[Skill: Quaking Claw acquired.]

Internally I cheered while desperately wanting to look more deeply at the effect of the [Skill]. Regardless of my desires, though, I needed to continue guiding the pack quickly back to the den. After all, this many full-grown wolfstags was enough for the entire pack for two days, if we held back a little. Only two days… I mused over that as we made our way back home. How was the entire swarm surviving? There were over 1000 keelish in the swarm, and while Rulac had told me that part of why we ate so much was because we were growing, there still just was no way that the swarm was staying fed without destroying the jungle’s ecosystem.

I shook the worry from my head. After all, that wasn’t my problem, at least not yet. I only needed to feed my pack, and we had that lined up for the upcoming days. And, with twenty of us hurriedly carrying the corpses back to the den, we were able to arrive at one of the larger entrances without having any encounter with the wolfstags we were sure were currently pursuing us. Then, even with the large bundles of meat and bones underarm, we easily brought the results of our first hunt back to our territory. Watching the pack file in, I noted Took, Treel, and Brutus each carrying a wolfstag alone, while the other five were being carried in pairs. Then, a thought occurred to me.

Without realizing it, I hadn’t even lifted a hand to help carry the results of our hunt back to the den. Hadn’t even considered it. After all, that wasn’t the work of the Alpha, but of the subordinates. But… why? I could have easily carried one by myself, and that would have sped us up. Regardless, I hadn’t thought of that as an option until now. Instead, I had simply expected the rest of the pack to take care of it. Was that a mark of a foolish and careless leader? Or a confident and competent one? I supposed only time could tell, but no longer could I worry about it, as I heard the raised voices of two males echoing from my den.

“Then I’ll force you to.”

“Still jealous you couldn’t take my position as Alpha. That’s why you left! C’mon, coward!”

As I rounded the corner, two males began to lunge at each other, jaws snapping wildly as they postured more than fought. Before I could do anything about it, Sybil looked at Shemira, who daintily stepped forward, flouncing with her tail and hips swaying. “No, don’t fight! I simply can’t bear it! What if you got huuuurt?” As before, she drew out the word, laying on the innocent, helpless routine in a way I’d never thought possible from a keelish.

The two males seemed halfway convinced not to do something stupid in my den, and that was when I stepped in. “Sybil.” I laced my voice with my magic to cause it to carry, as well as the influence of [Dominance]. With that single name called, both of the quarreling keelish went silent then seemed embarrassed that they had been cowed so easily. I tried my best to hide my disdain as I looked at Sybil.

“Yes, Alpha?”

Looking at her, I would never know if she at all cared that these two foreign “Alphas” were nearly coming to blows within our den, she simply stood poised and attentive. I didn’t see the third, female Alpha around, and asked, “Is the third coming?

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“Cree should be bringing her now. That den’s territory is much further than these two’s, so a certain delay was inevitable.”

“Thank you.” Then, turning from my Beta, I leveled my gaze at the two males. “Make yourselves comfortable until our final guest arrives. Then, I will let you know what my plan is for helping you and your packs.” Without waiting for a response, I turned to try to find Solia. After all, she might be able to help me with creating a better bed. Before I could take more than three steps, though, a voice interrupted me, the tone thready and whiny. The first voice I’d heard.

“No… you–you’d better tell us now!” The male was impressive enough, I supposed. A couple of scales above four and half feet tall, looked about as strong as an Alpha his size would be. Nothing noteworthy about him though. No scars, no signs of difficult battles he’d gone through. For the first time, I truly understood what Redael had said to me during our first “training”. “You haven’t lost enough.” In the fog of pain that had filled that blistering attack, I’d forgotten, but clarity descended on me. He hadn’t been speaking of losing people or things, but how many losses in a fight or combat I’d sustained. With my new understanding, I turned to look the keelish in the face.

“What’s your name?”

“Criit.”

I slowly nodded. “Criit. Why did you come here?”

He, previously nervous, was beginning to gain some momentum and confidence. “I was told I could take a prize when I came. I choose one of those,” He pointed at one of the wolfstag corpses, then at Shemira, “and her. Then, I might let you work with me.”

The previously dormant but present rage within me immediately and powerfully boiled over. I kept a tight lid on it and turned to the other male. “Do you think the same?”

Maybe it was that he was stronger than Criit. Or maybe he felt something in my gaze. Or, maybe he just wasn’t a stars forgotten fool. Whatever it was, the other Alpha flicked his tail in disagreement and stepped back. I then borrowed a move of Redael’s and, without warning, smashed my closed fist into Criit’s face. I could have simply killed him immediately, had I decided to use my claws, but my armored fist was more than enough to lay him flat on the ground, trembling in pain, surprise, or something else. I didn’t care what the emotion was. He looked up at me, and I lowered myself enough to look him solidly in his face, my voice a deadly, calm, conversational tone.

“Do you still think you can enter my den and tell me what to do?” I didn’t give him time to answer before I lunged forward, grabbed him by the throat, lifted him into the air, and let him dangle, his tail twitching uselessly against the ground. His panicked breaths wheezed through his partially blocked throat, and after just a couple seconds that felt much longer, I released his neck and let Criit thump to the ground. Again, I lowered myself to get close, revealing my fangs in a too-wide smile. This time, he scrambled away, not rising to his feet, but trying to keep his distance as I kept my voice in a deadly pleasant, quiet tone. “Do you?” I asked.

Immediately and without hesitation, Criit’s answer was, “No no no no no. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I’ll leave. I’ll do what you want, please just don’t kill me.”

“I want you to stay here, and wait for our third guest to arrive. Thank you.”

Then, without looking again at the gasping fool who’d dared make demands of me, I walked over to Solia.