A Perfect Storm (Greathorned)

[Rylan]

Katara strode down the rough hewn stone hallway, the wall sconces dimly shimmering in the night's haze. The sound of her silver and jet battle claws resounded around the passageway, a faint click of metal on stone. Her ivory feathers glowed in the torchlight, silver glints dancing across her body. She nodded to the Pure Ones travelling the passages, returning their bows and curtsies.

She held her wings tight to her sides, her body wrought with tension. The stress of keeping Thalia's secret was crushing her, along with her normal duties as the Supreme Commander. Training owlets was difficult, especially this new crop of recruits. They were clumsy, unfit and stupid. Katara knew she would find no officers within them, and with the disappearance of the recruits trainer, Katara had taken it upon herself to train them.

She sighed, her obsidian eyes closing for a moment. She was so tired, and she felt it tonight especially. Her bones were weary, her muscles sore. Her eyelids seemed to grow heavier by the minute, yet she forced them open. She had duties tonight, and had to meet with her officers.

And there was Tytus's pointless mission with that new assassin. Katara respected the assassin's supposed knowledge with the Others, but she had never delved into their technologies. She preferred their tales of heroes and warriors, of the battles of the past, of the strategy and the intrigue. But the science? Not so interesting to her. She hurried down the corridor, speeding on her way to meet with the officers. She was late already.

She sighed again.

[Deleted]

"Late again, as usual, Commander," Dimitri stood outside the meeting chamber, waiting for Supreme Commander Katara to finally arrive for the meeting. He was never one to let a chance to berate her slip away. He watched her approach, a grin forming on his face. "An officer is supposed to inspire confidence and respect in their subordinates, something that is quite difficult when one appears half-asleep to every meeting." He added and stepped inside the meeting hall, which now housed a little less than a dozen officers of the Pure One's army.

Dimitri had been specifically requested to organize the operation, he held the most knowledge of the Great Tree out of any Pure Ones alive, having been taught much about the Pure One's failed siege of the Tree. It was one thing in particularly that he wanted to exploit: the tunnels the owls had dug late during the siege. While it had been a long time since the battle, he was confident that they could still locate those tunnels again and use them to infiltrate the Tree. All that was needed was a diversion to allow the Pure Ones time to dig. Once they had broken through, they were to raid the library of the Guardians, taking some books that, for reasons he was unaware of, Tytus had determined were of value to the Pure Ones. He had no clue where this stupid plan had come from, but Tytus had apparently deemed it necessary to take possession of some of the texts held by the Guardians. Tytus hadn't explained much to any of them, except possibly Katara, but had still ordered his officers to draw up a plan of attack, leaving most of them speechless.

[Rylan]

Katara sighed inwardly as Dimitri yet again commented on her tardiness. "I apologize to all of you," she said, nodding respectfully. She took her customary place at the head of the table. Though Dimitri was the main organizer of this operation, Katara still had a higher rank and would be leading the actual mission.

Katara watched dully as Dimitri showed a map of the possible locations of the began tunnels, stifling a yawn. It would not have been her idea to use the tunnels, as she would have preferred to place two or three slipgizzles in the Tree, and have them smuggle a book out to a waiting messenger every other day. However, Tytus had deemed Dimitri to better organize the mission.

Katara was Thalia's best friend and adopted little sister, and she had been mentored by Thalia. Her rank was due to Thalia's urging her to accept promotion, and she owed her confidence to Thalia as well. Before Thalia, Katara had hidden within herself. She had remembered a bit of her old family, but it quickly faded as she realized they had abused her and that the Pure Ones were a truer home.

Katara drew her mind back to Dimitri's lecture with an inward groan. SHe heard something about needing to dig, then retreated again. For the past while, Tytus had been going yoicks. Slowly, to be sure, but it was no wonder why Thalia had become so un-infatuated with him. Ordering new raids for seemingly useless materials, sending officers to their deaths trying to find someone long dead or vanished, and much more. The Pure Ones were becoming restless and beginning to ready themselves for a new High Tyto.

They loved Thalia to be sure, or at least the male half did. Thalia's beauty instantly gained the heart of the male majority. Their female counterpoints were not so pleased with her however. They envied her, and sometimes Katara feared that one would attack Thalia.

Katara shook her head once to clear the thoughts. Focus! she silently berated herself. She tried to focus on what Dimitri, but her patience snapped. For the past week, she had been trying to hold her tongue and get along with Dimitri, but she had had enough. The owlet's training, the officers, everything was bothering her. She knew Dimitri's planning was done, and that he was just informing the officers. She knew that the raid would happen the next fore night.

