he realized that this time it was going to be used. It was an eerie sensation that hadn't really hit him until now. He realized that it was possible he could be dead in a few hours. He shook his head, and the thought from it. Stepping out into the morning air, Alexi straightened his back and stretched as best as possible through the armour. It didn't feel as heavy as it did just a few short weeks ago, but it still was difficult to move in. The scent of cooking breakfast caught the attention of the raccoon, and he started towards the source; there was still time to eat before having to meet with the generals. The Enforcer entered a small clearing in the camp that was crowded with soldiers. He glanced around and tried to figure out how the system worked. Alexi tapped a nearby bear on the shoulder, and the ursine soldier looked over his shoulder with a biscuit in mouth. The soldier promptly removed the bread and pressed a fist to his breast. "Morning, sir. What can I do for you?" Alexi returned the salute and gestured with his eyes over to the bulk of the crowd. "Uh.. where's the line start?" The bear stared blankly for a split moment then burst out chuckling. "Oh no, sir. You go on down to the officer's tent and get you some good food. Don't worry about standing in line for this garbage." Alexi tried to withhold blushing and nodded; giving the soldier a friendly pat on the shoulder. He turned to go to the officer's tent then stopped; realizing he didn't know where that was. The bear was ahead of him. "Second biggest tent at the camp center, by the conference tent. Good luck." The Enforcer nodded and smiled, "Thanks... you too." Alexi sighed to himself and proceeded towards the camp center. He really needed to get used to this lifestyle, it was getting old being the odd man out all the time. He felt so inept at leading, and he knew it due to the fact that he was inept; that only made his feelings on the matter more intense. What did it really take to fit in with this group? Would he have to show some tremendous courage? Perhaps, Alexi thought, he just needed to get some blood on his paws. That wasn't an appealing idea to the raccoon though, and he wasn't sure to feel about that either. Alexi was not looking forward to battle, as young men often fancy themselves doing; no, he dreaded the thought. He came to realize this morning, while walking through the camp, that every one of these men here was someone's baby boy at one point. They'd all spent years learning, making friends, falling in love. That would all be for naught if they die. It all seemed a terrible waste to Alexi, and he was unsure if that was a legitimate thought or if he was just weak. How did the other soldiers get over such thoughts? Did they even have them? The thoughts would have to wait for another time. Besides, Naorume would tell him to not dwell on that now, that he needed to focus on the task at hand. The raccoon reached the camp center and the large tents it contained. He picked out the officer's tent and cleared his mind. There was no need to look totally terrified in front of everyone else. This must be what it was like for his father when the elder raccoon had a major battle; not in war, but in the senate. It was said that Senator Comelius was one of the most forceful, charismatic, and eloquent speakers and leaders in the entire Empire. The truth though, was that he was deeply insecure. Alexi knew now that his father had two faces. One that everyone saw; full of confidence and totally fearless. The other that only his loved ones saw was the real senator; the real living being beneath the face. Alexi would have to take that lesson, and put on a good face. He drew in a breath of the chilly morning air and entered the large officer's tent. The Enforcer's muzzle instantly salivated at the smells contained within. The tent was just a large open room with makeshift chairs and tables strewn around, and in the center were two entire roasted bulls. Near the meat was a cluster of officers, taking their fill and then congregating at the tables. It was a marked contrast to the other meal that was served to the common soldier; the privalige of being in the elite was clear even in the army. Alexi wandered towards the food instinctively, catching the notice of some of the crowd. Most of the officers had not yet seen the Enforcer up close, and were trying to stealthily peer at the raccoon. Alexi nodded to them and got in line behind a pair of fellow raccoons; likely brothers. They both saluted and grinned, and the taller one spoke. "Pleasure to see you here, Lord. How are you this fine morning?" Alexi felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, this wouldn't be as hard as he thought it might be. He smiled and returned the salutes. "I'm hungry and tired, but otherwise just fine, and you two?" The shorter and younger coon replied this time. "Oh we're alright, eager for our first battle." Alexi felt even better since he now knew he wasn't totally alone in this place anymore. He had fellow raccoons who were also facing their first fight. He wondered if they were really 'eager' though or if they were just trying to impress their superior with optimism. "Are you two brothers then?" Small talk was something Alexi hadn't had time it in awhile now and it felt nice. In perfect unison, the raccoons nodded. "Twins." The pair looked at each other and laughed. The shorter procyon continued. "I'm Julian Commenus, and my brother here is Phillip. We're twins, but he grew taller for some reason." Alexi nodded as the group reached the food, each raccoon taking a healthy