Gan Chono stood there, silence surrounding him. He was barely used to speaking, and he swayed a bit, unsure of himself. His brothers started to move to his side, but he held up his hand; a simple gesture, but it spoke volumes in itself. They stopped immediately yet stood at the ready.

"I... will not let Shuurga claim another victim."

The crowd was hushed by his hesitant voice. as it forced its way trying to be heard.  "I am sorry to interrupt, but I must.

Shuurga would love this, making his wife pay for his sins...Making you all murderers of an innocent woman. I know Shuurga better than anyone. I was his whipping boy for a decade and a half and during that time he loved to gloat, to brag."

He grew pale at the memory. This time, he was approached by Yenay. He allowed it, as she took his elbow.

"He loved telling me of his infiltration into your group. He said his best ploy ever was choosing Bolormaa as his wife. Sweet, devoted to her new Chieftain and her new tribe. A brave and loving mother. She was his perfect disguise. She is guilty only of falling in love with a master manipulator who lied to her, betrayed her trust, and who also fooled everyone here in this crowd. If she is guilty, were not we all? 

Me as well, because I accepted his support after the Killing Night... Me by failing to see the truth before he began drugging me and usurping my place.

Yenay, Mother of our Hearts, please help me to stand by Bolormaa. If this trial continues I
must take my guilty place beside her as another defendant. Who could have been more guilty than I, who failed everyone?"

Anshi spoke just as softly in return.  "Thank you, my Wolf. Your honesty and humility shame us all. You never failed or disappointed anyone. Mother, please take him back home to rest. I promise you, this investigation is over."

He approached the shell-shocked woman and, to everyone's surprise, bowed before her. "I am sorry for what we have put you through. I have regretted much in my life, but I  regret doubting you at this time, more than anything else. Return to your yurt. Your children are waiting and so is Xiao Mian. Please allow her to stay with you. I believe she will not take no for an answer. "

"Please Chieftain. I saw how you wanted to spare me torture and yet rightfully doubted me. I blame only myself. I  was a complete idiot, blinded by my love for Nar...no, He was never real, was he? Shuurga..." Her voice broke when she mentioned him.

He motioned Dawa Tuya over. "Please take her home, resettle her, feed her and her family. Increase her food supply to make up for the loss of that creature's maintenance. Do not allow them to worry, or want for anything. Let me know what I can do for them."

Davaajav stayed with Gan Chono until he fell asleep. His yurt had been joined by a short hallway to this one, and he remained alert, listening for any sound of distress. On a day like this, there would be many. He relaxed in a few moments as he heard Anshi at their brother's bedside. Gan Chono stirred at his arrival.

"I was so proud of you, my Wolf. Your courage was amazing."

"No. It did not take courage. I just could not ...accept another death at his hands."

"Here, let me pull your blanket up, you are shaking."

"Tired."

"Close your eyes."

Anshi pitched his voice low and sweet and he began a lullaby. Little did he know, he lulled both his brothers asleep over the next few minutes. He sat quietly next to his Wolf and began to cry from grief, guilt, and the overwhelming burden his vocation had placed on his willing back. At that moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Uncle Maral looked down into weary green eyes. 

"You did well, my boy. As well as your Father could have done. You will be a great leader, just like he was."

"I could have made a dreadful mistake."

"Yet you did not."

"It was because of my brother's courage."

"He was what he always has been. A seeker of justice. Always trying to protect you."

"Yet he thinks he was a failure. "

"He was a boy, barely a teen. He paid a penance he never deserved. With time he will come to understand this."

The old man bent and brushed an errant lock of hair from Gan Chono's face.

"His face is so worn. I remember it as sharp, dedicated in service to your father and older brothers. He was not prepared for the hell Shuurga brought to his doorstep. I loved my brother, but his worst mistake was allowing that animal to live."

"I don't know how to help him" 

"By finishing your song; it soothes him. And bringing Yenay quickly was a stroke of genius. He responds well to her care. Having the Lans come will unsettle him, but I agree that Lan Zhan and Lan XiChen have things they can relate to him that may help. He is not the only one in this mad world of ours, who has suffered. It will give him hope of finding a new normal to live on in."

Left with his brothers, Anshi continued to sing. It was the only thing he knew that could ease Gan Chono, so he sang until he too nodded off. He laid his head on his brother's bed and sleep enveloped them all.

Lan Sya Mu searched until she found them like that. She quietly unrolled a pallet next to Gan Chono's bed. Next, she gently roused Anshi and made him lie down, whispering, "All is calm in camp. Ge Ban and I have everything under control. Security is doubled and Han's men are reinforcing the inner circle around all yurts. I sent a message to Chinua and told him everything. He was relieved. Please stay with your brothers: they need you. You need each other."

