Derg, the First Sovereign of the Crescent Moon Sect, held an amulet in his hand, bouncing it in his palm a couple of times, then squeezed the woven branches, testing its durability. He shattered the device with a minor flex of his arm, then let the remnants fall to the ground without a care. Looking up, he stared at Valaska, who was standing a couple of steps to the right of his throne, waiting for his response.

"I commend your efforts in this marvelous creation. When I activated it, the Call disappeared." His comment got a smile out of his mate, though it quickly vanished as he continued, "But it's too fragile. It is a weakness that can be exploited in a fight." Stated the large wolfkin.

"Not as much as you would think." The young woman replied with a smug expression on her face. "After Mother created the spell matrix to form a shield, she moved on to another project of hers, but I wasn't content. I used the bonds of blood to link the amulets to each other, forming a modular array. The fields they individually project merge and expand when a large enough number is gathered together."

"And for individuals or small isolated groups?"

"Mages and strong warriors should be able to maintain the shield by themselves, but for the average warriors in groups less than two hundred and fifty, the domain will most likely drain the holders to death if they don't remove them. Though personally, I would consider doing so worse than death. It depends on several factors, but the requirements to maintain the array's growth aren't linear at the lower levels. However, it does level off somewhere in the mid-two hundreds."

"Is there any way to fix the problem?"

The woman nodded, but she showed little interest in the question or the idea. "…Technically, it can be done. However, creating and then mass-producing the new design will take time and resources we don't have. I already have a design that is better for individuals, but it won't reinforce the greater shield. Combining the two into a singular superior design… will take a level of skill I'm not sure I have." The last part was said in a forced, embarrassed rush.

Getting up, the wolfkin stalked forward, a smile quirking his lips. "What you have done is more than enough, Mate. I just need to be sure there isn't a better option available. I have full faith in your abilities." By the time he finished talking, Derg had reached the woman and reached out to caress her cheek before tilting her head up and planting a kiss on her lips.

The other wolfkin melted into his chest, pressing her full figure against him. When he pulled back, Val was panting, and her already distractingly large chest was heaving as she gasped for air. "Are you going to leave it at that? I thought you had more in the tank." Challenged the woman, her eyes flooding with red whisps as her mana flared within her in conjunction with her growing passion.

"Hmm…" Rumbled a pleased Derg in response. "I think a little relaxing after everything we have accomplished is in order." Leaning down again as his hands roamed over Val's body, the main doors to the chamber burst open.

"Ugh!" Complained Chieftain Sunsray, looking at the pair with disgust from where he stood in the sun-filled doorway. "Do you have no propriety? There are some things that do not belong under the light of the heavens."

"We are indoors!" Scoffed Val as she stepped back from Derg and smoothed out her dress, though she could not hide her embarrassed irritation.

"You are inside a building intended to welcome guests, and while only temporary, it is a room that represents your authority. To defile it with such acts is an insult not only to yourself but to everyone you represent. If that is how you intend to lead us, then you are unworthy to hold the mantle."

At the direct challenge, Derg felt a spike of irritation, but he quickly shoved it down before it could show on his face. Valaska wasn't constrained nearly as much by her station, and her ears pointed forward as her tail stopped and started to curl upward from anger. She even took a step forward before Derg's hand snapped forward to hold her in place. "How dare you!" She snarled.

"Enough!" Derg declared, stepping forward and moving between the two, "I had no intention of doing such a thing in this room. I was planning on moving the activities to our chambers."

"At least you have some sense." Snorted the eaglekin before moving to one of the chairs at the side of the room and plopping down into it.

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"I am assuming you came here to speak to me? I know your time is important and that you wouldn't waste any of it."

"You are correct… I have deigned to lower myself and act as a simple messenger to inform you of recent news. Where should I begin… Oh, I know, goblins are poking their noses out of the holes in the mountains. The Factions are hesitantly pushing east and making tentative connections with those cowering in their burrows… Oh, and a legion from the Triad is moving south."

"What!" Derg barked, his head whipping around to face the eagle mid-step as he moved back to his throne.