portion. The trio filed over to an empty table, and moment later Naorume sat down as well. The fox grinned widely and looked over the gathering. "Three raccoons in one place, this could be dangerous!" He extended clasped paws briefly with the two Commenus twins and bowed slightly. "I'm Naorume, by the way, Captain of the Tourii Guard." Julian bowed back. "Two high ranking officers in one place, now that is dangerous!" Alexi chuckled and chewed on his food. It tasted so good after a month of mostly bread and weak soup; maybe this army thing wouldn't be so bad after all...speaking of army matters. "Hey, Naorume. I was thinking, why in the world are we spending half the morning getting ready and eating? Can't the wolves just come slaughter us in camp at any time like this?" The raccoon twins looked less excited and both looked over at the fox, looking for his answer. The fox raised a brow and patted Alexi. "No, no. The Melikar aren't coming at us, they might lose like that. They have us by the balls right now, we have to attack them and they can wait as long as they want in those woods. So, they're waiting for us to make the move." The rest of the party nodded. Alexi wasn't sure that was necessarily any more comforting. Either way it seemed like a bad situation. Naorume didn't seem concerned though, so maybe it wasn't so grim. The small little gathering passed most of the rest of the meal in idle and shallow small talk. None of the members at the table were seriously paying attention to each other as each was lost in his own thoughts. All too soon Naorume tapped the Enforcer on the shoulder gently. "It's time to get into the conference tent, Alexi." The raccoon nodded in response and smiled brightly at the twins. "I'll be seeing you two again after this, watch yourselves." The twins nodded eagerly and saluted. The pair silently made their way around the dining officers, returning a few nods here; a few salutes there. Some of the officers seemed to show a genuine respect for Alexi. It was clear though that many regarded the raccoon in a different manner; as one would regard a child about to undertake some dangerous stunt that you as an adult know all to well is dangerous but that the child has no inkling of. Reaching the conference tent, Alexi placed his paw on the canvas flap and threw it open. * * * The heavy furred flap of the tent was thrown open and Prince Letorn immediately followed it in with the same confidence and energy. The Melikar Prince was a very typical example of his people. He was average height for a wolf, and his body tone was slim and powerful. It's a misconception in the Imperial world that the wolves are massive muscle-bound brutes. The truth is that the ideal wolf is sleek and agile (still exceptionally strong), not large and slow. Letorn's jet black hair hung down past his shoulders, and within the strands were braids and colorful beads woven in elaborate and artistic patterns. The prince was not the eldest in the royal family, but he was the most well known to the people. He was always the sensible one, the one to see a solution to a problem and the one to be willing to try untraditional methods to achieve such. Tradition was very important to the wolves, and the Prince's ways were questioned by many at first; he always got results though. Letorn was very careful not to depart too far from the wolf ways; he would never allow himself to become like the Imperials. He could think abstractly it was true, but his people had no need of aqueducts or great cities of stone.. those things only seemed to corrupt and destroy the real soul of a people. Another misconception about the Melikar Kingdom is that they go to war easily and like barbarians. This is most certainly not the case. The wolves do not like outsiders, they have no desire to conquer anyone else because those conquered would not be wolves; they would not understand. They most certainly would defend their territory, but as a people there was no need to threaten the territory of others. It was never enough for the Dorians though, their settlers always needed new farmlands, new mines, new forests, new everything. Then they had the gall to act upset when the wolves began to defend themselves. Lately things had gotten better and the wars had all but disappeared for years. That was, until General Caius took over the legion stationed near the border. The tiger general was a total butcher who wasn't fit to manage a market stand in an Imperial city. Gods only know why he got his position, but it surely wasn't from merit. The general liked his own voice and power too much for his own good, and he soon learned he could get his way with anything. After a few months Caius began dispatching raiding parties into wolf villages. Of course, there was always some justification, but the only true reason was pure ego. The recent incident was the spark that lit the fire. The Prince was at the palace when the news... and wagons came in. Three thousand severed tails and a short letter delivered to the King. The rest of the story can be surmised, the wolves did what any people would. A short distance away in another camp General Caius planted his foot firmly on the ground in the tent. "Alexi, run through the plan of attack again, I want to be sure you understand." General Caius certainly had a way of being an asshole in a not so subtle way, but Alexi would oblige him regardless. The strategy was uncomfortably simple. The Enforcer took a pointer stick and whacked it down on the markers on the sand table. "The army is divided like this: Three cohorts on the left wing, five