Dawn's light lit the room of Taren and Sariss as the lovers awoke.
Sariss smiled and kissed Taren's cheek, "Morning..."
The crimson fox smiled back, touching her cheek gently as he nodded to her,
dual toned eyes staring into the female weapon master's emerald ones. "We'd
better get dressed..."
Sariss nodded. The two enjoyed the moments they were allowed to share together, however brief they may have been. The two preferred to keep their relationship as private as possible, ignoring the rumors of their comrades
Taren sat up, tail flicking slightly as he donned his red tunic and uniform, leaving off his armor and sword.
Sariss smiled at him, her kinder, softer side showing now that the two were alone. "Sleep well?"
Taren nodded to her. "Fine, Sariss, just fine..."
She recognized the slight distraction in his voice and left it at that, "You never did answer...why does the General want us to attack that settlement? We're not being hired and the place seems well protected..."
"He's the general, we're the soldiers, Sariss..." Taren replied, running a paw through his long, red headfur, reaching behind to tie it back behind him. "I haven't questioned Visla in years and I don't plan to start now..."
Sariss finished dressing herself, the weapons master's eyes looking to the floor as she nodded to her lover. "You're probably right, Taren...I just..." She laughed a bit, shaking her head, "Just a slight sense of foreboding about this...I mean, who're we going to run into? The Calpathions?"
Taren shrugged. "You never know, Sariss," he replied softly. "Don't rule anything out in this world, especially if we're at war..."
Sariss sighed as she wrapped her cloak around her shoulders, replacing the sword on her left hip, leaving her steel cuirass off for the moment, "How is Visla anyways?"
"In agony..." The statement was blunt. "Mahk says its because of the old burns...they never stop plaguing him, even in winter...I didn't want to tell anybeast last night, Geras especially..."
Sariss nodded in understanding. "It doesn't go beyond this room, Taren...could it have something to do with him attacking this settlement?"
Taren shrugged. "I have faith in Visla...I'm sure what he's doing will benefit us further, Sariss..."
Sariss sighed and laid a comforting hand on her lover's shoulder, "You're worried?"
Taren nodded a bit, "Can't explain it...just...stay careful ok?"
Sariss kissed him gently, Taren accepted her affections but it was clear his mind was elsewhere, the red fox pulled away after a minute. "I'm partnered with Mahk for the mission...you're with Geras..."
Sariss growled angrily, "Him?"
Taren nodded apologetically. "Yes. Him...just keep your men around you, Sar...you know how loyal they are to you..."
Sariss nodded. "Shouldn't be any problems if Geras values his life..."
Taren smiled humorlessly, "Let's go see the General then and get this finalized..."
Sariss replied quickly, "How's Mahk?"
Taren shrugged, "How is Mahk ever? He was a Death Watcher before my time...I think the guilt just gets to him sometimes..."
Sariss's emerald eyes grew cold. "There's a reason for that...he's never really gotten over it, Taren."
Taren nodded. "It has something to do with Aleran Nightblade, I heard."
Sariss nodded. "His older brother, yeah...Mahk told Visla where to find him when the Calpathions hid out with him..."
Taren nodded. "Explains why he never uses his surname...he did the right thing, Sariss...he did was any soldier should."
Sariss hesitated. "I'm not sure, Taren...especially with what Mahk's got..."
Taren nodded, "He doesn't want our pity...he'll live."
Sariss nodded slightly, "I suppose...I still worry about him, Taren..."
Taren nodded, a small silence followed, at the end of which, Taren smiled at Sariss and replied, "Ready to go, Sariss?"
Sariss grinned and nodded, "I'm ready, Taren..."
Together, the Death Watch commanders walked from their room to General Visla's quarters, duty being put ahead of personal feelings as always. ***
Sarhein grinned as he approached the camp of Eroket and Talrid. The scarred fox sighed in relief as he strode in, nodding to Kalis. "Told you they'd be here, General Kalis..."
Kalis shrugged; his face remaining stoic as always. "Where're Talrid and Eroket?" The ferret and ermine in question were seated by a fire, looking at a roasting fish obtained from a nearby stream, upon sighting Kalis, the two sprang up quickly and hastily saluted, neither dressed in uniform. "We...expected you later, sir..." Talrid mumbled. Kalis nodded. "Funny, we expected that too..." Eroket's amber eyes were unusually cold as he nodded to Sarhein and Kalis, "Sirs...orders?" Kalis was taken aback for a moment at Eroket's lack of enthusiasm as he nodded. "We're just going to wait for Deran and Jald for now, you two...just keep the troops ready, alright?" Eroket nodded quickly and with a 'yessir,' marched off to give orders to the rest of the Calpathions. Talrid replied calmly and shamefully, "He had to find out someday, Kalis..." Kalis nodded to Talrid. "I would have preferred it'd have been me to tell him, Talrid..." Sarhein frowned, his single ear twitching a bit, "Must be hard for him...I feel sorry for him really..." Kalis nodded, "So do I...but we need to focus on the coming battle...we're going to offer ourselves to the settlement, try to defend them...it'll be good to have allies and strike a blow on Visla..." Talrid nodded. "Lets get waiting then...we'll decide how to handle this..." Kalis and Sarhein both nodded, Sarhein replying calmly. "Gentlemen, we have a war to plan."
