This is the last scene I wrote so far.
Nightherb moved along the forest ground. She took long, slow strides, her toes touching the grass lightly. She occassionally looked at her surroundings to make sure that she was not traveling too far, and to make sure that no one else was following her.
It was not a common thing for her to be out on her own. She knew of the consequences. It was against pack law to do this. It was a common rule spread among all the packs. Border crossing could be dangerous. Not many people would appreciate their territory being invaded.
Not that she was careless. She kept an eye on her surroundings, ensuring that she did not cross border lines. Besides, she had to be here. She did not have much of a choice. It would not take her long. She would be in and out before anyone would notice. Or so she hoped.
She was in need of some more herbs for her medicine collection. She needed to make sure she was ready. She was the nurse in charge. She knew all to well what could happen if she neglected her duties. A person could get badly hurt and she would not be able to treat them well enough. Not many would be happy with her for this.
It difficult at times, trying to keep up with everything, making sure that there was enough medicine for all, keeping inventory. She was glad that at least some of the burden was relieved since she was not the only nurse alimon in the pack. There were a number of them. They all pitched in and helped the best that they could. Nightherb knew that there was no way the pack could survive with just one nurse.
However, she could not neglect her duties. She was still the leader of the nurses. She was still mainly responsible for restock and making sure they had everything they could need. She knew the pressures of leadership would get to her, but she still accepted. She would rather take charge and do things right than to allow someone incompetent take over.
She had to be extra vigilant to day. There was talk in the pack ever since Rootwater left with Unam. That had been several days ago. She did not think anything would come of it, but Icane and Pound ordered her to make sure they were on full stock of medicine. Many alimons were agitated and there was the fear that something big might be coming.
The fear of a battle. She had never thought she would feel such a sensation. She was not unfamiliar with it, but one on a grand scale was almost unheard of. A few skirmishes between two alimons, maybe even four, she could handle. But a huge battle, with tens of alimons? Twenties? She was not sure if she would be prepared for a larger scale battle like that.
But she could not focus on that right now. She had to keep her mind on finding some herbs. She needed to gather up as much as she could. She could not take the chance of screwing this up. For all she knew, the battle was going to start in a few minutes, and there would already be injured comrades when she got back. She was not going to let them down. That would be the last thing she would do.
A part of her felt disappointed with Rootwater. She could not help but feel a pang of betrayal. How could she do this to her? How could she turn her back on her duties? She thought she could trust her, and then she goes around and does this.
Rootwater was one of their finest healers. An outstanding nurse. She had a lot of promise and potential. She was well on her way to becoming the leader of the nurses after she retired. Rootwater really could have put her talents towards helping others, and she could have easily been remembered as one of the best nurses of the pack. This was an honor that was hard to achieve, and Rootwater had looked forward to claim the title.
So what would possess her to turn her back on it? What would make her change her mind, and go with someone that she hardly knew? She wished she knew the answer to this. It was not something that could be easily answered. There could be many reasons for Rootwater’s decision. But that did not make it any easier.
She had looked to Rootwater as a good friend. She had always been there for her. She had helped her get out of trouble if she needed, and she would return the favor. She had seen Rootwater do some great things for the pack, even stand up to Unam in the past.
Well she could not dwell on the past. Not anymore. What was done was done. It was clear that Rootwater no longer wanted to be a part of them. Somewhere along the lines, she had become convinced of Unam’s ideals and left to join with him, and even tried to covince Icane to consider Unam’s proposition. It was clear where her loyalties now lied. As much as it hurts her, she had to let Rootwater go. She was not the same alimon that she knew a couple years back. Times change, and Rootwater was a different person now. If she wanted to make this decision then she could not stop her.
Pushing the bitter thoughts aside, Nightherb focused her attention on gathering some herbs. She had finally found a patch of some small green plants that she uses for treating wounds. It was just one of many herbs she was trying to find, but it was still a good start. She needed these.
She reached up with her paw and unhooked a small bag that was attached around her throat. She pulled it out and, resting on her tail, she undid the string carefully. She then moved towards the patch of small green plants. She began to pluck them one by one, dropping them into her bag.
Suddenly, she detected a smell in the air. She stopped what she was doing. She might not have heard anything, but the nose would give everything away. Without looking too conspicuous, she put her nose to work and began to sniff the air.
