Keutah stood atop the Southern wall of the redoubt and surveyed the situation with pride. Three hundred of his kinsmen stood in array before him as the drums beat on. Closing his eyes while tipping his head back, Keutah inhaled the scent and sound of war, which served only to solidify his purpose and his passion.
From behind, Terauri placed his hand upon Keutahs shoulder as a symbol showing his support and acceptance for the eyes of the troops below.
In response, Keutah lifted his bow high above his head, signaling the beginning of something not seen among the Tonk since their beginning in this land through the mystical portals on the home world. As the rays of the sun glinted off the slender curve of his composite bow, the frantic drumming came to an abrupt end, and all eyes focused on his statue like form. Where a moment before, the ground practically shook with the timber of the wood and hide instruments, a complete silence held sway. A silence akin to the sound of death. Lowering his bow, the great Keutah began to address his assembly with his guttural yet thunderous voice.
"My brothers! My Kinsmen! Great warriors of the Tonk, listen to me now! It is I, Keutah who have taken you away from your homes and have brought you here. And it is I Keutah, son of Cheuri that shall lead you this day in becoming highly esteemed in the eyes of all the Tonk!" A great shout erupted as a response, for the Tumerok heart thrived on the recognition of its people.
Once quiet, Keutah continued. "You know my brothers, what it is that has brought us to this point on this day. You have seen how our people have lost the true meaning of being Tonk. I for one remember as a child the days when we lived in Ezheret-Hazahtu, before the portals came. I remember how our Xuta stood proud above all that lived in our land and when our drums were heard, our enemies trembled!"
Keutah closely watched the reactions of his words upon those in his presence. He was keenly adept at smelling dissent and a sense of it was beginning to manifest itself in the ranks.
"When we first came here, our shamans told us that we were strangers and that we must make our way with peace unless in defense. But there was no peace! The acid spitting Wharu who attempted to make us their slaves accosted us! Yet, because of the leadership of my father Cheuri and those of you that followed him, we drove back those vile insects and remained a free people!"
Again Keutahs words rang true to all that gathered there save but one. He knew now where the stink of contention now emanated. But still he continued his thoughts.
"Now we have any enemy worse than the Wharu! An enemy that uses friendship as a guise and deceit as a weapon! My father." Keutah paused for a second, experiencing fully the hatred that boiled within him whenever this topic came to bear, "My father was the first to meet these soft skinned creatures we call humans. At first they were afraid after being in servitude to the Wharu for so long, but our Xuta accepted them as they settled in the north where we lived. They even sent those among their kind to learn about us and to teach us of themselves. And it was all a trap! For the heart of the human is darkness and soon they began to lord themselves over us. We even became as animals to them to be used for their sport! Their knowledge-seekers became "collectors" who would pay money for trinkets taken from a corpse of our kind."
Keutah could see his words had created the desired impact. For many of them were shaking their head and whispering to each other saying, "Yes! We know may that have fallen to humankind!" It was time to continue taking advantage of that theme.
"The great Cheuri, my own flesh and blood, who helped to save our people from stirring pots as slaves for the Wharu is one of those we have lost to these humans. Gathering food and wood for his wife and children, he was accosted by a fellowship of four human cowards who took it upon themselves to kill an elderly "Tumerok", with no weapons in his possession! And why did they do this evil thing? What great treasure did they find on his arrow-ridden corpse? They found his insignia! A worthless trinket of station, holding a value only to Cheuri himself and those who knew the accomplishments it took for him to obtain it! My fathers life was forfeit for a handful of pyreal from the Holtburg collector who does not even know the significance of the jewelry that he purchased!!"
"Now, my brothers, is the time for retribution for all the humans have wrought upon us. Today is the day where we shall bring respect and greatness to the term 'Tonk'!" Keutah could see that his passion had made its way into the hearts of his followers. The excitement coursing through this crowd was like electricity, and he could see the knuckles of several warriors turning white as they grasped their weapons.
