Feathers of Bravery

Aihla

It was six o'clock. We had one hour until they would come and we had prepared as much as we could. Meylo was in his position in the center of town along with a few fighters and that raven friend of his. They would hold the line as the hatchlings and others would hide in the forest. Jess was positioned outside of the hospital with a few fighters of her own. I stayed perched on a branch that was overlooking the sea. Keeping watch, so that at the first sign of any of their ships I will start the spell for the mist to appear.

I didn't want to look away from the ocean, but I kept my ears alert for the flyers we had sent out. They still weren't back yet which was to be expected but something was making my feathers ruffle. It had me wanting to launch off the branch and pounce on anything that moved. I didn't bother telling Meylo or Jess about since it would only end up worrying them. Plus, we had no fighters or flyers to spare to check if everything was ok. There was no fire or movement coming from Meer. Unless you knew this town's exact location, it would look like empty space from out on the sea. That's how we wanted to keep it.

Seconds before the clock would turn seven, the faintest orange hue from lanterns could be seen on the horizon. With a small chirp, I give the signal for the small group of seagulls that are hiding in the trees alongside the banks. Only the faintest response is returned, trying to avoid bringing any unwanted attention. After I release the mist and we see which ones didn't crash on the rocks, then when those birds disembark I will give another signal to the first wave to board and deal with anything they find. Most importantly though is that they will disable the ship so that they can't pull away.

"Oriatur caligo" I whisper into the air. The mist developed faster than I had anticipated and was thicker than normal. As it spread, I could hear the beating of wings coming from the woods. It was them, the flyers. But they weren't alone. For a moment I worried that they were being pursued by an enemy but to my relief they had a few fighters from Riverira. One of them I instantly recognized as the guard that Meylo had taken under his wing while were there. He was barely a youngster but showed a lot of promise and would make a fine guard.

They silently flew to the locations that I suspect the flyers told them about. The youngster went to the center of town with Meylo.

Our attention was all brought to the sea when we heard the creaking of the ships trying to navigate through. Everyone tried to keep quiet when we heard shouting and an explosion went off. Obviously indicating that at least one ship went down. More shouting followed and then another crash. We all had our feathers rustling and our talons shifting as we continued to hear the destruction that was happening within the mist. Many of the birds here are predatory so hearing others in peril and possibly injured is causing our instincts to rile up.

But we couldn't give into them no matter how strong the pull became. In the back of my mind I couldn't help but recall my training when I was in the arena with Father and Rodo and it was then that I used for the first time the old ways tactic. I remember how agitated they got because I was doing the exact thing of riling up their instincts. Only difference really is that while my family was able to relieve their instincts by being able to attack, we on the other hand have to sit still and quiet. Not fun and is growing harder by the second.

I know I shouldn't wait or be eager, however you want to put it, to go to war and battle. No true leader is ever bloodthirsty. Though I can't say I'm not relieved when we see those that have survived the rocks and the mist begin crossing the docks and landing. Some of their feathers are burned and missing, almost looking exactly like the bandits from Riverira. Only instead of the wild look as if they were savages in their eyes, they were cold and calculating.

These birds were not just raiding and committing random acts of terrible violence. Before I let myself wander to the thoughts and questions that are beginning to form in my mind, I refocus to the task at hand. Shoulders all tense when there's another explosion from the rocks. Surprisingly the mist is still holding and I don't feel my energy depleting as it usually does when I use my magic.

To be honest, at this point there's no way to tell was mist and what is smoke as they mixed together. It was all just a huge cloak. Taking a chance, I uttered the words in reverse to release the spell. Usually we allow spells to release on their own as the magic disappears. But with all this smoke, it's a safe bet. There's also other matters to why I release the mist. Those aren't important now.

The enemy that is getting angrier with the revelation that their ships have been destroyed. That this wasn't something not natural but rather created by an unknown force that we still don't fully understand. We owls and a perhaps a selected handful of birds that believe in magic. Heck in those who believe go more on faith than actually witnessing. By their expressions they are the majority that believed magic to be myth and fairytale.

As the mist lifted and turned to the sky, their calls echoed through the night. In that instant, I took back my statement of them not acting like the Riverira bandits. They went on a rampage and heavily attacked the building that I suspected they have always been targeting. We could all hear the smashing and breaking of the stores that they entered. Meylo's men waited until they reached the center which is where the majority of the nest housing is.

The moment that the cross the invisible line that marks the markets and the citizens' nests. That's when his force will engage and protect as the defenseless continue to try and make haven in the woods. Just like they had their schedule to attack at a certain time, we have ours. Any delay or the showing of our hand too soon could lead to disaster.