"They are going to get butchered." Sonya spoke lazily, looking down from the cliff.

She and Aranea were sitting on cliffs above the training canyon. Below was a small training course filled with stones as obstacles. The place was covered in red and yellow paint. Instead of live rounds, the wolfkin teams were using shardguns loaded with paint. The shaman was moving across the road without her armor, her black fur making her look like a living shadow. Her claws were unleashed and covered in fresh yellow paint. Engineers used something to ensure that this paint wouldn’t dry out in the next half hour. Two wolfkins were trying to hide near large boulders ahead, the form of Leila was visible above the stones, baiting the shaman into action. The half wyrm, like a shaman, wore no armor or clothing, and her claws were painted with bright red paint. Tiny and Gin were sneaking up on the shaman from behind. The wolfkins were in full armor, yet it gave them little confidence against oversized blades like the claws of the shaman.

"We don’t know that. Maybe Leila has some actual plan…" Aranea said, feeling doubtful. Leila was supposedly used to combat. Spirits, Aranea saw her in action! She wasn’t half bad. So why such an obvious ploy here?

The goal of this game was to deal a 'mortal' damage to the enemy. At first glance, Scarred One was at a disadvantage. She had no ranged weaponry, she could not use her fangs since there was no paint on them. There was no armor on her… And yet she was a shaman. One of the strongest in the Tribe. Her sense of smell was nearly unrivaled, and her speed was far greater than that of Aranea. She had been in countless battles before.

"I blame you," Sonya said without anger in her voice, pointing down as the shaman was coming into the clearing, standing before Leila. "Really, what are they supposed to do? We gave them mines, but the shaman will sense the smell. I can smell paint from here. They can’t sneak up on her, they can’t outgun her… We should have been there instead of the shaman. Giving impossible tasks is good for the punishments, but otherwise it is unfair."

Leila jumped from the stone, her wings hitting the air as she charged at the shaman.

"No, you stupid!" almost shouted Aranea, but she forced herself to be silent. Shaman was not going all out this time around. Maybe they have the chance…

The shaman made a backflip, when Leila's claws were an inch away from the shaman's snout, one of the shaman's legs rose up, aiming for the half-wyrm's belly. Leila's wings hit the air, pushing her to the right as she grabbed the leg of the shaman, throwing the woman over herself. The shaman landed on her paws as Leila jumped back, leaving small marks on her right shoulder in the place where the shaman touched the half-wyrm with her claws. The wolfkins from the front started coming out of cover, taking aim, assured that the shaman was concentrated on the half-wyrm…

She was not. Scarred One charged from the place akin to a cannon ball, moving in a straight line. The ground where she was just a moment ago was covered in red paint. The shaman charged at two wolfkins who were hiding behind the stone. The leg of Scarred One sliced across the stone, causing dust to get into the eyes of the wolfkins. As they stepped back, trying to take aim, the huge black form appeared behind them, touching them at the sides of their necks, leaving large yellow marks. Both wolfkins lowered their weapons in disappointment, Aranea did not blame them. The speed of their opponent was leaving them no chance.

The shaman leaped from the boulder, charging at Leila. The half-wyrm was moving back, trying to get close to the position of Gin and Tiny. Aranea frowned in confusion. This was only leaving them exposed, the shaman would sense them… The half-wyrm was moving slowly, and the black form was already on her. Leila's right hand was dangling helplessly, she obeyed the rules of the wargame. After receiving marks, she could not use her limb.

And then she landed on the stone, and her form shifted. The shaman aimed to hit her in the chest with her right paw when Leila circled around her, striking with her left hand and causing the shaman to dodge. Sonya gave out a surprised scream when both opponents were locked in equal combat. Scarred One intentionally held back, not using the deadly potential of her claws and fangs to its fullest. She pulled back her punches before they could hurt Leila. And yet they were both equal in speed.

