Iron Rations

Lyall Hound- Philip Hound II

Note: So this is my first note to the readers. I don't really know what to say, but I guess, I hope the story's going well enough for you to read. Oh, and if you're confused with the storyline, you can always ask in the comments. Thank you :)

________________________________________________________________

I could only register a single thought: we're doomed.

Yule could barely hear anything; we're surrounded by war-bringers now, all of their firearms pointed at us. And we were forced to raise our hands in the universal sign of surrender. Of all of the ways I would be defeated, I wasn't expecting this. The coward's way out.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS," a man bellowed, "OR WE'RE SPILLING BLOOD!"

I let go of the grenade launcher which landed on the snow with a soft thud. I met Yule's eyes. The doe-brown irises were scared.

Several war-bringers cuffed our hands behind our backs and we were led out of the cart. I stared up at the sky, half-hoping Shiv would appear. A part of me dreaded she was defeated by the enemy falcon, or even killed by the explosion which I have caused. I scoffed. That's unlikely. Shiv's tougher than steel. She made it through a wildfire. She made it through a rain of bullets. Surely a little bird fight or explosion won't kill her.

"Alert the commander," a war-bringer told a woman beside him. "Tell him we found them."

The woman nodded, before positioning a device over her lips. "Shogun, we found them."

 Shogun. The word sounded impossibly familiar to me, like I've heard it screamed or whispered a thousand times in my childhood.

"Stop twitching," a war-bringer growled at me.

I scowled at the man just as another man appeared. I heard Yule gasp beside me, and wondered if the guy who came looks like a tractor. But when I met the man's eyes, I almost felt all blood drain out of me.

Short brown hair. Pale skin. The steely gaze. The man and I...we were reflections of each other. Except that this man is in the war-bringers' side, had green eyes and had wrinkles instead of scars. Written on the man's name plate is-"

"Philip?" I croaked.

My brother stared at me like I am a stranger, another person he's captured. But a second passed, and he smiled that cheeky smile of his.

Shogun. It suddenly made sense. This man...Philip...he's my brother. And Shogun...it's the name I used to call him when we pretend to be superheroes. It's like his superhero name or something. Mine was...Philip used to call me "Doghead". Made a lot of sense now, I guess.

"Nice to see you, again, Doghead," Philip grinned. "Yo." He indicated a war-bringer behind me, and somehow, the war-bringer managed to stand even straighter. "Free my brother."

"Yes, Shogun..." there was a click, and I am free. Philip grinned, and I didn't know what to do. Should I gave him a brotherly hug? Joke with him? Or run off and escape...?

"Under some deep thought again, Lyall?" Philip laughed. I noticed his voice seemed deeper than the last time I've heard him talk.

I turned slightly and noticed the hand cuffs a war-bringer is clutching. I turned back to my brother. "Why'd you capture us?" I noticed my voice still seemed hostile. "Why are you hunting us down?" His moves were confusing. A day ago, his troops were hunting us, trying to kill us, and now he's all friendly and Doghead-y.

"I'll explain it later," said Philip.

"I don't know how to wait," I replied coldly. I began to sense then. He may be my brother, but his troops still tried to kill us. Nothing changes that, not even if he throws me back to the woods or rebuilds the village and revives the dead. Nothing changes the fact he tried to kill me.