Universe: Anthro Earth - Barbarian/Exploration period (1200 BC? Earlier?)

Location: North America (unnamed in this dimension), Scrub desert near west coast (equitable to southwestern USA, northern Mexico)

The tribe: Alabaster, as usual.

While Vonen was out at the Warren, D'varan and B'rinna took up the slack. His magic was far more powerful than theirs, but they were clever and certainly made up for it by using what they did have in ways that would have made him proud. As it was, when they both bore their young by him, he was absent and hadn't known about either of them being pregnant. Though they were going to arrange some form of information between their home and the Warren, something odd happened right about then.

Things got a bit hectic, to say the least. When attacked, the Alabaster tribe fought back with all its might. They'd come under the gaze of predators for years, as everyone did in this area. The wolves and the cougars had little competition for the big kintypes, and though the massive cities of buffalo and bison were plentiful farther east and north, in this barren semi-desert zone large-food was a bit harder to come by. The predators usually banded together and attacked as one, rather than in single one-on-one hunts.

Most folks would be happy if the non-sentient creatures - the lizards, smallest mammals like rats and vermin, plus those annoyingly semi-intelligent birds - were the only things on the predators' menus. In this area of the world, there were a handful of predator-sentients, and a tiny number of sentient prey. Why then, they had to choose to hunt only the ones with the thumbs and brains? That's something that the predators might be able to explain, if they weren't so busy cannibalizing civilized people.

Some prey-kin suggested that the predators learn to keep their food in pens, so it couldn't get away. They ate that one. Someone else suggested that the predator kin were actually only smart enough to stand up and speak about how hungry they always were. That one was eaten too - what a surprise.

Despite all that, though, the valley where Alabaster's tribe was situated had a fairly peaceful nature. N'gel guarded his tribe using his brains, and other people's brawn - the best way to keep them all alive was to outwit their predators instead of facing them down all the time. Sometimes he would have traps laid down. Others they would ambush the cougars before their raiding party could come near. The tribe was large, though, and sometimes there were fatalities. One or more of the eldest of the tribe might choose to sacrifice themself for the good of the young - a choice which was mourned later by their families.

Not one of the Alabaster tribe wondered if the cougars mourned their dead. It was far more likely they just ate their remains.

*** Not too long ago ***

The ungraceful mudslide from atop a mesa left two cougars in a pile of muck and branches. The rain hadn't let up, it was worse than anyone could remember. Four days it had rained, almost nonstop. Was this some sign from the gods that they hadn't been good? Or - more likely - it was just one of those blasted mages of the horse tribe down there, mucking with things for their own good.

However, the rain was hardly the fault of anyone there. Rather, it belonged to no one in particular. It was just ... well timed, that's all. For the scrubland had visitors.

Sneaking in under the flash and bluster of the nighttime storm, Atrocity and Ecothet along with the bipedra's two xeno-breed offspring, came to this world.

Pausing on top of one more sturdy mesa, the four-headed hydragon gazed around and two of his heads chuckled an evil hiss.

I see what you were looking for... but why?

"Because, he will be able to help me. Sometimes, I think they fight, you know. I do believe that there used to be more of him, but he's been killing his dopplegangers off one by one." Atrocity said of the yellow-colored and extremely irate looking cougar down below. He was sodden to the skin, but not perhaps because he didn't have the sense to find shelter. The kin-tribal version of Julian, named Djiel, had suddenly become aware of something on the edge of his perception. Not with his eyes nor ears - but since he was one of the multiversal constants, he felt Atrocity's arrival. Djiel wasn't much for magic, other than mind magic, and he did that very well indeed.

Atrocity, from his height and angle, could see Djiel's shape and make out that he was speaking with someone. The wind didn't bring anything more than the constant sound of rainfall to his ears, sensitive though they were. Then he saw the cougar kin turn and look directly at him. Momentarily disturbed, but quick to recover, Atrocity flashed a smile.