There was some new scent in the air. A smell she had not detected before. She looked left and right slowly. She looked for any sign of movement. She found none. The smell was definitely an alimon, but that was all that she could get out of it. The first thing that came to her mind was that it was a stranger coming in and invading her territory. She growled, getting ready for a fight.
“To who that dares enter, this is my territory. Either make your presence known or leave!”
Nightherb did not get a response. She growled softly. She looked left and right, hoping to see any sign of the intruder. She found no one. She pulled her lips back into a snarl. Whoever was doing this may be just toying with her. An act that she did not take very kindly to.
“Whoever is there, show yourself!” She stomped on the ground. “Have you no respect for territorial boundaries?”
“Oh I am well aware...”
Nightherb froze as a distinctly male voice sounded out. She felt the short feathers in her mane raise up on end. Her brain was brought to full altertness as she looked around, trying to figure out where that voice was coming from.
Then she felt something whoosh past her. She winced as she felt something sharp against her flank. She pulled her head back and let out a cry of pain. She staggered to the side as she tried to regain her footing. Before she had a chance to, she felt another blow, this one harder, deeper. She screamed and she was flung against the dirt and grass, her back colliding with a tree trunk.
She laid there, moaning softly, her body quivering in pain. She could feel her blood seeping over her body, covering it in its thick warmth. She opened her eyes and looked up at where the attacks had come from. She blinked a few times, clearing up her vision so that she could make out the shapes.
There was an alimon approaching her. He appeared pretty short for an alimon, with feathers thicker than even Stormcrack’s. He was covered in red skin, his eyes seeming to almost blaze at whatever he was thinking as he approached her.
“Well well...look what I have got here...” The male said. There was a venomous edge to his voice. She could tell that he did not have the best intentions for her. He lowered his head and examined her, looking at the gashes he himself had created. “A nurse who had strayed a bit too far from home.”
“Th-This is still part of m-my territory...” Nightherb said. She pushed herself onto her front paws. She gripped the ground tightly, curling her tail inward. She glared at the male’s direction. “It is you who needs to pay the price for tresspassing.”
The male chuckled at this. “Perhaps. But...how can you tell that I crossed the border?”
“The scent marks!”
“Scent marks? I found none of those here.” The red alimon said. He held up his paw in a dismissive manner. “I guess you must be mistaken. This could be my territory and you came over here.” He sighed and shook his heasd. “Which is a darn shame. Because you know what can happen if you violate the territorial treaties...”
Nightherb felt her heart skip a beat. “No! I did not tresspass!”
“If you say so.” The alimon shrugged his shoulders. “I am certain you can be a...trust worthy person. Perhaps you are telling the truth.”
“Of course I’m telling the truth! Why w-would I...” Nightherb tried to say.
She was cut off by the alimon’s cold laughter. “I am not sure. Maybe so you can get out of trouble?” He then glared softly at her. He approached and began to pace in front of her. “I am my pack’s border patroller. We have our territory marked. I know for a fact that you...” He pointed his claw at her. “..tresspassed. So you should consider yourself lucky you are still breathing.”
Nightherb’s eyes widened at this. “Territory?! You think this is your territory, you crimson tail?!”
“First of all, my name is Crimsonflare.” The male narrowed his eyes. “And second, yes. If you paid enough attention, you would know that this territory had been claimed.” He tapped the ground with his claws. “Or did you get so comfortable in your little hole that you did not notice that?”
“Bite off your tail!” Nightherb hissed without thinking.
Crimsonflare snapped his head back in surprise. He stared at her for several moments before he gave a quick chuckle. “My..my...! Are you not the funny one?!” He chuckled as his shoulders shook in rhythmn. “You think you have authority over me, as if this is your hunk of land...”
“It is! This is my pack’s territory!” Though she was shaky on her feet, she still stood firm, looking at her adversary in the eyes. “I am not going to leave my own territory!”
Crimsonflare shrugged his shoulders. He looked at her standing, curling his lip up, unimpressed. He seemed to take notice of her wobbling as she struggled to keep herself from slipping down. He gave a small chuckle, as if he felt that this meant she would not be a match for him. If that is the case, then he was going to be in for one big rude awakening.
“I do not know why you are angry. If you would take the time and look around you, then you would see that you are not in your territory anymore.” Crimsonflare said. He tilted his head to one side, giving her an amused smirk. “Though do please keep trying to call my bluff. I do so miss entertainment nowadays.”
