Dragena took the stage last, jumping nimbly in the sand arena. With her arms behind her back, she walked across the arena, looking into the eyes of the wolfkins sitting on the benches. Annie felt how the emotionless eyes of her leader met her own eyes for a brief moment, before Dragena walked further. The warlord stopped before the shamans, bowing low to them.
"I want to remove the restrictions from the Crippled and their offspring." She simply said to them.
"That is unexpected," Lacerated One responded, looking down at her sister, "The cubs coming from the Crippled are less strong than…"
"Through the right upbringing, this is not the problem. The Branded who joined my pack received rewards. The Branded in other packs become just as strong as other soldiers." Dragena cut her off, looking directly in the eyes of the shaman.
"They come from tainted parents…"
"You came from the dead parents. Look where you stand now." Annie could feel how the shamans behind Lacerated Ones became angry. Their lips moved, baring their fangs. Growls came from their throats. Even Scarred One and Earless One were ready to defend the honor of the chosen.
"Show respect to our sister!" Alpha snarled, jumping down and landing near Dragena. The warlord paid her no mind, ignoring the jaws that snapped an inch from her snout.
"I was blessed by the Spirits, sister." Lacerated One kindly reminded the warlord.
"All of us are, Branded and Crippled included. You are simply a bit more blessed than the most," Dragena pointed her finger at Lucendra, then at the other Branded, then at the Branded from the Ygrite pack, and so on, pointing at them one after another. With a surprise, Annie understood that all the Branded who were involved in the "experiment" were present here, "Look at them and tell me that they are in any way worse than other soldiers. Tell me that we should have denied them the chance to serve and shine."
"I will not tell you this," Lacerated One confessed. However painful it may be for a shaman to admit her failures, all shamans would rather die than lie to themselves. Only in very rare occasions, like when trying to save someone’s life, the shamans were willing to lie. Lacerated One quickly composed herself, continuing in a honeyed voice, "The laws of our Tribe state that…"
"The laws were changed numerous times," Dragena once again cut off the shaman, acting with peak rudeness. Alpha slammed her claws into the ground before the warlord, yet Dragena spared her not even a glance, acting outright vulgar toward Lacerated One on this Gathering, "You said it, not me. The Spirit of Loss demands that we reflect on our failures. The Spirit of Pride demands that we excel. By denying our kin an opportunity to excel, we insult the Spirit of Pride. By refusing to remedy our mistake of making Branded in the first place, we insult the Spirit of Loss, for when given the chance to excel, the Branded can and will reach the same heights as the others. Thus, I say enough of this delusion. The Spirits send us signs. The Tribe has and will always have food, milk and medicine in aplenty from now on. Enough of segregation. It is wasteful." If Dragena was cruel and could smile, she would have undoubtedly smile now. The accusation of wastefulness was among the most grievous insults among the Tribe, due to how many people had died from hunger and thirst in the earlier days of the Tribe. To throw such an accusation at the shaman, the person responsible for distributing the food and milk, was unthinkable. Dragena put both hands on her back, standing unafraid of Alpha fuming with anger next to her.
Lacerated One raised her arm, stopping Alpha before the warlord could strike. She and Dragena looked at each other in silence, slight confusion was in the eyes of the shaman. Annie understood that the woman could not get what was driving the warlord. Dragena was a cold ice, she had no emotions. Yet she had goals and without emotions, it was hard for the shamans to read her opponent.
"Let us vote," Lacerated One finally said, putting both hands behind her back, mimicking the posture of Dragena, "I vote against this idea."
"Against." Alpha said, walking toward and stopping at the bottom of the stones, right below Lacerated One.
Several warlords jumped from their stones, walking toward Alpha, surrounding the shamans. Zero jumped off her stone, walking to stand behind Dragena.
"Valerye!" Zero called, "Stand with us!" Foulsnout shuddered and hurried to stay behind Alpha. Before she could sneak behind the large back of the warlord, Alpha raised her claws to stop her.
"Do as you wish." Alpha simply said to her. Valerye hesitated, and Alpha growled, spitting drool across the helmet of Foulsnout, "This is my command. Respect our traditions and choose as you feel." Foulsnout straightened herself, saluting to Alpha before walking to stand behind Dragena. Upon seeing it, Ygrite, who took her place behind Dragena, fell on her back, holding her belly and laughing out loud. Annie shook her head at this disrespectful behavior.
Lacerated One raised her head in surprise, when Scarred One jumped away from the shamans, taking place behind Dragena. After a short while, Earless One joined Scarred One, leaping all the way from the stone to gracefully land behind the opposite party. She looked at Lacerated One, and the shaman simply smiled at both women, indicating that they are free to choose as they see fit.
Martyshkina came to a halt when she noticed Janine taking up position behind Dragena. She blinked, asking with uncertainty: "Janny?"
