'If he could, he would definitely flow rivers of blood in this valley, I give you that. But Zalar is stronger than that. And smarter.'
Normac, the Pack Adviser, a skinny, slippery newt was lying on a round rock. Silbin, the snow-owl, head of the Owl Delegate visiting the valley, perched on a spear-liked jagged edge of another rock beside him. A relatively quiet stream ran by them.
'How can you be so sure, Normac? I mean, we at our parliament, know what crazy looks like. Killing the only heir to your pack... Ooh, that is downright crazy,' Silbin talked faster than was necessary.
'He won't hear you here. Stop murmuring,' Normac rolled his eyes.
'You don't know that,' Silbin continued. 'Yours is a very powerful leader. You should hear all of them talking about him.'
'Still,' Normac chuckled, and stretched. 'Zalar may be vicious on many accounts, but, as I said, you can report back to your feathery overlords that he is a great leader to have the deal.'
'Hmm... The deal is solid, I know. Something that nocturnal birds like us really need. And what better to have negotiations with than stray dog packs of these icy terrains; their knowledge about the food availability here can mutually benefit us all. It is a solid deal,' Silbin went on and on about business he and his delegate had with the dogs of the terrains.
'In the official meeting, you wouldn't say things like this,' Normac noticed. 'It's just ass-licking and favor-grabbing there... Why exclusively tell me here of all the places? What, do you owls think I will be a traitor to the dogs?' He gave a wry laugh at the end.
'Really? You think this is exclusive?' Silbin raised eyebrows, smiling at Normac's deductions.
'No... I happen to know that your owl overlords did have a meeting with other packs across the terrain, before finally realizing that the powerful of all the packs is the Acker Pack,' Normac said, making a face. 'Please don't do the courtesy of asking me how I know this.'
'Seems like being a Pack Adviser to the "most powerful pack of the terrains", to quote you, must have its benefits,' Silbin said. 'Nonetheless, that doesn't annoy me, if that's what you wanted.' Normac gave his wry smile again. 'We are like any other intelligent community. We want our interests to be invested in the right place, at the right time.'
'Well, the time is right, then,' Normac straightened up, waving his little webbed hands. 'You guys need food as soon as the winter is here, and I am well aware of how it can affect the new ones in the terrain. You need the deal more than we do... Say, Silbin, why again did you owls leave those rocky mountains on the northern side?'
'Something unpredictable and terrible had gotten hold of affairs there, 'Silbin replied after a moment. 'You don't want to get into that, trust me. But if we have friends like you here, who'd be anxious?'
They both smiled.
'Let's take a walk. I have started to like you now, more than ever,' Normac teased.
'Control yourself, Normac, the newt. It might be this time your Leader hears us,' Silbin teased back, fleeting to the stream edge and taking up a casual stroll. Normac was a little slow to catch up.
'What, our interests are the same! We are somewhat at the exact same position in our own worlds; that makes something common between us! Is it such a wrong thing to display you're enjoying the company of someone?'
'No. Not that... To be honest, my delegation and I are a bit afraid the deal might go to dumps, given the reputation your Leader holds,' Silbin steered the topic back to his insecurities with the Acker Pack.
'Annnnd, I have started to like you less now,' Normac said annoyingly.
'No, Normac, think about it,' Silbin started whispering again. 'I have personally heard terrible tales of how Zalar had butchered countless dogs, leaders of dog packs, even wolves to attain total control. I have heard he has even taken a grudge against Humans. And I know, he is bold enough to try wiping them out too.'
'Wow. You owls really freak out a lot. Hoot hoot.'
'Very funny. And very unprofessional.'
'This is not a professional meeting.'
They both stopped walking, and stared at each other.
'Did your owl leaders not tell you that I am famous for being a total gossip-killer?' Normac waved his hands again. 'No? Seems like they filled you up with a lot of things regarding Zalar... Oh, it's a shame. I might take it personally, you know.'
