Suni sighed for the umpteenth time, much to the amusement of her partner, Tekina. Both fairies had been perched on this south-facing sentry position for some hours, and Suni was going mad with boredom.
Tekina, her partner, at least got to play with her little falcon bird. She belonged to Luita's faction, and they had chosen falcons as their mascot birds. Moreover, they managed to acquire more than five falcon chicks, which were given to the top members of the force.
Suni hailed from Tande's faction, and they had not yet decided on the bird. Surprisingly, neither had Nixa, whom everyone assumed would be the first to jump in. She had expressed an interest in the eagle, but Nina quickly swooped in.
Everyone expected either Tande or Nixa would be fighting for the hawk, but neither had made an attempt. In fact, Tande, the faction leader, had said that he was going on a long journey, and would not return soon. He had then picked out a number of people from the faction to travel with him.
Rumors had it that he had once seen a powerful bird of prey, and he was going to see if he could find its trail. Not many were convinced though. As for the faction members, they could do nothing but wait.
As the two fairies were engaged in mindless banter, a small dot appeared in the horizon. Neither paid it much attention, but as it drew closer, they began to show interest. Looking over, they realized it was a huge bird flying.
As fairies, they had grown accustomed to seeing massive birds. Almost every bird around was bigger than them. However, there was something strange about this bird. It was not just big, but it was massive.
It had massive wings that could stretch from one end of the river to another, and its bulked looked like the canopy of a young tree. Even from a far, they could make out its features clearly.
Seeing this, both fairies hesitated for a moment, wondering if they should do something. After pondering for a moment, Suni volunteered, "I'll go back and inform senior. You stay back and keep watch, see if there is anything to worry about."
"Okay," Tekina said subconsciously as he stared at the big bird. He seemed more in awe than scared of the thing.
Suni set off immediately. Part of the reason they had been selected was because of their incredible speeds and maneuverability in the forest. As scouts and early warning messengers, they could not fly above the treetops. Scouts were those that excelled in maneuverability.
Within no time, the little fairy had managed to get back to the mother tree. She quickly spotted Kigen, who was training under mother's canopy. Today seemed to be quite the hot day.
Once she saw him, she immediately went over to report. At first, Kigen did not know what to think. He had never heard of such a giant bird, either as a human or as a fairy. Then again, he was not the most exposed individual, so he couldn't overreact.
"Get the human, bring her down below," Kigen said. However, before either could move, another fairy scout came rushing in.
Zara, from the riverside sentry, had also something to report. Both Kigen and Suni listened and were immensely shocked. At some point, Kigen even wondered if the fairy was hallucinating.
Apparently, a column of water had risen from the river, erecting up to five feet tall. It had then started changing shape to become a human-looking thing. Even the scout seemed unsure of what they saw.
However, Kigen did not dismiss this report, on account of how panicked the little scout was. No one could fake such a reaction.
"Little one, quickly go," Kigen said. He couldn't remember the scout's name, so he simply gestured at her. A while later, a shocked Mistress Kering came running to the tree trunk. No doubt she had heard about the report.
"What do you think?" Kigen asked.
"It must be them," Mistress Kering answered. The long-awaited foes.
Even though Kigen had suspected this, hearing her confirm his fears brought some anxiety in his heart.
"What do you think that black bird is?" he asked.
"Some amalgamation of elements, but definitely has some association with the wind element, just like you fairies," she answered.
By now, many fairies had caught wind that something was happening. The seniors in the field had been informed, and they were rushing back. A sizable crowd had grown around the human.
"I think it's about time you told us everything you know about golems," Kigen stated. He had been holding back on this, hoping this threat would go away. He also did not want to terrify the fairies. However, it now seemed inevitable.
"Alright," Mistress Kering said, "I will begin by saying that much of what I know about golems has been upended by the appearance and description given of these golems."
"In the world, there are people and being with exceptional abilities to create a matrix powerful enough to collect the particles of an element together to form a mystical being. Usually, these beings are puppets, incapable of free thought. They are also known to be very simple minded," she stated.
"Obviously, these golems are not," Kigen interjected.
"Yes, Guardian, they are not. Somehow, in their creation, their maker had figured out a way to make such sophisticated creatures. Nothing I know can explain this, except one thing," she added.
"What thing?" Kigen demanded.
"Necromancy." She intoned. She expected Kigen and the fairies to gasp, but things did not go according to script. She realized the fairies did not know what necromancy is.
"Some people have the power to consult with the dead, even summon them. If such people managed to integrate a dead soul into the golem's core matrix, then perhaps, they could form a golem capable of sophisticated intelligence. However, they would have to come up with a way to control these golems, or they could betray them and run amok."
By now, Mistress Kering was more mumbling to herself, trying to connect the dots, than explaining. This matter had baffled her very much, and she wished to understand how the enemy had made their golems.
"I take it that that is bad news," Kigen asked.
"If it is as I suspect, then the enemy we are facing has yet to show their true colors. This is just the beginning," she cautioned. Every fairy listening was flushed with worry. To think the day was going so well thus far.
Elsewhere, the black bird continued to circle the skies. From where it was, there was little doubt that it had seen the mother tree. Tekina continued to watch its movement, praying that it does not get closer.
As if it heard his prayers, the bird did not go directly to the mother tree. Instead, it branched to the left, heading towards the river. Perhaps it felt thirsty, Tekina wondered.
He debated with himself whether he should follow the bird or not. He wished there was someone else with him, to tell the others. The little falcon chick was of little help in this matter. All he could think of was drawing a mark on one of the leaves where they had been hiding.
Once done, he bid the little chick goodbye and followed the black bird. He made sure to remain out of sight, always flying under the various trees' canopies. The thick foliage of the forest was an ally.
Unfortunately, as one approached the river, in this highland, the forest was not as thick. There were plenty of stones and rocks, even the riverbed was lined with stones and rocks. This discouraged vegetation growth, and only the herbs and grass could grow intermittently.
Therefore, the little fairy, trying to remain unseen, chose not to go further. From a distance, he noticed the bird fly down and land on a tree. Just below the tree, there was a human-looking being that looked to be made of water.
"There are two of them?" Tekina gasped yet again. He was filled with shock. Should he turn back now and report what he saw, or wait a bit? Maybe, there were more coming.
Tekina opted for the latter, and he diligently kept watch, out of sight. He wanted to see what intentions these two had.
As he watched, he skies darkened. The very hot and sunny day started turning gloomy all of a sudden. Heavy clouds seemed to appear out of nowhere. While instant rainfall was no stranger to these parts, this had come on a little too suddenly.
Seeing the raindrops almost begin to fall, the fairy decided to rush back, pick up the little bird, and then rush back and inform the seniors his findings.
Little did he know his presence had long been discovered. Those he thought he was watching were actually watching him, waiting for something.
"Are you sure you set them all?" The water golem asked the black bird.
"Yes, I am sure, just give it time," the bird retorted. He only needed to place some stones in specific location, nothing special about that. After he had finished his task, the clouds had begun gathering at a visible rate. "Don't worry, you will go for a walk soon enough."