Chapter Summaries

The Red Fox chief Oztohua and the Red Cat and Red Frog chiefs debated how the Guachichil People should respond to the Aztec advance. They rejected a risky joint offensive and agreed to defend the valley, leaving Caca in charge of its defenses.

• Oztohua reported that the Aztecs had halted south of the valley, moved grain north, and sent captured prisoners south, while Guachichil scouts harassed their supply route.
• Caca urged a night raid against the Aztecs, but Oztohua and Miztli rejected the plan as too costly for their red-haired warriors.
• Miztli asked about the peace proposal, and Oztohua explained that the Aztec high chief had refused their envoys after being angered by Chichica's letter.
• Caca proposed joining forces with Chichica to attack the Otomi army on the eastern route, but Oztohua and Miztli questioned whether Chichica could be trusted.
• Oztohua persuaded the chiefs to abandon offensive schemes and fortify the valley, assigning Caca responsibility for its defenses.

The allied army reached Red Fox Valley and found the Guachichil Dog-kin entrenched in fortified camps at the narrow southeastern entrance. Toltec ordered an exchange of arrows to test their defenses, and the opening clash left about a hundred warriors dead.

• Toltec led the eight-thousand-strong allied army to Red Fox Valley, where the Guachichil tribes withdrew into the valley and harassed the encircling forces.
• Mespa described how the Dog-kin had seized the valley and said thousands of captured Otomi farmers were now working its fields.
• Toltec chose to test the Dog-kin defenses at the southeastern valley mouth instead of immediately launching a full assault.
• Yoliki led five hundred archers into the narrow approach, where Dog-kin hunters on the elevated camp opened fire.
• Yoliki ordered a volley in response, but the Dog-kin's high ground and skilled archers inflicted heavy casualties on both sides.

Black Wolf Toltec’s army suffered heavy losses trying to storm the Dog-kin camp at Red Fox Valley, then withdrew under cover from the Temple Crossbowmen. After learning about mountain paths into the valley, Toltec asked the Otomi noble Iko to lead a force around the camp for a night attack.

• Toltec sent five hundred vanguard barbarians to charge the valley-mouth camp, but red-haired Dog-kin hunters shot down more than thirty as they neared the ramparts.
• The barbarians gained the upper hand in close combat, while the red-haired hunters continued shooting into the melee and inflicted heavy casualties on both sides.
• After two quarters of an hour, Toltec withdrew his troops under cover of a volley from five hundred Temple Crossbowmen.
• Toltec questioned Iko and learned that northern and southern mountain paths could lead warriors into the valley.
• Toltec offered Iko five hundred Pamus warriors and urged him to attack the camp from the rear at night.

Toltec ordered Iko to lead five hundred Pamus Warriors through the mountains for a surprise attack on the Dog-kin camps, and Iko set out at night. The raid force moved toward the rear camp as Dog-kin warriors Ivicán and Amoxi discussed the battle and the troops being gathered for the next day.

• Iko explained that the valley had two Dog-kin camps, but Toltec ordered him to infiltrate the mountains and attack the rear camp with five hundred Pamus Warriors.
• Mespa avoided leading the dangerous mission, and Iko accepted Toltec's military order.
• Toltec prepared the army for a morning assault while Iko led the Pamus Warriors into the mountains after dark.
• Iko's warriors avoided Dog-kin scouts and reached a ridge overlooking the valley before turning east toward the rear camp.
• Ivicán told Amoxi that the Red Cat Tribe had suffered heavy losses and that the Red Frog Tribe's warriors had gathered at the rear camp.
• Ivicán's ear twitched as he thought he heard something.

Amoxi learned that the Red Fox Tribe planned to abandon the valley and take its elite warriors, then discovered Otomi Pamus Warriors moving toward the camp and helped prepare an ambush. At dawn, the Pamus attack was trapped, while Black Wolf Toltec launched his own assault on the valley camp.

• Amoxi pressured Ivicán into revealing that the Red Fox Tribe would conscript warriors, withdraw northwest with its elite fighters, and leave many Dog-kin behind.
• Amoxi and Ivicán spotted Otomi Pamus Warriors approaching the valley-mouth camp at night, and Ivicán went to alert the Red Fox chief while Amoxi tracked them.
• At dawn, Iko led more than four hundred Pamus Warriors in an attack, but Red-hair archers sprang an ambush and killed him.
• Hundreds of tribal warriors and over a thousand Dog-kin from the Red Fox Tribe attacked the disordered Pamus force from the camp and surrounding forest.
• Black Wolf Toltec heard the battle and ordered his crossbowmen and thrower units to advance and assault the Dog-kin camp.

Miztli’s Dog-kin defenders came under crossbow fire and attacks from Aztec barbarians carrying explosive Ceramic Caltrops. The blasts devastated the camp and threw its defenders into chaos, leaving Black Wolf Toltec to order the Aztec forces to storm the camp.

