“You can go ahead and ask.” Jeda said while looking up to the darkened sky above him, the light of the silver moon shone so deeply within his eyes that it almost seemed as though the fox’s orbs were glowing but Deijin knew that this couldn’t be so.

“Who.” The black and gold jackal asked as he gazed angrily back at his rescuer from across the crackling campfire set in between them.

“I don’t know.” The far eastern warrior replied.

“You’re lying!” Deijin snarled.

“And why would I do that?” Jeda asked with a faint chuckle as the cool night wind swept through his rich orange fur.

“I have no idea, but you’re going to tell me the truth,” The dune warrior threatened as he stood up from where he had been seated along the ground. He quickly grunted and placed a hand onto his head as the world around him began to spin wildly. 

“I wouldn’t try anything right now if I were you.” The vulpine turned his head away from the starlit sky above to face the leader of the royal defence guard. “You still haven’t fully recovered from being nearly drowned, and as is I could most certainly kill you if attempted anything foolish.” The calm manner in which the far eastern warrior spoke made the hackles along the back of Deijin’s neck rise in indignation.

However, the dune warrior knew that the other man was correct in his assessment over his health, as the black and gold jackal could still feel fatigue nipping along the edge of his mind. It didn’t help that the two of them had run for several miles in order to get away from the river that they had been standing beside earlier, though Deijin had to admit that he was rather proud of himself for being able to get his body to move so quickly after nearly being drowned. 

The thought of what had just happened made bile rise up to the edge of the dune warrior’s throat, but he quickly swallowed it back down. He was stronger than that! He could handle the thought of nearly dying, however, what he couldn’t accept was the fact that someone, or rather several someone’s, had attacked him while he was at his weakest. Never before had Deijin had to fear for his safety while he slept, as it was nothing less than a cowardly move to try and assault a man while he slumbered, but now though….

“You have some idea of who was responsible for that shit stunt that was just pulled on me, so give me a name.” The black and gold jackal growled as he tried to keep himself standing through sheer willpower.

“I don’t make rash assumptions over a situation, especially when I don’t have full knowledge over what exactly has taken place before, during, or after events have taken place.” Those words filled Deijin with a sense of anger, the likes of which made him turn his head to the side to spit. 

“You know more than you let on,” It was a truth that the dune warrior often hated to admit to, but was helpless to contest, as he had more than once taken note of the fact of how perceptive the vulpine was. “It’s one of the things I’ve learned about you.” While Deijin had been leading the defence forces he had more than once been advised by Jeda to allow him to scout ahead in order to learn the layout of the landscape around them, or of possible enemy positions. And while he normally handled such situations himself, he couldn't help but be stunned by how thorough the eastern warrior could be when gathering intel.

“I would take that as a compliment, if I thought you spoke those words with the intent to praise me.” Jeda chuckled, but it was a dark mocking laugh that seemed to say more than his words ever could. When Deijin looked to try and open his muzzle to spit out another retort the vulpine simply held up his hand in a gesture of peace. “With regards to your inquiry, I would ask you the same question.”

“What?” The dune warrior asked while blinking back at the other in owlish confusion.

“Who do you think hates you enough to want you dead?” Jeda questioned without a hint of ridicule or scathing contempt within his voice.

Again Deijin opened his muzzle to answer this question, more than ready to tell the other that no one would be stupid enough to try something like that against him, but then he just as quickly snapped his trap shut. 

Of course someone would do such a thing to him, as could be seen by the fact that they had done so not more than a day earlier. Closing his eyes the black and gold jackal recalled the hooded faces that loomed around him like spectors. The feeling of the lot of them trying to grab him in order to wrestle him down, the sensations of his head crashing into theirs, the subtle growls which came from the injured, the smell of sweat soaked fur and blood running through his nose, all of these phantom sensations came rushing back into his mind as he tried to mentally peer underneath the hoods of those who had done him such a great injustice. Sadly, there was nothing in his memory that could reveal to him the names and faces of the perpetrators who had nearly ended his existence.

“Isn’t it a sad state of affairs that you can’t even recall the name of a single individual who loathes you enough to try and kill you,” Deijin grunted as he threw his eyes open. He then focused his gaze on the still speaking fox. “Not because there is no one person who might want you dead, but because there are so many possible candidates that would love to see you breath your last?” 

