Doubleheader on Wednesday... · 6:35pm Jan 3rd, 2022
In the form of not baseball games, but back-to-back releases of both Feathered Hearts: Continuation and Chronicles and the second full chapter of Harmonic Resonance. Yep, you heard right—you'll get both a warfic and a clopfic on Wednesday night. I think that pretty much covers all the bases!
Harmonic Resonance currently sits at 6.3k words with 1k more to go (I typically end up adding another 1k or more words during the subsequent editing passes); I plan to send it to prereaders tonight. I'm trying to give our favorite Equestria (country) Girl a worthy treatment and ascension to goddess status, needless to say, and have a surprise or two for readers near the end. No teasers, because there's just not enough continuous non-adult content of it I can post. So you'll just have to read it to find out what's in it! 
With regards to C&C, my muse grabbed hold and I just could not stop working on it over the weekend, as I found I really wanted to write and finish that first fight with the Cloven. My thoughts flowed and my fingers flew, even though I didn't end up retaining much of the original Feathered Heart: Chapter 6 in it. So for the milestone Chapter 20 of the relaunched story, you're getting an extra-large 12,000 word chapter devoted to our griffon and human heroes entering battle with the Cloven for the first time, and suffice it to say, I have massively amped up the scene. 
The battle covers pretty much the last third of the chapter, but even before that? Well, there's definitely some more scenes of interest, including this one. So have a nice big 1200-word teaser for a nice big 12000-word chapter...
“Wow. So you guys are Ravens?” Marco looked the three grey-dyed warriors over from head to toe as behind him, Chris looked slightly freaked to see them. “We’ve heard about you. So you’re basically griffon ninjas?”
The three glanced at each other, then back at him; at least one looked annoyed, though it was hard to tell beneath her dull grey coat and goggles. “Greetings, Marco Lakan. We are a millennium-old secret warrior society in service to the Gryphon Kingdom. I know not where you learned that term, but you will forgive us if we greatly prefer not to be associated with the ancient equine assassin clans of the east,” Ebon Umbreon said politely but pointedly.
“Their services are for sale. Ours are not,” the eagless who had insulted Gilda while in the guise of Paladin added, her beak tight.
“Oh!” Marco looked chagrined, and at a warning look from Gilda, he stepped back. “Sorry, uh, not trying to offend.”
“Forgive him. Take it from me that he never tries, but he manages anyway,” Gilda said dryly.
“Quite all right. For the record, our assignment was to protect you and all humans after the Ibex attack, Mister Lakan. And so they remain, despite what your frightened friend over there thinks,” the Shadow Decurion nodded over to Chris. “Though from what we have learned, it would seem your fellow human ‘Marines’ need little protection.”
“Neither do we, if they’d just—” he began to say, only to fall silent again. “Never mind. Good to meet you. Uh, carry on.” He walked off slightly stiffly.
“Trust me. He grows on you. They all do.” Giraldi noted somewhat wryly after he’d reunited with his friends. “And properly trained, they can take us in single combat.”
“Be that as it may, Marco Lakan is hiding something,” the female said with certainty, leaving Gilda wondering what her name was and why the third member of their group never spoke. “All three of them are.”
“What makes you say that?” Gilda asked, exchanging a quizzical look with Giraldi.
“Experience,” the Decurion replied. “He’s angry and resentful about being left defenseless when he believes he can fight. And judging by the way the female keeps motioning to her pack slung over her shoulders, there’s something in it of great interest to them. Something they very much want to pull out.”
“Personal weapons would be my guess,” the Raven eagless added to a nod from the second eagless, who remained silent. “But we will leave that question for you to deal with, Centurion. Orders?”
Personal weapons…? Gilda pondered the conclusion and found that it fit. It makes sense, if they said before they’d be in big trouble if they were revealed. I can’t imagine they would have been allowed to bring their own private cannons. Are the Ravens right and that’s what they were hiding all this time…?
She couldn’t help but wonder what those weapons would be, and how they would differ from those of the Marines. But nor could she consider the question just then. “This place has been cozy, but it’s time to leave it,” she told them. “We’ll stop for supplies at the cart, then make for the Steadholdt of Bale and attempt to arrive before nightfall. We’ll set our defense there while we dispatch fast flyers to Tierra requesting help. You said you knew the safe routes there? Guide us.”
“‘Safe’ is a relative term out here, but by your command, Centurion.” Ebon Umbreon bared his throat and saluted. “Just keep your weapons at the ready and the human civilians at the center of your protective ring. We are being watched, and I cannot fathom that our foe would not attempt to attack us along the way. If it were me, I would strike at a convenient chokepoint.”
“As would I,” Giraldi said. “I have played these games with Ibexian irregulars on the border with the Ascendency before, and this feels uncomfortably similar. They tended to target commanders first, so I recommend that we be separated so we cannot both be taken out at once. I will travel at the fore of our formation, while you walk further back with the main body. Keep the human Marines as the first line of defense to the flanks and rear, and the earth griffons, the second. The Ravens will cover the front with their repeaters, which gives them the striking power of an entire Turma.”