"Come on up, you bastard," Atrocity said in an amicable mutter. If this cougar could see him he'd have to know what his lips said. If nothing, curiosity would make him approach. Who wouldn't be curious about Ecothet?

Recht and Makot circled around, snapping at the rain in amusement. They would prevent any problems, they'd grown somewhat attached to Atrocity. He was at least strong enough to go one on one with them, they respected that. He also wasn't afraid to smack them down when they got out of line. Ecothet didn't stop him, so they were forced to accept it.

Shortly, the blond-headed cougar man became visible on a rocky path halfway up the side of the mesa. The dragon, rider and xenos waited it out. Atrocity became inexplicably cold, in that time. He blamed the weather, and hoped it wasn't the cougar. The last thing he needed was another master like this.

"What is it you ... are?" The tawny predator asked, when he got a better look at Atrocity. His eyes did not waver, he all but ignored Ecothet and the xenos.

"I am Atrocity," the Sanger replied, "and I am here to make a deal with you. You ... can get me something I need - for one of you."

The cat narrowed his eyes, and Atrocity noticed with a lump in his stomach that they were the same shade of storm green as his own Renaud's. "Explain, before I rip your throat out. It looks good and exposed."

With that, Ecothet leaned forward and allowed two heads to hiss and spit at the cat, who backed up a little. Glaring at the hydragon, Djiel remained at a distance from Atrocity, and tossed his head.

Atrocity took a deep breath, and composed his thoughts. He explained in short order that there were many universes side by side, each with subtle differences. However one important similarity was that they almost always contained one of himself and one of Renaud. "I would like to... do a favor for m-" He almost said 'my master' but Ecothet mentally nudged him. "My world's version. He requires some replacement ... warriors."

"I have no one to spare, furless freak," Djiel spat.

"I was not talking about your tribe," Atrocity said with an unpleasant smile. "I was referring to the tribe of horse kin down there." He pointed at the valley and leaning rock, where Alabaster tribe called home. Djiel turned slowly, blinking away the rain.

"You want meat to be warriors?" He asked.

"They have kept you at bay for some time, it looks like. If they had no warriors," Atrocity softly goaded, "you'd all be fat from them, wearing their skins on top of your own for protection from the rain."

Though the cat snarled, he then spun and appeared to be casting his gaze far over the land. "They have dozens of warriors. Some are scarred by our claws, most are not. Which ones would you have?"

"I would have a certain selection of young ones, actually," Atrocity said with a smirk. "It came to my attention that one of ... well, one of me, was here. You've met him, I take it?"

"That... black haired menace," Djiel snarled, "yesss, I have met him. He escaped me too many times. I wish to see him dead."

"Well," flippantly, Atrocity laughed, "that's your problem. What I want, is his children."

That caused the cat to pause. For quite some time, as the rain came down in cold sheets, Djiel appeared to be considering this offer.

"What would you give me in return?"

Atrocity smiled, "the fore-warning that your furless freak of a doppleganger will be coming to kill you, once he finds you? I was actually thinking that we'd do some hunting for you, provide you some meat before and after - for your whole group - if you wish. If you don't want to help I will be able to do it myself, I just figured you would like to at least get back at him in some way."

Mulling this over took another many minutes. Mekot and Recht were clearly growing bored, continually requiring their sire's attentive snapping and snarling to keep them from just ripping Djiel apart. At last, though, the yellow furred green-eyed beast man smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'll do it for meals and your warning. How many offspring does he have?"

"Four," Atrocity said, "two are slightly older, two newborn."

"Then four meals, two now and two after we capture them."

"Done," Atrocity said. He thought the better of reaching his hand out to shake on the deal - it wasn't that he didn't trust Djiel himself, he just wasn't sure that his own memories wouldn't come crashing down and make him kill the kin himself.

***

Djiel's group were mostly males, with a very small number of females and even fewer cubs rounding them out. It was no surprise to Atrocity that the group were bachelors - and that they were all darker furred, with black head hair. Two of them even had blue eyes. He was a collector of that sort of thing everywhere he existed, and Atrocity wanted to puke. Or scream. But he did neither.

