elijah stood in the middle of the war tent, his golden eyes dark as he looked over the maps. he had grown used to the clamor of training, the thunder of horses running across the ground, soldiers shouting to each other. the crowd of troops had formed clusters in the expanse of fields they had, all led by one of the different lieutenants. he moved one of the red markers with the tip of his gloved index finger, sighing. they had yet to think up a strategy for turning the tides in the war- it was his kingdom, koria, versus the kingdom of xoza.

he raised his head slightly as the shouting suddenly quieted. that was weird. there was an especially fast ringing of horse hooves, approaching his tent directly. he parted the curtain, watching as the horse, black as the night sky, skidded to a halt. a soldier slid off, one of the other generals draped in his arms. elijah's eyes widened, his heart dropping as he saw the blood that dripped onto the worn, hoof-trodden dirt. his feet brushed over a clump of grass as he picked up the pace, going to meet them. "what happened?" he demanded. the soldier shook his head.

"we're unsure, general. the scouts are trying to find as much information as they can."

elijah grit his teeth, taking you from the soldier. "send them here as soon as they get back. we need to know what happened as soon as we can." he ordered, pushing back through the curtains. he glanced down at the general in his arms, his eyes narrowed as he laid them on one of the beds, trying to stem the bleeding with his hands.