Twin Spots

A tense silence was rampant inside Izil's tent, save for the occasional cough and awkward shuffle. Even Izil, who seemed to never lack words in any situation, was tight-lipped and staring at me with his caramel eyes, waiting for me to take the lead for once.

Far more intense was Luce's gaze, which was downright piercing. If she could have gotten away with it, she would have peeled up her fangs to make the message clear: “Be very careful."

There was a rattle and my head snapped to its source. Orompoto, the Hyena Ambassador, was opening a tiny, gold box. Inside, tiny, thin white sticks were rolling around.

“Monkey fingerbones?" she held out the box as an offering. “I got famished waiting for you to speak."

A chorus of rejections murmured around the tent.

“Very well," Orompoto took a handful of the bones and tossed them in her maw. Her fangs crunched up the bones like they were made of paper.

Ekrem leaned over to the hyena. The white wolf opened his maw to speak but stopped himself for a moment before awkwardly speaking, “I would just like to say that I do not represent the Alphate in any capacity here and anything said here should not reflect badly upon the Alphate!"

I will have that wolf killed one day.

“General Marco," the hyena batted Ekrem on the tip of his nose with her palm. “Why do you allow your sex slave to speak?"

Ekrem reeled back in pain, “I'm a noble of-"

Orompoto slapped him across the muzzle, knocking the wolf to the ground, moaning.

“General, you clearly are not disciplining your slaves well enough. If you give me an hour alone with the Kutlar, I'll have him rolling over at your command!"

“He's not the Kutlar, I lost him when I was 'reassigned,' down here," I finally spoke, secretly wanting her to give Ekrem some obedience training but I wanted him in top shape for the siege, “this is Ekrem of House Izzet. He's here against his will but not in the same manner."

“Kidnapping nobles during peacetime?" Orompoto grinned, showing off those impressive fangs once again. “I'm sure the Alphate would love to hear about that."

Luce's eyes were boring a hole into me with their intensity. I was worried she was going to leap for my throat right there and then. This wasn't going well.

“We can't give into your demands," I stated bluntly, looking the hyena straight in the eyes.

Orompoto flipped the lid back onto the box and tucked it away in her sleeve, “We have interests in the Sahara that won't be denied. We have a right to establish a protectorate over our spotted brethren and you have, hm, become quite the wild card when it comes to accomplishing this."

“The Republic recognizes the Cheetah Tribes as they currently are," before I could ask for a map, one of the fennecs unraveled one, placing it on the floor in front of us. I pointed towards a large blob to the South of the Fennec Nomads and North of the Hyena Queendom. “We have since they sent us mercenaries during the..."

I trailed off with a cough and eyed the fennecs sitting around us.

“...since they helped us take the very land we're camped on from the fennecs."

Orompoto laughed wildly as she looked over the map, running a claw down the Southern half of the Cheetah Tribes land, “Quite a cute map you have there! Too bad it's not reality! More than half of the tribes now swear fealty to our Queen and we have a mandate to claim the rest!"

Izil suddenly butted in, “Many of our Southern clans would say they're entitled to that land."

“And how many of those have joined you in your Northern conquest? None, I imagine, since they're been spotted as far South as our current protectorate. We captured a few and after we softened them up, they gave us a fair impression of which clans have sworn loyalty to your and which have remained pillaging and raiding. The only fennecs you'd be angering would be the ones who have already failed to pledge their service to the war."

“Giving your kind free reign in the Cheetah Tribes would anger those that have."

“I'm sure their tempers would abate when the time comes to redistribute the vanquished clan's territories," Orompoto weaved her fingers together, “all we need is for you to recognize our claims and stay out of the way. We'll wipe them off the face of the world and we'll let you do anything you wish in the Southern fennec territories, as a gesture of goodwill."

“And in return you'll sign a non-aggression pact with us?" I asked.

“Quite."

“What do you want with the cheetahs so badly? I hear they have limited arable land and they pose no threat to your Queendom, if it's as mighty as the rumors say."

“If you wish to find an alternative line of work, General, I can arrange to have you sent down to serve as my Queen's consort, so you might see it yourself. She has a taste for young, male foxes."

“I hear they don't last very long."

“Weak little things!" she rolled her eyes. “I can't tell what she seems in your kind, but one mustn't question royalty."

“Speaking of questions, you didn't answer mine."

“Indeed? Funny, I hadn't noticed," she muttered wistfully. “Your kind desires precious gold and jewels, you and the wolves both. In order to keep the trade on such things flowing, the Queendom requires extensive and dangerous labor. The cheetahs would be better put to use performing such labor, rather than toiling away in what little pastures they have."