Instead he instructed Ecothet who had remained on the mesa, to fly around and scout out some large prey creatures.

Do you mean -whatever they would eat, or 'prey'?

I mean, put some food in their bellies, damn it, I want to be out of this rain.

Awwww... Ecothet chuckled as he flew off on four wings, your hair will never forgive you.

Nor will this leather outfit, so the sooner the better!

Atrocity sat down with the cougar tribe, noticing that they were quite muscular, if not very tall. They had cougars in his universe too, only many of them had been horribly mutated by the Ghost Rock that was mined in the area.

"Well?" Djiel said, looking at Atrocity.

"Well what? Do you expect me to hunt in this storm?" He threw a smile at them, and laughed when Ecothet said something vicious in the back of his mind. "Ah, here come your first meals," he added a few minutes later.

When the dragon entered the circle of light, three of the younger cougars puffed up in terror regardless of how wet their fur was. Another half dozen - there were only sixteen - stood and exposed their claws and fangs. But then they saw that there were three large bison in a pile - collected by Ecothet and brought quickly on the wing.

I hope they like em, they all gathered in a big circle and protected each other - but these were the big fat ones. Are they pregnant?

"Probably, Ecothet," Atrocity laughed. "Well, eat up. There are more where they came from."

Djiel tore at one of them with sharp claws, bloodying himself on the fresh meat - and apparently relishing the fact that there were twin babes that spilled out when he gutted the one. Atrocity watched them with a bit of disgust. It wasn't that he hadn't feasted on human flesh - he had. It was that they were so completely dirty about it. The only time he really wanted so much blood on him - well, that was a lie, he always wanted blood on him - was when he was having sex...

***

Two days later, when the skies had largely cleared leaving huge mud pits and a river where there was once a wash, the group struck.

Atrocity spotted his quarry in the arms of their mothers - D'varn and B'rinna both had given birth within two days of one another. The other two were past yearlings, one was a toddler and the other just barely old enough to speak his mind about things. That would change, Atrocity thought. While they were technically 'his' offspring by virtue of dopplegang-hood, he was hardly compelled to feel sorry for them. They would be changed, raised as Renaud saw fit. Four for one - he could not refuse this deal.

Atrocity would name them first - and he knew what he was doing.

The dragon rider pointed out the particular babies and young that had to come back intact and unharmed. He made it absolutely clear that if one of them were lost, Makot and Recht would devour the cougar that screwed up. The pair of Xenos relished this thought - they'd been busy hunting rabbits and small prey but they would love to get their teeth into a big chunky cougar!

As lightning, they struck. The rain made everything impossible to tell apart - the normally mud colored cougars were now not only covered in mud from the ground, they were disguised by Djiel's faint magics. To any passing person, they would be ignored. Until it was much too late - if someone were to actually point them out, they'd be seen easily. But it was always easier to ignore, than to panic.

So they got in quietly, under N'gel's radar so to speak. They were all but surrounding the horse tribe's main gathering grounds, when someone finally did break their spell. The warriors were farther out, never expecting any enemy to get this close in without their knowing! They had to double back, come in and fight on their own turf. Atrocity had suggested some tactics for the raid. For each child, a swift runner, and a sturdy fighter. With those pairs that would leave four more hunters to distract the horses while they did their work. The rest were too young - or too female - for Djiel to allow them to participate.

Though twelve against four dozen seemed a bit unfair, Djiel assured Atrocity that this would work fine. They relished the chance to cause a bit of havoc there in the tribe. Sure there would be injuries. When were there not? It was a hazard of their livelyhoods. If a number of other Alabaster horses were injured in the process, so much the better.

