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At his wings were Valeria and Maia, while just behind him were the rest of his retinue, with Red and Anzu bringing up the rear.

Flying in a cloud all around them were several dozen elders and Chiefs in hawk form, Singer-in-Caves herself leading them in a beautiful song that could be heard even above Leon’s thunder. It was a cheery, upbeat tune that so raised everyone’s spirits—and was repetitive enough—that over the days required to fly back to the Hawks’ capital city, many of those in Leon’s retinue started singing along, though the effect was somewhat ruined when sung by a human who’d only ever heard the song sung in avian tones.

Still, when they crested over a range of tall mountains and finally laid their physical eyes upon Raikoraki, everyone in Leon’s party was energized, their morale high. This feeling grew more as Leon took them lower and slowed their pace by a considerable margin, making them quite visible to those in the valley, and then those in the city’s streets. When the people saw them and heard the song, they joined in and began running after them. It wasn’t long before it seemed like the entire city had picked up the song, and in so doing, welcomed them back.

It wasn’t any surprise to Leon that the Tribe’s gathering hall was mostly full by the time he and his party arrived. They’d made no attempt to hide themselves, so the elders had had plenty of time to notice them coming and prepare accordingly. Neither the Eagles nor Jaguars had left in the couple of weeks they’d been absent, and most of them were present, too, sitting a respectful distance from the hall’s dais.

But even though everyone in the hall was waiting for them, Leon took the time to lead the others in a victorious circuit first about the hall, and then made several laps around the forecourt and the Tribal Totem. It was only after he completed the tenth lap that he finally landed in front of the totem and transformed back into his human form, followed shortly thereafter by everyone else. The sight was clearly a shock to the Hawk people, who were scrambling to assemble around the gathering hall, but what really had their jaws hitting the floor was Singer-in-Caves and the other Hawks in Leon’s party landing and transforming back into their human bodies.

Leon particularly enjoyed the sight on the faces of all those in the gathering hall, Eagles and Jaguars included.

And so, marching as a conquering general—which wasn’t that far off from the truth, if Leon were to mildly mutilate the definition of ‘conquering general’—Leon entered the hall, Singer at his side. He took his place upon the dais, as did Singer, while his retainers posted up by the door and the other Hawks took their seats upon the benches.

“We have returned!” Singer declared there in the hall, her mastery of wind magic causing her voice to carry throughout the city. “The threats that plagued this Tribe’s eastern borders have been dealt with! The Tribe is safe once again!”

A great cheer went up throughout the city and the valley so loud that the city practically shook down to its foundations. But even that reaction was nothing compared to what Singer said next.

“This victory is in no small part thanks to the actions of the Thunderbird Clan! Rejoice, for our King, our Tribe’s senior wingmate, has returned to the Ten Tribes!”

Raikoraki practically exploded into spontaneous celebration. Raikoraki was a large city with millions of icons of birds of prey adorning it—this didn’t surprise Leon at all, given their Tribe’s Ancestor. However, it soon became clear that not all of these images were of the Heart-Stabbing Hawk as thousands of people began converging on specific icons and falling to their knees in reverence.

These, he realized, were images of the Thunderbird. Enormous statues to small shrines, reliefs and mosaics, paintings and smaller family totems, everywhere he looked as his magic senses blanketed the city he could see people venerating his Ancestor and the founder of his Clan.

He had to admit, it felt indescribable to have his bloodline so revered. His entire life he’d spent under the threat of death if it ever got out in an uncontrolled way what Clan he belonged to. This kind of reverence wasn’t something he’d ever truly experienced before; not even after his participation in the Bull Kingdom had he ever had so much respect.

The capstone for the entire affair was the awkward gathering hall, for while those elders and Chiefs who’d been with Leon and received the transformation enchantment were beaming with pride, those elders and Chiefs who’d given Leon a slightly chillier reception mostly looked like they’d swallowed a whole basket of lemons.

“We have returned victorious,” Singer said in a normal tone, finally turning her full attention back to her fellow elders. “In the past week, I have gotten to know Leon Raime well. He has shared with me—and those of us who joined me in the defense of our Tribe—a great boon, one that brings us closer to our Honored Ancestor than ever. He is, as far as I’m concerned, the right and true successor to the Most Venerable, and I have no reservations about supporting his bid for the throne his Ancestors once had. He has proven himself a friend to our Tribe and shown his commitment to ensuring we rise with him. I hope that after I finish sharing our deeds in the east, all of you will come to see that as well…”

Singer waited a moment when she had finished speaking her piece for any elder or Chief to speak up. Only one elder, a truly aged and wizened eighth-tier mage who hadn’t been present when Leon first came through the city days before, took that unspoken offer.

“You returned in familiar form, Singer-in-Caves, though one not human. Are we to believe that the power of transformation, a power which I’ve heard the heir of the Thunderbird possesses, has been shared with our Tribe?”

“Yes, Tree-Cutter,” Singer replied with a beatific smile. “All of us who joined in the hunt in the east now possess this power.”

