The Yohan First Horde reached home in the quiet season, when the plains turned golden and the air carried the first hints of cooler days to come.
Khao'khen led the march himself, walking at the center of the column rather than riding, his presence a steady anchor for warriors who needed to see their chieftain among them after the campaign's painful conclusion. He had refused the Rhakaddon mount that Sakh'arran had offered him at dawn. A chieftain who rode while his warriors walked sent a message that distance existed between leader and led, and distance was the last thing the Horde needed after the losses they had sustained.
