Nightingale's Lullaby: Main Chapter

"It's sounds similar to a...season we have." Kestrel studied the undecorated tree, her voice quiet and her thoughts clearly elsewhere while Callum rummaged through his old decorations currently scattered across the main floor to her right. The pile slowly growing as Halcyon and Gavin brought more and more of it out of storage for the holiday season.

"It sounds stupid." Deryn's usual snarky comment finally drew the leader's attention back to the present and where the vampire was resting unmasked on Revna's back, the alpha weremon's low grumble offering little insight into her own thoughts on the matter.

Kestrel sighed, shaking her head to clear it before walking over to the window behind them to watch the softly falling snow. "You didn't mind the birthday party...this is sort of just a larger scale..."

"That was 'celebrating' one 'mon or whatever you called it, this is...I don't even know what this is, freezing to death?" The vampire rose slowly from their seated position, wings fluttering slightly as they shifted upright and floated beside their companion. "Cold can't be a good thing for you mortals."

"It's not about the cold or the snow or any of that...this season just has a way of bringing 'mons together." Callum's head rose from his sorting to watch them, his pelt prickling slightly at the vampire's attitude and a strand of green garland dangling from his shoulders over his usual scarf. "The spirit of giving isn't bound to one season...it's just most needed during this one."

Revna stretched, her claws flashing as she rolled to her side and twisted to a half-sitting position against the brick beside the fireplace. Her gaze lazily trailed between them for a few moments before she joined the conversation, "Seasons are strange, your land is not...stagnant... Why is this one special when the others weren't?"

"Every season is different, this one is the end of the cycle...a rest before things begin again. Is the end not the best time to reflect?" Kestrel's voice was still low, her breath misting the air as she watched the flakes turn the land outside white beneath a glittering sheet. "Why don't you help with the decorations for now? It'll make more sense once you've gotten the experience."

Callum's eyes narrowed, shifting to focus on her as he dropped the garland and pushed it into a pile with the other strands "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'll be back soon...just...get things ready in the meantime. Arden, Sparrow?" The rotom and unown moved to follow as she turned away from the window and headed outside, closing the door firmly behind herself to keep the cold out before taking to the sky.

---

The snow was coming down heavier by the time Kestrel finally landed, trying to shake the icy crystals from her wings as she scanned the area. She hadn't exactly taken off with a goal in mind, honestly she just need to get away for a bit. Which probably wasn't the smartest move given the weather, why did it feel like she was always just running?

Sparrow brushed her cheek, the meown quiet as it settled near her shoulder to watch while Arden's flames flickered behind her, the dragon fire doing little to illuminate the growing darkness. Sunset was rapidly approaching, not that the storm clouds above offered much light to begin with, and with it the temps were starting to fall from the steady chill that had settled in during the day.

Kestrel sighed and turned to check on the rotom, "I guess we should get-"

A shrill cry from their left distracted the lucario and her focus snapped to it to spot a pack of were/vamps in the distance. Arden's energy darkened at the sight, low growls flickering in time with the flames as he spotted the troublemakers and she had only seconds to rein him in or join the surprise strike. Her vision shifted as she focused on the auras but that offered little to dissuade her chosen course, even without that it was clear that nothing good was happening. Fighting had also proven a good way to relieve stress lately and her wings snapped open again, one paw cupping Sparrow to keep it close and the other brushing the larger stone of her earring. The mega energy was still too fresh, too raw but memories of that summer night warned she couldn't take them lightly. "Keep close Sparrow..."

Arden's growl intensified as she shot off ahead of him, the rotom's energy expanding slightly as his claws swiped at the nearest enemy with little care to type or size. Kestrel left him to handle herding from the back while she snapped her wings closed near the front to cut the pack off from its prey.

The vampire leading the charge reared back mid-step, its fangs flashing at this interruption to its fun while most of the others stumbled to a stop or twisted to deal with the dragon on their tails. "You want a piece of this?" it sneered once it caught its balance, red eyes glaring between her and the strange pokémon the pack had been chasing.

She spared a glance back at the creature as it disappeared into the treeline before releasing her own low growl. They wanted to hound the Wintertide spirit? During the season of giving? Oh she had something to give them now, and they weren't going to like it.

---

It's Sparrow's gentle purring against her chest that eventually drags Kestrel back to her senses, her vision clearing slowly as she releases the mega energy and focuses on Arden's frustrated roars. "Let them go Arden," the words are rough but they get the point across as she cups the meown carefully and moves to block the dragon rotom from pursuing the now retreating were/vamps.

He drops to a low growl at first, his energy sparking around her before relenting and pulling it back to its normal size around his core. A softer buzz offering acceptance but not agreement as his gaze followed the shapes disappearing into the snow.

Kestrel sighed as she followed his gaze, her own energy spent between the adrenaline and the mega usage, but as she picked up a new sound behind them she rounded on the carefully approaching Weremon King. A warning growl stopped his advance and she stretched a wing to keep Arden in check behind her, given the season she'd hear him out but she was done playing their games.

Sparrow perked up as the tension from the fight faded, her eye blinking slowly at the king as she returned to a hover near the lucario's shoulder while Arden remained pulsing behind them without a word.

"I might have an idea..." Arden's opinion aside, Kestrel honestly preferred dealing with the weremons to the vampires. At least the weremons she understood and Revna had proven trustworthy if a bit grumpy. "Arden, go fetch Talon and the rest of chi squad."

Arden's watch turned to a glare at the king before he buzzed acknowledgement and took off back towards the base.

With a plan forming Kestrel left Effo there and stepped to the edge of the forest to check on the spirit, she was grateful it appeared unharmed despite the somewhat distracted fight. By the time she finished conversing with it Talon appeared with the two meowths clinging to xir mane, Corbin giving her a quizzical look as he glanced between the retreating spirit and the Weremon King standing awkwardly in the snow.

"Callum's worried you know..."

"Of course he is, we have a Wintertide party to attend and then we can go home for our own celebration." Kestrel reassured the meowth as she leaned into big Talon's side, covering her exhaustion for a moment and soaking in the warmth radiating from the hybrid. "Arden stayed?"

"Yeah, he seemed...uh...upset about something?" Altair's voice was quieter, uncertain as he reached for Sparrow and coaxed the meown to join them on Talon's back. "He didn't really say what happened though..."

"That can wait, let's get this done first." She took a breath to steel herself before stepping back to stretch her wings, partially using them for balance as she turned to regard the legendary weremon king again. "It's time for an audience with the Queen."

Effo ran ahead to prep his sister for this very unplanned meetup and as they flew Kestrel filled Talon and the chi squad in on the rough idea, while she had already prepared small gifts for both of the royals this little scrimmage had made it clear that the queen would take more convincing. And the best way to show her the magic of the season was to let her experience it for herself, not an easy task but one Kestrel hoped was actually doable.

They landed some ways from the mansion where the majority of the were/vamps had chosen to hole up in since coming to Coldour, while this was intended as a friendly visit Kestrel still had no desire to meet them on their territory right now, and after a short wait the royals finally showed themselves again. Effo hanging back to give them space and Effie looking very displeased with the idea, though she had shown so that was the first step down.

The tension still hanging in the air between them wasn't exactly encouraging but Kestrel did her best to ignore it, one claw tracing the two boxes in the top of her bag as she nodded to big Talon. The young hybrid's tails twitched, the main one twining tighter with xir other half, as xe chirped at the Queen of Vampires, the words almost lost in the sharp sounds, "We're gonna build a snowmon."