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A Scarred Heart

Thursday, May 24th, 739 BSO; 11:00 AM

Seventy-two hours. That was how long Kibwe Feralheart and his Clan had been given to make up their minds - side with the Seers or side with the Tuk. The only other choice was to find themselves shunned by both, leaving the Heart Clan outnumbered 5-to-1. Even with the civil war occurring, only a few stubborn (or stupid) Councilors thought it wise to even consider that option.

While the true deadline was still several hours away, the black-feathered raptor decided to make his choice now, rather than put it off until later in the day. Ayo, the blue-purple Dilophosaurus that sat beside Kibwe, figured that it was the best choice he could have made. The chamber already reeked of fear and anxiety and even she felt primal instincts rising to the surface in response to it all.

Kibwe had yet to tell her what his choice was and she was almost afraid to ask. While she highly doubted that he'd side with the Tuk, she also knew he was worried about the Seer's terms. The first was simple enough - a commitment to the war, but it was the second term that made them both worried: that the Claw Clan, when they were able, would propose a single term of their own.

Kibwe stood and all the nervous, idle chatter came to a stop at once. The two diplomats, who up to that point had been glaring daggers at one another, turned their full attention to the large male that was now standing before them. Both bowed their head in traditional respect to his rank of Leader and then stood quietly before him. Nothing they did or said at this stage could possibly change his mind, so the only thing they could do was fidget before him. Ayo noticed that the Tuk envoy looked far more nervous than the almost laidback Seer, making the dilo wonder if Subira already had seen the outcome to the choice.

The black-feathered male cleared his throat and then bowed his head to both of the envoys in kind before turning to face the Tuk first, "I appreciate your Prophet's offer of companionship, but it is my actions that triggered this war," unwillingly or otherwise, "and I cannot, with good conscience, lead my Clan against the very people who spoke up in defense of me and mine."

He turned his head toward the Seer and bowed his head once more, "It is with a heavy heart, then, that I declare myself to Subira Sightseer's cause, and dedicate my people and my arm to her cause of war against the Tuk."

Ayo could tell, as he finished, that he had spent time in private rehearsing the lines. It was very political and proper, and while Kibwe had proven himself a decent politician, she knew that something like that would have taken him hours of self-preparation, rather than merely growling at the pair of them for putting him in such a position.

In response to the declaration, the Tuk envoy opened their snout to complain, but was utterly drowned out by the cries of approval from the Council and even beyond, the halls outside seemingly filled with Kibwe's people. They had a purpose, a goal now that they had lacked for the past several weeks: war. The angered Tuk was led from the chamber by a guard while Kibwe silently signaled for the Seer to follow him out of the main chamber and into a side room beyond. Ayo followed after, as was her right, and Kibwe didn't refuse her.

"My Matron Sightseer would like to express her gratitude, Kibwe Feralheart," spoke the envoy, a different one than the last time. Ayo stepped around the pair and examined the room beyond, which had been converted into what could only be called a war room. Maps covered every inch of it, and small wooden figures lay upon a table, crudely painted in the colours of every Clan.

"Gratitude is less helpful at the moment than knowledge. I assume you can help correct this? It was roughly assembled by myself and a few members of my Council last night, but our information isn't as accurate as we would desire."

Ayo didn't see anything horribly out of place insofar as the figurines were concerned, with each Clan right where they belonged - the Seer and Heart both with their figurines stacked on their home complex, and the Claw reduced to three of the things - their complex sharing the yellows and teal of the Talon and Feather Clans along with their own blue. The Tuk's green was there in the Claw temple as well, but the majority of it seemed to still be reserved for the central complex - the Temple of the Tuk'un itself.

"Mostly correct, from what we know, except," the female reached over to the Claw Clan's complex and flicked one of three standing figurines over, before also removing two of the Feather's back to their own area. "The Feather has recently been pulling back. They demanded tribute in exchange for recent deaths while fighting on the frontline and the Tuk has been stalling."

"I see... and where exactly does Subira want my people?" he asked, and Ayo expected the most obvious answer -a direct march upon the Temple of the Tuk'un, but instead the envoy took six of Kibwe's eight figures and slipped them down to the lower city instead. She then maneuvered the pieces, making a long swing through the lower city and then up to the Claw temple. "We believe you have an expert on this area, after all," the envoy said while meeting Ayo's eyes directly.

