"Steady, steady! We're almost there! You're doing great, Strelitzia!" She shouted over the wind currents. Her older brother Lys was in the back, holding onto the harness that fastened him to the kalangitan's saddle. The clouds parted, and the perpetual sunlight reflected off the iridescent mountains of Welayta. No matter how many times she saw it, it was like stepping into a magical painting. Admiring the view in silence, she then pulled the reins to signal it was time to land. Slowly, gradually, they made their descent into an open area large enough for the Bakulaw beast to rest. Great leathery wings sent small gusts that made the trees and grass bend as Strelitzia finally touched down onto the ground. Once she folded her wings, they could get off. "Alright, there's no time to lose." Chrysanthe said as she quickly undid her harness and her brother's. "The village is just up ahead, and the big house with the animal pens is the village chief's. There's about a population of fifty to sixty here in this spot, not counting livestock and wildlife. If we're quick, we'll be able to finish in a a few hours." 

"Wait wait, slow down!" Her brother called out as she slid down the kalangitan's flank. "How are we going to convince that many people to willingly leave their homes behind and follow us to Namibia?" Putting her hands on her hips as she waited for Lys to carefully climb down, Chrys thought for a bit. "I'm not really sure. I mean this place is pretty hard to reach to begin with, so everything down to the wildlife isn't afraid of outsiders. If we tell them that an army is coming due to the angel statue Lady Sirona has built, they probably won't believe us. I'm planning to say that there will be a disaster that will hit Welayta soon, and that we're going to help take them to a safe place until it passes." That was the best excuse she could come up with for the time being. She would have to work out the finer details soon. With this land being so abundant in natural resources, fire, famine, and flood weren't things she could use. Earthquakes were unlikely too, so unless there were historical records of extreme weather–their only option was to claim there would be a freak meteor shower that would hit Welayta. What was important was that they didn't make the excuse more complicated than it needed to be. 

"Why do you need me and Efrain to help?" That was the first question he had asked when Chrys came. "Because you're the only one who can talk to animals, and Efrain's good at making portals. It's going to be harder to convince the wildlife to leave, but it'll help a lot if we know what they're saying. If Efrain's busy we can just ask Belen to help us relocate them too." That was true, after all no one else in their family was able to commune with beasts. Cyril sometimes thought he could, but that usually ended up with him scaring the animals away. He wasn't sure how willing Efrain would be in maintaining portals to Namibia for more than a few hours. His younger brother was very temperamental at times, and if Chrys or his mother weren't here–it would be an uphill battle. The flight to the mountains was a lot rougher than he expected, as they both needed to wear goggles to protect their eyes against the strong winds. At least he wouldn't be flying with his own wings though, as although he had gotten more experience with his bat form, he didn't want to risk exhaustion. He had told Poppy about where he would be going shortly after Chrysanthe had convinced him, and promised to get back as soon as they were done. Fortunately he didn't get called away often like this, so they could spend time together as a couple.

He was relieved to not have inherited the Rosenite fear of heights or separation from the ground once they landed. Chrys seemed to have avoided that too, as she was the first to try hitching rides on his pakpak when they were kids. Welayta was a whole new world on the ground compared to seeing it from the air, he'd never seen such a place so alive with magic. Chrys said it was a lot like Vada, and that was probably true. But Welayta didn't have its base formed from crystal growth, and every beast here must have adapted to the land's power after ages of isolation. A vibrantly colored wildcat skulked away into the jungle after lazily looking their way, and he felt his sister tug at his arm to follow the path to the village. It was a short walk, and half the time he was trying to keep up with her half-sprint. His mother had said many good things about this place, and it saddened him to think that this might be gone after the fight between Lady Sirona and those who opposed her was done. 