“Makes sense. What about our sky griffon soldiers and Fortrakt?” she prompted. “If we’re killed, he’s next in command.”
“With due respect to him, he is not ready for this level of leadership,” Giraldi replied. “But based on what I’ve seen today, he keeps his head about him in a crisis and can be trusted with a decade-sized detachment. Put him in charge of our aerial element and have him fly top cover with emphasis to watch for movement. Instruct him to stay below the level of the area enchantment and immediately reinforce any threatened area. Perhaps Decanus Nydia has some spellwork that can help hide him and his force?”
“Good thinking,” Gilda agreed. “I’ll put her in the center of our march formation with the human civilians. She’s our most valuable asset right now and we need to protect her at all costs.”
“A wise precaution. And superb advice, Optio Galen Giraldi,” the Decurion approved with a respectfully bared throat. “Your dossier said you were a skilled and able soldier only held back from an officer rank for embarrassing a Senator’s son. I see now that appraisal was correct. Pity, though—I would have loved to have tested you in single combat during our promised duel. Don’t worry; we would have let you and the Centurion win,” he finished with a wink before they spread wings and took flight, leaving Gilda and Giraldi staring after them as they disappeared into the branches ahead.
Dossier… a wan Gilda couldn’t help but wonder again how she’d ended up in the middle of all this intrigue, suddenly wondering what information the Ravens had on her.
* * * * *
It took less than a minute to pass word; five minutes more to get organized for movement and assign both human and griffon soldiers where they needed to be. Imlay wasn’t entirely happy about being assigned the flanks and rear, but he at least recognized that the Ravens were the best scouts they had and could cover the fore almost entirely by themselves, once their role and abilities were described to him.
“Is this place feudal Japan or ancient Rome?” he muttered to himself at one point. “Fine, I can’t say I entirely trust the idea of some griffon spooks covering us, but I’ll grant they’re probably the best for the job.”
“Spooks?” Gilda repeated.
“They’re—never mind. We’ll be ready to move in five, sir,” he promised with a salute. “I’ll put one fire team on both flanks and the third on the rear. Fill in the gaps with your earth griffons, and make sure Gletscher up there calls it in immediately if he sees an attack brewing.”
“That’s Decurion Gletscher, Corporal,” she reminded him. “You wanted proper respect for your rank, so be sure you show it in return.”
“Yes, sir!” he instantly stiffened and saluted again. “Sorry, we tend to be a bit more informal at times.”
“I’ve noticed. But this is not the time. Be ready to move forward on my order,” she said somewhat shortly as she returned the honor.
“Wilco,” he replied then blinked at her bemused look. “Sorry, that’s short for ‘will comply’.”
“I’ll try and remember that,” she said, wondering again as they parted if they’d ever run out of new terms to teach her.
She found Chris, Tara and Marco next, explaining to them directly what was happening and what was required of them. “You three stay in the center of the formation with Raleigh, under the protection of Decanus Nydia,” she told them. “If anything happens, stay within her protective bubble—she can cast shield spells—and obey any orders given you by me, Giraldi, or even Fortrakt if he flies by.”
“Fine,” Marco said sullenly. “What about Raleigh? He’s still moaning about his leg.”
“Nydia told him he could walk now, but he doesn’t believe her. He’s afraid to try.” Tara rolled her eyes.
“Because you can’t heal a broken leg in an hour!” Raleigh complained from where he was still lying down with the leg splinted. “It’s still sore, too!”
“As you can hear, he’s done nothing but whine. I don’t suppose Nydia could slap a soundproofing spell over his mouth?” Marco said loudly enough for the Ambassador’s aide to hear, earning a glare.
“Or better yet, why not just leave him behind? He’s dead weight anyway,” Chris suggested in contempt with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Hey!”
“Tempting,” she admitted under her breath as she clenched her beak, deciding that the portly human probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with a hard march anyway. “I’ll have Giraldi detail an earth griffon to carry you, Mister Raleigh.”
“Thank you,” he said somewhat grudgingly, earning a curt nod from Gilda before she turned her attention back to the three.
“We’ll be ready to move—and before you ask, we should be able to keep up just fine thanks to our workouts with Sergeant Reyes. Is there anything else?” Tara then asked.
“Yes,” Gilda said seriously, then raised her eyes to theirs. “Answer me honestly—are you three carrying weapons? The Ravens think you are...”
You'll get the answer to that in the new chapter, needless to say. 
The chapter is only awaiting final prereads and an additional editing pass to be ready to go. It's gotten rave reviews from Silentwoodfire and AJ_Aficionado thus far, and we'll see shortly what they think of the new Harmonic Resonance chapter as well.
Nothing else to say at this point except to wish everyone a late Happy Hew Year! See you on Wednesday night, folks. 
Now even cliffhangers in the teasers!!!
iirc they have pistols.
I hope they're honest and don't try to bullshit Gilda.
Best Wednesday ever!
I haven't gone through Resonance yet but people are going to love the next C&C chapter!
Can't wait for next Firefly