Born to Fly

Part 4

The five feudal lords of Keanos gathered in the Land of Mammals for their spring summit. A summit was held every season of the year for the feudal lords to come together and discuss important matters concerning the continent. The lands rotated hosting duties for the summit and this time it was the mammals' turn. Their very own feudal lord, Linnaeus, welcomed the other four lords into his castle where the meeting took place.

They all sat at a round wooden table in the center of the grand hall. The room was big enough to fit several village huts in. There was a vibrant glow as sunlight shined through large windows and beamed onto walls and a floor made of beige dorenymite stone. There were twelve pillars lined up along every side of the room, each with a different mammal carved into it.

Linnaeus had the manek of a lion. At age fifty-two, he was the oldest among the feudal lords. He had poofy golden hair and a golden beard which made him appear as though he was already in his lion form.

To his right was the feudal lord of the Land of Birds, Hielee. He was nine years younger than Linnaeus. His manek was from the bald eagle.

Next was Sunari, of the Land of Reptiles. Her manek was from the inland taipan, the most venomous snake in the world.

Then there was Galryas from the Land of Amphibians who possessed the manek of a red-eye tree frog. Both Sunari and Galryas were in their mid-thirties.

Lastly, there was Rachias, the great white shark and feudal lord of the Land of Fish. Being twenty-four years old, he was the youngest person at the table.

Along with the feudal lords was the moderator, Carolus. He had been the summit moderator for the past twenty-seven years. The old man was chosen by the feudal lords to moderate all summits because he did not have a manek. They believed he would be more likely to act fairly and unbiased towards the lands while conducting the summits. A manekless human was called a vora, which was even less common than a spora. Carolus began the summit with some opening words.

"Greetings, dear leaders, and welcome to the Spring 963 Feudal Lord Summit. Before we begin, please remember to abide by all rules and proper etiquette of feudal lord summits as stated in the collective national constitution of Keanos. With the Land of Mammals hosting the current summit, Feudal Lord Linnaeus is granted the right to present the first matter of discussion."

There was a brief moment of silence before Linnaeus began speaking. His voice was powerful and tonic, like the roar of a lion.

"My fellow lords. I think we can all agree on which topic we should discuss first. I, myself, feel very unsettled about the chaos that is taking place over in Zitonia. After multiple wars and power struggles, the spiders have seized control of the continent. Their ruthless leader is Teraphon, the giant goliath bird-eating spider. Of course, all of you already know these facts. What we don't know is what Teraphon plans to do as the new Zitonian dictator."

"Dictator, huh?" said Rachias. "No one man should have all of that power."

"Agreed," replied Linnaeus.  "The arthropod people are currently in disarray with frequent riots and rebellion. However, Teraphon does have control of each government of the four Zitonian domains. My biggest concern is that if he has any resentment about the treatment of his ancestors, he could start a war between Keanos and Zitonia."

"Or, if he's a power-hungry maniac who seeks complete world domination," Sunari added.

Galryas chimed in. "It might be best if we take action first. We can launch an attack on them before they have time to grow stronger."

"I would have to disagree, Galryas," said Rachias. "Attacking would be sure to start a deadly intercontinental war. That would be a foolish decision, considering that there is no evidence that Teraphon plans to attack us."

"So what do you suggest that we do? Sit here and wait for those savages to strike? Teraphon is a spider. That is the most vicious and immoral animal class there is." Galryas slammed a heavy fist down on the wooden table. "Have you forgotten about their gruesome actions during the Phylo War? They killed warriors who had already surrendered in battle. Those monsters ravaged innocent civilian villages and committed unspeakable atrocities. We cannot allow a spider to hold such a position of power."

I have a suggestion, if I may add?" said Hielee. "Perhaps instead of putting our efforts into an attack, we should focus on strengthening our defenses in the Keanoan lands. That way, we will be prepared for an attack without setting off a war. We should just have our scouts keep a close eye on them while we prepare our people for potential conflict."

Rachias added an idea of his own. "What about the possibility of making peace with Teraphon. We could form a treaty through negotiation and diplomacy."

Galryas snickered. "I suppose you'll want to sit down with him and sip on the finest wine, as you two calmly talk your issues away? Do you really believe that a man who forced his way to the top, through terror and brute strength would be willing to negotiate?"

Visibly irritated, Rachias replied, "You think my idea is foolish just as I believe yours is, but we must explore all of our possibilities."

The discussion between the group continued for about twenty more minutes. Eventually, Carolus felt that there was nothing more that needed to be added and he wrapped things up.

"After reviewing my notes, it seems that there are three ways in which we can address the threat of Teraphon and the spiders. Our first option is to invade Zitonia with our armed forces. The second option is to prepare our defense without interaction with the Zitonians. Our third and final option would be to prepare our defense while attempting to make peace with Teraphon. As always, the decision will be made by the voting majority. Are there any questions before we proceed?"

None of the feudal lords responded.

"Very well. Now, raise your hand if you choose to invade Zitonia with military power."

Only Galryas lifted his hand. Carolus continued.

"Raise your hand if you wish to fortify the Keanoan lands without any interaction with Teraphon or any Zitonian domains."

Linnaeus, Hielee, and Sunari all raised their hands.

"Lastly, raise your hand if you choose to fortify the Keanoan lands while attempting to make peace with Teraphon or the Zitonian domains."

Rachias proudly chose this option, even though it was clear that option two had the majority of votes.

"It has been decided. We shall add strength and numbers to our armed forces as we monitor the actions of Teraphon and Zitonia. You all can discuss the details of this decision during tomorrow's summit recap. Appeals can be made at that time as well."

Carolus slid his notes to the side, uncovering a fresh sheet of parchment for a new set of notes.

"Sunari, can you please present our next topic of discussion?"