"Wouldn't it be better if we just planted a slipgizzle and hireclaw party within the Tree as some Glauxian brothers, asking to see the resources?" she snapped. "They could just say they were borrowing the materials. So what if they seemed too brutish to be Glauxian brothers?"

Katara suddenly became aware of all of the officers staring at her. She shifted in her feathers uncomfortably. Unlike Thalia, who used her beauty like a whip to rein in the officers, Katara was shyer and more unsure of hers. She disliked owls staring at her, unless she was barking out commands or a speech. Suddenly she had the urge to flee.

She had become to fed up and she needed a break. She was putting the whole mission in jeopardy by being this sleep deprived and agitated. She actually wished that Dimitri would ask her to leave. Not that she'd tell Dimitri, but if he asked her to step out of this mission she would gladly do so.

She didn't want to be part of this mission. She wanted to sleep. She wanted out of the mission. She wanted to fly away on the mission night and find a storm. She had felt one brewing, but it seemed to be small. But things like that could change. That's what made it exciting for Katara. She wanted to go and dance in that storm. Something was compelling her to go, a tugging in her gizzard. It was telling her she needed to be there.

And the only way she would be able to do that was to be dismissed by Dimitri.

[Rylan]

((OOC: Not quite as good as the other very long post, but I'm still pleased with this. My creativity may be fleeting, but when it wants to it can make something good like that. If I do say so myself.))

[Deleted]

The entire room went silent and all eyes turned straight at Katara, startled by her sudden outburst. Of all the officers, Katara was the one who was the most level-headed, under no circumstances would she ever talk so out of turn like this. Dimitri however could help but enjoy such a display, Katara was such a thorn in his side, anything to show her weakness was a gift to him. He tapped the table with one of his talons, bringing attention back to him, forcing himself not to smile at Katara's lack of self-control. "Commander, you seem to have forgotten that the Pure Ones do not have many spies with which we can conduct such an operation with. Unless we were to reassign some from our other endeavors, we would have to train new spies and, unfortunately, I have to say our current crop of Pure One recruits have proven themselves to be... less than capable in doing anything more than sleeping and eating," Dimitri explained and he soon received approving nods from his fellow officers.

"In addition, if we are to slip spies into the Great Tree, I would much prefer to give them a more long-term mission than petty theft. I already have plans for a much more ambitious infiltration, but that is an entirely different matter. For now, we will continue with my plan, which has received approval from Tytus himself, any deviation from this will require his consent and I would rather not waste his time making any alterations at this point. Now, back to the matter at talon, I shall lead the diversionary attack with nine Pure Ones and engage the Guardians via Cape Glaux, while Katara will lead the infiltration team from The Beaks." Dimitri turned at looked up at Katara. "I am leaving you in charge to dealing with this supposed 'assassin' who Tytus has deemed important to the mission." Dimitri had no knowledge on who this owl was, or even if he could be trusted... so just in the off chance that he was a Guardian spy or turnfeather, at least he might take out Katara for him in the process.

"The rest of you know your roles and I expect each and every one of you to perform to the best of your abilities. Whatever your personal opinions about this mission are, you must keep in mind that this is a direct order from Tytus himself and failure will result in harsh punishment. You have two hours to prepare yourself, once the moon reaches it's climax, we fly." Dimitri waved his wing to dismiss the group and didn't even stop to say anything to Katara before he left. He had no time to waste in preparing his soldiers, even if Katara's role resulted in absolute failure, he would make sure that the Pure Ones knew how effective the owls under his command had performed.

[Rylan]

Katara huffed and swept out of the room, nodding coldly at the officers. Her onyx eyes burned, like coal about to explode into flame. Her battle claw clad talons screeched across the stone floor, as she fled to her chambers. As soon as she stepped into her rooms, she slammed the door shut behind her. The heavy oak crashed with a boom and the metal bolts clicked into place.

She strode towards her four poster bed perch, then flopped down with an exasperated sigh. Her chambers were light and airy, with large sky entrances that lead into the sky and out of the Pure Ones headquarters. The moonlight shone through them, sending silver cascading over the rest of the room. Unlike the rest of the HQ, Katara's chambers had been carved out into a section of marble. The white stone was veined with silver and gold that shimmered and seemed to create pathways for one to follow.