Ayo flushed before giving a firm bob of her head, "An army of any size will be difficult to move through the lower city, but I should be able to navigate a safe passage through the roughest part of town," and the parts most sympathetic to the Heart Clan, too.

"So we are to commit ourselves to the freedom of the Claw Clan first, then?" Kibwe asked, just to confirm the plan and have it spoke aloud, moving it from an abstract concept to that of an actual military plan. The envoy nodded.

"Indeed. You'll have two-weeks' time to prepare. Subira figures that will be enough time to arm and drill your people as well as take care of any unfinished complications." Ayo swore the envoy looked at her when he spoke that, making her fidget like a guilty hatchling for a moment. Subira's vision couldn't possibly show her what the dilo was doing for Amadi, could it?

"Two weeks..." Kibwe took a deep breath and nodded his head slowly, before frowning grimly, "We will be ready, Seer." He looked sidelong at the table and both he and Ayo noticed a key detail: the Seers still wouldn't be moving from their complex. Not yet.

Tuesday, June 5th, 739 BSO; 7:52 PM

Ayo sighed as she slumped back from her work, the muscles in her legs numb from the way she gripped the chair tightly with her talons while she worked. She had seen Yeva earlier that day, the gold-feathered raptoress intent on sneaking out of the on-alert compound and down to the lower city to meet Dejen. Like before, she had confided in Ayo and then asked for the brown dye to cover her feathers; a request Ayo was more than happy to oblige.

That had been several hours before, and while Ayo absentmindedly worried about the raptor, her focus had been purely on getting the order for Amadi ready and done. Now, finally, it was: four vials of toxin that, by her best guess, would kill a creature within minutes of it entering the bloodstream. The vials were on the smaller side compared to her usual work, and she thought that was for the better considering the dangerous contents within.

For the past two weeks, the complex had been in a whirl of activity that she had never seen before. Kibwe had been thoroughly distracted and exhausted by the time the pair retired to their chambers, hardly having the energy to pay attention to her. She forgave him for it, as she found herself exhausted as well. She had spent the time split between sneaking off into the jungle for ingredients for the poison and speaking to various locals down in the lower city.

She gave them riches and promises that she felt Kibwe could keep down the line in exchange for the elders, council members, and other smaller government-bodies of the city keeping the streets clear on their day of marching, the seventh.

So she definitely didn't hold it against Kibwe, instead more than content to fall onto his body in exhaustion and press her snout in against his feathers, inhaling that comforting scent of him.

She wished, at that moment, that Kibwe was beside her. She could use a refresher of his scent and the comfort it could bring, but instead, she was surrounded by an endless number of potions, vials, and half-finished mixtures.

Tomorrow, she knew, everything would change. She'd finally be out from Amadi's claws and instead be free to pursue her own desires without living a double life. Tomorrow things would change for the better.

Wednesday, June 6th, 739 BSO; 10:42 PM

Ayo's hide was coated in dew, giving it the appearance of sweat. If she could sweat, she had no doubt that she would have been, her tongue lolling to regulate her body temperature as she dashed back and forth through the limited herbs and medical items in Amadi's tent. Her arms were covered in blood, caused by the fact that Yeva Goldheart had started to vomit it up, coating the frantically working dilo in the iron scent.

The only blessing that Ayo saw was that Yeva didn't appear to be conscious. Even when the female's eyes opened, they were glassy and empty, unfocused on the world around her as the dilo rushed rapidly to and fro, mixing whatever concoctions she could to try and cure the very poison she had made.

She felt like a fool for not making an antidote and bringing it with her, as she did for any sale of poisons. She felt even more of an idiot for the fact that she had taken Amadi's contract in the first place. She knew her brother had been lying to her from the get-go, but she never expected him to do something like this. He was unhinged, lost in his hatred of the feathered creatures in the upper city, living in their pyramids.

Now Ayo had to watch the culmination of his hatred and her own willful ignorance as she slowly saw her friend fade. She tried everything from purging Yeva's system (leading to the vomiting of blood) to even a crude form of transfusion, but she didn't have the medical knowledge or tools to work up a cure fast enough. In the span of fewer than twenty minutes, the poison did exactly as she expected it to do when she first made it - take life.

