Wasting ran at Hemato and the hyena jumped out of the way. Wasting ran along marble floors, and skidded to a stop.

Wasting was in a room with dark green drapes. Hyena queen Rubay stared down at him from her velvet throne. Time paused. Wasting's legs lurched forwards. He didn't have feeling at this moment, just a single track goal - kill Rubay. With a primal roar, he ran at Rubay.

Rubay jumped off the throne, and he hit headfirst. His skull bounced off and his vision blurred.

Wasting felt disoriented, and grabbed his skull, before asking, "What happened?"

Hemato said, "Wasting is the brother of the Slaughterhound!"

"Hemato, your pay is docked." Rubay shook her head, and laughed as Wasting stood up. "Learn your lesson?"

"No!" Wasting shouted, as he stumbled off the throne, down three steps.

"Honesty is a virtue," Rubay muttered, as she flicked the hairs on her mane over one of her eyes. And hyenas scrambled to Wasting, yelling at him while Wasting went back to the throne. Rubay walked out onto a balcony and leaned over, moonlight wrapping around her body while shadows silhouetted her form, accentuating how big her behind was.

Wasting's heart dropped as he saw dozens of hyenas near him. As he pressed his back against the silver backing, he thought about how he could dismantle the forces.

She turned her head and gave Wasting a seductive look. "And another dumb male, as if I hadn't been surrounded by enough of those by now. Here you are, trying to kill me and without a plan besides run and hope you get me before the guards do."

Wasting shook his head and stared down the guard's fangs, and as some snapped their jaws he stared into their uvulas. "At points you have to do something for honor. For justice."

"Should I kill you on the spot as justice?" Several hyenas closed in on Wasting.

Quick burst of feeling, no water nearby for Wasting to manipulate, therefore he had made a ball from thin air.

Rubay turned back to Wasting. "Either way, that's not justice, nor is your idea." Her lips turned to a frown. "My problem was never with you."

A blast of crystals came and caused the hyenas to run off. Fayldspar and Poinsiet joined with Khrystol, and she said, "And I never had a problem with you. And still it looks like you're the one to die."

Fayldspar grinned at Rubay.

But then Mage held a pink ball and said, "Hold your fire. You start a scrap, and we'll beat ya back. You forget, we won bouts with the wolves."

Rubay walked up back into the room, a draft of warm air seeping. "Normally I don't care for those of male persuasion in my guard." She eyed Wasting over a few times. "I guess you'd make a good soldier. Dumb, and follows orders, blind."

Wasting shuddered as the queen looked him over. "I'd rather die than serve you," Wasting said. He scanned the area to see the weakest hyena, but all her guards were big.

Rubay said, "Well if justice is your department, then you'll agree it's justice to work for the hyenas. Now, I'll tour you all around so you can examine the damage from the wolves."

Wasting raised a brow at the idea of touring the land and would shake his head, but Rubay said, "Or are you afraid to face what you did?"

With a bite, Wasting said, "Hyenkayd was screwed over by Canida, not Decay. You screwed over the Decay."

Rubay said, "You're with the Slaughterhound, and that's how you know I'm the new, unified queen, yes?"

He gave a nod.

"How about you see what I deal with?"

Wasting considered his options. Death, or becoming a fighter for Rubay. He said he'd never work for anyone else again. But it couldn't hurt to look, right? Wasting stepped off the throne.

Fayldspar asked, "What about us?"

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Rubay stared at him, and said, "Hm, what can you offer?"

"Um, talking about what someone can offer," Hemato said as he came up. "You know, I brought these wolves and the crimson prisoners as you said. Meaning Tanzanato can get back her land."

Rubay laughed in their faces. "You took too long, keep up the bad work and perhaps you'll see a scrap of power within a year."

Hemato and Tanzanato grumbled and ran off.

Rubay moved her gaze to Fayldspar, "As for you?"

Fayldspar slicked his hair back. "Haven't had a date in a bit and heat season is about to end." As he sauntered to Rubay, Rubay sauntered to him, and both sniffed the other. Fayldspar's eyes went to slits as he said, "You know what I'm saying?"

Rubay butted her head against his neck. "Yes, that's you're a loser who can't get a date."

Fayldspar's eyes widened, as Rubay used her hip to bump into his flank. Fayldspar gasped, took a few steps away, and glared at Rubay.

Rubay walked out the golden doors of her palace, and said, "You all should come with on this journey. A journey through a land of horror. Where no one has joy. All because of the wolf."

