During the first two weeks of training it becomes apparent that the Prairie Thunder clan and it's allies are preparing for war. Of course this raises questions, which are easily answered "None of your business, get back to your training."

It seems that the Rangers are being kept in the dark on purpose.

Haaro, Kobal sends to his manul cat familiar, keep your eyes and ears open.  Let me know anything you hear of what all this preparation is for.

As he sees the tribe preparing for a fight, he decides to voice, in public, his own opinion as to why they're doing it, "It looks like they've decided to attack Corflu after all." though when he catches up with the others each evening, he is strangely quiet, almost worried, about it.

Ohanzee shakes his head "Attacking an island in the middle of a bog?!"

"Can't ride there and to gain what? No grazing, water is too available to be valuable."

"More likely the Red Thorns. They control access to the Earth Temple and the prime grazing about there. They've been a thorn in the side of not just us." He smiles at his unintended pun.

"And it makes sense to keep that from us, what with the ties some of us might have, in-laws or even kin in the case of some Rangers. Doesn't make sense to keep an attack on Corflu from us, no reason for it just as there is no reason for such an attack."

He nods and seems to relax.

Kobal nods in agreement.  "What Blue Arm says makes sense.  And the Red Thorn khan questioned me on the intentions of our clans, and the Black Shields.  Perhaps he saw the same likelihood.  But what will happen to the Earth Temple?"

Voras gazes intently at the Raven braves, the light emanating from his forehead piercing the shadows about them. He turns to Kobal and speaks "The words of a Raven often seem clear to Thunderbirds, but in this case I agree."

"I do not see the Earth Temple getting involved in any such dispute one way or another. The clans can come and go but the Giant's Finger Holes must remain so wisdom would dictate that the temple elders remain neutral in all such matters."

In reply to Voras (msg # 7):

He snorts in disagreement, "They wouldn't have stayed neutral if we hadn't given that disc to the Red Thorn shaman. So there's no reason to think they will this time, they might not want to choose sides, but they can be forced to. Not that I'm suggesting we do, but I think others probably will."

"There were many things that should have been done and that were not with respect to the Red Thorns. Tada giving them a mandate to stay around the temple was an unwise decision. It might be that our three clans together believe the Giants Finger Holes should be open to all....but I doubt this is their objective." Amara watched the others. "There is no real profit to it. We have three clans united, what would they risk their survival on? The Giants Finger Holes is a holy place. I'm not convinced that it is where they intend to send braves to die."

Amara shrugged "I can only hope it is not Corflu. That place was sick and evil and I fear for any tribe wishing to have anything to do with it."

"Send braves to die?" Ohanzee responds to Amara with her own words followed immediately by a dismissive "Pfft! Send braves to victory more like."

He then vanishes into the darkness away from the fire "I'll be back before you have to throw another dung pat on the fire."

He isn't back quite so soon as the boast, but then perhaps that is because the fire is burning through quicker in this season. Hunkering down he speaks quietly to the other Rangers present "Sometimes I wish I were not right so often and this is one such time. It is the Red Thorns."

Amara gave a disdainful look to Ohanzee. "The Red Thorns can be defeated...however they are numerous. To think we can defeat them with no losses is idiocy." She left immediately after Ohanzee and returned shortly after him too.

"Indeed. The Red Thorns." Amara sat down once more "We are being kept apart as they feel we have too many connections to them. We need to make a good case to the elders if we are to join the attack" Amara looked thoughtful "I wonder if having one of us appear as Tada might make this fight easier?"

Ohanzee looks at Amara a long moment and then speaks "You speak so often of uniting the peoples but now you would have us join in clan warfare."

"Do you want me to tell Sand Fox so he can be Tada come to defend his home and family against the marauding invaders our clans are?"

Amara shook her head at Ohanzee "Like any and all typical ravens twisting my words." her lips thinned showing displeasure at ohanzee's words. "If one of us is Tada, then we might be able to broker some compromise. The Red Thorns are a stranglehold on the Giants finger holes. They are parasites, not praxians. If one of us is Tada then any who attend at the Giants finger holes need to pay attention to that." she glared at Ohanzee "Battle might be avoided...or perhaps mitigated at worst. Even the Earth Witch pays attention to Tada. Right now we're preparing for war. With Tada, we might yet force the Red Thorns into an alliance."

"Aye," says Kobal.  "I don't think the Earth Temple would choose sides.  But one side or the other may try to force or cojole them to choose sides.  Both sides will want to be able to claim that they have the support of the Earth Temple - it will shore up their claim to control the oasis."



"No, I agree with Ohanzee," says Kobal.  "The secrecy of our clans suggests it's the Giants Finger Holes at which they are focused.  Perhaps some of those who have stepped up recently to join the Wandering Rangers but have not yet been initiated may have heard whispers...

"The only other threat I can think of at present is the massing of the morokanth.  But still the Red Thorns make more sense.

