Joha ended up having to relay everything that Bjorn had told them to the council. Tanisha was too upset to deal with their foolishness. She and Bjorn walked out of the council’s meeting room and sat in the lobby. Tanisha’s mood finally transitioned from white hot rage, to slightly less hot anger, to lukewarm simmering outrage over the course of her waiting in the lobby.

Ignoring the disapproving glares of the town hall security, she sat cross-legged on the floor next to Bjorn, her hand idly stroking his long, sleek body. It was only now, in the quiet moments between the council’s droning nonsense, that Tanisha truly took stock of his appearance again. Bjorn had grown considerably since he was born, even if he was smaller now than he was in Lavi.

He was about the height of a pony, his scaled body long and thin, built for speed and agility rather than bulk. From his snout to the tip of his tail, he stretched over twelve feet, a lithe, sinuous presence that coiled protectively around her. His scales shimmered in the light of the lobby, a striking blue-green hue. The color was more vivid than she remembered, an iridescent sheen that rippled with each subtle movement of his body.

As her fingers traced along his form, she couldn't help but notice the areas where his scales were missing. Patches of smooth, newly healed skin were scattered across his body, the aftermath of the brutal fight he’d been in only hours ago. While the wounds had healed, the scales had yet to grow back, leaving small, bare spots that felt oddly vulnerable under her touch. Each time her hand brushed against one of these bare patches, the embers of her anger flared again.

Tanisha’s fingers hovered over one such patch near the base of Bjorn’s spine, where a cluster of scales was completely absent. The skin beneath was smooth and pale, still tender from whatever healing magic or natural recovery he possessed. Her gaze traveled further down his body, noting the webbed spines along his back—sharp, angular ridges that looked almost like fins—and the thagomizer at the end of his tail that swayed lazily from side to side.

It was a reminder that despite his absolutely adorableness and graceful appearance, Bjorn was a dangerous predator, a creature born for combat and survival. Yet, here he was, calm and still beside her, his many heads resting quietly as though he sensed her need for comfort. One of his heads nuzzled against her leg, the coolness of his scales a balm to her frayed nerves.

Tanisha clinched her fist and breathed heavily through her nose. “I am sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner. It’s like we’re never strong enough. My father, my mother, that troll, the druids, Thyra, fucking Loki. Now some werewolves and that Forest Father damned gnoll.” She closed her eyes and took a proper breath. “ We are going to kill them and Sabec.”

After a few minutes there was a flurry of alerted looking guards going in and out of the meeting room. Tanisha could hear some of them talking about a “druid invasion” and “monster horde” as they ran to their stations. Joha finally exited the meeting room. He was joined by Robert and the two seemed to be conversing about something. Joha led Robert to her and she stood as he approached.

“...you will have to ask her.” Joha finished some unheard conversation.

“Tanisha,” Robert held out his hand.

Tanisha looked at the open palm for a moment then took the hand. “I appreciate you sticking up for me in there. I imagine things would have gone differently without you.”

“It wasn’t always like that, but after the Nazem’s reform to a more capitalistic government these bottom feeders were quick to take power.” Robert said with a sigh. “They are good at making money but they should never have been in any position of real power. Troels honestly did more for you than me though.”

Tanisha rolled her eyes.“He is the one that brought up all of the suspicious things I did.”

“Yes, he did that on purpose so it couldn’t be used against you in the long run. They had to act all at once to discredit you. He did that so we could have all of those negatives addressed and dismissed right off.”

“So, what did you have to ask me?” Tanisha said with a sharper edge than she meant.

“I wanted to see these werewolves you captured.” Robert said.

“Why?” Tanisha said suspiciously.

“There was a group that used to hunt around these parts, they weren’t a part of the Jackrabbits but they left fifteen years ago. They were the Gold Strider Pack and normally they would be welcome here,” Robert had to raise his hand to stop Tanisha from interjecting. “But they attacked a member of the Jackrabbits on a contract we sent you on. There is no way I can allow any hunters we send out to be attacked and targeted by assassins. So we are going to help you as much as we can.”

Tanisha gave the man an assessing look. “Golden Strider Pack? Their last names were Strider so it is possible they are from the pack you mentioned. You aren’t going to try to stop us if I decide to kill them, right?”

“You were already given the right to decide their fate.” Robert said, offering no challenge. “As far as I am concerned if someone tries to kill you their life is already forfeit. Truthfully, I would rather you show them mercy. We could imprison them and send them to a labor camp but this decision is yours.”

Tanisha looked to Joha for his opinion.

“The Jackrabbits won’t get involved with anything to do with the druids base out in the woods.” Joha said with a shrug. “Thier group is only contracted to hunt monsters so the majority of their people will be here in the town for a while looking for any additional skinwalkers. From what I can tell the werewolves are all now enemies of the town. Robert and by extension the Jackrabbits consider you a member and this an attack on them.”

“I just want to question them, that is all.” Robert said. “We will also keep a look out for any other members of the pack.”

Tanisha thought about it and eventually nodded. Having the Jackrabbits on their side would give them far better odds in confronting the werewolf pack and finding Sabec. He was apparently in town somewhere and Bjorn hadn’t sniffed him out. There were plenty of perfumes or other ways he could have hidden his scent. If that is the case the only way they would find him is with more eyes.

