Here is the next part of my Roman story where things get interesting.
ChrisThe Lurking Fox
It was very early when Bitt and hisContubernium were assembled in front of
their barracks. Dawn was still at leastan hour away and most of the fortress
was still asleep. Experience told Bittthat they were in for a long walk.
Vinius was a short distance away speaking totribune Vitellius. The tall oryx
was talking to the hound at length aboutsomething. “So where are we headed?”
He asked as hechecked his gladius one last time. “Where is the tribune taking
us?” “A special task for us. A local village hassent word that something was
attacking them. Smashing their homes and tearingdown their walls,” Vinius
explained. “We’re being sent to help.” “Some THING?” Sabinus asked
nervously. “What?” Grattius asked nervously. “We will find out what,” the
decanusanswered. “When we get there. But it cannot be bad if all they are
sending is asingle contubernium.” “I hate surprises like this,”
Decebalusmuttered as he hefted his scutum. ************ His suspicions
hadn’t been wrong and it wasseveral miles after dawn when marching brought them
to their destination. Thesmall village set on the side of a rocky hill. It took
over an hour of walkingup the rough road before they reached it. The ground was
rocky but a few peoplewere trying to eke out a living; mostly it seemed by
herding. The town elder was talking to the tribuneand the decanus. The
feline seemed upset. She had asked for help and beenexpecting the legion or at
least a cohort. All she got was eight, dusty, boredlegionnaires led by a
tribune who seemed just as dusty but at least soundedinterested. They were
talking to the cat in Aramaic andBitt was having a hard time following all of
the conversation. They weretalking at a fast speed. But what he could
understand is that something seemedto be destroying the walls of the buildings
and fences. “Did she say that something was eating theirstones?” Bitt
whispered. “That’s what I heard,” Rolozius whispered back. She held up a
stone that truly seemed tohave a bite taken out of it. Sabinus shook his
head “Oh that’s not good.” “What eats stone?” Tossius asked. The hyena
shook his head. “I’m not sure Iwant to know.” Tossius got his answer. The
creature stepped out of the rock. Notfrom behind it, or under it or on top of
it. It came directly out of what wasthe flat, stone face of a boulder. The
creature stood barely two feet tall.Even shorter than the fox. It had two arms,
two legs, a body and a head butthey were not of flesh and fur. Instead it
seemed to be of pure stone andearth. He could even see where veins of different
minerals ran through. In itshands was a large pick made entirely of stone. The
fox was not sure the tool wasactually separate and not just a part of the
creature. The Legate gave a wave of the hand. “Halt.Who are you?” He said in
Latine. The creature answered him in a language noone else seemed to
recognize and emphasized point by waving it’s arms about. The tribune
responded by talking slower.“Who. Are. You?” Bitt listened quietly as the
two argued backand forth. Both speaking and yet not listening. And neither
understanding whatthe other was saying. In spite of having shaved his fur down
and only wearing atunic under his armor Bitt was getting hot. The sun was
beating down on themall and heating up his armor. He understood why the
Parthians used more silkand leather in their armor. Having failed to make
itself understood withone language the creature tried a second but with the
same results. “What is it?” Grattius asked. “I mean it’smade of stone. Like
a statue.” “That is not a statue,” Etiewi countered. “An earth
elemental?” Sabinus asked. The first shrugged. “I don’t know.” “Not an
Elemental,” the fox commented. “Butrelated to one perhaps.” “Whatever it
is,” Grattius said. “Why is itmad at us?” Bitt shrugged. “Who can tell but
he doeslook mad.” “How can you tell?” “Well he is waving his arms and
shouting,”Bitt answered. “Can stone and earth get mad?” Grattiusasked.
“It’s not him we need to worry about,” thelion said. As he looked around his
grip on the hilt of the gladius tightened.“It’s his friends that we don’t see
that are the problem.” The creature switched to a third language. Bitt
flinched. “Hey!” He muttered. “Irecognize that language.” The lion spun
around and looked at Bitt.“You what?” “I’ve heard that language before,”
the foxresponded. “One moment. Let me think.” He looked at the stone creature
as itspoke again. “I think that’s the language of the Na cinn scála.” “Who?”