“Cowards! All of them!” Deijin gnashed his pearl white fangs together as he quickly came to grips with the implications of what had been said to him. “I’ll make each and every one of them pay once I get back to camp!” Deijin’s body almost seemed to ripple somewhat as his justified rage burned within his gut so hot that he began to pant slightly.

“And what makes you think that this plan of yours will go as you hope that it will?” Jeda inquired with honest curiosity.

“I’m the most powerful warrior within my kingdom! The hero who slew an entire platoon single handedly!! You think that I can’t beat the crap out of a bunch of pathetic whelps who can’t even stand to face me in the light of day?!” Deijin roared while raising his hand up to the front of his face. Balling his fingers together into a tight fist the black and gold jackal forced his claws so deep into the palm of his hand that he split the flesh hard enough to cause his blood to run out from the sides of his digits onto the grass.

Jeda watched this sad bit of bloodletting for several seconds without saying anything in return - the fox took mental note over the fact that the dune warrior’s ichor was much darker than it should have been, but said nothing about this. Turning his gaze up towards the other male’s face the far eastern warrior kept his focus on the black and gold jackal as he spoke his next few words, “I think you could, if you fought them in a fair battle, but they won’t be fighting fair against you if you return.” 

“What?!” Deijin snapped, his eyes were now literally thin slits as he stared back at the vulpine calmly seated before him.

“If you return now then whoever planned to drown you will know that they, and those who allied themselves with this said person, failed in their task. Do you think that they will give you a chance to possibly route them out?” Deijin opened his muzzle to answer that question but was quickly cut off. “Do you think that the others within the defence force will idly stand by and allow you to try and harm, or even possibly kill those who they have a strong camaraderie with?” Again Deijin tried to make a statement in conjecture of this fact, but was again made to be silent. “Do you think that our emperor or your king will allow such a transgression to go by without seeing repercussions served upon you?” That actually caused Deijin to pause in thought.

“My king would understand my seeking of justice for this crime!” Deijin said with the utmost confidence in himself.

“And what justice do you think the emperor will demand when he learns that you assaulted and raped several members of the very group that you were assigned to lead?” Jeda asked with a deep frown marring his handsome face.

Deijin snorted and then swiftly turned his head to the side. “I can stand by what I’ve done!” 

“That is not something that either your king or the emperor will care about.” Jeda replied with a tired shake of his head. “Once those whom you have brutalized stand before their majesties and give their testimonies over your actions you will find yourself in a position that you have never before faced.” 

“And what position would that be?” Deijin asked but silently he knew the answer.

“Face down with your head placed upon a chopping block.” 

Deijin hissed as these words brushed over his ears. 

Execution was not something that his people often practiced, as it was seen as something detestable to a warrior race, however, there were those whom Deijin had seen who had been taken by knights within the army to be killed. These men were usually mad, like beasts that had been driven to the edge of sanity by events that he could hardly fathom, but their ends were all the same. A swift kiss by a well polished blade across the neck was the fate for which was bestowed upon them for a list of crimes for which were too long to sometimes even remember. That the king himself often dealt out these punishments was something that fostered a deep sense of respect amongst those within the capital, as it reminded them of the responsibilities for which the leader of the kingdom was expected to adhere to. 

“I can…” Deijin tried to summon up the words which would absolve him from having to suffer such a destiny, however there was little that he could say that would help to make his situation any less grim than it was. 

Fighting against the justice of his kingdom would brand him not only a traitor but a coward in the eyes of the people, as every man was subject to the rules of the jackal race. There were no exceptions to be made. This was why slavery was had been instituted originally, as it was seen as a fiting punishment for those who had committed grevious enough errors to be seen as less than dirt within their society. That it became a fact of life needed to help facilitate the growth of their expanding culture was something that was often overlooked, as there was such a great divide between males and females that there was a need for a group which could act as the defacto subordinates of the race. However, there was no denying the scorn which was set upon the muzzles of all those who looked upon those that bore brands all across their bodies and collars latched tightly onto their necks. Deijin himself had more than once humiliated a former soldier within the army that had broken a code or committed a criminal act against the people. The feeling of their struggles as he showed them the disgust he felt for them flowed into his mind like a tidal wave, but instead of feeling the heated pleasure of slacking his ever present lust on the offending jackal in question...all Deijin could feel at the moment was a sense of revulsion. 

