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_Today's story once again contains sexual content. It is brief by comparison to some in the past, but it is done for a reason - to express their urgency and need. For those that wish to skip the sexual content, it starts at Friday, June 8th, 739 BSO; 9:26 PM and ends at Saturday, June 9th, 739 BSO; 10:05 AM _

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Breaking Of The Heart

Thursday, June 7th, 739 BSO; 7:22 PM

The battle was a blur for Ayo, her body staying in constant motion and her brain taking a backseat to adrenaline and survival. Somehow she managed to remember which side was which in all of the confusion and she even felt that she held her own during the fight.

It had started well enough, with Kibwe Feralheart giving the order to charge; an order that she and roughly eleven thousand other raptors followed through with. In front of her at the start of the fight was scarcely a thousand bodies, but they were slaves and servants. Fodder meant to weaken the front lines of the Heart Clan.

As she charged in closer she saw two things: the Dilophosaurus and Allosaurus arrayed before her weren't armed at all, not with spear nor cloak, and their eyes were hazy. She hadn't seen herself during her Hunt, not in a manner she could recall, but she had seen Kibwe. The look on every snout before her had mirrored his - in their desperation, the armies of the Talon and Feather had been supplied that powerful narcotic by the Tuk.

The Seers may have bought the right to produce it, but it also made sense that the Tuk would have a backstock of the stuff. And it seemed they were giving it to slaves at the front of their line just before the battle.

She had no idea how the Dilophosaurus and Allosaurus were standing still, almost in a stupor, or why they hadn't torn into one another to assume control of their Hunting groups, but perhaps the lack of a raptor in that state altered it. Or maybe the Tuk had laced it with a second narcotic. Whatever the answer was didn't matter. What did matter was that upon seeing the Heart Clan rushing at them, their ranks surged into action.

Now, several hours later and sporting several new shallow gashes in her hide, she thought about just how effective those drugged up slaves had been. The Raptors had hardly committed their own to the fight, and yet the slaves tied them down for the better part of two hours.

Bows - a weapon favored by the Feather and Claw Clans, came into play as well, and Ayo learned the raw panic of having to duck away from death rained upon her from afar.

The Heart Clan won the day, but the injuries and casualties were higher than she could have ever assumed. The slaves seemingly had no fear due to that powerful cocktail they had been on, and they died to the last. The raptors that stood behind them, on the other claw, fled back - deeper into the complex while surrendering the entrance to the Heart Clan.

Sore as her body was, aching in places that she didn't know could ache, she didn't collapse or take the easy job of erecting tents and other campsites as other raptors were. Instead she joined a much smaller number of raptors that were going around collecting the injured and dead - in that order.

It was also her example that led to the raptors collecting Dilophosaurus and Allosaurus rather than just their own, taking them behind the front lines where medical stations had been set up. Though, admittedly, the medics had to move to the allos in most cases, large as they were. They didn't need her lead when it came time to collect the bodies of the dead, however, as no one wanted a spreading of disease.

A few took trophies from the fallen - scythe-talons to use as new spear tips, or fangs to array into a necklace or other piece of jewelry. Ayo found it morbid and barbaric but didn't say a word, merely dragging the bodies of the dead into a large pit on the outskirts of the Claw complex, before the start of the lower city.

As the last of the bodies were gathered, a priest that still was loyal to the Heart came forth and gave them all their final rites, declaring them one with the Sun and Earth. Then the pit was set alight, a controlled fire started to cremate the dead and return their ashes to the soil.

Ayo didn't stay to watch the bodies burn, though some did - those that had lost friends or family. Had she stayed, she would have remembered her own brother and Yeva, and she just wasn't ready to deal with that. Not yet.

Instead, she returned to where the tents were being assembled, a hastily built city of fabrics and hides. She had no doubts as to which belonged to her and Kibwe, the edge of her snout turning up in a smile as she approached it. It was a plain tent, though relatively large, but what gave it away were the tents around it. The commanders, harem leaders each, seemingly were trying to outdo one another with the colours and decoration upon their tents, leaving it a bright sea of colour with a rather boring center. It kept that smile upon her snout as she proceeded into the tent city.

When she found her way into the tent she found it sadly occupied, dashing all hopes for sleeping. It was crowded by the various officers and their underlings, going over everything with Kibwe. The center of their large tent was dominated by a large table and upon it stood those figurines from the day before, with the brightly coloured toy soldiers being removed and replaced on the table as the assembled commanders tried to figure out where their numbers lay and, perhaps even more importantly, where the enemy's positions and numbers were.

Ayo slipped around the edges of the group, keeping quiet as they bickered back and forth with one another and Kibwe played intermediary. Eventually, one of the gathered officers tossed his paws into the air before storming out with a hiss of annoyance. The others watched silently as he departed before once more becoming animated, rapidly gesturing and talking to one another about their plans for the next morning.