"Either we consider Amara's suggestion of the intervention of Tada, or we look for a common threat that might cause the two sides to put aside their differences, at least temporarily.  The Lunars.  Or Chaos."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:13, Mon 17 Oct 2016.

"Spilling blood round the Finger Holes will not help the greening of the land. For all that the Red Thorns are wrong in claiming it, it seems a waste to shed blood over it when there is still so much chaos or the Lunars to fight. Trying to use Tada to bring a peaceful resolution seems better for all that the Red Thorns need to be shown their errors."

ohanzee is about to respond to Kobal and Amara when Henal speaks. He listens and then after a moment speaks again "Using Tada to bring about a peaceful resolution is would be good."

"But if the Red Thorns still refuse to move then what? Will Tada remain neutral? Will he stay out of any fight?"

"Kobal-Tada has already bid the Red Thorns remain and guard the place, so will the next Tada, which ever Ranger it may be, tell them to leave and if they do not do as he bids now turn on them? Would you make Tada and the Wandering Rangers into liars and deal breakers?"

"Or would you protect the place and Tada's own chosen guardiens, the Red Thorns and in so doing turn against you own clans?"

He sighs looking at Kobal "There is a third option, we do nothing, just like our clans want us to do."

"Because any move made by us to get them to leave or to fight them, especially if done so by Tada or in his name, will be taken by our enemies as an example of the how we break deals and side with uor own." He shrugs looking at his finger nails "Not just by our enemies, as a Raven I'd recognise it as such."

Then looking up at Kobal again he adds "Every action has repercussions and the bigger the action" he leaves the rest unsaid.

When it seems that people have paused a while to think about what Ohanzee said, Temush gives his opinion. "Though I don't know all the ins and outs of how we come to this choice, it seems to me that we would need top notch grounds to fly in the face of your clan in their choice of war or peace. While we see fit to ask them to train us and to live on the land that they hold, the most that we can do in good faith is to ask the Khans to try out some plan short of war that we may come up with, and how we would sell them on that I don't know. Before you came back to camp I did hear some talk that there might be a plan to fight the Red Thorns, of course not all talk at the camp fire turns out to be true."

He takes a deep breath and blows it out before adding "While they don't tell us what their plan is, I guess that may leave some room to act and claim that we did not know that we were in the wrong. Not much though, if we did not think they meant to move the Red Thorns out, why would we send word or aid to them? Tribes have always fought to take charge of the wells for some span of time. We would need a lot of clout to change that, and I don't think that we have it right now."

"Hey," protests Kobal, "that wasn't me - it was Akala!  Remember?  I was the one most upset when Akala gave that speech at the Giants Finger Holes, and he had to placate me afterwards.  Just because we're both so much bigger than you doesn't mean we're the same!"



Kobal turns to the Ostrich rider. "That was my thinking too.  Which is why it seems to me at present that something which forces the two sides to act together might be the best chance to prevent a war.  If Tada can do it, so much the better, but I don't know exactly how we could achieve that at present."

Melock sits quietly watching and listening to the others, his eyes flicking to whichever Ranger is talking while nervously chewing his bottom lip.

"One great lunk looks just like another to me and I thought it was too daft an idea for a Sky Watcher so natural mistake" Ohanzee says with a grin, then "Well they don't want us involved and I'm not going to get involved. Besides, more than enough to keep me busy here!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:34, Mon 17 Oct 2016.

"Clearly there's no idea too daft for a Sky Watcher, haha," laughs Kobal, happy to have gotten the better of a Raven (for once).

More soberly though, "but at least Akala was able to find a way for us to enter the oasis."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:58, Tue 18 Oct 2016.

"just in case you haven't heard, the Unicorn rider didn't make it." He looks uncomfortable, "I would still keep my word and walk for a year, but I've been told in no uncertain that I can't."

"You've got me there!" Ohanzee says with a smile "I mean we did join up with your lot!"

"You lot do what you want, but if you are going riding off to screw things up then don't do it in the Ranger's name." and he leaves to get some rest
This message was lightly edited by the player at 11:13, Wed 19 Oct 2016.

Amara pondered the others words "Better a SkyWatcher than Prairie Thunder. I think we all know your clan was named for the volume of farting from your bison. The only reason your clan is so prosperous that anyone who steals your bison returns them because they're revolting" Amara retorted sharply.

Amara remained thinking on Ohanzees words, wondering if she should intervene or not. She felt responsible for Sand Fox and Nixa joining the rangers. She couldn't help but feel that what the Skywatchers were planning was a betrayal of her trust and that if she did nothing she would be betraying their trust.

Temush goes off to a quiet spot and prays for Sun Hawk to help the dead unicorn rider find her way back to the Starbringer. With the reputation of unicorns for being able to cure wounds and diseases, he starts wondering what sort of trouble she might have got into.
"Flight of sky from whom no darkness hides
Guide this star maid where her liege resides
Ills be shed, curses dead, may her stars still shine
Home's true line"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:11, Tue 18 Oct 2016.

