With Conviction/Wolf: Coyote's Loyal


Wolf	Ha!
Amazing! Another bullseye!		Sharena
Anna	Wow! I can’t believe how accurately he’s able to shoot from horseback. Guess I should expect nothing less from the leader of the Coyote’s Men, huh?
Right? Even if you’ve got training to do, it’s hard to tear your eyes away from something that incredible!		Sharena
Wolf	All right, this bow will do. ...Wait who is that?
...		Rath
Sharena	Oh, that’s Rath! It looks like he’s polishing his archery skills as well. Rath’s also quite good with the bow. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss a shot!
If anything, it’s almost as if the targets move into the path of his arrows.		Anna
Wolf	Hmph. It appears there are other skilled archers assisting the Order of Heroes. However— Ha!
Wooow! I can’t believe he landed that shot while his horse was moving so quickly!		Sharena
Rath	...
Huh. Rath started firing arrows a lot faster. Could they be...competing with each other?		Anna
Wolf	Yah! Ha!
...		Rath

Sharena	Hmm... That felt like a draw, which means they’re evenly matched!
Aaand it looks like all the other Heroes have dropped what they were doing to watch. I guess seeing who comes out on top takes priority over training!		Anna
Wolf	To aim so accurately while riding a horse...he is not an average man, that much is certain.
...		Rath


Wolf	...
...		Rath
Wolf	You... You’re the archer from the other day. That was some fantastic archery. Your skills are impressive.
...Yours are as well.		Rath
Wolf	I am Wolf, a man of the plains, raised in Aurelis, and one of the Coyote’s Men. Pleasure to meet you.
I am Rath, of the Kutolah tribe. I was born in the plains of Sacae.		Rath
Wolf	The plains of Sacae... That must be a great land indeed.
It is. Several tribes lived there, grateful to the land and sky for their blessings. The Kutolah tribe was one of them... We live with pride, with the wind as our constant companion.		Rath
Wolf	Living with pride, and trusting in the wind... That does not sound too distant from the way we once lived.
... It seems you have a story to tell. Please, if it wouldn’t bother you... I think I would like to hear it.		Rath
Wolf	... The people of the plains have long been oppressed. The plains themselves burned in the flames of conflict, and the bonds of my people were torn apart.
...		Rath
Wolf	Our land was occupied by a larger country. We lived forever in fear of what pain the next day might bring. Pride was...not something we were allowed to hold on to. But there was a hero—one who gave us hope, and a future. He was...Lord Hardin.


Wolf	Thanks to Lord Hardin’s efforts, the people of the plains were able to reclaim their pride. And for those who had lost their families, Lord Hardin offered a chance to become warriors.
So your encounter with him... ...was ushered in by Father Sky.		Rath
Wolf	Lord Hardin gave the people of the plains a chance to live, and the weapons needed to protect that life. We gazed upon his back as we rode across countless battlefields... That was the first time I truly felt as if I were living as a man of the plains.
It is a happy thing to have someone like that to guide you. A leader who can ensure that the lives of the people and their pride can carry on into the future. Just as the plains spring to life with the passing of each winter, so too are sentiments passed down endlessly.		Rath
Wolf	... Endless, huh... Those days ended far too soon. And Lord Hardin changed far too much. He sought to subjugate the continent with power, and cast aside the kindness that had saved us...
Is that not the same path the country that oppressed your people took?		Rath
Wolf	...Perhaps. But it is still my duty to follow Lord Hardin, no matter what. That is the way of the Coyote’s Men...
...		Rath
Wolf	However, Lord Hardin did say this as well: “Should I ever make a grave error, I want you, the Coyote’s Men, to correct it by your own hand.”


Rath	To defend his own is the code of a Sacaen warrior. We will never abandon our brethren.
...		Wolf
Rath	But we do not protect only our kin. We are also sworn to protect our way of life, and our peoples' pride.
Your way of life and your pride...		Wolf
Rath	I have no right to tell you how to live your life. However, if a plainsman of Sacae were in your circumstances... They would probably consider what it was they should truly be protecting.
Hmm... I see. Thank you, Rath. I think I have begun to see the path that the Coyote’s Men should go down.		Wolf
Rath	Of course. I, too, had a leader—the Silver Wolf—who rode ahead of me, leaving me but to follow.
Perhaps Lord Hardin’s past ideals and hopes were passed down to us for the future.		Wolf
Rath	If you are uncertain, try listening to the wind. The wind that blows across the plains is always blowing toward the future. It will never blow toward the past, for the wind teaches our souls the path we should follow.
Yes. You are right. I smell something nostalgic in the wind here in Askr. We shall ride to the future, in order to protect the pride of the people of the plains.		Wolf
Rath	And I will pray that you are blessed by Father Sky and Mother Earth.