As the night dragged on, they slipped away, one after another. When at last the final raptor departed with a submissive bow of his head to Kibwe and the only remaining raptors aside from the black-feathered monster were his guards, Ayo relaxed. Kibwe, it seemed, did as well - she knew that much of these meetings were about posturing as much as military strategy. Each officer at the head of a regiment was trying to advance up the hierarchy and while Ayo wasn't entirely sure how often blood was shed between commanders, she guessed that at least a few feathers were ruffled in the process. While none would directly challenge Kibwe without having a death wish of their own, she had little doubt that many would plot and plan behind his back if they sensed weakness.

While she doubted that any of them had the spine to move against him for control of the Clan, she knew each of them would be a pain in his tailfeathers politically if that ever happened.

Once things had calmed down, Kibwe dismissed the two guards from the tent, leaving just Ayo and himself within. While she felt desire for him - she found she usually always did - she was far too exhausted to press for anything along those lines. Thankfully, it seemed Kibwe was in much the same state as he practically collapsed at her side on the ground, grunting with the impact and slowly untangling himself from the cloak he still wore. Once he had it undone from around his neck, he pushed it to one side and Ayo found herself doing the same, only just now realizing she was still wearing hers.

With the events of the past two days catching up with her, she found she was too exhausted to even talk, instead just pressing herself close to the half-conscious Kibwe and nestling her snout in among his feathers, inhaling deeply to reassure herself with that now-familiar scent. Reassure herself that everything would end up for the better in the end; and to, hopefully, stave off the nightmares she knew lingered at the edge of her subconscious.

Friday, June 8th, 739 BSO; 6:00 AM

Once more the sound of a beating drum woke Ayo from her slumber and this time she swore she'd find the poor bastard and shove that drum up his cloaca for waking her. Kibwe, it seemed, would be in agreement with her, groaning and hissing as he stirred to the waking realm once more.

She found it even more irritating as daylight wouldn't even really begin for another hour or two, their underground realm usually having late starts and early nights as a result of their existence. The only natural sunlight they got was through vents and cracks in the solid stone overhead, and it took until almost midday for it to be at its brightest. But it was technically a new 'day' and war wouldn't wait on her catching up on missed sleep, much as she might desire it.

She shuffled her way toward their personal food stores, making their morning meal by stirring in preserved meat with the broth that they had brought along. She grabbed two bowls of the stuff and moved over to Kibwe, who was still on the ground and splayed out on his belly. She nudged him in the side and he grunted at her before starting to slowly rise.

She knew he felt as exhausted as she did, because while she had been focused on other things the day before (such as survival), she had caught glimpses of him fighting. She avoided the Allosaurus in the drugged out ranks of the Talon and Feather Clans, but Kibwe rushed them headlong. It was probably a good thing that he did, too, since she doubted many other raptors were up to such a fight. The drugged Dilophosaurus and Allosaurus continued to bug her, acting almost like...like they were driven mad by bloodlust but somehow controlled nevertheless.

Animals on a short leash.

While she was mulling over it and absentmindedly stirring the meat within the broth with a claw, Kibwe spoke up and gave her the first piece of good news of the day, "You're not fighting today."

She took a moment to respond but when the words finally sunk in, she immediately tensed and was on the verge of lashing out. Good news it may be on the surface, she didn't want to be coddled. Kibwe raised a paw in a calming gesture, though, even as his other paw was mirroring Ayo's own - stirring the broth in his bowl.

"You fought as well as any raptor yesterday," Kibwe started, "and I'm not fighting today either. There is a reason we only committed half of the divisions to the battle - it's so those of us that were there can rest while the other half fights today.

It made sense to Ayo, even though she still found herself itching to fight and disappointed that she wouldn't be. Ever since she saw Yeva on that table and had fought her brother, she seemed to always be on the edge of bloodlust. She frowned in thought, 'Didn't even require a botched narcotic. Just my only friend dying.'

She shook her head, clearing it of the broody thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her and instead looked at Kibwe who was, for the moment, snout-deep in his bowl. She shook her head at him before asking a question that lingered at the back of her head, "So what do we do, then?" After all, it wasn't like she could leave the camp and attend the market in the lower city.

"We stay here in case the battle goes poorly and they need us. I doubt they will, though - whatever they did to their slaves and servants," he hesitated at the look in Ayo's eyes before 'correcting' himself, "to the Dilophosaurus and Allosaurus, I think that was meant to break us. Or stall us a hell of a lot longer than it did. If I listened to the popular opinion of my officers and drip-fed my divisions, it might just have, too."

Instead, he explained that their job for the day would be to hold council as needed and otherwise help around the camp. If all went well with the battle, they'd be helping with packing up their tent-made city and relocating it further forward, hopefully right into the heart of the Claw pyramid's bottom floor. A staging area for fighting upward and, hopefully, trapping the enemy firmly between the two allies.

Friday, June 8th, 739 BSO; 12:06 PM

Ayo ended up attaching herself to a group of female raptors who were making spears and she found the process took more effort than she anticipated. She thought it'd be as simple as tying a piece of bronze or obsidian to the end of a stick, and perhaps for the Bitah'ta, it would be. But the Clans took a few extra steps, including making it more top heavy.

She had gotten into the flow of production when a guard entered the tent and bowed his head, "Ayo Feralheart?"