on the right wing, two in the renter reserve. All Cequestes on the right save for two centuries in reserve. Me and the Tourii with the center." He slided the blocks on the right signifying individual cohorts up the map to the wood line. "The right wing, led by General Caius, is to make a full out assault with the bulk of the army right here at the little ravine in the woods." Alexi brought the stick back and circled the three blocks on the left. "The left wing will demonstrate in order to tie the Melikar right into not moving to support their own left. The center is strictly a reserve in case it's needed." The tiger general unfolded his arms and huffed; he was hoping Alexi would make some error, but the raccoon did not. "Very good, my lord. You'll manage the center yourself, and I'll have General Attalus mind the left." A middle-aged skunk with a large scar running from above his left eye down to his left jaw nodded. Attalus spoke. "You simply want my troops to demonstrate then? Shouldn't we set up some sort of signal for me to attack if needed?" The skunk asked his questions matter of factly, without any hint of emotion or misgiving. Caius nodded in response. "Yes General, just demonstrate to keep the wolves opposite you in check. Our assault on the right will not fail... those wolves will be no match for a concentration of Imperial discipline." Alexi's spine shivered slightly at that last statement; something seemed...wrong with it. He noticed the butterflies in his stomach beginning to appear once more. This plan was no good. Before he got a chance to imagine a better one, Caius dismissed the gathering. The generals all scurried off to their commands, and within a few moments he heard trumpets sounding throughout the camp; the call to fall in. * * * The prince stood now silhouetted in the entrance to the tent, looking around the musky and dim interior before stepping in. His officers looked expectantly at him. The prince shook his head and motioned for them to come outside; was no good doing this in a dark tent. They followed silently and without question, and the group made their way behind their Prince towards the wood line; the beams of morning light illuminating their sparse symbols of rank intermittently. Letorn reached the edge of the woods and squinted into the blinding light, barely able to discern that the Imperials were forming up. He nodded to himself, as he understood the delay of his enemy; they were waiting for the sun to help cover their movements. He turned to the officers and grinned fiercely. "We'll have to skip the briefing. Is everyone in position?" They all nodded or sounded in the affirmative, and so the prince gave them a wave of the paw. "Then get to your commands, you know the plan." They complied immediately. The prince covered his eyes with a paw and stared a few more moments across the field. The Imperials were forming up fast, very fast. He studied the glimmering masses of armour and tried to discern some sort of formation. Off to the left side something was happening.. what was it? He closed his eyes and looked away, the sunspots in his vision were making him temporarily blind. As he was recovering his sight he heard a rider come up fast. "Prince Letorn!" The prince didn't need to see the rider to identify him; it was Targus, the short little chief of the scouts. "What is it, Targus?" "My scouts report that the enemy is concentrating their cavalry on their right flank." Letorn grumbled and nodded. So that was was he was seeing off to the left. He motioned for the other to go on. "Oh yes, and they spot Tourii in their center in a reserve position." Letorn's back straightened and his ears perked up at the last comment. Tourii, here? Even a small number could tilt a battle, but why would they be in reserve? Of course.. General Caius would want to win without them.. "How many Tourii?" "About fifty." Well they mustn't concern him right now. The main thing was dealing with the apparent drive on the flank. "Thank you, as usual, Targus. I'll be moving to the left flank." The scout bowed in acknowledgment. The Prince mounted his saddle-less steed and set off at a brisk trot to the flank. The Imperial trick with the sun may have worked had it not been for the fine wolf scouts like Targus. Fortunately, the Imperials couldn't see the wolves either since the lupines were covered in the woods. If he was fast, Letorn could shift enough of his army to meet the massed attack. As he came to the center of the line he halted and waved down the commander, an old ruffian named Varin. "Varin, old fellow, take all your units to the left wing as fast as you can, but don't make a ruckus doing it! Also, get the archers into action immediately." Varin made to obey but hesitated. "My Prince, our archers will have almost no effect at this range...is it wise to use the arrows?" "It'll keep the Dorians' minds off our movement. Get to it; no more questions!" He have the horse a pair of jabs and galloped off to the flank. Across the field, Alexi and Naorume sat by side on their mounts. The arrows had just started raining down, but the range was too great for many of them to do damage. Nonetheless, the raccoon was stiff as a board and keenly observing for any hint of incoming danger. "Why are their archers at work already?" His fox companion let out an annoyed growl. "Gods be damned if I know, but I know this: There's a reason for it." The wolves were not so stupid as General Caius seemed to believe. Indeed, the wolves were not half as unintelligent as the good general. Naorume glanced over to the right. General Caius could