Chapter 182

As I listened to the cries of my keelish, I was again tempted to shift my vision to perceive heat signatures, but with a force of effort, instead I strode forward, my magic bubbling within my throat. The "mere lesser" keelish continued to scream around me, and a part of me wanted to delay reaching out, delay helping them to allow their morale to break so that I could ensure that my [Innervating Address] would fully change the morale of my swarm. After all, they all would be served by my continuing evolutions, and every [Skill] that evolved would allow me to save more in the future!

My cold reasoning rang hollow in my own ears, and before I thought for another moment, I let out my [Innervating Address].

"Stand together! Retreat from the shores and gather together! Survival is victory!"

The shift in my perspective, something I'd let slowly turn and fester within me, had my mind immediately snap to different instructions and I understood that the boosts to my mind's alacrity from [Pack Tactics], [Innate Leadership], and all my other [Skills] had changed. Before, their focus was primarily on the complete destruction of anything that crossed me, and that at any cost. Now, though, I could feel that I valued my keelish's lives. They were my people, and not just that in word but in reality as well. Before, I'd thought of keelish as my people, but only truly counted the khatif as mine.

I shook the realizations from the forefront of my mind, instead redoubling any plans to ensure the greatest survival rate of my keelish. Though I hadn't shifted my perception to heat signatures, the setting suns cut through the overcast clouds enough to see murky shadows and vague outlines. Beyond that, the keelish had been surprised, and I knew that the vast majority of my swarm spent their entire lives seeing exclusively heat signatures. Something cold blooded, then?

The cries of several keelish cut off, and the splashing resumed as the unseen assailants retreated back to the waters. I sprinted to the shore and tried to catch a leg or arm or even a glimpse, but by the time I was near enough to begin to see anything, all that was left of the ambushed keelish were a series of ripples that quickly faded in the water. I paced along the banks of the island, but even after minutes, I didn't see a shadow of the sneaky bastards or their prey. Whatever it had been, if it was just one, or several, or many, had escaped wholly without punishment. I was reminded of the Martanimis that swallowed me whole and nearly killed me… and the terrorbird that had escaped with Oncli's corpse.

Would this be a creature that I couldn't face as I was? Looking around, the Wave Wolfstags had retreated back nearly to the center of the island, nervously whining to each other and begging Joral, Sybil, and Shemira for their support. They knew something about whatever this thing was, and not for the first time, I cursed that we couldn't communicate with the wolfstags more clearly than simple commands. With a sigh, I dispelled the thoughts and instead refocused myself on how to protect the swarm.

Should we just leave?

No, I didn't know if the thing was still nearby, and how many of them there were. 

Just sleep and hope it didn't return?

Never. Those losses were no longer acceptable to me.

Set up–that thought could work. Why hadn't we implemented it yet?

"Foire!" I didn't shout, but I'd long learned, even without the influence of my magic, how to make my voice carry. It took less than a minute for the scout to step close to me, his daughter surprisingly not held protectively in his arms. 

"Alpha?" He asked without another word.

"Other than yourself and Silf, who are the best scouts in the swarm?" Foire's tail flicked as he thought, but before he could answer, I continued, "Gather the best scouts, have at least two working together through the night with others. Have the entire perimeter of the island covered, keep watch over anything intruding. For assistance, have Solia light something on fire to post at the edges of the water, that way we can see whatever it is that attacked."

Foire flared his frills once in acknowledgement and turned to walk away, then, after a brief hesitation, turned back and asked, his voice only barely loud enough for me to hear, "Do you need me to keep an eye out myself? Or merely those who I deem as capable?"

I cocked my head. "My intention in asking was so that the best scouts in the swarm are helping to ensure that no more of our fellow keelish perish under the ambushes of whatever it is that lurks in the water."

Foire's tail twitched restlessly, his anxiety becoming more and more apparent as I looked on in confusion. He responded, "But… I wanted to know if I specifically need to watch through the night."

"Not through the entire night, but you should watch for part of the night. Rotate with the others, and I'll help with organizing and maintaining the perimeter." I cocked my head and flicked my tail in confusion before asking, "Does that not make sense? If not, I can re-explain whatever you're confused about."

Foire clicked his teeth together in denial. "Then please wait here." Without another word, Foire jogged away without any explanation. I turned to look at Sybil but she flicked her tail dismissively without answering me. Though I had begun to take deliberate action to keep myself from looking down on the rest of the swarm and especially those not khatif, there was an immediate rage that swelled inside me at the dismissive attitudes taken by my subordinates. As my lip curled away from my fangs and a displeased growl swelled in my throat, Sybil stepped close. 

Before I could make any audibly dissatisfied sounds, she murmured to me, "It will be fine. Calm your heart." I wasn't sure if it was a minute magical calm or merely Sybil's presence, but there was a slight wave of calm that passed over me at her words. I flared my frills and forced myself to a comfortable position to await Foire's return. It wasn't more than two minutes before he was back with Trai in his arms. She yawned and squeaked at her father as he carried her towards me and he softly whispered in her ear while he nuzzled her neck. Trai's high pitched, sleepy giggles carried pleasantly through the still night air, and Foire stood next to me and stretched out his arms with his daughter offered to me.

As I looked at him, Foire spoke, "While I am watching for anything coming, would you stay with Trai? She gets cold easily during the night, and needs someone to lie with her."

Her sleepy eyes met mine and though she tried to hold her head high and inspect me, the head with too-large eyes quickly flopped to the side as her eyelids grew too heavy to support themselves. I didn't hesitate to reach out with both hands and took her. Trai nuzzled herself into the crook of my arm, her hot breaths fogging on my scales in the cool night.

"Of course, my friend. I'll step out after you return to contribute."

His daughter taken care of, Foire flared his frills and summoned his fellow scouts with a series of quiet clicks that somehow carried over the entirety of the island. Before I could say anything, Sybil stepped next to me and spoke softly, "I will take charge of organizing the additional patrols and Solia's fires. You care for the child."

Without waiting for any word from me, Sybil walked away, and I was left with the delicate, exhausted baby. I felt a smile cross my face without any conscious thought, and I settled into a comfortable position on the ground before I began humming with the influence of [Nurturing Enunciation]. Trai settled more comfortably against me as she snored softly and, before I knew it, I joined her in sleep.