Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
XXXXX
The next evening…
"Do you suppose that the prince and the others will return soon? I bore of waiting for their return," Naesala wondered as he, King Caineghis, King Tibarn and Reyson were all currently in the throne room for the moment.
"Patience, King Kilvas," the lion king chided. "Remember that the journey to Begnion's capital is a far one, even for us Laguz. I have the utmost confidence in our messengers."
"My King!" Ranulf voiced as he walked over to the group. "Queen Nailah and Prince Rafiel are here. They wish to enter."
"Allow them entry," Gallia's king spoke with great authority. Nodding, the blue cat returned to the entrance, bringing the heron and wolf to everyone else within a few quick moments. "Prince Rafiel. Queen Nailah. I hope you rested well."
"Yes, it is very relaxing here," the white wolf commented, looking around. "I assume that Khimari hasn't returned yet."
"Not as of yet, I'm afraid," King Caineghis replied. "However, they should be on the return so-"
"My King! My King!" a voice shouted.
"What is it!" the lion bellowed as Kyza, a tiger rushed into the room with a look of urgency on their face.
"The messengers have returned from Begnion. They're all injured."
"What!? Bring them here at once!"
"Sir!" the tiger saluted before running to fetch them.
"What could've happened?" Reyson wondered in worry as the atmosphere of the room took a grave turn.
"We shall find out soon," Tibarn said as he rose from his sitting position. His words soon came to pass as three Laguz, a cat, a raven and a hawk, all came into the throne room panting heavily and with injuries. "What happened!" he demanded upon seeing the three.
"We…" the hawk started, before he fell to the ground in exhaustion.
"We were...ambushed….by Begnion last night," the cat finished, also breathing heavily as he and the raven tried to help the hawk to his feet.
"By Begnion?" the lion roared in outrage at the action before noticing something. "Where...is Khimari?"
"He...stayed back to...fend them off," the raven coughed out. After he revealed what had happened, a growl emanated from Queen Nailah.
"And you left him alone?" she interrogated, glaring at the three.
"Queen Nailah, I will send Giffca to find Prince Khimari," King Caineghis immediately offered, looking at his shadow who also was in the room.
"I will join him," the white wolf said.
"No need for that," another voice sounded. Seeing a flashing telltale of a transformation, the people present in the room turned to see Skrimir and Khimari walking up to them. The wolf had blood all over him and slits in his eyes as his entire body screamed murder.
"Khimari! What happened to you?" Ranulf spoke upon laying eyes on his son.
"The damn Senate." Before he continued, the raven started to falter as well.
"Giffca! Skrimir! Kyza! Take those three to be treated for their wounds."
"At once!" Giffca responded, before promptly leaving with the other two Gallians to fulfill their duty.
"Khimari, are you injured?" Reyson asked in concern seeing all of the blood on the wolf's body.
"No, I'm fine. We were attacked by Begnion pursuers last night," he informed.
"Did they cross the border?" Caineghis asked.
"No, they're all dead," Khimari blankly answered. "We don't have to worry about that. But anyways, let me tell you the details of our meeting with Begnion's Senate."
"Where was Apostle Sanaki?" the lion asked, noting her absence from the wolf's mouth.
"She was sick, from what her right hand told me," the wolf answered. "But as expected, the senators denied every claim of wrongdoing on their part, before offering a compromise."
"Oh? And what compromise did they offer?" Naesala asked. Though he had stayed mostly quiet through the ordeal, he clearly didn't like the recent order of events.
"They offered returning the whole of Serenes Forest to the remaining survivors of the Heron clan." Like the snap of a finger, the room's environment changed from anger to shock. Rafiel and Reyson both had gobsmacked expressions on their faces, though not everyone was convinced.
"What's the catch? They aren't that considerate all of a sudden," Nailah cut, killing the silence with her question. Interestingly enough, Khimari hesitated to talk further, as if what he knew would set someone in the room off.
"...In exchange for Serenes Forest, they want me to turn myself in to Begnion authorities and stand trial for the assassination of Begnion's last apostle." Once again, silence engulfed the Gallain throne room.
"...What?" Nailah snarled, a large amount of anger exuding off her very being.
"Mom, please calm down," her son tried to ease, walking closer to her, though the blood all over his body prevented him from making physical contact at the moment. "It's just their funny talk."
