Tala lay on the ground with a dead wolf’s jaws all but clamped through her torso.

Nevertheless, she continued her gurgling laugh even as she did what she should have to begin with.

This was something that—with a mere moment with her normal level of enhancement—she realized with ease.

She had aura superiority, of course, so she grabbed the iron within her torn-free body parts and pulled them back to her.

At that point, the once-again-active healing magics rejoined the flesh, working to replace and repair the area around the connection, pulling the needed materials from her vast stores.

The iron within the wolf was already one with the rest of her iron merged with Flow, even if it was still within the corpse. She could take it whenever she wanted, tearing it free.

Still, she wasn’t satisfied.

She wanted the wolf’s hide, too, not just the iron within the hide and fur.

It was ridiculously durable.

She also didn’t want to try to harvest and process it. That seemed like an unnecessary amount of work.

She hesitated, then.

No, she didn’t want it.

It was already hers.

MINE.

Her elk leathers extended tendrils outward, even as they were regrowing her clothing overtop of the newly reattached flesh.

These tendrils, however, extended into the body of the wolf, melding with the hide and joining the iron already within as anchor-points for her authority.

In that moment, Tala felt two things bound to and merged with her soul resonating in sync with her actions.

Kit was a devourer—just like Tala—and this method was much more in line with Kit’s feeding than Tala’s usual methods.

The dasgannach’s magics, abilities, and authority—no longer there in truth but still there in capacity and concept—seemed to hum in harmony with the stated and enacted claim.

Nothing could stand in the way of Tala claiming what was rightfully hers.

She pulled in a breath and spoke, so there would be no misunderstanding, “Mine.”

There was power in her voice.

She had layered her desire, along with the sure knowledge that the kill was hers, and therefore so was the body by right of the kill.

She had filled it with her magic and her authority both over the area in general, and over the corpse that still weighed down on her specifically.

As the sound of her voice went out as a wave, she felt her authority truly sink into the fur, flesh, viscera, and bone of the wolf.

She pulled.

Why use her body’s reserves when the wolf corpse had everything that she needed?

When she pulled in another breath, the wolf seemed to deflate, her own flesh swelling with new growth, coming fully back together once again.

Her elk leathers pulled back in, drawing their new material along with them.

A moment later, Tala lay on the ground, unburdened, surrounded by churned earth and snow, no vestige of the fallen wolf remaining.

A rumbling laugh rolled over the battlefield. “Anatalis will be pleased indeed, human.”

With her three-fold sight, Tala was able to watch as Mistress Vanga arrived beside Rane and worked to heal Terry.

Good, he deserves to be fully restored. She felt nothing but gratitude toward Terry. He had been instrumental in facilitating her victory.

Tala got up slowly, keeping her back toward Alefast’s wall and her front toward the Anatalins.

The massive snow-white wolf came forward, her indigo aura somehow perfectly contained along each individual hair of her pelt.

Tala, still recovering mentally, spent an overlong moment just utterly stunned at that level of minute aura control.

I really have a long way to go.

-But, hey, we’re alive.-

Alat! Are you okay?

-Been better, but I was able to observe the whole time. I just didn’t have enough to actually be helpful… I am sorry about that.-

I’m just glad that you’re alright.

“Human.”

Tala reoriented on the leading she-wolf, and only then did she notice the presences around the massive lupine.

Hidden to mundane sight—and even obscured to her three-fold sight—were seven slightly smaller wolves, arranged in a half-circle behind the leader.

Each of their auras was held in close, but Tala was able to catch just enough to see that they were solidly blue in color to her magesight.

Then, they vanished from her sight in all forms.

They specifically let me catch a glimpse of them. She shuddered.

More terrifying than their presence was the fact that they’d seemingly correctly assessed her detection capability well enough to give her that passing glimpse and nothing more.

Tala stood up tall, banishing her armor but keeping Flow in hand. “Wolf.”