Sariss nodded. The two enjoyed the moments they were allowed to share together, however brief they may have been. The two preferred to keep their relationship as private as possible, ignoring the rumors of their comrades
Taren sat up, tail flicking slightly as he donned his red tunic and uniform, leaving off his armor and sword.
Sariss smiled at him, her kinder, softer side showing now that the two were alone. "Sleep well?"
Taren nodded to her. "Fine, Sariss, just fine..."
She recognized the slight distraction in his voice and left it at that, "You never did answer...why does the General want us to attack that settlement? We're not being hired and the place seems well protected..."
"He's the general, we're the soldiers, Sariss..." Taren replied, running a paw through his long, red headfur, reaching behind to tie it back behind him. "I haven't questioned Visla in years and I don't plan to start now..."
Sariss finished dressing herself, the weapons master's eyes looking to the floor as she nodded to her lover. "You're probably right, Taren...I just..." She laughed a bit, shaking her head, "Just a slight sense of foreboding about this...I mean, who're we going to run into? The Calpathions?"
Taren shrugged. "You never know, Sariss," he replied softly. "Don't rule anything out in this world, especially if we're at war..."
Sariss sighed as she wrapped her cloak around her shoulders, replacing the sword on her left hip, leaving her steel cuirass off for the moment, "How is Visla anyways?"
"In agony..." The statement was blunt. "Mahk says its because of the old burns...they never stop plaguing him, even in winter...I didn't want to tell anybeast last night, Geras especially..."
Sariss nodded in understanding. "It doesn't go beyond this room, Taren...could it have something to do with him attacking this settlement?"
Taren shrugged. "I have faith in Visla...I'm sure what he's doing will benefit us further, Sariss..."
Sariss sighed and laid a comforting hand on her lover's shoulder, "You're worried?"
Taren nodded a bit, "Can't explain it...just...stay careful ok?"
Sariss kissed him gently, Taren accepted her affections but it was clear his mind was elsewhere, the red fox pulled away after a minute. "I'm partnered with Mahk for the mission...you're with Geras..."
Sariss growled angrily, "Him?"
Taren nodded apologetically. "Yes. Him...just keep your men around you, Sar...you know how loyal they are to you..."
Sariss nodded. "Shouldn't be any problems if Geras values his life..."
Taren smiled humorlessly, "Let's go see the General then and get this finalized..."
Sariss replied quickly, "How's Mahk?"
Taren shrugged, "How is Mahk ever? He was a Death Watcher before my time...I think the guilt just gets to him sometimes..."
Sariss's emerald eyes grew cold. "There's a reason for that...he's never really gotten over it, Taren."
Taren nodded. "It has something to do with Aleran Nightblade, I heard."
Sariss nodded. "His older brother, yeah...Mahk told Visla where to find him when the Calpathions hid out with him..."
Taren nodded. "Explains why he never uses his surname...he did the right thing, Sariss...he did was any soldier should."
Sariss hesitated. "I'm not sure, Taren...especially with what Mahk's got..."
Taren nodded, "He doesn't want our pity...he'll live."
Sariss nodded slightly, "I suppose...I still worry about him, Taren..."
Taren nodded, a small silence followed, at the end of which, Taren smiled at Sariss and replied, "Ready to go, Sariss?"
Sariss grinned and nodded, "I'm ready, Taren..."
Together, the Death Watch commanders walked from their room to General Visla's quarters, duty being put ahead of personal feelings as always. ***
Sarhein grinned as he approached the camp of Eroket and Talrid. The scarred fox sighed in relief as he strode in, nodding to Kalis. "Told you they'd be here, General Kalis..."
Kalis shrugged; his face remaining stoic as always. "Where're Talrid and Eroket?" The ferret and ermine in question were seated by a fire, looking at a roasting fish obtained from a nearby stream, upon sighting Kalis, the two sprang up quickly and hastily saluted, neither dressed in uniform. "We...expected you later, sir..." Talrid mumbled. Kalis nodded. "Funny, we expected that too..." Eroket's amber eyes were unusually cold as he nodded to Sarhein and Kalis, "Sirs...orders?" Kalis was taken aback for a moment at Eroket's lack of enthusiasm as he nodded. "We're just going to wait for Deran and Jald for now, you two...just keep the troops ready, alright?" Eroket nodded quickly and with a 'yessir,' marched off to give orders to the rest of the Calpathions. Talrid replied calmly and shamefully, "He had to find out someday, Kalis..." Kalis nodded to Talrid. "I would have preferred it'd have been me to tell him, Talrid..." Sarhein frowned, his single ear twitching a bit, "Must be hard for him...I feel sorry for him really..." Kalis nodded, "So do I...but we need to focus on the coming battle...we're going to offer ourselves to the settlement, try to defend them...it'll be good to have allies and strike a blow on Visla..." Talrid nodded. "Lets get waiting then...we'll decide how to handle this..." Kalis and Sarhein both nodded, Sarhein replying calmly. "Gentlemen, we have a war to plan."