"Did they divulge to you any other conditions, Prince Khimari?" Tibarn asked, his eyes narrowed.
"That's all I got."
"...This is certainly a dire situation," the red lion admitted as his face wrinkled in thought. "Now we have an imminent conflict with Begnion."
"Was the deal really that bad?" Naesala brought up, putting a hand through his hair. "The herons finally reclaim their land in the end, and we only-"
"King Kilvas, I sincerely hope you aren't suggesting that we give my son up to Begnion," Nailah growled, glaring murderously at the raven king.
"We will do no such thing," King Caineghis shut down, much to the pleasure of Ranulf and Nailah. "Khimari has done nothing but aid all Laguz to the best ability possible during his time in Gallia and beyond. I will not tolerate any further harm to the wolf tribe than we have already allowed under our watch. Is that understood, King Kilvas?"
"Hmph, I am merely keeping our options open."
"Even if we gave the kid up-and I don't plan on doing it, either," Tibarn quickly added after seeing a shocked look from Ranulf and a look promising a painful death from Nailah that admittedly made him shift uncomfortably, "Now the Begnion senate has to answer for an attack on our messengers. That is a declaration of war."
"...So, we've come to this again?" King Caineghis said.
"We...shouldn't go to war so quickly," Khimari spoke up, for the first time in a while. "Let me go bac-"
"Absolutely not," the lion shut down.
"Please! If I can get to Apostle Sanaki, I-"
"You will do no such thing," King Caineghis refuted. "As things stand, you are on the top of their target list, seeing as how they asked for your imprisonment even before they attacked you and the other messengers."
"But we can't risk another war so soon!" the wolf back talked.
"...You must have the medallion in mind," the lion quietly said.
"...Among other things," Khimari admitted. "If we started a war with Begnion, half of the continent would already be fighting each other."
"You sound like that old lizard," Tibarn noted, obviously talking about King Deghinsea of Goldoa.
"Khimari, you need not worry about that eventuality," Reyson eased. "Remember that we still have the medallion. As long as it stays with us herons, the dark god will not befall us."
"...Fine." Without another word, the wolf left the room, leaving the throne in a state of silence.
"Your Majesty...May I go check on him?" Ranulf asked his king.
"Yes," the lion curtly approved. With a quick bow, the blue cat quickly left the room, following the wolf by scent outside of the castle. Sighing at how quickly Khimari managed to move around, he continued into the forest following his son's scent, which unfortunately carried a strong stench of blood on it.
Rather quickly, Ranulf found Khimari bathing himself in a nearby stream, which was tinted a darker red at the blood that came off the wolf's body. "Khimari, are you sure you're alright?" the cat asked as the wolf shook the water droplets from his fur after exiting the stream.
"Peachy."
"Did something else happen?" he asked quietly, knowing the look on the blue wolf's face. Something else happened that he didn't reveal. "You know you can trust u-"
"If I tell you, you can't let anyone know. Got it?" Khimari interrupted with a serious expression on his face. His tone was resolute; whatever he had to say was to be strictly between the two of them. Although Ranulf didn't want to keep any secrets, he reluctantly nodded in agreement to confidentiality. "...After the others went ahead, I was attacked by Feral Ones."
The effect was instant. Ranulf's eyes bulged as he drew closer to his son, unable to believe what he heard. "What!? They're still around?"
"Yes, and the architect of the whole deal is working with the Senate," he revealed. Although it was mostly speculation on the wolf's part, he didn't think of the connection until Sephiran's words finally clicked. The 'evil from the past' was Izuka, who created the Feral drug in the first place. It also meant that since the man was with now King Pelleas, Daein would effectively be wrapped around Begnion's finger as the impressionable young ruler would be moved to do whatever was advised by the madman.
"We must inform-"
"No! I just told you that no one else can know about this," Khimari hissed. "Not even King Caineghis or Mom."
"...You know what you're asking is impossible, right?" Ranulf sighed in frustration. "This is important! Do you know what that man has done to all our fellow Laguz?" At the slit of Khimari's eyes, the cat knew that he said the wrong words.
"I know what he's done better than all of you could ever begin to understand," Khimari said, his voice dripping like an acidic poison. His hand subconsciously touched the orange handkerchief from Nephenee, which covered the scar on his arm that he received from the injection site of Izuka's drug. "That's why I need to find him and kill him."
