Two days.

In two days, the Rakurians would attack Ignis, and undoubtedly ravage it. Striking down the air troops and massacring the ground soldiers beneath a rain of lightnings, they would only leave ashes behind them. This was obvious. The Rathlands were far too weakened to even fight back against them.

In two days, they would sound the clarion call for revenge.

Oxiderr yawned, stretching his jaw, and then repelted himself to enjoy the warmth of the hearth, closing his eyes.

"We don't need a pseudo-hero to assist us. That big ninny said it himself. How arrogant, this dragon ... " thought the Howling Zinogre.

He didn't even understand why his father had gone through so much trouble, climbing Mount Tsereve to meet him in the first place. A man, even an extremely gifted one, did not deserve all this staging. His status, far more respected than the Emperor's one, was something the eldest of the Rakurai siblings did not recognize as legitimate. If a simple favour done to his father was enough to become superior to him in terms of title, Oxiderr would have done this long ago. But this wasn't the case, so Akalash deserved no more respect than a general would.

"Speaking of generals, I wonder if Asterion will still place me in the front line for the next battle... I hope there won't be this damn coward of Acheron with me anymore. He's so weak! Even Irodim, five years younger than him, is fighting better than him ! "he thought. "Mmh. Given the fact we must also take into account the Burutian reinforcements, I think the organization will be different this time. "he then realized.

Oxiderr opened his eyes to observe the flames dancing in the main fireplace of the palace.

"We still don't know the reasons for their sudden engagement, it's strange. As long as their interests serve ours, it's not a problem, but one can tell something fishy going on... Why on earth would the Buruto dictatorship be willing to support us? Maybe they had a disagreement with the Rathiens. That's it, I can't think of any other reason... Even so, to send a messenger two days after Father decided to prepare this attack, it must have been quite a dispute ... Nobody knows what's going on in Gnatos' head, anyway. "The gray scaled Zinogre thought.

Shaking his head, he turned to expose his back to the heat of the fireplace, closing his eyes again.

The help of the Burutians was not superfluous, to say the least. The Rathians would certainly bring in some Foamians as backup, as always. It was surprising to see that these scums of Leviathans were still willing to help their pathetic neighbor. It seemed that war was now one of their new favorite pastimes, just like lounging in the thermal baths. According to the Howling Zinogre, the Foamians were nothing more than lazy folks only concerned with their own well-being. Their laziness even affected their competitiveness, as these lax leviathans were always behaving in a peaceful manner, refusing to open any hostility. For not a single war in all history had been launched by the Foam Kingdom. It was only content to respond weakly to enemy attacks, and sometimes to support another state. In particular, they served the Rathlands, certainly as a courtesy, Khryselios often organizing banquets to which the Foamian royal family was invited. They cared about nothing else.

"What was their king's name again? Tidal III ? Yes, that must be it. Tidal III and the queen ... Mmh, for the queen, I can't remember. It's not as if anyone cares about the Foamians names. Even Acheron isn't very good at it. ยป

Anyway, no one bothered anymore to care about this pathetic people living in water and salt-logged lands. Invading them would bring no benefit, as the only use for these lands was to farm rice. Nothing else could be cultivated in this humid and temperate climate. The only other feasible activity was fishing. And Rakurians were neither fond of rice or fish, to say the least.

"It makes you wonder how their economy is still going ... if one would still call it an economy," he meditated, suddenly raising his head, having heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

- Irodim? Have you stolen Acheron's favorite manuscript again?" he asked with a sly smile.

- N-no, not the one about ores!" said the youngest, appearing in the doorway, panting. You know very well that he locked it in a chest since the last time ... No, his ... His science book, there ... The "Complete Treatise of Wyvernology" ...

- Do you mean the time when you were about to throw it in the lake?" Oxiderr guffawed. Oh Gods, what a memory! This coward was so terrified!

- Yes," replied Irodim, remembering this day. But Dad was just as furious ... ! We were deprived of meat for a week! Brr! We could only have fish, it was horrible! Do you remember?" the youngest shuddered.