"Sorry, Marty. Old ways are good in war, but some changes are needed." Janine shook her massive head, staying behind Dragena, close to Scarred One. Martyshkina walked away a bit more slowly, turning back once more, before taking her place behind Alpha.
Finally, the leaders of the tribe made their choice. Dragena had the majority of the warlords, counting her and Zero, eleven warlords stood with her. Alpha was one of only seven warlords who stood with Lacerated One. And the majority of the shamans stood with their sister, ready to reject the proposal. Lacerated One frowned, upon seeing how the numbers were split. She had the majority, yet the minority was not so small as to be ignored. Annie could guess what the woman was thinking. If she rejects this proposal, the animosity will remain, for a large part of the tribe wants this change. And the job of the shaman was to placate the people and work for their needs, even if the majority were against new ideas. If Lacerated One lets it go through, she will break the rules. In any case, a major struggle was in the making and Lacerated One looked for any way to end the dispute without harming either of the sides.
Annie understood that the woman was still left with a right to veto. She could choose a champion out of the number of warlords at her side and demand a ritual challenge between her champion and Dragena or Dragena's champion. With Alpha at her side, Lacerated One was unlikely to lose. However, the other side had both Zero and Valerye. Any direct battle between them would result in grievous wounds, for Alpha knew not how to hold back.
"Sister. You said that Branded could reach the same heights as everyone else, is that right?" The shaman asked, looking at Dragena.
"The same heights as the others. Yes, I said it and stand by my claim." Dragena corrected Lacerated One and nodded.
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"Yet all the Branded who joined our ranks are still staying in the ranks of warriors," Lacerated One heard whispers from the benches and raised her eyes to look at the wolf hags and warriors, "I do not belittle the Branded who joined the experiment. Any of you who dare to mock them, because you may have misunderstood my words, will have a taste of my claws and fangs. They earned their place by right. Is that understood?" She asked with a steel in her voice and every single wolfkin nodded to her. The shaman smiled, returning her gaze to Dragena, her voice honeyed once more, "None of the Branded reached even the rank of a scout. If they were equal to others, surely at least one of them would have risen in the rank."
"The fault lies with me, not with them." Dragena responded simply, and Valerye, behind her, jumped. Dragena raised her paw, not allowing Foulsnout to speak, "Yes, it is my fault. It took me too long to prepare a proper plan for their training, despite all the help that others provided to me."
Alpha looked at Foulsnout. The warlord, who ranked third among all warlords in the tribe, looked scared for a moment. She only nodded at the accusation in Alpha’s eyes. Alpha blinked before smiling back, lifting her head up and putting both arms behind her back. Annie thought that Alpha actually looked glad, rather than being angry at whatever mischief Foulsnout caused.
"Eh, don’t drop guilt from the rest of us," Ygrite said, putting her arms behind her back, "I was in the dark for one month too long too," She looked at Alpha and smiled at her, "Gotta admit, you know yer craft." Alpha simply shrugged her shoulders at this praise.
"I am grateful for your efforts nonetheless," Lacerated One said, spreading her arms wide as if to embrace all the warlords who stood against her, "Yet without proof, I can’t accept your theory…"
"We have proof!" Zero said, stepping forward. Lacerated One nodded in greeting to the first of the warlords, "The Branded has become a wolf hag!" Annie saw confusion, mixed with anger, in the eyes of Alpha, Lacerated One frowned, looking around. The shamans knew every name of every living person within the Tribe. They knew what rank each person occupied within the tribe. And Lacerated One kept all this knowledge in her head. She looked at Zero, trying to understand, and the warlord pointed at the tribunes that surrounded the arena, "Virginia. Show us your mark!"
Virginia jerked as if in fear, standing up from her place, her eyes wildly moving in the eyesockets, looking at all the people around her. She licked her lips, looking down at Alpha almost with a plea. Alpha looked with sheer hatred at Zero, before looking back at Virginia and giving the slightest nod. With trembling paws, Virginia took off her military coat and moved part of her shirt aside, showing a patchwork of scar tissue on her shoulder. She tore it away, showing the wounds and a scar underneath. Scar in the form of the brand.
"What?" One of the shamans asked, "Alpha broke the law for this… this…" The woman was at a loss of words.
"But the records…" Another shaman said in confusion.
"Yes, I did," Alpha said as she turned toward the shamans, looking up into their eyes without a trace of guilt, "There was a potential in her. And I’ll be damned if the tribe will be deprived of the potential just because of some stupid rule."
"But she is nothing but a Branded!" The shamans shouted at Alpha. Lacerated One stood silent, trying to find some way out of the mess around her.
"And yet she became the wolf hag by right!" Annie shouted in fury, jumping on her legs. She was feeling angry. Not at the shamans no. Not at Virginia either. Everyone is privy to their secrets. Virginia had her own reasons, maybe even an order from Alpha to be silent. The shamans act as they believe is best for the tribe. No, the wolf hag was angry at herself. She lost… No, she was crushed by the Branded. By someone who received less food as a cub. What this was making Annie the wolf hag struggled to admit to herself, but she was sure of something else, "I lost to Virginia again and again and again! Like it or not, but she is better than me!"
