21. Suni

Chapter 21

Suni

S uni watched Amma walk away with her family and wanted to follow. He hated the thought of her being out of his sight in a strange village. What if she needed him?

"I know the feeling." Ru slapped a claw on his shoulder. "These human females are strong and can take care of themselves. My mate took on two witches, and they never stood a chance."

"I do not want my mate fighting," Suni said with a frown. "Her magic is gentler."

Ru dropped his claw "Maybe not. But I have seen Shelly do some amazing things with her magic. If she is still a calf, I can only imagine what your mate can do. Have you ever asked her to demonstrate something for you?"

Ru had never thought to ask Amma to show him her magic. After all, he saw her communicating with her animals all the time. "I have not."

"How about we spar?" Ru suggested. "Your morning star against my hammer."

Suni chuckled. "I welcome the challenge. I will try not to hurt you too much since your mate is with calf."

Ru threw his head back and roared with laughter. "You are welcome to try."

Suni felt an instant kinship to the chief. With a spring in his step, Suni walked beside Ru as they made their way back to the training area. Two large males with broadswords were facing off against each other already, so Ru and Suni had to wait their turn. Suni nodded in approval at the level of skills both warriors showed. Such skills spoke of a good chief who made sure his warriors never slacked on practice. Once one of the males dropped to a knee in surrender, Suni and Ru took the ring.

The roar of the onlookers drowned out the grunts of the males as they clashed. Suni handled his morning star as if he had been born with it in his hand. He knew how much power to put behind it to snap the chain taunt without it bouncing back and hitting him on the rebound. Ru proved to be an opponent he would hate to meet on the battlefield. His hammer was not only an extension of his arm, but he fought with his horns, claws, and hooves. Suni was breathing hard, and his fur was dripping with sweat by the time they called a draw. The groans from the onlookers were met with a snort from their chief.

"They all want to watch me fight, but not many will face me in the ring," Ru muttered. He huffed out his nose and shook his whole body, from hooves to ears, spraying musky sweat everywhere. "Would you be interested in joining my village?"

"As much as I would like to say yes, I have duties back in my own," Suni said. He swung his morning star onto his back. "I cannot leave them with one less warrior."

Ru guided him out of the way of the next two warriors. "I can understand that in these troubling times. I worry the High Coven now has an eye on my village because we destroyed two of their people."

"I would say retribution is their right, but I have heard of some of the things they have done. I wish there was a way to cut them off on their mountain and not send any more young witches their way."

"I was talking to my mate about the same thing." Ru said as he scratched his chin. "Jo also wants to make it impossible for the High Coven to grow. Maybe the way we have been doing things is wrong."

"Just like we turn young calves into warriors, the High Coven could be turning good young witches bad," Suni agreed.

"You are an insightful male." Ru turned back to the fight. "What do you think of the warrior wielding the spiked club?"

Suni studied the male in question. While he was massive, at least three hands taller than Suni himself, he was light on his hooves. It was similar to watching a dancer as he toyed with his opponent. He changed his fighting style to not only match his opponent but reveal the weak points in their defense.

"He has good form," Suni answered. "He is also a graceful fighter for such an enormous male."

Ru scratched behind his ear. "I am thinking of making him my second. He has a calm demeanor, even during combat. I have never seen anyone hold back their berserker nature the way he does while still incapacitating their enemies."

"He would make a great master of arms," Suni said. "I have never seen anyone fight like he does, and I doubt I ever will again, unless he trains the young."

"I am thinking the same," Ru agreed with a nod. "I will ask him to take the position of master of arms. I believe he will excel at it. Thank you for allowing me to bend your ear."

"A great leader is one who asks others for their options, and takes that advice into account. You remind me of my chief. I am happy to see it is not a rare trait."

"Chief!" A young male thundered around the corner of the armory. He skidded to a stop. "Chief!"

"Deep breath, Abeo," Ru ordered, then squatted. The youth tried to catch his breath, and Ru continued, "tell me what you came running to say."

"The scouts sent word ahead that a group of witches is headed this way," Abeo blurted. "They passed our borders last night."

Ru sprang to his feet and roared so loudly that all action on the field stopped. Two warriors even froze mid-swing. He announced, "Witches have crossed over into our borders. Instruct the females and calves to return to their homes. I want every warrior in position and ready to fight." He turned to Suni. "I know this is not your fight, but I ask that you join us."

"This is my fight," Suni replied. "My mate's family lives here and they are now my family too. Where do you want me?"

"At the gate," Ru answered as he started sprinting.