just barely be made out amongst the mass of troops on the flank. His head shook undetectably as he stared on; there was something wrong about all of this. His mind was jolted by an upcoming rider who addressed Naorume rather than Alexi; an unusual and perhaps revealing mistake. "The general is speeding up the attack to get the men through the arrows faster." That was true. While he and Alexi and the troops back here were almost totally out of danger from the projectiles, the troops and cavalry in advance on the right flank would be more exposed. Rushing them ahead would preserve morale by getting out of the rain of arrows, but would partially exhaust the soldiers before they even became engaged. Sure enough, the mass of formations off to the right seamlessly went from a brisk march to a semi-run. They seemed to be able to maintain their formation perfectly despite the rapid change in pace. Alexi growled to himself and faced the rider. "I want you to run a message over to General Attalus on the left. I want the left moved closer to at least somewhat compensate for the speedier advance of Caius on the right. Tell him that a triple blow of the horns means he is to disregard Caius' orders and make a direct assault. Make it very clear though that if that should happen he is not at all to pursue any fleeing wolves. He absolutely must not take his men into those woods if the wolves fall back into them." The rider looked back and forth between Alexi and Naorume in disbelief, but took and breath, repeated the instructions, and galloped away to the flank. Alexi looked over to his fox companion but was somewhat surprised to see no visible response to the raccoon changing the orders of Caius. * * * "My prince, all the men are in position." Letorn nodded quietly and patted Varin on the back. He was a bit unsettled at the sudden advance of the enemy's left and the courier activity at the center. The left was still holding back from an attack but the Imperials had surely adjusted their plan; something Caius would never do. That could mean a few things. Caius might not be in charge, but that made no sense. Another possibility is that one of the imperial generals was disobeying orders, which was unlikely with Caius as the punisher. Lastly, Caius could be outranked on the battlefield. The prince shook his head. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was winning this moment. "Good work Varin, now listen up. The moment those imperials hit our line I want you to attack right into their sides. They won't suspect it and you might be able to envelope them. Hold nothing back. If they break and rout you follow them. The Imperial army will probably make an orderly withdrawal if one of its wings is shattered rather than taking a risk and trying to stabilize the battle." The older wolf nodded respectfully and after bowing went to prepare the ambush. Letorn looked on anxiously at the rapidly nearing enemy. He closed his eyes and mouthed a prayer to the god of war requesting that Varin would be ready and the Imperials weak hearted. A loud crash from the enemy line meeting his soldiers jolted him and he drew in a deep breath before opening his eyes. * * * Alexi craned his neck and squinted; trying to see some detail in what was happening. Naorume spoke. "They're attacking strong; that's good." They sat watching a few moments. Alexi felt quite helpless where he was, and not to mention totally out of control of events. Then something happened. A great yell-deafening even from their distance- eminated from the woods and what could only be described as a sea of grey and black flowed almost like water along both sides of the Dorians. The raccoon gasped and felt his hair stand straight on end. He tried to speak but just stammered a moment incoherently. "By the gods that must be twenty-five thousand coming out just right there, eh Naorume?" "Aye, Lucian, it looks like it. Those wolves were concentrated right where we hit them... just as they should be." The fox sighed and shook his head as he tapped Alexi on the wrist. "Relax, we have the finest soldiers in the world. I give them half and half of fighting through even that. It looks like a lot because of how they made that counterattack, but those numbers are pretty even." Naorume didn't believe any of that but it seemed to ease his friend somewhat. Even numbers or no-superior training or not- that fight was hopeless. They sat and watched the carnage from afar. Naorume knew that trying to tell time in a battle was useless. Hours became minutes, and sometimes those minutes became eons. It was thus impossible to tell then how long it was until the first noticeable thing happened. The soldiers were breaking. Slowly at first, like a drizzly rain, they came wearily back to the camp. Within a few minutes though the drizzle had become a downpour; a rout. It was chaos plain even from a distance. The Dorian soldiers were in a completely disorganized flight to the rear; being cut to pieces as they fled in terror. Contrasting the chaos ahead was the calm and collected voice of Naorume. "Alexi, we need to redeploy our reserves as a rear guard and make a withdrawal." As the fox was saying that another rider galloped up and struggled to regain his breath. Once he did he spoke. "My Lord, Caius is nowhere to be found, he may have fallen in the battle. What are your orders?" Alexi stared blankly at the rider. What was he supposed to do? The raccoon's mind went in a thousand directions and time seemed to stop. Orders... orders... "My Lord?" That's right, that's what he'd do! Alexi's tension faded somewhat as the