The lion asked. “The Scaled Ones,” the fox explained. “The what?”
Grattius asked. Still confused. “I’m not sure how to describe them,”
Bittsaid slowly. “They live up in the mountains. Keep to themselves.” Bitt
spoke the words slowly. Speaking alanguage he only half remembered.
“Sveikinimai Pone,” the fox said slowly.Trying to remember the words from
lessons taken in childhood. The creature stopped speaking and slowlyturned
its head to the fox. Eyes of molten rock looked at him. “Ar jūs
esateskalėjantys?” The fox pondered those words for a moment.Translating
them from Cinn scala to Gaelach. It wasn’t easy as it had been along time since
he had used the language. He wished he had paid more attentionwhen he had been
tutored. The lessons had seemed so boring and unimportant backthen. Now lives
depended on it. “He asked me a question.” The fox said tohimself. “He asked if
I speak Cinn Scala.” “Aš šiek tiek apie tai kalbu,” the foxanswered slowly.
“What did you just say?” Tribune Vitelliusasked. The entire group was quiet,
and all eyes were on him. “He asked me if I speak it and I told him .. it
yes,” the fox answered. “I think.” “Who are The Scaled Ones?” the legate
asked. “My home shares a border with them,” the foxexplained, “We’ve picked
up a lot of the language over the years. Out of sheernecessity. And Grandma
Fethnaid always said know your enemies.” “You keep surprising me Bitt. Ask
him why heis angry.” The tribune asked. “If he is angry.” The fox pondered
for a moment beforespeaking. Really wishing he had paid more attention to those
language lessonswith his tutor Grecinius. The bull had been a good teacher and
he rememberedmore than he realized. He spoke his words slowly being careful of
each one.Aware of the fact that a mistake could lead to something nasty. The
creature pointed to the villagers andsaid something in a distinctly hostile
tone. The fox countered with a single word reply. That resulted in a long
answer from thestone creature who emphasized his point with a wave of his pick.
Bitt listened carefully and waited for thespeaker to finish. “I see!” He
turned to the villagers. “You’ve beencutting holes in his home.” “What?” The
one villager asked incredulous. “He lives inside the rock of the mountainyou
have been quarrying stone from,” the fox explained. “He lives IN the stone?”
Vinius askedslowly. The fox nodded his head. “He seems to be literallyof
stone instead of flesh and bone like we are.” “He really lives inside the
rocks?” The catasked. “The ones we have been quarrying?” “Oh yes,” the fox
responded. “We cannot stop the quarrying,” the townleader commented. “It’s
how we make a living.” The Oryx nodded his head. “I see. Bitt askhim if
there is stone they can take without chopping up his home?” The fox drove
the point of his pilum intothe ground and then leaned his shield against it. He
knew nothing about this earthcreature but what little he knew of the Na cinn
scála was that they respectedformality. Introductions had to be done in a
specific way. Bitilus bowed deeplyto the stony person. “I am Bitilus Aeturitis
Brachaidhe,” he said. “Of CairrgeBrachaidhe.” The creature bowed in return.
“I am Adenydd of the Gwenithfaen.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you Adenydd of
theGwenithfaen,” Bitt responded. He pointed to the villagers. “The people
doapologize for harming your home. They did not mean to. Is there some stone
thatthey might cut and use safely?” “I can separate the stone for them,”
Adenyddanswered. “So it is done correctly and the stone honored properly. For a
cost.” “That sounds fair,” the vulpine said. “Whatcost?” Several minutes
of negotiations followed asthey bartered back and forth and set the terms.
There was several moments ofsilence and the villagers debated whether to accept
it or not. “You are of Cairrge Brachaidhe,” thecreature commented. “You are
far from your home stone. Why here?” Bitt shrugged. “I go where I am
needed.” “You talk like a mage,” the elementalcommented with something like
humor in it’s voice. “I’m not sure if that was an insult or acompliment,”
the fox countered. “Perhapsboth.” “No insult upon you or your clan,”
thecreature responded. “None taken,” the fox said. “I am heresearching for
clan property and our heritage that was lost. And I go where thefates take me.”