“Humans would be-"

“Better? Perhaps! But the jungles to the South are full of great dangers. The Sahara is nothing in comparison," Orompoto relaxed her pose and caressed the top of her paw gently. “Besides, humans have far better uses..."

Another powerful chimera with a human lover? Does it never end?

“I trust that your questions have come to an end?"

“Not quite," Luce suddenly broke her fixation on me and confidently flicked her bushy tail, “what guarantee would you offer us?"

Orompoto's mouth hung open in shock. Even with her alien facial features, I could tell that she was expressing phony outrage, “Dear daughter of Canis! We hyenas have always conducted diplomacy to the utmost degree of fairness! Surely our reputation precedes us?"

“Then surely, if your reputation is truly spotless, you would have no concerns about giving us a token of your goodwill? You've demanded we make an awful lot of promises and all you've offered in return is to stay out of our way. Why, should we lose, the Queendom will have done nothing to show that they supported us."

“The Queendom is powerful because of such flexibility. Should you lose, the Republic will remain on good terms with us," Orompoto opened up a leather pouch slung across the waist of her robes and began stirring some fragrant herbs with her finger. “It's nothing personal, just business."

“If the Queendom were willing to give someone to us as a hostage..."

“Oh, ho, ho, ho!" Orompoto tossed a pinch of the herbs into her maw and began noisily chewing. Her breath began to smell of anise and mint. “A bold demand! But the Queendom would never surrender one of her daughters to foreign barbarians, even if one were nearby!"

“A son, perhaps then?" Luce began fiddling with her steel smoking pipe but didn't fill it up. “I know you have a Prince on staff at the embassy."

I stared at Luce, trying to not make my bewilderment visible. I wasn't sure if she was bluffing or not.

“The dynasty does not appoint males to position of importance," Orompoto rolled her eyes.

“I never said he was in a position of power, I simply said he was on staff at the embassy, as a servant, if I'm not mistaken? There's probably a story behind that, maybe he'll tell us all about it," Luce placed her pipe on the ground and leaned forward. “And before you ask, as a Senatora, I made sure to look at the diplomatic postings before I came out here."

For once, Orompoto's confidence began to falter and no more was it evident in her voice, which was very slow and controlled all of a sudden, “If we were to do such a thing and you were to fail..."

“Then you can change the story. Instead of giving him away as a hostage, you could tell the Republic that Marco kidnapped him during the assault on Tunis and took him as a concubine. The Republic would very well believe it."

“I will need some time to think," Orompoto cleared her throat and brushed the hem of her robe, “may I return in a few minutes?"

“Please," Izil waved towards the flap of the tent, “we have some things to discuss as well."

Bowing, the hyena got up and left, her short tail disappearing beyond the cloth of the tent. Once we could no longer hear her padding along the dirt, Ekrem broke the silence.

“Truly a wretched creature!" he rubbed at his face. “The bastard pup of Canis and Felidae! If she acted such a way back in my family's territory I'd have her put in the stocks and whipped!"

“Oh, shut up!" I growled at the indignant wolf who recoiled, folding back his ears in submission. Brazen though she was, the hyena clearly had put some fear into Ekrem and I was almost tempted to call the deal even if this change in his personality stuck.

I scanned the group huddled in a ring. Taj looked completely disinterested, opting to sharpen her sword instead of taking part. Laurent was rubbing at his chin intently but didn't seem to be making any real effort to give ideas of his own, perhaps not seeing himself as having a horse in this race. Luce was staring straight at me once again, very impatiently; while Ekrem was still whining about the indignities he suffered.

Izil, on the other hand, I couldn't make a read of him. He was stone-faced and his scent blended in with everyone else's in the tent. He of all the leaders here had the most to lose from this deal and I relied on his leadership more than anyone's here. If he were to veto the deal, I wouldn't be able to object, not without losing my army.

The fennec brushed back his head-fur, swishing his tall ears back, “I don't trust the hyenas. Marco, do you know why we focus so much of our raids on fox territory?"

“Revenge for stealing your lands? Distance?"

“If we truly wished it, we could lead raids as far South to the Queendom's capital, returning with enough riches and captives that I could buy every clan member twenty horses. But we don't and do you know why?"

“Because they're damned ugly!" Ekrem shouted. “What civilized chimera would want a hyena slave?"

Izil's voice went low. “The Queendom has been expanding at an unprecedented rate with vigor than neither the Republic nor the Alphate can match. Just a century ago, they had countless Queens and they fought relentlessly over their vast resources. Now they have one Queen ruling with absolute power that seems to have no substantial resistance, controlling some of the richest land in the world with an army that seems utterly fearless."

