The Pleasure Lord

The birds were silhouettes against the orange-kissed heavens. Only an hour ago they would have been pale against a blue sky, but the twilight was advancing and soon they would be lost in blackness, roosting with head tucked under wing until dawn.

In the evening, Norman came to the Mordrake city again with the same form as he had come before, a bluish-white seagull.

Flying past the city walls Norman went straight towards the largest and the biggest manor situated in the middle of the city.

Slowing down, the seagull hovered in front of a window in the castle on the third floor guessing it was Alex's room.

But after not finding anyone inside, Norman thought that Alex should be in the study room or in the main hall. Norman took a flight again and tried to pass by every window hoping to see the boy.

Just when Norman was trying to pass by a closed window, it suddenly opened up outward.

The seagull's eyes went wide 'Oh, Mother Forest'

Thud!!

Not even getting the time to react, Norman in his bird form was not able to dodge in time and slammed straight into the window's wooden panel.

If someone saw this scene they would fall off to the ground while laughing hysterically. While the sight of a bird accidentally slamming into something is funny but getting stuck on that without falling down it makes it even more funnier.

That's right, the seagull didn't fall off as its beak got stuck on the wooden door panel

Norman was cultivator indeed but in his animal form, he cannot bring out that strength as it is one of the restriction druids faces when shapeshifting into an animal form.

"Oh my!" in shock a girl cried out as she was not expecting this to happen at all when all she had done was to open the window panel of her room for wind to pass.

She pulled the left window panel back and found a bird sticking on the backside of it.

"Oh, poor bird. I am so sorry." the girl then went ahead and freed the seagull's beak from the wooden panel of the window.

When both the bird and the girl came face to face, Norman in his bird form was shocked and dumbly looked at the girl who caused this incident. The girl was none other Anna. She found the look on the birds face a little funny as it kept looking at her with its bird eyes and its beak open widely as if it was in a shock.

Norman didn't flap its wing or anything to escape but stayed still.

'Oh, my Mother Forest what am I seeing, this child's aura is so pure. she is nature's treasure child.'

Anna thought because of her the bird has become dumb as it was not responding to anything at all. 'Maybe it has been scared silly.' Anna thought while she stroked the seabird's head gently.

Thinking this, Anna placed the seagull onto the table by the window so that it to see if it will fly away. But even then it did not make any move and kept looking at her with its small birdy eyes.

She thought of calling her brother to check on this poor bird thinking he would no what to do so she went outside to call him.

Norman watched her go out of the room and at that moment he came out of his trance. Suddenly finding his body's position a little embarrassing, the seagull stood up onto the table with a summersault.

'Ah, I am getting old. I cannot even react properly in this form...' Norman thought as he scratched his beak with his birdy leg."

'I should go now before anyone else comes in.' But before Norman could take a flight, a white furry thing pounced on him from behind. 'Mother Forest not again'

...

Two people were walking at a fast pace towards Anna's room.

"Anna, I am sure that seagull must have flown away by now," Alex said but still continued on walking behind her. Suddenly, he heard some sounds coming from the direction of Anna's room and immediately activated his spiritual strength to look at the source.

"Oh, Anna you seem to have left Luna inside your room alone with that bird. They seem to be fighting with each other."

"What? My god, brother lets go and quickly stop them before they hurt themselves" She walked over quickly leaving Alex behind, afraid that Luna would harm the defenseless bird.

Alex wryly smiled at her running away but he suddenly felt something was off though he was not able to pinpoint what it was. Thinking back at what he saw using his spiritual sense, Alex once again activated it.

This time he finally found what was off. Last time because Luna and that bird were jostling together, Alex's spiritual sense couldn't detect the abnormalities with the bird's body.

"Ah, Luna you can't eat that bird. It's injured. Bad Luna stop it or I won't talk to you again." Alex heard Anna's voice coming out as she had already rushed inside before him. Thinking that the abnormal bird might harm Anna, Alex rushed inside the room immediately.

"Anna, get away from that bird right now," Alex shouted when he saw Anna picking up the bird in her arms leaving Luna on the ground growling towards the bird as if it was her enemy.

As if by reflex, Anna threw the bird away from her after hearing Alex shout. Maybe she did so because her love for an animal was less than her trust in her big brother.

Poor Norman, his bird form again slammed on the pole of the bed after getting thrown like that. Before Luna could pounce, Alex picked her up and signaled Anna to hold her.

Alex then turned to face the abnormal bird and looked at it warily only to find it making a weird action that was not like a bird at all.

Actually Norman was trying to stretch his spine while placing a hand on his hip as his back had hit the pole. But while doing that pose he forgot that he was still in his animal form.

'Mother Forest, my back is killing me' Norman cried inside his mind while cursing the little fox cub.

Anna mouth dropped aghast as she looked at the bird in shock. Alex immediately stood on his guard and even commanded his puppets to be ready if anything happens.

"Who...what are you?" Alex asked when he saw the bird stretching his hip from side to side while singing its wings over the top of his head.

The seagull stopped moving as if in shock. It looked turned to face Alex and Anna.

Seeing them on alert, Norman quickly found that he made a mistake. He had already lost the chance to act like an innocent seabird as they will definitely not let him go. And with them standing in between him and the window, his escape route was all but shut.

'Dammit, in the name of the Mother Forest what have I done.' Norman regretted not flapping away at the first moment when the girl had freed him from the window panel. Showing them his true form was the only way now to get out of this tragedy.

In a very human like manner, the seagull flapped its wings in front like they were hands and telling Alex to wait for a moment after which the seagull closed its eyes. In just five seconds after, Alex and Anna watched with a shocked filled gaze seeing the seagull transforming into a human in front of them.

"Ahem, I am very sorry for intruding in your manor like this, but I had my reasons. No need to put your guard up towards me as I come in peace. My name is Norman Ciassach. I am a Druid. Nice to meet you, Lord Alex Mordrake. Congratulations, on defeating those evil self-proclaimed Noble Lords and bring peace to the common people residing here. I have come here to discuss something with you. Can we sit and talk." said Norman while elegantly giving a bow.

...

On the north eastern border of the Merchant Union. For almost two days, the Freys army troops were blocked by the troops of The Merchant Union from advancing into the territory of the Dorbanks to pillage their land and the various villages during the civil war.

This annoyed them a lot as they were missing the golden chance but they couldn't do anything than trying to make the Merchant Union join them in the looting.

Suddenly, just when the sun was going to set, the Merchant Union troops backed a lot away as if telling the Frey's that you can pass through.

Inside the biggest tent in the middle of the military camp of the Frey's, three middle-aged men with similar builds were sitting side by side one side of a long table while having a discussion between themselves.

Other high-level officers were sitting along both sides of the table keeping their mouth shut and seriously listening to the talk happening between the three brothers while keeping in their mind to not interest them.

"Second brother, we need to carry out big brother's command at all cost." A middle-aged man with hunk build spoke aloud.

"Yes, second brother. We can still make it in time and pillage at least three or four villages. Even the Merchant Union has backed away, what are we waiting for." Another with a similar build and looks said quickly.

"Pipe down you two. Big Brother has given me the command to do as I see fit. A spy of our inside the Merchant Union has brought us news. First, listen to that, will you." a middleaged man that had a striking resemblance with the other two men said in a very heavy and authoritative tone.