There was no mistaking her, so the question was just a pleasantry. Seemingly, fighting in yesterday's battle had earned her some new form of respect from the feathered creatures, "Yes?"

"Kibwe Feralheart has requested your presence at the Council meeting. The Claw has sent a representative."

Ayo didn't need much more information than that, standing up and placing her latest spear in the growing pile to the side. She was amused for a moment, knowing that one of those would most likely be hers tomorrow. She bobbed her head respectfully to the females in the tent and then gestured to the guard, following after him once he started to depart.

Kibwe was holding council, it seemed, near the frontline. It was a good way for him to keep an eye on things without actually being involved for the day, and it also deterred a lot of petty petitions - no one liked being that close to the front if they didn't have to be.

When Ayo finally made it to the spot on the edge of the tent city where Kibwe was, she found that he had set up a large table to sit at. He had several officers arrayed to either side of himself, and each was sitting on a stool. Beside him was an empty stool, one reserved for her, so after dismissing the guard she silently slipped past the crowd to take her seat beside Kibwe. He only acknowledged her with a slight bob of his head before gesturing toward the three in front of him.

The first thing she noticed was that they didn't wear cloaks of red about their shoulders, but instead the Claw's blue. At the head of the three was an older male with red feathers, though the ones that made up the crest atop his head were going gray with age. When Ayo took her seat, he tossed her a look of annoyance, as if blaming her for the meeting being delayed.

However, it was the two behind him that made Ayo uneasy. The pair were wearing the same blue cloak as Red Feather, but everything else about them was different. For one, both of them had black feathers and, Ayo could tell at first glance, it was a dyed colouration, not a natural one. They wore the same satchel on their hip that most did, but above that was a bow and to the right of the bow was a holder for their ammo (a quiver, Ayo would eventually learn). Across their chest was a strap, fashioned of hide, lined with various vials; without access to the fluids within, she couldn't really say what they were, though none of them screamed 'safe' to her.

What seemed most unsettling to her were two things, the first of which was that they didn't move. They were as still as stone and that just seemed unnatural to her. Even the guards of the Heart Clan fidgeted or moved, the muscles under their feathers tensing or twitching as they tried their best to stay still at their posts. The two in front of her, however, hardly seemed to so much as breath for how still they were.

The second thing she noticed was that they had no scent; which wasn't to say that all raptors reeked and these two were clean. Rather, she couldn't pick up a scent from them at all. Not musk, not fear, not anything; were she not seeing them with her own two eyes, she might never have known they were there.

Then Red Feather spoke and her attention returned to him for the moment, "Leader Feralheart, I appreciate you taking the time to see me on such short notice and with such," he paused, tossing a look Ayo's way, "haste."

Kibwe grunted, but otherwise let the male in front of him continue, "I am Mavuto Quickclaw," and now Ayo knew that Red Feather had a name, "here on behalf of the Claw Clan. My Leader first wishes for me to thank you for the aid you have already provided, as we have reclaimed one floor of our pyramid already. In the confusion of the fight, I managed to sneak out with ten guards."

Seemingly, of those ten, only two remained - the two unnatural black feathers behind Mavuto, "I come now to present my Leader's terms to you, Kibwe Feralheart."

Ayo frowned, finding that a tad premature, and a sidelong glance at Kibwe suggested that he felt much the same. They had known, of course, that terms were coming from the Claw Clan, the Seers had said as much, but Ayo expected them to have liberated the pyramid first. Perhaps that was the requirement they were asking of the Heart Clan? Though she doubted it was something so easy.

"While I feel it is a little early to be agreeing to terms when we might not be able to fulfill them, I will nevertheless listen to them."

Although it had been nearly two weeks ago, Ayo remembered clearly that the Seers said the Claw would have a term for them. One. It sounded as if Mavuto had more than that, though perhaps what the Seers meant was that there would be only one important term.

Or one uncomfortable one.

"We have three terms for your late arrival into the war, Heart Clan. The first we require is your aid in freeing our temple complex, which you are already in the process of. The second is that you help us rebuild afterward by giving us four harem leaders - and their harems - after the complex is freed."

So far it didn't sound too bad. Kibwe would need to give up more of his Clan to another, but that was expected. The Claw would have issues marching, after all, if they couldn't commit numbers to the cause. Kibwe's people would just be marching under a new banner and have a new home afterward. Perhaps it'd be a way to get rid of those that weren't content with the way the military campaign was progressing, like the male that had stormed out of the tent the night before.

"The third is... uncomfortable. We understand that, but nevertheless, it must happen," Mavuto nodded to one of his two guards, the black feather to his right, who stepped forward. Kibwe's guards were instantly on alert and the black feather approached with paws raised. They lowered one after a moment and smudged the dye on their feathers, showing tawny beneath. "This is Sauda Razorclaw, our Clan's second highest female."