This war was….complicated for Attie. Most wars she had been in was about fighting pure evil for the survival of the world but this… this was different. At one point, she wanted the world to become good. She wanted suffering to end, for those who had done wrong to stop and to protect the innocent. However, at the same time she didn't believe that forcing people to do what you wanted was good, especially since people like vampires and demons would be persecuted, even if they were good. But at the same time, didn't sacrifices need to be made in order to get results? What if after this revolution, nobody ever had to suffer again? What if there were no more villages being burned down and everybody was happy? But if she was wrong, then what if it turned into a nightmare instead and people were just made to act happy even though they weren't? So many questions ran through Attie's mind as she wondered. 

But there was one thing she did know. There were people who would need help. Once the war began, those who were neutral would suffer the most but she couldn't stand that. She had to help those who needed it the most. Attie had been flying up towards the mountains, hoping to find any villages that needed help relocating. This war was going to be bloody, as any war with two powerful sides would be. Her body was in her full armor now, with the exception of her mask as she wanted to see clearly. Instead she held it in her hand as she soared through the air with her cosmic wings. The wind currents were strong and she had to use her strength to fly through it. Suddenly, she spotted a Bakulaw beast on the ground near a village. Perhaps these were friendly people or perhaps they were one of the warriors. 

She flew down to the ground and landed softly on the grass. Deciding that a friendly attitude would suit her best, she began to approach the two with a smile. Yet one of them was familiar to her. Chrys! She had met the woman momentarily when they were fighting the war together. It had been so long since they had seen each other and they had little time to get to know each other. However, Attie couldn't help but consider this woman a friend. After all, when one fought together it wasn't hard to develop a friendship. Attie wondered if Chrys would even remember her. 

"Hello!" She called out to them, "It's been a long time Chrys. Have you come to help the village?"

Attie hoped to the gods that Chrys didn't intend to fight the village but it didn't seem that Chrys was that type of person. Even though Attie didn't know Chrys as well as she wanted, she still trusted her to be a good person and to not massacre a bunch of innocents. 

"I was hoping to be able to help get them out of here before the fighting started." Attie explained. 

A voice that sounded familiar had her turn around to see someone she didn't expect to see again. "Attie! Hey! Great timing!" Letting go of her brother's arm, once Attie explained why she was here, Chrys wasted no time to introduce them to each other. "This is my big brother, Lys. And Lys, this is Attie. She's a friend back when we were fighting off the three World Eaters." They could catch up later, right now they had one more person who had the same thing in mind and the more the merrier. "Yes, we're here to do the same. And not just the village, maybe the animals too. Namibia's not too far away, so if we work together we can help them move out before things take a bad turn." Her cheerful attitude was serious for a moment, but then she remembered how Attie had transformed into a gryphon. What if she could talk to animals like her brother? It never hurt to ask, and whatever they could pool together for resources would assist their progress. "Hey Attie, I was wondering…can you understand animals? I'm not sure if we can convince them to leave their home. But if they're not willing to leave, we could try to have them move as far from the statue as possible. Maybe even move to the other mountains in the range that are farther away from it until it gets taken down."

They didn't know exactly how much time they had before the fighting began, and although she was good at maintaining her composure Chrys was getting nervous. She was already thinking up many alternatives should the situation change. It was something she had to get used to when she started out as an ambassador. When it came to survival the stakes were high, but when other people were involved, those same stakes were even higher. But she knew she couldn't let that fear and anxiety get the better of her. Right now they had to do the best they could. Lys was currently content to simply watch and listen to what they had to say. He had asked Efrain for help, but he had gotten a disgruntled sound for a reply. That meant he was considering it, which was a good start. He was beginning to understand why Chrys suggested having Belen's assistance. 

Attie was pleased that Chrys had the same goal in mind and was surprised when she mentioned the animals, as she had forgotten about them. But she knew that Chrys was right, they couldn't leave a bunch of poor animals in the middle of the battle. They would be demolished. Her friend's cheery attitude turned serious for a moment as she began to ask Attie about whether or not she could understand the language of animals. After listening quietly over what her friend meant, Attie realized that it wasn't the conversation itself that they were worried about but whether or not they could convince them to leave. 

