Abide With Me

Shadow Chenqing

It was a mistake. One with the potential to derail all of the intricate planning that the combined forces had come up with. Lan Zhan shut his eyes and slowed his breathing, trying to control his rising irritation at himself. It was Wei Ying's fault really, if Wei Ying hadn't traipsed off into the mountain in search of Lan Zhan, then Lan Zhan himself would not now be searching for Wei Ying! Being able to sense Wei Ying nearby, but not being able to locate him had made Lan Zhan anxious.

It was in the grip of this anxiety that Lan Zhan had sent off a Lan butterfly to the Chieftain. A diurnal, light blue butterfly! One that would starkly contrast with its green and brown mountainside surroundings. 'Tchah! It would have been smarter to use Wei Ying's blackwing,' Lan Zhan berated himself. Giving himself a mental shake,  Lan Zhan followed Chenqing's stealthy exit from the tunnel and started moving downstream, hugging the shadows along the walls of the Grotto.

Lan Zhan's fears were unfounded. Dawn was breaking over the Ratnapura mountain. Under the forest canopy, the early morning light brought in a clamour of voices - buzzing bees and crickets, chirping sparrows, tweeting Titwis* and cawing ravens heralded the rising sun. Under the cover of this cacophony, the clear, specific 'chuk-chuk' of Indian Nightjars were recorded by messaging Mynahs.

The Lan butterfly moved from one clump of blue Kurinji* flowers to another, flitting along the mountainside, apparently randomly. Not once did it alight on anything not blue! All thanks to Wei Ying, who had cast a blanket talisman on all messengers, to be guided on those routes where they'd be best camouflaged! In a surprisingly short time, it found Chieftain War Guna Dena who was making his way up.

Given the urgency of the message and the Chieftain's unfamiliarity with Lan butterflies, this particular messenger decided to be direct, no subterfuge! It flapped into the Chieftain's face, flew by his ears and landed on his shoulder without invitation. The Chief's hand shot up into the air and his fist closed. 'ALL STOP!' Behind him, the unit froze.

Flt./Lt. Parakeet from the Recce team stepped up. "Chief, if I may?" At his nod, Flt./Lt. Parakeet stepped up and held up a finger. The Lan butterfly flitted across. Its feelers moved and the Officer bent forward to catch the message. Straightening up, he reported,

'HRH has been located by Hanguang Jun. Grotto at the base of Ratnapura mountain. 100 plus injured civilians. Two dangerous undesirables - mind  controlling Alkonost and s Gryphon with unspecified capabilities. Urgent request for extraction!'

The Chief signalled his troops to break formation and rest in camouflage. At a tweet from Flt./Lt. Parakeet, the Recce team reassembled before the Chief.

"Right, Extraction Team: Parakeet, you are free to choose your team! Flt./ Lt. Parakeet saluted smartly and grinned, "Done, Sir!" Nodding in acknowledgement, the Chief unrolled a piece of silk and began marking as he spoke.

"The number of hostages is large, so extraction in three phases, 30 per phase.

Phase 1: Flt./Lt. Parakeet + team # 1 - Locate and evacuate HRH at any cost! If other HVTs are present, evacuate them also.

Phase 2: Myself and Medivac team."

The Chief turned to his Aide-de-Camp, who said, "Pearls despatched to       Dr. Salamander's Hospital, as soon as Lan butterfly landed, Sir!"
'Bravo Zulu!*'

The Chief then said,
"Team # 2:  Redhawks, Ospreys and Vultures - Rescue and evacuation of injured from the mines.

Phase 3:
Simultaneously, Team #3 - Harpy Eagles attack hostiles.

Team # 4: Eagles and Cormorants - Evacuation of the able-bodied to surface.

Network with beavers, otters, DaNi to surface transport rescued hostages to safe zones.