Times were tense.

Invasion was thick in the air. The very atmosphere vibrated with it, the quivering breezes hummed with it, the shadows danced it's story across the land.

Akaith had not seen the brothers of shadow and flame for several days now. It was a regular occurrence for her to scout through the Foothills looking for them, passing on the love of their sisters, carrying any messages they might have for their sister back to her. Given the state of the lands, it raised Mirage's suspicions immediately. She knew of their recent yearning to come home, but she had pleaded that they stay where they were, if only to continue showing the that the Qian supported the Foothills, even if the Foothills did not seem to want to support themselves.

Draped in her draconic form, the WeyrLeader flew above where her herdmate walked towards the borders of the hilly land, her predatory gaze drinking the sea of colour and activity below her. With sadness pulling upon the bond she saw through her eyes and Akaith's, the line of soldiers that approached the borders, the small number of souls who stood against them. She flew far enough away that her presence should not cause a disturbance - for she knew that she had allies fighting on both sides of this argument tonight. This invasion would be the first that she would not participate in., the first that she had ordered the Qian to stay away from.

Which was why the capture of her brothers troubled her all the more. She supposed that an uneducated opponent would want to keep the formidable beasts out of the way, unknowing of the true alliances of the knights of darkness and fire. Madyrn and Maskan would have wanted to fight, yes, but they would have respected their sister's wishes to not create tension between an alliance older than her time at Helovia, that sisterly kinship she held with Kri. Even now, Mirage saw the chocolate leader bring her warriors to the fray, and she had to respect why she did so.

It pained her to see the Foothills in such a seemingly hopeless position. Her great, hulking mass landed near the two stallions, her keen ears hearing the last of Aaron's words. He was resigned already, choosing not to fight even though she could tell he sorely wanted to. She wondered if he had known about her brother's feelings of the Foothills sooner, whether he would have left the Edge at all? It didn't matter now.

"It pains me to see this happen." The WeyrLeader said simply, her eyes travelling from her herdmates to the activity of battle and back again. Akaith warbled sadly above her, before landing delicately upon one of her neck spikes. "Should the Foothills fall, they are welcome to find comfort and shelter in the Edge. Akaith, be sure to alert Kiba and Torasin that his services as medic may be required. We cannot intervene here and now, but we can be prepared for the aftermath of this, no matter the outcome." Her voice grew stronger as she spoke, particularly when addressing her dragon, who used the unique psychic communication to attempt to pass the message along.

It was a sad day, as the DragonHeart watched mutual friends become enemies.

larfsalot.deviantart.com