Ayo breathed a little easier as more of that black dye was smudged away as she could then smell the raptor underneath. It still didn't explain exactly how that black dye masked scents, but at least there had to be an explanation in the natural world. Though she was now a bit less uncomfortable about the female before her being scentless, she suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Our Matron presents you with Sauda Razorclaw to cement an alliance between our Clans. She gives unto you a daughter and hopes you take her as a mate," he passed a glance at Ayo and the annoyance from earlier was gone, replaced almost with a look of pity as he pressed on. "As your primary and only mate at the time of the agreement; your union with the Dilophosaurus Ayo, while... admirable in showing your tolerance and kindness, cannot continue."

There was a stunned silence that Mavuto took as an opening, pressing on, "My Matron is willing to supply you with at least three more females and two males for your harem - of your choosing - as well, but Sauda is non-negotiable."

Kibwe sat in silence for what felt like hours, but truly only had to be seconds. The sounds of the battle echoed beyond, carrying with it the screams of the dead and the snarls of the living.

When he finally responded it wasn't vocal; instead he simply stood with a faint, nearly unheard snarl and shoved his way past his officers. While many stood around stunned by the reaction, Ayo thought it might be for the best - it didn't end in violence and there was still a chance to continue relations with the Claw Clan. It also, however, left one major problem.

She was now the ranking member of the Heart Clan, meaning that she not only had to respond to the Claw Clan's proposal, a proposal that intended to replace her, she also needed to plan for general military strategy. Thankfully, most of the latter had been settled before she arrived and what little remained was mostly a no-brainer.

It was Sauda who spoke next, moving forward with her paws palm-up, trying to appear less threatening than she was. Ayo didn't buy that she was any less threatening now than she had been moments before, but she gestured to her guards to relax. When speartips were no longer aimed in her general direction, Sauda bowed her head respectfully before looking Ayo over. The Dilophosaurus didn't see the standard look of distaste or hatred that she might have seen from other raptors and instead, she only saw curiosity.

When she finally opened her snout to speak, it wasn't with fake-pity or smugness, but rather it was with calm confidence, "Our Clan holds nothing against you or Kibwe, Ayo Feralheart," she started, "but the bigger picture shows things being risky. When Subira Stormseer first approached us for aid some months ago, she said a Dilophosaurus would change everything. None of us believed her at the time, of course."

"You have proven that your kind is capable of things we would never have dreamed of just a scant few months ago, but even still - if you and Kibwe continued as you are, you risk leading your Clan toward certain doom," she held up a paw before Ayo could respond, interrupting the dilo before she could start, "The Clan will continue with or without the pair of you, just as the Claw Clan would have if we surrendered to the Tuk. But for Kibwe to remain the leader he must remain unopposed as the war ends."

Ayo frowned for a moment, absorbing the details presented to her before asking the most obvious question, "Why?"

"When the war ends, every Clan will be looking for a scapegoat. A way to put the whole war on one Clan or, indeed, even one person. Who do you think will be that person?"

It didn't take much for Ayo to pale at that, "Kibwe. For taking me," and shunning tradition in front of every other Clan.

"He will be chased out of his Clan and exiled, or else his Clan will be as a whole and the war will continue with a new target. However..."

"If Kibwe takes a raptor as his mate, they lose that source of ire," Ayo finished.

"Mostly, yes. If, after taking a raptor, the Tuk don't agree to peace terms, they will be seen as the ones instigating the war, rather than the Heart Clan through the choices of Kibwe," Sauda corrected with a bob of her head. "I know I'm the last one you want to hear any of this from, Ayo, but I figured it was better to talk to you as an equal, rather than pushing you out through just diplomatic channels."

In other words, she risked coming here herself to inform Ayo of the choice in person, rather than just let Mavuto safely deliver the message. The result would be the same but the delivery was completely different. Looking Sauda in the eye, Ayo could see she was sincere about it all, but that didn't make it any easier on the dilo.

Rather than make up her mind at that moment, she instead turned her head toward Mavuto, "You and yours are welcome to stay for the night. I doubt getting back into your pyramid will be any easier than getting out of it had been."

The diplomat and his escort bowed their head in gratitude and rapidly turned to leave, but Sauda lingered at the edges of the council. Policy and tactics were rapidly discussed, with a decision being made to halt the advance until the Claw's proposition was agreed upon. Ayo ordered two more regiments to move up, hoping to end the day's fighting early. The sooner she could busy herself again, the less she'd have to think.

She didn't get that luxury, however, as Sauda approached her in private once the officers and other leaders cleared away, moving to follow orders and pack up their tent city for the day. All signs pointed to the Heart fully controlling the bottom floor of the pyramid, though there were still an unsettling number of raptors on the upper floors.

"There is another piece of information that Mavuto didn't share," Sauda spoked in hushed tones, not wishing to be overheard by anyone but Ayo.

"What? What could possibly be worse than the terms already given?"

"Simple - we're on the verge of surrender," Sauda spoke earnestly, "If Kibwe doesn't agree to the terms laid out, we have orders to arrange an unconditional surrender to the Tuk."

"Surrender? But you still hold the upper floors of your pyramid!"

"And that is all we hold at this point. We're exhausted and starving," Ayo wouldn't have noticed the latter where Sauda was concerned since she was definitely a higher ranking female of her Clan, "What is worse is that we were selected for educational duties this year."