Keutah was now ready to release that passion pent up within his army. "Within two measures of where we stand now, is the human settlement of Holtburg. The breeding ground of this evil I speak of and the home of the animals that have dealt us only injustice! Let us go now! Let us wreak our vengeance, bring honor to our names and destroy all that live there! What say you?"
The shouts that filled the air echoed through the surround hills, and Keutah felt certain that there was no stopping his dark desire for this day. But one shout amid the clamor was different. And he knew its source. Mriuah.
"There is no honor in killing the innocent!" Mriuah exclaimed with boldness. Shall we destroy children and women that have done nothing to us? How does that bring honor to our Xuta? I must know!"
Keutahs knuckles were now the ones that were white. His teeth clenched and his form stiff, he looked directly at Mriuah with fire in his eyes. "Mriuah!" he screamed, almost choking with anger, "You have been a weight around our ankles for too long! From the beginning, your spewing of caution and morality has weakened us and no longer has a place here! We destroy them all, for as we have been treated as mindless beasts, so shall we treat the humans! We will wipe clean the north of human vermin. We will exterminate them entirely so that there will BE no future generations of heartless hunters invading our lands!"
Mriuah, without thinking took a step backward from the rear of the group. He had hoped for a different ending to these events, but he saw now that the group here was far too steeped in Keutahs anger to reason with them. He had known humans, and had built a friendship with one. He knew their propensity for being mindless and cruel, but he also knew their propensity for greatness and love. Mriuah had come today, thinking that some might agree with him and put off for now, this attack. But he had spoken too late. Keutah had reached into the hearts of each of his brothers standing here and had touched the chord that no true Tonk could resist, that of being significant in the land that they lived. Mriuah also desired the same thing, but felt there were other ways it could be obtained.
Almost in response to Miruahs movement, Keutah jumped from the wall of the redoubt into the throng below him. His anger and the fire that burned within him gave him the extra strength and coordination that kept him from breaking his legs from such a long drop. Without even fully regaining from the fall, Keutah leaped forward directly at Mriuah and smashed into him, pinning him to a tree.
"I have a new name for you Mriuah!" Keutah hissed loudly. Pulling the stunned Mriuah away from the tree and grasping his neck from behind, Keutah pushed him to the ground in the midst of the assembly. Still partially dazed, Mriuah attempted to right himself in preparations of whatever else might come. The only thing that stood above the pain in his ribs now was the thought that he had spoken too late. That he waited too long.
Keutah, seeing the shocked and confused faces of his warriors composed himself once again and addressed them. "Do not let this incident sway you my brothers." he said opening his arms. "Mriuah has undermined what should be our set purpose from the beginning. He has love for the blackness that we should all hate, and therefore he no longer belongs with us!"
Still talking to the host, Keutah turned his eyes again to Mriuahs wracked form. "Mriuah should now be known as 'Mripuh'! For on this day we have 'closed his mouth', against what we know is right and he shall always be an outcast to our Xuta forever!" Now Keutah spoke directly to his self-made enemy. "Go now Mripuh! Go to your friends the humans now! You should be welcome there, as traitors love the company of their own kind!".
As the now dejected Tumerok pulled himself up and hobbled past Keutah into the nearby forest, he cringed at Keutahs final words.
"The time for talk is now over! Follow me now my kinsmen! Let us earn for ourselves a TRUE name of honor! Make ranks! We march!"
Falling into lines, the Tumerok host moved out to the south. But now they acted with as much fear of Keutah as they did for the passion he possessed. Toward the human settlement of Holtburg they headed. And the drums began their dark cadence once again.
A tale of Celcynd. Chapter Four.
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/e claps hands
Very good chapter! Thanks again Tyn!
![#angel :angel:](./images/smilies/new_angel.gif)
Very good chapter! Thanks again Tyn!
![#angel :angel:](./images/smilies/new_angel.gif)
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Work like you don't need the money, love
like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
Work like you don't need the money, love
like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
- stumpy wallace
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darn drumsss...
good job keep the chapters coming
good job keep the chapters coming
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