• Temple Crossbowmen opened fire on the Dog-kin camp, killing and wounding defenders and forcing Miztli to pull half his warriors back.
• Miztli rejected a captain’s request to charge the crossbowmen and ordered the warriors to shelter until the enemy advanced.
• Barbarians carrying smoking Ceramic Caltrops charged under cover of crossbow fire and threw the explosives over the stockade wall.
• The Ceramic Caltrops exploded, killing and wounding Dog-kin warriors and spreading panic and fires through the camp.
• A second group of barbarians threw more Ceramic Caltrops, then surviving soldiers crossed the wall and attacked amid the chaos.
• Black Wolf Toltec ordered the Vanguard Thrower Unit and Temple Crossbowmen to charge into melee and capture the camp.

The Mexica Legion attacked the Dog-kin forward camp, overwhelming its defenders and forcing Miztli and the remaining Red Cat warriors to retreat. The camp fell, and the Black Wolf Commander ordered a pursuit toward the enemy rear camp while the rest of the Vanguard prepared to advance through the valley mouth.

• Caca celebrated the defeat of the Pamus Warriors, then sent his red-haired guard to check on Miztli after explosions shook the forward camp.
• The Vanguard Barbarian Unit and Temple Crossbowmen stormed the stockade, killing the Red-hair Hunters and breaking the Dog-kin defenses.
• The Vanguard captured the center of the camp and tore down the Red Cat banner, triggering a rout among the Dog-kin.
• Miztli gathered about five hundred survivors and withdrew toward the rear camp while more than a hundred Red-hair Warriors remained trapped fighting.
• The Vanguard blocked the retreat and took many Dog-kin prisoners, though soldiers killed hundreds of them before the Black Wolf Commander halted the slaughter.
• The Black Wolf Commander ordered three hundred Vanguard Thrower Unit to pursue the routed enemy and instructed the remaining troops to rest before attacking the valley mouth.

Black Wolf Toltec captured the Dog-kin forward camp but ordered his depleted army to press on toward the rear camp. There, Caca fortified the Red Frog Tribe’s position, forced conscripts to fight, and provoked the Aztecs, prompting Toltec to order an attack.

• Black Wolf Toltec counted his casualties after taking the forward camp and ordered his troops to rest before attacking the rear camp.
• Miztli told Caca how the Aztecs had used crossbows and exploding ceramic weapons to destroy the Red Cat Tribe’s defenses.
• Caca fortified the rear camp and ordered his warriors to kill the conscripts who tried to leave, then compelled the rest to join the fighting.
• Caca ordered Otomi heads thrown outside the camp and spread a false claim that his tribe had killed a thousand Cactus warriors.
• Black Wolf Toltec saw the Dog-kin display and ordered the Temple Crossbowmen and Vanguard Thrower Unit to attack.

Toltec’s Vanguard Battalion attacked the Guachichil rear camp with crossbows and Ceramic Caltrops, inflicting heavy losses but failing to break through. After witnessing the explosions and seeing more Dog-kin gather behind the gate, Toltec halted the assault and went to command the battalion himself.

• Toltec sent the Temple Crossbowmen and Vanguard Thrower Units toward the Guachichil rear camp, where Caca watched them approach.
• Caca sent Dog-kin warriors out to attack, but the Temple Crossbowmen and Vanguard barbarians routed them and killed many with crossbow fire.
• The camp’s hunters shot into the Dog-kin and pursuing Vanguard troops, while the Temple Crossbowmen returned fire and devastated the defenders.
• Caca disguised himself and ordered more Dog-kin to charge as the Vanguard Thrower Units advanced with Ceramic Caltrops.
• The second clash ended in nearly a hundred Ceramic Caltrops exploding beneath the camp slope, killing or injuring hundreds and terrifying Caca and the Dog-kin.
• Toltec halted the attack after seeing more fighters behind the camp gate, then went to command the Vanguard Battalion in person.

Black Wolf Toltec led the Vanguard Battalion in a fierce assault on Caca’s stockade, using crossbow fire, armored Longbow Guards, and repeated charges to overwhelm the defenders. Caca’s forces kept resisting and replaced the decoy wearing his wolf cloak after Toltec’s arrows killed him.

• Toltec planted his banner among the Vanguard Battalion and rallied the exhausted warriors before leading them toward the stockade.
• The Temple Crossbowmen suppressed the defenders while the Vanguard Battalion advanced, and the Dog-kin charge suffered heavy losses under the bolts and Toltec’s archers.
• The Vanguard Barbarian Unit and Dog-kin fought in a bloody melee on the slope as Toltec and the Longbow Guards shot Tribal Hunters from the walls and watchtowers.
• Caca sent fresh warriors and a shielded decoy wearing his wolf cloak to bolster the defense and draw enemy arrows.
• Toltec ordered the Temple Crossbowmen closer to break through the shields, and the decoy was killed; Caca then ordered another guard to wear his cloak behind additional shields.