Ayo frowned, clearly showing a lack of understanding in her expression since Sauda continued shortly afterward, "Until a raptor comes of age with puberty and starts their Hunt, they cycle Clans for their education. It lets them live with a different Clan each year, so they don't become biased toward anyone when they have to make their choice after their Hunt. We were selected to be the ones leading their education this year."

Ayo still wore the blank expression, not quite piecing things together. "So you have extra mouths to feed - why not surrender the young?"

"We tried. The Tuk refused, insisting that we had to surrender as a whole," Sauda looked away for a moment. "I don't know and don't believe that you've been a mother yet. I have. I don't know which of them is mine, but to me? They all are. I've watched over half of them die from starvation and disease." The tawny feathered female took a deep breath for a moment before looking again at Ayo.

"For the sake of my species, my Clan must either join itself with the Heart or surrender to the Tuk. Those are our only options left."

Friday, June 8th, 739 BSO; 9:18 PM

Ayo had Sauda's words replaying through her skull the rest of the day, even as she gave general orders in place of Kibwe. Kibwe, it seemed, had stalked off to the battle - losing himself to the bloodlust in order to forget about the meeting. It was good for morale and it caused the swift victory that Ayo had hoped for, but it still left her worried about what his answer would be.

Kibwe would no doubt want to rebel against the choice, more so since his passion for her rang true; but the more Ayo considered Sauda's words, the more she saw the truth in them. What was worse was that Ayo was finding herself agreeing with the raptoress' words, knowing that the Heart had to align itself with the Claw.

She also knew that that would force her away from Kibwe and that turned her stomach, leaving her feeling ill for much of the day as she argued between what was right and what she wanted. Her mind was still in turmoil over what she should do when Kibwe finally entered the tent, covered from head to toe in gore and slumped in exhaustion.

Ayo jumped up and rushed to help him but he brushed her off, shaking his head with a simple, "Not mine," before he moved his way toward a barrel of water. It was meant to be for drinking, but Kibwe lifted the sturdy thing up over his head and upended the contents over himself in the process. Ayo snorted at him and crossed her arms, but it did reveal that the blood definitely hadn't been his. He didn't sport one new scratch on his hide, though she did see he was missing a few feathers here and there.

"We hold the bottom of the Claw temple. Tomorrow, we abandon it and make our way back home." Kibwe spoke with a glance over at Ayo, a pleading look in his eye. Even he had read the terrain and now they both knew the truth of it: she had to be the one to convince him to do the right thing.

She approached him and shoved her snout in against his damp feathers, finding water dripping down off of her hide in the process as she inhaled his scent. It was richly marred with iron from the blood that had soaked them, but she didn't care. She was on the verge of agreeing with him until she remembered Sauda's words, I don't believe you've been a mother yet. I have. All of them are mine in my eyes and I've watched too many of them die.

It wasn't Sauda exact wording, but Ayo knew that was the truth of it. She slowly stepped back from Kibwe and grasped his paws in her own, holding them loosely in her grip while tilting her snout up to meet his eyes.

"Don't," he started while looking into her eyes, his own a conflict of emotions that, no doubt, were reflected in her own. "Please."

"We both knew this couldn't last forever, Kibwe," she spoke, offering a crooked smile, "It was a fantasy. We both knew that." It was one that went further than it had any right to, but she didn't regret a moment of it. She lifted one of her paws away from his and cupped his cheek with it, rubbing at it affectionately. "It's the right thing to do."

"The right thing be damned - it's what their politic-ing leads to," he hissed, though she could tell he didn't believe that. Not truly. He was just trying to find some excuse to use, and she longed to agree with him.

But she couldn't, "The Claw is on the verge of collapse. Even if we rescued them, though, the Clans will want someone to blame once peace comes. Who do you think that'll be?"

He hissed faintly and didn't respond, instead, he turned away from her with that powerful tail of his swishing to and fro in an agitated manner. "I lead the most powerful Clan."

"And they wouldn't back a tyrant leading them to death for personal gain, no matter how loved he may have once been."

He grunted in response and Ayo slowly moved up behind him, leaning her head in against his hips, and sliding her arms around his middle for a moment (as much as she could, anyway). She relaxed against him, feeling him calm as he came to the same conclusion she did. It was necessary, even if neither of them wanted it. He slowly nodded his head after a moment. "I will accept, then."

She felt her stomach drop at the words, even if they were the right ones to hear. She closed her eyes and dug her claws into his feathers to distract herself once more, pressing close to him until he swiveled around. She had to step back, of course, but she found herself pressed close to him once more as his snout and lips crashed to her own, hungry, desperate, and furious all at once. She moved her claws into the feathers of his neck and raked through them hard enough to draw blood from the pebbly hide beneath, shivering as his body slowly pushed hers backward toward the table in the center of their tent.

They were both frustrated, angry, and knew that their world was coming apart at the seams - so they sought one another out in a desperate fashion, needing that link to keep them grounded.

Friday, June 8th, 739 BSO; 9:26 PM

Ayo found herself on her back, splayed out and laid out across the surface of the table with Kibwe's body overtop of hers. He had one leg lifted, talons digging into the wood while his tongue pressed against hers and invaded the smaller confines of her mouth. Her claws were raking through his feathers absentmindedly, grateful for the escape from the real world as the two lovers lost themselves in one another for what could very well be the last time.

