The pair spoke no more and helped the traders wrap their fallen companions in a tarp. Soon, two heavy all-terrain vehicles appeared on the horizon, kicking up clouds of dust in their wake. One vehicle stopped to load the corpses and tow the wreckage and truck back to base, while the second APC picked up the group. Kate found a place for herself in the corner, watching outside through a narrow window. Aranea spent most of the journey writing the report and asking the shocked people basic questions to ease the job of the Investigation Bureau.

They met the first patrol fifteen minutes later. A squad oversaw the paving of a path. More and more Reclamation Army forces poured out of the Wastes, reinforced by Core Land reserves, swelling the ranks of the Third with recruits. At the direct order of Wyrm Lord, the army stationed some units in every settlement while the renovation plan was underway. Demolition and reconstruction of old buildings displaced many locals, but few complained about the cruel necessity. The state supplied the area with resources, repaying every lost apartment and providing a new one, as well as providing food and shelter. By providing food, medicine, water, and countless job opportunities for the first time in decades, the Reclaimers mitigated grievances in the joined regions.

It took three hours to reach the Brave Frontier, which had undergone massive changes. The pitiful palisade had been replaced by a solid wall of reinforced concrete ringing the area. Watchtowers were placed on the mountains, and sentry guns were prepared to repel any raid. Several bunkers outside served as checkpoints, and troops trained in the dugout trenches in the west.

The city's ruined buildings had either been demolished or remodeled. In their place stood a series of gray, square apartments, with many more under construction. Janine had tried to refuse the mayoral position, but the grand captain had forced it upon her. Soon, the former mayor and Roch were elected as representatives and filed an official complaint to the warlord. They explained the settlers' dissatisfaction with the blandness of their buildings and their striking resemblance to mere mechanical cogs. Janine had glared at them, promising nothing. Yet on the next day, four packs received orders to paint the 'den.'

It was then that the horrible event occurred. Olesya was put in charge of the operation to prevent her from spoiling the orphans. Since nobody had bothered to explain the exact specifics of her task to the wolf hag, she decided to improvise. Overnight, her group painted each building a toxic-looking mix of various colors, merging with one another in swirling, overlapping circles. Aranea heard the warlord had a nervous tic when she reviewed the result.

The citizens adored the city's unusual appearance, and Iternian reporters from the World Without Borders arrived to film it. They described the design choice as "unorthodox but brave and fitting to the city's name." Janine relented and confined Olesya to the orphanage to avoid any further sparks of artistry. On rare occasions when the warlord left her office, she walked the streets with her head hung low, trying to avoid looking at the buildings.

With the restored water supply, traders from the Core Lands flooded in, bringing goods, opening enterprises, and employing workers. Locals established four mushroom farms and opened a ranch outside the gates, where they began herding cusacks and collecting their first milk. A modest factory, two private workshops, and several bakeries opened, filling the air with the enticing aroma of freshly baked mushroom bread and cakes. The lines of petitioners for humanitarian aid thinned day by day, and life returned to the city.

The APC passed through the main gates, and Aranea and Kate jumped off it, while the soldiers led the rescued traders to the hospital. Kaleb waited for them, standing at attention. Aranea nodded to him, informing him he could be at ease.

"Welcome back!" the smaller Wolfkin said with warmth in his voice. "We returned half an hour ahead of you. Yuki should have finished her debriefing with the warlord by now. I trust your mission was a success too?"

"I had one job and botched it," Kate said. "Because of my incompetence, the enemy sniper is dead, and we have no one to question."

"Hey, at least you are unharmed!"

"So are you. Keep it that way."

"The same to you! Kate, I was wondering if you would be willing to go to…" Kate interrupted him by pushing past him and taking off her cloak.

"Kate, hold on for a minute," Aranea asked. "Scout Kate saved me today and served an instrumental role in repelling the attackers and protecting our allies."

"Wolf Hag, with all due respect, this is a lie." Kate turned to her, speaking in a monotonous tone. "I was tasked with suppressing and capturing potential human foes."

"If the situation allowed it," Aranea corrected her, letting steel enter her voice. "I issued these orders, so I remember them. You acted with the necessary professionalism, eliminating the target before I could be in peril. I say our combined success warrants a celebration. Find Yuki, Kostya, and Sly. Invite anyone else willing to join us. We're going to have our feast in the new bakery." Aranea nodded at the building across the street, licking her lips at the smell of cream. "I've been salivating to self-indulge my belly long enough. No more. This is an order. On with it, we meet at four today."

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"Wolf Hag, I am a bit short on tokens lately…" Again, a hint of genuine emotion flashed in Kate's voice. She was frustrated and embarrassed. "I need to balance my budget before the next pay. I can't afford additional spending on gluttony."

"Who said anything about anyone paying? I am inviting you, so I am paying, no problem." Shrugged Aranea. I ain't letting you off the hook. I'll find a way to bring you back into shape.