The Cactus Warriors nearly broke through the Red Frog Tribe’s camp, but Red Fox reinforcements helped restore the defenders’ line. Ivicán and Amoxi wounded Black Wolf Toltec with copper arrows, forcing the Cactus army to retreat and leaving the battle unresolved.

• Caca sent Miwa to demand reinforcements from the Red Fox Tribe, threatening that the Red Frog Tribe would surrender if they did not arrive.
• Ivicán and Amoxi joined the fighting as Red Fox reinforcements entered the camp and drove back the Cactus Warriors who had broken through.
• Amoxi urged Ivicán to use a captured large bow against Black Wolf Toltec’s exposed legs while they took positions near the stockade wall.
• Ivicán and Amoxi shot Toltec in both legs with copper arrows, bringing him down despite his armor and guards.
• Mespa sounded the retreat, and Toltec’s guards carried him away as the Cactus Warriors withdrew under cover of their crossbowmen.

Xolotl arrived with the central army near Red Fox Valley and ordered Giova and Chalki to guard the approaches against the mobilizing Red Dog Tribe. Nearby, Ivicán and Amoxi watched the Mexica camp and worried that the valley could not be held, while Ivicán imagined leading warriors alongside Amoxi.

• Xolotl learned that Toltec’s assault on the mountain valley had cost the Imperial Guard, Pamus Warriors, and Light Archers fifteen hundred casualties, and that Black Wolf had been injured.
• Xolotl ordered Giova to stop marching, fortify his position, and guard the army’s northeast against the Red Dog Tribe.
• Xolotl ordered Chalki to send two thousand elites to block Red Fox Valley’s northwestern entrance and seal it within two days.
• Xolotl praised Bertad’s pictographic orders and said Otomi children and priests should be sent to study in the Royal Capital after the northern campaign.
• Ivicán and Amoxi watched the Mexica camp, estimated the size of its army, and questioned whether the valley could be defended.
• Ivicán told Amoxi that he hoped to lead a thousand warriors with Amoxi as his deputy, and Amoxi agreed to the plan.

Amoxi returned to the Red Crow Tribe after learning that the Red Fox Tribe planned to leave the valley within the next two days because the Cactus army was approaching. Ivicán urged him to bring the old chief and other people with him, and Amoxi arrived at the packed camp to speak with its chief.

• Ivicán and Amoxi discussed the stalled fighting at the valley mouth and learned that the Red Frog Tribe had been ordered to hold it for ten more days.
• Ivicán told Amoxi that the Red Fox Tribe would leave within the next two days and invited him to bring the old chief and a few others, including Alan, along.
• Ivicán and Amoxi parted at the mountain-road fork, and their warriors split toward their respective camps.
• Amoxi returned to the Red Crow camp, where his injured ear reminded him of the battle in which he had helped shoot Black Wolf Chief.
• Alan greeted Amoxi and asked about his wound, and he entered the leader's longhouse to discuss an important matter with the chief.

Chief Kakalot ordered the Red Crow Tribe to flee the valley before Aztec reinforcements arrived, then revealed that he was dying and entrusted the tribe to Amoxi. As the migration began, Alan went to see Kakalot, who noticed the black wolf head on her Obsidian dagger.

• Kakalot told Amoxi that the valley was doomed and ordered the tribe to leave that night, warning nearby tribes to flee as well.
• Kakalot coughed blood and made Amoxi responsible for leading the Red Crow Tribe east toward Huastec territory.
• Amoxi mourned his father, then ordered the strong men and children to prepare for migration within two double-hours.
• Amoxi told Alan to visit Kakalot for the last time, and she entered the longhouse and lit the fire pit.
• Kakalot asked Alan for her Obsidian dagger, saying the black wolf head on it seemed familiar.
• Thousands of Dog-kin set out north beneath the full moon as torches lit the valley pass.

Oztohua ordered the Red Fox Tribe to abandon the valley after learning that the Red Crow Tribe and other tribes had fled, while Xolotl mobilized forces to intercept them. The Red Fox migration began, and Xolotl sent Bertad toward Northwest Valley Pass to block their escape route.

• A guard told Oztohua that four or five tribes had fled Northwest Valley Pass and that panic was spreading through the valley.
• Oztohua blamed Ivicán for trusting Amoxi, then ordered Ivicán to take a thousand warriors to block the pass and control the migration column.
• Oztohua ordered the Red Fox Tribe to evacuate the valley, suppress unrest, and leave the two thousand Otomi serfs alive under guard.
• The Red Fox Tribe began abandoning its belongings and migrating, and Mexica scouts reported the mass departure to Xolotl.
• Xolotl ordered the Black Wolf Legion to tie down the Red Frog Tribe and told Chalki to march north with all his strength.
• Xolotl sent Bertad with two thousand personal troops to reach Northwest Valley Pass before dark and intercept the fleeing Guachichil People.

