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Rael stepped forward, meeting the stranger with a gesture that seemed equal parts greeting and challenge. One of Rael's allies? Elian strained to catch their words.
"Zarrack," Rael said. The name reverberated then snapped, like the roll of a distant thunderstorm. "I didn't expect to encounter you out here."
The one called Zarrack let out a rasping chuckle. "Nor I you, pup. What business brings an alpha so far from his clan?"
Elian saw Rael's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly before he replied. "Medical supplies. A young clansman needs treatment. I'm heading to the city to find it."
Despite the remote wilds that they were in, Zarrack seemed entirely at ease, an amused glint in his eye. "Is that so? You're in luck, the medics in Yattara just got a shipment. I'm just returning from there myself."
"Off to outpost Ylera?"
"No, the Thar clan's village." Zarrack grinned. "Heard they run a decent card game, and I thought I might try my luck."
Rael laughed. "Watch your back, old man. They're the most relentless cheats in the east."
The two Borraq exchanged pleasantries — and more than enough playful jabs at the moral nature of the Thar. Listening to their easy conversation, Elian breathed a little easier.
But then it went wrong.
Zarrack's head suddenly snapped up, nostrils flaring as he drew in a deep breath of air. The content expression melted from his face in an instant, replaced by a look of cold calculation. His hand strayed toward the wicked-looking blade hanging from his belt.
"What's that scent?" he growled, his gravelly voice now laced with menace.
Oh, no.
Zarrack's piercing gaze swept over the area, searching. Elian sank down behind his cover, his heart hammering in his chest. He shrank in on himself, trying to get as small and unobtrusive as possible.
If Zarrack didn't let this drop… To save Elian, would Rael be forced to fight an old friend?
A cold sweat broke out over Elian's skin.
But when Rael's voice rang out, it wasn't in challenge. "Elian, come out," he called, the command laced with resignation.
That seemed like insanity… But Elian trusted Rael. Heart in his throat, Elian stepped out from behind the tree.
Zarrack's eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him. His hand instinctively tightened on the blade at his hip. "What is this, Rael?" The seasoned warrior's voice was a growl of barely contained hostility.
Rael's stance was wary, his body angled slightly to put himself between Elian and the potential threat. "A human ship crashed in my territory," Rael continued, speaking calmly. "This is the only survivor. I aim to collect the price on his head."
Elian's heart pounded in his chest as Zarrack eyed him with open disdain. The grizzled Borraq warrior's gaze was like a physical force, weighing him down with centuries of hatred and mistrust. Elian had faced his fair share of hostility in his life, but there was something primal about Zarrack's loathing that chilled him to the bone.
Zarrack's eyes narrowed, flicking between Rael and Elian as he evaluated the situation. Elian could practically see the calculations flickering behind the old warrior's eyes, weighing the risks and opportunities. Elian's pulse thundered in his ears as he waited for the other shoe to drop, for Zarrack to see through the deception and attack.
But the moment stretched on, taut with unspoken tension. Finally, Zarrack met Rael's steady gaze, his own eyes glinting with warning. "Humans are cunning, devious creatures," he growled, his voice like gravel. "You would do well not to trust them."
He pounded the crisscrossing scars that marred his chest. "I was taken by them during the war. Tortured for months on end for no purpose. I know of their cruelty first hand." As he spoke, Elian saw flashes of a deep pain cross Zarrack's features.
Rael dipped his head in a shallow nod of acknowledgment. "I am being cautious, Zarrack."
"Could stand to be more cautious, if an old dog like me could scent your scheming," Zarrack cut him off, flashing a grim smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I knew your father, pup. I don't want to see you sharing his fate."
The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Elian saw Rael's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly. "I know what I'm doing," Rael stated, holding Zarrack's gaze with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of Elian's neck prickle.
The two Borraq sized each other up, a silent conversation playing out in the tilt of their heads and the set of their shoulders. The weight of their shared history, of traditions and experiences Elian could never fully understand, stretched between them like a physical force.
Finally, Zarrack gave a grunt of acknowledgement and stepped back. "I've got a card game waiting for me," he said, the edge of menace fading from his tone.
He slapped Rael on the shoulder with a calloused hand. "Let's hope I don't have to collect your bounty next time we meet, eh?"