The limitations of the shaman meant that she could not land a hit on her foe, not before she could adjust. As each of them pushed their own bodies to the limit, the forms of both opponents became a blur. Their duel lasted for several minutes without either of them hurting the other. Finally, a mistake was made when Leila tried to slash at the neck of the shaman, allowing her foe to grab her by the wrist. The shaman's free hand shot forward, only to be stopped by the half-wyrm’s tail wrapping around it.

It was at this moment that Scarred One kicked with her left leg, aiming at Leila's belly. And it was the moment when Gin and Tiny threw mines at the fighters, using them as grenades. The shaman's leg reached belly first, forcing Leila to relax her hold. The eyes of the shaman widened when she saw mines landing near her. Both opponents were engulfed in a cloud of black smoke, and the large black form crashed out, leaving the half-wyrm inside covered in red paint. The shaman's left arm was covered in red, yet not a single trace of pain was on her body or legs. She charged at the wolfkins, raising her right paw. Two fighters made a step back, and the shaman leaped, thinking that they would run.

Instead, Gin stood before Tiny, taking a hit on his chest, while the shardgun of Tiny came from under the right shoulder of Gin. In a real fight, the shaman would have pierced the chest of a male and killed the enemy behind him. Not this time. Scarred One moved her hand to the side in order not to maim the opposition, and the shardgun fired, splashing red across the side of the shaman. The shaman could not have dodged it in the air. The massive black form pushed her legs forward, slamming them into the ground to Gin and Tiny's left and right, halting her fall before she collided with fighters. She stopped, looking at the yellow dot on Gin’s chest and the red marks on her side. Red covered her entire side, from shoulder to waist. The shaman gave Tiny a long look before nodding, acknowledging that this was a mortal wound. Scarred One pointed at her forehead, and the warrior looked at her in confusion, shaking her head in refusal. The shaman smiled and took the shardgun from Tiny's paws, firing it into her own face, splashing red paint across her snout.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Just a reminder of my mistake." The shaman simply said, giving the shardgun back. She turned around, ignoring the happy Leila, and patted two wolfkin warriors from ahead on their shoulders, softly giving them some advice. Overflowed with happiness at the success of their plan, Leila grabbed Tiny in a hug, despite the loud protests of the warrior.

"No! My armor! No!" Tiny screeched as the red paint from Leila’s body left large red marks over her armor and snout. "I hate cleaning it!"

Aranea smiled and gave Sonya a pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I was wrong. Bite me. I accept them." The former wolf hag jumped down, landing near Leila and Tiny. She extended her paw in greeting, while the shaman looked with disapproval at how Sonya was shaking the paw of the half-wyrm. She barely moved her ear as Aranea landed near her.

"You disapprove." The wolf hag was not accusing the shaman. It was simply a statement of fact.

"Yes," The shaman pointed at Leila, "She is strong, I admit this. Had we both gone all out, I might have been injured. And yet… What is happening right now is an aberration. You allow others to enter the Tribe, to take control of part of the Tribe. Even with the warlord's approval, this is…"

"But they beat you. The strong rule, and the weak obey. This is how we live, is it not?" Aranea smiled and playfully kicked the shaman with an elbow under her ribs. "Or what, now that it is your turn to sacrifice something, you are not happy? Maybe you want something other than…"

"You have no idea what I gave up for the tribe, wolf hag," The shaman cut her off, her voice losing its usual calmness for a moment. She turned to Aranea, looking at her without anger or malice in her eyes. She was not judging, simply trying to accept the fact of her defeat. "Life is made of ups and downs. As long as you live, you can stand up again. I will endure this humiliation as well."

"Of course, I have no idea." Aranea nodded eagerly, "You never tell us anything about yourself. We are supposed to be family, what family keeps secrets from each other? By the way, If you don’t show any sign of familiarity with our new family member, the others might not accept her."

The shaman snorted humbly and walked forward, forcing herself to extend her hand toward Leila.