Some of the pack back among the trees growled but not many.

The leader just laughed, causing the snow around the area to fluff up some from the vibration-induced air alone.

“What are you called by your kind?” The wolf asked.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“My name is Tala, and I am called Mistress Tala.”

She harrumphed. “Humanity complicates such simple things, but I am not so rigid that I cannot bend. Mistress Tala.”

Tala gave a shallow bow, keeping her eyes on the wolf. “What may I call you?”

“I am no god-beast to be named, but you can call me by what I am. There are only a few of us, so it should not cause great issue.”

Tala waited a moment.

“Den Mother.”

Wait… only a few? There are more wolves as strong as she is?

-Focus, Tala.-

“Greetings, Den Mother.”

The wolf dipped its head slightly. “Greetings, Mistress Tala, acknowledged of the Pack.”

After the greetings, in total defiance of expectation, the wolves all turned and started walking back to the woods, seeming almost to vanish among the trunks one by one.

Tala was about to call out after them, but Master Grediv was suddenly standing beside her. “Let them go.”

“That’s it?” She frowned his way.

He returned the look, chuckling. “What did you expect?”

“I… I don’t know? They came to test humanity… to ally with us or something?”

“Yes and no. Anatalis has seen humanity as a toddler, stumbling through dangerous woods for time beyond memory. He was here, stalking the forest before the first gate. He watched over gateless humanity on these plains all the way back then.” His smile turned wry. “Apparently, he almost killed the first gated who came, because he saw us as invaders whom the gateless couldn’t hope to handle. Thankfully, our ancestors convinced him that we weren’t here to exterminate but to join with those who lacked gates.”

“How did that go?” Tala smiled in return, despite her exhaustion.

“Well, they apparently claimed that their magic would bring prosperity and power. He disabused them of that. Though, he did acknowledge that their new way was interesting. Regardless, he eventually allowed our existence, but took on a position of benevolent-yet-apathetic neighbor.”

“And now?”

“Now… I don’t know. One fight won’t raise us in the eyes of the Pack, but it will open the door to more.”

She grunted.

He looked her way once more, the last of the wolves having faded from view—even for Tala’s three-fold sight. “You seem worn. That was quite the clash.”

“Yeah. He’s one of their best?”

Master Grediv hesitated. “For his age? He is an absolute prodigy, beyond even the standards of their race. Overall? Among all Anatalins? He is likely their weakest, or near to it. So, no, he isn’t the best, not by a foot or a mile.”

Tala frowned, not understanding. “But he’s the best of his generation?”

Master Grediv shook his head. “That doesn’t actually have meaning to them. Aside from the more mundane wolves that they uplift, their numbers grow very slowly. The Pack, as a whole, only has one pup every fifty to one hundred years.”

She blinked in confusion. Then, she understood. “Because they’re immortal, truly immortal so long as Anatalis lives.”

“Precisely. If they had litters as mundane wolves or dogs do, they would overrun the world in a matter of decades. They have never desired to rule Zeme.”

That was… a terrifying thought.

“Come, let’s get you back inside the city.”

She nodded, feeling her tiredness once more.

She wasn’t really hungrier than usual.

She had used a bit of her reserves, but she’d actually mainly healed using the body of the wolf, even refilling her reserves a bit—once again—in the process.

It had been a novel experience, but not one that was really outside of what she should have expected.

She’d just never thought to do it before.

Tala would have to explore the extent to which she could control and utilize it in the future.

It didn’t take long for them to get back into the city, where Master Grediv led Tala to a private dining room in a restaurant near the gates.

Within, Rane and Terry were already waiting along with Tala’s unit-mates.

Congratulations and adulation abounded for a few minutes before each of the unit-mates implored her to take time to rest and recover, leaving her to do just that.

Terry had immediately flickered to her shoulder—seemingly fully healed—and Tala had made a point of thanking Mistress Vanga for healing her partner and friend.

