𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝

The Proposition Of War

Rewritten

A major attribute of humans was vanity. This was not exempt from half-humans. There was power in appearance, in looking like the epitome of strength, walking on the ground as if you owned every piece of it, dressing and presenting yourself like the stars hung in the sky because you willed them to.

This, Aurora the Creature knew.

This, she had to use as a weapon, when meeting with the Chieftains.

"I will contact the Sofia Towers." And Chief Demyan certainly had, along with twelve other Chiefs from nearby clans. These twelve, along with Chief Demyan, made up the circle that governed from Germany to Russia and everywhere in between.

Aurora couldn't recall all of them by name, some of them were incredibly reclusive, some had outright refused to leave the boundaries of their territory. It had taken persuasion from Chief Demyan and the mention of a Counselor from the Sofia Towers to make them agree to a meeting. Still, some had sent envoys rather than come themselves. The Chiefs of the Orlov and the Volkov clans were missing, one of their advisors arriving in their stead. The Chief of Kozlov clan had been kind enough to send her brother to act as her representative. It was slightly less disrespectful than the two other Chiefs.

Aurora had never seen the clan in such a pristine condition, but the day that the Chiefs started to arrive, every single thing was in order. Guard Harpies were decked out in uniform and weapons, and, if it was possible, they looked even stiffer.

That day, Aurora had risen at dawn to the sound of Tabitha ordering men to bring in a bathtub. For some reason, Tabitha had become in charge of anything Aurora needed. Something which usually was a maid's job. Aurora had a hunch the Chief assigned Tabitha to her because she was less likely to anger Aurora.

For the entire morning, maids hustled and bustled in and out of her tent, Aurora had been scrubbed and primped and preened. Everything had to be up to Tabitha's standard, and nothing was to be out of place. Hairs were plucked and legs and other places were waxed and scented oils had been rubbed across Aurora's smooth body.

Her wings were trimmed and tended to, and a strange oil was rubbed in between the feathers so that the inky blackness of them glistened.

She was to look like a Hawkins, Tabitha had said, if she wanted them to believe her, and Hawkins' always dressed above and beyond.

She was fitted into an all-black outfit that made her pale skin stand out. A dark, long-sleeved, tube top with a Grecian neckline that exposed her shoulders, and army cargo pants with buckles. Her midriff showed and the leather boots she wore made her almost tall enough to reach Alyosha's shoulder which was an incredible feat. A long straight coat was draped over her form, thin and dark with strategic stripes cut into the back so her wings poked out, long enough to brush the ground as if it was a cloak of royalty.

Tabitha had wrapped an intricate leather band around her forehead, from it a single small jewel hung like a raindrop, as golden as the colour of her eye, the edges of the band disappeared into her flowing hair. Large rings with thick, golden bands and dark jewels embedded into it covered her fingers, like the kind Aurora had only seen in historical paintings of royalty. And the maids had insisted on dabbing red on her lips and lining her eyes with black, so that she looked fierce.

When Aurora was presented with a mirror and she looked at herself, she did not see Aurora the Creature.

Aurora the Creature was lost and solitary, rough and rugged and scarred. She did not look like this new Creature, who stood straight and tall, regal in her features and powerful in her stance, looking as fierce as her ancestors.