'Come on, Normac,' Silbin smiled. 'Let's be honest about one thing. You knew I would come to you after our leaders had an official meeting. It is very obvious for someone like you, I assume, to understand such a thing. It is how affairs are taken care of among the advisers. Well, ideally, the other adviser is a lot interested about our leaders like I seem to be about Zalar, but I have noticed that you-- or Zalar-- don't want to know about us. Right? I mean, you do realize, I am most likely to report our secret meeting here back to my leaders, right? I will tell them something. I have to. But you have proved yourself to be less than useful... Come on, just-- If you don't want to know about my leaders, okay, it's fine by me. But at least help me with your Leader, now. Will you?'
Normac stared into the big abyss Silbin's eyes were. He kept his facial expressions as calm and cool as possible. He wanted this meeting to be short and friendly. Seemed like Silbin was hitting him where he never meant to tread.
'What could possibly be left to discuss about him?' he asked in a polite tone.
'Is it... Err, is it true that one of his wives did adultery some moons ago?'
'Yes. Many moons ago. It's dealt with though. He killed her afterwards.'
'That's not why I asked. Otherwise, I would have just said I want to know about Zalar's wives... Why didn't he kill her, Normac?'
Awkward pause.
'He did.'
Silbin was smiling, like he knew Normac was lying.
'We are not playing hide and seek, Normac.'
'This has nothing to do with the deal, Silbin. Do not be a nut-job,' Normac warned.
'No, no. The deal is done. No change in that. It's just that we all were curious as to if Zalar is really as ferocious as we have heard of him... Can he make exceptions or not... Seems like he can.'
Silbin pretended to be deep in thought.
'Then you shouldn't have been this paranoid about him, like you were seconds ago. Why does it look to me that your leaders are awful inquirers?'
'Ah, well, do not judge a book by it's cover, as they say...' Silbin shrugged. 'Sorry, Normac, none of this is personal. Like I said, the owls want their interests to be invested in the right place... You see so much craziness in the world: you hear a lot of things, and you see a lot of unnecessary loyalty. There's got to be something crazy to crack that crazy, right?'
'Just... just go, please,' Normac felt his voice quiver as he said.
'Thanks for the help, but I had to steer you to it,' Silbin said, smiling still.
'Yeah, don't think for a second that we are unaware of the civil war that's brewing up in your parliament. I don't like to rub things on the face, Silbin, doesn't mean I am ignorant,' Normac lashed out, losing his grip on his anger.
'Don't be like that,' Silbin tried to pat his head, but Normac dodged him. 'It's nothing personal. I like you too. You are a good newt. You have always done your job well... Even at the time when Zalar wasn't ready to accept what he sowed.'
Normac felt the ground beneath him dropping.
'Excuse me?'
'I should leave now, Normac. Take care.'
Normac was paralyzed by what Silbin had just said.
'If I report this back to Zalar, you know that your people will suffer. The deal will be off, and he will come for all of you!' Normac threatened the snow-owl.
'Do not throw empty threats around,' Silbin shouted back, without truning, aiming his wings for a perfect take-off angle. 'If he has made exceptions in the past, who says he won't make it again.'
And he was gone. Just like that.
Normac couldn't even reply back. He just stood there in awe, not sure what to think. Not because he feared the threats of the owls-- They were fools to play it out like this-- But because he knew Zalar very well, and had never seen anyone so eager to get wiped out like Silbin and his parliament of owls.
He looked around at the water trickling noiselessly down the stream to his left. He could see it turning red with blood... He could see him howling at the sky...
'If he could, he would definitely flow rivers of blood in this valley...'
And he will now...
He knew Zalar would keep the deal, take his benefit, and then hunt them down like a mad grey-hound that he was. His bloodlust was exemplary, and Normac knew deep down that he had to make sure this war happens. No matter how hard it was for him to avoid it, he was taking things personally.
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