“You dirt ball!” Snapped the nurse. “You have no idea what you are talking about! Now leave before I am forced to partake in the customary discipling of intruders! You know that would happen to you if I did that..”
“Or to you.” Crimsonflare narrowed his eyes. “After all, you are on my territory. If you continue this, then I will be the one forced to take action, and it would be all your fault.” Nightherb shackled at this. “Now, now..no need to get upset. I am merely...speaking the truth..”
Nightherb took on a defensive posture. She ignored the pain from her wounds, her tail swishing from side to side. She was not going to turn and run away from this guy. He was invading on her pack’s territory and that violated the treaties all the packs carried. The borders were specifically marked.
How dare he try to claim this land as his own. How dare he say that she was the one in trouble of being killed over a territorial dispute. How dare he try to indicate it would be her fault if it happened. No, not indicate. He flat out told her it would be his fault. She had no idea where he got off on trying to say what territory belonged to who, but right now, she did not care. She might be just a nurse alimon, but she knew she had to get him out of here, or else face persecution back in her own pack.
She attempted to charge at her foe, but he had side stepped too quickly for her to get a good blow against him. Snarling, she turned herself around and jumped towards him. The red alimon merely jumped back, causing her to miss him entirely. She tried a third time, swiping out with her claws. This did not even graze the male. He just ran around behind her, and then jumped back as she whirled around as quickly as she could. She charged towards him, her mouth split wide open for an attack.
This did not go over well for her. Before her jaws could reach their intended target, the male alimon pulled his paw back and struck at her. The claws and digits pushed against the side of her jaw, knocking her head askew. She yelped as she felt the claws dig into her skin, making blood leak out and stain the side of her face. Before she had time to recover from that, another paw struck down on her nose. The gashes blood profusely, and the blood got into her nostrils. She sneezed painfully a few times before she looked up at him with an expression of mixed emotion.
Crimsonflare glared coldly at her. He did not appear to react much to the blood getting into her nose, or her flinches of pain. The only thing he did react to was her expression of shock. To this, he countered with something that barely qualified as a smile.
“You think you are all that, do you not? You, a mere nurse, trying to enforce fake rules on me.” Crimsonflare was clearly trying to sound calm and rational. But his tone of voice gave away how he really felt. Even if that did not, then his piercing glare did. “I do not want to have to kill you, and I will not if you leave now.” He placed a claw against his chin. “Or...”
Nightherb gave a couple of weak pants. “Or...or what...?”
“You could..join us...” Crimsonflare held out his paw in gesture. He smiled at her, his expression softening up as if to make himself appear more approachable. “I am sure that Unam can find a place for you. We could use more females. We are kind of a..sausage fest right now.”
Nightherb grimaced at this. “Why would I want to join him? He is the one who is clinging onto some fairy tale.”
Crimsonflare’s glare returned. “You think that our packs were always divided?” Nightherb simply glared at him. Her eyes told him her answer. “I see.” His voice did not sound angry, more just disappointed. “I am sorry you feel that way.”
“No you are not! You are just saying that so I will lower my guard and beg to come with you!” Nightherb swiped her paw sideways in front of her. “It is not going to work! I will not permit you to...”
Crimsonflare charged towards her. Her eyes widened and she raised herself up to try to attack. She gagged as he seized her by the neck. With as much force as he could muster, he slammed her against the tree. She gripped his paw and pushed back, trying to make him let go. He would not relent.
“I do not think you understand the position that you are in, nurse.” Crimsonflare’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “If I were you, I would seriously reconsider my position. You would be part of a grander scheme of things if you would just join. Or better yet, talk sense into your leader.”
“What? You mean like that traitor Rootwater did?!” Nightherb made no attempt to hide the hurt in her voice. She knew that sting of betrayal would not go away any time soon.
“Rootwater was an intelligent individual who saw past her own bias to consider Unam’s proposition.” Crimsonflare tightened his grip on her neck. “And apparently, she is the smartest one of you lot!” Mustering up as much strength as he could, he tossed the female to the side. He watched as she rolled on the ground. “If you had even a fraction of her intelligence, you would join!”
Nightherb hit the ground painfully. She pushed herself up on her front paws. She gasped and coughed as some dirt got into her mouth. She shook herself as she climbed back to her feet. She looked back at Crimsonflare. She panted a few times, her body wracking in pain.