There was another reason for her confidence. Most Wolfkins abhorred using the state's privileges, including discounts on the food, when the government compensated the businesses for the difference in payments. It was considered being decadent. Not by her, though. They were risking their hides on the battlefields, so a moderate luxury wouldn't hurt. She had visited the pleasant store owner before to inquire about the terms and prices and was confident in her funds.

"Is she still…" Kaleb asked as Kate hurried out.

"She's my dear comrade and a capable soldier. Everything else...we'll overcome together." She called Kaleb into a nearby alley, away from prying eyes, and pressed him to the stone wall. "What is going on with her? Kaleb, I know that you have not told me everything. I need clues to untangle it. What's the mystery behind her beads? Were they a memento of her parents? Where did she get them? Why does she carry them everywhere?"

"They are…" Kate stopped himself by slapping his snout. "No, I've already told you too much. As a result, Kate feels even worse. I know it's not your fault." He raised his paws, stopping Aranea from arguing. "But I refuse to add to her misery anymore. Please, don't look into it."

"Nope." Aranea jokingly swiped him across the shoulder. "I will look into it. I will find the truth, and then I will find a way to make you and her feel better. You've been shouldering the situation yourself for far too long, and it is my fault. I ruined everything. The least I can do is to salvage things. Put your mind at ease; I don't intend to fuck up anything." Her snout almost touched his nose as she looked into his eyes. "Tell me one thing, though. Where did Kate's tokens go? I know how much she earns, and I know she takes on extra jobs. If someone dares to bully a member of my pack out of their tokens, I will see them bleed."

She spoke from experience. Once, two females from another pack beat Aranea to a pulp and took her monthly earnings. When Sonya noticed the fresh wounds, she asked what had happened, but the warrior tried to deny everything. That defeat had humiliated and disgraced her enough.

Sonya didn't relent and squeezed the information out of her and went to another pack. First, she broke the legs of the warriors involved, and then she tore out their wolf hag's eye. She then reported the incident to the warlord and received her punishment for maiming a comrade. Later, Janine punished the two soldiers for their unworthy behavior. Since then, there have been no more extortions.

"No, nothing like that!" Kaleb chuckled with sadness and continued in a shy voice. "I suppose there is no harm in telling, since Yuki knows it, too. Kate used to take jobs to pay for procedures."

"Procedures? Is she ill?"

"No!" Kaleb almost screamed and looked around in worry that they could've been heard. "You know how the state pays for our recovery? Painkillers, antibiotics, and augmentation of lost limbs and organs. Anything to bring us back to our prime. But the state doesn't pay for cosmetic operations." He pointed at the scar over Aranea's eye. "For those, we must pay ourselves. Kate used to take jobs to earn tokens to have the scars removed from her body. I got the impression that she wanted to forget her childhood; the scars reminded her of it."

"Used to…" Aranea repeated, tasting the words. Startled, Kaleb glanced down, understanding he had let out too much. "But no longer, am I right?"

"She donated her last savings to the cubs in the orphanage and took no jobs this month. Kate is either busy training or sulking in her den nowadays after…" He stopped.

"After I gored her." Aranea pressed her paws on the wall above Kaleb's head, and her claws slipped from her fingers. She heard cracks as the stone crumbled and stopped acting like an idiot.

Realizing that her desire to break things wouldn't solve the problem, she calmed herself down and retracted her claws. Neither Kaleb nor Kate was at fault. They were both victims of the circumstances, and she had no right to blame either of them.

"Kaleb, I understand why you never brought this topic to my attention. I know that I appear as unstable to you now." Kaleb opened his mouth to speak, but her glance kept him quiet. "And I can't blame you for it. Hopefully, my actions will restore the damaged trust. But you must understand that I need information to avoid making mistakes. I don't want to hurt Kate, and I need to know everything to help her."

"I'm sorry, Aranea," Kaleb said. "You are wrong; I trust you. But I can't and won't reveal her secret to you. I also have a trust to rebuild."

"It's fine." Aranea bumped fists with him, exhaling to loosen the tension. "Go and join Kate; grab as many people as you can. We best throw the best party possible to celebrate a missed birthday and just to brighten the mood."

Aranea left Kaleb and caught a ride to the commander center. It would've been quicker to get there by running, but the warlord forbade excessive displays of speed and power to avoid frightening the locals. Thus, the Wolfkins could only let loose in the training areas and on patrols, moving at the same pace as everyone else in Brave Frontier. It resulted in grumbling, unwillingness to explore the place, and irritation. While the Wolf Tribe tolerated and welcomed their Normie allies, the younger generation despised being 'crippled' in any manner.

The command center was no longer contained in a single house. It had become a complex of several buildings that allowed intelligence officers and officials to oversee the region and attend to the warlord's wishes. On Wyrm Lord's command, any operation inside Brave Frontier had to be approved by Janine. Aranea supposed it was his way of making amends and extending an olive branch to his ally. She doubted it worked as intended, but she was thankful for the gesture and the honor shown to her superior.

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