Thinking back on what he had done to those within the defence force, and within the army, Deijin always assumed that the reason that he had been able to get away with what he had done was because it was just accepted as a fact that he was the leader, and so he could do as he pleased with those underneath him, but in looking into Jeda’s eyes once again the black and gold jackal could see that this was not the case. 

“Were they waiting for this moment?” Deijin asked aloud without meaning to do as such.

“A master tactician the group is not,” The vulpine said suddenly, drawing the dune warrior out from his slight daze. “but if I were orchestrating everything, then I would have to say yes.” 

“If…?” Deijin growled while staring deep into the fox warrior’s eyes.

“I wouldn't have saved you if my end goal was to see you dead.” Of that Jeda made quite clear as he looked back at the other male without flinching. “More to the fact, if I had been the one who truly wished for you to die I wouldn’t have even gone this far. I would have made it much slower and more methodical.” Jeda said while letting his lips rise up into a slow smile. “I would have made it so that you knew that I was behind your demise as I slowly watched you die in front of me. My face would be the last thing you see before you shuddered out your last breath.” The far eastern warrior was smiling back at Deijin with a look that was nothing short of sinister.

The black and gold jackal opened his bloodsoaked palm to reach for his weapon, but upon finding it gone he hissed. 

“Yes, just like that.” Deijin grunted as he snarled slightly. “I would have you disempowered before helping you to meet your end, perhaps even allow you the chance to helplessly try and fight for your miserable life before snatching that away from you. Your look of despair would taste sweeter than the eldest of wines as the light faded from your eyes.” 

“You make it sound like you’ve killed me in your mind before now.” Deijin hissed.

“Oh I have.” Jeda chuckled. “I’ve killed you more times than I can count, and then some.” 

“Then why save me now?” It was a question that Deijin honestly didn’t want to know, but felt that he needed an answer to, given the current situation.

“Because I understand you.” Jeda’s smirk slowly fell into a deep frown that oozed pity.

“What do you mean?” Deijin snorted while crossing his arms over his muscular chest.

“You’re just a desperate man trying to let the world know he exists by way of forcing yourself onto everyone,” The vulpine warrior replied in an almost hushed tone of voice. “but you’re so pathetic that you don’t even realize that the attention you’ve acquired for yourself is one that is riddled with thorns of contempt and vice.” 

Deijin cocked his head to the side as he watched Jeda lift his face up to the night sky, the sight of silver tears filling the bottom of the other male’s face confused the black and gold jackal to no end. 

“It’s because of this fact that I saved you, if only because I know that you can both do and be better than what you pretend to be.” 

“There is no pretense with me, fox!” Deijin barked. “Everything I am is what I’ve built myself up to be!” 

“And what is that, Deijin?” Jeda asked while reaching up to rub his face.

“A warrior that can stand up to any force that would dare to face him and defeat all adversaries that would stand before his kingdom!” The pride within the black and gold jackal’s voice was so thick that Jeda swore that he could almost feel it within his chest as he listened to the words bounce off his slightly twitching ears. 

“So you’re a tool then.” Deijin gasped upon hearing this statement. 

“I’m no tool!” The dune warrior growled while sweeping one arm out in front of him as though he were batting aside a stray hornet. “I’m a proud warrior and the hero of my kingdom!” 

“So much so that you were sent to the farthest edge of nowhere by your king.” Jeda said with an ease that was almost scary.

“I…!!” Deijin was more than ready to protest this fact, as he was sure that such a statement held no power over his life, and yet something reared itself up within his subconscious which he had been wrestling with for a while now.

Why was he out there?

Sure, it was easy enough to say that he was there because he was the most powerful warrior within the jackal kingdom, but that didn’t make any sense. Why on earth would anyone send such a useful member of their society away from said society? At first Deijin had assumed that this was some kind of powerplay going on between his king and this so-called Emperor of the Golden City, as he was not a complete fool when it came to royal politics, but in thinking about it more and more Deijin couldn’t surmise anything which supported this idea. His king hadn’t given him any information over why he was being sent to this group nor how long he would be expected to stay there with them. None of the other soldiers from the kingdom had bothered to send out a missive or slave out to give him any updates on the happenings back home in the capital, and because he had no friends to speak of he had no connection with the sand swept land for which he had come from. 

