"We live! Fucking yeah, we won!" Sly shouted outside, collapsing from exhaustion. His helmet slipped off his head, and his amber eyes beamed, watching the night sky. "I say we deserve…" He stopped as a massive foot landed on his neck.

Wolf Hag Sonya loomed over the male. Even armorless, she was larger than most of the Wolfkins present. A gray hue touched her spotless fur, and she squinted, trying to see clearly. On her shoulders, she wore a miraculously clean, light blue, leather military cloak adorned with emblems of the twin muscular arms and a blue scale. Sonya dropped a large bag, forcing Sly to struggle for breath.

"Ma'am, Sly obeyed…" A calm glance silenced Aranea.

"You live. This much is true," Sonya said in a deadly calm voice, intensifying the pressure. "It's not up to you to decide whether you won or lost," she growled. "It is not up to you to decide what you deserve. You are no longer a cub, free to luxuriate in the moonlight without a care in the world. Stay alert. Otherwise…" She twisted the foot, drawing a whine of submission. "…you risk losing your hide." Sonya let him go, placing both paws behind her back. "Form up!"

The pack assembled before their leader, bareheaded and patiently awaiting the wolf hag's evaluation.

"The mission was a success. The nest has been destroyed. Congratulations on your survival," she said, facing Aranea. "You brought heavy weaponry on the mission. You knew about the queen's presence."

"Yes, Ma'am." Aranea nodded, not trying to lie, and received a heavy slap on the snout. The wolf hag held back her claws, but the sheer force of her palm landed hard enough to draw blood from the scout's lips.

"Three points deducted for not informing your allies." Aranea licked her lips clean. "Six points for listening to the lessons and reading educational material. Two points for waiting for an order to begin the mission. Plus ten points for rescuing the fellow contenders." Sonya glanced at Sly, gritting her fangs. "Plus one and two points for recording the remains and marking the minerals without compromising the mission. You may grin," she grumbled, whirling away from Sly's smile to look at Kaleb. "Explain your injury." She grabbed his wounded paw, sniffing the crude bandage.

"This was because I fa…" Kostya began speaking, but the wolf hag's form blurred, and a punch struck his nose, dropping him on a knee.

"Minus one point for speaking out of turn. Minus another point for being such a weakling and losing the balance. Minus two points for the injury." Sonya stated to Kaleb. She pulled a terminal from her pocket and turned on the mission recording, taking her time to re. "Plus six points for saving a comrade." Her eyes widened when she noticed the weapon in Yuki's paws. "Minus one point for letting the suit be damaged. Minus three points for losing your weapon." Her snout closed upon the frightened Kaleb as she leaned in closer. "Minus one point for fear. You are a disgrace. I can see that a punishment is required to improve morale." Her paw rose, unleashing claws. Kaleb swallowed in fear as the shadow of Sonya's fingers fell on his face.

Aranea forced herself to remain still. Even after all these years, the gap between her and Sonya remained. If she were to challenge the superior while wearing armor and win, no one would accept her as the new wolf hag. It would seal her future away for a while. Aranea looked blindly ahead as Kaleb was about to receive fresh scars. Just endure it. You'll make it up to him later. No one can solve every problem at once. Besides, this is his fault for getting scared. She tried to convince herself, burning from shame at being at the mercy of another's will and for having a person dear to her get hurt while she was powerless to help. One day, I'll change it all. No more pits, no more infighting, no more dominations, no more… I'll force you all to grow up and be happy. Aranea repeated the promise to herself. Small sacrifices must be made for a good cause. The voice chuckled, and Aranea clenched her paws, preparing to leap at Sonya.

"Permission to carry out the punishment?" Kate asked, stepping forward. In the Wolf Tribe, it was never a wolf hag's job to discipline the lowest ranks to avoid the risk of a potential crippling. Sonya shrugged, inviting the scout to the task. Kate sprang on Kaleb, biting his throat and tossing him down while holding the jaws tight. She punched the sand near his head, wetting her fangs in his blood, then released him. "If you ever dare to dishonor us like that again…" She stomped near the soldier's head. "You'll end up losing more than just a few drops of blood." The scout turned his back on him, returning to the line, and Aranea's fingers twitched.

One day, she'll force Kate to pay for the bullying.

"Hey, everyone!" Aranea turned at Olesya's voice. The fellow wolf hag dragged a large bag similar in size to the one Sonya had given them. Her pack trailed after her, while Wolf Hag Siri observed the shaman leading the Normies to confirm the kill. Sonya nodded when Siri tilted her head.

"You may socialize and feed. We will guard. Keep your wounds clean, male," she told Kaleb. "Despite your fault, I grant you the right to eat your fill. Sly, visit the doctors after our return."

"By your will, Wolf Hag!" He saluted, twitching his ears, and the wolf hag waited. "I am not injured. Why bother them?"

"That is a lousy bandage you applied. Either learn or be slapped." She jumped, tearing off a piece of rocky ground and landing on a mountainside, digging her claws into it. Swiftly, Sonya climbed up to the top to consult and likely exchanged casual insults in private.