Ayo found herself on the verge of a multitude of emotions, her whole body shaking with the desire to break down and sob or lash out in a rage. She did the only thing she could for her friend and gently closed her eyes. If it wasn't for the dried blood around Yeva's lips and the lack of breathing, Ayo would have thought that her friend was just asleep.

As if by clockwork, Amadi reentered the tent, slowly clapping his paws together after looking around the scene of destruction that Ayo had left in her wake while trying to find instruments by which to work with. "Bravo, sister. It seems you are every bit the alchemist you hoped to be. Better, even!" the male taunted.

Ayo curled a paw inward, feeling the pinch of her claws in against her hide as she turned slowly around to face her brother. Amadi wore a wide grin and even had the audacity to hold his arms wide as if expecting his sister to embrace him. "See what we can do together, Ayo? The feathered ones up there - they're weak. A poison like that wouldn't do very much to us after all."

"She was a living creature! My friend!"

"And now she is a corpse. These things happen. After all, isn't your little lover marching to war soon?" Amadi produced one of the remaining three vials from the satchel at his hip and inspected the fluid within, swirling it in his grasp, "I admit, I didn't take your word for how effective this stuff would work. Do you think such a large brute of a male would take the whole vial or just half of it?"

"Amadi, I beg of you - don't do this."

"Don't do what, sister?" Amadi asked, lowering the vial and meeting Ayo's eyes. She saw nothing of the brother she grew up with. The male she was looking at was hollow, consumed by his hatred and bloodlust. "Don't continue my own war? It seems the perfect season for it, though - everyone else is doing it! And we've already been promised great rewards if your lover meets an untimely end."

"Rewards? What are you talking about, Amadi?" Ayo asked, even as the scent of blood and her anger both were tipping her toward 'lashing out' far more than breaking down - and all while Amadi kept stoking the fire higher with every word he spoke.

"Oh? I must have forgotten to tell you. The Great Prophet," Amadi spat after the title as though cleaning out his mouth from the taint of it, "promised me and mine a temple complex all of our own." Amadi raised one of his paws, to interrupt his sister's unasked question, "I know, I know. I shouldn't trust him. I don't, sister, don't worry. The last vial will be saved for him." Amadi grinned all the wider and stepped closer, his arms still spread wide while every one of Ayo's muscles tensed.

"You see after the Prophet and Kibwe are dead, it will leave a very large vacuum. And I agree with the Heart Clan's declarations of old - racial purity and superiority is the only way to go. I was telling you the truth, I have yet to take any lover out here, Ayo," he stepped closer and Ayo went tense as a spring, her whole body entering a state of fight or flight and, as of yet, not making up its mind.

A paw of his affectionately touched her cheek, "Because I want you as my Matron. Don't worry - I'll help you fix any impurity in your first clutch... I'll even find a way to forgive you for it after we shatter them," he stroked her cheek like a lover, and her stomach churned. At that moment, her body decided and she surged forward at her brother, slamming him into the table behind with a hiss.

Her momentary advantage was just that, momentary, as the stronger male who had been in the jungle for several years proved that he hadn't been living a comfortable lifestyle - bunching his legs and shoving Ayo off of him with a hiss of his own. He opened his snout to speak and then growled instead when he saw the pure hatred in Ayo's eyes. Hatred for him.

"I see. You pick _him_over your own family." Amadi snarled while turning halfway, catching some of the sharp instruments she had left on a tray with his tail and flinging them her way in the process. Ayo ducked to the side, the various tools flying by her harmlessly even as she ended up distracted by them.

Amadi took advantage of that distraction to return the earlier favor, tackling his sister and shoving her onto the floor. She lashed back at him rapidly, his body squirming above her own and it was with a disgusted hiss that she saw that he was becoming aroused by it all. Her brother's cloaca was swollen while pressed firmly against her belly and that just seemed to feed his mania all the more. Ayo realized that she stood to lose far more than just her life if she didn't act quickly.

He hissed and got one of his paws firmly around her wrist, pinning one of them to the ground even as his body adjusted overtop of hers. She closed her eyes, unwilling to see what her own brother was trying to accomplish while her other paw groped around in the area where the instruments had fallen nearby. She felt her brother's hot breath over her snout and a pleasured rumble in his chest as his other paw started to rotate her hips, "Just sit still a moment, Ayo..."