Ecothet hunted while the raid went on, making sure that his prey were good and fat - they loved those. Atrocity watched from a decent distance, as the raid went on. The horses, normally quite organized and stable, had devolved into sheer panic. N'gel the white stallion (and didn't he look familiar too) shouted out commands and made sure that his bodyguards went out and earned their keep. Two of the attacking cougars sustained what Atrocity guessed would be broken ribs, one also a leg that shattered when a horse warrior struck it with his powerful hoof. Atrocity thought about running down and getting the wounded back to the cougar camp, but then thought the better of it. Who cared? These monstrosities were just as bad as he was, at times.

The cougars of his earth were hardly this bloodthirsty, and Atrocity wondered if it wasn't just Djiel and his weird powers manifesting themselves with this small group? Lions were known to kill and even eat offspring of their enemies or competitors, but... singly, not like this.

When the first of the runners arrived, it was with the eldest of the four offspring. He was black, or at least extraordinarily dark brown, with equally black mane and tail, and the Sanger's blue eyes. He had to have his mouth bound shut, a strip of cloth stolen from one of the other horses' tents did the job. His fierce eyes glared at them all, and Atrocity sensed a bit of the same magical power that Vonen was supposedly known for. Vonen was not from around here, his distinct genes would probably put in a good showing. That was very probably why N'gel had allowed him to breed with so many of his females anyway, the new blood.

But now, that new blood would be all gone... Such a pity.

The second to arrive was the next youngest, the toddler who was dead silent. White as chalk, with black hooves and startling black mane and tail. His big blue eyes showed terror, but he was clearly determined not to cry. He clearly took after his mother in fur, if not in build and hair.

When the raid wound down, after a strange call almost like a coyote's cry, all the cougars sped back up to their home and hoped that retrobution would be slow in coming. With the mud and slick terrain, they were blessed because hooves upon that surface would make for poor travel time.

The last two babes, still bound up in cloth and barely two weeks old, cried only when they were loosened up from their swaddling. One was red as fire, B'rinna's child, and the other was a palomino with dark hooves.

"Well well well," Atrocity hummed to himself. "You've done very well, thank you."

"Lost one," Djiel said. "He was slow, could hardly be avoided."

Atrocity looked at Djiel, and smiled with a knowing look. "Yes, I know. I saw." What he saw, though, was the one who'd had his leg kicked? Moments later Djiel himself bit his gut open and killed him himself. Perhaps it was only a matter of time for that one, anyway. Maybe he was a troublemaker in need of retraining...

"The other meals," Atrocity said, and Ecothet dropped the other hunts worth of bison into their midst. Since they'd eaten soon before, none of the cougars wanted to dive into the meat, but they would - even if it were a bit stale... "Now," Atrocity said, folding his arms behind his back, "I thank you, our contract is fulfilled. Think about my warning, Djiel, be on your guard."

"I am always," the cougar replied.

"Good." Atrocity lied. He turned and felt the eyes of all the hungry cougars on him, nestled himself in front of the two xenos (who kind of hugged their father while he flew, sometimes one of them would just tangle themself up in his four tails and hang on for dear life...) and took off.

They would leave the same way they came: using the dimensional gate that Atrocity and many of his duplicates had created. But he waited until he was on the other side of the mesa, out of sight, before doing so.

***

The only problem with the mechanical gate was that it could not tune in 'time', only space and dimensions. So of course, Renaud was furious when he returned.

But his fury turned to curiosity very quickly indeed.

The tall black horse boy - he came nearly to Atrocity's hip, which meant he was about chest-high on Renaud - still had the tie around his muzzle and his hands were bound behind his back. Clearly he was the most appealing thing that Renaud had set eyes on, in months.

Atrocity finally felt that pang of guilt - but squashed it quickly.

"I would like to beg a request, Master," Atrocity said politely and firmly. "I will be leaving, probably forever." He waited and watched the little angry signs popping up on Renaud's face before continuing and cutting him off. "But I would not leave you without your proper ... toys. So I present to you, your other Riders."

Taken a little bit aback, Renaud examined the first horse boy, then the toddler, and was presented with the now-quiet bundles of infants.

"I name them for you," Atrocity said. "This one will be the bearer of a bow," he said of the white boy, "and will be your Conquorer. He will battle for you, bringing the deception of your taint to the world."

