Wake early, sleep early. Donovan sat cross-legged on a small, wooden watch tower that overlooked one of the small fields that surrounded the palace, perfect for anyone on lookout duty. The sun had yet to rise and the air was still sharp with the biting cold of the night; he could see a few lone figures, lamplighters, walking the streets with their ladders and torches in hand. He turned his gaze to the routes that lead to and from the kingdom. As usual, they were barren save for a single caravan heading out, no doubt carrying much less than it had arrived with. A gust of wind alerted him to a large figure that had chosen the tower as a perch. Standing just under four feet, the Talonflame shifted uneasily as it rested. The wood creaked slightly under the bird's talons. Donovan smiled and raised his head at the Talonflame. For once, he'd gotten here faster than it. [b]"Looking handsome as usual, eh? Looks aren't gonna get you too far if you start getting laz-"[/b] The look on the Talonflame's face stopped him. It lacked the usual prideful gaze and, in fact, it carried a look of worry. Donovan stood up and reached for the back of the bird Pokemon's neck. He stroked it softly and felt the bristling feathers relax. [b]"Hey, what's wrong?"[/b] The Talonflame opened its beak as if to speak and craned its neck at the sky. It dawned on Donovan that it was not as early as he had thought, and the sun had already started to rise. It seemed like the sun was oppressed by a thick layer of darkness, and a feeling of unease crept into the guard's heart. He wasn't too caught up on the latest divination trends, but he knew that whatever was happening was [i]bad[/i]. In a swift motion, he snatched his belongings from the floor and donned it. A recurve bow adorned with figures of three mythical birds, nineteen steel arrows in a leather quiver, a leather pouch filled with all sorts of odds and ends, and his iron breastplate, all were marked with the insignia of Urael. He patted the troubled bird on its right wing and towards one of the towers of the castle. If something happened, he was going to need more support. [b]"Hey, come on. Go get her over here, I'll need some help."[/b] The Talonflame took off towards the steeple at a great speed, almost too fast to follow. Donovan stood facing the sunrise and waited. He would stay here and be on the watch for... anything. He wasn't sure what, but if the darkness was indeed a herald of bad times to come, he was going to be the first to see what it brought. --- It didn't take more than ten minutes for the guard's companions to arrive, the Talonflame reclaimed its usual spot but the new arrival, a Staraptor, instead elected to land directly on the platform. The Staraptor chirped happily and flapped her wings at the sight of Donovan, tossing a fair few feathers around the tower. He sputtered and cleared his face of stray plumage, then laughed and chuckled at the brown bird's display of affection. [b]"Really funny, now..."[/b] He clapped once and turned the bird's head towards the darkened sky, now slightly brighter as the sun started to shine through. [b]"See that?"[/b] He continued, but the bird turned back and looked at Donovan with a quizzical look on her face. He groaned, poor thing didn't understand what was going on. She might have been one of the strongest of her murmuration, but she was never the brightest. [b]"That thing's bad keep an eye out for more bad things, got it?"[/b] The bird seemed to nod in understanding. [b]"Good."[/b] He smiled and gave her a pat on the comb. --- The skies seemed to slowly be returning to its usual brightness, the gross incandescence of the sun was beginning to pierce through the darkness that had imprisoned it. Two large birds seemed to be coming and going from the watchtower at great speeds, only stopping to give a brief response before being given another area to patrol. One cry meant that there was nothing of note to report, two was the opposite. A long while passed without anything significant being reported. Donovan loosened up slightly, maybe he was taking this too seriously... Two shrill noises from his left caught his attention. He saw the Talonflame standing just behind him, a content look on its face. A small strip of cloth was tied to the bird's talon, it had somehow stayed on while it was in flight. Donovan bent over and loosened the piece of fabric. It was likely a message, though he didn't spare a thought to wonder how they got the Talonflame to stop in the first place. [i]You are being summoned by the princess. Report to the meeting hall at once. -M[/i] He stared at the writing on the cloth for a second, then at the palace in the distance. It would at least half an hour to get there! Cursing his situation, he dug around his pouch for a few items. A scroll of paper, a thin stick of charcoal wrapped in a thick blanket, and a string specifically made to be attached to fast Pokemon like the Talonflame standing right there. He quickly scribbled a note on the scroll. [i]I'm not going to be able to make it to the meeting in a timely manner, I hope you accept this Talonflame as an acceptable substitute for myself. I will arrive in thirty minutes to an hour.[/i] He quickly wrapped the scroll to the bird Pokemon's leg and gave it it a command. [b]"Get this to the meeting chambers and stay there until I get there, alright?"[/b] It stared at Donovan for a second before taking off, confident in its ability to follow that order. Donovan stared up at the rising sun and made a silent prayer to Tornadus. It was times like these that he wished that he had instead become a mounted knight, perhaps then he'd get to where he needed to faster. The guard made a whistling sound with his fingers, a signal for the Staraptor to stop searching and follow him, and started making his was down from the ladder. --- Meanwhile, a large red and gray bird flew through the castle. He made his way through open doors with remarkable dexterity and grace. While reluctant, the guards would let him through any closed doors that he encountered. It didn't occur to him that they were not respecting his power, but rather recognized him as Sir Donovan's partner. Eventually, he arrived at the meeting hall. With a bit of assistance from two guards stationed at the doors, the Talonflame flapped his way into the large hall, the visages of legends staring down at him. He reckoned that they looked much less intimidated in person, not to imply that he was intimidated by their depictions in the first place. He landed on the clean floors and let out a short screech to draw attention towards him and, more importantly, his message.