"I understand." Tarentek said just before Raldel began to speak to Onyx. The isolationist attitude of their people seemed to extend beyond just this tribe, though he was right that Tarentek would be busy in Tel Nof. They could not afford to wait on any front, as they needed as many allies as they could muster. Tarentek hoped that Raldel's mate and daughter were as good of negotiators as he was suggesting...and that they were still alive. If they were not warriors, then there could be a better chance that they survived if the eastern tribe had been attacked. Their enemy was not destroying cities, but annexing them, which meant that the city was kept in as good of a state as possible with civilians spared. 

Tarentek largely ignored the looks from Opal. He did not expect to easily gain his, or anyone else's trust, so he kept his focus on the matter at hand. After Onyx mentioned seeing a group of enemy scouts, Tarentek spoke up. "That makes sense; our enemy is expanding quickly, but there are limits to their mobility. They still have to learn about the land, find the locations of settlements, and plot their next move. They have a large army they must move, house, and feed, so they cannot simply move on immediately. Hopefully, that gives us time to mount our defense and learn about the Empire. In the meantime, the roads may become more dangerous to travel." He commented, pausing a moment as a thought entered his mind. "Well, they [i]might[/i]. There is still quite a lot we do not know about our enemy, but the fact that they annexed Amman seems to suggest they want to expand their Empire. However, that does not mean they will attack everyone on sight. Warriors perhaps, but their target seems to be cities and other settlements they could use to expand their power, not necessarily common travelers. In fact, it may not be so difficult to scout the cities they control. If the cities they conquer are joining their Empire, then they would not keep them locked down forever. They still need to keep trade flowing in order to keep their economy strong. Scouting their cities, especially those they have held for a while, may be as simple as walking through the front gate. Perhaps disguised as merchants? We would need more information before attempting it, of course, but it is a possibility."