The lunar gray Zinogre nodded. Oh yes, he remembered. Replacing meat with fish was almost traumatic for any Rakurian, making some parents using this as a punishment. Because they ate more meat, Rakurians often tended to neglect fish, which was too salty for their taste. They were also put off by the smell.

There is really nothing worse than fish ...

I agree," the Immortal Zinogre said, "to say that Ecumians eat this all the time, with rice, on top of that!"

The Ecumiens are as irrecoverable as their culinary tastes, Oxiderr concluded.

He then noticed that his brother's fur was wet with melted flakes, dripping on the floor.

Did he chase you? he asked, slightly raising his chops, in an expression that was both mocking and annoyed.

Up to the Thunder Claw!" Irodim replied, nodding his head.

Then come and warm yourself, you idiot! You could get hypothermia!" the elder scolded, yielding a little space.

Thank you! the youngest thanked, settling down next to him, in front of the glowing hearth. By the window, outside, this winter day was already about to end, the sun slowly beginning to set.

Because of their geographical position, the night was falling much faster here than in the South of Solhatar. Thus, the day lasted about ten hours in Rakuria in the summer, compared to sixteen hours in the southernmost lands. In winter, Rakurian days were limited to six hours of sunshine compared to eleven hours in the southern countries.

"I'm going hunting", Oxiderr suddenly let go as he got up. It will soon be dark.

"All right," whispered the youngest, dozing on the green rug embroidered with gold.

Before he crossed the threshold, he glanced at his sleeping brother. Then, without a word, he let out a faint sigh before disappearing.

Smelling the icy air briefly, the Howling Zinogre left the palace grounds, and then made its way towards the forest at a brisk pace. Around him stood impressive coniferous trees covered with powder snow, and he was himself progressing in a thick, immaculate layer of white, throwing snow in his path. The Thunder Claw flowed nearby, and the muffled roar of its waterfalls could be heard from here. He used his sense of smell while running and branched off to the east. Darkness was beginning to fall on the taiga like an opaque veil, limiting his view, but also his prey's one, which he was beginning to distinguish thanks to his nose. As he got deeper into the taiga, he stopped running and began to walk more stealthily. Then, concentrating again on his olfactory capacities, he tried to isolate the smell of a prey among the crowd of information he was receiving.

"What do we have here ... a few Antekas ... and two Popos ..."

He turned his nose towards the aroma that seemed most appealing to him.

"Two Popos ... Only twenty meters away."

Lowering himself to the level of the rare tall grass, he silently moved in the direction suggested by his nose. Oxiderr then noticed after about ten meters a bush of a rather large size, and hid himself there. Once out of sight of his prey, which was nearby, he visually searched for it in the dark.

In front of him and the bush, a clearing was stretching out. Two adult Popos, two young males that might got lost from their herd, were grazing in the thick layer of snow, scraping the ground with their hooves, looking for grass. Scanning the area, the lunar gray Zinogre tried to spot possible hunters other than himself.

Everything was calm, and the two hairy mammals had not yet felt his presence.

"I have to charge discreetly, and then lightning strike them all at once," he thought.

The Zinogres were particular monsters, because their power relative to electricity required a charge to be fully exploited. This charge was obtained by bringing together many small insects that naturally generate electricity, similar to fireflies. These "fulgurinsects," as they were called, were magnetically attracted to Zinogres' dorsal spiky hairs. All of them were using the same insects to charge up, except the Stygian Zinogres, which required "dracophagous" insects to reveal their abilities.

Slowly, Oxiderr contracted the muscles of his back, triggering the sharp pointed hairs. Then, by emitting the most inaudible rumble possible, he called upon the fulgurinsects present around him. As if by magic, about fifty fireflies slowly gathered along his spine, in an almost perfect silence.

"... Now!"

Letting out a fierce roar that shook the ground below, Oxiderr suddenly released all the stored electrical energy in a brief blinding flash. The next instant, the two Popos' bodies were laying on the ground, charred and sizzling.

"Here's a job well done. It seems my precision is improving."He congratulated himself.

The Howling Zinogre left his hiding place to approach the two blackened corpses. If he had indeed aimed right, he seemed to have misjudged the force of its electric discharge.