She didn't give him that moment, her paw finding something on the ground and lifting it up swiftly, catching him blindly on the cheek. He roared his pain into the enclosure while he stumbled off of her body, clutching his cheek. When she opened her eyes to scramble back up onto her feet, she saw that the scalpel she had stabbed him with had pierced right through his cheek, her brother's paw trying to dislodge it and making it all the worse with the way he rocked it back and forth in the process.

She looked sideways at Yeva's body and decided she couldn't fight in the tent. Her vindictive brother would, before too long, find a way to use her own friend against her and so Ayo used that chance to dash out of the tent. Her brother thought she was fleeing from him, running back into the jungle to try and reach the safety of the lower city. Once he pulled free the surgical instrument and tossed it onto the ground with another snarl of pain, he gave immediate pursuit, confident in his ability to catch her.

Turns out it wasn't as hard as he thought, as she was waiting around the side of the tent and lunged upon his back once he dashed past her hiding spot. The pair of them toppled onto the ground, rolling toward the bubbling stream of lava just a jaunt away. It cast dark shadows over both of them and rendered her brother's disfigured face in a monstrous light.

She used his earlier arousal against him as he grappled his way on top of her once more, her legs lashing out and one of her feet catching him squarely on that vent 'tween his legs, making him snarl in pain while stumbling back off of her. She once more scrambled to her feet, hissing at her own brother and starting to slowly circle him. Unlike Kibwe, however, her brother had no time for pleasantries.

He didn't try and circle her to seek an opening and rather he blindly rushed at her in anger, his strides closing the distance rapidly. But Ayo had been waiting for him to act rashly and she moved lithely to the side, letting him slide past her while she leaned forward and lifted that thick tail of hers upward, smashing him under the jaw with it in the process.

With what felt like hours but only was minutes, she played a game of cat and mouse with her brother, luring him closer and closer to the bubbling lava. She hoped that she could use the same tactic to get him to rush her and end up inside that bubbling river. But her brother wised up as they neared the edge and faked her out, tensing in one direction but then leaping in the other.

As she stepped to the right to counter his tensed body, she was slammed by him instead, finding herself on the very edge of the 'river' with her brother eventually sliding his paw under her jaw, slowly bending her head backward. She tried to claw desperately at him, cutting red marks into his matching hide - injuries he ignored entirely as he slowly pushed her head further and further back.

Before long she was having to struggle to breath, her body slackening and focusing on basic survival instead, which gave him more room to slowly start pushing her backward and closer to that orange glow. Her body was trembling with a mixture of fright and adrenaline when she heard a snarl that definitely wasn't Amadi's.

Dejen could be strangely silent, something she always found uncomfortable about such a massive male. But now she was more than thankful that the Allosaurus hardly made a noise before he was right next to both of them. Amadi grinned wider, unknowing that Dejen was reaching down for him, "Don't worry, Dejen, I've got this under co-," the rest of his words were lost as Dejen lifted him effortlessly up and tossed him.

Sadly, not toward the lava, but Ayo wasn't going to complain any as she scooted away rapidly from the edge. She was left gasping for a moment, sucking in great volumes of air to refill her lungs before she turned to face her brother. The commotion, it seemed, hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the camp as the remaining twenty-odd souls of dilo and allos within arrived and formed a semi-circle behind Amadi.

She and Dejen against that many? She didn't favor her odds, but Dejen spoke before she could try to even formulate a plan. "Amadi has been challenged for control of this cell by his sister, Ayo. By right of inheritance, we cannot interfere."

Thankfully, none of them had seen Dejen do exactly that mere heartbeats ago.

Amadi tossed Dejen a dirty look and opened his snout to speak, but already he felt the tide momentarily turn against him as Dejen pushed Ayo forward and joined the other souls in forming a tight knot of bodies around the two. An arena all their own. Ayo was no happier about it than Amadi, but she wasn't about to argue the circumstances. If this was her grave, then so be it - but she wasn't about to stand idly by and let her brother harm more of her friends and family.

Family. To her, the male in front of her was a stranger now, despite looking so similar to her. The two used to stand side-by-side and look in the reflection of the water, seeing just how alike they were. Now she saw none of those similarities. Instead, she saw a creature utterly consumed by his hatred until it had poisoned his mind and heart. She had no doubt that many of the males around her had their own reasons for hating the feathery elite in their pyramids, but Amadi went far beyond a 'cause' and into zealotry.