Yuki immediately and unceremoniously shoved a paw into the bag, pulling out the tasty, spiced slices of cusack meat in addition to the portable, box-shaped refrigerator, glowing green. With a scowl, she flipped it open, trying to stay far away from the rising white tendrils of frost. The intense heat of the Ravaged Lands could easily kill a Normie, even at night. To survive it, they wore special anti-heat suits that collected and recycled every drop of moisture and ensured a tolerable body temperature.

But to the Wolfkins, the area was a literal paradise and, though essential to preserve food and products, they viewed refrigerators and coolers as devilish inventions containing unholy cold. Yuki's scowl turned into a grin after finding bottles of white milk, a pleasant and refreshing drink, unlike the rough green liquid obtained from cusacks.

"Who ordered piss?" Yuki asked, pulling out a flask full of brownish-black water.

"Me!" Kaleb caught the tossed bottle. "It's not piss," he said defensively. "This is vitamin tea. I had no idea the wolf hag knew I liked it."

"I told her," Aranea admitted.

"Tea? Like with sugar and stuff?" Kate raised a brow. "Kaleb, I swear, you're still such a cub, hunting for sweets… Apples!" She yelled, looking inside the refrigerator. "We have apples! Actual yummy apples, people! Three for each and four for the leader!"

"Looks like you won this round," said Olesya, stopping nearby and taking off her helmet. Five long, deep lacerations covered her snout. Trickles of red soaked the fur on her jaw, and the flesh inside the wounds spasmed. The scout noticed Aranea's surprised look, giggling as she licked the dripping blood. "Siri got pissed over us starting early, so she demonstrated her displeasure. Will be wiser next time." She secured the helmet on her back, scratching the brown fur, a color often marking that a female was forever destined to stay in the warriors' ranks. Thanks to her personal stubbornness and Siri's rigorous training, however, Olesya earned the scout rank with flying colors. "Spirits, it pisses me off! Can't wait to finally own her. You know that I've lost to her three times already? My ribs still ache from the last beating," complained the scout. Aranea placed her paws on her shoulders and made her sit down. Kate tossed her Sly's medical kit.

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"Sonya has pulverized me five times by now, and you don't see me whining about it." Although I want to. She had lost a front fang to an elbow blow and envied Olesya's pristine smile. "Stop scowling. We need to have your gashes clean, or else you'll be bubbling pus again."

Their packs sat together, cheering below the moon. Inside Olesya's field bag, there was another black refrigerator box, shining red and refusing to open. Sly offered to hack its lock, and Yuki hastily closed his mouth with an apple. Aranea shared her food with Olesya and her pack. Inspired by their leader's example, the Wolfkins also offered their coveted pleasures to the other pack. The winners were privileged to the larger share, but Olesya and Aranea weren't concerned about such trifles, and the two groups feasted evenly, exchanging stories and boasting on every occasion.

"Ouch! Easy there, girl, I'm not a bug."

"A bug would be easier to handle," the scout complained, trying to stitch the nasty lacerations as gently as possible. Infections rarely graced their bodies because the Wolfkins healed faster than many New Breeds. Occasionally, Aranea's own body would close a slash during sleep, squashing fleas and parasites caught inside. Still, there was no reason to tolerate ugly scars, as fur often grew thinner on damaged skin.

"Not fair. I am tougher than you. Why can't I heal just as fast?"

"That's because you are weaker than me," teased Aranea.

"Weaker, huh? I should pound you for such insolence and add a bit more for not warning me about the queen's presence."

"It's not my fault that you're dumb." The scout grinned, enjoying herself, and Olesya laughed through the pain. "Seriously, Oles, read briefings. They are important."

"Duly noted. Acted as an ice boy; no arguing." Olesya tugged Aranea by the chin. "We'll see if you'll be able to keep that smug leer when I become a wolf hag way ahead of you."

"Dream on." Aranea finished treating the wounds and grabbed food, eating hungrily. "I'll drop Sonya long before you ever touch Siri."

"Bet!" They fist-bumped. "I was born to become a warlord. Just you wait, I'll run ahead of you yet!"

Like her religious parents, Olesya belonged to Martyshkina, while Aranea had the great honor of serving under the leadership of Warlord Janine Ironjaw. Both packs shared a close bond inspired by the open friendship of their leaders and readily took to the field together. Stationed near Fort Uglo, they saw little action in repelling plunderers in recent years, though Olesya had already been in two combat engagements. By the standards of the Ravaged Lands, the area was as peaceful as possible. In the Wastes to the south, however, it would be considered a hectic situation. In the Core Lands, any open warfare amounted to hell.

Food, water, commodities, and even basic safety were in short supply in the Ravaged Lands, even though quite a number of people inhabited this vast region. People who will be reclaimed by the state one day.

After Kaleb finished his portion, his stomach rumbled, and Kostya silently offered him a part of his meat. Noticing this, Kate growled, stopping the males.

