Valiant kept his eyes sharp on the horizon, watching the sunrise to taint the frozen over morning dew into a glistening gold. He had his one hand wrapped around Yazzo's hand, keeping her glacially cold skin warm.
He chirped lightly, the instincts of a Feral, trying to bring her out of her dream. Unuwkus screeched in the distance, forcing all caretakers awake in an instant.
"Mmm. No snow in my part of Yarno," Valiant's cheeks hissed as acid parted from the upper and lower halves. "I'll make a run to Kyrosborne today, perhaps I might see the newcomers there."
Yazzo chirped herself away, finally caving into the morning calls. She let go of Valiant's hand, choosing to stretch out her arms and rub away any drowsiness left in her eyes.
She placed one hand on the stone roof beneath her, feeling the lingering cold of the night. To her surprise, it was dry. No snow coated her or Valiant, leaving a bitter taste of approval in her mouth.
"Vomo (Morning), vik-na (my one)," Yazzo yawned. "Today looks better than yesterday, huh. What's the plan?"
"Either make a quick visit to Kyrosborne, or check in on Furmire. Either will be fine," Valiant answered.
They fell silent, enjoying the peaceful moment of beauty. Despite dealing with the stress of keeping their relationship a secret from other elites, so they could announce it during the Feral's mating season.
A shadow dashed over the city, pummeling sections into temporary darkness as it passed. Valiant instantly locked onto it, noticing the signature Volatile screaming Feral icon resting on a banner across the beast's shoulders.
"Its one of our Sky Beasts... and that appears to be Detrass riding it," Valiant pointed out.
Yazzo groaned, feeling bothered by the sudden interruption between her and Valiant's time. But she knew better than to go further than visibly complaining. It wouldn't look good for a noble Feral to urge her leader to give her more attention.
Valiant emerged onto his feet, shaking his body as he arose. It felt like starting an engine. Warmth instantly extended from his thick white hair towards his body.
"Can you be a sweet Feral and get the ingredients together for a breakfast?" Valiant asked.
"I'll see what I can get my hands on. Probably might take fourteen silver thorns and a gold handshake," Yazzo listed what kinds of boons she needed. "I'll put them in your kitchen and wait for you there."
She slid down the steep roof, then she pushed herself off. Valiant watched her drop into a crouched position, then instantly roll into a stand. Just like that, Yazzo was off to get the boons.
"All right, Detrass," Valiant turned to the distant Sky Beast arena. "What do you want?"
***
Sky Beast caretakers carried Detrass' mount away towards a temporary station. He watched the night-black creature obediently trot alongside the two workers.
The heavy slab of ice on his chest pressed down on his lungs, reminding him of his arrival. Pure disgust reveled in his mind as he recounted the events his Ferals told him, and the challenge.
Valiant dropped from a nearby building, perfectly landing on his feet. The two leaders glanced at each other, then promptly went in for their greetings.
Detrass held out an open hand, one that Valiant took and shook. With a firm grasp and a sudden retreat, they got to business.
"Sir," Detrass' raspy voice began. "Volatile has been challenged to a Legion on Legion conflict... by the Feral pack in Olavin-Faa."
"Excuse me?" Valiant's eyes quickly turned away from Detrass' mound of crystalized ice on his throat. "You mean the ones that escaped from their prison?"
"Exactly them," Detrass allowed his highlighted breath to disappear before speaking again. "They commented to go over and fight them at Olavin-Faa, or they'd come over to Hail Heart."
Valiant scoffed. "I pardoned their escape, and this is how they repay? We slew Conqueror, and their gift in return is a threat? Then our thank-you letter will be their severed heads on spikes."
Detrass stepped aside, almost pretending like his mount was right behind him. "I left my Variants in Hail Heart, told them to fortify what they can. Should I form a battalion to assault the forest?"
"No," Valiant answered. "That is what they want. Ferals are ambush predators and they'll do anything to put their prey in favorable positions. Take your back, blind spot. Whatever they need to deliver a bite to the back of the skull."
He paused for a moment, thinking of a possible short-term solution. Valiant ran through what he knew about Scalers: they are dangerous if left with a leg, hyper-energetic, provokers.
Sometimes even well calculated in their pounces and jumps. However, whatever can slow them down will slow them down. And by a lot.
Their legs weren't designed around snow, obviously. It was an Ascent Feral's specialty to careen through mountain ranges in an instant. So if they lured the Scalers over, they'd have a tough time.
In case their supposed attackers were that stupid, Valiant knew best to station beast masters and tamers around Hail Heart. After all, their unnatural bola throwing ability would turn the tide.
Valiant pieced his thoughts together, then returned to address Detrass. With a formal glitter to his cyan eyes and a hiss of his parting cheeks, he spoke.
"Scalers are very good talkers, both trash and negotiations. Their plan is to provoke us into fighting them at Olavin-Faa, but we aren't falling for it. Do you have any beast tamers out there?"
Detrass shook his head.
"Then I'll send some over by the end of today. Receive them well and provide them shelter for a month, they're free to leave by then. I'll pay for their expenses after their time is up," Valiant continued.
He pointed down at his legs. "This is a Scaler's most dangerous weapon, which also happens to be the easiest to take out. The beast tamers will bola them if they get stuck in the snow."
"I see," Detrass nodded. "Thank you, Valiant."
Valiant watched Detrass turn to leave. "Hold on. You're going to leave already? Come, my fine Thawed elite. Let's return to my home and share a meal together."