The scouts of the Uc-Ta had been keeping eyes on the Seekers ever since they dared to leave their island. On their home turf, the Lizardfolk were much more capable of not only keeping up with their travels, but also remaining hidden when they wanted to. Oh yes, Zzan Ror had let the travelers believe they had circumvented their scouts unnoticed, but the reality was that it was much easier to watch folks like these when they believed they were safe. And so, the spies had to be just obvious enough that they were detected.
They had tracked the so-called "Astral Company" for a few miles into the southern wood before they lost them. This was not due to the clan's incompetency, though; the Godmist had descended upon the region they were in, and her scouts were forced to evade its path. They managed to get out of the way, but its very presence was obviously alarming. It shouldn't have been anywhere nearby based on their previous sightings. Perhaps it had altered course, or worse yet, maybe it had multiplied...
But Ror didn't have time to be fretting over the Mist. Moments ago, a scout had reportedly found the Astral Company once again. Thankfully, it seemed they had become preoccupied by something on the road, and her unit had incidentally passed the travelers. At the moment, they were lying in wait to isolate one of the Company's scouts. With luck, they'd be able to convince them to peacefully lead her back to their group. I'm not trying to kill you, she was prepared to explain. On the contrary, Ror knew perfectly well what these Seekers were capable of. An entire village in her own territory fled before just one of the Astral Company's shamans, and their reputation definitely preceded them elsewhere.
No, she wasn't afraid of scaring them — she was afraid they would reject her demands. Even ten Lizardfolk warriors with another twenty nearby wouldn't coerce them, she wagered. So, she would try diplomacy. Gods knew her forebears did no such thing, the savages. It's no wonder our kind are driven amok in the wilderness like this, she thought. It was true that some of the more civil Lizardfolk had managed to integrate into societies, but the ramifications of doing so were not to be ignored. The scorn you'd face from both the civilized folk and your own tribe were enough to keep that number very, very low.
That's why she was doing this. She was tired of the infighting, tired of the savage brutality of the world around them, and tired of seeing her kin slaughtered. And on top of all this, strange things were happening in the forest. The Godmist's seeming omnipresence of late, this strange, toxic sap, and the utter quietude that pervaded the air set her scales crawling. Come to think of it, once they had to execute Trok, it had become one of the quietest missions she had ever been on...
Her thoughts were disturbed by a, "Chief." Her lead scout, Kruus, went on, "The Aquan is heading this way, approximately 3 minutes out."
"Excellent. Let's get this over with, then." Ror sat up, stowing her belongings in the hollow of a nearby tree and donning the rest of her gear. "I'm not looking forward to this."
"If you believe that it must be done, then our clan will stand with you," Kruus offered, which as much consolation as one could expect of their people.
"I know that. I just hate to beg for anything," Ror admitted, then laughed a short, bitter laugh.
"Well, don't present it as 'begging,' then," her subordinate countered. "We know why it has come to this. We have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do. our numbers are halved and our morale decimated. We have nothing to lose, so remind them of that. It's this, or chaos."
Ror had to consider that. One really had the upper hand when they had nothing to lose. "You're right. They have just as much to gain from this, and we know how altruistic these folk can be." Then she smiled grimly, her sharp teeth accentuating the expression. "Either we all win, or we all lose."
Kruus returned the daring grin. "Exactly. Now hurry up, we've got about a minute left." Ror nodded, then followed her scout toward the unaware Aquan, and the Uc-Ta's last chance at redemption and peace.
