Ayessa crept through the woods, spear in hand. It was dusk, and the camp spread before them was so large it was impossible to see from one end to the other over the surrounding hills.

For three days, they had silently marched North and for three days the sky had poured down on them. Now, with the sun kissing the horizon, the rain had stopped and clouds of insects buzzed around her head. She tried not to let them distract her.

She glanced to her right and saw Obu behind the trunk of another birch. He crouched low, so the shadows would help conceal him.

They were the left flank, ready to sweep in and crush the enemy once the front center line drew them out.

She fingered the necklace at her throat. Eshemwa was at the front today. Something he had volunteered for, but not told her about until they split the lines this morning. She had been angry, but didn't have the time to argue with him in front of Obu and the people. A fact he had known and used to his advantage.

Oyeka was with Tuma on the right flank. Makaro was with them. She worried about him too, fearing if he died today, there would be too much left unsaid between them. They had been friends before they had been lovers, and she would regret not closing the wound that had opened between them should one of them not return.

A shout from the south drew her eyes back towards the camp. Smoke rose in the distance and before long, she could see flames licking the sky. It had begun.

She glanced towards Obu and nodded. He returned the gesture and signalled behind him for their hunters to ready themselves.

Another pillar of smoke rose, and then another. Pale skinned men and women stumbled out from the nearby tents and looked towards the commotion. Some hefted spears and knives and ran towards the fight, while others hung back, unsure.

Shouts came from the opposite end of the camp and some of the Northerners turned to look, confused and uncertain. Obu gave the signal and the left flank streamed out of the trees, cascading like an avalanche into the camp.

Ayessa's spear took an unsuspecting man in the back and another behind the knee. Flames were scooped from the campfires with sticks coated in animal fat and tents soon erupted in blazes of heat and smoke.

The screams filling the air told her not every tent had emptied. She closed her ears to the sound and swung her spear around just in time to thrust the tip through the throat of another man.

It went on for minutes, hours, days. Hack and slash. Slash and hack. The smell of blood and mud and burnt flesh filled her nose and suddenly it was all she could do not to vomit. Turning to the side, she didn't see the spear that took her in the back.

***

She awoke to the sound of birds. Her eyes gritty, like she hadn't slept in days, and when she tried to rise, a sharp pain in her shoulder her made her fall back with a groan.

"Careful," a voice said. "You don't want to re-open that wound."

The weighted sensation on her shoulder told her they had sealed the wound shut with mud so she did her best to lie still. Her eyes moved until they found Makaro's face.

She tried to speak, but her throat felt like it was coated with sand and the most she managed was a thin croak. Makaro leaned forward with his water skin, tipping it so warm liquid trickled down her throat.

"You had me worried," he said.

She wiped her mouth with the back of one shaky hand and found her voice. "What happened? Did we win?"

"We did."

There was something in the tightness of his face that gave her pause.

"How many did we lose?"

Makaro sighed. "Too many. Fegan, Joveke, Pradna. Others. So many others."

"Oyeka?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Oyeka is well, though Umeke took a spear through the knee. Oyeka has been with him when he wasn't here with you. Did you know they were lovers?"

She nodded.

Silence hung between them like a stranger and she found herself too afraid to give voice to her next question. She didn't have too, Makaro read it on her face.

"He didn't come back, Ayessa," he said. "None of the front line did. I'm sorry."

He sounded sorry too. Tears welled in her eyes and he sat awkwardly beside her for a moment before meeting her gaze again.

"There is much I have to say to you, but now is not the time. Know that I love you, as I always have, and I am here if you need me."

He reached out and squeezed her hand before rising and leaving the makeshift tent. When he said love, she knew what he meant and what he didn't mean, and suddenly, that no longer bothered her. He was her most loved friend, and she his, and that was enough.

When the tent flap closed behind him, she felt the pain in her heart well up and she let the grief overtake her.

***

It was a long night and when she finally woke again, it was mid afternoon. She struggled to her knees, careful not to over exert her shoulder. Rising to her feet, she ducked and exited the tent.

All around her stood more tents, shielding the wounded from the weather. Along the edges of the make shift camp, lay the too-still corpses of the dead. Her throat tightened, and she gritted her teeth to hold back the tears. She had to be strong here. There would be time to bury the dead later.

A hand on her shoulder made her turn. It was Oyeka, concern written on his face.

"Are you well enough to be up?" he asked.

"I could not stay inside any longer," she answered.

Oyeka sighed. "Umeke says much the same, though he can hardly walk."

"How is he?" Ayessa asked.

"With luck, he will have use of the leg," Oyeka said, "but he will never again hunt."

"I am sorry."

"As am I," he said, "but Umeke's spirit is strong. He is already making jokes, saying I must tend to him with extra care now."

"And will you? Care for him I mean?"

Oyeka snorted. "I don't know that I have a choice. The man is likely to chase me to my own tent if I do not let him take me to his." His face softened as he added, "He is my heart, Ayessa. I almost lost him and you on the same day. I don't know what I would have become then."

Pain closed like a fist around her own heart and some of it must have expressed itself on her face.

"What grieves you, sister?" he asked, clasping his hand around hers.

She hesitated, but the grief was such that she could not bear the burden alone.

"Eshemwa has not returned," she said.

He blinked. "Eshemwa?"

Then comprehension dawned, and he drew her into an embrace. "I did not know. He was a good man though. He would have been worthy of you."

"He was worthy of me," she said into his chest. "It was I who was the fool."

"It is good to see you well and on your feet," Yuro boomed from nearby, and Ayessa pulled back from Oyeka and wiped at her eyes.

"Your people have worried for you."

"And I for them," she said quietly.

He smiled sadly and clapped her gently on the uninjured shoulder. "We will remember them as heroes."

She nodded, but before she could respond in like, there was a commotion along the northern edge of the camp. Looking at Yuro, she hurriedly bent to grab her spear and the two of them rushed towards the sound.

At first, all she heard were shouts, but as they approached, she recognized laughter and jubilation. She slowed to a walk and edged her way through the crowd, the people making room for her when they saw who it was.

It was the men from front, and there, near the middle of the crowd, was Eshemwa. With a cry, she pushed through the remainder of the crowd and ran to him.

Surprised, he caught her up with one arm as she flung her arms about his neck.

There were a few chuckles in the crowd, and embarrassed, she pulled back. Obu had one eyebrow raised and she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks.

"Why didn't you return with the rest of us?" she asked. "I thought you were dead."

"Not yet," he said. "We chased them as far north as the Split River. Ereku wanted to make sure they didn't return any time soon."

He frowned and tugged back the shoulder of her tunic. "What is wrong with your shoulder?"

She shrugged his hand off. "I took a spear in it."

"Are you well?" he asked, concerned.

Suddenly no longer worried about who was watching, she lifted her hand to his cheek and smiled. "I am. I truly am."