their initial bewilderment wore off and suddenly, with a united prelude
of the drawing in of a breath, they all began speaking at once,
resulting in a clamorous din that lasted for a few moments, before
things hushed again and we could hear a few individual voices discussing
loudly. Though we couldn't make out their exact words, they were
apparently conferring with one another about what action to take. Our
breathing became slow and heavy and our brows were knit tensely, for we
knew that the fate of our mission rested on what they did then, whether
or not the long planned decoy would work.

It was an anxious moment, and one with a heavy burden attached to it.
Fortunately, though, as our fate was decided, it was done so in our
favor, for the Zards began exiting the city in a great multitude of
scales that swept along the savanna like a tidal wave over a sandy
coast. They came out fast and strong, and through each of the four
gates, though only the northern was fully visible to us, the others
being too far to be seen distinctly. Still, we could see them rushing
out of Nunami at a quick pace, not hurried, as if frightened or finicky,
nor slow as in deliberation and meditation, instead it was a steady trot
that they took, allowing them to move safely and swiftly.

The tide of Zards swept steadily past us, and it was a good half an hour
later that the final ones had left the gates and the city far behind.
Most had taken some type of weapon, a pitchfork or club or occasionally
a sword, for the threat of war was a constant, but none of them had any
idea that their only danger was behind them. It was not all in the clear
though, for a patrol of guards equipped with long spears and clothed
with a tough, leathery armor were making their way to and fro along the
tops of the walls, where there was a platform of about five feet across
that served as a road to the soldiers in their watches. It was evident