There wasn't any reason to wait, and as soon as I left my little hovel, we went to find Brutus and the Alqat that he'd decided would follow me on this journey. Leera and Greel had prepared themselves and remained close to the entrance from where I'd slept. As it was still early, though, and they'd succumbed to sleep at some point during the night and hadn't woken to the suns growing light. I chuckled and decided to leave the two males from Trai's pack alone, excited to see how they'd react when Brutus got to them. When I arrived to where Brutus had spent the night, not more than 100 feet from my own home, I saw he was already drilling the other two guards who would accompany us.
Mrak had grown quite a bit since his time struggling to dispatch a bear, having since evolved to become a khatif. He wasn't nearly so impressive as most of the Hak'Tal I'd seen grow from hatchlings, though the fact that he'd never been an Alpha certainly inhibited his base growth. Even so, his every move was sure, and he'd obviously trained himself to the highest level he could. Patterns of silver scars patterned much of his body, further evidence of his willingness to to what was necessary to grow, and I felt a surge of pride fill me as I evaluated how far he'd come in such short time.
Sparring alongside Mrak was Hrash, the female I'd allowed to ascend to becoming Alpha through challenging her Alpha. I might have said "allowed", but she'd seized the position long before I'd been aware of it, and I had no intention of stopping that practice among my people. She dodged back and forth with Mrak, trying to find any opportunity to close in on Brutus. The massive Keel stood at least four feet taller than the two khatif, but they continued their dogged attempts while disregarding the heavy but calculated blows they took from their superior.
As soon as he saw me, Brutus stepped back while raising a fist. Though I didn't recognize the sign specifically, I immediately knew what it meant as the sparring stopped and both khatif whipped around and bowed as they saw me.
"Good morning, Alpha." They greeted.
"Emperor." Brutus's voice rumbled.
"Emperor."
"At ease." I raised both hands with a smile. "We'll be traveling for weeks, if not months together. If you insist on formality every step of the way, it'll annoy me. Only in front of those not from Nievtra do you need to care about addressing me by title, clear? And this goes for you too, Brutus."
Though he grumbled in dissatisfaction, Brutus agreed to do so, and as soon as he did, the two keelish leapt at the chance to loosen up. Even so, they didn't approach me or say anything, merely settling into a quiet conversation among themselves about their expectations for this "amazing journey" they were about to embark on. I didn't care to disabuse them of their hope, given that instead of an escape, this was a search for more keelish to gather under my banner. Who knew, it could be that it was an epic and enjoyable journey instead of a businesslike one.
Brutus had walked away to gather the other two guards for the trip, but it hadn't been long enough for him to have found and woken the two khatif that slumbered when Leera and Greel rushed around the corner and laid eye on us. They must have gone a different direction than Brutus, given that they arrived without the massive Keel, and they seemed slightly hopeful when they didn't see him ready to rebuke them. Then, just as soon as they stepped forward to stand beside Mrak and Hrash, Brutus appeared from an alley behind them. He walked surprisingly quietly, and before the khatif could escape his unseen grasp, he reached out and grasped both by their necks.
They gasped in fear as their breath was cut off, but Brutus only held them for a second. Then, as he dropped them to the ground, he growled out, "You do not rest when you are on watch. Ever."
While the two khatif from Trai's pack made some sort of an excuse, Brutus paid them no mind, instead walking forward until he stood just behind my right hand. With my loyal guard beside me, I had a question before we left.
"The only one of you I expected to see here was you, Mrak. To my knowledge, you other three don't have any reason to accompany us on this journey. So, why did you sign up?"
Hrash was the first to step forward, her eyes meeting my own with a gritty determination. "I did gain control of the pack I was once part of. Most of them wanted to remain weak, though. They resisted going on hunts, on serving the good of the swarm. So I took the few good members from the pack and cast away the rest. They're somewhere in the city, but I refuse to associate with those who desire complacency. You are the apex of progress and a desire for greater strength, so I decided I needed to get as close to you as possible, and here I am."
I nodded and accepted her verdict, though I was rather curious about what she would consider to be an abandonable offense in others. A good seed nonetheless. As I turned my gaze on the two males who'd hesitated to state their reasons, they grew more hesitant to speak. Both looked at the other until Greel gathered his courage and spoke.
"Trai doesn't think we're worthy of her. We thought this might be a way to prove ourselves." He kept his head down as he spoke, and Leera at his side bowed his own head in embarrassed admission of that being their goal.
I couldn't help but chuckle aloud. There was no reason to hold it back, so I didn't. I allowed my mirth to fill the space, though I tried not to be at all malicious in my amusement. With a force of will, I ceased my laughter and spoke.
"I don't care why you're here, so long as you're willing to follow my every command and listen to Brutus at every step. Are you willing?"
"Of course Alpha!" They responded in chorus. "Victory by fang and blood!"
I smiled and turned to walk away. Brutus fell in step and the others behind him. As we walked through the city, there was surprisingly little movement or signs of life. When we made contact with Farahlia and her escorts, I saw Solia, Silf, Hala, and two Hak'Tal I didn't recognize were ready and waiting. Seeing them all ready, Brutus grunted something at the two tardy males and they hung their heads in shame and possible fear at what would be coming to them as soon as we were out of the city.
"We're ready when you are, Emperor." Farahlia said with a bow as soon as I was beside her. "Is there anything we're missing?"
"I haven't eaten yet, but I'm happy to take it with us as we go. I'm sure Sybil will have something prepared for our departure."
Farahlia merely nodded and accepted my statement. When I stepped forward, I didn't need to say a word to get the rest of the party to follow me out. As I'd suspected, Sybil was ready for our departure. What I hadn't expected was much fanfare as we left on our expedition. I should have.