“As you know, Ivarr, the former leader of the Northern Bastion, died recently under strange circumstances. His body was found disemboweled with multiple traces of claws and fangs of an oncifelis.”
“And you find it strange that an oncifelis managed to win a ground fight against an Erian? You know as well as I do that on the ground, these animals are terrible hunters.”
“But Lokk, that's what I have a problem with. I knew Ivarr. That a Bastion leader like him, a seasoned and experienced warrior, was caught on the ground by this great beast, is more than surprising. If any man would lose a ground fight with these animals, few of us would be surprised fast enough not to fly away immediately. And in the air, these animals don't stand a chance. The question is this: “How could Ivarr have been taken by surprise by an oncifelis attack?”
“Perhaps he was already injured for some other reason? Asleep? Or what do I know?” I answer Lokk with a shrug of the shoulders, but not the least convinced by his suppositions.
“One can say that this ‘distraction’ suits Nurr, who is now the new leader of the Northern Bastion, and who seems more interested in enlarging his territory than in the peaceful management of his own Bastion.”
Udoo suddenly appears in front of us and lands on the rocky overhang where Lokk and I are talking.
“Nixx, were you looking for me? I heard your mental call.”
“Yes, Udoo, the preparations for the ceremony for your son are going well?”
“One can say, all these women are excited like hummingbirds and they will soon have stripped our valley of all its flowers to adorn Yly.”
Udoo shakes his head with a disillusioned look, while the beginning of a smile twists the corner of his mouth. His eyes are laughing and happy.
Since the death of his wife and of my father, whose right hand he was, Udoo has not had much opportunity to rejoice. Seeing him like this, soothed by the union of Oludd, reinforces my decision to leave him for some time in a surveillance post in our Bastion, thus closer to his son and his Life Partner.
“Udoo, you will take over the Bastion for a few days. Lokk and I have to go south to meet Azarr. Nothing special to report during your watch here, both on the Complex and on the forest. Just keep a close eye on Kryll, who is often in the wrong business and rarely a stranger to the quarrels that may arise.”
Kryll is one of the men in my territory. He has a naturally warlike temperament and I suspect he wants to overthrow me and become the new leader of the Western Bastion.
Although he doesn't have a powerful and bright enough aura to do so, he sows the seeds of protest more often than not, in the hope that a majority of our people would follow him to have me removed from office. And then to run as the new leader of Bastion.
Perhaps this was also Nurr's goal in the north and he set a trap for the former Ivarr leader to move things in his favor more quickly.
I'm working out different scenarios, whether it's about Nurr getting rid of Ivarr to get into power, or about Kryll who seems to want the same thing. For the moment, apart from speculating, there is nothing more we can do.
The sun is now low on the horizon, the union ceremony should not be long in coming. A large fire trail crosses the sky at this time, heading south of our territory. It is quite rare to see such debris crashing into our world and this one seems bigger than the others.
I scan carefully this whole portion of the sky to see if this debris is isolated or if other falls are to be feared. My two companions do the same and Udoo finally indicates to me: “Tomorrow, I'll go inspect this area to see what damage it may have done.”
“Yes, do that, but it can wait until the day after tomorrow, it seems to me. I don't think we're a day away. Tomorrow you may not be in condition and the men may not be either. I wish you would take two or three men with you when you go. It must have fallen not far from the coastal area from what we saw. The last time a rock fell from the sky, it caused quite a bit of damage. Anyway, if there was any significant damage, we'll get word quickly and we can always go in early.”
“In the meantime, it's time to start the festivities to celebrate your son's union. Let's go.”
We arrive together on the high plateau of the cliff that overhangs our forest. A colorful crowd of wings passing by all the shades of beige, browns, and grays, up to the darker ones, even black like mine, is already amassed there.
It encircles a couple: Oludd and his mocha-colored antlers and Yly and her brown wings speckled with gray.
Oludd donned a leather ceremonial loincloth, tattooed with union symbols.
As for Yly, she is dressed in a beige silk toga and many necklaces of freshly cut flowers adorn her neck.
They seem to have eyes only for each other. Their two auras radiate happiness.
As the leader of the Western Bastion, I must preside over the short ceremony. I raise a mocking eyebrow as I smell a fresh, tangy scent emanating from Oludd; carried away in his contemplation of his Life Partner, he begins to exhale a scent characteristic of united males.
Hearing the quiet laughter around him, he blushed and took a step back and began to say his vows:
“I, Oludd, son of Udoo and Megy, recognize you as my Life Companion, beyond the Winds.
I carry you in my heart, I carry you in my body.
I will go with you, where the Winds will carry us.