"...Khimari...I know how much this means to you. But realize, you are the one that Begnion's senate is after. For everyone's interest, you need to stay where we can all help you out."
"Help with what? Most of the people here don't even know this guy exists or is still alive."
"By the Goddess, Khimari LISTEN!" Ranulf yelled, grabbing his son by the arm and yanking it towards him. "You don't need to be heading off on a suicide mission! Can't you get that through your thick head!?" For a moment, it seemed as if a fight between the two would break out at any moment. Then, Khimari closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh of frustration.
"...Okay. I know you're just worried about me," the wolf admitted in a small voice, completely uncharacteristic of his normal exuberant personality. "Let's go back before someone comes to look for us." After a quick nod, the two blue-haired Laguz returned to the palace, thankfully having no interruption on their way to the throne room. As they returned to the room, Reyson and Rafiel had left, leaving only all of the Laguz royalty as well as Skrimir in attendance. "Did we miss anything?"
"Nothing at all," Naesala quickly responded, before turning back to the lion and hawk kings. "As agreed, we shall organize our forces before we reconvene for a strategy meeting?"
"Yes, as agreed," King Caineghis agreed. "We await your return, King Kilvas and King Phoenicis." After whatever happened in their absence, the two bird Laguz left the room, presumably to return to their castles and prepare troops for war. "Now, we will have to quickly organize our forces if we are to coordinate smoothly with Kilvas and Phoenicis," the Gallian king continued. "...Skrimir! You will be the general of our forces. Ranulf will be your direct confidant." The young lion's head rose with a great level of shock, clearly not expecting such a direct order like what he had received.
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty! I will not fail, for Gallia's sake!" Skrimir declared, restoring all of his usual confidence just as quickly as it left.
"Go prepare. I will bring you in later for further instruction." After the king's nephew left, the lion released a long sigh. "Ranulf, you will be instrumental in guiding Skrimir in the right direction as his primary advisor. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ranulf confirmed with a quick bow, before rising to his feet.
"It will be important to strategize. Begnion is a large empire with many resources and great manpower. Starting a war will be difficult considering our...lack of precedent."
"Lack of precedent?" Khimari echoed, not sure of what the king meant.
"Never before has Gallia actively planned an invasion of another nation," King Caineghis revealed. "We will not know how to structure such an effective attack without proper intuition."
"Well, I can help with that!" Khimari volunteered. "After working with Soren and the others in the last war, Dad and I can whip something up for sure."
To the wolf's confusion, the lion king did not immediately respond, simply looking at the wolf before releasing a heavy sigh. "Prince Khimari, I understand your want to help our cause. However, I believe it best if you stay within the borders of Gallia during this war."
"...What?"
"The message of the Begnion senate is not so easily forgotten on me," King Caineghis explained. "I cannot, in good conscience of your mother nor your tribe, allow you to take directly to the battlefield alongside the rest of the Laguz Alliance."
Every instinct from Ranulf told him that his son would burst in a myriad of objections and would argue every step of the way. Mentally preparing himself for the full brunt of the wolf's stubbornness, the cat found himself absolutely dumbfounded at the action that Khimari had chosen.
"...Alright. I'll stay back for the moment," the wolf relented, before asking permission to leave the room. When it was granted, only Caineghis and Ranulf remained in the throne room.
"...I did not expect him to relent so quickly," the Gallian king admitted.
"Me neither…" Ranulf agreed, feeling strange about the whole situation. "Why do I have a feeling that he's not finished with this yet?"
XXXXX
Five days later…
Everyone had quickly gone their separate ways in preparation for the war. King Tibarn and King Naesala had returned to their country, preparing a combined force to strike at Begnion while Ranulf had attempted to work with Skrimir over how to best move their forces into Begnion's territory.
The key word being attempted.
Currently, the two had been in the throne room along with King Caineghis, Giffca and Khimari mapping out a plan for Gallia's initial advance. "So, Flaguerre is the most important spot near the Begnion border?" Skrimir repeated from what Khimari just said.
"Yup. By taking the passageway through the northern part of the Ertz mountains, Gallia can organize a surprise strike, since they don't know they're at war yet," Khimari informed. "With luck, neighboring Mugill can be taken over in a similar fashion since they are also a long ways away from any major stronghold."