“Recover them before the end?” The elementalasked. He stiffened, trying
to not betray anyemotion. “The end?” “One hundred, plus ten, plus one,”
theelemental answered. “Time is counting down.” The fox cursed in several
languages. “Whatdo you know of that?” The creature shrugged. “Your vixen is
notthe only one who knows the past and the future,” the stone creature
commented. “You know her?” Bitt asked. Surprised. “The Gwenithfaen know
well of the oracle,”Adenydd responded. “We communed with her previous sisters
but not so much withher.” “She is not happy with her duties as such,”the fox
shook his head. “They weigh very heavily upon her.” “You carry her mark.”
The creature saidsimply. Bitt looked down at his body. “Does itshow?”
“Only to those who know how to see it,” camethe enigmatic answer. “Why do you
serve her?” “She is my cousin,” the fox explained andhesitated. “And I do
believe what she has said.” He leaned close to Adenydd.“Do you believe it will
happen?” “All things change with time.” Adenyddcommented without really
answering the question. “Even the tallest mountainsare worn down.” “What
will you do when it does fully occur?”The fox asked. “We are far from the
events,” the stonecreature answered cryptically without really giving an
answer. “Many in my home think the same thing,” thefox commented. “But they
are wrong and so are you. Nowhere is far enough.” “Perhaps.” The fox
shook his head. “Not perhaps. IS.This will change everything. The whole world
shall shake at its fall.” “You speak like an oracle, like she does,”the
elemental commented with a touch of humor. The fox shrugged. “Perhaps, but
I trust herjudgement. And she is my cousin.” “We are grateful for your
help,” theelemental said. He handed Bitt something. It was a smooth stone that
was a softbrown but with a broad vein of marbled white. Bitt bowed. “Thank
you. It was a privilegeto help.” “You are allies of clan Na cinn scála?”
Thestone creature asked. “No. We are,” the fox paused unsure of hisanswer.
It was an answer the whole clan had been asking for centuries. What ofthe Na
cinn scála? “We are. Are. Notenemies.” “Not friends? Not allies? Not
enemies?” Thecreature asked. He shook his head. “Our clan has shared along
border with them and have respected their lands. But they have never
beenfriends. We have tried but they keep to themselves. They always keep
tothemselves.” “Not always,” Adenydd responded. “They weredrawn in before,”
it commented enigmatically. “They will be drawn in again.” “What?” The fox
shouted. “What do you mean?What of the Na cinn scála and the fall?” “That is
a question you must ask them.” Withthat the creature crossed its arms and
bowed. It took two steps backward andvanished back into the rock it had come
from. Ending the conversation. The fox was quiet and still for a longmoment
looking at the stone. Pondering all that had been said. He looked at thestone
Adenydd had given him. “Are you all right Bitt?” Vinius asked. The fox
sighed deeply. “I’m not sure. Thefurther I get from home the more I keep being
drawn back.” “You’re not a wanderer,” the Decanus said.“No matter how far
you travel your heart remains with your clan and family.” Bittnodded in
agreement. “It’s odd. When I was home all I wanted to do was get awayand
explore. Now all I want is to see home again.” “Will the creatures honor the
agreement?”The tribune asked. The fox nodded his head. “Yes. So long as
wedo.” “What was that thing?” Eteiwi asked as helooked at the stone their
strange visitor had disappeared into. Bitt shrugged. “I’m not sure. “Some
sort ofstone creature.” “Who are the Na cinn scála?” Rozolius asked.
Again Bitt shrugged. “No one is truly surewho they are. They’ve shared a long
border with the clans but never reallyinteracted with us. They keep to
themselves and honor the old treatyboundaries. We leave them alone and they
leave us alone.” The hyena nodded his head. “Sounds good tome. I wish the
Parthians would respect us like that.” “All I really know are just stories
andrumors. They are supposedly scaled like snakes and lizards. I can’t
confirmthat. I’ve never even seen one,” the fox commented. “I believe my father
metone once when he was a child. He described them as tall and scaly.”
Philippus gave a bark of laughter. “That’sreally helpful.”
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