"And yet you and your clan chose to come to such loud farting?!  The Sky Watchers get dafter and dafter, haha!" laughs Kobal, not sure whether he's score a point against the rhino clan, the bison clan or both.



"I'm sorry to hear that," he sobers up and grips the bison brave's shoulder in sympathy.  "You do yourself honour in seeking to maintain your atonement.  Perhaps find another way to show your remorse...?"

Gathering himself, he says to the others, "let's keep our eyes and ears open for what our clans are planning.  We can talk again if anyone comes across any news.  For now, we should prepare ourselves for our next trip.  (And myself for initiation and marriage.)"

In reply to Kobal (msg # 26):

He smiles at the show of comradeship, "Our group wedding, I'm looking forward to that. One big happy family." he thinks for a moment, "Talking of family, have you asked yours Kobal?" He looks out in to the darkness where Ohanzee went, "I think we keep out of it unless things change."

Kobal shakes his head.  "No, I haven't asked my family.  And I'm not sure I should...  It's one thing not to be certain what our clans are planning.  It's another if we know, and they know we know... if you known what I mean.  That may change how people view us Rangers.  I'd rather know what is being planned, and know what we can do, before taking any action.  I don't want to take any action just for the sake of taking action..."

Amara watched Kobal carefully, her mind evidently somewhere else even as she retorted. "Isn't it obvious? We ride rhino. We sit far higher off the ground than you and are not bothered as much by the smell."

"Of course, you're not bothered as much - have your smelled your rhinos?  They're even worse than bison farts.  Thank the gods I've yet to smell a rhino fart."  He grins.

Voras looks up from the frie that he'd apparently been contemplating deeply "It is bad news indeed about the Unicorn Rider. I can't help but wonder whether the outcome would have been different had her beast not been driven away."

His gaze moves to Melock and fixed him for a long moment before returning to the fire "It is well known that they have healing abilities. I wonder if it had been about whether it could have helped the woman recover."

In reply to Voras (msg # 31):

He returns the gaze until Voras breaks it, "Since it didn't stop her getting ill in the first place, I doubt it would have been able to help." He shrugs, "I guess we'll never know now."

Temush is rewarded with a star in the sky dome flaring brightly.

Amara looked sadly at Kobal as she left the tent "I see the Prairie Thunder riders also suffer from delusions. Nothing in this world smells as bad as a Prairie Thunder bison." she paused for a moment before exiting the tent "Except for maybe Ohanzee ....now that I will give you."

Temush bows towards the star from his seated position, and whistles a more cheerful phrase before going to a sleeping place

He laughs at Amara's last sentence then becomes serious, "So, we leave the clan to get on with their plans? I think this is the safest thing we can do."

Kobal had had the same thought but had not wanted to voice it.  Sun Hawks.  Always very forthright in what they say...



At Melock's laugh, Kobal looks to his fellow bison brave.  "She knew she couldn't win, so she ran from the fight," he laughs.  "But more seriously, yeah, I think we shouldn't do anything unless and until we know for certain what is being planned and we know for certain what we can do ourselves.  Until then, let's just focus ourselves on preparing for our next trip."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:28, Thu 20 Oct 2016.

Voras looks up from the fire again "True we'll never know. But if the shamans was able drive out the disease spirit, of which I have little doubt, then I it is healing and bolstering the body that is left. The two are not the same and the later may well have been in its power."

He shakes his head, whilst smiling, "I'd like to see you say that to her face" Melock chuckles, "It's not something I'm brave enough to do."



"I was told she barely made it to the healers before she pasted away, so I don't know if our shamans got a chance to drive out Malia's foul spawn."

"Yes, lets stay out of whatever the tribes have planned and concentrate on getting ourselves ready before we travel again. I worry that they are preparing for a great battle which will mean losing friends and relatives most likely, but we have to try and move away from being seen as too close to our tribes as Wandering Rangers." Henal says ruminatively.

Kobal leans in.  "Yeah, that's why I didn't say it too loudly as she was walking away, haha."

Amara arrived back at the tent within the hour, her saddle for Thunderfoot over her shoulder. She placed it at the foot of her bed, daring anyone else in the tent to say anything, before she lay down to sleep.

A recumbent shape stirs as Amara puts down her gear, and above it small wings film open and closed "The Red Brave is packing trail cloth, boss" Peevt signals

Without opening his eyes Temush quietly says "They're spooked about the Moon Priest thing, you know? Is it fair to give them more to fear from you?"

Training carries on, with Holy days coming and going and Kobal's and Melock's wedding coming closer by the minute.

Night finds the exhausted braves sat about the fire discussing the coming nuptials, presents and the now obvious signs of the coming raid on the Red Thorns.

Mordy sits with his head resting on his paws, whilst Manul cats stalk each other under the watchful eyes of various birds.