One set of Footprints

[Cailen]

Cailen sighed. She was sitting on a branch, hidden by the leaves if the giant tree she had climbed. The light snow around her was begining to mix with the dirt, creating a brownish-white sludge. The trees still held a thin layer of powder on there limbs, and some of it had frozen into icicles(SP). A snow bunting landed below her, concealing itself in the foliage beneath the tree Cailen was perched upon. The bunting cooed softly, and Cailen smiled. It began to peck at the snow, hoping for a few bits of seed or something to sustain its hunger.

Cailen shifted her position, letting one leg dangle down into the air while her hands rested on the bent knee of the other. The bunting looked up, startled at the movement, and took flight into the air, dissapearing into the late morning air.

OOC: Uggg....there is nothing to do....

[Ice]

Ice strode through the thick forest. He hated it here. It made him feel overly claustrophobic and he knew that the Fallen Angels were watching every step he took from high in the branches where he could not spot them.

But he was here for a reason, and he forced himself to keep his face as calm and cool as possible, despite the way the branches were reaching out to grab at him and the roots were growing up to trip him at every step.

Ice leaned upon his scythe, as was his habit. Samarra stopped beside him and sat upon the brown and white ground.

Ice looked above him and narrowed his eyes.

"Cailen!" Ice called to the trees. "I've come to discuss your. . . effort in our allegiance."

[Cailen]

Cailen watched Ice aproach, and rolled her eyes. So much for a peacful morning. In one swift motion, she leapt from the tree and landed on the ground, right in front of him. She rested her hands on her hips and her chin jutted foreward, and the fact that he was almost a full head taller than her did not phase her one bit.

"My effort? Well, excuse me if I don't really feel in the mood to help out my incredibly delightful allies. Just what exactly am I lacking in? I am very curious to know..." Contempt filled her thoughts, making her voice sharp. She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. "You know, your not really making much of an effort either."

The air was tence, Cailen hated talking politics, and it clearly showed. She just wanted to be up in the tree again, sitting in the blissful quiet, and waiting for the fresh snow to fall. But she was not, and her aggitation was getting the better of her.

OOC: Im a little confused, so sorry if i screwed that up. They have an alliance but it is not working to well? IS that what is supposed to be going on?

[Ice]

[ooc: We did, but the Fallen Angels kinda weren't doing anything. . . just doing it to cause some friction and make some good RPing.]

Ice narrowed his eyes down at the Empress a silence closed around them. Ice was about to retort when he heard a rustling in the leaves above him.

"Perhaps this should be private?" Ice offered to the Empress. "Might I ask that you command your people away for a time? This is not a conversation that I want spread."

Ice waited for her answer, eager to discuss their allegiance in greater detail than had been discussed before.

[Cailen]

Cailen shrugged, and turned her head slightly, giving a silent comand to the two warriors behind them. They were stupid for being heard, and she made a mental note to see them later. "Very well, we are alone." She glanced slightly at the beast beside Ice, and then continued. "Now, this alliance, it was agreed that we would have a mutual relationship between our people, that we would not attack each other on full scale. But your people are entering our territory and not respecting these woods. I had no choice but to attack the party that entered here. They were disturbing things that should not have been disturbed." Her voice was rising with passion. She loved these forests very much, and the white wings had a deep understanding of the creatures here. The men that entered....well, she had only killed a couple, and it was for its protection...

OOC: I have no idea what i just wrote, it just kinda spewed out. We can probably play off it somehow though.

[Ice]

[ooc: Fair enough, we will continue with this]

Ice felt his eyes crease to slits.

"They did not disturb your forest anymore than when Fallen Angels enter Elïna." Ice said, trying to keep his voice cool, but feeling a slight hiss coming through. "The Ice Warriors are my people and punishments shall be delivered by me and me alone. You had no right to murder them. It was bloodlust."

[Cailen]

Cailen tenced, and her first impulse was to reach for her sword, but she thought better of it.
"It was not murder! They attacked first, and we had no choise but to come down on them. The men that perished were not smart enough to stay out of range. No doubt they thought they would be hero's if they had returned with the wings of one of my warriors!" Snow had begun to fall, very softly, and the little white specs seemed to sooth her temper.

"Ice, this alliance has issues that need to be resolved, that much is clear. I'll admit that the events that transpired could have gone down differently, but it is our nature. We protect this forest, and the men that were here were not obeying Nature's laws. My warriors could not just sit back and watch, and as hard as I tried, neither could I. What do you suggest?"

Cailen had calmed down, her compsure returned, but her heart was still beating fast, and her temper lie in waiting.

[Ice]

Ice grit his teeth together audibly.