He headbutted Tala’s cheek before nuzzling down and drifting off to sleep.

Master Grediv also departed after verifying that she didn’t need anything further.

Alone with Rane and Terry, then, Tala suddenly felt a bit nervous.

-Are you going to tell him?-

Tell him what?

-What you realized.-

…I don’t—

-Nope! That ends now. You can’t continue to lie to yourself. Yourself doesn’t believe you anymore.-

…Fine.

Tala firmed her stance, tried to calm her suddenly thundering heart, and looked up to meet Rane’s gaze. She suppressed her through spike. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it honestly, no illusions in effect.

At that moment, Rane began to speak. “Tala, I need to tell you something. I—”

She held up her hand. “I am sure that it is incredibly important, but I have to say something, and if I wait, I don’t think I will be able to get it out.”

He stood there for a moment, mouth open and clearly conflicted, but then he slumped slightly, sighing and nodding. “Go ahead.”

Tala felt her cheeks heat. “I like you, Rane.”

He tilted his head to the side and frowned. “I… know?”

“No.” She shook her head, feeling her face flush even more, though she didn’t understand how that was possible.

Pull it together, Tala. You just fought a horse-sized wolf. This shouldn’t be this hard.

“I want to be more than friends.” She felt like she about died. Considering she had literally been on the edge of death less than an hour earlier, she felt that she was in a good position to make the comparison… honestly, she’d prefer to fight the wolf again.

Rane gaped at her for a moment.

She felt the need to continue—to clarify—before he got the wrong idea, “I… I don’t want to get married, not yet. I have too much going on—too much messed up in my own mind—but I want to be more, and I don’t want to… I don’t want to lose the time that I could have had with you.”

A moment of silence later, Rane barked a laugh, quickly covering his mouth.

Tala paled, feeling horribly embarrassed. Oh, rust…. He’s moved on. Rust. He is no longer interested. RUST! There’s someone else…

Rane was shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

She grimaced, then, thoroughly confused. “Then, why did you?”

He chuckled, nervously this time. “Well, I’m just really glad that you went first.”

That put a hitch in her thoughts. “Oh? What were you going to say?”

He grinned. “I have made my choice. I’m going to Refine. I was approaching it wrong. I don’t want to Refine just to stand by your side, Tala. I want to Refine so that I can protect those I care for. That does include you, true, but that’s just a part. Really, it’s everyone. I haven’t felt like enough since I let that family die due to my arrogance…” He took a deep breath, let it out slowly and smiled. “I choose to become enough to protect those I can.”

The burn wolves. She hadn’t considered how closely her fight with a wolf might mirror his teenage experience. “Oh, Rane, are you—?”

He nodded, cutting her off. “I’m fine. More than fine, I think.” He laughed again. “So, I’m going to Refine, and you want to court me.” He gave a cheeky smile. “Once again, I’m so glad that you went first.”

She flushed once more at that. “That’s not how I would have put it…”

“Really? Because that’s exactly what I heard.”

-Yeah, that’s pretty much what you said.-

Terry didn’t open his eyes, but he let out a lazy, affirmative squawk.

Tala grimaced again, but the grumpy expression was fighting a growing smile. “Fine, that is sort of what I said…” She met his gaze again. “So…?”

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding. “So… what?”

She felt like the blood in her cheeks was boiling. “So, are we going to? Court, I mean?”

“Oh!” It was his turn to flush. “If that’s what you want, yes.”

“Just if I want it?”

“Well… I obviously want it—I have for a while—so you’re sort of the deciding vote here… Right?”

That made her smile, and so she teased. “Ahh, relationships by aegis of voting. That sounds like an exceedingly wise thing to do.”

“Well, I suppose if we actually have to vote that is a bit of a failure…” He chuckled. “So… really? You’re sure?” He stepped closer, placing his hands on either side of her waist with hesitant movements.

She reached up, resting her hands on the underside of his elbows as she looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, Rane. I’m sure.”