*

As the new pack travelled the land of sandstone, freezing winds rushed at them, and stabbed into their marrows. All the crimson guards stayed inside the palace as they didn't need to come along. For, none of them need persuaded as they sought revenge on Talizarin and Tandyar now.

Fayldspar shivered. As roads sprawled out, Khrystol and Wasting took lead. But Fayldspar bounced along, and said, "Man, these people have nothing."

Wasting rolled his eyes, and said, "Get over it, just some guilt trip." Hyenas lazed under awnings, or atop rocks. "Haven't you noticed how fat some are?" None of the wind bothered him since he was used to winter.

"Fat means more than just having a lot to eat, it also means not having a lot to do.," Khrystol said. "No water, besides water from the ocean, and no food besides the little that grows. Beyond the limits is a wasteland."

As Poinsiet stared at the dried, yellow grass, she said, "And inside is a wasteland."

Residential turned industrial, with buildings shut down by yellow tape, and mocked by penises. Khrystol and Wasting paused at a water plant, with a sign saying, "Keep out" in red letters.

"Filtration of salt as they have no wells," Khrystol said.

Wasting said, "At least there is water."

"We get sand in the crack all day," Rubay said as she came up from the rear of the group.

Wasting blinked at the plain wording, and said, "Okay..." Buy a bidet then, problem gone. "What you're trying to do is guilt trip us," Wasting said. "But you can't guilt trip me on something my parents did years ago. After all, all I am is police, as my father was. And his father before him."

Rubay, with a shrug, asked, "Do you just do what you're told?"

A shock ran in Wasting's system, as he knew the answer was yes. Wasting hung his head low, and said, "Being real, most of what I did was take advantage of the system. Bribes, favors, all of that along with espionage. You think you should seek help from a wolf who uses others, just to get a leg up?"

Fayldspar said, "You can't say that about you..."

Wasting tightened his jaw. "But it's true!" Wasting stared down. "Pushed alcohol into my system, and friends out of my system. Dyrian, Swillow, all of them." He stared back up. "But if you think I'm turning my back on someone again, you're wrong."

Rubay said, "How did you turn on Swillow the Slaughterhound?"

So, Wasting, told her what he said in the prison complex at the stadium, and Rubay nodded. "You're lying, but okay."

Wasting growled, and said, "What are you talking about, Rubay? What I told you was the honest truth."

Rubay said. "Why'd you let your sister go?"

Wasting said, "She would have died if I didn't. Not a monster, just needed her gone, just needed her out of the picture."

"What is the truth?" Rubay asked, and Wasting shook his head. Before he said that was the truth, Rubay said, "Lemme tell you straight up why I don't believe the lies you're laying down, okay?"

Wasting said, "Okay. Don't have to prove this to you..."

Rubay asked, "You signed up to be a guard? Your whole point is to save others. And I'm supposed to believe that, in one fell swoop, you abandoned your sister, became a crooked cop, and it just happened because you're a jerk? Unless you're a fairy tale villain, sounds kinda weird."

"Well, when you put it like that," Wasting said. "After all, none of what she did is equal to what I did."

"What she did?" Rubay asked.

Wasting paused, and said, "Okay, when we were young, I was the older son. Meaning I took care of Swillow, but got blamed for what she did. For I was supposed to look out for Swillow."

Rubay shook her head, "Nah nah nah no. Go deeper."

Wasting said, "Both of us were raised to join the police, and Swillow messed up. But strings got pulled, and Swillow got in, yet she kept blowing the whistle about... stuff."

Rubay asked, "And these strings are because your parents were part of the police? You must have gotten that same pull."

"No, because I'm able to take care of myself," Wasting said.

Khrystol said, "Sounds quite rough, Wasting, that your sister was the golden daughter and you weren't."

"Rough?" Wasting asked, "rough? Swillow was the pup, but I worked all day, and for what did I get back? Nothing until I broke the whistle."

Wasting slumped down, and Rubay put a paw on his shoulder before saying, "All you have to do is come with us, and join us. Kill Canida for the pain it caused. Turn your back on it like how it turned its back on good. And instead of doing what your parents have told you, do what is right for once."

Wasting stared at them, and at the water filtration plant. Rubay saw where his eyes went, and jumped back as Wasting sent a spear of water at them.

"Leave me alone!" Wasting shouted as he ran off.