I stood on a large half-collapsed tower — hold, the locals called them holds — looking over the rolling landscape. It was not a pleasant sight. In every direction, except for a few patches of grass and crops that had miraculously survived, was charred ground.

  It didn't matter who you were. There was no way I would believe you could find the field of black ash that was full of life weeks ago pleasant to the eye. You could look at it philosophically and say that destruction heralded rebirth, and there was no way to create without first destroying, but that was avoiding the question.

  Those who could look out over destruction and call it beautiful, well, the world would probably be better off without them. That isn't to say destruction wasn't necessary and even optimal at times, but enacting it for its own sake was wrong.

  "What ya thinken about?" Franklin rumbled to my side.

  I looked over at the badgerkin, who was plopped on the ground with his back to the wall, a haunch of meat in one hand and a small barrel under the other. Where he got the meat or what kind of meat it was, I didn't know and didn't wanna find out because it was large enough to be from creatures I didn't consider animals. Though I did know the barrel was some kind of beer, if only from the smell. "The destruction Derg has unleashed. So much death and waste… and for what reason? So he can conquer more? To create more senseless destruction?"

  "Reason?" Franklin rumbled and grunted as he stood up, the foot and a half piece of bone and meat clenched within his jaws as he left the barrel on the ground. He turned to look out at the destruction around us, what was left of the Longear Hold. The surviving Holders, who numbered less than a hundred and fifty of the previous thousand pulse residents, including the few surviving children, had demanded a position on the earthworks.

  Their placement was in the rear lines where the Crescent Moon should never make it, but that didn't seem to matter to them. From their faces and attitudes, I guessed they just wanted to show themselves still unbroken against those who brought their home and family to ruin. To either side and in front of the holders were the ranks upon ranks of the 14th legion standing in formation upon their own earthworks.

  Surprisingly, they were only down a fourth of their normal strength, and a large chunk of those losses was due to sickness from poorly treated wounds. It also didn't help that they were weak from starvation and the constant marching, but infection was the main killer.

  Apparently, while the upper ranks of the tribunes were still deciding what to do about their cut-off contact with Basetown, the Letairry made a visit, killing all but two of the medicos in the legion and burning most of the rations. The legion was able to requisition supplies from the Holders, but there was only so much they were willing to give up.

  The locals were facing danger, and hoarding food and other supplies was their second nature in the best of times. The legion could have taken what they needed, but that would just make the thousands of fortresses maintaining the only strip of mostly friendly land around them hostile. Not a great idea, in Green's opinion.

  From what I had heard over the last few days, the marches were long, and the rations were small, especially with only a couple handfuls of wagons to be found within the seven-thousand-strong legion. And yet, even with all they had endured, they formed up and stormed the wolfkin attacking the Longear Hold.

  It might just been a calculated action to gain some favor from the locals, but that didn't take away from the action. At least not in my eyes. It was naive to think that people made significant decisions for only one reason. What I judged them poorly for was when I arrived with Lun to explain that another warband was coming and how they responded not at all to the news.

  Which was a giant oversimplification. Given the Republic's history with the beastkin and the 15th recent experience with the Kin, the legion was understandably wary. Maybe if I was alone, but Franklin, Hurring, and I had to wait outside the camp for over a day before a tribune finally came out to speak with us.

  "Wait," might not be the best word, as legionaries were tasked with keeping the priso— Ehem, their guests safe from any threats.

  After the man arrived, it took hours to explain the situation and why I was out here all alone, which was a flimsy explanation at best. Some demonstrations from Franklin and Hurring, which, much to our annoyance, was more about seeing and hearing them speak than showing off their other abilities. You know, the ones that the Crescent Moon also had.

  And then the man left without saying a word about our situation. It was only the timely return of their scouts on the second day who notified them of the warband I had been trying to tell them about that things began to change.

  I was fed up with the situation and considered leaving more than once, but they were finally moving in the right direction, so I decided to stick around a bit longer. What their tribunes had still not accepted was that the Redtail Kin was going to assist them.

  I wasn't sure if they were leery about their ability to assist in a fight or if the Redtails would join the other side, but it didn't really matter. If there was anything history taught us — though I was starting to wonder if it taught us anything at all given how often we repeat avoidable mistakes — it was that running from beastkin never worked out.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Given a tangible threat, the Legatus of the 14th was willing to entertain the idea of us telling the truth as the legion set about digging fortifications. Which was ever so magnanimous of him. So we were relocat— Ehem… invited to a tent and later a viewing platform to watch the battle.

  The result of the legion working with the Redtails would have been roughly the same. Actually, this could be taken as better than the legion preparing for Kanieta's mages to attack from the back, as I doubted the legatus had any intention of leaving the defenses regardless of what happens. With everything that was happening indicating a standard defensive strategy, there weren't any signs of a trap. So the Crescent Moon should walk right into Kanieta's hands.