- Mh. A little too much power perhaps? he said aloud, examining his prey with a claw.

- As usual, a weary voice grumbled somewhere between the pines.

The eldest son of Rakurai II turned his head towards his owner.

"Asterion! Which duty led you here, old man?" he smiled as he discovered a familiar face, teasing him.

"I'm not that old, hatchling !" the newcomer answered in a snarl as he emerged from the thickets.

He shook his head.

The reason of my presence is none of your concern. You shouldn't be hanging around here at this time of night. We're leaving for Ignis in two days. It would be better for you to die on the battlefield than from pneumonia, if you know what I mean..." the Rajang muttered between his fangs.

The gray-tinted wolf had a grin.

As pleasant and cynical as ever, my goodness! But don't worry about me, my friend, for I was only coming to hunt before nightfall," he replied, charging the two dead Popos on his broad back. I'm not one of those cowards who declare themselves as indisposed to escape duty, Asterion! But come to think of it, where did you assign me for the assault? Still in the front line?

The jet-black beast with fangs shrugged his shoulders.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it ... I only moved Acheron to the back in the third line, since we have much more firepower with the Burutians backups. Irodim will be at your side, just like your father," Asterion replied.

"That's fine. This battle might be interesting, without this damn Acheron in my midst," Oxiderr mused.

Always the same tactic, isn't it? Oxiderr asked.

The general nodded slowly.

As I said, as long as it keeps working, I see no reason to change. I must also say our Burutian guests do like this formation a lot...

Of course they do, it's pure genius ! The main course at the beginning, then the small fry behind, in order to saturate the enemy, then finish them off! The icing on the cake ! the Howling Zinogre rejoices. And if our own soldiers weaken, the next rows are still left, utterly capable of annihilating the Rathlands' gnawed-up forces! I must admit that I like this strategy. It has the merit of being fair and simple, and yet efficient; everything I appreciate, in a way.

The Rathiens still can't manage to counter this technique, even after ten years of fighting. Either they are incredibly stupid, or this one is just perfect and invincible," Asterion reasoned . And although the first option seems credible to me, I think the second is way more obvious ...

He shook his head again.

Either way, victory is at hand. Our elemental cover and our numbers give us a great advantage, and although it kind of pains me to admit, you, your father, and young Irodim are of great help. Even Acheron does honest work on the field," the general grumbled.

A compliment! By Oroshi, the sky might fall on our heads! the eldest of the Rakurian brotherhood cried, delighted. Indeed, Khryselios is foolish not to let his prodigal children enlist, like us," he nodded afterwards. Father already mentioned to me, once at dinner, that he had heard from his spies that the performances of the youngest one would be quite fabulous ... Imagine, General, that this runt seems capable of setting himself on fire, as their god Teostra would do, according to their sacred book ! And this stupid king would refuse to exploit this divine gift! Who knows if others in this brotherhood are just as talented as he is! What a shame, what a disgrace for a sovereign to privilege his offspring in this way, by his own selfishness! But their misfortune is our joy, and we can't really complain about it... But here is why the Rathlands are sinking into ruin, in my opinion : they are governed by an old, incapable nepotist who doesn't care about them. I would have almost felt sorry for them if rebels of their race had not cut the throat of this princess who was our booty ... When I think about it ! Despair really pushes people to commit senseless things ...

The way you talk makes me I remember that day when your father arrived at my house to propose his plan for a regicide ... sighed the old Rajang, doing an about-face. "Asterion, the hour is grave, a tyrant governs our people, and this people is silenced! A state must be governed by its people, not by a self-centered demagogue! What a tirade, I would remember it for the rest of my life ... Anyway, it is getting late," he said as he looked up at the bright moon, "and you should go home, I repeat, young man."

I'm going now," Oxiderr replied, smiling. May Kirin guard you, my friend!

Asterion glanced over his shoulder at the moon-colored wolf, then nodded his head and disappeared into the night. The Howling Zinogre turned around and rushed through the dark taiga at high speed.

"Two days. Only two more days ..." Oxiderr thought as he galloped back to the palace.