With an unspoken agreement on when to start, the pair moved toward one another, rapidly closing the space until their bodies collided. The collision tore the strap that Amadi wore over his shoulder, causing his satchel to tumble to the ground with the musical chime of falling glass. Ayo had little time to worry about that, however, as her brother used his size to his advantage once more, tackling her to the ground. She had expected it, though, and she tucked into the falling, rolling with him to end up on top of her brother.

The pair clawed at one another, drawing bloody lines on their similar hides. Ayo felt the burn of claws on her cheek, making her turn her head away with a hiss before once again looking down at her brother, turning her body one way or another to try and block the dangerous lash of his claws.

She eventually brought her head down, smashing her forehead into her brother's snout. Her vision went momentarily fuzzy, but her brother stopped trying to lash out for a heartbeat, bringing both of his claws up to cup his aching snout instead. Ayo then moved both of her own paws to his chest, raking downward and making him snarl in pain.

During all of this, the circle had closed around the two, nudging them up against one of the dilos who seemingly didn't understand 'don't get involved', his leg lifting and 'accidentally' kicking Ayo, forcing her to stumble off of her brother from the impact of it. Her brother rose to his feet with a snarl of frustration and she found that they were practically out of room to maneuver in such a tight space.

This gave her brother the exact opportunity he wanted, moving in toward her and doing a quick sweeping motion of his tail in the limited space they both shared. She had nowhere to truly dodge it, and in her attempt to do so she stumbled back into the ring of bodies; a ring that unceremoniously tossed her back into the dirt. Her brother was soon above her, grasping her and pinning her down while she squirmed on her belly. She felt the reek of his breath against her neck while he leaned in to softly whisper.

"I wanted this in private, you know. You and I - brother and sister reuniting. But you wanted a spectacle. Fine. I'll break you instead," she could smell the arousal on him, almost as if he was a drunk male in some tavern. It turned her stomach again and she squirmed as the circle closed in once more, surrounding them to the point of claustrophobia.

It also put Dejen in range to not help, idly kicking her brother's satchel in reach as Amadi levered his body over top of hers. She felt one of her brother's footpaws rest squarely on her back, making her tense as she groped for her brother's satchel. He adjusted further, getting himself aligned just as she reached her paw within and swung it around at him. He stopped it, grasping her wrist mid-way up with a snarl. "Think I'll fall for that twice, sister? I saw that coming from a mile away."

"Good." Ayo hissed, letting one of the vials within tumble down into her other paw. She used her brother's posture against him, jerking herself upward and slamming the top of her head against his jaw. Her head rang out in protest and she knew she'd have one hell of a headache later, but her brother was dazed more than she was.

She rolled over; ignoring the position it put her in and slammed the vial in against her brother's cheek. He rolled off of her with the motion and she quickly straddled him as best as she could. There was no desire in Ayo, however - no want and she utterly ignored the swollen cloaca pressed close to her own. Instead, she focused entirely on her brother's snout and smashing it repeatedly with the vial, smacking him silly once. Twice. Three times- again and again.

Amadi's snout parted to spit out blood and a loose tooth, and Ayo used that to her advantage. She placed a paw in his snout and kept it pinned wide while shoving the glass vial into his maw. She felt teeth cutting into her hide, but she ignored it, working on wedging that vial into her brother's snout. Once it was secure, she let go of it with her right paw and wrapped both around her brother's snout instead, forcing it shut as tightly as she could hold it. She heard the first few cracks of shattering glass and saw her brother's eyes bug out in alarm.

She started to slam his head down, turning it sideways to repeatedly smash his snout in against the ground. And each forceful smack led to more sounds of glass slowly breaking. Amadi was struggling with all of his might but Ayo held fast with her body, thighs wrapped around his waist. If she could keep a bucking raptor still, she could keep her brother down.

She didn't know how long she kept slamming his snout into the dirt, but she was eventually stopped by a paw on her shoulder. She nearly lashed out at whoever did it, only to find out it was Dejen. "He's dead, Ayo." She took a moment to process that information, bloodlust having consumed all conscious thought before she slowly looked down and let go of her brother's snout.

Blood had bubbled past her brother's lips and without the pressure of her paws holding it shut when she slowly got up and off of him, his mouth parted and shards of glass leaked free in a bloody torrent. She knew there was more glass than that to the vial she had used, and guessed that he must have swallowed some of the shards as well.