"Ah, I see! So you need to convince them to leave. Right that would be a bit difficult." Attie said, "I can speak to animals! I've always loved a nice chat with a dove or a bluebird. I can also turn into a large animal to scare them away if conversation will not get them to leave. What about the people? I'm fine with speaking to animals but I've never been great with people. How do we convince them to leave?" 

She worried over whether or not the people would be willing to leave. With animals, all one had to do was raise an alarm. Animals were easily frightened, as they had to be for survival sake. But people were different. There were some who would dig in their heels and stubbornly refuse to leave their comfortable homes even if it meant death or there were some who would refuse to believe in the dangers until it came and destroyed them. Those were the people who Attie worried about. 

"I suppose we'd better head to the village then. There isn't much time before people start to battle here." She said with a concerned look. 

Time was not on their side. Attie couldn't help but wonder if Sirona actually cared about the people she claimed to be defending. Her actions were creating a war and yet there wasn't a single angel helping those who would be hurt by it. Sirona spoke of peace, love, and justice but her actions were louder. The actions were of war, violence, and damage to people who had never directly harmed her. It made Attie question who was really in the right. But now was not the time to be thinking about that. They had people to save and animals to move. 

His sister was relieved when her friend said she could help when it came to explaining the situation to the local wildlife. Chrys was placing a lot of trust in Attie, and he took that as a good sign. "I'd be happy to help you too as well. I can work with you once we figure out the situation with the villagers. My sister has always been good with keeping the peace, even in our family. Even our stubborn little brother finds it hard to say no to her." He smirked, to which Chrys just smiled innocently. Things were looking up, even with the tense situation. Soon it was time for them to speak with the locals, with Chrysanthe at the helm. Before they were in sight of the huts, Chrys stopped to take a deep breath. Keeping calm and looking calm would improve her chances of managing her expressions in more favorable ways, making her words more convincing and more importantly–credible. The villagers knew her, and she had a good relationship with them already. All she had to do was to be tactful. 

With a smile back on her face, she waved at the villagers who saw them passing by on the way to the village head's house. Despite the serious message she was bringing, she acted naturally. There wasn't any reason to make them alarmed. They were standing at the door, with a large fenced pen where dozens of rainbow-colored alpacas lazily grazing on feed. It was hard for Lys not to be distracted by them, especially since he could eavesdrop on the animals' idle chatter. Chrys said a loud greeting in a foreign language, doing a few motions which he assumed were a social norm for these people. A middle aged man dressed in vibrant woven woolen garments came out to meet them, repeating the greeting and gestures his sister had done.  

"It is good to see you and your people living well, Kawo Yared!" The man laughed, replying with a genuine smile. "It is good to see you too, little traveler. The children are always so delighted when they see your great flying beast circle in the sky. How does your mother like the papel? I hope it isn't kicking up a fuss."

"She loves it! Probably a little too much. Their rainbow wool is a rarity across the sea, and she can't wait to start weaving once she shears enough. Do you have some time to spare? There is something important I would like to discuss with you and your village…" The rest of the conversation was hard to follow, as Chrysanthe was explaining the finer points in the local language. Most of it was in Adelunian Common, but for the important words she would switch to their native tongue for emphasis. Kawo Yared spoke with her entirely in his mother tongue, so they only had Chrys' side of the conversation. There was a lot of nodding and change of expressions from both, but fortunately the man didn't seem like he was being stubborn. Kawo Yared responded to Chrys as if asking a question. Without a hint of anxiety or hesitation, she replied, to which he gave a solemn nod. She made a few hand signs, and he nodded again. Then the brief talk came to an end, and they spoke words as if they were closing the conversation. The village head and Chrys waved at each other, and he went back inside his house. While he left, she turned to whisper to Attie and her brother. 