"This war is beyond your forest." Ice said. "If you and I can't work together then the Southerners will destory my city and then your forest. Those of you that survive will be guarding nothing more than a field of ash upon the melting snow."

Ice paused to let what he had just said sink in.

"Getting along means no more attacking each others people, you will have to get used to Ice Warriors travelling through this Forest as I have grown accustomed to Fallen Angels travelling through my cities."

[Cailen]

Cailen sighed. "You are probably right. I guess your men can enter at will if it means this alliance will flourish, just please, tell them to be respectful. I will not harm them. I would much rather Ice Warriors amung these trees than Southerners, or Pirates for that matter." I must let you know though, we have fallen on hard times. We do not have many numbers." She relaxed, realizing that he was right. It seemd the best way to protect these woods was to keep their alliance healthy.

[Ice]

"Both of our armies have." Ice said, his voice taking on a slightly softer tone. He felt his shoulders loosen slightly, and his knuckles no longer showed white around the shaft of his scythe.

"That is why this allegiance is so important and why it matters so much. I know you understand me, any ruler could."

At the mention of his people being unrespectful, Ice slightly bristled, but fought to keep all physical sign of it hidden. "How were they being unrespectful?" Ice asked flatly. It only took a handleful of people to destroy an army's reputation.

Samara's eyes looked half closed, but Ice knew she was listening to the surrondings as she normally would. She made a better bodyguard than any other Ice Warrior had.

[Cailen]

OOC: Im going out on a limb here, because i dont know what religion the angels have or what they hold sacred

BIC: "There is a spring at the heart of these woods that we hold sacred, and we concider it holy ground and a sanctuary to any animal that aproaches it. To hunt there is perhaps one of the greatest taboo's of our kind. This spring feeds countless streams which nourish the forest and make it grow. Without it many trees would die. Your men killed two deer while they drank from the pool, and my angels were offended. They also happened to both be men of action and they went down to your men with angry words. Words led to blows....and well, I am sure your men told you what happened next." She stopped speaking and stared at Ice, and then down to his great cat, who was looking content. "Just be sure that they hunt away from running water, if possible." She gave Ice a smile for good measure, and pulled the hood of her coat up; the snow was beginning to fall harder.

[Ice]

[ooc: That was very smart of you, well done with that. It shall now go down in Fallen Angel history]

Ice nodded solemnly as he heard what the Empress had to say. He tried to imagine Fallen Angels ransacking one of his own Temples. He could imagine outrage, and the Ice Warriors weren't even an overly religious race.

Pride had a lot to play with it, Ice could sense. It was indeed a slight upon the Fallen Angel race.

"Then it was, indeed, an unrespectful thing to do, partly from mine and my people's ignorance of the traditions and ways of your kind." Ice made a slight bow as he said this, purposfully trying to make flattery towards the Empress. "I promise that I will not allow it to happen again and I shall write it down as law throughout my land. It shall be punishable the same as should an Ice Warrior desicrate a Temple. I ask that you make it law as well."

Ice paused to look at the Empress' eyes. The snow lazily falling around them framed her face well and made her look beautiful and royal, a true Empress.

[Cailen]

OOC: Thank you

Cailen returned his bow with a nod of her head, and then stood up strait.

"Very well, it is a law. And I thank you for your concern." She could see that he was flattering her, but she did not mind. She got respect from her warriors, but never flattery. It was very welcome every now and again. She smiled softly, and spoke again,

"Now that that whole mess is cleaned up, we must adress the issue of the Southerners. They are becoming increasingly bold I should say." She disliked the people of the South, and their way of life was so different from hers that is difficult to see eye to eye with them. No matter the surcumstances(SP) things were bound to be tight.

[Ice]

"True." Ice said, unconsciencely stroking his chin. "Pirate raids are slowly coming further north. Their allegiance has made them a powerful enemy and I don't think attacking them at sea would go in our way."

Ice paused before continuing hastily, "Mind you, I don't know if the Fallen Angels have a navy, I never knew them to be a strong ocean opponent."

Ice closed his eyes in thought and for a moment looked quite the same as his snow leopard. "Without a major change soon, I think our best hope is fighting them on our own ground. I am protected by the Mountains of Frost and no enemy has ever penetrated your Ice Forest."

[Cailen]

"Your words are true; on both accounts. We are people of earth and air, and we do not do so well at sea. We do not have a navy, and I believe you are right on attacking them here. If we were to lead them into the forest, my tree-archers could pick most of them off and your warriors could take care of those on the ground." She paused, thinking. We know these forests better than they do. If we could only lure them here, we could take them out for good..." She said the last part softly, almost to herself. She was thinking aloud, but perhaps Ice had a better idea.