She stood on shaky legs, feeling the fight hit her all at once - the events of the day hit her as a whole, but the oddest feeling was in seeing her brother's body, bleeding and devoid of life. And yet she felt nothing. She realized now that she had told Yeva the truth those many weeks ago, I lost my brother to the jungle.

The brother she knew had died many years ago and the male before her was something else wearing his shell. She closed her eyes and then reopened them to look around at the males stunned into silence. Only Dejen stood beside her. She had no idea how the Bitah'ta worked or picked its leaders, but she felt she had their attention for the moment and she knew she had to use it.

"I've killed your leader in honourable," she spat at that word, unable to stomach it. Honourable, right, "combat. I don't want command. Instead, I nominate Dejen as your leader," Dejen, standing before her, snorted in surprise and looked down at the smaller female. He kept silent however as Ayo looked at each and every male in the eye. They looked uncomfortably at one another for a moment before one of them near the center lowered himself down, prostrating himself before Dejen. The rest slowly followed.

Ayo didn't stick around long after that, leaving a dumbstruck Dejen in front of twenty-or-so dilos and allos who now looked to him instead of Amadi for their leadership. Dejen might want change but she didn't think he was consumed by his hatred. His reactions to Yeva had seemed genuine.

Her stomach flip-flopped at the image of her friend, dead in Amadi's camp, and she was almost reduced to that break down once again when she realized she could do nothing for her. She couldn't drag her back into town or even give her a burial, but when she looked at the tent, she saw Dejen making his way there instead. She knew he'd do something for her.

The right thing, whatever that may be...

Thursday, June 7th, 739 BSO; 5:42 AM

Ayo hated herself. She hated Kibwe. She hated everything. She just wanted to sleep and forget about everything. Most of all, however, she hated whatever raptor had been given a drum and told to march up and down the pyramid and awaken everyone. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep for the next few years, and instead, she found herself jarred awake and snarling at the world.

She knew the drummer had a good reason, of course - it was the day the army was meant to march, but did they have to get up so early to do it?! She felt every ache and pain from the night before, sliding off of the bed as stiff as could be with several shallow cuts still prominent on her hide. The only mark that seemed to be at all permeant was, perhaps, the three marks that Amadi had left on her cheek. Unlike the rest of the cuts, they were still ugly and bright red, and even more importantly, stung like a jungle wasp.

The reason she hated Kibwe at the moment was that he was already up and looking chipper. When she had crawled into bed the night before, his reaction had been panic, then worry, and finally bloodlust. She calmed him quickly, of course, telling him that it was a family matter and that she had dealt with it herself. He didn't quite calm down but he was able to get to sleep soon afterward, something Ayo was all too happy to do herself.

While he tossed her a worried look as she inspected herself in his full-length mirror, she shrugged it off and moved to a folded cloak of red. One that Kibwe had instructed be tailormade for her. At the time she had been flattered, but now she wasn't so sure. Putting it on committed her fully to the cause and part of her just wanted to curl up and hide. But she also knew what a big thing it would be for a dilo to be wearing Clan colours and she unfolded it, letting it unroll and reveal itself in full before her.

It was the first time she had looked at it and it was also the first time she had smiled since last night. It was the vibrant red of the Heart Clan, with some embroidery on along the edges of it - small, interlocked feathers, once she got a closer look at the pattern. Upon it were three things, first, the Heart Clan crest, which of itself was a bleeding heart (raptors weren't always the most creative bunch), then below it was Kibwe's own personal crest.

For a long time he had tried to figure out what it should be and he kept putting it off. When she first met him, any personal documents he had to sign and seal were done with the former leader's crest, that of a bloody heart with three slashes in it - again, raptors weren't always creative. Kibwe, it seemed, had finally decided upon his and he was now nervously watching her as she looked at it.

Upon first inspection, it looked just like two hills and no doubt many might think of it as such, but she instantly identified it. Still standing in front of the full-sized mirror, she couldn't have missed the resemblance to her own crest. She could have smacked him for the irony of it, but instead, she was flattered; the black-feathered male had taken her actual crest and had it artistically rendered as his personal seal.

Below that was her name, showing ownership of something that, prior to it, would have only belonged to a raptor. Cloaks, in general, were something everyone could wear, but a cloak in a Clan colour with a Clan seal was only worn by guards and military personnel, certainly not a Dilophosaurus such as herself.