Tapestries displaying scenes of the forest and other landscapes adorned the walls, hiding the secret passageways that led all throughout the Pure Ones's HQ. False walls hid them as well, but Katara enjoyed the forest scenes. Silver wall sconces shed firelight throughout her chambers, and she looked around. Her various baubles lay displayed on marble pillars, found in the ruins of the Others. Large bookshelves were carved into the wall, with a few mahogany perches around the hearth. And an owl was perched on one.

Katara screeched in alarm. Who was the owl in her chambers? she wondered, leaping to her talons. She paced towards him, then realized it was only Kygoe. "Did I startle ya?" he asked, his beak twisting strangely as he talked. He had been born scarred, and his beak disfigurement made talking hard for him. He had a rasp, and could talk no louder than a loud whisper.

"You scared me," she admitted. She took a perch next to him, then looked at the tome he had been reading. It was an illustrated book of maps of the kingdom, though the page he had flipped to was specifically the Great Tree. As Katara leaned closer, she saw with surprise it had secret passageways all throughout it, not unlike the ones in her own chambers. Kygoe's twisted talon was resting lightly over one particular one.

"Where did you find this?" she asked breathlessly. The book was an invaluable resource. It had detailed entrances, and more importantly, the one she needed. The passageway led straight from the outside of the Tree on the dark side of the island into the library. Katara looked hard, and realized that it was on the other side from Cape Glaux. She gave a sharp intake of breath, and turned to Kygoe.

He was watching her with his dark grey eyes. "This book was from... a friend," he said. He tapped the passageway with his talon, then looked back into her eyes. "Ya know what I'm thinkin'?" he asked, his voice rough as a cheese grater. He traced the passageway to where Katara had been thinking of starting the attack.

"My patrol could easily obtain the volumes following this passageway. But only three owls would fit." she said, her mind whirring. She thought of her raiding party, most of whom she didn't trust to go through the passageway silently enough. The only ones she could think of that had to be there were the assassin, whom she had never met, and the two slipgizzles. But then she wouldn't be able to go...

"Aye, ya wouldn't have to go. I'll talk to the assassin, and I think he'd willing to lead the two other raiders without ya. That means you could stay back and get some rest, and that way Dimitri wouldn't be able to throw you off so easily. And this way the glory would be yours, without you jeopardizing the mission by being so out of sorts." he said.