"Things are going along well. Kawo Yared believed me when I told him that there are signs that something terrible will be coming soon. I used the growing daylight hours as an example, while adding a few vague bits to make it more serious. He agreed that these signs have never happened before, and will talk with his people in a few hours. He's going to consult with the elder members of the community, so fingers crossed that we don't get any objections."

"That's good to hear. Is there any way we could convince them if those elders tell him that this is nothing to worry about?" He asked. "We don't want to disrespect them, but in some cultures the elders essentially have the last say in things even if their children and grandchildren disagree with them." Chrys pursed her lips as she thought about that. "Yeah, that will make things tricky if it does happen. Luckily I spent around six months total staying here over the years, so I remember a few things they taught me about their culture. I don't normally like deceiving people, but if the worst comes–we'll need to pull a set-up to scare them. I'll tell you two while we go convince the animals to leave for somewhere safe." 

Attie had never met Chrys' family so meeting Lys was a pleasant surprise. Now she was noticing a pattern among the names for her friend's family. Both ended in y and s. It had to be intentional since it would be difficult to miss that. Perhaps it was a traditional thing? Attie could focus on that later, for now they had to help save the village. She decided to walk behind Chrys and Lys since they were probably more familiar with the land and the people living here. Her mind began to wander as they approached the head house among all the other huts. While Chrys was talking to the head villager, Attie had turned her attention to the animals, specifically the beautiful rainbow alpacas. She walked over to the animals and decided to have a nice little chat with him. Besides, the entire point that she was there was to talk to them.

The rainbow alpacas had a lot to talk about. From minor drama in the village to talking about who had the best rainbow fur in the village. There was so much to chat about but Attie remembered the thing she was supposed to be doing. She warned the alpacas of a giant danger that was on its way. The alpacas were confused at first but Attie managed to explain to them how it would kill them all, so they were at least frightened enough but she did mention that the danger hadn't arrived yet. It was something that they needed to prepare for. Convincing the alpacas wasn't too hard since they relied on animal instinct to tell them when to flee and when to stay. All it took was a sign of danger for them to want to leave. 

After speaking with the animals, Attie returned to Chrys and Lys' side and watched as her friend talked to the guy and explained the situation. Eventually Chyrs turned and whispered to them over how it was going. The village head, Kawo Yared seemed to believe them about something terrible coming soon but something confused Attie about this whole plan. Why weren't they just telling the villagers what was coming? Surely they knew a bit about Sirona or about what she was doing. Or perhaps they were completely oblivious of it, though it would be strange if they were. 

"I'm fine with making a set-up if all else fails. I can turn into a dragon so I think that might be enough. As for the animals, some of the alpacas already know and are ready to leave. Only the ones by the head house though." She said, "Lets see, if we split up I think Lys and I will be able to cover more ground. Do you want to take the south side of the village and I'll take the north?" 

"Oh you've already told the papels by Kawo Yared's house? That's great!" Chrys knew it was a good decision to have Attie help. When it came to animals, she had a lot of experience. Probably even more than her brother did. Most of the animals Lys handled were pets, and naturally they were different from wild ones. Tamed animals already had built up trust with people, like a long-lasting friendship. Attie's mention of her ability to transform into a dragon was something that would surely be useful later, though there were a few details that she needed to share with her friend and older sibling. "That plan sounds good, but before we split–let me give you a few tidbits about the tribes in Onnen. After visiting many places, I've found that most of the people here don't worship gods like in Canelux. From the information gathered about the ruins of civilizations around the continent, it seems that Onnen used to have a local pantheon just like Parvpora, but something happened. Since then, people haven't worshiped deities in ages. Instead, they worship the very first World Tree of Revaliir–Onnen, as well as nature spirits and spirits of the elements. What we from the Sister Continents dubbed 'Onnen' isn't the name the locals use refer to this land. Many cultures have a World Tree as a central figure in their creation myths too." 

