Author’s Note: Violence is ahead. But you all knew that, right? It IS Karju, after all. ;)

Karju

Karju picked the salted meat out of his teeth as a man was tossed at his feet.

“We intercepted this man and his horse just down the road. He was coming from Equus territory,” his scouts told him, scowling.

Karju glanced at Eoforwin, who slowly stood. With a deep sigh, Karju stood and looked down at the man that had been laid before him.

He was avian man. It was too obvious. He was one of the larger ones, Karju would give him that. Still, that neck was pathetically delicate. Karju could wrap his fingers around it with little difficulty. And what about this tiny feminine hands? Karju snorted in disgust and spit a wad of saliva just shy of the man’s nose.

“Luckily I brought my translator,” Karju growled, jerking his hand up. Kuilis was brought to the front of the troop. Karju knew that the rotting old man would come in handy later on. He was correct not to leave him at the Aves city, where he had begged to remain. Kuilis trembled and ducked his head obeisantly. Karju shoved his bone pick between his lips and spoke around it.

“Kuilis, ask the man why he comes from Equus lands when he is clearly not a native?”

Kuilis obeyed.

The man looked petrified, yet tried hiding it behind a false, pathetic male bravado. Karju sneered at his attempt. If he’d been raised boar, his façade would be far more successful. Of course, it was silly to think if he’d been raised boar. The man would be much larger if he were boar, not to mention superior in all other aspects.

Kuilis turned to Karju. “He said he was merely trading with the Equus.”

Karju laughed and stepped closer to the man. “Bring his horse.”

The scouts retrieved the little avian nag the man had been riding. It too was obviously of avian descent; there was no strength in its haunches, no fierce look in its eyes. It was skittish and stupid, not worth anything. Still, it might come in handy if Karju wanted some fresh meat to eat on their journey.

“Funny, how you claim you were trading with the Equus. I see nothing on this horse except a few tidbits of food and a tarpaulin for camping.” Karju ripped the tarpaulin off the saddle and tossed it down in the dirt beside the man’s face. Kuilis translated rapidly. Karju knelt down. “And your purse is empty.”

The man flapped his jaw but said nothing. Karju’s hand shot out and grabbed the man by the hair. He dragged the man to a stand and threw him backward. The man’s head hit a rock and he began to bleed from the temple. When he tried to rise, Karju put a heavy boot on his head and forced his face into the dirt.

“If you give a hog’s behind about your quickly shortening time spent in this world, you will tell me the real reason you were in Equus territory.”

“He won’t tell you,” Kuilis translated.

“Hmm.” Karju stroked his beard. “Eoforwin, go through my saddlebag. You will find my hog-branding iron. Bring it to me.”

Eoforwin nodded and retrieved it. He handed it to Karju, who stuck it down where the man could see.

“I use this to mark my hogs. I carry it with me wherever I go, since it always comes in handy.” Karju handed it back to Eoforwin. “Put it in the fire.”

Eoforwin did as he was bid.

“What is your name, avian?” Karju asked.

He received no reply.

“I hate proud avians,” Karju growled, releasing the man’s head. The man scrambled to a stand, but Karju struck him down with a blow to the head. The man collapsed and rolled. Karju waved his men forward. Three jumped up and began to beat mercilessly on the little avian man. Karju watched, crossing his arms and biting hard down on his pick.

When the man was reduced to a bloody, whimpering and trembling creature, Karju motioned his men away. He grabbed the man and flipped him over.

“Hold him down,” Karju ordered.

The men did as he asked.

“Take off his trousers,” Karju barked.

The men did as he asked.

Karju reached down for the brand now smoldering in the fire. “I would cut out your tongue, but being as you have information useful to me, I think this is a better method.” He approached the avian man, who connected the dots when Karju waved the branding iron before him.

Karju stood over him, holding the red-hot tip of the iron up like a sword. “Are you going to talk, or will I be forced to burn your testacles off?” Karju raised his eyebrows.

He’d never seen a man who had remained so solemn before break so quickly. The man began to weep and moan desperately. Karju looked at Kuilis. Kuilis shook his head.

Karju shrugged and raised the iron. The man fought to pull his legs to his chest, but his men held all his limbs down. Just before Karju thrust the iron down, the man cried out something to Kuilis.

“He’ll talk,” Kuilis blurted.

Karju threw the iron to the side and nodded at his men. They released his legs.

“Tell me,” Karju demanded.

The man rambled on, tears mixing with the dirt and blood smeared across his cheeks. Karju resisted sneering in disgust.

“He said he and his charge went to the Equus to warn the princess Ardea that you were coming.”

Karju couldn’t help himself. He smacked the man so hard across the face he feared he knocked the avian out. But the man lifted his head eventually and took a deep gasp of air through the blood that bubbled through his lips.

“You idiot!” Karju hissed. “You didn’t warn the princess! You warned my gilt.”

“They’re long gone by now,” Eoforwin murmured.

Karju grabbed the man’s hair and leaned down right in front of him, so close that his beard nearly scraped against the man’s chin. “Where are they going?”

“The Colubri,” Kuilis whispered.

“Damn!” Karju roared, throwing the man down and leaping to a stand. He began to pace. “Men, pack up and jump on your horses. It seems this easy capture is going to be made a bit more challenging.” Then, to himself he said, “No matter. I will have my gilt. I’ll scour the rest of the world if I have to.”

“What are you going to do with him?” Kuilis asked timidly.

Karju didn’t even care. He snatched his nearby axe and threw it right down into the center of the man’s skull. He yanked it out and cleaned off the blade on his trousers. Eoforwin stared down at the halved head, his face suddenly pale. Karju grabbed his arm.

“We’re moving out,” he spat.

“You needn’t have killed him.”

Karju pressed the rounded end of his battle axe pole against Eoforwin’s throat. “I am Head Boar. You don’t question me. Move out.”

Eoforwin and Karju shared a silent glare. Karju didn’t approve of Eoforwin’s increasing dissatisfaction with his rule. Karju would have to kill him. Not now, of course, when Eoforwin was of use. But after this whole mess was done, Eoforwin’s throat needed to be slit. Preferably in front of that wife he seemed to like so much.

Kuilis looked near fainting. Karju shoved him toward his horse. “I said move out!”

Author’s Note:

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