War had clashed throughout the land for years, but quick wit and patience had finally awarded their kingdom a brief respite. Though outright war had teetered on the precipice of breaking free once more, negotiations had managed to keep the would be battle-fields on the borders between kingdoms quiet. Unfortunately, the raiders and bandits refused to follow the same code of peace and neutrality. Almost daily, Mathias received reports from various parts of the kingdom where villages were raided and sacked, many put to the torch if his men were not able to get there in time. The kingdom was vast and the army was being spread painfully thin in his attempts to keep everyone safe. He had moved some in closer to the capital to try and minimize the casualties, but many refused to leave their homes and families despite the looming threats. It was all Mathias could do to keep his towns and villages covered, but he continued to try.

The last report of raiders attacking one of his Southern-most villages had come in the night, and Mathias had instantly dispatched the remaining small cadre of guards, mostly his own personal guard, to accompany him as they went to see to their safety. They would be travelling most of the night to get there, but he didn't give them a choice. Though the village rested on one of the further borders, they were still his people, and Mathias intended to do whatever he could to keep them safe. Even if, at the end of the day, that meant nothing more than laying their bodies to rest with all of the appropriate respect and dignity they deserted. Sometimes, that was all he could do.

They rode in silence, bodies braced low against necks of mounts as they fought against time and distance to get there before all hope was lost. The trip had passed in a blur of hurried scenery as they'd galloped through towns and hunting trails alike. The scent of smoke had the horses snorting and tossing their heads long before the blaze became evident to their eyes. The carnage of the village came as no surprise, but was still a hard thing to see. Brooding silently over the destruction of their home, Mathias sat back in his saddle and let Arius take control. Twice his age and equally experienced, the captain of his guard didn't need guidance in this matter. "Spread out!" the captain called, rising in his stirrups to look over the twelve men and women who had come with them. "Find any survivors." he called, even as his old, tired eyes scanned the burning buildings from beneath his cowl with little hope. "Sari, Lex, take the perimeter. Find me the bloody beasts that did this!" The two men in question gave a quick fist-to-chest salute and wheeled their tired mounts to scout the countryside. Frowning, Mathias picked a direction and kneed his mount into a walk. So much damage and destruction. So much unnecessary death and pain. Anger fought with exhaustion and sadness as he carefully picked his way through the carnage. Ari frowned briefly as he watched Mathias take off. Briefly, he debated following him, but in the end he turned to search the city himself.  He didn't expect they'd find anything, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least try. Nudging his own colt forward, he began to pick through the rubble in hopes of finding at least some survivors.

Activity from one of the cellars in the far side of the village drew Ari's attention and he dismounted and tied off the reigns of his horse to a solid-looking tree before approaching. By the time he'd gotten there the soldiers were already well on their way of clearing out survivors, and he didn't hesitate to jump in and help carry out some of the injured older villagers. Leaving them behind with a few of his other men, Arius ducked into the cellar to explore the space for himself. Grateful for the mask that covered his nose and mouth and protected him against the dust and smoke, he moved down the steps. Eyes squinting as his gaze adjusted to the dimness, he frowned when he noticed the beast at the feet of his Sergeant. 

"Definitely not." he echoed her words as he looked from the felid on the ground to the villager that had come over to answer the woman's questions. His brows rose slowly at the elder man's description, and he looked down to the unconscious male with new interest. "He protected you?" he asked in disbelief. It wasn't like the beasts to help out the humans, but it would certainly explain his presence here, especially with all of the children clinging to him like some great savior.

"I'll take him," Ari rumbled when the children had finally been cleared away. "Help the rest of the villagers." he instructed the soldier, though the few remaining stragglers were already making their way out. "Seems the rest of the village is gone." he rumbled quietly as he crouched down and hauled the beast-man over his shoulder. Adjusting his weight, he braced the unconscious beast with a hand against the small of his back and headed up the stairs to rejoin his comrades. 

"We'll need a wagon to get everyone out of here. Majesty wants them taken inland for their own safety in case the raiders return." Ari announced as he draped the beast-man's form across the front of his own saddle as gently as was possible. "Him I'll be taking back to the keep for questioning." he informed, leaving no room for argument as he vaulted up into the saddle behind the beast.

"Is that everyone?" Mathias asked as he approached the small group of villagers. He didn't mean to sound so disappointed, but there were so few! "Aye, majesty." Ari rumbled as he mounted and settled a hand on the cat to keep him from slipping. Mathias' expression twisted into a frown as he did some quick mental math. So many dead. And for what? "The scouts found no sign of anyone." Mathias groused as he moved his own mount closer to Ari's for the trip back.