Delvik and Thomas watched in relief as the last of the Arvo disappeared into the ruins with the Delviks'' people in hot pursuit. Both watched as a party of hunters approached, “wait here,” Delvik said to Thomas as he began to stride forward, unlatching the battered helmet and removing it. Sweat matted his fur to his head and he resisted the urge to scrub his face.


    “Shadows hunt, brothers” he said in the language of his people, greeting the oncoming hunters as he moved to meet them and trying to put a bit more distance between him and Thomas. The hunters halted and the leader stepped forward and raised his paw in greetings, “Shadows embrace, brother” the hunt leader said, their head tilted in confusion, “Just what are you wearing? We had received report of a Metal Rakus making war upon a pack of Arvo, only to arrive and hear it shout a challenge in the name of our wayward scout”


    Delvik rubbed the back of his head with one gauntleted paw, whiskers twitching in embarrassment, “ah, you heard that. hunt leader Anzis” he said with an embarrassed laugh, “well we all say foolish things when we believe we are about to die”. Some of the hunters in the group laughed at that, and Delvik was sure that everyone in the burrows would be hearing about his challenge by nightfall.


    Anzis stepped forward, poking Delviks battered chest armor, and hissed “Now explain to me, scout Delvik, why we arrived to find you not only surrounded by the corpses of nearly an entire pack of Arvo, and appearing to be a metal creation, but also in the company of a Human?”


    Delvik let out a resigned breath, he knew he would have to reveal Thomas to the tribe eventually, but he had hoped to do so in a situation more on his terms. He turned his head and looked at the Human, thankful that he had slung the death stick over his back and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible, then turned back to Anzis.


    “I had hoped to bring this before the matrons, but the Arvo as always complicated things. You remember the great storm several nights ago?” he said, and Anzis nodded and replied “I remember, the same night that the intruder alarm was raised and a shadowy figure was chased through the ruin until it vanished…” and Anzis’s eyes narrowed, “the Human was the intruder” he stated coldly, anger flaring in his eyes.


    Delvik raised his paws in a calming gesture “Peace brother, hear me out” he quickly said, “yes, it was the Human you see before you, but there were circumstances that you are not aware of. Let me start at the beginning before you pass any judgment”


    Thomas had stepped back to make a bit more space between him and Delviks people, they seemed a bit twitchy and he couldn’t help but notice the obvious hostile looks he was getting, especially from the one speaking with Delvik. He even decided to sling the shotgun over his back, hoping that Delvik could defuse things.


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    It wasn''t like he did not understand their hostility, all the humans they had met so far attacked and killed them according to what Delvik had told him. So he tried to help his friend by trying to appear as non-threatening as possible while they talked things out in their chittering language.


    Thomas’s eyes roamed over the various ruins along the street, this was the first time really seeing the devastation in the daylight. It made his heart hurt, so much death and destruction and lost potential. Tearing his eyes away from the ruins, he watched Delviks people. Many of the hunters were moving around, giving Thomas a wide berth, but they were moving with purpose. Collecting the dead Arvo, dragging them off to a pit being dug, or collecting fallen weapons and pieces of armor.


    So caught up in watching the activities, he jumped when he felt a sudden pressure against his lower back. Thomas turned his head and upper body slowly while raising his hands and looked behind him to see a very confusing looking hunter, its spears’ tip pressed against his lab coat. “Oh, um hello there” Thomas said, startling the hunter which began chittering at him in its language and waving the spear at him. He wasn''t worried about being stabbed, the sharpened metal of the spear wasn''t sharp enough to even scratch the composite kevlar smart fabric that his lab coat was made of.


    Thomas watched as the hunter backed up warily, and finally realized something that had been bothering him but hadn’t been able to put his finger on. The hunter was very lean, his clothing hanging off its frame as if made for someone bigger. Most of the hunters were like that he observed, not quite looking like they were starving, more like underfed with little body fat.


    Frowning, he tried asking if the hunter was hungry, pantomiming eating, but that only seemed to frighten it. Thomas considered his options, looking around at the others of Delviks people, then at Delvik himself still talking with the ones in charge of this group. It was seeing Delvik standing with others of his people that made his decision. Even with the armor, there was a visible difference between Delvik and the hunters he was speaking with, and that was with just a few solid meals.


    “Delvik!” he shouted, “Everyone looks hungry, I''m gonna go grab some food and drinks while you talk”. Thomas turned and walked past the hunter. He felt the touch of pressure from the spear point hitting his side, but again, the fabric of the lab coat stiffened at the point of impact and kept Thomas safely un-stabbed as he walked to the entrance of the shelter and slipped inside, closing the door behind him.


    When Thomas returned pushing a cart laden with food, he found a very different situation than when he left. Delvik was standing with his back to the door with the hunters all arrayed before him, their spears pointed at him in clear hostility. Thomas was sure that if he wanted to, Delvik could easily defeat every hunter here without breaking a sweat, and he felt relieved that his friend didn''t jump straight to solving this problem with violence.


    As many scared, angry eyes turned towards him, and before Delvik could say anything, Thomas simply smiled, lifted the lid of a tray and said, “Who wants barbecue?”