In the rolling forest the yahnus soldiers were getting restless. Almost as one they were coming alive, stretching and flexing as the sun slowly crawled its way down to expunge itself beneath the distant horizon. In the trackless woodlands it was always gloomy. The dense undergrowth was intermittently lit by dappled patches of bright sunlight that streamed in through the canopy high above. It wouldn’t be until night had completely fallen that the cloaked and shrouded yahnus truly came alive.<br/><br/>The general watched them absentmindedly. Their dextrous six fingered hands flexed and clutched at sword hilts, eager to put the steel to good use. They were rapt and at attention, chomping at the bit. The general didn’t need to give them a rousing speech or goad them into action, they were hungry for the fight. Begging for it. Their blood was up and they were restless.<br/><br/>There were close to a thousand of the yahnus infiltrators beneath the swaying treetops, yet they made next to no sound and disturbed little. The general was pleased with the soldier’s performance. Other soldier’s in the kaiser’s army would have had a hard time keeping such exceptional discipline. However, that was the purpose for the deployment of the yahnus. They were quiet and discrete, perfect for an ambush force. Most importantly the loping, tailed soldiers were killers, born and bred.<br/><br/>Black hoods and face masks obscured much of the soldier’s features with the exception of their universally yellow eyes. The oval orbs were forever darting here and there, as if expecting a threat to emerge from the undergrowth at any moment. Sensible, thought the general, after all they were deep within the territory of the enemy. Although they had gone unnoticed so far, it would only take one of the filthy aviary to spot them and raise the alarm and the incursion would be for naught. The prey would take flight.<br/><br/>Yet the limber fingers, swishing tails and darting yellow eyes of the yahnus were not the most outlandish feature of the creatures. More eerily still were the third eyes of the soldiers. During the day the strange growths were shut against the brightness of the sun, but as the dusk encroached the eyes began to peel open. The oval-shaped orbs were pearly white in hue and entirely without pupils. Despite the delicate and almost feminine facial features of the yahnus, it would be a rare person to find one of the bizarre and murderous race attractive.<br/><br/>The general took a deep lungful of air and stretched their long arms wide, rolling muscular shoulders to freshen up. The filters of the concealing gas mask clicked and cycled, bringing the clean air into the general’s system. The stale flavour of the dual filters didn’t much bother the general, they had grown used to it over the many years of use. Its purpose was concealment and intimidation as much as it was for protection of their lungs. The only person to have seen the general’s true face in at least fifteen years was the Kaiser himself and the general planned to keep it that way.<br/><br/>The village was close now and the advanced scouts had reported that the villager’s guests were still there. In fact the last report had indicated that the strangers appeared to be settling down for a night of frivolous and pointless debauchery with the flying pests. The general loathed the aviari and their disgustingly playful nature. Soon it would be over though, one way or another.<br/><br/>It would be an hour’s combat march away and the yahnus foot soldiers were already preparing their gear. Tins of bootblack were being withdrawn and rubbed onto swords to dull the shining metal. Faces too received a similar treatment and loose equipment was tied down or muffled with felt. The yahnus knew what they were about and needed no orders to take care of themselves. Old hands, it was the reason why the general had chosen them.<br/><br/>They made no fires and spoke little to each other as they prepared for the night’s work. The general knew the rituals well enough. The soldiers would sharpen blades with whetstones, endlessly clean their firearms and test the strength of the bows. It was preparation, both mental and physical. A means to pass the time until the order was given to advance. The general was proud of them and admired their professionalism and workmanship. With their blacked up faces and dark-mottled camouflage they would be barely detectable in the night until the bloodletting began.<br/><br/>The Kaiser would be proud of them. Providing they succeeded in their allotted task. The possibility of failure did not bode thinking about.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>