The trees at the end of the camp bent to one side before their trunks snapped under the wind pressure. Alpha, wielding Janine’s axe, nodded, making another swing with the Taleteller, moving even faster and making tents and even some buildings in the war camp shake from the air pressure.

"How is it looking?" The warlord demanded to know.

"About your skills with the axe? Janine rarely put this much force into her swings." Aranea replied, standing next to the warlord and enduring airwaves that were threatening to knock her off her feet. Two days have passed since Huntsman’s demise, and her ribs still hurt like she was tortured in the abyss.

Right after Huntsman’s death, Aranea barely had any time to spend in the infirmary, giving commands and planning the coming operation, until the blood started filling her vision. She thought she was about to die from pain and exhaustion. Keyl took the charge, slamming a syringe with the sedatives into the base of her neck. Aranea woke up on the medica bed, panicking that she had missed the timing. To her surprise, the pack followed instructions to the letter, and Sonya reported that everything was ready to start the operation.

The Alpha’s team was closing in on the war camp, the first reinforcements for the incoming push had already been reported to Ursico. Alpha herself did little, pretending to be just another soldier in Aranea’s pack, always glaring, looking out for flaws, and judging quietly. At least she was now clean of all blood and wearing a proper coat and pants.

Captains Ivar and Scorpio made the entire army wait, planning to time the advance with the coming of a supermassive sandstorm that would scour the area to the north, hitting several settlements at once. The sandstorms in the Ravaged Lands were far from usual natural disasters. Because of the strange lightning cracking amidst the sand particles, sandstorms were also causing malfunctions in technology and in auto guidance systems.

The blue wyrm drilled the Third Army mercilessly before the war, normies and new breeds alike, by making them stage training after training in the very abyss of roaring sandstorms, beating into them how to take the initiative without orders from the command. Under the black wyrm’s orders, the best technicians, Till Ingo included, worked tirelessly to make the reclaimers immune to the malfunctions. And now, the Army was about to advance, their power armors and armored vehicles will keep people safe, and their communication and power armors systems are now supposedly immune to sandstorms’ effects. A massive attack involving over a hundred thousand souls was about to begin, an attack designed to divide the Soultakers' lands and allow siege of the Moon city.

"I meant with your preparations, Conqueror."

"Please, don’t call me Conqueror, ma’am." Aranea frowned upon hearing this nickname.

She was certain that Olesya was behind it all. After the warlord somewhat overcame her fear, she threw an enormous party, inviting everyone. On this party, Olesya admitted to Aranea that she was worried that someone might give her the nickname 'Heartless', or 'Clockwork'. Aranea was a bit too drunk at the time and thus decided to take the matter into her own paws, shouting a toast in the name of Olesya Steelskin. Olesya seems to like the nickname, the problem is, she was back to her usual self. This meant that Aranea had to endure her occasional teasing.

"Why not? You brought malformed to heel. You convince the commune to join us, making my work during the peace time far harder," Alpha looked down at Aranea, stopping her practice. The axe looked like a cub’s toy in her oversized claws, "And you brought Huntsman to his knees, wiping out the Soultakers’ party responsible for killing my sister."

"Huntsman almost killed all of us, I convinced the malformed…"

"By chopping off their leader’s head. Fine, if you refuse the reward, I will call you by more fitting name," Alpha said as he made another wide swing, causing a dozen trees thirty meters away from the camp to fall, "Coward. What’s the operation status?"

"The engineers have almost finished the repairs, and the pack is assembled. We leave tonight."

"I still believe that the frontal assault would have been better."