"–In other words, if we pretended to be some sort of avatar of the land itself, we can definitely convince the villagers if their elders aren't worried by the changes in the day-night cycle. As far as I know, Lady Sirona is the only member of the Conclave to have her temple in Onnen, so she'd be relatively new in terms of their religious beliefs. They might not even fully understand what's going on. After all, when I sat down for an evening of a recital of their oral history, there wasn't much mention of natural disasters, sickness, or war." With that brief introduction shared, they went their separate ways to make the most of their time. They agreed to meet back at this very spot once they were done, that way they could find each other again. The siblings waved to Attie as she left, and Chrysanthe turned to do a quick headcount of the village animals on the southern side. Chrys also wanted to get a general idea of the local terrain, as well as how close the angel statue was. There were definitely other villages who needed to hear the warning too, and they needed to make sure things didn't get out of hand. One thing she hoped for was that her little brother would agree to help soon. Without someone with them who could make portals, waiting for Belen to know through word of mouth would take far too long. If they were trying to move out an entire village in the course of a few hours, Strelitzia wouldn't be able to carry more than a few houses' worth of things before needing to return after unloading in Namibia.

Together, the brother-sister duo pulled aside every last herd animal, dog, and fowl the people had to spread the news. While her brother worked, she was busy checking their surroundings in case any of those unusual angelic warriors or Anointed showed up. She also asked any passersby if they had seen anything that fit those descriptions, and was relieved when the general consensus was a straightforward 'no'. Not that she believed they would attack these people, but she feared that those who held a vendetta against the angels and Anointed would be drawn here if there had been sightings. 

"That explains it! I was wondering why they hadn't already heard of Sirona or the upcoming fight." She said, "Ooo so people here don't worship gods but instead the first world tree Onnen! That is fascinating! You know I've always wondered about how Onnen felt about gods seeing as they had so few but now this makes so much sense. Oh I wonder what other things we can find out. Like the kinds of foods they eat, local folktales, cultural norms. Hey do you know if their rainbow papels have to be sheared differently than regular papels? Or is it normal? Hey I wonder if they…."

She had began on a ramble and her eyes were filled with excitement. This was new knowledge to her and all knowledge was like little pieces of chocolate in a pleasantly wrapped box. And Attie couldn't help but eat it all up! She was just about to reach for her journal of information before she remembered why they were there in the first place. They had a job to do. A job that didn't involve absorbing all the knowledge out of these guys' heads. 

"Oh right, the plan. Welp we'd better get to it!" Attie said with a big smile. 

She still was going to try to get information from the locals one way or another. Perhaps it would be easier to get the information from the animals while she was warning all of them. That was her new plan! She waved to the siblings and began to head to the north to count and warn the animals. Attie decided that it would be better to give the animals the news through a faster means instead of talking individually to each one. Her form began to morph and change as she became a small pretty blue bird.

As a bird, she flew through the north side of the village and began to sound out an alarm call. Animals would recognize it, even the domesticated creatures, since all creatures knew that when a bird called an alarm that loudly and with that much force, it meant that something was wrong. She was not working on her own though. The second she began her call, the other local birds began to panic and do the same. It was only a matter of time before the entire north side of the village's animals had heard her message of warning. Birds were flying about, a couple of dogs were barking in alarm, and many other creatures had become anxious to get out of the area. Her work was done and now it seemed time to head back to their meeting place. Attie hoped that the others weren't having any troubles. She ducked behind a bush and transformed back into her human self then began walking to their meet up place. 

As she walked back, she heard many villagers complaining about the noise that the animals were making. She secretly hoped that this and the signs that they had previously seen would be enough to convince them. However, she also knew that a lot of these people probably made their homes and the place that they lived was very special to them. If they left then they would have to rebuild anything that they didn't take with them. Attie began to wonder what they would do when or if the villagers decided to leave. But she would have to leave that part up to Chrys, since Attie didn't have a proper plan. After arriving back at the meet up place, she kept an eye out for the others. When they approached she would go up to them and ask,

"How did it go?" 