Was this guy for real? Did he really think she would turn her back on her own people that easily? Did he think that Rootwater’s utter betrayal meant that she was smart? Did he think that Unam’s ideals had any merit? She knew that some alimons were crazy, but she never thought she would meet someone quite like this guy. He took the roots, that was for certain.
“Come on now... I do hope that we can avoid a fight.” Crimsonflare said in a calmer voice. He took a step towards her. “At least consider. We could get things back to the way they used to be and...”
“Things were never that way! The pack was never united as one!” Nightherb snapped at him.
Crimsonflare said, “How are you so certain? You are so convinced that the pack was never united...yet you never even considered the possibility of you being wrong.” He shook his head sadly. “For shame... You should at least give it a chance.”
Nightherb growled at this. “Oh yeah? What makes you so sure that it did happen?”
“Because it all adds up. If you listen to the story, it epxlains a lot about how we are...and the pieces fit in quite well with our history.” The red male’s tail swished slowly from side to side. “Think about it, nurse.” He held his paw out in gesture. “Why do we have a meeting place where it is? How come it is large enough to hold all our packs? How come we are spread out in an almost even circle around?”
Nightherb turned her head away. “That means nothing.”
“I wish you would try to think harder than that. Our history is much more rich than that. Why...I remember the stories well.” Crimsonflare placed a paw against his chest. A smile spread across his face. “We all originated as a single pack. Long ago, before any of us were born. Then it broke into two warring factions. Blood was shed for a long time. The pack soon reunited, and then later broke into several factions, which leads to us.”
Nightherb scoffed. “That is some fancy tale you told. But that is not what happened.” Crimsonflare raised an eyebrow at this. “There was no single great pack. There was no division, then a uniting, then another division.” She slammed her foot against the ground. “It has always been this way. There were always multiple packs. Uniting the pack into a singularity would be disastrous! We were not meant to live in packs that large!”
“Or so you think. Our ancestors did it.” Crimsonflare held up his paw. “So why not us?”
“Our ancestors did not do that!” Nightherb cried. “Why can you not see that you are being duped by some fairy tale?!”
There was a bit of uncomfortable silence before Crimsonflare responded with, “Excuse me...? Did you just say..fairy tale?”
“Yes.” Nightherb nodded once. “A fairy tale.”
Crimsonflare growled at this. Although a bit unnerved considering what this guy was capable of, the purple and blue nurse still held her ground. She was not going to let him intimidate her into submission. There was no way she was going to concede to this lie, and she could not believe that Rootwater fell for it.
She was aware of the stories. She knew of a great pack, which did divide, rejoin, and then divided again. She remembered all the details that Crimsonflare had told her. She was not a stranger to the story.
But that is all that it was. A story. Nothing more than a fairy tale relegated to being told a bedtimes to young cubbies. Such a pack never existed. They had always lived separate lives in separate packs. No great united pack had ever existed before. And for good reason. And for good reason.
There was no way that a large pack could sustain itself. A pack could not only be too small. It could also be too large. A larger pack could fall under its weight. Resources and food aside, there was also shelter to consider, and leadership. Could a pack that size really be run by an individual or two? She had her doubts. There would be conflicts and attempts to usurp power. More dominant alimons would fight for control, and she imagined this would happen more often in a larger pack.
It would take a total idiot to buy into that rotten wood. And she was looking right at one. Crimsonflare did not look like he was the brightest of alimons, and that clearly showed if he believed in a fairy tale like that.
It hurt her to think of Rootwater this way. She had a lot of promise. But she still threw all of that away for utter nonsense. And there was little she could do to persuade Rootwater away from it. The female had already left. It was too late to stop her.
She gritted her teeth, grinding her teeth together. She may have lost a friend to this craziness. She would not lose another. Especially not herself.
“I am telling you for the last time.” Nightherb said. “Leave. Or else.”
Crimsonflare narrowed his eyes at this. “You seem to forget that you are on my territory.”
“Again with that ridiculous claim!” Barked Nightherb. She swung her head around, frustration finally reaching its boiling point inside of her. “Why do you insist on that?! This is my territory!” She paused and corrected herself. “My pack’s!”
“You are delusional.” Crimsonflare looked at the ground. He patted it a few times. “This here belongs to Unam.” He raised his head up. He made an effort to look from one side to the other in a long swoop. He then looked back at her. “You are the one who is trespassing. You are jsut too blind to see it.”
