Outside Trout Fish Village, Black Wolf emerged from hundreds of his trusted aides. He looked across at the samurai leader, surprised as he asked.
"Chief Divine's blessings! Huitu Puapu, so it's you! How come you are here?!"
Huitu Puapu, with a surprised and suspicious expression, looked at the suddenly appearing Black Wolf General. He had been banished to the kingdom's southernmost boundary, assigned not only to guard the kingdom's sole rivermouth but also to build camps, construct houses, and store some timber and food. These tasks were impossible for one person to complete. Therefore, the king had given him three hundred newly surrendered southern samurais to suppress the Tekos along the banks of the river and to collect tribute from the villages and conscript local strongmen.
"Chief Divine's blessings! His Majesty posted me to guard the rivermouth of the Tarsas River, and I just arrived not long ago."