"Actually it was just one time…" Virginia mumbled.
"Hush, Virginia! I am speaking for you!" Annie clenched her paws, allowing her humiliation and hatred to flow through her, tearing her own skin and feeling blood dripping down her paws, "Check the records! She defeated me twice! She saved my life in battle against the arena’s champion! In a recent brawl, she was winning against me! If not for Alpha, I would be the one on the ground!"
"Okay, enough of this, I refuse to a…" Virginia tried to say something, but Annie cut her off once more.
"Just shut your trap, Virginia! You think it is easy for me to admit the truth here!?" Annie screamed at the wolf hag in a fury, forcing herself to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Svetlana looked strangely at her sister, and Annie ignored her. Let Svetka laugh all she wants. Yeah, I am a weakling, so what? Yes, I am not as successful as you. More stupid. I can live with that. No one knows how tomorrow will turn out, "Virginia earned her place in the Wolf Tribe by right! Her presence here, her accomplishments, and her very rank demonstrate that our perception of the branded is wrong! You… We all were wrong!"
"Thanks for the support, Annie." Virginia said in a quiet voice, scratching the back of her head, and Annie wanted to strangle her. She could feel the eyes of the others on her. Zero was looking at her. No doubt thinking how pathetic she is. But I will grow. I will show you all!
"Every rule has an exception." The shaman responded, while Lacerated One still looked confused.
"Maybe," A calm voice said, and Ron stood up. There was no smile on his face, just serenity. He took off his vest and shirt, spreading fur on his shoulder and showing the brand beneath, "How about two then? Am I too an exception?"
The shamans turned to him, their faces looking as if they were made of stone. The males were allowed to speak freely and without fear at the Gathering, even encouraged to do so. Each Gathering was made with the idea of improving the lives of all the people of the Wolf Tribe. But even so, it was hard for the shamans to accept that males like Ron served in the Omega team, that they were stronger than warriors. For the shamans, he was an aberration.
"You are not an exception," Lacerated One responded to Ron and Virginia, before looking down at Alpha and the warlord responded in kind, unashamed and unbothered by the breach of laws, "I understand why you did it, sister," Lacerated One said, closing her eyes and being lost in thoughts, "There will be no punishment." She growled, forcing the shouts of the shamans behind her to fall silent, "In times of need, to save lives and to ensure that the Wolf Tribe prospers, some liberties must be taken! No one was hurt, pride aside. In fact, a potential mistake was found, and a new brilliance was allowed to shine. In light of this new development, I would like to take a moment to rethink my vote."
Annie said back on her bench, closing her eyes to calm herself for a moment while the wolfkins all around hushed, speaking in worry as to how this could happen and how Alpha could keep this secret. And yet most of the wolfkins were seemingly unbothered by this development. When Annie opened her eyes, she saw that the Alpha team outright closed ranks around the Virginia and Ron, and Scorpio lifted his head, outright enjoying the show. He extended his arm, saying a single word "Return". Kassandra and Hubert disappeared from their seats, appearing in the center of the giant hand. The captain put them both on his back, away from the agitated crowd, just to be safe if something happened.
"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Annie overheard Blaze asking Ron.
"To be honest, I was kinda ashamed and afraid of you learning..." Ron replied.
"Idiot," Blaze angrily responded, "Would you drop me if my parents were Crippled?"
"Of course not, sweet of my life."
"Thank you for thinking so kindly about me then," Blaze sourly said, wrapping her arm around Ron’s shoulders, "Idiot." She repeated, less angry.
Everyone looked at the pit’s arena when Lacerated One slapped her paws against each other, calling for attention. The shaman kept her claws hidden, her lips tightly pressed against her fangs. She moved slowly, trying to avoid any sign that might be interpreted as a call for aggression toward anyone.
"We have decided," She said, unbothered if the rest of the shamans agreed with her or not. Lacerated One was the strongest of all the shamans, she was willing to face any opposition from her peers and knock them down if needed, "Virginia, please come down. Warlords, take your places."
"What are you planning to do with my soldier?" Alpha demanded to know.
"A ritual challenge to prove me wrong," Lacerated One gestured to Alpha, pleading with the warlord to be calm, "Alpha, place of Virginia is not at risk. Win or lose, she stays where she is. Put your mind at ease. A challenge is needed for me to decide. A wolf hag against a wolf hag. Two locked in combat, allowing the Spirits to have their say and direct me."
The corners of the Alpha’s lips moved up, and she nodded to Virginia, encouraging her to step forward. The warlord’s massive form jumped up without any sound, landing softly on her stone. The others followed her example, leaving an empty sand arena. Virginia jumped from the podium, her coat slid across the sand when she bent her knees upon landing. The wolf hag stood up, spread her arms before the crowd, and laughed.