She couldn't help but move over and embrace Kibwe, holding him close and inhaling deeply as her snout buried itself in his feathers. She held tight to the red cloak in her paw and for a moment let herself grieve for both the brother she had lost years ago and her best friend, all while in the comfort of Kibwe's embrace. She couldn't properly mourn for Yeva, not truly and not yet, but for the moment she could forget the war. Forget the prejudice and just focus instead on making the world a better place in a way her brother never could see. She grasped the cloak tighter in her paw and inhaled deeply.

One step at a time.

Ayo took a step back and turned around for a moment, handing Kibwe the cloak. He leaned over her frame and she couldn't help but shudder at the close proximity of his body to hers, almost wishing the dying echo of that damned drum wasn't still in her skull. She would have loved to have lost herself in his embrace, to let her fears and worries melt away for the moment beneath a wave of desire and lust, but there was no time. The clasp was loosely secured under her neck and the cloak weighed upon her back; after all, as there was a war to fight and even she had her role to play in it.

Thursday, June 7th, 739 BSO; 6:20 AM

The roads that Ayo had negotiated were empty, just as planned, and the raptors marching with her were as equally impressed as they were uncomfortable. Riots, while uncommon, were about the only time this many raptors entered the lower city at once; and now they were marching through, unmolested and with the support of the people instead. All because of Ayo and her connections, as well as a little silver to grease the wheels, of course.

Not that the lower city had turned into a ghost town, of course. The windows lining every route were filled with an endless sea of peeking snouts, watching as the red-cloaked army marched by. Ayo and Kibwe marched side-by-side at the head of it, and she lifted her paw to wave at some of the snouts poking out. There were no fragrant flowers being tossed or cheers reserved for a hero, but there also weren't the shouts of rage or defiance that she feared. All in all, quiet was better at the moment.

They set out at roughly a quarter after six and it took another hour or so to navigate the long, awkward route through the lower city. Marshals, lieutenants, and other officers under Kibwe kept the marching troops in order and under control, stopping his own people from starting a riot. The scent of unease and fear was practically visible with how thick it was and every creature in the army had to keep their instincts in control as they continued their march.

The leaders of the army, including Kibwe and Ayo, eventually stopped in front of a small house in the section of the lower city that bordered the Claw Clan's pyramid. Kibwe lifted his paw and knocked upon the door. Ayo momentarily wondered about Dejen but figured he wouldn't have returned home just yet. Even if he had, however, Ayo didn't think she could think of a good excuse to slip away, just to talk to him. Instead, she stood beside Kibwe as the door opened part way and an elder dilo ushered them inside.

Ayo immediately embraced the elder male and offered words of thanks, treating him as a family member rather than as someone just doing them a favor. He brushed it off and offered them food, which the others took part of after Ayo herself did. It was customary to accept food given to you when in another dilo's home, even if you disliked it. From the expression on some of the snouts, they clearly weren't fond of the food they were now eating.

Ayo didn't have the heart to tell them it was one of the larger species of termites in the jungle, either.

The elder male took them into a larger chamber that housed a well-made table, which had one end lined with more food and drink and the other devoid of anything, even chairs. That was good, since it was rapidly filled with sheaves of paper and unrolled maps, showing the Claw complex in full detail. Someone had brought along small, wooden figurines again and placed them upon the map - one for each of Kibwe's divisions and an early estimate for the divisions arrayed against him.

Kibwe had twenty-three divisions, and thus twenty-three figurines. Within the compound were placed six yellow figurines of the Feather Clan and nine teal of the Talon; accompanying them was a single green for the Tuk. They were left merely scattered over the bottom floors, as the exact number of what and where was unknown.

The Claw Clan's numbers, likewise, weren't well known, but three markers of blue were placed on the top floor, a rough estimate of their remaining strength.

The next hour, to Ayo, crept by extremely slowly and she had to find ways to keep herself occupied. Military strategy wasn't something she knew very much of at all and she didn't know what input she could give that Kibwe and his officers weren't already arguing about. Some were in the verdict of an all-out attack, pushing all twenty-three divisions forward at once. Some wanted a more cautious approach, which would involve drip-feeding in their divisions two-to-three at a time.

In the end, Kibwe went with a middle ground that would have eleven of his divisions leading a frontal assault. Of course, despite protests from every snout, Kibwe declared that he was going to lead the attack from the front. Upon hearing that, Ayo herself spoke up, "I'm going to join the first attack as well."

