Runt of the Pack (Alex)

The open fields of wheat sway with the wind while the morning sun shines off the black armour of the Dogs as they patrol around the Cinari tending to the grain.
Their hopeless expressions, their clothes still dirty from last night reminds me too much of the mines. They used to be a proud people, now they are a defeated race.
I grip my sword as a small Cinari boy runs up to me.
‘Excuse me, sir. May I speak to you?’ He says to me in a plummy tone as he stands up straight with his hands behind him, with sweat trickling down his forehead.
I let go of my blade to smile at the kid, calming him down. ‘What would you like to tell me?’
He sighs in relief. ‘It is almost time to harvest the crops, but we don’t have the tools to reap them.’
‘Why not? Surely you can do it by hand.’
‘We could, but that would take too long. The wheat would go bad before we could harvest all of it. With our tools, it would be much quicker, and nothing would go to waste.’
Their shed doors hang wide open, ransacked and barren of anything of use. What was once a shed full of farm tools, is now just an empty shell with a busted door.
‘When do you need them?’ I ask politely.
‘In a few days, sir.’
‘Tell your people they will have their tools when the harvest is ready, but once the harvest is over, we will confiscate them.’
The boy grins from ear to ear. ‘Thank you, mister!’
‘Just call me Alex,’ I tell the kid.
‘Oh, okay Ale-’ The boy pauses, his eyes widen at a horrific sight behind me. ‘Sorry mister, I’ll get back to work.’ The boy runs back to the field.
Midrax chuckles and snorts at the fleeing boy. ‘You are too soft on them.’
‘He is just a child, Midrax. You don’t need to be harsh on them.’
‘Ha, that is the best time to be harsh. Best to teach them young.’ He sits next to me, overlooking the field.
‘What do you want, Midrax?’
‘I want to know the son of our leader,’ he nudges my shoulder. ‘And I want to see if I can trust you.’
Behind me are two of Midrax’s Dogs, all of them with a weapon in hand. My heart thuds harder and harder. They are here to kill me! But why? What have I done? Am I really that important?
‘What do you want to know?’ I ask him, lowering my voice to hide my fear.
Midrax grins. ‘Well! What is your view on the war?’
‘We are fighting for our freedom. Nothing more to add, really.’
‘Oh, there is! Every one of us despises them, but you have the audacity to give them mercy.’
‘What are you implying, Midrax?’
‘You are either working for them or you’re too weak to face them!’ He growls.
I look back at the two Dogs. Their hands resting on their weapons, ready to lunge for the killing blow.
‘I only give the concept of mercy to the captives,’ I lie to him. ‘I give them hope, hope that we can eventually crush. Breaking their spirits to prevent an uprising.’
Midrax cocks an eyebrow. After a considerable pause, he burst out laughing. ‘I didn’t know the son of Marak would be this cunning! I thought his bloodline would be stubborn.’
As I look at him, I frown.
Midrax cuts his laughter as he waves his men away. ‘But that is if you are his son.’
My eyes widen in shock. How could he know? How is it even possible?
‘What made you come to that conclusion?’ I ask him.
Midrax smirks. ‘It’s the smell. You can smell who is related to who. It is also the attitude, but that is not related. Nor is it important. No! You are important.’
‘Why is that? Did you come here to gain any power from my father?’
‘Don’t be stupid!’ He growls. ‘I don’t have the support to win over everyone, not even my own people. The title he gave me is just that. A title! He is the true leader of my people. And I can’t win that back.’
‘So why did you come to me then?’ I question. I cannot figure out the reasons for him being here.
‘Because I am his servant! A follower of his vision. Our vision!’ He sits back down next to me, wrapping his arm around me as he points to the hills in the distance.
‘And as his servant, I will do anything to make sure his plans become reality. That’s why I need to make sure I can trust you. You are an heir to his throne, a rival to his reign. Even if you don’t know it or care enough to know, you are a threat to him.’
‘So you trust me now?’
‘No, far from it.’ He stands back up. ‘I still have every reason to cut you down right now. You need to prove to me you can still fight for our cause.’
‘I’ve fought in this war longer than you, Midrax. I don’t need to prove anything.’
Midrax chuckles. ‘You are not even the son of Marak, but his adopted runt. You need to prove you are capable. And how about you prove it now!’ He pulls an axe off his belt.
My heart crashes to a halt. I put my legs in place, ready to jump out of the way.
I reach for my sword, waiting to see his next move. Can I even beat him?
‘They’re coming! They’re coming!’ A Dog shouts, running towards Midrax and I.
‘They’re coming! They’re coming!’ He stops before us. Huffing and puffing.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Midrax shouts at him.
‘The Cinari are coming! They have an army coming over that hill.’ The scout points to the direction that the Cinari will come from.
Midrax looks directly at me and smiles. ‘Looks like you have another way to prove yourself.’
‘How long will they get here?’ I question the scout.
‘Two, maybe three hours from now.’
‘Get every slave inside the town and get every Dog ready to fall back or fight them off,’ I command the scout. He nods as he runs to the other Dogs to relay the word.
‘Come on, runt. Marak doesn’t want to wait for you to sit there and do nothing!’