“And their eyes are turning North, so yes, I'm terrified," Izil's hackles bristled. He was serious. “They're also notorious for treating their males like dirt, I doubt the Queen would care if you were to harm the hostage."

“She might not care if he's harmed, but he's still a representative of the Queendom and publicly humiliating him would be like stomping on their banner itself," Luce countered.

“Luce is right!" I added. “Galip wasn't even a true Kutlar, but after fucking him and paying a few bards to spread the tale, folks started treating it like I mounted the Alpha himself! She's seen just how stories can spread and we could probably do even better for him. How about if they betray us, we spread a lascivious tale about him hogtied in a tent with about twenty fennecs taking turns on him?"

“Okay, enough of your fantasies, Marco!" Izil sighed, rubbing at his temples. “I still don't trust the hyenas but..."

Izil hesitated and called across the room, “Taj, what do you think?"

Taj put down her sword and craned her head over towards her Chieftain, “Fortune favors the bold. We stand to gain too much from Marco to let the hyenas ruin that. Sign the pact but prepare for them to betray it any day."

“Thank you," Izil clapped his hands together, retrieving some of his usual energy. “I'll agree to those terms. Canis forgive me, I'll accept."

As if she somehow knew that we had come to an agreement, one of the guards outside announced Orompoto's return and the large hyena pushed past the flap, sitting down at the ring once more. She pulled out a sheet of paper along with an ink well and a quill.

“Upon your successful siege of Tunis, we will hand over Prince Folu to your servitude for a period of five years. Should we settle beyond the Cheetah Tribes or bring aggression upon the foxes or the fennecs in any way, the pact may be considered forfeit and you will have control over his fate."

“We agree to those terms," I announced, looking around and seeing a lot of nods.

“One more term," Orompoto began scribbling down an extra line on the contract, “upon the capture of Tunis, I am to have total access to any male foxes captured and I will be sending one home in chains to my Queen, do not expect to see them again. I demand total authority over which one I pick, whether they're high or low-born and the right to test them out. The Queen has very particular tastes."

“Fine, fine! Agreed!"

“Very well, please sign."

The quill was passed to me and I scribbled my name down. Izil rejected the quill when I offered it, instead sticking his thumbpad into the ink-well and pressing it onto the paper.

“I'm glad we could come to this arrangement!" Orompoto rolled up the paper. Her tiny eyes fixed themselves on me. “You should come visit the Queendom once you have consolidated power. You would be received quite warmly."

“I'll consider it. Right now though..."

“Yes, yes, the siege," Orompoto quickly got to her feet, “I trust that you'll spare our embassy the brunt of your fury? Suffice to say, if we're crushed by a stray catapult shot, the deal is off."

Orompoto laughed maniacally at the fairly non-existent joke and darted out of the tent.

“Canis!" Izil wiped at his thumbpad with a handkerchief, staining it a deep blue. “I've just signed the death warrant for thousands of fennecs!"

“Southern clans, Chieftain," Taj shot in, wrinkling her short muzzle in disgust.

“I know, I know! I couldn't give a damn about them alive or dead! Think I haven't killed my share of them? Left a few kits as orphans and mates as widows? But that was with sword against sword and this…!" Izil shot his tongue out, stopping just short of licking his ink-stained thumb after thinking better of it. “I just doomed more fennecs with a dab of ink than I ever did with a sword! Gods, the raids we used to do feel like mere child's play!"

Izil didn't look panicked but I could tell there was a quiver in his voice, unexpected from the normally very lively fennec. It was a slight twitch of his eyelid, followed by his right ear doing the same that made it clear to me that the fennec was suppressing something.

“These are the burdens of high command, Izil," I leaned into his ear and whispered. The fennec was used to always being in the fray and seeing every command of his realized before his eyes, not whispering deals behind closed doors that resulted in deaths miles away, “you give an order to your Lietenant and he passes it to the Captains, who then make the soldiers do their dirty work and at the end of the day, someone dies. Just remember what you told me, about how nothing is going to stop your ambitions. Remember that and don't think about anything more."

“Bah!" Izil pushed his palm against my snout. “Don't presume to read my mind, fox! Your kind might be used to sneaking around and stabbing others in the back, but out here we prefer to do things face to face!"

I snapped my teeth, missing Izil's paw. I thought I understood Izil, but it seems that was not the case. I wanted to shoot back about how underhanded he was with the poison during the duel with Itri, but thought better of it, “If you want your grand plan to succeed, whatever it might be, you're going to have to get used to this sort of thing. If not for your sake, then for mine."

“Just keep your mind on the siege."