Katara threw her wings around her friend, jubilation radiating from her. "Thank you Kygoe!" she exclaimed. She released him then danced around the chamber. This way Dimitri wouldn't be able to claim the glory, and Katara could go dance in that storm. She leapt onto her bed, then bounced down. She hugged herself with glee, then removes her battle claws.

~~~~~

"I'll be going now," Kygoe said. His heart had begun to beat faster when Katara had embraced him, and still it fluttered. He depart the chamber from a secret passageway behind a tapestry of a fox over it, though Katara didn't notice. He slipped out, then went to find the assassin. He followed the passageway downwards, then snuck into the corridor. He decided he'd tell the assassin that Katara had ordered him to lead the raid with two other raiders. He held the book under his shoulder, the secret entrance bookmarked with a feather.

He saw the assassin, Aerion, preparing for the mission. He hurried after him, then tapped him on the shoulder. He didn't wait for Aerion to respond. "Might I have a word?" he asked as he opened the book. He pointed to the passageway.

"I have the new details of the raid."

((OOC: Now we follow Aerion's history story line.))

[Deleted]

Aerion flew his wings open as he turned around, a threat display made only more intimidating due to his size. "Why do you bother me with such things? I have already been told the details of the raid by one of YOUR officers, I do not need to be constantly reminded of such things," Aerion remarked, berating the other own for the unwelcomed intrusion. Of all the things that annoyed him the most, it was other owls barging into his living space without asking him. His hollow was his home, his sanctuary, the one place he could be alone and away from the rest of the world, to trespass in such a personal place was a simple insult in his eyes. "In addition, I would like to know under whose authority you are allowed to simply walk right into my personal hollow? Must I again remind you that I am not under the jurisdiction of your Pure Ones, as per the agreement between me and your leader Tytus?" Although Aerion did work for the Pure Ones, he had made it clear that he would not bow to any owl and refused to become an official member of the Pure Ones. He was just a Pure One in name only, he operated independent of the rest of the organization and only accepted assignments if a reward was promised. Thus Aerion found it extremely insulting whenever some Pure One thought they had the power to order him around, though he was more than happy to put that owl back in its place.

Aerion folded his wings back into place and turned his back to the other owl, returning to work on his battleclaws. He was planning on serrating the edges of the claws to provide better cutting power during battle and was also replacing the leather ties that held them to his legs, which were now beginning to crack. "Well, if I have to listen to your dribble, then at least be quick about it, as you can see I have a lot of work to do and I find it distracting to have other owls watching me do so," Aerion remarked and tapped one of the watches that hung from the wall, opening it's face covering and noting the time. "And we only have a few more hours until sunrise, so I would prefer to finish this work BEFORE that happened." Aerion turned back and looked at the other owl, giving a rather disapproving stare. He didn't know this owl, though that could be said about most of the Pure Ones. He knew of Tytus and his mate Thalia, but other than them he never bothered with the trouble of learning who the rest of the command structure were. He figured that if he had an issue, who better to take it up with than the leader of the entire organization. In a way, it played right into his egotism, he could just easily go and speak to the leaders without any formalities and tended to flaunt that fact to the rest of the Pure Ones. He had put many owl back in their place simply by threatening to go to Tytus about their behavior towards him.

[Rylan]

Kygoe waited until Aerion's outburst was finished. Kygoe was used to other owls being threatening to him, due to his small size and deformed body. The thing that separated him from being bullied was his wit. It was far superior to others, and he was calculating. Owls direly regretted being harsh with him, but he had a more important duty to Katara right now than plotting Aerion's demise.

"Well, I had an idea for you. I believed you would want more thanks and glory for this mission. Dimitri planned to take it all from you, and you wouldn't have been able to use all of the books you wanted about the Others. Instead, the Commander ordered that you are to lead a raiding party of yourself and two other owls, and you'll be able to select whichever tomes you want from the library, if you want. Otherwise, you'll have to deal with Dimitri's leavings." he said. Kyge wasn't afraid of Tytus, as he was beneath the High Tyto's notice. He tapped the book under his wing casually, hinting at the information inside. He knew Aerion would take the hint, being smart as he was.

"But I suppose you don't want this knowledge about the Others, and would rather stay ignorant. I mean, it's your choice."

((OOC: I don't enjoy roleplaying Kygoe as much as I love roleplaying Katara, so that's why this is so short.))

[Deleted]

Aerion looked at the other, cocking his head slightly in wonder. "I don't understand, has the plan not already been prepared and presented to Tytus for his approval? Why are you changing it at such a late hour?" By his understanding, he was to be part of a small group to infiltrate the Great Tree and retrieve materials, but that group was being coordinated by one of the officers of the Pure Ones. So now they apparently wanted to put him in control, which was far less than an ideal changes, one he didn't see any particular need for. "To be quite frank, I don't see how this could be a good idea in any sense of the word. As great of an owl as I am, quite frankly I have no capacity to command others. I find the job far more of a bother than anything, not worth the effort I would put into it. Can you honestly expect an owl as brilliant as I to be chained to owls who are of lesser talent and skill?"

