Hounds of War [Yandere Generals x Female General Reader]

15. The Road to the Confrontation.

It took nearly two days for general Denlleonis and general Baccoso to reach the Vascinian Pass that ran through the Western Mountains. They rode until nightfall the day they departed from the camp. After the last rays of sunlight had vanished and the black sky was filled with twinkling stars the pair stopped and made camp for the night.

Y/N used some materials she had brought to start a small fire to keep wild animals away, then the two soldiers took what blankets they had brought with them and laid down beneath the jeweled sky. They woke the next day to continue their journey as the sun rose in the east, painting the horizon a gentle pink. Not a word had been said between them since they had left the rest of the army.

Normally, Baccoso would have enjoyed that fact given that he didn't like talking, but he found the silence unsettling in the presence of the female general. He kept a watchful eye on her as they traveled, constantly on edge, ready should she attempt anything.

Her very existence brought no small amount of vexation to the black-haired general. Throughout all his years of fighting, back even when he was a simple foot soldier at the start of the war, he had held firm to the idea that war was no place for a woman.

Even with his mammoth size, his body was littered with the scarred over wounds he had received in his many battles. If someone as strong as him was dealt such blows on the front lines he dreaded to think about how someone more fragile in both physical and emotional arenas would be torn to shreds.

General Denlleonis challenged that philosophy with her meer existence though. She was callous and ruthless. In the short time that he had known her, Baccoso had come to realize that even among men she possessed an unusual amount of masculine brutality. Had her right bosom not been exposed he never would have believed that she was a woman at all, so cold and heartless that she made his neglectful mother appear kind and compassionate.

Just who are you, general Denlleonis? Baccoso thought, looking over at where she rode next to him as they continued their journey west. And was happened to make you like this?

"Stop," she commanded suddenly, bringing her horse to a halt. Baccoso was so startled by the sudden disruption of the silence that he nearly fell from his saddle, but he managed to right himself and stop next to General Denlleonis.

"But the Vascinian Pass is further west," Baccoso said in his deep voice, looking to the west where the road they had been traveling on curved upward. "We haven't even reached the outskirts of the Arch Diocese of Crivell, the small town that lays on the Luccian side of the pass."

"We aren't going to the pass yet," she replied dismissively. "We can take a detour to see it on our return to the Army."

Baccoso's eyes narrowed at that. The situation was growing more suspicious by the minute, and since it was just the two of them out at the base of the foothills he saw no reason to play dumb. "What's the real reason you forced me to come with you?" He asked.

"You'll see in due time," General Denlleonis responded elusively. She turned off the road they had been following and coaxed her steed to begin moving in the direction of the mountains to the north. "for now, follow me, soldier."

Unable to disobey the order, Baccoso followed her despite every nerve in his body telling him to run. They continued to ride north and before the long, the horses were struggling to continue the climb into the foothills of the north Luccian wilderness.

Taking notice of this, Y/N eventually ordered Baccoso to dismount in a small secluded valley near the base of the mountain range. She told him that they would be continuing their journey on foot and that the horses would be able to take care of themselves for a few days where they were.

Again, unable to defy orders Baccoso had no choice but to follow her further into the mountains. The sun was setting as they continued the trek, painting the cliffs and peaks above them a beautiful flaming orange. The mountains were coated in thick forest and had Baccoso not been so preoccupied with what general Denlleonis was planning he would have been completely beguiled by the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

Y/N finally came to a halt on a small grassy meadow, tucked away among the trees of the mountain range with one bare side that looked down upon the foothills and prairie far below them, bathed in the light of the setting sun.

"You're probably wondering why I dragged you all the way out here on the pretense of seeing the Vascinian Pass," Y/N said as she turned to look at Baccoso. "I'm not planning to kill you, so you don't need to look so worried."

Had he been another man he probably would have laughed at her last comment but instead, he just watched her suspiciously. "Then why are we here?"

"For you," She said, her E/C eyes staring at him so intensely that it felt like she could see his very soul.  "I've known what you are since I first laid eyes on you, or at least I had my suspicions. It took me a while to be certain, but now I know that you are one of the Nöerrc people from the far north."

Baccoso instinctively retreated at this, his dark eyes growing wide from shock. Fear gripped his heart at the thought of being discovered after all those years. Despite his best attempts to flee, his identity had caught up with him at last. He was going the end up back where he began, enslaved.

"Don't be frightened, I'll keep your secret," Y/N said, her voice unusually gentle as she advanced towards the frightened general.  "I know that in Luccia the only people of Nöerrc descent are those that were captured from tribal villages near the border and sold into slavery. I imagine that you have spent your who life concealing what you are to prevent being returned to a life of servitude."

"I... I have..." Baccoso replied, his deep voice quavering and uncertain. He raised his eyes from the ground and suddenly began looking Y/N over thoroughly. Her H/C hair, that was messy from the long day spent in the saddle, her sturdy build that was accentuated by the armor she wore, and her sharp, E/C eyes. His breaths started to come faster as he suddenly wondered if she was Nöerrc too. "Are... Are you...?"

"Am I like you? No. I was trained by a Nöerrc general though," She replied with a laugh, finding the vulnerable state of the normally stoic general amusing. Growing more serious, she explained, "In Estain, slavery is illegal and your people that prove compatible with our society rise through the ranks of the military for their primal ferocity and strength, over half the generals in Estain have Nöerrc blood, and I have never met a Nöerrc who was not a fearsome warrior."

Baccoso was surprised to hear that in Estain his people were not slaves as there were in Luccia. He felt a twinge of disappointment when he learned that Y/N was not Nöerrc, but he did his best to ignore it. "If I am truly such a great warrior why did you force me to climb up a mountain just to compliment me?" He asked, still feeling rather defensive about his background.

"Make no mistake, a formidable beast resides in all the Nöerrc people, but your ability is still dependent on your experience," Y/N said as she walked up to the towering man and grabbed the neck of his tunic, pulling him down so that his face was on the same level as hers. "Your Nöerrc gifts are like a wolf that has spent its life in a cage. It is starved and frail. Just because it has the potential to be a mighty beast does not immediately make it so."

She released her hold on him and took a few steps back. "I brought you into the wilderness because I want to help you unlock your true power, and embrace your strength," she gestured around at the trees surrounding the meadow with a smile. "So, are you ready to learn the ways of the Nöerrc people?"

He hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure if it was the best idea to embrace the very thing he had spent his whole life running from but at that moment, surrounded by the beautiful wilderness painted by the last light of the sun, it felt like the right choice. "... Teach me all you know."

A/N

Looks like Baccoso's secret is finally out in the open, sorry for dangling that over your head for as long as I did. ^~^

As cruel as general Denlleonis can be she's also done some pretty good things, like helping Meccio become stronger or guiding Baccoso to embrace his strength. Will it all blow up in her face later? Of course, but it's the thought that counts.

Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.~