My footsteps crunched through the snow, the sound echoing off of the surrounding trees. As I rushed, I felt the air cooling my lungs and fighting to pierce through to the rest of my body, but that didn't matter. Instead, I continued following the sound of nearly shouted conversations as they escalated to greater anger. I called behind me to the rest of my people, those who were further away from the scouting pack, and continued on my path. In less than a minute, I was close enough to hear the distinct conversation occurring, as well as the seemingly genuine rage that accompanied the words.
"Rargh! Angry! So angry!"
So bestial and unintelligent where the cries that I almost paused. From a distance, this was an argument, as if between the stupidest keelish that had ever reached adulthood. No complete sentences, no explanations, just a childish rage. I expected better from my children, and, so far as I could tell, they still weren't quite at the step of being able to walk, much less to speak. And I was away from them for whatever this was?
As I burst through the brush into a clearing, I saw Foire and Silf fighting with each other. At least, at first glance, it looked like they were fighting, but as soon as I looked even a little closer, I could see that neither was exerting himself with even nearly the coordination that they were capable of. While they snarled back-and-forth and generally put on a show of fighting, it became more and more obvious to me in just a single second that this was an act of some sort. Even so, there had to be a reason for them to do what they were doing, and, beyond that, it wasn't something I could just disregard, so I ran closer to the clearing as I called out, in impersonating the same stilted speech patterns, "What happen? Why fight?"
The fight paused for just a second and Silf and Foire looked at each other before flicking their tails almost imperceptibly. Without more than that second's hesitation, they resumed the fight, more making noise than actually fighting. Even so, Foire lifted and threw Silf into the snow nearby. As the two usually levelheaded Sik'Tal continued with their fight, I leaned close to Brutus, who watched the fight impassively.
"What in Nievtala's name is happening?" I whispered.
"They think that the Misti Hawar are watching us right now. They aren't sure if they can understand us so they're deliberately making themselves sound unintelligent while the enemies are paying attention to them."
"Well, what do we know for sure?"
"Your guess is better than mine. Nothing solid, so far as I know." Brutus's tail flicked a couple times, but he didn't say anything more.
"Well, I'm gonna guess that they've had enough time doing this and me stepping in won't ruin everything." As I said so, I stood back tall and leapt out of the cover of the trees.
"Fight stop now." I declared, the stilted speech feeling strange on my tongue. As I commanded my two devoted followers as much, I also wrapped my arms around both and bore them to the ground. Down there, where the Misti Hawar almost certainly couldn't hear us, I whispered, "I only know that you think you're being watched. Did you manage to learn anything during your fight?"
"Not very much." Foire supplied. "I think I did see some movement in the trees, but I don't know if it was shadows from birds or squirrels or from the Misti Hawar."
"I'm pretty sure that there's at least a couple Misti Hawar somewhere near here." Silf added. "Some of the flickers' intervals were too regular to have been mundane animals. I'm pretty sure that they're somehow using their shadows to scout out what they're looking for. My instincts say that they're able to see but not hear through the shadows. I can't say that for sure, but I'm relatively confident."
"Do you think we're going to be ambushed anytime soon? Or should we lay our trap here?" I asked.
"I don't think that the rest of their number are here." Silf answered me as he looked at Foire for verification. The other Sik'Tal flared his frills in agreement, and so I made the decision to finally trap the trappers here.
I flared my frills at both, pushing their faces into the snow as I stood.
"Swarm! Gather all brothers to me." It was a testament to my own leadership that, despite the strangeness of how I spoke or the situation, nobody questioned it. Instead, all of those in immediate earshot gathered into groups of at least three, some of which went to the west where those I'd originally called for still remained while the others gathered near. Fortunately, I'd thought to make that summons before I'd come here in the first place, and it was only a couple minutes of waiting before all 50 of my people were assembled in the clearing to listen to my commands. Those who'd been a little ways off had gotten some measure of a briefing from their fellows who went to collect them in the first place. As such, when I spoke in my stilted manner while I attempted to pretend lower intelligence, all listened.
"We rest here! Tonight! Find food, I will eat! Now hunt!"
Packs of Khatif moved in accordance with my command, though before any left, I made sure they came to me for "blessings" that allowed me to be close enough to each to explain my real plans for them and their packs. Missions to scout for possible centers from which the Misti Hawar were watching as well as keeping a special eye on the rest of their force as they came to ambush us were my main goals. If they could get some good food for us, that'd be great too, though not even a daily meal was necessary for the way our bodies were structured. As I'd said before, we'd grown soft from our months spent with more than enough to eat, and now, we were being reminded that our bodies could continue striving much further and longer than was merely "comfortable."
"When the night begins to fall," I whispered to every single one of my people, "you will be back here. No excuses. No complaints. You're not actually out there hunting, and we know they thrive in the darkness. Don't allow them to take advantage of us. We'll kill every one of them. Understood?"
Each flared their frills and left, and I was left waiting for their return, wondering if the Misti Hawar would manage to kill any of my people before I turned the ambush back on them.
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