All the frustrations, anger, and bloodlust of the past few days crescendoed into their desires for one another, even if that desire was rough and firm. Ayo's neck already ached from the angle it was at, held there by Kibwe's snout on her own. Her legs were splayed out to either side of his waist and she already could feel the heat of his desire in against her belly, swelling and thickening there and eventually spurting out across her belly.

Kibwe eventually pulled his head back with a snarl, eyes glazed over with desire and fury in equal parts. She shivered at that look, claws digging deeper lines into his shoulders as he lined himself up with her. There would be no gentle care to his motions, not that he was ever overly gentle in the first place - this was all about venting emotion and using her body as a conduit to achieve it. That was fine, as she needed that same release, so it was an impatient hiss that met his motions and that hungry gaze rather than a whimper of submission.

He found his mark, and the tip of his cock kissed the lips of her cloaca, then with no ceremony or words of warning he shoved himself forward, hissing in pleasure as that hard flesh pressed into her. She arched off the table with a snarl of delight, and that thick tail of hers slammed into Kibwe's supporting leg in the process while her inner walls gripped down like a vice around him.

He snarled at her in turn, jaws moving to seize her neck and grasp it tightly, holding on firm enough that she could feel the pinch of his teeth piercing through her hide, but she felt pure exhilaration instead of terror. His body started to rock, scythe-like talon on his foot tapping in pace with his motions while he rocked her body, and the table, back and forth. Each thrust echoed out with a smack of his slit meeting hers, her body quickly numb from the raw force of his motions.

His breath washed over her throat and her body was swiftly squeezing down on him, gripping in the throes of her pleasure as her first climax hit her like a truck. Usually, it was a gradual rise toward that peak, but now it blindsided her much as the rest of her day had. Kibwe, however, powered through that extra pleasure, his jaws biting down firmer and the taste of blood on his tongue as he dug tiny divots into her hide.

Kibwe didn't just outlast her, he outlasted the table, too. She heard the cracking of the wood underneath and felt as it started to shift as the wood gave way, but she was too caught up in the pleasure to care. Even Kibwe's reaction was just to adjust himself as the table suddenly snapped in two, ending up with the pair of them violently toppled to the ground.

The only part of it that agitated them, however, was that the fall made Kibwe pull out of Ayo. She squirmed about on her back, feeling many small lacerations on her hide and knowing for certain that she'd definitely feel that tomorrow, but for the time being she desperately wanted to feel just one thing specifically. She scrambled over onto her belly and nearly got properly standing when she felt the sudden impact of Kibwe's weight upon her back.

One large foot was placed on her hip, shoving her down into the debris of the table before it readjusted to place itself squarely on her lower back. It left her chest flat onto the wreckage of the table with her legs spread, that thick tail craned off to one side, and her backside jerked up in the air. With a snarl, Kibwe frantically worked his hips until he found his mark again and shoved forward with brutal efficiency.

She knew she would feel all of it tomorrow - the way his talons dug into her back, the constant smashing impact of his groin against hers as his slit repeatedly crashed firmly up against her own, not to mention the way her back was a tingly fire from the impact. Even with all those injuries, Kibwe's pace was brutal. Firm. Rapid. Ayo loved every moment of it, even if her body screamed at her in protest while Kibwe plowed her firmly enough that she saw vague shapes dancing before her eyes.

Fucked silly was a term she always thought existed only in lewd stories and over-the-top retelling of sexual exploits, but now she knew what they meant. Long tendrils of sticky slime leaked past her nethers, drooling onto the dirt floor of the tent and webbing from her cloaca to Kibwe's; his cock jumped and pulsed and just kept going. Now she understood the rumors about Kibwe, even if she was his first and they previously had no ground to stand on.

Now they did. Her cloaca and legs both agreed thoroughly with those rumors of Kibwe's sexual prowess as the male kept pumping, his hips rolling and groin smacking off of her time and again. Her legs were shaky, trembling as she tried to keep herself upright - and her weakness just seemed to spur him further, that large scythe-like claw pressing in loosely against her back as his pace shortened but got faster. A lot faster.

She truly lost track of time and the number of orgasms. She thought she might have been on number five when Kibwe finally snarled his pleasure to the tent's ceiling, but she couldn't be sure. All she knew was that her entire body was numb except for her cloaca which was on fire with how sensitive it was. By the time Kibwe lurched forward and kept himself buried vent-to-vent with her, her thighs were coated in a slimy combination of his pre and her own fluids.

He ended up making it a lot worse or better depending on one's state of mind when he came inside of her. His roar was one of primal conquest, equal to the sound he made in the jungle - declaring to the world that Ayo was his, no matter what anyone had to say about it. It was a claim that transcended petty politics and Clan feuds, and Ayo lavished in it even as Kibwe's cum filled every free space inside of her. Then it splashed back out to coat her thighs, the ground, and the base of her tail (not to mention Kibwe's groin).

