The Guilded Lily and Kenku Allied Forces v.s. The Army of War

[Philomel]

Stars were as spilt sugar, scattered over sable marble. They glistened as minature suns, beating hearts of hope and fire - the hope of the sun coming once again anew over the horizon, to shatter the tranquil darkness. Overall there was a calm, still quiet, that had not been broken. They sky herself was only interrupted in her fathomless beauty by the fine clouds slowly pushing their way across her face. The constellations, in their myriad of complexities, stayed as firm eternal guardians, as they had been beyond time had begun to be counted. Gazing down upon the vast tundra below, they held their forms steady, waiting for the silence of the night to shatter when the drums of war would, inevitably, begin.

When the blood of enemies and the screams of the dying would rise up to the heavens, threatening to tear the perfect peace there asunder.

Towards the east, set upon this large plain, was a tented, temporary camp. It was on a rise above the flatness of the larger expanse of the plain, tucked upon the gentle slope that some would never deign to give the title of 'hill.' A forest lay to the border, with strong coniferous trees creating a mass of everlasting greeery. Pines, firs, cypresses and cedars made a firm wood, wherein the boughs grew close together, hugging against the bitter winter cold. Not even the rudimentary wolf could creep beneath their shadows, and their needles were so fine and sharp, that they bade anyone who was faint at heart to stay well away. Thus it was that the camp had been formed with this wood to their back, with the rise then descending on the other side so that they had a fair view of the landscape.

Warm, tough tents where they, to strive against this long, autumn night. Despite it not being in snows, and the depths of winter not fully having come yet, there was still need to pull wool and furs around ones forms. Few guards stood gazing out in readiness, stalking around the general circumference of the camp, for it was favourable to wait inside. Still, those that did watch were eager eyed, and ones on horses roamed far in sets of twos and threes. And in the sky a number of winged warriors circled, all of them bearing horns to sound if an attack was to come.

The tents were arranged neatly and practically, with smaller, low lying ones to the edge, and the larger pavillions to the centre, closer to the impassable trees. The largest was a visage of suitably and command, with four mighty poles holding aloft the heavy canvas. One side was lifted up, and the more intrigued of guards meandering past, trussed up in their winter garb, sometimes dared a peak within. Sometimes dark eyes would turn and stare back at them, and this would cause that inquisitive mind to gasp and run off - or they would pause long enough to hear voices ...

"We have been here already for ten hours," a stern voice growled. It came from the mouth of a curvaceous, tall faun, whose eyes were like steel sword bared for battle. She was fully dressed in a dark crimson bodice and chainmail, with two mighty swords strapped to her back. Hands placed on a rough table before her she stared darkly at the other companions within the tent.

Four gazed back - namely a kenku, a fox and two male humans. One human seemed a decent age above the other, and was rather nonchantly leaning against one of the large tent poles, arms folded. The younger was reaching for the table also, his fingers dancing above the large map of the area there. The kenku, with her long, solid beak, feathery body and dark, dark eyes had her hands clasped before her, whilst the fox perched wildly on her shoulder. Each of them, with a rainbow of hues in their irises, looked back to the faun and collectively grunted, shrugged and muttered a response.

"We don't know."

"Ten hours!" the faun, Philomel van der Aart, seethed, irritation dripping from her voice, "We set up this camp just at midday and now what - it is the middle of the night. How long do they expect us to wait? Have you -" she threw narrowed eyes to the kenku, "Have your fliers seen anything?"

The kenku twisted her eyes slightly to the right, where the fox on her shoulder glanced back at her, and gave a shrug. She - for she was a she-bird, and her name was Stare Tsukaka - grumbled before shaking her head once. "No, and you would hear them if they did. Everyone is patrolling in collections of at least three on my last order, faun, and so if there was a sudden attack -"

"We would know."

This came from the younger human male, now tracing the line of the forest on the map with a finger. Crimson hair fell just beyond his face as he did so. There was a pause, which he calculated correctly meant all were now paying attention to him and he slowly raised his head. Equally vivid red eyes to his hair flickered across them, one to one. "They are all carrying horns. We would know if there was a sneak attack."

"You know we could go to sleep," muttered Stare, mostly directing it to the red hed, who was also known as Nevin, "But I don't think bossy boots there would-"

"I am not bossy!" hissed Philomel, folding her arms firmly over her chest. "I am, rather, the commander of this army, and you will pay me respect!"

A sharp draw in of breath. An uneasy frigid moment settled as awkwardness filled the tent and became the primary element of the atmosphere. Seconds passed as the technical truth stood abruptly in the air - yet just the technical only. Really, they knew that they, collectively, had mutual direction over what the army would do, and what the plan would be when their foe eventually came to the battlefield.

The silence extended for some time.

Finally the fifth individual shoved his way off the pole and stepped forwards, rubbing his jaw. "Princess ..." he grumbled to the faun, and he received a horrific glare. Yet, he kept his blue eyes focused on her, as he lifted his chin. "Princess. You asked us all here to help you lead it. And we are here to assist. But not to be shouted at. We are an alliance, and that is what we will show our enemy that we are of nature and nature is powerful. That was what you wanted. An alliance."

He gazed at the others. "Of the Gilded Lily armies , the kenku race ... and redhead's weird church."