Wisterl
After declaring that she would be the strongest in the Empire, Wisterl had precious few opportunities to prove her strength in anything other than a fight in the sand pits. Those were, by all means, a perfectly serviceable time and place to prove her strength, but it was far from enough. After all, she wasn't even Keel yet, and that was no small source of frustration for her. In fact, precious few of the youngest members of the Empire had evolved to become Keel. The prevailing theory among the elites, as the Zaaktif referred to his most trusted companions, was that there were further aspects of fighting and slaughter that were required for a Khatif to ascend, and if that was the case she knew her chance was coming.
After the speech delivered here hours before, Wisterl had immediately taken to the walls to watch for anything approaching. There were plenty of enemies that were just waiting for her to wet her fangs in their blood, she only needed to be the first to find them. No more would there only be simple hunts of the ants and goats that filled this mountain, but a real fight.
For hours, she watched the surrounding forest, looking for a flicker of movement, of shadow, or of warmth. There was nothing, nothing but the boughs of the trees constantly creaking in the wind. The flickering of moonlight between branches, even with a waning moon overhead, was enough to keep the young Khatif constantly twitching, looking for the next attack. She was sure she would be able to take care of the Misti Hawar, but so too was she sure that the rest of her people would be able to. In reality, which she was searching for was the opportunity to have a fight before her allies could get there.
Every fight that the Empire had had since they escaped the human lands was a total victory, and tonight would be no different. All that she needed to do was pay attention to the surroundings, and then, when the enemies presented themselves, visit upon them the divine wrath of Nievtala. Then, she could take her place as a true member of the Empire and continue on her predestined fate.
As the shadows suddenly writhed and twisted, Wisterl felt the first hint of doubt as to her people's absolute indomitability in warfare.
Kusi'Wi
"It is near the time. Our hunters are in position."
Kusi'Wi flicked her ears in acknowledgment, snow falling from her fur as she took a deep breath of the air here. Aingin'kalu nodded as she saw that her words were heard and stepped back. Good. SHe was learning her place as the assistant to the Nyust'taa. Once she once again was given enough space as it befitted her position, Kusi'Wi allowed herself a smile.
After years, her plans were finally coming to fruition. Finally, a true war was about to begin, and once everything was totally ready, tonight would be the first battle of a unified Principality under her rule. The clans had resisted, they always did, but with enemy clan heads seeing the dangers that the keelish presented, there was nothing to do but fall in line.
Fortunately, the keelish hadn't disappointed in displaying their abilities. If she, as the Nyust'taa, had made that big fuss and purposefully sacrificed as many lives as she had, and then the scaled menaces refused to take any of the momentum that had been offered to them, then she would have lost so much of her standing among the other clan heads. Fortunately, the leader, whatever his name had been, had lived up to some of the expectations she had for him.
He continued to make aggressive moves southward, pushing into the colder mountains, nearly to where the Misti Hawar made their homes. Of course, the keeelish were never so foolish as to leave the Shandise, as any intruders into the Principality would be summarily cut down. Perhaps this leader was intelligent enough to be considered a genius among the scaled fools. At least he would serve his purpose in this life, to provide her an opportunity to truly rule.
Instead, due to the keelish's competency and the report given by Wuarmi regarding the keelish's unwillingness to negotiate, the entirety of the Principality considered this to be a holy war. In fact, those few shamans who developed true relationships with the Great Hunter reported that Illan'Klli was blessing this assault. That had been her hope, but with the sacrifices made, the benefits bestowed by a Hunt guided by the Great Divine Hunter were known. In truth, Kusi'Wi had only expected the blessing to be a ceremonial one, one to bind her people closer together. After all, the guidance of their god was more than enough to be called a blessing. Instead, the blessing took a very real and physical presence among the Misti Hawar.
"Send the shadow beasts!"
The results of the Great Hunter's blessing twisted in deep shadow, half corporeal, half shadow. As soon as the command was given, they rushed forward, lumbering but mostly squirming over the ground until they arrived at their destination. In the light of the torches, the shadow beasts could begin to be seen, but when light touched their flesh, black mist filtered off their bodies and filled the air. The mist snuffed lights and gave an opening that Misti Hawar could take advantage of.
This time, Kusi'Wi sent the command without words. Her shadows, strengthened by the greatest blessing of her god, touched every one of her warriors. In fact, she was nowhere near the rest and the shadow beasts. They all lay in wait on the south east side of the city, the location where it made the most sense for the Misti Hawar to approach from.
With her magic's touch, her people knew what to do and rushed forward. Each remained hidden in the shadows, especially the darkest deepest shadows strengthened by the shadow beasts. As the mists grew darker, the shadow beasts' screeches filled the air. The keelish fought against the messengers of the great god, and were only distracted from the arrival of the strongest warriors.
Through her shadows, Kusi'Wi could watch the fight, the slaughter. The keelish fought much better than they had before, those years before when she'd attacked, but still, they were nothing compared to the warriors strengthened by their god.
Ecstasy grew within her breast as the Nyust'taa watched her people fight convincingly against the enemies. There was a struggle, but her only true worry was that the keelish wouldn't manage to hold on through the night. The longer the siege continued, then the more cohesive her people would become. Then, after uniting the Shandise under their control, they could continue to grow their holdings and their numbers until the Misti Hawar were the dominant race on the continent!
Slaughter passed through the keelish, though they continued to throw bodies forward. Some of the Misti Hawar fell, but not enough for it to be a problem. Each fallen soldier was another martyr to unite her people behind. She would mourn their loss, but they were, after all, just another step towards her people's long-term rulership.
And then, as the morale of the keelish broke, a deep hum spread through the entire city, even to her on the outskirts on the opposite side. Despite the distance, Kusi'Wi felt what she knew in her heart was true terror. Meanwhile, the shadows began to revolt against her.
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