Leon and Riya: How to Raise a Gnoll

Chapter 13

It had been several days since Maria had started Leon's healing. His snout had been fixed and most of his cuts were gone but he was still covered in bruises and was barely able to do much of anything. Rose had refused to be away from him the entire time. Riya had remained in the same room with them.

Rose: Why?

Maria: Why what?

Rose: Why didn't he run when I told him to?

Maria: Rose, Leon didn't run because he loves both you and your mother, enough that he was willing to die trying to do his best to protect the both of you.

All Rose wanted to do was cry, her Dad had almost died and she almost wasn't strong enough to stop it. On top of that the one that had done this to him had gotten away.

Rose: How long until he'll be okay?

Maria: I don't know that, I can just tell you he isn't going to die. He got hurt pretty badly so it will likely be quite a while.

Tears started to stream down Rose's muzzle before falling onto Leon's face.

Rose: Why would anyone want to do something like this to him?

Riya, who had been listening the entire time, decided to finally speak.

Riya: Rose, there are some that live in this world that are evil, that like nothing more than to see others suffer.

Maria: Except Leiko isn't evil, it's the one that is controlling him. We can't get anything done if we can't figure out who that is.

Oshka had made her way to where Leiko was, he had finally found what she was looking for. It was another Gnoll burial ground, this one belonging to Clan Ashmaw. Most of these would make good Witherlings but there was one grave in particular she was looking for. That was when she found it. The grave of Morga Ashmaw. A grin began to spread across her face as she began to channel her magic. Leiko could only watch as what had been done to him was done to someone else.

Suddenly Morga Ashmaw was jolted awake. The last thing she remembered was being ambushed by Hraga. Wait, what about her daughters? Are they okay? That was when she noticed the black Gnoll in front of her. She tried to say something, to ask what was going on, but nothing came out.

Oshka: Kneel!

Against what she wanted Morga's body did exactly as it was told.

Oshka: Good. You must be confused, rest assured I can tell you that your daughters are alive.

Did she hear that right, her daughters survived the ambush.

Oshka: Don't worry, you'll get to see them and your granddaughter too.

A wicked smile formed on Oshka's face.

Oshka: As you kill them yourself!

Zenkoh was looking over a map that covered her clan's territory that her scouts had drawn. It showed where the Witherlings had been spotted. How was she supposed to defend so much when it could all get attacked at the same time? Foxpine had its own guards but now Stoneholde was practically defenseless as Riya, Maria, Leon, Rose, and Valka were here instead of there. That only left Mu and Jahga, Sidra and Rina were blacksmiths not fighters. Zhahz could fight but she would likely be busy protecting her daughters, Vuth and Sessa.

Zenkoh already knew that until Leon could leave, Riya and Rose wouldn't be going anywhere. She needed to know what exactly happened that put Leon in that condition in the first place. The walls on Fort Stoneholde should have been enough, especially since they managed to repel the first attack. Zenkoh got up and started to make her way to where she knew that Rose and Riya were.

When she opened the door she could see Riya was sitting off to the side of Leon while Rose was sleeping while resting her head on his chest. Riya put her finger to her mouth to signal to be quiet. She slowly got up and made her way to the door.

Riya: They're both sleeping, let's discuss this outside.

Both Riya and Zenkoh walked outside the room and closed the door.

Zenkoh: I need to know what happened at the fort.

Riya: All I know for sure is that Leiko threw some kind of powder at me that put me to sleep. Other than that all I have is what Rose told me happened.

Zenkoh: And what did she say happened?

Riya: She said that she ended up pinned to the ground by the Witherlings while Leiko fought with Leon. Eventually she got free and drove Leiko away, forcing him to retreat back into the tunnel they came from.

Zenkoh: Tunnel?

Riya: Right, the Witherlings dug a tunnel underneath Fort Stoneholde.

Zenkoh had a shocked look on her face.

Zenkoh: Wait, they did what!

Riya: We were just as surprised as you.

Zenkoh could already feel a migraine coming. That meant they could just tunnel right under Foxpine as well. She then remembered something.

Zenkoh: I need to show you something.

With that Zenkoh went to retrieve the map her scouts had drawn. When she got back she unfurled it on a nearby table inside the room with Leon and Rose. She then pointed to where the Witherlings were last seen.

Zenkoh: Do you know if there is anything out in the forest here? Anything at all?

Riya looked at where she was pointing and her face showed great concentration as she tried to remember anything useful. Then it hit her.

Riya: Wait! I think that is near where the Clan Ashmaw burial site is. It's where Mu and I would have buried our mother as well as where anyone else from our clan would have been buried! Do you think...

Zenkoh: Whoever this is that's controlling the Witherlings was looking for a way to bolster numbers, and if that is what's over there then they're going to be doing it with your dead clanmates.

Riya didn't want to believe what she just heard but she knew that it was what was over in that direction. Riya felt like curling into a ball and crying, was nearly killing Leon not enough? Now her clan's burial grounds were going to be desecrated, her mother turned into some awful monster.