Storm Season | Shelha Series 2 | ✔

Winter's Army

The Coppertails looked over. Ryatzi was breathing calmly, but his face was expressionless. Sethral had a suspicion he was not completely calm.

"Who is in Winter's army right now?" he asked. "Has she just been recruiting Leslanders and Drakons?"

Bracken cocked her head. "I suppose I haven't mentioned that yet, have I. Why do you want to know?"

"That's not necessary to the question."

A smile played around Bracken's muzzle. "Clever kid. You've been picking up some pointers from Bluejay, I see. What will you trade me for it?"

"I watch Winter's Drakons."

"That intrigues me. No, Winter has not just been recruiting Leslanders and Drakons. She also has two rogue Highlanders, a dozen Eastyren, a growing handful of Rivrit and Watermouse slaves, three Saggitayrii—though given they meant to betray their clan and she hates traitors, she has probably found an excuse to incarcerate them by now—one Esker if she succeeds in baiting it over the cliffs, and two Vipra. Does that answer your question?"

Ryatzi nodded, his expression unchanged. His paws were trembling.

Sethral reran the list. Eastyren were a Western species with multiple body forms and striped fur. Rivrit and Watermice were the Lowlands' dominant species. Eskers were gigantic, thick-furred, lumbering beasts most commonly found in North Shelha. Sethral wondered what one was doing anywhere near the cliffs. And she had never heard of Vipra.

Sethral and Ryatzi gave Bracken the promised updates on Whitewings and army Drakons, then the renegades left the Brushlands again. Bracken almost immediately vanished into the heatwaves.

"How does she do that?" demanded Silversand.

'She mist-steps,' flicked Jay. 'Normally it is a Brushlander skill, but she has learned to copy it and use heatwaves instead.'

Sethral let her mind leave. The worst threat of a Saggitayrian negotiation, she had realized, was not to the clan groups at all. Barely a tenth of her species lived in them. The rest were scattered about the forest in bands or family clusters, and communicated little with each other. If Winter planned to negotiate, it would have to be with the clan groups. But if that fell through, news of the threat would not spread far enough fast enough to warn the whole species. Spreading it faster would take all five clan groups, working together. That was impossible. The only option would be to stop the negotiations before they occurred. But how?

"Mossy... Mossbottom... Mossface..."

Sethral startled back to find Silversand walking backwards in front of her, looking annoyed.

"Really?" said the cat. "I've been calling your real name for ages, and you only respond to Mossbottom?"

They were back in the forest. She must have been walking in a trance since they'd left the flats. "Where's Ratty?"

Silversand waved her tail at the trees. "Hunting. He's in a bit of a funny mood though. He's been jumping at leaf-rustles and acting like he doesn't hear us when we ask him questions, though I think he actually doesn't. And he almost bit me earlier when I brushed against him by accident, then he got really scared and backed away like I was going to get him back. Which makes no sense, because I'm not dominant and I'm pretty sure he'd roll me flat if we ever got in a fight. Do you know what Vipra are? Vipers are a kind of snake, right? Do they live here?"

"They live in the North deserts. We don't have any here."

"Vipra or Vipers?"

"The snakes, Silver. I don't know what Vipra are."