"Why do you speak of surprise strikes, Prince Khimari?" Skrimir asked, clearly bored with everything. "We are more than powerful enough to destroy Begnion's arsenal!"
"At the border? Sure, you guys could take them easily," the wolf conceded. "After that? You might as well dig your own graves."
"Do you doubt the might of Gallia's claws?"
"The only thing I'm doubting right now is if you have a brain between those shoulders," Khimari snapped back. 'Okay, Soren has DEFINITELY rubbed off on me,' he quickly thought as the statement repeated itself through his head. "We are dealing with Begnion. Big army, and big tactics. Brute force won't be enough to defeat them."
"Pah, tactics are for puny Beorc!" Skrimir refuted, crossing his arms. "Now, more than ever, we need to show the full might of the Laguz and crush Begnion for their actions."
"...You need to know these plans before you actually go and fight, Skrimir," the wolf said as he rolled his eyes.
"Please, Skrimir," Ranulf pleaded, clearly irritated with the lion's stubborn attitude.
"...Hpmh. Flaguerre, was it? Our first strike will be there?"
"Yes, afterwards, Mugill," Khimari simply said, pointing at the map of Tellius presented before them. "Then, the Telgam region would be best," he continued, moving his finger along a large swath of land.
"Why not cut directly across the river Muscale? Surely it would be easier to cross if Begnion's capital is that direction?" Skrimir asked.
"Besides the fact that the main river is too wide to feasibly cross as an entire army on foot, the Grann desert is smack-dab in the middle of the route you're talking about," Khimari answered, as he pointed at the expande. "No offense to Gallia, but none of you know the first thing about desert travel. The extreme heat and lack of resources and cover would make you sitting ducks for the Begnion Central Army."
"Hm…" For once, Skrimir seemed to take the wolf's words seriously. "That would not be beneficial."
"Not at all," the Hatarian agreed. "Now, back to the topic on hand...After the initial strikes, you'd probably have to deal with the Begnion Central Army...That is where things get complicated."
"What would be the reason for that, Prince Khimari?" King Gallia asked, speaking for the first time in a while. Despite being king, the fact that he did not lead the Gallian Army nor have great knowledge of war tactics led him to listen intently to what the wolf had been suggesting.
"They'd slaughter all of us. No question. If the Begnion Central Army arrives and there's no one there to plan around it, then there's no point of even starting the first battle," he gravely answered.
"That certainly is a big problem...Ah! What about Kilvas and Phoenicis?" Ranulf suggested.
"...That COULD work," Khimari agreed, before vocalizing what he and his father had shared non-verbally. "Considering that they have flight, Tibarn and Naesala could use their forces to intercept the Central Army's march at whatever moment they leave from the capital to join the fray...However, that is highly variable on the direction in which they take foot. If they go to the west, closer to the cost and river bank, the plan would work. If they take a route directly north…At any case, it would be best to have the bird armies follow the Muscale river to best be able to track whichever direction Begnion's Central Army goes. "
"There's too many factors involved to try and plan out an entire war from right here," Ranulf sighed.
"Then we simply begin the fight and go from there!" Skrimir suggested. "We will come up with the best plan in the heat of war."
"...What if we go get Ike?" the wolf suddenly suggested. "I'm sure he and the Greil Mercenaries would help out the Laguz Alliance if we asked. Soren's tactics are second to none, I tell you!"
"Ike? Of Crimea? Bah! We do not need Beorc to fight our battle!" the young lion immediately rejected.
"Skrimir! Hold your tongue," King Caineghis intervened. "Sir Ike and his company are great allies to Gallia. Think before speaking ill of them." With that handled, the elder lion turned to Ranulf. "Ranulf, would you go to Crimea and attempt to find the Greil Mercenaries? Ask them to be contracted by the Laguz Alliance for their assistance in the upcoming conflicts."
"Yes, Your Majesty! When shall I depart?"
"Now. Time is at the utmost importance, and I believe we have sufficiently covered enough for today. Both the hawk and raven king will return in the coming days. By then, Khimari will have worked out an initial strategy to follow and the Gallian Army will have begun their advance towards the Begnion border. Bring the Mercenaries, provided they join, to the base of the passageway between Gallia and Begnion that will be used to enter the empire."
"Yes, sir! By your leave?"
"Permitted. This meeting is over." Along with Ranulf, Khimari exited the room and quickly followed the cat down to his room where Nailah waited for him.