"If you're still hungry, ask your direct superior rather than hoping for pity from your pack mates," she hissed, ripping a large piece of meat from her portion and hurling it at Kaleb's face. "And you!" she growled at Kostya. "Eat well, old man, and next time actually prove your worth. 'Can endure as much punishment as any female,' my ass. Incapable of even keeping an eye on the youngsters. What good are you? Be better. If you don't know how, I can always run you through the training courses. Just ask!" the scout laughed bitterly, toying with her prayer beads as Kostya nodded in acknowledgment.

"Enough," Aranea said coldly. "If you have the energy to pick on your teammates, then prostrate yourself before me, Kate." The lower-ranked scout wordlessly dropped her food in the sand, fell face down, arms extended with palms up toward Aranea. "Stay that way until I allow you to eat."

"There is no need for it," Kaleb said. "We did well tonight, right?"

"Hear, hear!" Yuki joined in. "Aranea, it's only natural for a leader to be aware of how much their subordinates need to eat. Our sour lemon here just exhibits an inspiring, albeit a little flawed, example for us…"

"I don't need your mercy," snapped Kate.

"Know what? Enjoy the dust bath," Yuki replied, knocking Sly on the head. "Chew-chew, gulp-gulp, dreamer." The Wolfkin was too absorbed in inputting the report onto his wrist terminal and blinked, returning to eating.

Aranea was worried about him. Often Sly easily spent entire days and nights tinkering with weapons and gear, forgetting to eat and drink to the point of exhaustion. The first time it happened, Aranea started checking on him twice a day to remind him to eat, although her duties and training often demanded her attention elsewhere. Thankfully, after she tasked Yuki with dragging Sly out of his weird state, he began taking better care of himself. The oddball had even petitioned to be transferred into the engineer corps, and the shamans had given him a choice between exile and refusal. Sly took back his request, unwilling to abandon the Tribe.

The Wolfkins were destined to be the tools of war until the Reunification. So proclaimed the unrivaled Ravaged.

Just one more stupid rule for me to remove. Aranea looked at Yuki. "No one is trying to steal from Sly anymore?"

"It wasn't theft, just misunderstanding." Yuki rolled her eyes, moving closer to Sly. "Come on, swallow already! Not like this, dolt! Chew the meat first!"

"But you said swallow!"

"Who's supposed to be the smart one here?!"

"…I don't want to insult you," Sly said.

"Why would I… Wait! I didn't mean…" Olesya and Aranea's roaring laughter silenced Yuki's explanations.

After the party was over, Aranea permitted Kate to swiftly finish eating. Siri and Sonya joined them, each taking their pack home, and Aranea wished Olesya to stay safe. They weren't reckless cubs anymore, and brash behavior invoked very physical punishments. She and Olesya first met shortly after Warlord Zero had a talk with Aranea. While she had been waiting for the shamans' decision, the restless girl had snuck up into her tent, demanding to know why her Da and Ma called Aranea 'curse-bearer.' The two had butted heads and kept trying to one-up one another ever since and had ended up as trusted friends. Aranea wasn't sure why she was wasting strength on such a silly pursuit, but their rivalry had helped her cross the dark periods of her life, and the dream of Olesya bowing to Warlord Aranea was hilarious and unworthy.

Harmless fun isn't bad. She decided, carrying four suits under her arms on their way back and ignoring the whispering questioning her sanity. Aranea needed all the muscle she could get and couldn't afford to skip any training.

"It's been decided. You won this round. Siri ran her pack all the way into the negative score for missing the clues about the queen's presence for disobedience," Sonya quietly chuckled, clearly in a joyous mood.

"Does it mean…" Aranea asked, feeling her heart beat faster.

"Yea. Downing a queen is no small feat. You are now officially the chief scout between the two packs. Well done," Sonya said dryly, gesturing for the others to hurry on ahead. Once the others had left, the wolf hag's amber eyes focused on the scout. "You still want to go, girl?"

"Yes. But not tonight. When we fight next time, I will knock you down properly." There was no reason to lie. Elevation through domination was natural in the Wolf Tribe.

"Knock me…" Sonya paused. "Better hurry. Word came in: Wyrm Lord had declared that the rebel rabble have three months to submit. Or they will be forced to bend the knee."

"War is coming."

"Yes," Sonya responded bluntly. "That filth in the north doesn't understand who he's messed with. More woe to his subjects. From this day on, we will face proper challenges." She looked at the moon. "You have six months to succeed. Afterwards, you will be promoted to my rank as per my will."

"Why's that?" Aranea asked, confused.

"Old age, little one." Sonya picked at her hide, plucking away several gray hairs. "I am not rich enough to afford the rejuvenation shots, nor am I important or valuable enough to be given them for free, so I will get old as everyone else. Truthfully, I prefer it that way. There's weariness in eternity. The shamans informed me that I must either agree to be exiled to the Core Lands or write a will and visit their tent in half a year. The Wolf Tribe has no further need for ancient wrecks such as myself." The wolf hag strode after the pack without clarifying what choice she'd made.

The answer was obvious.

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