Kibwe stayed like that for some time, buried to the hilt and throbbing inside of her, pulsing with each rapid beat of his heart as he filled her with liquid warmth. She was content and certainly not going anywhere, even as she felt the numbness wear off and mild pain began to replace it. She ignored that in favor of the warm glow that surrounded the pair, even when inevitably Kibwe had to pull his hips back with a lewd slorp of his cock pulling out of a space that was much too small for his overall girth.

Silently, the pair made their way away from the broken table and instead over to their makeshift bed, flumping themselves down on it. Once they were both settled, Ayo pushed her snout in against her lover's feathers, inhaling deeply once more while Kibwe tucked himself around her, surrounding her with his warmth. She got a rush to feel that he was becoming hard once more, just from the proximity of her to his body. For the moment, however, they ignored it in favor of holding one another close and trying to forget the events of the day.

For Ayo, it was more about forgetting the events of the past several, as the hits just seemed to keep coming. It was as if the universe itself decided to heavily stack the odds in her favor before suddenly, all at once, sweeping the rug out from under her paws. She was doing her best to navigate those pitfalls, but she hoped she was due for a break soon. She wasn't sure how much more of it all she could take...

Saturday, June 9th, 739 BSO; 10:05 AM

Ayo had made a few key choices the day before and one of those had been to delay the morning drum until later in the day, so it was a far more reasonable hour when those drums started their rhythmic beat. The army, she figured, needed rest; more importantly, she needed rest. Not to say she neglected defense, however, posting five divisions that hadn't fought the day before as guards for the day, meaning that, yes, they had to get up earlier, but the rest of the camp could rest.

Getting up, regardless of sleeping in, was hell. Her back felt like one giant bruise and every muscle ached to move. She certainly felt the events of the night before, as even her legs felt like mush - shaking underneath her once she brought herself to stand. It was made all the worse by Kibwe getting up and moving with relative ease, the bastard. Not to mention the momentarily smug look he wore upon seeing how she was moving, knowing he was the cause for it. However, their elation and memories could only block the realities of the day for so long, and Ayo started her morning tasks.

She went through the motions of the morning in a kind of automatic haze, moving from one task to another without really focusing on any of it. It was better than obsessing and worrying about the meeting in less than an hour, but it did cause her to make several mistakes along the way, such as attempting to place their breakfast upon the table. The one they had broken the night before in their desire to ignore the rest of the world.

Kibwe noticed the odd behavior but didn't comment upon it, the black feathered male equally distracted that morning and finding ways to keep himself occupied until the guards poked their snouts in to announce that it was time to start the council. They tossed a glance at the broken table, the one traditionally used during the meetings, and silently left without commenting on it. The male raptor snorted, thinking that was probably for the best as he made his way toward the exit. Once there, he lingered in the flap before he turned toward Ayo.

"I'm not expecting you to attend. Especially not today," he commented.

"And I don't want to. Not really," she looked down before taking a deep breath, "but I need to."

Kibwe opened his snout to ask why but closed it before the words escaped, instead merely shrugging and following through with a roll of his shoulder as he turned around, silently indicating that Ayo should follow after him. She bobbed her head and stepped silently in beside her lover.

She hardly noticed anything on her swift march alongside Kibwe, though others certainly noticed them. Usually, the stares she got were those varying from curiosity to disgust, though since the war started there were more of wonder. It was almost flattering. Today, however, the stares were uneasy and swift, breaking away the moment Ayo noticed. She wanted to hiss at them all, yell at them that she wasn't an object to gossip over and ogle at, but she also understood the reasoning behind it. Just because she understood, however, didn't mean that she liked it.

When they arrived at the clearing that would serve as the meeting place, she found it properly built and assembled, though with a smaller table than the day before. That fact brought a stupid smile to Ayo's snout, shaking her head faintly even as she took her seat beside Kibwe. '_That's one way to leave a permanent mark.'_After all, there was no doubt that every raptor in the camp had heard them the night before and the guards wouldn't have kept the broken table to themselves.

The first thing brought before the Council wasn't the fate of the Claw and Heart, but rather the normal updates about the enemy and their movements. Oddly, the scouts reported that the Talon and Feather Clans were holding their ground rather than trying to push the Heart out. It struck everyone as tactical suicide, as before too long the two Clans would be trapped firmly between the Claw and Heart. However, several scouts still hadn't returned and until they did, there would be plenty of misinformation as they relied only on intel from the day before.

Kibwe decided that there was no point in delaying any further and then bowed his head toward Mavuto, who stepped forward, flanked by Sauda and the other raptor from the day before. The two standing beside him now were in their traditional feather colourations, rather than dyed to the artificial black they had been the day before. It seemed to put everyone at ease, but Ayo was still uncomfortable and not just because of what Sauda represented for her future.

Just because she could see their actual feather colours and smell them now didn't make them any less deadly.

"I appreciate you allowing us to stay in your camp for the night, leader Feralheart," Mavuto started with a bow of his head, seemingly ignoring the fact it was Ayo that had let them stay in the camp, not Kibwe. "And I don't mean to sound ungrateful or blunt, but there will be no reason for pleasantries or further conversation if we don't have your answer to our terms."