Singer paused for a moment and Leon took the opportunity to interject. “And the power was freely given without conditions. It is a power that I’ve already shared with the Eagle and Jaguar Tribes, and if our Ancestors walk with us, then it will be one I share with all Ten Tribes. I ask you to make me King, to hand over some amount of your sovereignty to me; how could I not share such good fortune with those who place such trust in me?”

The gathering hall went silent, most of the elders and Chiefs looking contemplative while those who’d been in the east looked relatively smug as they attracted many curious looks from the others.

As the silence stretched onward, Singer stepped forward and began to explain the hunt in its entirety, beginning just as she’d left Raikoraki long before Leon had arrived, and ending with the return of all parties back to their staging point. She paid special attention to Leon’s sharing of the transformation enchantment, even explaining how it worked in broad terms before finally finishing.

Few of the elders or Chiefs appeared inclined to break their silence once she’d finished, but those few who did raised Leon’s spirits considerably.

Rain-Dancer, who Leon considered himself on fairly good terms with, though the last time he’d stood before the Hawk elders hadn’t been as amicable as he’d have liked, stood to speak.

“Last time you were here, Leon Raime,” he intoned seriously, “I was rude and abrasive. For that, I apologize. I have the utmost respect for the Thunderbird and Singer-in-Caves. I will side with her; you are the only man who could be our King.” As he spoke, he stepped down from the benches and took a knee before the dais. “Let me be your talons to rend your enemies, let me be your wings to lift you aloft.”

As he spoke, the other elders and Chiefs from the east swiftly came down from the benches and likewise genuflected.

And then Tree-Cutter went down the hall’s floor and took a knee, followed by another eighth-tier elder, and then a seventh-tier. In a matter of seconds, all of the tribesmen in the room, Hawk, Eagle, and Jaguar alike, had come down from the benches and bowed before Leon, each one offering words of fealty.

Outside of the hall, a couple thousand Hawk citizens had gathered and stood awestruck at the scene, and as more and more Hawks streamed in to witness the meeting in the hall, that awestruck crowd only continued to grow.

Leon grinned, and with the storm clouds above not abated, he filled the sky with his power. Silver-blue lightning began arcing through the sky. Every bolt descended from the sky, brushed against the top of the gathering hall as close as Leon thought possible without damaging the building, and turned back upwards, vanishing into the clouds.

There were a few screams of surprise from the people, but others began falling to follow their leaders’ example and fell to their knees. Those people started a chain reaction, and thousands of Hawks began to genuflect to Leon.

“I accept your fealty,” Leon said to all of them. “In return for your loyalty, for your military and financial support, you will have my protection and share in the spoils of all my victories. As I rise, so will you. This, I swear.”

He glanced at Singer-in-Caves who smiled back at him and took a knee herself.

“Leon Raime,” she said, “though we will have to have a formal vote later and inform our army on the Sword, I don’t think it’s putting the cart before the horse to say that the Tribe of the Heart-Stabbing Hawk is yours. Once more, the Hawk and the Thunderbird shall fly together, and our enemies will tremble!”

---

Leon’s return to Raikos was almost as triumphant as his return to Raikoraki. He came back in his natural Thunderbird form again, bringing a rainless storm with him. His entourage was much larger than it was with Singer as he brought the Eagle and Jaguar elders who’d accompanied him south back, as well as several Hawk elders, including Rain-Dancer and Cloud-Runner.

A couple of Jaguar elders flew ahead of Leon’s group as they made their way back north, so even before they came within range of Leon’s magic senses, the Jaguars knew that they were on their way back and sent out an escort led by Nikolaos himself.

“Your Majesty!” Nikolaos called out as they came into comfortable speaking range, ignoring both the rumbling thunder within Leon’s clouds and Leon’s changed form. “So wonderful to see you return!”

[And you, elder Nikolaos,] Leon silently responded, though he sent the words to all those around him so that they could be included in the exchange.

Nikolaos bowed in the air, then asked, “How was the journey south? Productive, I hope?”

“Very,” Leon replied. “The Hawks stand with me. We can get into the details later; for now, I want to know how things have progressed in the north in my absence.”

Leon began casually flying toward the Jaguar gathering hall as the other handful of elders in Nikolaos’ party welcomed back their elders who’d accompanied Leon, as well as their Eagle and Hawk guests.

“We are making some progress,” Nikolaos said in a tone that hinted at complications. “The Lions are willing to hear you out. The Harts and Ravens have sent a few elders to meet with you, but their delegations aren’t large.”

Leon nodded, but notionally frowned as the ninth-tier elder paused. [And the Bison Tribe?]

“… They are currently honored by the presence of the Thunderer himself,” Nikolaos stated. “We can’t have hoped that he would’ve just stayed in Stormhollow while you gathered support, and he has proven us correct.”

[Can hardly blame him for moving when he sees a threat,] Leon mused. [What about those already in his camp?]

“The Ji Spiders have made their position known by publicly announcing for the Thunderer,” Nikolaos said. “The Tigers are being more coy, but if the Bisons declare for the Thunderer too, then they would be surrounded and have no choice but to declare for him, too. Or at least stay neutral, but that’s too much to hope for I believe.”

