Variety… I entertained the thought, yet a part of me couldn’t help but note the callous disregard with which I was thinking about the death of my swarm. I was a little sad because of Wisterl and Rulac, but for the rest of them, the mostly nameless masses to me… I didn’t care at all. Their faces blended together into a singular, unremarkable face that I wouldn’t remember. I couldn’t help but measure the survival of a single khatif against dozens of keelish, I only realized, just now, that Brutus had died at some point, and I didn’t know when or how, and I wasn’t sure how I was still totally fine for the most part.

With a literal shake of my head, as if I could shake the distracting thoughts out of my head, I began to reapply my thoughts toward the hint Bloodpriestess Ana had given me. I wasn’t long for the frame of thought, and was interrupted.

“Alpha, you’re obviously thinking hard about something. Maybe we could help if you were to enlighten us as to our current situation? Perhaps you have forgotten that we do not speak this language you somehow know.”

Sybil’s voice cut into my reverie and I realized that yes, I had left the swarm in total darkness with regards to what was going on. In as few sentences as I could, I apprised them of our situation, of our current plight, and the only way I could see us escaping as a body–that is, complying with proving ourselves (or just me, as the case were) fahvalo.

Took grunted. “Don’t think it’s just ‘win a fight’. They’re stronger than us. We can’t win.”

I nodded. “I don’t think it would work to just be that, no.”

“Perhaps you could show your magic? It may be something they’ve never encountered.” Sybil chimed in, but immediately retraced her steps, “No, from what we’ve seen, I’m sure that wouldn’t do.”

I raised my voice. “I don’t care who speaks right now. We need ideas, and your idea may be the one that keeps us alive. Call out anything that crosses your mind.”

“Show how we hunt?”

“No, they’re just as good as us.”

“Tell ‘em how we got this far?”

“Doesn’t show much. Just how to migrate.”

“Well then, how about…” The ideas continued flowing in. Donating scales, showing magic, explaining terrain we crossed, describing the Veushten’s tactics, everything. Nothing clicked, and I began to lose my patience.

“Dammit! What can we do? Are they just looking for some way to take us down and relying on trickery for it?” I snarled at nobody in particular and the swarm went quiet around me, just as frustrated and backed into a corner as I was. A small part of me noted the reactions of the Moonchildren around me, that most went on guard but Ana didn’t react except to continue walking at the same pace.

More ideas came, Sybil suggested plans, every last one of the swarm talked about some new, increasingly desperate and unlikely option or approach for us to take, but every last suggestion was just that–more unlikely than the last. The swarm, previously so united in their complete terror and rushed escape from our pursuit, began snapping at each other in tense rage and exhausted panic. Involuntarily, a snarl began to bubble up in my throat and, with an effort of will and magic, I sent my voice thundering out over my swarm as the Moonchildren around us immediately shifted into battle-ready positions.

“QUIET! What little remains of the corpses of the rest of the swarm have yet to cool, and now we bicker like spawnlings over the last bite of a frog. It would seem to me that we have no choice but to show our absolute desperation and resolution for success. I trust my back to you, and I expect you to trust each other as well. We’re not yet beaten. I’ll rip the tongue out of any one of you who keep going at your fellow survivors.”

Silence settled over the swarm, and, step by step, resolution entered the eyes of my swarm, until we all walked abreast and forward until we entered a clearing and Bloodpriestess Ana stopped in place.

“This is an acceptable location. I would take you to a bloodground, but as a whole, you are not ready to enter our sacred grounds.” Ana looked me in the eye. “I have heard but did not understand your little… discussion. How are you going to prove yourself a fahvalo?”

I rolled my shoulders, steeling myself. “We will show the power of the cornered, the desperate, the weaker, and the many. We will show ourselves.”

A grin began to spread over the Bloodpriestess’s face. “Oh… interesting. And how will you begin to prove yourselves in this fashion?”

At least this was a good beginning. I began to explain myself.

I’m not super happy with this chapter, but I’d love to know what you think! Comment and tell!