Nightherb snarled at this. How dare he say such things. Was he trying to insinuate that she did not know her own territory? That she would not recognize the scents of her own land? This trespasser had a lot of nerve to say that.
So much of her mind was telling her to just attack the guy and get it over with. It was obvious that he was not going to admit his mistake and leave any time soon. It was probably better if she just attempted to chase him off.
Still, she hesitated. She tried to figure out of there was a better, less aggressive way of dealing with him. She was injured right now. Her ëgame’, as it were, was going to be off. He would have the upperhand. There would be no way for her to counter easily. She would just end up even more hurt than before. She did not know how much he was holding back, if at all. She did not know what his next move would result in.
A broken limb?
A broken tail?
Perhaps a broken neck?
She was not interested in finding out. Plus, she was not sure how Icane would feel about her attacking someone from Unam’s group. He was probably trying his best to avoid a fight. She would not help if she provoked a member and gave Unam a reason to attack.
No, she would not attack. As much as she wanted to, she would not. There was simply no benefit for her from it. She could easily make things worse. That was something she would rather avoid. True, he did attack her, but still, she knew that it would not be very beneficial for her to escalate the fight as she was right now.
That left her with only one option.
“Very well then...” Nightherb straightened herself up. She raised her head up high. “I do not agree that these are your lands. But considering that you will not leave.ll” She lifted up her leg and examined the small scrapes on it. “...and I am not fit to fight you...” She made sure to avoid directly blaming him as that would send off the wrong signals. “I suppose I have no choice but to back down.”
She turned around. She regretted having to leave the herbs behind. But it was not like she had much of a choice. How was she going to get them with that red alimon blocking her? She could always find herbs elsewhere, and she did get a good number anyway.
“I will see you around.” She said as she began to walk away. She did not get far when there was a flash of red and she nearly ran into Crimsonflare. Her feet slipped as she struggled to stop. “What do you think you are doing?! I told you that I was leaving!”
Crimsonflare gave her an almost charismatic smile. “I was just thinking....” He held himself highly, walking around her, filled with confidence. “Why do you not reconsider my offer? You would be much appreciated in Unam’s pack.”
It only took Nightherb a second to come up with an answer. “No.”
“You are turning down an opportunity.” Crimsonflare raised his claw up, the tip of it glinting in the light. “I would suggest that you rethink of what you are doing. You should not act out of emotion, but of logic.” He turned his body so he was facing her completely. “You are a fine female. You would be most welcomed in our...sausage fest.” He rubbed alongside of her, his tail trailing along her body. “Oh yes...” He grinned at her as she growled. “I do not think anyone would object.”
Nightherb growled in disgust at Crimsonflare’s advancements on her. She snorted and pushed him away with her paw. He moved back away from her, staring at her in surprise. He then rubbed the spot that she had pushed against, a smile spreading across his face.
Nightherb returned this gesture with a growl. She placed herself in an aggressive bow, her claws digging the ground. She arched her tail up, the tip flicked to one side as a way of showing she meant business. She watched the alimon intently as he remained standing before her. His smile never faded. His interest never waned. She could not help but feel a sense of nausea at the thought of this male thinking he could court her.
“Back off...” She hissed under her breath. “You are violating the law. You know that one alimon cannot be with one from another pack. Rules are rules.”
Crimsonflare chortled at this, his shoulders shaking. He moved closer to her. He put his face close to hers. “Oh, but dear... Once the packs unite...” His eyes glinted. “..that law will have no more relevance.”
Nightherb responded to this by snapping her jaws close to his face. His eyes widened and he moved his head back. Her jaws slammed shut a few inches from his face. He looked shocked at first, then that sickening smile returned. He reached up and pressed a claw against her chin, scratching it gently.
“A fiesty nurse. I like that.” Crimsonflare cooed gently, continuing to rub his claw under her chin. “I am sure you will impress the pack. Many of them do not regard nurses as being violent.” He slipped his paw across her shoulder and pulled her close. “You could change their perspectives..”
“No!” Nightherb snarled. “Let go of me!”
With that, Nightherb jumped away from the red male. She used her long tail to strike against him. She heard him make a grunt as he was flung into the ground. He hit against the surface of the floor, giving off a loud thud. She did not stop running until she was several feet away. Then she stopped and looked behind her.
