As he watched the warriors pulling on the oars he was rythmically rocked along with the force of their strokes, the craft nearly raising off the water itself like a fish that flies.

His face shown with a huge grin. To think of this crew of potent warriorswithout pride would have been impossible. This handful of scarred men and women had, on their own might, without allies, raised the Cilliciani banner over 4 other tribes! and the last had been the most stubborn but ruthless opponents.

Shazir "Heart of the Flame", Archon of the Cilliciani had had confidence in the tribes Wisdom of Sea and Blood, Tigrania. He also had been certain that the cowardly Adana tribe would be conquered from an assault from the sea. He and his Wisdoms of the Tribe had not been able to dislodge that Barbarian village by attacks from land before. The Adanai had merely jumped in some corracles and fled to the sea before the mighty Cilliciani warriors. As the Cilliciani warriors had tried to draw them into direct battle they had been laid low by sling stones and spears...but those were defeats that had taught a lesson to the Leaders of the Tribe.

*********
A plan was made. The Cillicians had worked with boats until they had designed and practiced from a longboat. A warship with sail and oars.
The plan was to test their naval combat plan by assaulting the Zypern and Polis barbarians. It had worked almost too easily! With new skills, confidence and new troops, young guardians...warriors now forced to fight as hostage and guarantees of the good discipline of their tribes.
The Cillicians had surprised ALL these island barbarians who had thought the sea was barrier enough to protect them.

Now they had the way to surprise the twice victorious Adanai. And this was done with Tigrania's undeniable precision! They had shown quietly from a fog near the barbarians village where none of the common briar vine fences lay. A surprise to be sure ....but the Adanai knew this was there last chance ...when they saw there corracles on fire from The Flame Darts. These darts were another idea from the canny Shazir , burning stones tossed from the brazier onboard the Cillician ship with slings into the corracles which had saved the cowardly barbarians before. This was also only possible because of the metals taken from the Polis mines. It meant the Cillicians could bring their flame to any battle , even on water....maybe even snow!
----
During the desperate battle that folowed, all was chaos. The Mighty Warrior and High Lord, Beranos was a demon among sheep! His path was marked with the screams of wounded and dying Adana warriors. It seemed not a single one of his precise attacks could be stopped! NONE! He took some cuts from his foes as they realized they had to fight with multiple warriors against him....and even the Archon of the Cilliciani fell, Shazir was dragged from the battle by a young Tiglatpilesar I , who eneded up unconcious himself by sacrificing his own defence to manage the Archon's withdrawal. Even so, he was able to wound those who saw a chance of victory if they could just claim Shazir for a prize.
Tiglatpilesar was no half hearted Guardian, but a a Cilliciani High Lord himself! His courage was Not unnoticed.
----
Seeing all this Tigrania ran to her husbands side and stood back to back with him against the remaining Adana barbarians. His wounds were finally beginning to slow his movements though. As they danced their duet of death among a crowd of Adana young Tiglatpilesar was downed but only AFTER he had safely withdrawn with Shazir's head still on his own shoulders. The remaining 5 barbarians encircled and then rushed the lovers......She Wolf General and the Precise and Deadly Hawk like Hero. In the final steps two were brought down...but a 3rd managed to deal a stunning blow that laid Beranos, the Hawk, down in a crumpled heap in the wet sand of the beach which so enraged the She Wolf that her hands and weapons simply sripped the 3rd barbarians head from his shoulders!

The final cuts were nearly pathetic, as the last two cowards tried to attack but were so demoralized that Tigrania almost let them cut her on purpose for she walked with a white hot rage in her body at what had been done to her Love. They were so afraid from seeing their partner beheaded that they were both unwilling to risk being close enough to strike any blow that might have seriously hurt Tigrania. Like two frightened but committed roosters they pecked at her......and like the Wolf she was......
She simply chewed them apart with her weapon and stood, alone at last . She wiped her blade on the last barbarians tunic and returned to begin care for her husband and the other wounded.
Like any great Commander should.

The Cillicians were the victors! A now unmatched tribe with a fierce reputation in their region.

A NATION!