Sonya looked at Aranea and took a breath.
"Follow me. The place is not far," She turned around and ran, leaving drops of blood on the ground behind her. Aranea followed after her.
A sense of dread fell on her as two wolfkins ran across the stones to a lonely hill ahead. With the back of her head, Aranea could feel as if something was following them, unseen, unnoticed. She could almost feel how something was sniffing her from behind. She turned her head to the left, and the presence shifted to the right, always staying outside of her field of view, never allowing her to notice anything. And yet she saw something else. Drops of blood that she and Sonya left. Some of them were missing, as if something had licked them away. They ran, coming closer to the mountain, and for a brief moment, the moonlight was gone, they were running in the shadow of something. Aranea wanted to turn back, but fear forced her to move forward. What could it be? They were in the open plains. Could it be a bird? Then a yellow light fell on them, disappearing in an instant, and the moonlight returned. And yet Aranea could not get rid of the feeling that something truly scary was following them. Death itself accompanied them on this night.
Finally, they reached a small clearing before the mountain. The crude shape of a circle was made with six large stones, the hill towered around the makeshift arena, the disk of the moon was visible just above the hill’s top.
Sonya stopped in the middle of the circle and turned, breathing hard. The bandages on her left side turned red.
"This is it, kiddo," She smiled, sweat visible below her fur, "This is where you go down. But I want to ask you. Just what do you want to change?"
Aranea stepped toward her.
"I will make us grow up. I will remove these idiotic traditions, like killing the elderly. I will remove the pits," She said, circling around Sonya, reading for a strike, "Cubs will play with each other instead of fighting. Males and females will be equal. Cubs could go to school, could choose a life of peace instead of war. No more killing defectives, no more mauling, no more pain."
"You mean you'll destroy us." Sonya growled, "Softness leads to extinctions."
"Are we really this weak, to keel over because of small changes? If so, then we are doomed either way!" Aranea shouted, ducking low as she was behind Sonya, "But we both know this isn’t so. The Ice Fang order lives well enough without our traditions, why can’t we live new lives as well? It may sound arrogant, but I will make us open our eyes. All of us, me included. We all deserve to be happy."
She leaped, and Sonya turned, hitting her with an elbow in the shoulder, sending Aranea rolling backward.
"If your way is so great, then how come you are so weak?" Sonya mocked her, "Some ways are destined for extinction. If only I were a better parent," She sighed, "Your way might have lived. You were given to me to raise you, yet I always coddled you, treating you too softly. Even now, I fail to see hatred in you. If only I had pushed you hard enough to accept your gift. My fault for ruining your dreams," Sonya shook her head, "But it’s all over now, Aranea, for both of us. The time for dreams is over. Reality cometh."
The wolf hag lunged at Aranea, and the scout jumped all the way back to a large stone pillar behind her. The right paw of her foe rose, and the scout jumped to the left, as the paw tore chunks of stone from the pillar behind her. Aranea rolled around and stood up. The wolf hag was walking towards her, her right paw pointing at Aranea, while her left paw held the wounded side of Sonya’s body. Sonya's right paw shot up like a piston as she accelerated and quickly covered ground between opponents. The wolf hag always favored precise hits, ones that tore muscles and bones in a single strike. Sonya could barely run now; her breathing was labored due to injuries, and her vision was blurred. Her aim was no longer as great as before. Aranea dodged the paw and hit the wolf hag with her right paw, aiming for the eyes of her foe. And yet, even now, she was too slow. The right paw of Sonya slapped the hand of the scout aside and slammed Aranea into her jaw, forcing the world to spin around as she fell. Aranea looked up and saw Sonya bending over, pain on her snout from this simple movement. That moment of pain gave Aranea a chance to dodge, as Sonya's right paw slammed into the stone ground, going into the stone up her wrist. Aranea jumped to her feet, while Sonya tore her arm free from the stone.
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The wolf hag turned and charged at Aranea. She slashed with her right paw and claws, leaving a wound across Aranea’s left eye. The scout still managed to dodge the full attack, but the pain and lack of stamina made Sonya slower than usual. As Sonya's right hand missed the mark, the scout hit her with an elbow into her wounded side, and Sonya gasped for air. Aranea grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her knee into her belly, but Sonya blocked the kick with the palm of her left paw. The head of Sonya crashed into Aranea’s head, causing the world to spin. The scout fell, rolling aside, trying to banish the dizziness. She stood up and saw Sonya clenching her side with her paw, also trying to gain control over her body. Two clashed again.
They fought in the night, claws against claws, fangs against fangs. Both left deep marks on each other's bodies. Neither was ready to surrender. A shadow fell on them, as the moonlight was gone, and for a brief moment, they fought in utter darkness. Then they were each surrounded by a circle of yellow light.Aranea saw fear in the eyes of Sonya—the same fear that she felt as well. Death was looking at them, judging them. Sonya pushed Aranea out of the circle, and Aranea hid behind the stone, listening carefully. Sonya threw a stone to the left but suddenly appeared to the right, and the scout hit her in the jaw with an elbow, pushing her way back into the circle.
They clashed again, and Sonya threw Aranea on the ground, grabbing her by the throat with her left paw, her right paw held Aranea’s right paw. Aranea desperately tried to breathe, yet Sonya was choking the life out of her. With the remains of her strength, Aranea punched with her left arm into the left side of her opponent. Right into the wound. Again. And again. And once more. Sonya growled and released her, backing down. Aranea charged after her, and Sonya kicked with her left leg. Aranea grabbed the leg and crushed the knee, all strength was gone from Sonya’s body. The wounds of Aranea were slowly healing, but the wounds of Sonya were still open. The wolf hag let out a growl of pain, and Aranea slammed her into the ground. Sonya tried to protect herself with her left paw, but Aranea broke her arm, slamming the elbow of one of her arms under Sonya's elbow and twisting the wolf hag’s arm until it broke. She followed up her attack by grabbing the head of the wolf hag and slamming her into the ground several times, before resorting to simply punching her foe into the snout and into the sides of her face. She stopped, when she noticed that Sonya was out cold, blood running from her left ear and mouth. Aranea released her claws on her right paw. Something demanded death. The yellow light that engulfed both Aranea and Sonya demanded life. Life must be given. Adrenaline hit in her blood, as her power tried to break through to give her "reward".
This time their lives are the coin that will ensure…
"Fuck you all!" Aranea shouted, slamming her paw into the ground near Sonya’s head and forcing the power to back off. "Screw it, screw your traditions, and screw this power. Screw sacrificing others. My way! You hear it!" She looked up and saw nothing. Just the moonlight. It was all just a dream.
The ground trembled as something softly landed on all fours behind the scout. A loud sniff came from behind Aranea, and she turned around. The largest wolfkin she ever saw, bigger than any skinwalker, was standing behind her on all fours. Her eyes were lamps of yellow light. Her fur was smooth and had the color of the starless sky. Her jaws were slightly open, threatening to devour Aranea whole.
"Who are you?" Aranea and the strange wolfkin asked each other at the same time. The wolfkin had a weird melodic voice, yet a hidden rage was inside it. By the sound of her voice, Aranea understood that the being before her was female.