Surveying the city from their vantage point, Fenn could not help but muse on how glad he was that he was no longer within the walls of the Council’s castle. Lily, who was pacing nearby, had commented on the place not being hospitable, but the Hellhound found the rough stone and the heat suffusing the interior entirely too… soothing.

He despised the feeling, particularly when he thought of the circumstances behind his presence there. When he had told Lily about the watchers, he had hoped to hint at a warning. The watchers would monitor all within their domain, but there was a difference between her and all other agents the Council had recruited.
 
She had an agent of her own.
 
Fenn was unbranded, something he was convinced to have some hidden significance. As it stood, he was little more than a guest. Worse, he was a guest’s guest, allowed to remain solely on the condition that he proved useful. He was lower than the watchers in that regard, in the idea that he may have retained a larger measure of freedom than all others, and his actions would be monitored closely. Worse, any suspicions that fell on him would fall on Lily as well. Explicit betrayal may not be needed to make the Council act against them, and who better to give the task of purging dangerous elements than the lowly, ubiquitous servants? If that came to pass, he and Lily would be targeted first, the dog suspected.
 
There was also the possibility that he was being paranoid and the lead Watcher saw him as little more than a brainless savage, unworthy of concern, but complacency had rarely done much to assure Fenn’s survival.
 
One way or another, the demoness had not seemed to understand the larger implications of their circumstances. Or perhaps she understood all too well and had simply refused to say as much. Such a thing was not speculation they needed their keepers hearing.
 
The dog grimaced. He detested games of intrigue. That he had participated in such a thing before had no bearing. He hated them then, and hated them now, and participation only ever seemed to bring misery to all involved. Completely haphazardly. Another reason to be relieved at their new surroundings. The violence and aggression in a battle were raw and clear. All those involved knew that by the end of the day there would be the taste of blood in their mouths – if they remained to taste it, that was.
 
He could spy numerous angels from their position, patrolling the inner perimeter. The Army of Light dominated the city’s skyline, while numerous patrols of more bestial angels dotted the streets, their movements given away by the light reflecting off their armor and trinkets. Most of the fighting was currently taking place near a forested area, where small bands of demons kept trying to break through Heaven’s defenses in rabid but disorganized waves. 

Were their objective to simply wreak havoc, Fenn might have suggested they circled around and destroyed the defenses keeping the demons at bay, leading them deeper into enemy territory. He frowned. Perhaps not. The streets and buildings would force the demons into funnels from which the enemy may whittle them down with projectile fire from atop the roofs. The angels were too well entrenched for a single assault to fold their entire defense. It was fortunate, then, that their actual objective was to eliminate but one of them.

“What are your thoughts, Imp?” he asked.
 
Lily gazed across what amounted to a battlefield, her eyes analytical and bereft of any of her usual playfulness. “Going by air is out of the question. I might be able to carry you, but I’ll be slow and prone to attack. We’d be dead within minutes. Going by ground is about the only option we have.” Her gaze swept towards line of angels holding the demons at bay. “I can create an opening for the demons to exploit, possibly break the line, and create a bit of confusion. We should be able to use that to our advantage and, despite your size, make our way to wherever their commander is.” 

She had seen what he had seen, but perhaps not seen enough. “We have the advantage in that they do not know where we’re coming from, Imp. You would go where they expect resistance?” he hummed, a sound like crumbling rock. “Those angels are already engaged. No need to draw them towards us as well.”

“You underestimate my abilities to remain covert, but I see what you mean.” She played with a lock of her fiery hair, saying nothing for a while. “What would you have us do? Your size makes avoiding large confrontations unlikely,” she spoke at length.

The dog shrugged. “Leading is your responsibility, Imp.”

"I feel like you're testing me."

"Leadership is ever a test."

“Be that as it may, I am still asking you.” 

The dog grunted. “You already stated the crux of the issue. I cannot avoid confrontation. The question thus is this: Do we move forward, eliminating all resistance before more can converge on our location, or does one of us cause havoc while the other slips through their defenses? The decision may come down to whether you prefer both of us to be present for a confrontation with the target.”

“I would prefer we stay together. I do not doubt your, or my own, strength, but this is still an angelic general we have to deal with, and I would not be surprised if the pompous bastards up above are sending their own covert reinforcements.” She hummed, watching one of the airborne angels intently for a moment. “I also doubt I can disguise myself well enough to simply slip past everything and get close enough to take down their general. I think our best choice is to simply eradicate all opposition, and move towards our goal. Regardless of everything, we [i]are[/i] a force to be reckoned with, and they will likely have to—” 

Fenn let out an amused snort. “Just state your orders, Warleader.”

The demoness actually chuckled at that, a sound both alien and familiar from her. “Warleader, really?” She gave him a wicked grin. “Very well, then—” her form shifted; legs breaking into digitigrades, ending in clawed paws with sand-coloured fur creeping up to her knees. A tail sprouted from behind her, as her pupils turned to slits and her ears moved up, becoming those of a feline. All the while her clothes tightened across her body, a result of her now more pronounced muscles “—Let us get started.” 

With that, the pair jumped down to the streets below.