"I cannot. There is much to do."

"It can wait. You are exhausted and that does not do you any good."

He smiled. "I was hoping you would be a stern mistress and tell me that. Have I told you yet today that I love you?"

"Um...no. I don't believe so."

"Ah, another regret."

"There is nothing to regret between us."

"I do, you know. Love you. Are you alright with Han's sudden arrival?"

"Absolutely. It feels right, somehow."

He sighed and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he was asleep again. She tucked him in, walked to Gan Chono, and did the same. Then she made sure Davaajav was asleep and warm as well. They reminded her of three small boys and her heart felt very full at that moment. 

She went looking for Aasem. The young man was pacing in front of Gan Chono's yurt, face lined in worry.

"How is he? I could not stop him. He was determined to go aid her."

"He was right to do so. And it finally got him out of his self-confinement. I am afraid that I commandeered your bed for Anshi. He was exhausted. All three brothers are sleeping now."

Aasem smiled in remembrance. "When we were little I remember camping with them all. Six brothers and their Tazy... We would spread the bedrolls and blankets out under the stars, crawling in and heaped together like a pile of puppies. Davaajav would explain the stars and planets, he told us about our birthstones. Anshi would lead us in song, even at such a young age. The three eldest would take shifts during the night. It all ended horribly and too soon, everyone dead or dispersed."

He turned away to hide his emotions.

"Come. Let's get an extra pallet and carry it back. I am ordering you to rest with the other three. You must keep your own health up. Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

As they walked to the supply ger, she spoke softly. "We are so glad he had you."

" I could not help him, not for years. Shuurga trusted nobody. It took a long time for me to weasel my way into being his feeder. "

"Feeder?" Somehow, the word sent a shiver down her spine.

"Allowed to bring him that poisoned slop they force-fed him until he was under their control. Then I and the others, had an in so we could help him a little. It took a long time."

"Yet,  you stayed loyal."

"We did. He earned it. He gathered us. the remnants, up and got us to safety, secretly. We trusted him, but he was not able to trust anyone but himself to have our best interests at heart. Then Shuurga arrived. 

He knew that their father had hidden his and his mother's crimes from the brothers. Whether it was from shame or revulsion at the thought of putting the boy to death; either way, he forced them away and ordered them to never return.  The burdens of leadership were a strain by then so Gan Chono welcomed the help, and sense of brotherhood the older man offered. Remember, Shuurga was the same age as Tarkhan would have been if he had lived. It was as if he had an older brother left to him, and he relied on his guidance.

Then after five years (and a year after they began to drug Chono) Shuurga stole his position. One night, hell broke loose.  Chono was led out in chains. Those who would not swear allegiance were killed in front of his eyes. All of his older allies were in that group. His sword, with him since he began cultivation, was smelted into a metallic mass beneath his gaze. He capitulated and in his last act as Chieftain, he ordered the rest of us to obey Shuurga and live, while treating him as a dead man. We did as he ordered. 

And then his real torture began. We could hear the blows and the screams each time Shuurga returned to camp. We knew he was taking this punishment to deflect it from us, and we suffered with each cry from that damned yurt. And when I worked my way into the group selected to approach the yurt and assist the guards when Shuurga would leave,w e had our chance to get him away."

 They had to stop at this point. Lan Sya Mu was overcome by the tale and fought hard not to fall apart. When she could speak, she thanked him for his service.

"How did you manage to stay faithful? After all, weren't you a young boy, Davaajav's age at the time this happened?"

Aasem blushed and turned away."My loyalty was always to the ...brothers...and there ...are reasons that are too personal to speak of."

Sya Mu was stunned. Suddenly, here was a kindred spirit she could recognize, a person so in love that his life was not quite his own. She caught his gaze.

"Then do not. I will say this much to you. If you ever feel the need to talk of them to another, approach me.  I will understand more than you think. These men in this family, they...attract... those that never get over them."

Aasem stared back at her, and a sudden feeling of relief washed over him. He nodded in complicit agreement. 

They arrived back at the brothers' yurt and entered quietly. They had not even changed their positions. She unrolled the pallet and silently ordered him to lie down. As she tugged the blanket around him, he took her hand and mouthed 'Thank you' to her.

She stood in the yurt and took stock of the last week. 

Besides Anshi, her flock had expanded, exploding in size. Chinua, Davaajav, Han, Gon Chono and Aasem. All wounded, all needing healing. She chuckled ruefully and smiled in gratitude. Luckily, she had a wide wingspan.

She gave orders to the guards to refuse anyone entry and to allow them to sleep as long as they needed. Then Lan Sya Mu went about her own business, all Guardian once more.