"You are… not half bad. With proper training, you can easily beat me." The shaman spoke in a rasping voice, clearly forcing herself to say each sentence. Instead of shaking her hand, the half-wyrm hugged her, causing the shaman to growl loudly. Aranea was worried that the shaman would lose her cool, but she simply looked at Tiny, "I have no idea how you made it. I knew you were behind him, and yet… I forgot. This was your win, fair and square, but what exactly did you do?"

"This was something that lady Valerye taught me," The shaman raised her brow, and Tiny continued in an embraced voice, "I met her in my childhood. She noticed that I was small-sized like her, and she taught me how to pull this trick off in order for me not to feel bad. It took me several months of non-stop training, but thanks to her teachings, I can almost completely erase myself from your eyes. You know that I am here, yet you think that I am not here. Because I feel no emotions, no bloodlust, at this moment. I am just a statue, a part of the background, how can I be a threat?"

"A warlord showed pity on you? Among all people, Valerye herself? From what I know, after she was crushed by Alpha, she became a cold-hearted person," The shaman tore Leila from herself, forcing her to stand still, before taking her in a hug. From the sudden croaking sound of the half-wyrm and her form trying frantically to break free, something was telling Aranea that this was not a friendly hug. The shaman continued talking in a slightly strained voice, "You truly are blessed, little one. Never let your size limit you because the Spirits walk alongside you. Rage against this world, and you too can achieve your dreams."

"Please don’t hurt…" Tiny began to speak in fear but stopped as Leila wrapped her arms around the shaman again and both of them slammed their foreheads together. The muscles of the half-wyrm enlarged veins, which became visible on the shaman’s hands despite the fur. Both looked at each other in the eyes, unblinking. Their legs crashed into the stone beneath their feet.

"Don't worry, Tiny," Leila said, sweat streaming down her brow and her eyes glowing slightly. "I like getting to know new people better. "There is nothing better than a friendly hug.

"I'm just getting to know the "new member of my family," so to speak," the shaman half-groaned, attempting to break the opponent, "To get an idea of where she stands..."

"Be careful, granny, at your age, it is dangerous to overextend yourself. You can strain your muscles with effort, and it will hurt afterwards. Don’t worry, I will give you a soothing massage afterwards." Leila forced herself to smile.

"Cubs these days. Getting scared after a tiny bit of effort. Don’t worry, I will tell you a nice bedtime story to raise your spirits. "

The wolf hag could practically hear the bones snapping. Both were nearly giving their all. Aranea wanted to stop them, but Sonya put her paw on Aranea's shoulder.

"They are not actually trying to hurt each other," Sonya whispered, pointing at the opponents. "Besides, even the wyrm spawn is curious to find out who is stronger between them. Look at her eyes."

Aranea wanted to say that this is exactly what she was afraid of. Leila's eyes were glowing. She was slipping now, just like when she was asking questions in Wyrm Lord's chamber. Her power could break loose at any time, and then...

Leila let go of the shaman and lifted her hands in the air in surrender. In surprise, the shaman let go of her, and the half-wyrm sat on the stones, covering her eyes.

"Sorry! Too excited. You won, I really need to calm down," Leila said to the confused Scarred One, who loudly demanded that she stand up, "No, no, you really have won, I have lost. My, you are strong."

"Stop lying, damn it!" The shaman snarled in anger, her hands twitching as she was about to jump on the woman before her. "I can sense it! You could still go further! I can sense disappointment in your voice, you too wanted to go all out. Do not dare to pity another pack member, always go all out."

The half-wyrm only smiled, pressing her palms to her eyes. Tiny stood behind her, putting her fingers on the temples of Leila and beginning to slowly massage them, telling her that everything was fine and that there was nothing to be worried about. The shaman lowered herself on her knee, asking what exactly was wrong with Leila. Aranea briefly wondered just how often Tiny was helping her friends like this. Was this truly the right choice to put Leila in a position of power? Her plan worked, but technically speaking, there was only one survivor from her team here…