"Negative, ma'am," Aranea shook her head, enduring the terror that Alpha had instilled in her. The axe split the air anew, sending an ear-piercing shriek across the entire camp, "By timing our arrival with the incoming sandstorm, we will ensure that the locals are not in the streets, making them safer when the firefight breaks out. By using the subterfuge, we will be able to spare more of the enemy forces…"

"Bah, a coward in name and a coward in nature," Alpha swung the axe another time, the coat cracking on her chest, revealing the pale black veins beneath, "Speed is the essence of war,"

"Speed for the sake of speed is meaningless, ma’am," Aranea ignored the goading. Tiny told her a bit about Alpha. You always had to try your best with her and be as blunt and honest as you could. Otherwise, cuts and slashes will follow, "We have plenty of examples from previous wars where our forces became overly eager and were slaughtered by the adversaries. The famous Alpha’s folly comes to mind," Alpha stopped, and the fear was gone. Keep talking, keep taking! "Our advance will be timed with the joint attacks all over the front, ensuring that the foe will not be able to regroup in time."

"You would make a fine Omega Team member, Aranea, the Conqueror," Alpha chuckled, leaning on the axe. The axe’s head cracked the ground, slowly sinking in, but Alpha ignored the fact that she was about to fall. The warlord actually smiled, a cruel leer that could mean anything, "Now, onto the next topic. We have to discuss the fact that you are still sealing…"

"Will you stop this idiocy already!" A shriek came from the camp.

Svetlana charged to them, taking the gloves off her paws. She spat on the ground, looking up into Alpha’s eyes.

"We have nearly two injured, from both sides. "And now we must sort them out, sending some back and taking others with us," Svetlana's chest puffed, her every word venomous, her paws trembling, "They need rest and calm for however little time we have left. All of the medical personnel barely had any sleep, and your wall-shaking swings aren't helping anyone, ma'am! Drop this hideous toy and follow me for the procedures!"

"You presume to give me orders?"

"One more word, and I am calling captain Scorpio!" Svetlana stood on her toes, unbothered by either the fangs in Alpha’s open jaws or her claws, "Off to the medic tent, at once!"

"With your permission, ma’am." Aranea bowed out, almost running away from the scene. While Alpha could be scary, Svetlana has been vivid in the past few days. When Aranea tried to argue with her about leaving the hospital bed early and helping her pack with preparations, Svetlana used a clyster to clear Aranea’s bowels. It was better to leave both of these monsters alone.

On her way to the infirmary, Aranea passed by the crusher, the key figure in the upcoming mission. The soultakers refused to cooperate, but thankfully Sly managed to get into the system with Till Ingo’s help. The command center was repaired and mounted back at the tower, Yuki was inside the machine even now, cleaning the corridors and walls of blood. This part was unnecessary for the mission, Yuki simply needed an excuse to sneak out before Geldi would make her belly burst with all the food she was making the warrior eat. Aranea approved it, suspecting that Yuki simply wanted to keep an eye on Sly, among other things.

The war camp was finishing preparations to move. The prisoners will be moved to the rear. The soultaker kept her word, saving all those who were about to die, no matter the side, before passing out from exhaustion. All who left were patients with non-life-threatening injuries. The wolfkins will be placed on a crawler and eventually join the advance, while the normies will be sent to Fort Uglo for rest.

Stolen story; please report.

Stepping into the tent, Aranea heard Olesya’s laughter.

"Nah, Mom, I am fine, honest!" Velka was massaging Olesya's legs while she lay on two stretchers tied together and held sitting by two warriors. A huge monitor was installed before her, allowing the warlord to speak with her family, "My spine cracked."

"My poor girl!" Someone gasped from the screen, "Don’t worry, Olesenka, Dad and I will become exiles if needed, but we will help…"

"Mom, it’s ok!" Olesya smiled to her, "My spine is… Imagine a metal bean. Now imagine a slice on it and a welder who repairs it. Something similar is happening in my back right now. Till Ingo assured me that it would reattach on its own and that I would be able to walk again soon. Velka, I appreciate the concern, I really do, but you are massaging my legs."

"Yes? What about it?"

"They are metal."

Velka slapped herself on the forehead, jumped over Olesya, and started massaging her back, running her fingers across the muscles. Her arm was still missing, Sly tinkered with it a bit, failing to restore it, and now Olesya awaited the arrival of warlord Zero, who accompanied Till Ingo on the crawler.