He turned to the first bundle, the red infant, whose mane and tale would be dark like blood, "I name this War, hand him a sword and he shall swing it for you."

By this time it was obvious that Renaud was truly enjoying this little speech.

"Here," Atrocity said of the black furred child, "is Famine who will allow you to taint the ground and charge the marketplace for what little food remains." He added as an aside, "but I'd make sure he's good and trained first." Renaud gave a little chuckle.

"And last, comes the pale Death, who will carry a scythe and sweep all that remains into the pits for your enjoyment. Their souls will rest inside the ghost rock, Renaud, for ever."

Atrocity looked at the children one last time, almost with pity. But then he turned his burning blue eyes to Renaud. "And with that I leave you."

"Whose are they?" The man asked, abruptly. Not the demand that Atrocity would have expected from him, at this point. But it was welcome. "These are newborns. I'll have to find a woman to ... feed them." Renaud looked as though he was about to vomit with that thought.

"Yes you will," Atrocity said darkly. "They're ... Technically they are mine - to give to you as I will. I didn't sire them, but one of me did. You remember, I'm sure."

"One ... of you? There are horses that are like us?" Renaud did apparently remember the bizarre twist of fate that brought together a number of other Sangers, into his lair not so very long ago.

"Not just horses," Atrocity said. Then a vicious smile began to move across his thin lips. "Your double, a cougar calling himseld Djiel, he's out there right now, commanding a bunch of other cats to do his bidding." He didn't want to mention that he'd viewed dozens of others, doing similar things... That would give the man too many ideas. He knew it wasn't this particular Renaud that was hunting his doubles. Maybe that one would come across him and they'd kill each other off. How nice that would be...

Renaud was busy mulling over the little baskets with their tiny steeds in them. Atrocity left the room as speedily as he could while making as little noise as possible. When Renaud looked up he saw that his precious fifth rider of the Apocalypse was gone.

But he licked his lips and picked up the toddler, the pale colored palamino, and smiled widely.

***

When all was said and done, at the Leaning Rock, everyone counted themselves lucky. Everyone except the four mothers. D'varan and B'rinna were the most openly distressed, as they were both such new mothers and their children were the most precious things they had in the world.

N'gel gathered them, and the two other mothers, one black as night and the other bright as the moon, to give his apologies. "Yet I do not believe they are dead," N'gel said. "If they'd wanted us dead, they would have left all of us in ruins. This was a purposeful attack, and ... I intend to find out why it was carried out."

"What about Vonen?" Asked D'varan, "shouldn't we tell him?"

"What, that his two latest born - which he didn't know about - were stolen? Along with his first two? I don't think so," N'gel said with a shake to his head. "He's safe where he is, and he's got his own plans and destiny. There will be other colts, D'varan," N'gel reminded her. She was one of his most devoted harem members, yet she'd eagerly scampered off with the exotic male. It wasn't to get back at her, or B'rinna for that matter. It was practical to let him remain in the dark - because otherwise it would just hurt him even more than he already had been. N'gel reminded the women that he'd been harmed much, by Djiel and by others on his journey to these lands.

"It doesn't feel right," said the dark furred R'mi, "but we must let you have your way, chief." She blinked, "It will be hard to go back to the way it was before, though..."

"It won't be the way it was," the other, L'uzin, replied bitterly. "But he was very dangerous and this just proves it. Maybe..." She sighed, "maybe with him gone and the ... children..., we'll be a bit safer."

B'rinna snorted, but said nothing. She and D'varan slunk off together, while the other two left to their own tents.

N'gel stood with his face in a frown, hardly moving. Why hadn't he sensed this coming? He was able to feel enemies, he was always able to sense them long before their arrival... Perhaps it was something different.

Of all things, though, he wished that he had Vonen's powers to distinguish sounds at a great distance. What if he'd heard their arrival? What if...

But that was not to be.

***

Other adventures wait for the tribe...