  Kanieta agreed with my assessment of the situation, though she was annoyed that the cleanup would be more complicated than she had hoped. However, there was nothing to be done about it. I couldn't convince anyone of the Redtail Kins' sincerity, as they would have to do that themselves.

  So I waited as the preparations were made all around me, and now I was watching the start of the battle… Which was simultaneously boring and filling me with anxiety.

  The Crescent Moon warband showed no signs of being aware of Redtails, and they were forming up for what looked like a massive simultaneous charge at the legion on three sides. They had the numbers, as the warband numbered around twenty thousand, to overwhelm the defenses. And that was without the hundreds of blood golems within their number.

  The legatus of the 14th might not be able to see it, but I knew that without the Redtail's help, there would be little hope of victory. With them, it was all but guaranteed. I knew that. I saw them rip open the Triad like they were brushing past a spider's webbing.

  Kanieta might not have as much time to prepare as she did last time, but I had faith that she should be able to create a spell to massacre the Crescent Moon. Despite all I knew, I still felt a gnawing anxiety within my gut as I watched the thousands of Kin form up around our position.

  When the trumpet blared and the blood golems started across the ashy ground, I found my hand clenched around my sword's hilt, bouncing on the balls of my feet. Each one represented hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths. And they could soak up arrows better than pincushions.

  Right before the abominations hit the line, the horn sounded again, and the mass of Kin rushed forward. They covered the distance between the two lines at a surprising speed and were only a few score yards behind the golems when they lashed out with fleshy tentacles at the legionaries.

  Either from their own experience or my warning, the legionaries quickly dealt with the golems with their mental energy and smashed the crystals within. While legionaries were lost, no lines were broken. That didn't mean the cost of killing the golems wasn't high, as the mental energy expenditure had to be significant.

  And then the Crescent Moon Kin hit the weakened lines. Which brought us to now, two hours later. The legion was pushed back from the outermost earthworks, but the battle was far from decided.

  The Kin, with their effectively infinite supply of mana, had their front lines all but immune to sword strikes but equally incapable of finishing off a legionary with all of them in a union. I suppose if taken to the bitter end, the legionaries would eventually lose the battle, as they would run out of mental energy first, but it wouldn't come to that.

  Leaving me to wait until Kanieta finally acted, my inner turmoil steadily growing as my body tensed for action that never arrived. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, I looked away from the battle. To my side, Franklin was settling down after getting up, placing one of his elbows on the wall, the other holding the meat within easy reach of his fangs. "The Crescent Moon have the best reason for their actions." He said, continuing where he left off.

  I looked at the Kin, disbelief plastered on my face. "Do you really believe that after what they have done? What they are still doing?"

  "Ya don't understand what the Kin have suffered. The Kin's history began in blood as we escaped the Letairry, and it never stopped flowing. Generation after generation of battles and deaths heaped upon each other until it was all we knew. Eventually, some of our inner lands found a form of peace, but it was bought with the blood of the borderlands. Areas that belonged to the predators among my people as they were the strongest. So they were the ones who stood as the wall holding back the goblins and dark elves, and they were the first ones to have their homes razed and blighted. But even after the destruction of their homes and cities, they still fought on. They rebuilt their fortresses, had new children, and walked willingly to their deaths. Over and over." Franklin's voice turned grim, and the arm holding his half-eaten haunch fell to his side as he looked out over the battle, neither seeing nor hearing it.

  I didn't say anything, letting him find the words to convey his thoughts. "As one territory after another fell, every tribe and then faction took a weight upon themselves. The badgers took to recording and protecting our history so it may never perish. The Redtails took pushing the edges of our magic. And the Crescent Moon perfected their warriors, creating what you see before you. A front line capable of withstanding anything. And within those areas of expertise, we became trapped. Kanieta's pursuit is to protect the Kin with her magic, and every action is consumed with that purpose. To reach new heights, she needs to study your people to extend her knowledge. Derg is the same, except the root of his power comes from the Kin. He has no need to associate with your people. In fact, there are many easy ways he can get stronger by persecuting you, so he does. We were pushed to the point of invading your territory to survive. While I disagree with his methods, they are for the sole purpose of protecting the future of my people. And I doubt your people would do much differently if they found themselves in the same circumstances."

  “…Shit, not sure what I can say to that," I said. “…But I'm still going to kill him if given the chance." I decided.

  Franklin chuckeled at my statement, his voice filled with murderous intent. "As will I. As will— Oh! Oh… so that's what she decided to do. Rather unoriginal." Franklin said, suddenly sounding bored and disappointed.

  Looking up, I saw four spinning storms of fire hundreds of feet tall and dozens of feet across, ripping through the ground and the Crescent Moon wolves.