[Kusi'Wi POV]
"The entire Ainingatch clan was slaughtered! Not a single kit was left spared, and nothing besides their blood stains were left behind! You assured us that this would be some simple task for us to show the continent and the world that Illan'Klli's chosen people are a force to be feared and have created a country to be adored! Instead, we have an entire clan slaughtered, devoured by our prey! Our prey!"
Unanki remained prideful and unable to accept her position as Nyust'taa. His enraged act, though, was as impressive as always. The reality was that he thought her ambitions foolish and her mind compromised and he would continue to fight back against her control of the country for as long as he lived. After all, his clan was the next strongest, and the position of Nyust'taa was singular. If only he was as eager to fight the keelish as the Ainingatch were. If he were, even if he did hate and disrespect her, she could at least ensure that his clan was found and slaughtered as well. That said, he was content to continue doing only the bare minimum and merely complain and twist any and everything that happened as if he could have foreseen and prevented it while she was weak and foolish.
"When did I ever say that it would be easy?" Kusi'Wi asked. "There is nothing easy about destroying a nation, especially if it's one that is showing what Keel are capable of. Never have I professed that our duty is an easy one. Perhaps it can be called simple, but there is no ease in killing thousands of keelish or hundreds of Keel. If you believe yourselves capable of killing thousands with just your clan, I will ask that you provide to me the statement in front of all of your peers that you believe you can go into combat and be successful. I will bring that news back to your holdings and any of your kin that were left behind when you all inevitably perish."
Despite her words, the Nyust'taa also hadn't expected the amount of resistance that they'd received. Sure, they were supposed to fight and struggle, but that damn prey somehow found the entire clan hunting them and somehow turned it on the Misti Hawar. The Ainingatch being hunted to their last was beyond her expectations. Yes, she had long since planned to use some of that family as sacrifices to unify the clans, but to have them slaughtered, especially Ellik'Kwi's death, was not a part of the plan.
"This is sophistry, Kusi'Wi! You expect us to believe that you never intended to tell us that these keelish would be a simple hunt? From how you invited us all to hunt your thickfeathers, it was obvious that you expected the menace to be hunted to the last by the end of this winter! Do not attempt to deceive!"
"Yes, I gave those hunting rights, but it was not as an expression of confidence in reading a short campaign against the keelish. Instead, it was an expression of my own willingness to ensure that enough of the tribes were willing to come see the threat that the ancient enemy provides. Tell me, if only one clan had come and had faced some measure of loss here, would any of you have come here? Or would you merely have mocked them for their failure and encouraged them to turn over ownership of their holdings to your clan for safekeeping?"
She looked over her subjects, and none had any direct response to that. Despite the constant vying for power, outright deceit was frowned upon at best by the Misti Hawar. Instead, they stood in silence for a time before Unanki nodded slightly. His years flicked as he asked, "Then what do you want us to do? What is it that you're expecting from the clans?"
"I'm expecting obedience." Kusi'Wi snarled back "I acknowledged this 'nation' as a threat. I was the first to bring the clans together. I was the first to listen to the Ainingatch, and they are the ones who paid the price. Some of my own people, of my own clan, were among the clan at the time of their slaughter. Now, it's time for the rest of the clans to put forward their own effort. With the strength of the ancient foes' resistance, I doubt that we will be able to finish the fight while still in this winter. The days are nearly here in which the nights will shorten, and the suns will extend their grip over the bulk of the day once more. When that time comes, the keelish will have the upper hand during the day and our magic is weakened. If we field our armies at that time, the nights will be too short for us to conduct all of our operations and hunts. For now, I think it's in our best interest to allow them to think that they've won. To engage in short skirmishes where we reduce their numbers and retreat, continuing to give way until we can return to the reaches of the Principality. There, you will send your people to every one of your clan's subsidiaries. There you will gather the entire, and then, we will gather every Misti Hawar together to go under my command to drive every keelish from the Shandise."
She grew more and more passionate as she spoke, her voice rising high and echoing through the glade where they met. Here, 100 miles away from where the keelish had created their city, there was no reason not to let her voice ring out, proud and defiant. Though some, honestly, many of the clan leaders saw through her machinations for what they were, everything she said was correct and, beyond that, she'd deliberately spoken loud enough for the less politically-minded members of the clans to hear. Rustles of support from every clan for her plan filled the air. Silently, Unanki bared his teeth in frustration, though he said nothing that his own clan, situated behind him, would be able to take a note of. Instead, he flicked his ears once again in acknowledgement of the point she'd scored and bowed his head slightly.
"The Kalaki will follow. Let the keelish menace be purged and let the Misti Hawar find victory." As soon as his head rose, any sign of frustration had been replaced with a guise of passive support painted across his face. Despite everything else, Kusi'Wi counted that as a victory. After all, with her greatest antagonist throwing his public support behind her, every other clan would have to do so, at least nominally. Yes, he would continue to plot, and the Nyust'taa was sure that this old foe of hers would continue to leverage her every mistake against her. After all, that was what she expected from this great foe of hers. However, she would continue to back him into sheer canyons and against precipitous cliffs until, when he stood at the peak of a mountain with only the option of jumping to his death or falling in line, she was guaranteed victory and control over Unanki individually and the Kalaki as a whole.
"The Piagtchu will follow. Let the keelish menace be purged and let the Misti Hawar find victory." Another clan head fell in line. Kusi'Wi stood with her tail flicking subtly behind her as the rest of the clan heads pledged their allegiance to her plan. For now, she needed only to ensure that her greatest supporters continued to gain strength while she solidified her influence over them and her enemies were weakened until she could institute one of her own as their rulers.
Yes, she would ensure that this "war" was dragged on long enough that the Misti Hawar continued to fall deeper and deeper into her grasp. When she finally killed that "Zaaktif Ashlani", she'd make sure to thank him for his help in creating an empire out of this Principality.
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