I tore the white scarf away from my face and gazed down upon the camp from atop a rolling hill. This was more like what I imagined a siege, a real siege that is, to be. The entire city was surrounded by our soldiers, unlike Pest where there were numerous gaps. Crews of laborers were constructing catapults under the orders of Ekrem, made possible due to capturing a warehouse containing lumber, and there was already two fully functional. A loud crash would ring out once in awhile, letting me know that the walls were one step closer to collapsing.

Patience with sieges was never my strong suit and this would no doubt be the longest yet. The Tunis Militia was numerous and they were not covering behind parapets like their Sfox counterparts, along with that, I could see a few figures on the wall that were larger than the average fox, most likely lion mercenaries. If we were lucky, they would be just local bouncers that got press-ganged into the militia upon hearing of our approach, but I had a feeling they were professionals, based on their assured and controlled patrols along the wall. They didn't flinch, not even when a stone collided with the walls beneath their feet; and when the fennecs rode forward to test their defenses, the miilita took cover, but would immediately return fire without fail.

This would be a tough fight and there was no guarantee when we'd be able to make an assault. There was still no word of Republican reinforcements from Europe, but unless Philippe was a total nitwit they'd already be on their way.

We needed to take Tunis. Sfox would only provide so much food and gold for the growing demands of the clans. Taking the Jewel of Africa from the Republic would be a devastating blow to Philippe. Tunis was the wealthiest of all the colonies, except perhaps for Ceuta, and we would no longer be a mere fluke, we would be a force to be reckoned with.

I fumbled with my pipe and tucked it between my lips. I filled the bowl with some tobacco and lit it.

“Have you cleaned the opium out of that damned thing?" Luce asked as she crept up behind me.

I took in some smoke. There was no denying that the acrid taste of the poppy was there and my paws began to tingle a bit, but yet I denied it nonetheless.

“Yes."

Luce's nose twitched, “Who are you trying to fool? Me or you?"

“The world?" I ventured with a grin.

I flinched as Luce pinched the tip of my tail between two fingers and she strolled up beside me, “Then you're doing a damned poor job of it. Diplomacy is not your strong suit. You were floundering with that hyena, I had to take control."

“I thank you for that."

“Even when you have no choice in a deal, you must make some additional demand, such as a hostage," she sighed as a gust of wind blew across the hill, mussing up her brush a tad, “even if you're just going to treat him as your personal fuck-toy."

“You think so little of me, do you?"

She rubbed her fingers on my tail and a jolt ran up my spine. My hackles raised.

“No, I don't, I just know your vices," she released her grip on my tail, “and that you need a skilled diplomat by your side."

I blew out a cloud of smoke, “Great, you can have the jo-"

“No, I want a guarantee of a permanent role in your little dictatorship," Luce narrowed her eyes and grabbed my paw, caressing it in a very stilted manner that didn't feel very natural, “once victory is certain in Europe, we will be wed."

My fur puffed up and my pipe slipped from my teeth, landing in the dirt, “What!?"

“Upon which, I will handle all diplomatic functions to the best of my ability, acting as both Chancellor and the wife of the Dictator, helping smooth out your transgressions and mistakes by correcting my, 'silly, well-meaning,' husband," Luce paused to take a breath of air. “We will mate when my first heat after marriage comes and only then. If I fail to whelp, we will do it again when the next heat comes. As soon as a healthy litter is born and raised to childhood, we will cease such activity."

“You can't be-"

“If you're worried about your libido, fear not, I have no concerns with you taking Taj as a consort, nor will I care if you dally around with any submissive males. You can sleep around with any females as well, so long as they're not foxes; I will not have you birthing any bastards and if you have already, you'd compile a list of them and hand it over to me. Jealousy is a useless emotion when it comes to politics and I expect you to show the same attitude when I take other lovers, so long as I abide by the same rules. Are we clear?"

“Just a damned minute!" I slapped her paw away. “Where do you come off, demanding such a thing!?"

“I am not demanding, I'm stating: this will happen and you know it needs to happen. I will use my connections as Senatora to legitimize your rule and will give promises that I'll act on behalf of the Senate in order to keep you on a leash while the Senate officially has no power. This is necessary to keep them from causing trouble and rest assured, they will if we don't make them think they have the Dictator's ear."

“That..." I tilted my head, “...might be a fair point, b-"

“So, we're in agreement, then!" Luce took me off-guard by planting a kiss on the side of my muzzle. Just like her caress, it was cold and stiff. “It will be an honor to serve, my husband."

Her voice carried a venomous tone, crescendoing with that last word, which felt like a cobra had sunk its fangs into me. She walked away, saying nothing more and I was left alone with a million thoughts running through my head.

“What the hell just happened?"