Crimsonflare was laying on his side. His legs were sprawled out underneath him, to one side. His tail was bent towards his back. His feathers were a bit eskew, some bending in ways that they were not previously. His eyes were wide in surprise, and he was staring at her, locking eye contact with her. He remained like this for several moments before he finally gave a reaction.
He narrowed his eyes into slits. His lips curled up into a snarl. He climbed back up to his feet. His tail twitched in agitation. He adopted a posture that was similar to Nightherb’s. He uttered a low growl, his mouth opening up partially, showing off his lower set of teeth to her.
Sensing a possible battle coming, Nightherb tensed her body up. She prepared herself for a lunge. She watched Crimsonflare carefully. She kept her eyes focused on him, making sure that he did not get a chance to make a move without her seeing it. She would not let herself be caught unawares.
Then, without warning, Crimsonflare relaxed. To her surprise, his lax body settled down on its haunches, his body curving downward, his tail resting on the ground. The aggressive expression from before faded away entirely. Now, all that remained was a vacant expression. This, somehow, was more unnerving than his glare or his smile. At least then, she could understand his intentions more. But here, a vacant expression gives away nothing. He would be unpredictable.
“I see you will continue to reject me. I am surprised. I thought you would at least take it as a compliment.” The red alimon said. “You do not wish to walk with someone?”
“If I do, it will not be with a member of another pack.” Nightherb growled. “It would most certainly not be with you.”
“...I see.” His voice was eerily calm. There was some hidden message behind it, but she was not sure what that was. “Very well then. If you reject me, I suppose there is nothing I can do about that. I know the law.”
Nightherb gave a firm nod at this. “I think you are a bit too attached to life to jeopardize that.”
“Indeed.” Crimsonflare took a step forward. It was at this point that his expression finally changed. His eyes narrowed, not from anger, but more seriousness than anything. “But I still think you should consider joining us. It might be better joining now than later. The others will join sometime later. You will not miss your friends for very long.”
Nightherb let out a low hiss at this. He was still going on about that? He must either be pretty stupid or really determined. She imagined it was a bit of both. She was aware that some people will not stop until they got want they wanted. Crimsonflare wanted her to join, and he would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted. She knew what his main reason for wanting her to join was, and she was going to make sure she left him disappointed.
“I mean this in the kindest way imaginable, but...” Nightherb’s pupils shrank. “Go shove it up your...”
“Point taken.” Crimsonflare said coolly. “I will leave you be. But shoud you decide to change your mind...” He gave a low chuckle as he looked at her up and down. He licked his lips slowly. “I will...keep the offer open.”
“Yuck...” Nightherb grimaced, turning herself partially to one side. “That is not necessary.”
“Oh...but I insist....” Crimsonflare’s grin spread across his face. “After all, you never know when you might just happen to...have second thoughts.” He grinned at her in satisfaction for a few seconds, his smile clearly hiding another kind of message. He then turned his side to her, giving her a sideways glance. “See you later, sweetie tail.”
A shudder of disgust swept through Nightherb’s body as the red male turned and walked away. She glared off after him for a few seconds. Not wanting to spend another second there, she turned herself around and began to head back towards her home. As much as she would want to continue picking for herbs, she knew that informing Icane of this encounter was of utmost importance. He had to know about this.
A pang of fear welled up in her chest. She could still see that unnerving smile in her head. The vision of it would not go away. That alimon, he was determined to have her. There was no doubts about that. She knew that some alimons can be determined when it came to attracting someone that they cared about.While she was not afraid of him taking drastic action due to the death penalty that was a universal punishment for this action, it still left her at unease.
How far was he willing to go with this? How much effort was he going to put into trying to get her to join up? What was he going to do when she kept refusing?
She pushed those thoughts in the back of her head. Right now, that was not what she should be worried about. Something bigger was going down. Unam was trying to get alimons to defect from Icane’s group, likely to make him buckle under the pressure. She knew that, while Icane was strong willed, even he had his limits. If the pack lost enough vital members, it could begin to collapse.
They needed a course of action. They needed to decide what they were going to do about Unam. If they failed to come up with a strategy, then they had a future of being walked over to look forward to.
She was confident that it would not resort to that. She was certain that, after delivering her information and letting the leaders talk, that they woud figure out a plan to stop Unam’s attempts at taking them over.
If they failed, it would be the beginning of an inevitable disaster that could tear the species apart.