Aside from Olesya, a few others were in the tent. Zeke was lying on the bed, smiling smugly while Carty fed him soup. One of his arms and both of his legs were shattered, and Ice Fangs lacked the speedy recovery of their kin. For him, the war was over; he would spend the rest of his time healing at the base. Surprisingly, the fool declined his great-great-grandfather's offer to pick him up.

Annie was lying with her eyes closed on a puffed-up pillow, relaxing herself and allowing Mia to feed her. The warlord’s chest was tightly bandaged, both of her arms were still broken. The warlord will be commanding from the rear for at least a week or two, right now Annie couldn’t even move her fingers properly.

"Greetings, Aranea," Keyl nodded to her, his snout covered by pieces of medical plaster, allowing the cuts to heal, "How are you?"

"Just peachy, thanks for asking Keyl," Despite the pain in her ribs, she leaned in toward him, friendly patting him on the back, "You owe me a round for that syringe. Get well. Oh, Olesenka!" Aranea stretched the name, sitting on a chair next to her friend, "How are you, my poor girl?"

"Mom, Dad, I’ll call you back!" Olesya’s crimson lens flashed, turning off the monitor remotely, "Listen Ari, if this is about the nickname, I…"

"How could you think so," Aranea smiled wickedly, "I just came to check up on my dearest friend. How are you, warlord Olesenka?"

They looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter. Aranea hugged Olesya, hearing clinking and clanking sounds within her chest along with her beating heart. Olesya tried to return the hug, grabbing Aranea weakly by the hip with her remaining paw.

"Listen, don't overdo the challenge," Olesya cautioned, "Who cares if Alpha absorbs the pack? I am sure Janine would value your life far more than her pride."

"True," Aranea smiled sadly, "But there is one reason why the pack must stay independent."

Olesya looked into her face before forming the letter ‘O’ with her lips: "The warlord."

"Yes. I can’t hope to beat Alpha. Maybe none of our kin one can. And I can't really become a shaman," Aranea sighed, "But she can be outvoted. Honored Dragena beat her this way. This is why I need to pull this off somehow if I have any hope of changing the Tribe."

"Hello, everyone!" A new voice shouted, and wolf hags Virginia and Bel stepped inside, "I heard you had quite a battle recently! Shame that you left me out of it."

"Get well everyone," Bel said calmly, looking at Zeke and Carty, "Zeke. Hello. Carty, if you are planning to copulate with him, keep in mind that the bastard can’t stay loyal even for a night."

"Bel, it was just a misunderstanding! And I am trying to become a better pers…" Zeke shut up, trying to look small under Keyl’s gaze.

"I am too old for him anyway," Carty nodded to Bel, "The boy saved my life, that’s all."

"Age is not a proper wall for love," The knight smiled, "And your blue fur looks gorgeous, dear lady."

Virginia walked forward, landing herself on a chair next to Annie’s bed. She produced a book from underneath her coat and put one leg over the knee. The warlord opened her eye, looking at her warily.

"What are you doing?"

"Just going to read to my dear friend, who is in so much pain," Virginia sank back, preparing herself.

"You… you still hold a grudge? Stop it before I die from cringe overload!" Annie growled, seeing that Virginia put a finger on the text, "As a warlord, I order you to stop."

"Go ahead, Virginia," Olesya laughed, leaning back on the pillows, "We all can use some entertainment."

"My pleasure. Once upon a time…"

Annie howled from embarrassment, and everyone laughed, happy to be alive and well, while Virginia kept on reading, keeping a serious expression on her snout. Aranea felt a stone falling from her chest. Whatever happens next, for now they have lived. The grievances of the past took a step down. Wolfkins from both groups were in the same room, and no one had tried to kill each other yet. They even fought side by side, like in ancient times.

The world truly is changing for the better.

****

Scorpio spread his wings, looking down on the figure raised from a pool of blue liquid. One doctor, the elderly lady from Fort Uglo, stepped forward, helping the figure make a few steps away from the pool to check something. A few buzzing drones flew around, filming the figure and sending the recordings to Till. Since the old man was silent, Scorpio assumed that the body worked up to his standards.