Kibwe twitched and Sauda placed a paw on Mavuto's shoulder, silently telling the diplomat that he made a misstep. Still, it was one that Kibwe could work past, though it took several long seconds before he would speak. "Yes, the terms - I have spent the night thinking upon them," there was a soft snicker from one of the guards, though whoever it was was lost in a sea of similar looking snouts.

Kibwe, surprisingly graceful for the normally blunt and straightforward male, ignored the snicker and focused instead on what had to be said, "I agree, easily, to the first two terms," he commented, a reaction that everyone around fully expected. The sticking point was always going to be that third term.

Mavuto and every other raptor around waited with baited breath as Kibwe looked at both Sauda and Ayo in turn. He frowned faintly at Ayo and then turned his attention back upon Mavuto, "And, in accordance to the council I received last night, I accept the third term as well." Every soul in attendance was silent for several long moments and it was Mavuto that broke it.

"Very good, leader Feralheart. We had the foresight to bring a priest of the temple with us," and had the luck of having him survive their journey, "so we don't need to wait until after the liberation of the Claw temple to make it official."

While trading between harems was something that happened daily and required no regulation, the formation of a new harem required approval from the temple. The Tuk traditionally were the ones that approved of such a thing, but technically any priest could approve of it. It showed just how serious the Claw was about the terms that they were willing to use such loopholes.

Sauda and the male flanking Mavuto stepped forward and Sauda exposed her throat in a submissive manner as the male started to speak. Ayo blanked it all out, slowly slipping off of her seat - one that rapidly would belong to Sauda - and tried to find where she should stand. She felt lost, without purpose for the moment and it was made all the worse as the priest finished the Rite and Sauda took the seat beside a stunned Kibwe. It seemed even he hadn't expected it to happen all so quickly.

Though what angered Ayo even further was that Sauda gave an order and the raptors she gave it to obeyed without any kind of hesitation. Ayo had, technically, shared the same rank as Sauda had - Matron. However, the raptors around her jumped at Sauda's command without any prodding from Kibwe. The orders were simple enough, to prepare the army to march upon the Feather and Talon Clans still holed up within the Claw complex.

Even as the messengers were dashing off to deliver their orders to their commanders, or officers moving to assemble their troops, two of the scouts were escorted in front of the council. Sauda seemed content to ignore them, but Kibwe had recovered his wits enough to address the pair with a simple bob of his head.

"Leader Feralheart," one of the two spoke, then looked at Sauda and frowned for a moment before he put two and two together, "and Matron..."

"Sauda Razorheart," she commented and Ayo snorted softly under her breath at the name, though no one but the raptors immediately around her noticed.

"Matron Razorheart - the Talon and Feather are marching," Sauda nodded following that news, thoroughly dismissing it as something she expected, but the scouts both lingered. There was more and Ayo frowned, sensing that the raptors had missed something.

"There is more," spoke the second scout, keeping his head lowered submissively. A good idea, since Sauda's glare was anything but friendly, "The Tuk have finally marched. They've sent everything they have."

"We knew they were gathering to march on the Seers, though that is hardly a concern of ours at the moment," Sauda spoke, dismissing the news outright.

The scout shook his head, "Not on the Seers, Matron. On_us_. They left in the dead of night, and they'll be upon the camp in just a few hours." That brought silence to everyone and Kibwe spoke next, finally recovered enough from the rapid forming of his new harem.

"Where are the Talon and Feather marching?" he asked the first scout, who nodded his head - indicating that that was the right question.

"Up. They plan to finish the Claw while we're distracted."

"How many are marching on us?" He asked the second scout.

"I want to say sixteen regiments. But they've got a lot of slaves, all with that... blank stare. In total, they match us in numbers." Before that might not have been an issue, as slaves rarely wanted to fight and usually didn't put up nearly as much of one as raptors did. Clearly, however, the narcotic that the Tuk had tweaked changed all of that.

"How many days do we have until the Talon and Feather march?"

"Three days until they can properly mobilize everything they have, if we're lucky. Two tops if we're not."

"Could we redirect any regiments and still hold the Tuk?" Sauda asked, directing it toward both the scouts and one of the officers, both of whom shook their heads.

"Not likely. We need to keep at least a regiment or two in reserve just in case the Talon or Feather come down instead of going up - if we get attacked in the back, it'll be disastrous."

"Can we do anything to save my people?" Sauda cried and for a moment, Ayo's heart went out to her. The officer shook his head slowly and Sauda's screech was one of pure agony.

The officer winced, "Not unless we suddenly found two or three more regiments. But there is no way we can assemble that many bodies in just a few days, let alone those willing to fight."

Ayo didn't know what made her say the next few words, what drove her to speak up to this Council of raptors when she was now their inferior. Perhaps it was the fact they had seen her as their Matron for the past month or maybe because they were all desperate, but none of them chased her out as she opened her snout.

"I know where to find them. I can save them, Sauda." It just required finding Dejen and convincing the Bitah'ta to fight for her, and all in under forty-eight to seventy-two hours.

No pressure.