Evening came fast enough and the temperature dropped with it. It didn’t bother the general, wrapped up as they were in swathes of black leather and satin, and the soldiers knew better than to voice a complaint. The order for silence was given and then to advance.<br/><br/>As one the yahnus infiltrators moved out, following in the wake of the leading scouts. The quiet rustling of the dense undergrowth parting before their booted feet was the only indication that the small army was on the move. Their backpacks were left behind, the soldiers taking with them only the tools of their trade. Swords, hatchets, guns and bows. It was a night for slaughter, not for bivouacking.<br/><br/>The general felt the reassuring weight of the pistols fastened about their waist. The soft slapping of the fighting daggers bouncing against their back was a pleasant sensation. Soon the almost impossibly sharp blades would be out and wet. Deliciously soaking wet.<br/><br/>There were plenty of fierce creatures in the forest, but there were no beasts more deadly than the general’s underlings that night and the animals sensibly gave them all a wide berth. Even a vast cave bear took one look at the general and thought better of it.<br/><br/>The stealthy force didn’t cease their silent march until the dancing lights of the village were visible through the thick tree cover. The general waved the soldiers down and as silently as they could, the yahnus lay back in the fallen pine needles and waited. They could smell the cooking fires and see the flashes of the revels taking pace within the bird people’s village. The sounds of that happy scene carried to their lurking positions turning hateful hearts into seething furnaces of rage. The general felt the same urge, to run forwards and begin the merry genocide, but they held back, the wait would make the coming destruction so much sweeter.<br/><br/>Soon there would be a very different sound coming from the village. One that was music to the general’s ears.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>