As the Red Fox Tribe fled northwest with the Cactus Tribe in pursuit, Oztohua ordered Ivicán to delay them by forcing three thousand ordinary tribespeople to attack. Ivicán led the desperate charge toward the Imperial Guard Legion as the sun set, while Oztohua escaped with the main column.

• Scouts warned Oztohua that the Cactus Tribe was approaching the valley pass at a forced march.
• Oztohua ordered Ivicán to use three thousand ordinary tribespeople to disrupt the Cactus legion and buy the Red Fox column time to escape.
• Ivicán seized the tribespeople, killing those who resisted, and forced them to take crude weapons.
• Oztohua led the Red Fox column northwest, leaving Ivicán and a thousand warriors behind as the Cactus Warriors closed in.
• Ivicán drove the three thousand tribespeople toward Bertad's two-thousand-strong Imperial Guard Legion, where a one-sided slaughter began at sunset.

Bertad led the Imperial Guards and Jaguar Warriors to defeat the Dog-kin forces and seize the valley entrance. The Mexica blocked the valley mouths, trapping the Guachichil People inside as night fell.

• Bertad led three hundred Jaguar Warriors into the Dog-kin line, breaking the tribesmen’s formation and sending them fleeing.
• Ivicán and the Red Fox scouts retreated when Bertad and the Jaguar Warriors charged, while the remaining Red Fox warriors were cut down or driven off by arrows.
• Bertad ordered fifteen hundred Imperial Guards to occupy the valley-mouth camp, four hundred to pursue scattered tribesmen, and the rest to count the dead and treat the wounded.
• The Mexica seized the valley entrance and cut off the Dog-kin inside from those outside.
• By nightfall, the Dog-kin had suffered thirteen hundred casualties while the Imperial Guards had only a few dozen, and despairing cries carried through the trapped Guachichil settlement.

Xolotl received a Red Frog Tribe envoy who sought terms for surrender, but rejected the envoy’s attempt to preserve the Red Frog Chief. He ordered the envoy seized and demanded to know who he was.

• Xolotl scolded Toltec for reckless command, then praised his campaign and promised him another legion command after he recovered.
• The Red Frog envoy offered the valley and its people in exchange for surrender terms, but Xolotl demanded the tribe give up its weapons and submit.
• The envoy threatened that the Guachichil forces could hold out and receive reinforcements, but Xolotl told him the army would attack the next day.
• The envoy offered to preserve four thousand able-bodied Red Frog people and surrender the valley, but Xolotl demanded the Red Frog Chief’s head as punishment.
• When the envoy pleaded for the chief’s life, Xolotl ordered his guards to seize him and asked him to identify himself.

Xolotl accepted Caca’s surrender after testing his courage and judgment, then ordered preparations to surround the Guachichil forces and attack if they refused to surrender. With Chalki’s reinforcements arriving and the mountain paths sealed, more than twenty thousand Guachichil Dog-kin were trapped in the valley.

• Caca revealed himself as the Red Frog Chief and offered to surrender his tribe and bring other wasteland tribes under Xolotl’s rule.
• Xolotl questioned Caca about his battlefield tactics and how he would face outsiders with powerful weapons, and Caca argued that even apparent god-men had weaknesses.
• Xolotl accepted Caca’s surrender, promised to spare him and his tribe, and ordered him to bind Miztli and surrender the camp within a day.
• Xolotl ordered his forces to inspect their weapons, distribute armor, seal the northern and southern mountain paths, and prepare to attack if the Guachichil People did not surrender.
• Chalki’s vanguard reinforcements arrived, and more than twenty thousand Guachichil Dog-kin were trapped inside the valley.

Xolotl’s allied army took control of Red Fox Valley after Caca surrendered Miztli and helped the Mexica forces enter. Two days later, the valley was pacified, its tribes gathered under guard, and Xolotl entered with Caca leading the way.

• Caca surrendered Miztli to Xolotl, who ordered the captive guarded and appointed Caca as his attendant.
• Xolotl bestowed the Sun Amulet on Caca and ordered him to guide the army as it advanced into the valley.
• Bertad and Chalki led forces through the Northwest Valley Pass while the valley’s tribes surrendered to the allied army.
• Xolotl ordered his guards to prevent Otomi troops from slaughtering surrendered Guachichil tribes and sent priests to pacify them.
• After two days, Red Fox Valley was under allied control, and Xolotl entered with Caca leading the way.