"Dad-"
"I know how you hate sitting still, Khimari, but until we can get a foothold in this war, you have to stay here."
"Just go," the wolf said, ignoring everything Ranulf just said. "...Tell Ike and the others I said hey."
"Will do," the cat agreed. While Khimari left, he opened the door to reveal Nailah waiting. "I'm back."
"I see. What has been decided?"
"I'm leaving for Crimea after we finish talking," he informed. "We have to enlist some help before we begin fighting."
"I see...so both of you will be gone?"
"No...Khimari's been more or less confined to Gallia's borders. He won't be going with me on the front line."
"Oh, boy," Nailah sighed. "That isn't going to end well at all..."
"Funny you should say that. I had the same feeling in the throne room, and I was the one that asked him to stay here."
"We both know that he's not going to stay still."
"Right you are...Hopefully, he just doesn't do anything absolutely crazy. It'd be hard not to worry if we knew he was at risk of being captured by Begnion."
"...Understandable, but Ranulf, keep yourself safe as well," the wolf queen said. "We just reunited. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you."
"I know, Nailah, but don't worry. The only thing that could seriously injure me right now are headaches from dealing with Skrimir." It gave the cat much happiness to see the wolf queen snort at his joke.
"...So, I should go check on him?" his mate asked after a small moment of comfortable silence.
"It'd probably be for the best. Maybe you could make him understand better than I could."
"Doubtful," Nailiah denied. Even still, the white wolf got up, gave the cat a quick peck on the cheek and left the room to find their child. Using his scent rather than relying on her memory of the castle layout, she eventually found his room and opened the door. Looking at the bed, she smiled lightly as she saw Khimari lightly patting a worn drum that she knew as the one that he had in Hatari. "I see you are still a child."
"Very funny, Mom," the wolf said with a roll of his eyes, transforming into his beorc form. "Did Dad leave yet?"
"He'll be out shortly. When are you leaving?" The question brought a confusion to the blue wolf's eyes, as surely Ranulf had told her about the recent decisions regarding his location.
"What makes you think I'm leaving?" Khimari asked, more curious than anything to see what the queen would say to him.
"Khimari, I know you," Nailah sighed. "In Hatari, you very rarely listened if someone told you to sit still. Even if you did, it was never for the actual time that we asked you. And clearly, you haven't changed in that regard, either."
"I don't know when I'm leaving," Khimari admitted. "When I do, don't freak out, okay? I don't want to make Dad worry more than he has to."
"On one condition," Nailah said, making her son's ears perk up. "Whatever you're doing, you first need to go to Daein and get Volug to go with you. I won't allow any attempt otherwise."
"...Okay, I'll go to Daein first, then," Khimari accepted, knowing that it was a reasonable stipulation all things considered. That also would probably give him another avenue to being able to track down Izuka much easier, since Micaiah was still gushing over King Pelleas' side, most likely."...What are you going to tell everyone when I leave?"
"Hm? I didn't know you were leaving," his mom said with a sly grin on her face. Instantly getting the hidden meaning, Khimari stood up and gave her a small hug.
"You are so awesome!"
"Mmm…" Without another word, Nailah left the blue wolf alone before sighing to herself. She didn't like having to go behind Ranulf's back, but considering how their son was, it would be better to at least make sure someone would accompany him in whatever venture he got himself into.
"How in the world did I ever deal with Khimari as a child?" she asked herself before once again becoming flustered when she realized she didn't know how to get back to Ranulf's room.
XXXXX
One week later…
"Sheesh! How in the world can one band of mercenaries run around so wildly!? Don't they ever have to sleep at home?" Ranulf ranted to himself as he found himself walking back to the fort of the Greil Mercenaries. After initially going there and finding nothing, he asked around a plethora of villages that gave him information that made him travel the entire country. Already he had gone from Toha to Delbray and even to Melior, though for reasons unknown security was too high for him to even try and ask Queen Elincia anything. He'd definitely ask Lethe and Mordecai about that later.
"Okay, here we-Ah!" Ranulf gasped at seeing a moving figure outside the fort. Full of excitement and relief, the cat ran up to the person, who turned out to be Soren. "Well, if it isn't the little staff officer!"
"...Ranulf? What are you doing here?" the mage asked, as stoic as ever.