"So whatever reasons your Commander has for putting me in charge, let them know that I respectfully decline. If they do not wish to command the mission, then I would much rather fly on my own, devoid of any assistance. I am certainly more than capable of handling myself and any other owls added would just slow me down and keep me distracted. Besides, would it not be the most impressive for one owl to do the job of an army?" Aerion turned and stared at the watches hanging on the walls, his mind thinking over the situation. He knew enough about to tree to be able to get in and out, but what he would now need is more time. With only one owl to infiltrate, he needed to make sure whatever he was retrieving was going to be worth the trouble. "What I am going to need now is more time. I don't care what the Pure Ones do, they need to keep the Guardians busy for as long and you can. I can't just go in there and grab whatever I see, I need to make sure what I snatch is worth all this trouble we're going through. I know you Pure Ones like to gloat about your battle prowess, well here's your chance to back up all your claims, just please, try not to hurt yourselves in the battle. The Pure Ones have a reputation, albeit a poor one, to maintain."

((Hopefully this is a more acceptable post for Aerion then my last one, but if you still find it short then maybe it would be best to find someone else to play him. To be honest, I don't know how witty I can make him, since I have a hard time with that in real life, but I will certainly try my best.))

[Rylan]

((OOC: That was a great post for Aerion. Thanks for doing as I asked in the PM. I'm going to post later tonight, but we're painting the deck and we need to hurry before the paint dries. I promise, I'll post tonight before bed.))

[Deleted]

((I'm just happy I was able to provide the kind of character you were looking for.))

[Rylan]

((OOC: You're doing great for me not having had given you much direction in how Aerion would act and talk. But I really have to go now. I'll post later tonight. ))

[Rylan]

Kygoe nodded slowly, waiting for Aerion to finish. Finally Kygoe opened his mangled beak then began to speak. "Aye, the original plan was approved by Tytus, but nearing the end stages of planning I discovered a flaw. Dimitri's tunnel knowledge would have been helpful a while ago, but the Guardians have blocked the tunnel he wanted to use."

"Oh," he said, "and there was the fact that Dimitri, wanting to have more control as usual, was going to have your companions constrict your intake of useful books. It appears Dimitri would rather return to the old ways, rather then utilize your new knowledge."

Kygoe waited for it to sink in. "Besides, these two that you will be partnered with are merely book mules, for you to use to carry books out. I replaced Dimitri's pompous old officers and the commander with mine own owls. They require little instruction, just give them the books you want, and they'll carry them and you'll be on your way. They'll make no sound, disrupt no one and will be useful in insuring that you have all the books that you need and want. They were chosen for their strength and silence."

Kygoe listened as Aerion declined. "Well, if you decline, then no books will be taken. Dimitri will merely distract the Guardians a bit, and you'll all be stuck inside the Great Tree with no owl to hep you. And if you go, you'll need the pack owls to carry the heavy tomes. I don't doubt your strength, but there are so many Other technology books to carry back, my little whisperers inform me. And if it is glory of being the one owl army you want, then as soon as the books are safely stowed in your talons, kill the owls. They matter naught to me."

"Yes, the Pure One reputation has sank, and with good reason. The old and the new do not work together, and Dimitri's and Katara's styles are as different as black and white. You don't need nor have any time. You fly as soon as the moon peaks. My little whisperers have placed all of the Other tomes you do not already have in your talons by where you shall enter the Tree. You'll be able to sort through them quickly, then fly out. Easy enough, don't you think?" he asked. "Besides," he said, "you won't have a chance like this ever again.

"Take it or leave it."

((OOC: Aerion needs to accept for his history to play out accordingly. And the two other owls will be lost in the storm anyway.))

[Deleted]

Aerion gave the owl the most unenthusiastic look and owl could possibly give and ruffled his feathers in irritation. "Must I remind you, Pure One, that Tytus guaranteed my full autonomy to pursue missions as I see fit, now how you Pure Ones think is should be done, or do you owls feel it not necessary to abide by your leader's agreements? I must also point out your appalling memory, it seems the owls around here have forgotten my well-earned reputation. I was not born in a cozy little hollow like many other owls, no sir, I grew up under the watchful discipline of my parents, former soldiers for the Norther Kingdoms. Many owls I have faced, many I have sent to their maker, I am not one to be trifled with, Pure One, but this seems to be something you all have forgotten. I have little need of your owls, Pure One, within me is the strength and cunning of dozens of owls, there is no challenge I cannot overcome, no owl that can outperform me!" Aerion puffed his feathers out, a rather pompous display to try and prove his point. "Or, Pure One, is it that you simply can't allow me to leave sight of a Pure One? Are your officers whispering the word 'traitor' in the same breath as my name? Do your officers seeks to lay their talons harder and harder over my shoulders, determined to control they very breath I take?"

Aerion turned and walked over to a small hole that served as a window for his hollow. It was his main source of light, as he did not trust fire to exist in the same room as his priceless tomes of information. "You all have overestimated how much I am willing to trust another owl... especially when it is owls I have not met before, with only your guarantee to their effectiveness. But, tell me, can I trust the guarantee of an owl who I have never met before?" He turned and looked back towards the Pure One. He never fully trusted the Pure Ones to honor deal he made with them, after all it was these owls who had called him and abomination when he had first run into him. Only after he had put them in their place had they changed their minds... or that's what he had thought. He wouldn't put it past them to try and worm out of their deal, either by getting rid of him or trying to control him more and more. "But, seeing how you are unwilling to let me have my way, despite how much I deserve it, I have no other choice but to accept your ridiculous proposal, though I am certain I will live to regret it." Aerion shook his head in annoyance, disgusted by the thought of having some lesser owls fly with him. It was unthinkable, why should he have to lower himself to such standards, he was more than capable than any owl they could possibly pair him with. "Now, if you are still willing to accept my request, oh great Pure One, then may I ask that you vacate my humble hollow? This poor soul has much preparation to do," Aerion bowed extended a wing, a mocking display towards the Pure One's authority.

[Rylan]

((OOC: I'll post tomorrow morning, I'm super tired right now.))