Leon clicked his beak in agreement.

“The Bears present the most pressing concern,” Nikolaos continued as they began flying over Raikos proper. His tone was severe, but it was muted somewhat by the cheers of thousands of Jaguars below.

[They were building up forces along your border with them in the east, weren’t they?] Leon asked as his golden eyes narrowed slightly.

“They were, and we’ve responded in kind,” Nikolaos replied. “Some of our reserves have been called up, and we’ve pulled many of our more capable warriors from the fleets back to guard our land.”

[How realistic is a Bear attack?] Leon asked.

“… I want to say it’s unlikely, but a decade ago, I would’ve said the return of the Thunderbirds was impossible. We live in unprecedented times, my King, and it’s better to prepare in the face of uncertainty than to trust in established traditions of peace—especially when the Tribe in question is leading the charge to break down our Tribal traditions in the first place.”

Leon growled though it came out as more of a low, dangerous chirp.

[Stay on guard. I also have other business to go over with all of you, but it can wait until we return to the hall.]

“Of course, Your Majesty. The elders are already awaiting you there.”

It was only a matter of minutes before Leon’s group reached the Jaguar’s gathering hall, and as was quickly becoming his wont, Leon circled the forecourt ten times before landing in front of the Tribal Totem to pay his respects both to the Tribe’s Ancestor, and to his own.

But he didn’t linger too long, not when there was still business to go over. So, he quickly found himself back in the gathering hall standing upon the dais. All of the elders and Chiefs who were in the city had assembled, and those elders who’d flown down from Raikoraki with him took their seats in turn. The guests were suitably welcomed, but the welcome was short as everyone was eager to get down to business.

Once everyone was ready, Leon decided to just jump right into his business. He quickly explained everything that happened in as broad of terms as he thought he could get away with and enjoyed the few minutes of jubilation his success inspired, knowing that it could very well end as he continued to his second point of business.

“… I have to return to the mainland,” he announced, and the gathering hall quickly went silent.

“Your Majesty,” Nikolaos whispered, “this is a delicate time, the Thunderer is already making advances with the Bisons!”

“And with all the other Tribes in the north!” the Jaguar of the West added. “I think even the Eagles and Hawks will soon be getting delegations from him, too!” He nodded to the respective Tribes’ present elders, though they scowled and reiterated their support for Leon.

“I’m aware that the timing’s not… perfect,” Leon said. “However, there’s business I have to take care of back home. I can travel fast, especially on my own. A week to get there, a week or two to handle my business, and then a week back. Surely we can spare a month?”

“We are not soothsayers, Your Majesty,” Nikolaos said. “We cannot see the future. But if you go through with this, you’d be giving the Thunderer far more time than you should!”

“Any time at all is too much!” the Jaguar responded.

“I agree!” Rain-Dancer shouted, adding the Hawks to the opposition. “We should be making entreaties with the Lions—”

“Don’t worry about the Lions,” Exallos Aetos, the ninth-tier leader of the present Eagles growled. “They won’t support the Thunderer so easily. Neither will the Harts or the Ravens. The Bisons are the only ones who are in question, and the Thunderer already has a lead there that is unlikely to be overcome. We can continue to negotiate with them, but our King doesn’t need to do that personally, does he? At least not yet?”

There were a few murmurs of agreement throughout the hall.

“Your Majesty,” Exallos continued, “A month should be no problem. Two could even be doable. More than that would be a problem.”

“I only need one,” Leon replied with a confident smile.

Exallos bowed and replied, “Then nothing more needs to be said, is there? Our King needs a month. We can buy him that much time.”

“We can,” Nikolaos admitted, “but if we lose any of our fellow Tribes to the Thunderer’s clutches, then it will almost certainly be because of this delay! And the more Tribes fall in with him, the more likely we are to descend into civil war!”

“I will be brief,” Leon said. He didn’t want to leave the island himself, but his frequent chats with Elise, Cassandra, and the others back in Occulara had kept him informed of the goings-on in Heaven’s Eye and the Empires. Talal and the Director were holding down Heaven’s Eye well enough, but they were stressing that Leon really should make an appearance, even if it was brief. Anastasios and the Grand Druid were also pressing Elise for an update, but she was stalling as best as she could, as was Cassandra.

But the real reason why Leon was excited to return to Occulara was that Tikos had informed him that the Hesperidic Apple trees were due for another batch within the next months, and he needed to get back home to partake.

It was both fortunate and unfortunate, but he simply had to get back home so that he could ensure everything was kept in order, and calling with the comm lotuses wasn’t an option—he had to be there in person.

Eventually, the elders and Chiefs got on board with his plan, but plans were also made for his return. He’d stop in Raikos when he did come back, and then he’d head a day at most later to Lion territory. They would be his next diplomatic visit. Until then, the Jaguars, Hawks, and Eagles would see to their diplomatic overtures.

Once all of that was decided, Leon allowed the meeting to end. What he had to discuss next was something that ought to be done only with a few people, not with the entire hall—at least, not yet. He was growing more and more concerned about the Bears, and he needed to consult with wiser and more experienced elders before bringing the matter up with everyone else…