Chapter 21 - The Enemy We See

Life in the pack was busy for the rest of the week. Daven and his Council made sure that they were able to get out every possible advantage they could use over their enemies. The humans were physically weaker than a demi-human, yes, they knew that. But that did not stop the humans from using their vastly superior numbers as an advantage.

The dominants, along with every other member of the pack that was fit for war, were roused. Training, and other sorts of preparations took place in order to ready them warriors. Yet, they only had a single week to prepare for the impending war.

Soon enough, that week came to an end.

Dizen stood taut, the muscles in his back bunched up as he peered over the steep cliff. He could see the human army, marching from afar. From where he was, they only looked like tiny specks in the distance, but over the course of the day, they would get closer, and closer, until they reached the ambush point set up by the pack.

<Report, Dizen. What do you see?> A deep, commanding voice boomed at the back of Dizen's head. Rakon, the second leader of the Scout Regiment, and one of the Councilmen that had a seat on the Patriarch's Council was speaking to him through a telepathic communication channel that he had formed between the top members of the Scout Regiment. Each of the top members of the Three Arms of the regiment was connected to this channel. It was an ingenuine ability that few in the pack held. Rakon was praised as a genius, and was promoted to the positions of both Councilman and Head of the Scout Regiment.

<Dizen, reporting. From what I can see, the human army is two dozen miles out. With their speed, they should make it to the ambush point by nightfall. They are already too close to our lands to camp out so they will most likely keep marching to us.>

His report was short and on point, adding all the major details that were of importance.

<Good job. You may retreat to the back line for now. A scout from the First Battalion will be arriving to take over from you so you can prepare for the battle ahead. Rakon's voice sounded pleased, but didn't lack that stern undertone it was known for.

<Yes sir.> Dizen managed to get a reply in before he felt the touch of his superior vanish from his mind. He remained there for a few more moments as he went over the discussion with Rakon. It was an honor to be directly connected to such a powerful figure, and Dizen felt proud of himself. He had one goal in this life, and that was to grow strong enough to create, and lead his own Battalion of the Scout Regiment. If possible, he would even be the head of an Arm, and get a seat on the Council.

With the thought of how close he was to accomplishing his goals, Dizen turned around and took off down the hill, completely oblivious of the lean figure that was completely covered in dark armor.

…

Daven stood still as Kira strapped on the chestpiece of his armor, the straps clicking into place behind him. She placed the corresponding piece against his back and clicked it into place.

"I'm worried…" Her worried voice came from behind him. He could hear the faint tremors in her voice as she spoke. "I don't want you to go to war." She leaned against him, her body shaking ever so slightly.

Daven sighed and turned around, embracing his mate. Her small white head leaned against his chestpiece, preventing her from hiding her face in his fur.

"Kira, my love, don't worry about me. If anything, you should be worried about the poor humans who are going to be standing in my way on the battlefield." He held her tightly, placing his chin on her head. "Don't worry. I will make it back."

"But… What if a Pillar is present? What happens then?"

Daven's grip tightened around Kira instinctively. If a Pillar was present on the battlefield, then the chances of him returning were close to nothing.

"You worry too much, dear. A Pillar is too valuable for the Henshaw dynasty to send over. Doing that would leave their territory too defenseless." He whispered to convince her, though he did not even believe in his own words. The chances of a Pillar showing up was quite high, about seven out of ten, if the dynasty was launching this offensive for the reason he thought. The recent Skyfall.

He was not sure why, but ever since he heard of the army heading their way, his thoughts kept drifting back to the Skyfall.

'Is this somehow related to the Skyfall? But they should already be in possession of it.' He thought to himself. 'Unless…'

His heart suddenly tightened at the possibility. The possibility of those two boys still being alive, and even possibly having the bounty of the Skyfall with them.

'But…' His inflated hopes were popped by the sharp needle called reality. 'If they were not captured, then they would have returned. If they were captured, then there is a high chance the humans already know that they have the bounty of the Skyfall.

So many thoughts ran through Daven's mind that moment that he himself almost felt overwhelmed by the sheer force of them.

"Everything will be fine.." He whispered as he ran his fingers through his mate's fur.