The Tribes of K'haren - Completed

Chapter 38.1

'I will let them know.' Feyn said with a grim expression. 'But I still don't think it's a good idea to invite the enemy into our sanctuary...'

'They're not enemies, they're my family.' Kran said with a sigh. It wasn't easy to argue against something he partially agreed with. But of course he knew he had to be better than that. It was too difficult to mobilise the rest of the tribe that was already staying in the healing valley so they could find Kran's family and those who'd stayed behind. Instead, Nume and he had decided to send a formal invitation to his family so they could come visit the healing valley. That way, they hoped his family would see that those they'd chased away could live happily and without being a threat to anybody else.

As much as he disapproved of seeing his family again after what they'd done to him, he knew it was a necessary step. Many people had already left the valley of healing again, always moving in groups, going home. The harpys kept flying from place to place and whenever possible, Feyn came to the valley to tell them about everything she'd heard.

'Family or not, they still pose a threat to you. Anyway, I doubt they'll listen to me in the first place. They'll probably just chase me away. Ever since those of them who are now here left the tribe, the rest has refused to listen to my stories nor those of any other harpy. They've completely isolated themselves somewhere near the mountains. But without their gseirut, they can't travel very fast nor far anymore and I think they've also lost a lot of their supplies thus I do not know how much longer it will take for their hunger to defeat their pride. They will have to look for somebody to trade with sooner or later. Maybe that will be helpful.' Feyn explained.

'Oh.' Kran said, suddenly realising how stupid he'd been. How did he not realise sooner? 'They can't come...'

'But didn't you just say I should invite them? Please, make up your mind...' Feyn said in a bothered tone.

'No, I mean, they literally can't. You just said it yourself, they don't have their gseirut anymore, they're far up in the north while we're on the southern end of K'haren and they don't have enough supplies.'

'Alright, it might be a little difficult for them, but it certainly isn't impossible.' Feyn shrugged it off.

'No, they're too stubborn and proud, even if they started their journey, they'd refuse any help on the way and probably starve to death before arriving here. And if they don't take the offer, they'll stay there and starve all the same.' Kran said worriedly.

'So be it then. It is their own choice, they know they can trade with others, they did hear that often enough back when they let me speak...' Feyn said, not really caring too much.

'They're still my family! I don't want them to starve.' Kran exclaimed. 'I've got to go find Nume.' He spun around and ran off, not even telling Feyn whether she was supposed to stay and wait or not.

'Then we'll go get them.'

'You want to abduct them? They won't come unless we force them to...' Kran said to Nume's suggestion.

'Yes, why not? It's only for their best. Look at who's come here, everybody who knows anything about surviving out there and getting food is here. Those who've stayed behind are not used to hard labour, they're the ones who used to organise our tribe and at best sell the goods others prepared for them. If we don't go get them, they will die like abandoned orphans.' Nume argued.

'So who do you want to take with us?' Kran said, knowing that he'd eventually accept her suggestion anyway.

'All of our former tribe. We'll need their help to convince the others to come. Or, if they refuse, to tie them up and load them onto the gseiruts...' Nume joked, though Kran felt like it wasn't that unlikely an event.

'Who's coming with us then?' Kran asked after he'd finished explaining their plan to the other phraio. Somehow, he expected them to cheer and follow all together immediately but he still wasn't surprised when nobody said a word.

'We actually need your help with this.' Nume said. 'If we don't go there and help them, they will die, you all know that.'

'So?' The breeder asked. It was the first time that he spoke directly to Nume since they'd arrived. 'Let them die if they want to so badly. They always get what they want, don't they?'

'But they still are part of the tribe, we're supposed to look after each other.' Nume's brother Valdor said.

'Thank you.' Nume said with a sigh and Kran nodded.

'They never looked after us, though. Look around you, they lied to us about everything! We never even knew these other creatures existed outside of fairy tales and in those, they were always portrayed as evil monsters. If we save them, who tells us they won't keep lying to us about things so they can control us more easily?' The breeder insisted.

'They won't control you because they won't have any power. Listen to me, I know how their lifestyle works.' Kran explained. 'They only ever had power of you because you willingly gave it to them. If you don't want to listen to them, there's nothing they can do against it. More than half of the tribe is here, and it's the more vital part of it. Without you, they die. Without them, you live on. Once they're back, we can show them that the balance has changed and they are no longer needed as Great Leaders and merchants but as people who actually help in a community instead. That is what we want to offer them. If they don't take the offer, we'll make sure they don't starve right away and then we'll let them go wherever they want to. But we at least have to give them a chance.'

'Yet another one? Didn't you already give them some? And we gave them a choice when we left, they could have come, too.' This time, it was Nume's mother who'd spoken up.

'Yes, one last chance.' Nume said. 'Because we're better than that. And you know what, if they don't take this chance but come back to us later on, we'll grant them yet another one. Just the way we gave you a chance when you came to join us. We're not some sort of leader either, we're all just people. Since what we want in K'haren is peace and tolerance, the only right thing for us to do is to offer said things to everybody here whenever they might need it.'

'Exactly.' Kran agreed. 'So, if you don't want to come with us, we'll take others with us, there's enough people here who are willing to help despite my family being nobody they care about.'

Now they could see a change in the crowd's attitude. It didn't take much longer until the first phraio stepped forward, volunteering for the task and soon, all of them joined. They ended up flying in two groups for as soon as they were in the air, Luthi and the other male couldn't be kept too close together and both of them had some females following their every movement. Feyn came along too, flying back and forth between the gseirut groups because she was much faster anyway.

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