"I need to speak with Ike about something. Can you lead me to him?"
"Follow me," Soren said, before turning and walking into the base. Going behind the aloof tactician, Ranulf found himself feeling better and better as his search came to an end. That didn't remove the foreboding feeling of dread of the upcoming war against Begnion, however. "Ike, a visitor to see you." Soren called as the two entered the base.
"A visitor?" Ike's voice echoed down the hall. "Who is it?" Before Ranulf could answer, Ike walked out of the corridor and laid eyes on the blue cat. Instantly, the mercenary commander's eyes widened in recognition, making Ranulf gain a large grin at the cartoonish look of it all. That notwithstanding, Ike had grown immensely since the last time they'd seen each other, which was about two years ago, give or take a few months.
"Long time no see, Ike," the Gallian started. "I've been looking all over Crimea for you. You guys are never home!"
"Ranulf! How are you?" Ike returned with a similar gusto. "How's everyone in Gallia? Are Khimari and Caineghis well?"
"Everyone's doing great! We Laguz don't take ill too easily, so it's hard for us not to be 'well'," he explained cheekily, despite the fact that the situation was not exactly what would constitute as "well."
"Seeing you again brings back memories," the blue-haired swordsman said with a content expression on his face. "We couldn't have won the war if not for Gallia's aid...yours especially," he added, more than likely recounting how the cat fought directly alongside him and the Greil Mercenaries, as well as helping them get to Begnion in the first place and a myriad of other things.
"Well, same goes for you! Who knows where we would be if not for Ika and the Greil Mercenaries?" The two shared a small chuckle before Ike's face turned the slightest bit serious, instantly signaling the cat that the serious part of the conversation would be starting any moment.
"Speaking of old friends….I saw Princess Leanne in the Crimean royal court," Ike shared, leading the cat to recount how the female heron and the old raven, Nealuchi, left Gallia to come to Crimea a decent while ago. "Apparently, she came looking for me, too. She said, "Please save my brothers." Do you know what she's talking about?"
Despite the fact that what Leanne was talking about was the same reason for his visit, Ranulf couldn't help but sigh at the upcoming words he mentally prepared to tell Ike. "So, she's heard...Let me get straight to the point, Ike," the cat said, thinking that the blunt approach of his mate and child would be best suited for this conversation. "War has come to us once again."
"What!?" Ike shouted, completely taken off-guard by the news.
"The Laguz Alliance, which consists of Gallia, Phoenicis and Kilvas, is setting out against Begnion. The situation has escalated very quickly."
"Escalated seems a bit of an understatement, don't ya think?" Ike asked exasperatedly. "I know things between Begnion and the Laguz nations weren't exactly friendly, but I thought things were getting better." At this point, both Titania and Soren came to join their commander in the conversation with the cat, while the rest of the Greil Mercenaries kept doing whatever they were doing, Ranulf supposed.
"Prince Rafiel, the eldest child of the herons, brought back some very disturbing news from Daein. He'd learned that Begnion's senate ordered the extermination of the herons. This spurred the Laguz to strike against Begnion. That's why I came looking for you," Ranulf explained. "We need your help."
For a while, silence reigned between the four. "Is there truly no way to prevent a war? I doubt Apostle Sanaki would approve of whatever the Senate did," Ike mentioned. "Maybe something can be negotiated."
"We already tried the diplomatic route," Ranulf sighed, not looking forward to what he had to say. "Khimari along with three other representatives of the Laguz Alliance went to talk as messengers with the Apostle and the Senate. They were attacked by Begnion soldiers, and one died from his injuries," Ranulf recounted, thinking of Tibarn's rage when the hawk died in Gallia. Unfortunately, the extent of his injuries was beyond any sort of medical treatment Gallia could provide at the snap of a finger. "There's no other way, I'm afraid."
"They attacked messengers?" Titania echoed. "They surely should know that's basically an open declaration of violence."
"Begnion's ruling class, or the majority of it, at the least, still sees Laguz countries as not even worth bothering with. I doubt they considered the possible blowbacks of such an action."
"They basically ordered murder? ...Ranulf, we'll help," Ike decided then and there. Regardless of whatever the two bodies had against each other, Begnion clearly overstepped its bounds and was in the wrong. "We'll move out with you tomorrow morning, but can we get more details about how we'll proceed?" he requested as Titania went to inform the rest of the group about their new contract.