In a strange way this information told Deijin everything he needed to know about why he was there amongst this ragtag group of nobodies. But that just couldn’t be right! After all, he had been made their leader. However, in thinking about it more clearly there wasn’t really a need for a leader. Most of the men in question simply went about with whatever news that they were sent down from the people within the empire and simply followed suit without question. The hierarchy which had been ingrained within the collection of males had already been established by the wolf who he had usurped for control over the group. 

What was his name… 

Renso, that was it! 

Renso had established something like an order after beating the rest of the guys down in a one-on-one duel. For a while this worked well enough to keep everything in order, though from what Deijin had been told Renso was terrible at making plans and organizing others. 

This is what had led to Jeda coming along and challenging him for the rank of leader. The far eastern warrior was simply better than the other, both in combat and in molding the group of males into something other than the rowdy group of rapscallions that Renso had made them into with his lackadaisical way of handing out orders and leading others into battle. The wolf, while annoyed by this, worked well enough underneath the fox, as Jeda was able to give out simple enough orders for everyone to follow while also making it so that the group had everything that they would need to survive the changing seasonal temperatures of the regions for which the Defence Force traveled.

After that Deijin had come along and shaken everything up. 

Jeda had not challenged him. The fox had instead simply bowed down and handed his rank over to him, even before Renso had piped up to complain about such a thing. The black and gold jackal had easily subdued and then cemented his place amongst the group by pounding his dominance deep within the lupine's backside. Once that was settled orders from the emperor were given to Deijin, and while he executed them easily enough, even going so far as to knock down any man that questioned him, he had never once thought about what he was doing or why. He simply followed orders. Looking back on this Deijin could admit that his rough handling had caused more problems than not, as a deep lack of morale seemed to grow within the Defence Force as time went on. The black and gold jackal had assumed that this was because the others were weak and lacked discipline, but on second analysis the dune warrior now recalled how much others still looked to Jeda for leadership and guidance over him.
 
It was Jeda who had ordered that Nirru, the squirrel he often liked to torment, and other crafters be brought into the group, as the fox had been concerned over something that he wouldn’t tell the others about. What information he might have known he hadn’t shared with anyone, not even Renso when the other had asked him about it, however it was easy enough to tell that there was something bothering him. Deijin never thought to ask because he didn’t care. He was too powerful to let anything or anyone get in his way, and so he allowed the vulpine to keep his secrets. That he sexually assaulted Nirru every chance he got was something that seemed to slightly annoy Jeda, but the fox never said anything over this, hell, he even went so far as to help the small squirrel accept his position as Deijin’s latest victim. So didn’t that mean that Jeda accepted his leadership? 

Looking over to him Deijin could see it now, the look that he had been ignoring for quite some time. 

It was the gaze of a man that knew he was in control and wasn’t ashamed to play the fool in order to keep his power. Gazing deeper into those dark orbs revealed more to Deijin than he expected to see, case in point, he had once ordered Jeda into his tent in order to show the fox his place after the other have given those within the defence force the opportunity to go off to a local pub in a town that they were close to in order to unwind after a hard month of fighting down monsters. Deijin hadn’t thought anything about tearing the other out of his regal looking robes and then forcing him down onto his bedding inside of the tent that the black and gold jackal slept alone in. Instead, he had simply humiliated the far eastern warrior by making him lick every inch of his sweat soaked body while stroking over the other’s face and head as though he were some kind of feral beast. The look which had shone within the fox’s eyes was the same as it was now, composed and clear of any sign of fear, and yet back then Deijin had thought that it was submission for which that look meant. 

Even after he had fucked the other Jeda had kept his gaze focused on Deijin, that was something that the black and gold jackal hadn’t understood and what had made him less interested in using the vulpine too much. 

Those eyes. 

So cold and focused. 

After that Deijin had quickly barked out orders that he knew would get underneath Jeda’s fur, like making him give out commands to the rest of the men that would cause them to growl in aggravation at the other. The fox would always calmly diffuse the situation which had been brewing amongst the lot of them, but that didn’t matter to Dejin, as all he wanted for the other male to know that he was in control of him. But now as he stared at the other he could see that this wasn’t the case. He hadn’t been in control of anything, Jeda had simply been biding his time until he could make a move that would best suit the situation at hand.