That brought a thorough silence to the room, many of the officers fidgeting in place or tossing looks sidelong at Kibwe as if expecting he might speak up. When he stayed silent, one of the males with plain brown feathers but a vibrant crest of green upon his head spoke up, "I'm unsure if that is wise, A-... Matron," he offered with a bob of his head.

"And why not? Am I not a member of the Heart Clan? And it can't be because of my gender," she commented while waving a paw at two female officers that, themselves, would be part of the first attack.

"It's not that, Matron, it's because of... um..." he stumbled for a moment and looked sidelong at Kibwe, once more hoping to be bailed out by their leader. Instead, Kibwe merely arched a brow at his officer, indicating that - no, he wasn't going to get involved. "Because of... because."

"Because I'm a Dilophosaurus? Don't think I don't know why," she paused for a moment as the male before Ayo gave his name, "Kwasi. I don't take it as an insult any longer, either. I am smaller than all of you and not as strong, but I earned my feather just the same as any of you," Ayo spoke, raising up her right arm and showing the feather still dangling from her wrist. She noticed, now, that it was splotched with blood from the events of the day before, but that just seemed to add to the overall effect rather than dampen it.

"I have the same right to be on that field as any of you, and I know that the other Clans are going to employ dilos of their own. Slaves. Servants," that made her stomach churn, but she met the eyes of every male (and female) in the room before she continued. "I am Ayo Feralheart, Matron of the Heart Clan. My loyalty is to my Clan foremost and my species second."

There were hushed murmurs from a few of the gathered officers before there was a less quiet murmur of agreement, the room filling with raptors feeling the same way. They all knew that they'd spill the blood of their own before the day was done, but their loyalty was to Clan - not species.

Kibwe then turned toward Ayo and placed his paws upon her shoulders, leaning down to bump his snout to her own. The others in the room, the elderly dilo included, turned away for a moment at the sign of affection. Forward-thinking they might be, at least to some extent, they weren't quite comfortable with public displays of affection between two different species. It made it all the easier, however, for him to talk privately to her in a hushed whisper.

"I wouldn't think any less of you if you decide to stay back, you know that Ayo."

"And you know I can't stay back and let you fight by yourself. Remember that it wasn't just _you_that picked me, but also that monster inside," instinct was something they all fought with constantly, and Kibwe's was closer to the surface than most, "if he can trust me at his side, so can you."

Kibwe smiled sheepishly at that before chuckling, bobbing his head, "You might see that monster again today. In more than just me. Blood brings it out in all of us and that cloak might be the only thing that keeps you safe."

The two moved apart and Kibwe turned to face the officers before him, "Heart Clan - we know what we must do. Dismissed."

Thursday, June 7th, 739 BSO; 10:05 AM

Ayo stood beside the black-feathered Kibwe, standing out in quite the ridiculous manner, she expected. She was several feet shorter, had hide in place of feathers, and was clutching a throwing spear that, no doubt, looked like a toothpick compared to the rest. However, she stood at the head of over a thousand raptors in front of the Claw temple.

In front of her stood at least a thousand more, but the bodies in front of her weren't all raptors. As promised, there were dilos and allos both on the front line - the latter towering over the much smaller servants around them. Ayo was just thankful that the Allosaurus were seemingly rare in the Feather or Talon's ranks, not wanting to have to fight one herself.

Both sides were tense in the gleaming sun, one of the many vents to the surface right overhead and providing plenty of light to fight under. Before much longer, there came a rhythmic rumbling of drums as drummers started up their marching beat; which was soon joined by the pounding of thousands of spears on both sides. It certainly woke Ayo up, washing away the pre-battle jitters that she had been suffering from and trying to hide.

Kibwe turned to face his people, his Clan and spoke over the loud din in front of him. "I'm not much for speeches," Kibwe announced, which Ayo grinned at. "So I'm not going to tell you to fight heroically or for Clan and harem. I'm not going to tell you anything you don't already know in your Heart," the way he said it emphasized the word, bringing both the organ and the Clan to be one thing.

"Instead, I'm going to tell you one thing and one thing alone: fight hard, and make sure you kill a few of those bastards!" The raptors before him roared their approval and even Ayo found herself lifting her spear into the air, getting swept away in the moment of joint-adrenaline while her cry joined theirs.

"Forward!"