Groken was the name of the area of Canas that was not own or colonized by Apex. It was the area the pixies still had a relatively high amount of power in.
It was a beautiful area, large too on the west end of the country of Canas. It was filled with numerous greenery, foliage with an extremely large tree in the center; in fact, there were numerous amounts of large trees through Groken. But there was one extremely large tree that was known as the Groken; hence the name of this area of Canas.
This tree meant a lot to the pixies in this area. Not much was known outside of pixies why this tree was so significant but over all, it had to do with magae.
Zhiliary and the elites along with Xeno stood on the border of Groken, looking in.
"They know we're here," Xeno said. Riley turned to look at him, looking him up and down which he hated. He stepped back, hating being around.
Zhiliary glared and growled at Riley who bared her neck as she walked to Xeno. She patted Xeno on the shoulders. "Where is Pamoen?"
Xeno shook his head and sigh. "Alpha, I was not going to bring a kid here," Xeno said.
Zhiliary laughed, patting him some more. "I know, I know," she said smiling. She looked out to the land that she wanted so badly for Apex. "How powerful are witches?" Zhiliary asked Xeno once more. Xeno lifted an eyebrow to her question, a question she asked often.
"Powerful."
"Right."
"You want a witch to curse or her them," Xeno asked, knowing what Zhiliary was thinking.
"We have conquered all of Canas, spliting into four packs with Apex at the top and yet Groken, Groken we don't have," she explained.
Xeno watched as Zhiliary and the elites began to walk through the grass, the harsh leaves towards the first town in the province of Groken.
The air turned thick with humidity as they entered Groken. It was noticeably colder than Apex territory. The grass seemed unnaturally bright green, and the trees loomed tall above them. Twigs snapped underfoot.
Above, the canopy rustled, pixies flitting silently through the leaves, watching. Their glinting eyes were visible for just a moment before vanishing into the dense foliage. Shadows shifted unnaturally across the path ahead, as if the forest itself were breathing.
Xeno met the eyes of many of the pixies who were in the trees, watching him and them. Their eyes gleaming, the power of magae surrounding them. One thing that Xeno noticed was the weather. While fairies lived in colder climates, pixies lived in much more humid ones.
The Groken tree was the source of their power so the rumors said. Magae ran freely through Groken and this land. The pixies had always been able to harness magae and use it to their advantage like many other species. For years, Apex had attempted to conquer Groken, but they always failed. Now, Zhiliary sought to conquer Groken herself with some help...a witch, especially since witches were alread known allies to Apex in Canas.
Commander Zor got the message Zhiliary was in their territory fairly quickly. Eyes and ears were all over Groken. Right when someone stepped into the province, if the pixies didn't speak then the land in which they lived on would.
He walked over to his orb that was leaning against a tree. The tree had its roots buried deep into the pond in which it stood. Zor could see his reflection in the water, his green armor shimmering within the light of the day.
The commander walked down from the hill taking the steps instead of flying, not sure where Zhiliary and her team were exactly, and not wanting to give away his location. Over on the bottom level of the forest floor, there was a large hut. He entered inside, his wings folding in as they did so.
"Where are they?" He asked the pixie female sitting at a desk.
"They're on the border."
He nodded his head and exited from the hut. He rose to the air and quickly flew to where they were.
Commander Zor landed softly on a moss-covered branch high above Zhiliary's intrusion party, his presence masked by the dappled shadows and the thick scent of damp earth. Below, the Apex elites moved with predatory grace, boots sinking into spongy turf that released a faint, sweet odor of crushed herb, wild mint and something darker, like iron-rich soil after rain.
Zhiliary's gaze swept the towering trunks ahead, lingering on the distant silhouette of the Groken tree pulsing with an inner, verdant light only pixies could fully perceive. The air thrummed with magae, a static charge raising the fine hairs on Xeno's arms as he scanned the canopy where winged silhouettes darted like emerald shards.
"Zhiliary!"
They stopped as the commander landed in front of them.
"Apex just can't give up?"
"We can say the same thing about you," Zhiliary said putting her hand out behind her making sure her elites were well prepared including her assassin.
Commander Zor looked at the team realizing it was just the six of them, no army, no military nor could he sense any other wolves in the vicinity. Still, he kept his alert up, just in case.
"That orb you carry, what does it do?" Zhiliary questioned.
The commander smirked at the Alpha, as if he was going to tell her the secrets of Groken. He slammed his orb down into the ground.
SLAM!
The six wolves flew back into the forest, flying out of the border, and landing hard on the ground except for Zhiliary and Xeno who both landed elegantly on all fours.
The commander dropped his orb and stepped back, his hand hovering over it.
Zhiliary landed silently, crouched low on the forest floor, her breath misting in the humid air. Her eyes narrowed as the orb pulsed, a deep, resonant thrum that vibrated through the soles of her boots.
It wasn't sound; it was pressure, a physical weight pressing against her ribs. Around her, the elites groaned, struggling to rise from where they'd been flung, their limbs tangled in thick roots and ferns slick with morning dew.
Xeno remained motionless beside her, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the sudden shift in the atmosphere, something metallic and electric, like ozone after a storm, mingling with the decay of wet leaves. Zhiliary looked at Xeno, still impressed by him.