"Yes," drawled the birdkin, enjoying the reaction and attention he was getting from Derg. "It is the legion you permitted to escape the Cradle without a fight. A mistake if there ever was one. To make matters worse, we have no way to discover if any forces are coming north."

"Is there any indication that they are coming east?" Derg demanded, his voice tight from the control he was exerting to stop himself from rushing up to the birdkin and grabbing him by the neck for his antics. It would be a step that their relationship could not recover from, and he could not afford it at the moment.

The wolves were by far the largest group of Kin within the Crescent Moon Sect, but they were by no means the only ones. The second largest faction was the birds, and their representative was, of course, Sunsray. If it were any other group, their influence wouldn't be nearly as strong, but the birds were his best scouts.

More to the point, birds were, by their nature, flighty, independent creatures. It was impossible to force them into anything. As soon as they were in the air, they could easily go anywhere, and any attempts to stop them would be pointless.

Derg did think of following them to their nests and capturing their females and children… but that was an action he was hesitant to take. Not only was approaching their nests unlikely as they were always high and constantly watched from overhead, but he also doubted he could capture enough to force Sunsray not to strike back.

While he was sure he wouldn't lose the battle, the wounds the bastard could inflict would be substantial. Worst of all, the eagle knew exactly what Derg's thoughts on the matter were. It was the same cold gleam that Derg had in his own eyes. The same gleam that any true predator had in their eyes when looking upon the world.

"No." The eagle responded after waiting long enough to make it clear that he didn't see himself as a subordinate. "The legion is on the western side of the river, and their front edge is already past the northern side of the Skirt. There is no chance the legion is moving east, at least within the area we can scout. On the bright side, there are also no signs that any other legion or the Factions are moving in force, either."

"Is there any indication they know what we are planning?" The only response from the bird was a slow blink of his eyes before he turned and poured himself a cup of wine. "Right," Derg muttered, talking to himself and turning away in thought. "How could you know the answer to that. But where else could the legion be going?"

"They could be reinforcing a city they don't want to lose to the Letairry farther south," Val suggested, though there was little belief in her voice.

"No," Derg stated, shaking his head as he turned and started pacing. "They wouldn't use one of the legions stationed on their northern line for that. If it's moving, then it's moving to reinforce something in the north. It could be going west, but that is a lot of ground to cover, and one legion seems insufficient to make a difference… But it doesn't matter; we must assume they will turn east, as we can't take the risk of them entrenching themselves."

Decisively turning and walking to Val, Derg asked, "How many amulets have you created?"

Straightening up and easily slipping into her professional persona, Val took a moment to think before responding, "I was waiting to get your approval before beginning full production, but I did start partial production as I was confident you would agree. As we stand… I would be surprised if there were more than three thousand."

Derg wanted to snarl and lash out at something from frustration, but as his body tensed, Val's soothing scent washed over him in a wave, and his rage evaporated, leaving only a calm clarity. They were working as hard and fast as they could, as things took time. It was a blessing that they had the number of amulets they had.

If Val had moved into full production without his approval, designating all of those resources, even with her being his mate, it wouldn't have saved her from punishment. Limited as production was, it could still be seen as overstepping, but no one would be complaining with how things were turning out. Not that it mattered, as Derg would never allow her to be punished over such a trivial matter.

Already, the war leaders of the Crescent Moon anticipated having to fight up to two legions, though those should mostly be comprised of militia. An actual legion composed of real veterans… that could halt their advance long enough for more Olimpian forces to arrive. Something that could not be allowed.

"Valaska, go and prepare all amulets for use and conscript everyone capable of making more. Prioritize on making a few hundred of the individual design for the scouts." Turning to Sunsray, he said, "We're going to need your birds scouring the Weeping Mountains."

"So you finally got the amulet to block the Call working?" the bird asked with a savage smile spreading across his face.

"Yes," Derg said, an equally anticipatory smile appearing in response. Though they were far from being able to supply the entire warband of hundreds of thousands, under Val's supervision, that would be changing soon enough. And then… well, they would be moving south into the heart of the Republic.

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