Suni only hesitated a second. He wanted to find Amma and make sure she was safe, but he had to trust Ru's warriors. They would get the vulnerable to safety and protect them. As some of the warriors raced for the gates, Suni noticed the rest of the village moved in an orderly faction as everyone did their part to prepare. He could tell Ru had not only trained his warriors, but everyone about what to do when their home was threatened. They entered the main clearing and were greeted by a line of warriors facing the woods.

"What about the rest of the boundaries?" Suni asked.

"They are covered," Ru reassured him. "The village is surrounded by warriors, both on the ground and up in the trees."

"In the trees?" Suni had never heard of such a thing. Most warriors were too heavy to climb trees by the time they reached maturity.

"We have trained the younger males with bows and arrows. They stay away from the main fight but can pick off enemies from a distance."

Suni was impressed. Ru used every resource he had and covered every corner of his village.

"Ru? What do you think you are doing?"

Suni spun at the same time Ru did and saw their females storming toward them. The fire in Amma's eyes almost caused Suni to take a step back.

Ru was visibly concerned, and murmured, "My mate, you should be at home," He tried to pull Jo into his arms, but she pushed him away.

"What? You want me to wait at home while some bitches roll up in here and take over everyone's minds?" Jo snapped. "I told you before: we fight together."

"You are with calf!" Ru finally caught her waving arm. "It is my job to protect both you and the calf."

"And it is my job to protect you , my mate." Jo then pointed at Amma, who stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Suni. " We know what to do against different types of magic, do you?"

"What if they are coming in peace?" Suni asked.

"What if my mom comes back from the dead?" Jo snarled. "Those bitches are not coming to play nice. I killed two of them."

"We were trained to fight with and without magic," Amma added. "Let us help you."

Suni knew the human females won the second Amma spoke. He looked behind them. "At least you left Shelly behind."

"She is too young to see a battlefield," Amma said. "We left her with Ru's parents. I explained how it was important for her to stay put, but I doubt she will."

"See?" Jo cocked an eyebrow at her mate. "With Amma by my side, you have nothing to worry about."

"What about the calf?" Ru placed a hand on her stomach.

"A pregnant witch is actually stronger," Amma said. "The baby lends the mother power."

Suni smiled imagining Amma round with his calf surrounded by all manner of animals. He would make sure their home was a haven for all animals that needed his mate's care.

"I still want you both to return to the house!" Ru ordered.

Jo laughed. "When has that voice ever worked on me?"

"My mate," Ru pleaded.

"Do you want to stand here arguing, or get ready to defend our home?" Jo asked. "I can only do one at a time."

Suni wanted to give them time to work out their couple issues and motioned for Amma to follow him a short distance away. "Are you sure you want to be on the front lines?" he asked.

Amma nodded. "Yes. If Ru allows me to stay, I can keep track of the witches as they move through the territory. That way, the warriors and scouts can concentrate on preparing for the battle ahead."

"Will it hurt you?" Suni didn't want her to do anything that would cause her harm. The scouts had trained all their lives to do what they were doing. It was their job to make sure the village borders stayed safe, and they knew if someone invaded.

"No. I will be vulnerable when I'm controlling so many animals, but Jo will protect me."

"No, I will protect you," Suni growled. He would not allow a female to protect his mate. Not that Jo was an ordinary female, but it was his honor to see to Amma's safety. "Where are Mike and Sam?"

"They promised to stay with Shelly."

"If they come out here, I will send them back." Suni knew how ugly a battlefield could become and didn't want her friends to be traumatized or killed.

"Amma," Jo interrupted. "How many animals can you control at once?"

"On Earth, six or seven," Amma answered. "Here, I don't know. I will have to see."

"I do not like this," Ru said.

"I do not either. It is our job to protect our mates." Suni sighed. "Can I talk to you privately?" Ru nodded and led him towards the trees, discussing fighting tactics until they were out of earshot of the women.

"Are we really going to allow our mates into battle?" He rubbed behind his intact horn. "They are not trained warriors."

"You have met my mate," Ru answered. "Do you think she would have allowed me to stick her at home? You see what happened when I tried to order her."

"These females are very strong willed." Suni chuckled. "At least I am lucky enough to get a look at what will happen when Amma is pregnant."

"Yes, learn from my bumbles." Ru slapped him on the shoulder. "I suggest talking to her. My female loves to talk about everything."

Suni chuckled. "Maybe it is something they can teach us. Warriors do not talk much."

"We are mated to warriors," Ru's voice lowered. "If we do not allow them to fight, we are taking away a part of them."

"A part that may leave them a husk of who they are," Suni said. "It will be hard going against our instincts to protect."