That was why he had brought up the idea of execution. He knew that there was nothing that Deijin could say to refute the truth of what he knew would come to pass. Opening his muzzle in slight awe the black and gold jackal found himself unable to say anything to this, or to the truth of what Jeda had made him come to grips with. 

A sense of defeat quickly filled Deijin after that, so much so that he found himself falling back onto his rump. Silence filled the space between the two warriors as Deijin didn't know what to say about this strange new revelation which had just come to pass between them. 

“What will you do now that you know that which you never realized, Deijin?” Jeda asked quietly an untold number of minutes later.

“I don’t know.” It was a truth that the black and gold jackal couldn’t deny. “I can’t go back to my king or my people because I have no place amongst them.” The sting of these words was such that Deijin found himself choking on the air within his lungs several seconds later. “They wouldn’t even want me back with them, despite my status amongst them.” It was no secret that there were whispers which traveled in between the shadows whenever Deijin went, but the dune warrior had always assumed that these were brought about because of his greatness, but now as he looked backwards in time a sense of dread filled him as he questioned how many of those hushed voices spoke about him in tones, not of praise and wonderment, but of scorn and despair. 

“It’s a painful thing to be silently cast out from one’s people,” The fox whispered, making Deijin lift his head to blink at him. “Usually there is a great fanfare given to those individuals who are meant to be sent away, this is to give them a sense of pride in the fact that even though they are being stripped from everything they know and love, however, when it is done quietly it just simply means that everyone wants to forget that you exist. That’s how painful your presence is to them.” 

“Cowards!!” Deijin snarled as he raised his uninjured fist up and then slammed it into the ground. “That’s no way for a warrior race to behave!!” 

“But isn’t it?” Jeda replied with an even expression painted onto his face. 

“How could it be?!” Deijin barked back, his eyes hot and watery as his vision swam suddenly. “Death is the way of cutting ties with others, not...this!” The dune warrior once again swept his hand out over the empty field around the two of them.

“But you’re too powerful to be killed by way of regular methods.” The far eastern warrior stated calmly. “You were gifted with a strange power that makes it so that you are stronger, faster, and more durable than those around you, but at the same time you have no humility nor sense of camaraderie with those you come across.” 

Deijin opened his muzzle but then closed it, as once again he knew how right Jeda was.

“That’s why if you return now there will be nothing waiting for you besides a swift death at the hands of those in power or the searing brand of an unforgivable traitor meant to be stamped onto your body and soul.” Jeda sighed as he looked up to the moon which had now moved further up into the sky that it stood behind the fox like a great celestial mirror. “You’ve built yourself up to be a powerful warrior, but there’s nothing for you to hold onto Deijin, so in a way you’re like a cursed blade that’s been cast away into the darkness of a depthless chasm in hopes that you would be forgotten about.” 

Dejin hissed as he thought over the truth of this statement. 

“However, that doesn’t mean that this has to be the ending chapter in the story of your life.” Jeda stated while folding his arms into the opposing sleeve of his rumpled robes.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” The black and gold jackal inquired with a scowl.

“First, do you want to remove this stain that has been placed upon your life?” 

“I want to…” The dune warrior had prepared to say revenge for being used as he had been, but there was no one to take vengeance upon save for himself. “I want to prove that I am not someone who can so easily be used and then cast aside!”

“Oh the irony of that statement.” Jeda chuckled without mirth.

“Shut up!” Deijin snapped before turning his face to the side in a huff.

“If that’s what you want then perhaps you can prove to everyone that there is more to you than what you present.” Jeda nodded as if coming to a consensus over something only he knew.

“Meaning…?” Deijin asked while flipping one of his ears forward.

“Our emperor has many allies, some of which have yet to accept his future rulership over them, with that said, if you were to aid the empire in securing the favor of one such ally-to-be then I believe you would be on the road towards redeeming yourself.” 

“Again, what is that supposed to mean?” Deijin hated when Jeda and people weren’t direct with their point. 

Instead of answering the fox took a scroll out from the inside of his robes and then handed it to the dune warrior. Lifting an eyebrow the black and gold jackal rose up from where he was seated and then went over to take hold over the scroll.