Dog-kin Settlement, Spring Birds

The spring wind of March was warm and soft, like the hands of the Goddess of Plants, gently brushing over the land by the river. Spring grass shone emerald, spring water rippled clear and green, and both banks of the Lerma River were full of life.

On the northern bank of the long river lay dense mountain forests. Red-feathered tits soared through the woods, and white-winged mourning doves perched on cacti. Scattered Wooden Fortresses were strewn among the forests, with Otomi militia stationed inside them and farmland opened up below their walls. In the early spring, patches of green grass sprouted from the fallow fields, and unknown wildflowers bloomed brilliantly among the furrows, drawing bright butterflies to dance.

More farmland lay on the southern bank of the long river. From River Mouth Fortress southward, along the shore of Lake Cuitzeo, wherever one looked there were boundless stretches of milpa fields, militia-farm villages coming back to life, and hundreds of dugout canoes.

The Purepecha People of the Lake were boating across the lake. They caught plump river fish as tribute to support the frequently drilled spear legions. They gathered silt from the lakebed as nourishment to enrich the village public fields soon to be planted. This was the village priests' new teaching: just like heaped manure, it was "life bestowed by the Main God, used to moisten the earth and gain a bountiful harvest of crops."

Not far away, the Main God's banner flew high, and beside it was Black Wolf's Royal Banner. River Mouth Fortress was like a crouching giant beast, calmly watching the spring scenery along the riverbank. This was the last leisure before the spring plowing, and also the most peaceful time of the year. Beside the bluestone fortress were two newly built, broad military camps. Several thousand