I supposed I could have gone to Redael to ask for advice, but I couldn’t imagine that any results that came from asking the Swarm Alpha for help like that would end well for me. In fact, I couldn’t imagine what his response would be if I asked him for help at all, other than generally negative. Instead, I returned to my den and found Sybil. She and Shemira were in conference about something, but I found I couldn’t focus on their words. I had needed to convince myself not to throw myself at Sybil when we’d been alone, but Shemira… Immediately, before I made an absolute fool of myself, I bit my tongue and the taste of blood filled my mouth. I didn’t let myself think about her, about her tail, the curve of her hips–I ground my fangs into my tongue again and coughed quietly to interrupt them.
“How can we help you, Alpha?”
I pointedly focused solely on Sybil. “Have we found any other packs to join under our control?” I could feel a slight trickle of my blood seep from between my fangs and onto my face. I hoped that they couldn’t see it, but even if they could, there wouldn’t be anything they could or would do about it.
Though I could read the questions in her shoulders and slight movement of her tail, Sybil asked none of them. Instead, she flared her frills and answered, “Yes. We have found three more, all in similar positions to Ytte’s pack. There is, of course, the concern of feeding them as we did Ytte’s, but if that can be coordinated, then I believe that a similar level of control can be gained over those packs.”
I nodded as she spoke. “That is what we shall do then. We’ll need to change the method, though. We won’t be able to provide the food up front, so maybe they won’t submit to me quite so quickly. Regardless, our only real options now are to expand our range and to exterminate the wolfstags. We’ll need to find their tracks and frequently visited locations to finish it.”
I was about to continue when Shemira chirped in, “Well, then Took has good news for you!” Her voice was flighty, excited, and I forced myself to look at her. Somehow, she exuded an aura of allure, something I’d always ignored in the past, but with my new, more passionate body, I couldn’t not notice it. She was beautiful, alluring, almost painfully so. Then, as I gathered my words, I realized that was acceptable–that a creature was beautiful, and I knew her, and that was all. I felt my self control strengthen and I looked her straight on as I finally answered.
“What news does Took have for me?”
“On a shorter hunt, she and Foire located some wolfstags. Before they could begin the hunt, the wolfstags retreated down to a burrow.” Shemira looked over at Sybil, and Sybil continued to finish the thought.
“We are relatively sure that they found the den. Once the pack got close, Foire could sense at least 40 of the wolfstags, and they retreated. So far as we know, they are unaware of us having come to know where their home is.” As the two spoke, I felt a grin begin to crack across my face. This was exactly what we needed.
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“Sybil.”
“Yes, Alpha?”
“We’ll be returning with an initial demonstration of our ability to provide for others. Have the Alphas of each pack present for when we return. Promise them they’ll receive a small gift for their attendance, that should get them to come easily enough.”
“Of course, Alpha.”
“And you, Shemira.” My self control being stronger was great, but I did enjoy looking at her as I turned to speak to her.
“Yeeees?” She drew out the word and posed. I shook my head, part of me enjoying the show, the rest of me asking why in Nievtala’s name she would do that.
“I know that your magic works especially on males, so if any of the Alphas brought in are male, make them comfortable and trusting. Your abilities are different from Sybil’s so far as I know, so try to cover for any difference between you.”
Shemira flared her frills in assent as Sybil added, “Two of them are. The third will be more easily kept in line if we have the other two under your influence. I will assign you to go and collect them, to spend more time with each and get them accustomed to you.” Then, Sybil looked at me and asked, “Do we want them to fight each other over her approval?”
“Oooh! That sounds interesting. I wouldn’t give either a chance, but if they think that they might be able to gain my approval, they would probably be willing to do more for us.”
I entertained the thought for a moment before preparing to shut down the thought. I thought better, and simply asked, “Shemira, do you think you could keep them generally under control that way?”
Her tail flicked, uncertain for a moment. Then, she squared herself up and looked up at my face. “I’ll make sure I do, Alpha.”
“Then do it.”
She bowed her head. “Thank you.”
The two joined back together, conversing about what they would do to prepare these three packs to submit themselves to me as I walked away. After all, I had some gifts to prepare.
…
It didn’t take long before I had gathered a pack of 20 of the most competent members of the pack together for this preliminary ambush of the wolfstag territory. There wasn’t a single keelish not excited and raring to go exact yet more vengeance against our furry foes. After all, they had long proven themselves to be the most dangerous of any creature we had encountered nearby, and even the members of Ytte’s pack had lost companions to the “thunderfangs”.
Foire led us out of the den, and, for the first time since I’d evolved, I stepped foot into the open air. Involuntarily, I closed my eyes, leaned my head back, and breathed it in. The air was wet with moisture, and I realized that the truly wet season was soon to be upon us. I opened my eyes and looked. A khatif’s eyes were evidently much more advanced than a keelish’s, and I saw the sunset clearly, the clouds burning in the sky. There were birds calling in the jungle around me, and I could see them flitting from branch to branch. Far above us there was a hawk or other raptor circling, and I thought I could hear its scream. The clouds to the west were those seemingly aflame in the light of the descending suns, and to the east, I could see others colored an angry purple and fat with rain.
A wide sky spread before me, a jungle ripe with prey to feast upon, and a pack behind me hanging on my every word. I was free, and this world was mine to conquer. All I had to do was to step out into it.