solution presented itself in the myriad of thoughts. He gathered lungpower to be heard over the loudening din of the battle. "Sound three trumpet blasts!" Naorume turned his head sharply at that order but was not given time to say anything as Alexi shouted more orders; this time at the nearby mass that was the center reserve. "Center reserve, double quick right into those pursuing wolves! Now! Tourii and reserve Cequestes on me!" Within seconds the ten thousand men of the center were on a rapid advance towards the wolves. Alexi was off at a gallop in the direction of the extreme right; the Tourii and Naorume trailing close behind. Then the fox saw it.. the wolves were spread out in their pursuit and almost certainly tired; their numbers didn't matter so much now and they were as disorganized as the fleeing Dorians. Alexi was leading the cavalry around to strike the far side of the wolves it seemed.. crazy.. but it might just turn the tide. Things looked different from within the woods. The wolf prince had watched the short battle unfold. All had gone according to the plan at first, but something strange happened. Once the imperial right was shattered they should've used their reserves as a rear guard and retreat in good order, but that's not what happened. Instead, their left suddenly attacked and their reserves sprang right at the pursuing wolves. What was even more concerning to Letorn was the Tourii seemed to be making a long flanking maneuver. The wolf growled and paced back and forth. He wanted to recall his men from the pursuit but that was impossible now. The orders couldn't reach the soldiers now and even if they did there was no organization in such a wild pursuit. Naorume growled and struggled to catch up to Alexi, but it wasn't going to happen. Alexi's horse, Matthias, was galloping at a pace far faster than the other mounts could achieve. It was quite a sight though. The rider out in front; purple robes and tassel fluttering behind him in the wind and leaving a small trail of dust from the hoof beats into the dirty ground. He wasn't sure what had come over him, and he just now realized what exactly he was doing. Alexi made a quick glance back and suddenly felt very alone at the sight of the other Tourii lagging behind. That couldn't worry him, he had to focus. Right ahead was the spot he picked in his mind a few minutes ago to turn and come at the wolves from the opposite side as the infantry reserve. On reaching it he sharply turned Matthias. The horse obliged but Alexi was nearly thrown off the saddle from the maneuver. The raccoon looked ahead and suddenly felt his stomach knot up. There were wolves everywhere and he'd hit them in a few seconds. He collected himself best he could. It should be ok, they were in pursuit and wouldn't expect the cavalry charging into them. With his right arm he held out his cavalry style gladius, picked a wolf, and closed his eyes. The second or two seemed to take ages but a rough tug on his sword arm and Matthias' slowing brought Alexi back to his senses. He opened his eyes and caught the sight of red on his blade and chaos everywhere else. The noise level was incredible and he tried to sort somethings out before realizing that he had to keep moving or he wouldn't last long. At that moment he heard a series of loud crashes behind him and with a glance back his suspicion was confirmed; the other Tourii had arrived. About half of them dismounted swiftly and the rest fanned out amongst the wolves, hacking and slashing as if it was some sort of daily routine for them. Another even louder crash signaled that the reserve infantry connected on the other side. The raccoon gave Matthias a firm nudge and peeked around. The wolves were still in shock and weren't registering that he was there quite yet; it wouldn't last. He set off at a trot towards the Tourii, spotting a wolf's backside and making a quick slash as he passed; it connected. Things became a blur after that as Alexi lost himself in the confusion of battle. A few wolves made swings at him but none landed anything. It was a completely unfair fight and the wolves fell before the imperial onslaught as grain to a scythe. And then it was all over; the Melikar were in full retreat back to their woods and Naorume came up alongside the enforcer. The fox's armour was spattered with blood in a dozen places and he was covered in dust but amazingly showed no signs at all of exhaustion. "Do you want us to follow them, Alexi?" The raccoon panted a few moments as the adrenalin rush started to fade and a wave of fatigue hit him. "No... we're not going into those woods. We'll have to settle for a draw." The raccoon looked over at General Attalus in the distance. "Call Attalus off as well. Have the army reform at its original position." Naorume said nothing, merely nodded and relayed the orders. Alexi turned Matthias around in a slow circle; examining the macabre landscape. He didn't feel much right now; just a sense of numbness. Some cheering erupted from the imperial soldiers and he thought a few of them congratulated him as he slowly took Matthias through the battlefield on a roundabout route back. Then something caught his eye and as he neared he saw that it was another raccoon hunched down on the ground. Alexi absent-mindedly dismounted and walked over to the other; it was Julian Commenus. On the ground beside him was the taller twin: Phillip. He stared a moment at the bloody and dirty mess that was Phillip. Then, Alexi took Julian by the paw without any resistance and walked him away silently; Matthias following the pair of his own accord.