"Absolutely!" Ranulf obliged, feeling better now that they can get straight to the heart of things. "As we speak, the Gallian Army is moving out towards the Crimean border. Using a valley pathway that Begnion doesn't know about, we plan to cross into enemy territory undetected. From there, we attack. I'll lead you to where they are whenever you're ready."
XXXXX
Three weeks later…
"King Caineghis, any word from the armies?" Khimari asked as the two, along with Giffca, stood in the throne room. The half moon stood over all of them, illuminating the quiet ocean of trees around them.
"Yes. The first battle will soon be afoot. The Greil Mercenaries have joined our cause and will be fighting with the Gallian army, according to the most recent report," the red lion informed. "Now, we pray that the Goddess' fortune smiles upon them."
"Yup, that's what it looks like...By your leave?"
"Hmph, you may go," the Gallian king permitted with a smirk. Even after so long, the wolf still asked permission to leave the throne room. As soon as Khimari exited the room, he made sure that no one was around before making his way out of the castle. Once outside, he turned around to take one more look at the building, knowing that he would be in a heap of trouble whenever he got back.
"Hey! Khimari!" a voice called. Looking over, he saw Akiza, the red cat, running over to him. "What are you doing?"
"Just taking a walk," he simply answered, inwardly irritated at being seen. It wasn't surprising though, since he had easily deduced that Caineghis asked her to keep track of him to make sure he didn't run anywhere as a precaution.
"Can I...come with you?"
"...Sure," Khimari agreed, internally sighing at what he had to do. Without any other word, the two began to walk in the middle of the forest. "So, how do you feel about being in the army? Is training going as expected?" he asked, trying to make a little conversation.
"It's rough!" the girl complained. "Not as hard as your training, though. I'm getting better every day! Miss Lethe said I could even become a commanding officer in a few years!"
"Wow, Lethe told you that?" Khimari echoed, genuinely surprised. For the stone-willed cat to give that high a praise to someone, meant that there was real potential. "Then you're definitely gonna be going places."
"Thanks! Have you...heard anything about Rikari? I haven't seen him since they came to Gallia…" she shifted, looking down as the wolf recognized her embarrassment instantly. Although her crush on the orange wolf was old news, it was still funny to see how highly she thought of the wolf.
"They're fine. Got a letter last week about doing a long-term investigation," Khimari told her.
"I wish I could work with him...them, I meant," the cat fixed, now blushing profusely.
"Let me help you out. Rikari is dense about love. Just make the first move."
"What!? Are you sure?"
"Yup! Everything will get clearer from there," Khimari advised, already knowing that Rikari thought the red cat was cute as per being told from said orange wolf. Playing matchmaker in this case wouldn't have many risks.
"Okay! ...Do we go back now?" she suddenly asked as the two stopped in the middle of their conversation.
"...You should go back," he said. "I just need to think about some more things."
"Well….I don't want to leave you by yourself. It can be dangerous!" Akiza tried to excuse. In response, Khimari gave the girl a sad smile.
"Don't worry about me. Just make sure to keep yourself safe, okay?"
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A little later…
Khimari sighed as he reached the ending of the southern caverns. He hated what he did, but the girl wouldn't let him go by himself otherwise. He could only hope that Akiza forgave him when the time came, but there was no way he would stand back and let those monsters have their way with Tellius. "...Are you there?"
"...I am," a voice answered. Looking out, Khimari watched as a girl with a cloak walked into the cavern with a solemn look to her eye. "I am ready to leave."
"...Does anyone else know you're leaving?" In response, the girl shook her head.
"I...couldn't bring myself to let Nasir or Kurthnaga know. They would only try to stop me," she said sadly. Khimari could smell the guilt coming off of her.
"Look, you don't have to do this, Ena. I'll just go by myself, if need be."
"...No," she rejected. "Although I loathe breaking the rules of my tribe once more...I cannot idly sit by while Izuka is still roaming alive. For Rajaion...I can no longer do nothing."
"...Okay. Come on," the wolf said. With that, the two retreated into the caverns on their mission to find and the creator of the Feral Ones.
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A/N: Hello! Hope everyone liked that chapter, and as usual, please leave a favorite, follow or a review (especially reviews cuz all input is appreciated in some way, shape or form), and I'll get to y'all people next time!
Blizzard, out!