He and the others were in the belly of a crawler, the one machine that was meant to operate on wyrms. Ivar laid down in his pod. Just a few moments ago, he was eagerly sending the commands to his assistants in the Soultakers’ capital and arranging for a caravan of weapons to be sent from Pearl to militia hiding in the mountains near the enemy’s capital. These were the men and women who held truth to the old faith and planned one day to liberate the priests.

There was little chance that King would remain unaware of the caravan. Ivar planned to sacrifice them, stretching the Resistance forces even thinner. This one time, Scorpio was in agreement with him, using one potential foe to weaken the others was a masterstroke. If it works, of course.

Now the blue wyrm was silent, watching warily after the figure. Scorpio ignored him, smiling to the figure. Ivar had warned him about relying on the "pawns," as he called them. The captain was intended to prove him wrong.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" The black wyrm asked, allowing genuine warmth to come into his voice.

"You… You mutilated me." The figure almost whimpered in a robotic and lifeless voice, speaking through dynamics. The doctor frowned and made her open her biological mouth, checking something.

"Nonsense!" Scorpio kept the smile, ignoring Ivar’s gestures to kill or detain her, "If anything, we restored you. In time, you will come to appreciate this change. But now the time has come for you to go home and help us stop the needless deaths."

"I only agreed to deliver your message." The woman exhaled, pushing the doctor away and allowing the steel to cover her entire body, glaring at Scorpio through the helmet lenses.

"Of course, of course. In any event, you are free." Scorpio stepped aside, allowing the woman to walk out on her artificial legs.

The trick to building a stable society was always to turn your foes into friends, or at least into stable citizens. The empires were formed by recruiting the defeated foes instead of wiping out everything and anyone. The Dynast understood this, hence, the state flourished. Ivar’s methods could work in the short term, but eventually all they would produce is a mix of relief and resentment. Resentment stemming from grudges; grudges stemming from the loss of loved ones; and so on. This will lead to hate and fear.

Fear was a poor tool for running the state. The Dynast proved this time and time again, offering carrots far more often than sticks. Of course, the liege wasn’t perfect, his punishments for corruption were inane.

A strong person, such as a Scorpio, has no need to be afraid. He welcomes each and every chance to humble his foes before offering them a hand and lifting them up on their feet. Ivar may leave a sea of dead enemies in his wake, but all of them have families. The hate about their loss will be bottled up now, but for how long? Humans who become monsters out of hatred and live in fear of retaliation will eventually lash out. Scorpio was willing to concede a point to Ivar and the Dynast that some, like Huntsman, were beyond redemption. Some, not all.

No, soft methods are ultimately the best. Scorpio remembered the message that Alpha sent to him about letting Aranea take charge once more. Annie showed great promise. Virginia was her peer, but the black wyrm doubted that the little rascal would ever challenge Alpha. Scorpio wasn’t sure about Olesya yet, and it irked him. No matter, he will have a heart-to-heart talk with her after the war. And Aranea showed some great potential initially but was all too quick to compromise her principles. A flaw of being young, perhaps? Annie had her own share of problems back there too… Aranea, I hope you make the right choices. I need a proper replacement for Dragena. And a new generation of better warlords. The ones, who will change the Wolf Tribe.

Looking into Chochmingwu’s back, Scorpio wished her luck. One life was standing in the way of peace, and Scorpio potentially found a way to remove this life. Truly, winning without fighting was the best.

In any case, the war was ending, and his other key figure was already in place. The time for subtlety was over. No matter what, the state will win, and Scorpio will honor Dragena’s and Janine’s memories by preserving the lives rather than setting this whole region ablaze.

The black wyrm walked from the hall, leaving Ivar to his devices. The captured Soultaker, Anissa, will be placed in a military hospital near the front. She will save lives on both sides there. Her power was extremely rare, and Ivar suggested using mind control to compel the woman to cooperate until the end of the war. Scorpio only laughed at this suggestion. Mia did a wonderful job of sending him Anissa’s profile, the black wyrm already figured out how to push Anissa’s buttons in order to lead her toward the right choices.

This left Jericho. Scorpio will turn him around himself later. With Huntsman out of the way, it was time for a major offensive.