Theana faked a smile. ”Oh, it’s you, Maven. I have told you to just call me ‘mother’. Besides, this is your home, isn’t it?”

Not waiting her foster child to respond, Theana flicked her fingers. “Hmm, you’ve returned just at the right time.”

Maven was startled. “What do you mean, mother?”

A moment later, Theana vanished.

Before Maven could even lift a finger, Theana suddenly appeared and stuck the edge of her fork on the elf’s neck.

Theana drew her face near Maven’s ear, then she hissed like a snake. “Do you think you can simply come and go as you wish in the Lair of the Viperwolvessss? You disappeared for almost a year! Even though you know you have to have my or chief’s approval to step outside Redne for even a second! Thanks to you, we have to change the positioning of the candles! We’re used to reshuffle the entry code all the time, but you come back anyway! Have you grown bored of living? Do you want to die? Think about the foolish acts you’ve done, since I’ll be sending you off to hell soon!”

Maven was surprised. “Ah, so that’s what happened. Still, how can I know about the rules and the code reshuffling? Wasn’t I still being tested in order to become a full member? Nobody gave me any detail about the rules!”

“Hoho, your tongue is quite fast now. But perhaps you’ve forgotten about when I told you there’s no written rule in Viperwolves. Besides, there’s only one basic rule, that is whoever leaves The Viperwolves is a traitor and shall be killed! A member or not, whoever has the knowledge about our secret hideout is bound to this contract forever. We shall not take the risk of relocating because our secret is being leaked by a traitor. So you may think of today as your unlucky day.”

Theana flexed her muscles to stab. At the same time Maven quickly dodged backwards, avoiding death. The stab ended up cutting through air.

“Good reflex! But can you dodge this?”

With only a single jump Theana already confronted Maven face to face again. Her fork stroke to her opponent’s left side. The elf dodged rightwards, but Theana quickly bent herself like a snake and thrusted her two forks to the right.

This time Maven’s daggers collided with Theana’s forks.

“I got you!” Theana declared while again swinging the one fork which got blocked by one of Maven’s daggers. The twin forks then hooked tightly onto their dagger counterparts, locking them so Maven could not pull it back.

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Then Theana completed her move by kicking Maven’s stomach very hard.

Maven flew backward, her two daggers fell from her hands. She slumped on the floor, and the next second, a pair of tridents were already threatening her neck.

Theana smiled triumphantly. “This time, you can avoid no longer. It seems that my move, Two-Headed Snake Fangs successfully subjugated you. Now just sit down nicely before I send you to the afterlife!”

Maven closed her eyes.

“Stop it at once! Thea, what are you doing?”

A raspy yell was heard. Theana halted her action at once.

Silence dawned. Slowly, Maven opened her eyes. That yell had saved her life.

Theana moved away, mumbling, “Calhoun… Cavendier. How could you ruin my delight.”

Maven looked to find where the sound came from and spotted a robust man walking into the room.

“Why, aren’t we husband and wife, Thea? All the hardship and delight in life, we should carry them together, not separately. It is such egoism that we want to erode here.” Calhoun drew a pair of double-bladed saber that curved like a crescent moon.

Maven was baffled by his presence. Was he going to attack her, or was he pressuring over his own wife? She kept standing, refraining herself from picking up her daggers.

Theana’s expression began to loosen. “You’re right, Cal. Still, I can’t help not to retain some of my ego. Especially when I’m facing a situation where I have to make a quick decision without waiting for you, that is to execute this traitor.” She pointed at Maven.

Still wielding his weapon, Calhoun turned his head. When he found the elf, he grinned wickedly like a wolf who has found a prey.

“Well, well… Looks like the little girl who we have trained so laboriously, yet just vanished during the initiation test. Right, I just remembered. Your name… Maven, isn’t it?"

Maven mustered all her courage to put a tough front. “Yes, I am Maven, but I am not a traitor!”

“Oh, how could that be?” Calhoun rubbed his goatee with his thumb, still wielding his weapon in resting position. Is not our rule pretty clear? That everyone who dares leaving is a traitor?”

“Yes, ma.. madame has already taught me the rule very clearly. And I have not once left the Viperwolves!”

Theana intruded, “Get real! There are posters with your portrait all over the city. Aren’t you a fugitive?”

Maven nodded, “Yes, I’ve been in hiding all this time. I never once left Redne, so I haven't betrayed the Viperwolves.”

“Heh! Nice try at making up your story. Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?!” Theana yelled.

“Forgive my insolence. That is because you’ve been confronting me from the start and didn’t give me the chance to explain my entire story. Chief, please give me your guidance.”

Calhoun seemed to ponder deeply. “All right, let’s say that you haven't betrayed us. But you have failed in your initiation. Surely you already know this unwritten rule, don’t you? Failure means death.”

Maven gulped in panic. This is bad! She had been gotten checkmated in her own narrative.

The chief again grinned wickedly. “But, since you’ve shown your loyalty by coming back here, and since you have a rare talent as a thief….”

Calhoun looked at Theana briefly before turning back at Maven. “As the Leader of The Viperwolves, I shall give you the second and last chance, to prove yourself deserving of this tattoo.” His thumb pointed at his own chest.

Sharing her husband’s thoughts, Theana continued. “This time, we will let you choose and plan your own crime, and that plan has to be extraordinary. Now, do you already have a plan, Maven?”

Maven rose up slowly with a faint smile. “Yes, Chief and Madame Vice Chief. I already have a plan.”