As I listened to the cries of my keelish, I was again tempted to shift my vision to perceive heat signatures, but with a force of effort, instead I strode forward, my magic bubbling within my throat. The “re lesser” keelish continued to scream around , and a part of wanted to delay reaching out, delay helping them to allow their morale to break so that I could ensure that my [Innervating Address] would fully change the morale of my swarm. After all, they all would be served by my continuing evolutions, and every [Skill] that evolved would allow to save more in the future!
My cold reasoning rang hollow in my own ears, and before I thought for another mont, I let out my [Innervating Address].
“Stand together! Retreat from the shores and gather together! Survival is victory!”
The shift in my perspective, sothing I’d let slowly turn and fester within , had my mind imdiately snap to different instructions and I understood that the boosts to my mind’s alacrity from [Pack Tactics], [Innate Leadership], and all my other [Skills] had changed. Before, their focus was primarily on the complete destruction of anything that crossed , and that at any cost. Now, though, I could feel that I valued my keelish’s lives. They were my people, and not just that in word but in reality as well. Before, I’d thought of keelish as my people, but only truly counted the khatif as mine.
I shook the realizations from the forefront of my mind, instead redoubling any plans to ensure the greatest survival rate of my keelish. Though I hadn’t shifted my perception to heat signatures, the setting suns cut through the overcast clouds enough to see murky shadows and vague outlines. Beyond that, the keelish had been surprised, and I knew that the vast majority of my swarm spent their entire lives seeing exclusively heat signatures. Sothing cold blooded, then?
The cries of several keelish cut off, and the splashing resud as the unseen assailants retreated back to the waters. I sprinted to the shore and tried to catch a leg or arm or even a glimpse, but by the ti I was near enough to begin to see anything, all that was left of the ambushed keelish were a series of ripples that quickly faded in the water. I paced along the banks of the island, but even after minutes, I didn’t see a shadow of the sneaky bastards or their prey. Whatever it had been, if it was just one, or several, or many, had escaped wholly without punishnt. I was reminded of the Martanimis that swallowed whole and nearly killed … and the terrorbird that had escaped with Oncli’s corpse.
Would this be a creature that I couldn’t face as I was? Looking around, the Wave Wolfstags had retreated back nearly to the center of the island, nervously whining to each other and begging Joral, Sybil, and Shemira for their support. They knew sothing about whatever this thing was, and not for the first ti, I cursed that we couldn’t communicate with the wolfstags more clearly than simple commands. With a sigh, I dispelled the thoughts and instead refocused myself on how to protect the swarm.
Should we just leave?
No, I didn’t know if the thing was still nearby, and how many of them there were.
Just sleep and hope it didn’t return?
Never. Those losses were no longer acceptable to .
Set up–that thought could work. Why hadn’t we implented it yet?
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Foire!” I didn’t shout, but I’d long learned, even without the influence of my magic, how to make my voice carry. It took less than a minute for the scout to step close to , his daughter surprisingly not held protectively in his arms.
“Alpha?” He asked without another word.
“Other than yourself and Silf, who are the best scouts in the swarm?” Foire’s tail flicked as he thought, but before he could answer, I continued, “Gather the best scouts, have at least two working together through the night with others. Have the entire periter of the island covered, keep watch over anything intruding. For assistance, have Solia light sothing on fire to post at the edges of the water, that way we can see whatever it is that attacked.”
Foire flared his frills once in acknowledgent and turned to walk away, then, after a brief hesitation, turned back and asked, his voice only barely loud enough for to hear, “Do you need to keep an eye out myself? Or rely those who I deem as capable?”
I cocked my head. “My intention in asking was so that the best scouts in the swarm are helping to ensure that no more of our fellow keelish perish under the ambushes of whatever it is that lurks in the water.”
Foire’s tail twitched restlessly, his anxiety becoming more and more apparent as I looked on in confusion. He responded, “But… I wanted to know if I specifically need to watch through the night.”
“Not through the entire night, but you should watch for part of the night. Rotate with the others, and I’ll help with organizing and maintaining the periter.” I cocked my head and flicked my tail in confusion before asking, “Does that not make sense? If not, I can re-explain whatever you’re confused about.”
Foire clicked his teeth together in denial. “Then please wait here.” Without another word, Foire jogged away without any explanation. I turned to look at Sybil but she flicked her tail dismissively without answering . Though I had begun to take deliberate action to keep myself from looking down on the rest of the swarm and especially those not khatif, there was an imdiate rage that swelled inside at the dismissive attitudes taken by my subordinates. As my lip curled away from my fangs and a displeased growl swelled in my throat, Sybil stepped close.
Before I could make any audibly dissatisfied sounds, she murmured to , “It will be fine. Calm your heart.” I wasn’t sure if it was a minute magical calm or rely Sybil’s presence, but there was a slight wave of calm that passed over at her words. I flared my frills and forced myself to a comfortable position to await Foire’s return. It wasn’t more than two minutes before he was back with Trai in his arms. She yawned and squeaked at her father as he carried her towards and he softly whispered in her ear while he nuzzled her neck. Trai’s high pitched, sleepy giggles carried pleasantly through the still night air, and Foire stood next to and stretched out his arms with his daughter offered to .
As I looked at him, Foire spoke, “While I am watching for anything coming, would you stay with Trai? She gets cold easily during the night, and needs soone to lie with her.”
Her sleepy eyes t mine and though she tried to hold her head high and inspect , the head with too-large eyes quickly flopped to the side as her eyelids grew too heavy to support themselves. I didn’t hesitate to reach out with both hands and took her. Trai nuzzled herself into the crook of my arm, her hot breaths fogging on my scales in the cool night.
“Of course, my friend. I’ll step out after you return to contribute.”
His daughter taken care of, Foire flared his frills and summoned his fellow scouts with a series of quiet clicks that sohow carried over the entirety of the island. Before I could say anything, Sybil stepped next to and spoke softly, “I will take charge of organizing the additional patrols and Solia’s fires. You care for the child.”
Without waiting for any word from , Sybil walked away, and I was left with the delicate, exhausted baby. I felt a smile cross my face without any conscious thought, and I settled into a comfortable position on the ground before I began humming with the influence of [Nurturing Enunciation]. Trai settled more comfortably against as she snored softly and, before I knew it, I joined her in sleep.
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