He noticed the animals were starting to become agitated. Lys wondered if his sister noticed too, but the villagers certainly did. Dogs barking, herd animals bleating, chickens clucking. To most people it just sounded like noise, however he could make out worried words. A lot of the animals were concerned about what sort of horrible danger was coming and how they could get away. They were asking each other if they knew, and if they didn't they were spreading the word faster than wildfire. Flocks of wild birds were flying away in droves, and it would just be a matter of time before the animals outside the village would catch wind. They all met back at the spot as promised, with Attie asking how their progress turned out. "I think we did as much as we could. Any animal we saw got the message. Looks like the whole place is getting riled up, though that'll definitely help turn things in our favor when it comes to convincing the villagers." There was still that bit of anxiety in her eyes that she tried hard to not show. And he understood–after all even the best plans needed one very important thing…execution. Maybe they should have just asked Belen directly after all, or asked somebody else to help. Would Efrain pull through? 

"If things go well, we won't need to use your alternate plans." He said, trying to lift his sister's spirits. "Here's hoping! Alright, I think it's about time we checked on Kawo Yared." What they weren't aware of was that Attie's help was more effective than expected. When they met up with the village chief, the heads of the village's households were present as well. Lys waited as his sister went forward to start the discussion. Kawo Yared began saying he had informed the people, and that they had a few questions about the incoming disaster that was coming. While Chrysanthe genially said to ask away, he could feel his palms start to sweat. What if they asked her what the disaster was? She couldn't lie about something they'd find out. The first question was raised by a middle aged man in a black and green patterned garment. "Kawo Yared tells us a terrible calamity will descend upon us. How soon will it come?"

Lys felt the tension in his chest ease. They had asked something else, which was good. If they were lucky, they would keep avoiding the big question while convincing the people to get to safety. Chrys answered: "Very soon. We do not know the exact day or hour, but it might be sooner than we all think. That is why I urged Kawo Yared to speak with you all, so everyone will be able to go to somewhere safe. The signs are growing stronger, as you might have heard. Even the animals are restless. Often beasts know danger is near sooner than men, and they are born with the natural instinct of when to stay and when to run." 

"Where will this calamity strike? How do we know that it will strike us?" A bearded old man in an orange and blue cloak woven from wool asked. His sister was quick to reply. "This calamity will strike Welayta, that we know with absolute certainty. Exactly where we do not know, but if the World Tree is merciful–your village might be unscathed. Other villages might have already begun their preparations, but do not worry. We wish to help everyone." There were murmurs among the people in their native tongue as they discussed. By their faces, some were already convinced it would be best to leave. Some were unsure, and others thought that they should not be so concerned. But as the unrest from the animals was growing louder, even the most stubborn were beginning to have second thoughts. 

"If we were to leave our homes and the calamity were to hit–where would we go? What about our livestock and livelihoods?" An older woman with a child on her hip raised her voice, causing the chatter to die down a little. To that question, Chrysanthe gave a genuine smile. "I am glad you have asked. I am an ambassador, and I have traveled many places. There are people who are willing to bend their ears to me if I were to ask for their help in the great city of Namibia. We will arrange for a place for you and your families there, as well as your animals. No one should be left behind. So please, do not hesitate to bring whatever you need from your homes. We do not know when it will be safe for you to return once the initial wake has passed." 

Chrys truly did have a way with words. The fact that she genuinely cared about them and respected their way of life was more than enough to touch even the most obstinate in the group. What she wanted to tell them was that she wasn't trying to force them to leave; she wanted them to find a place that was safe until they could come back home. Once it was safe again, they could return to their daily lives. And not a moment too soon, a portal opened in the village within sight of their gathering. His heart skipped a beat and he held his breath. To his surprise, a brunet head poked out with an all-too-familiar cheeky grin. "Pssst! Hey! Am I interrupting something?" It was Belen! Thank the gods–he thought he'd never be happy to see the troublemaker's face for once. And there couldn't be better timing, as the next order of business would be to help people start moving out of their homes to the place Chrys promised them.