Solis and the Sohosropoti

He wasn't exactly frail, in fact, he looked quite healthy and hardy. But among the sea of tall, robust soldiers, his short, slight frame looked frail and vulnerable. He looked different than the soldiers too, he looked different than the natives too; he was shorter, slighter, and darker. Though he was often mistaken as a kid he was well into his youth. He was a good-natured fellow, though very shy and rather dim-witted, or that was the general opinion about him. Very few would take notice of him and those who did would feel pity or even loathing of his almost permanent bewildered expression and awkward smile. His uncanny ability to get into trouble, mostly trying to do something beyond his ability, and not managing to say beyond a few words didn't help either. But what he lacked in intelligence, he more than made up for with industry and persistence. Two soldiers were on sentry duties on the fringe of their encampment and were having their lunch when he first appeared on the scene. The one who saw him elbowed his partner and pointed at him, the second soldier waved at him. He looked around and then gave a totally bewildered expression as if it was unthinkable that they could be addressing him. The second soldier now gestured him towards them; he came, in small, tentative steps and stopped at a distance. 'Hungry!' the first soldier waved a piece of bread, he waited for some moments and then started to come closer, his steps were now more cautious and he was ready to dart. But he smiled gleefully when he smelled the bread. He looked around and when he saw the horses he made a gesture like brushing them. 'He doesn't want a free meal!' the first soldier exclaimed. He was evidently good with horses and knew about taking care of them, his clicking sounds with the tongue eased the horses and he gave them a thorough brushing. He couldn't take his eyes off the soldiers as ate, 'Never seen anyone like us, huh!' the second soldier asked, and he nodded.

A powerful kick didn't just wake him up, it threw him a couple of feet away. Though disoriented, instinctively he started to run; the soldier kept showering him with foul words. He wouldn't appear until the next morning. A corporal was surveying the surrounding with the previous pair when one of them noticed him crouching behind a rock. 'Hey, it's our stable boy' one of the soldiers shouted pointing towards him. 'What stable-boy!' the corporal asked, and soldiers briefly told him the story about their encounter. As they approached, he got up and started to run towards a clump of trees. But the three riders soon overtook and surrounded him, like a cornered animal his eyes darted furiously to find an opening. 'It's us, remember?' one soldier gestured eating, 'Remember these horses?' said the other and his horse too made a soft snorting sound. It was the horses that started to calm him, but when the soldiers attempted to dismount he became concerned again, but this time their words seemed to soothe him. Slowly, they approached him, and they were close enough the corporal scrutinized him carefully. 'Do you live here?' he asked, but his subject merely gave the soldiers a baffled look. 'Where do you live?' the corporal asked, this time making a wide arc with his hand; now his subject looked at the horses for help. The corporal took off his helmet and scratched his head, then suddenly it hit him; he clapped his chest and said 'I come from there' he pointed towards the west. He pointed to the soldiers and said 'They come from there', again he pointed westward, then he poked his subject's chest and said 'You live here!' he stamped his foot on the ground. Slowly his subject got what he was saying, first, he shook his head and then he raised his hand pointing southeast. 'Keep him around you, he could be useful, but keep your eyes on him too' the corporal instructed the soldiers.

Whether the Sohosropoti (commander of thousand) wanted a bit of seclusion or his men dared not stay near him, there was a considerable distance between them, and the leopard saw his opportunity. He was barely thirty yards from the commander and was invisible even among the short grasses and scattered rocks. Solis (the name given to the stable boy) had spotted the leopard and was waiting for his moment. The soldiers had told him to stay away the moment they got the wind of the commander's visit, and so, he was waiting on the edge of the clump of trees near the encampment. The leopard pounced, silently covering nearly ten yards in a single leap; Solis charged, yelling at the top of his voice. Everybody got startled; the soldiers in the distance started to hurry over, the sohosropoti turned and drew his sword in a single motion, and the leopard stopped and growled at the menace, and then, he pounced on the menace. For some long moments, there was utter chaos; the man yelling, the leopard growling, and both of them rolling on the ground. Then, there was a whimper and the leopard stopped growling, and when Solis rolled the leopard lay on the ground dead, the commander's sword pierced it from one side to another. The stable boy, eyes bulging in terror and blood dripping from all over, scurried away as far as he could. The commander placed his hand on his shoulder and said softly, 'Relax, it's dead'; but Solis couldn't take his eyes off the beast, he whispered 'Devil, devil'. 'Take him to the infirmary' the commander instructed, and as the soldier carried the injured man in both of his hands the commander added 'Don't forget he just saved my life'.

His wounds were deep, but he was a sturdy person. So, he had recovered a lot when he was summoned to the commander's tent after a few days. The commander greeted him warmly and his gratitude was sincere. But Solis winced when he offered the leopard skin as a gift, 'Devil, devil' he whispered like before, 'they take everything, even human' he added in halting, broken language. The commander nodded understandingly, then he gestured around his tent and asked, 'What do you choose?' Solis looked around the tent, he was visibly overwhelmed by the array of new and delightful things around him, and then he pointed to a dagger in a scabbard on a table. 'You have a great taste' said the commander as he handed over the gift. Then he unrolled a map and Solis shook his head in disappointment, 'Bad drawing' he said, then he pointed to a painting of a deity hanging on the wall and said, 'Nice drawing'. It humored everyone in the tent, but the commander proceeded to explain the usage of the map and after a lengthy conversation which included a lot of gestures he managed to get this point through. Then he asked Solis about his land. In his usual halting, broken language Solis talked about the mountains, rivers, and farmlands of his country. 'Which crop do you grow?' the commander asked showing him a tray with handfuls of different crops, Solis immediately pointed the rice. 'Do you have many soldiers?' the commander asked, 'Many' Solis extended his both hands to express the number. 'Good soldiers?' the commander asked patting his chest. Solis shook his head, his expression mixed with sadness and disgust, 'Good beating us, and eating' he said gesturing to a bulging belly.

'So, it's the mountains and the rivers that are likely to cause the most deterrence' the sohosropoti commented to his council after Solis had left. They discussed a bit more about the unknown land that lay to their southeast. 'Send a message to the emperor' he instructed.