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

“Fine, but there is a mastermind to the assassination attempt.” Tanisha said. “His name is Sabec, he was a gnoll war-merchant and they said he was in town somewhere. Could you help me find him too?”

Robert rubbed his chin. “We can keep a lookout for gnolls but we can’t detain him if he is found. The Jackrabbits were only given authority to detain werewolves.”

“Finding him will be more than enough.” Tanisha said.

***

Robert split off from the group to meet up with them at the inn after he informed the Jackrabbits what transpired. When Tanisha, Joha and Bjorn arrived back at the inn the owner’s were waiting for them and they were not happy. There were threats to kick them out and call the guards but their tune changed when Tanisha gave them four gold coins to pay for the repairs and as a bribe to use their cellar. The couple agreed and Joha moved the werewolves to the large underground storage room.

The cellar held barrels of supplies for the business and had a musty odor. There was little light with only a few glow stones on the four support pillars that divided the space into four quadrants. Tanisha used her Divination Hydromancy to light up the area with balls of glowing water that floated around her.

The werewolves were back in their human-like forms but were weak and pale from blood loss. The black chains that wrapped around them were barbed. Moving them left a trail of blood from the upper floor all the way to the cellar. Tanisha again used her Divination Hydromancy to clean everything before the blood stained the wood and rejoined Joha and Robert once the floor was spotless.

Everyone was together Joha rounded the chains so they would no longer have the sharp barbs and give the werewolves slightly more confort. Tanisha took out a herbal healing potion and gave them both half of one. It wouldn’t close their wounds but it would prevent them from bleeding out and make them slightly more lucid. Once Tanisha finished giving them health potions she slapped them to wake them up.

Robert and Alfred arrived shortly after and the two were guided to the cellar by the inn owner’s wife. Robert obviously recognized the werewolves although he had not said anything. When he saw them he merely looked over the many tattoos they both had. Alfred on the other hand checked on both Tanisha and Bjorn and got Tanisha's side of the story. While they were talking Bjorn wrote out, arrow, on the ground and motioned to his bags on his side.

Tanisha reached inside and pulled out a large arrow with a cruel looking hooked arrowhead. Tanisha’s eyes widened at the discovery, especially at the blood and bone and brain fragments still caught in the many jagged hooks.

“I have not seen one of these in a while.” Alfred said with a cough. “It is used to kill hydra pups. That all but settles that they were definitely after Bjorn. There is a special type of substance that can stop a hydra’s regeneration but it loses effectiveness after a certain age. Their bodies will be able to filter out damn near any foreign toxin once they become juveniles. The good news is now that Bjorn has been exposed to it his immunity will be even stronger.”

Robert called them all over to the bound werewolves since they were finally lucid enough to respond to questions. Joha readjusted the chains to sit both of them up against separate barrels. They were facing away from each other so they would not be able to see one another.

“Yep, that is definitely Adelheid.” Alfred said with a frown. “Don’t recognize the boy though. He looks like Alaric, his son or nephew.”

“You know them?” Tanisha asked.

“The Golden Striders, yes. The last time I saw Adelheid here she was a girl. Must have been what sixteen years ago or somethin’ like that,” Alfred said.

“Fifteen,” Robert corrected, his expression sad as he shook his head. “She was going on her first few hunts back then. Well shit, they had to go and do something like this.”

Adelheid groaned as she shook her head to wake herself up. There was a moment of realization then panic when she couldn’t lift her arms to rub her face. She looked up and saw the group of people surrounding her and recognized she was done for. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the arrow in Tanisha's hand and that Bjorn was alive.

“Where is Falko?” Adelheid asked in a low growl. “If you killed him I swear I’ll—”

Tanisha appeared next to Adelheid and slapped her across the face so hard she spit out broken teeth.

“You don’t get to ask questions.” Tanisha said sharply.

“I am fine, sister.” Falko answered. “I am here too.”

Without hesitation Tanisha stabbed the jagged arrow into Adelheid's thigh and twisted the barbed arrowhead to make sure it hurt. Adelheid screamed in agony as Tanisha grabbed her mouth closed with a hand and forced the wifwolf to look her in the eyes.

“Looks familiar doesn’t it? You tried to kill me and they tried to kill him, both of you failed.” Tanisha yelled in anger. “I told you what happened with Sabec. He was a war-merchant scumbag and I am going to make sure he is cut up and buried six feet under like his mate so his soul will never rejoin the forest.”

Tanisha let go of her and Adelheid just stared down at the arrow. For a long moment.

Adelheid’s voice was a shadow of what it had been when she was in charge. “What happened to my pa—”

Tanisha slapped her again even harder than the first time as the tattoos on her body glowed. “I didn’t ask you a question! Your people, your fucking people tried to take him from me!” Tanisha screamed. “I felt it… I felt the moment he died and the moment he came back to me. We did nothing to you, to the werewolves and yet you tried to take the one thing, the only thing I have left in this world!”

Tanisha raised her hand to this time with a clenched fist as seiðr flowed around her. She was going to kill Adelheid; they only needed one to question not both, but before she could swing someone grabbed her arm. She whirled around to see who stopped her only to see it was Bjorn. She immediately lost the fury that was in her eyes when she saw the familiar's eyes resting on her. There was a long moment of silence that followed as Bjorn’s heads shifted to look at the wifwolf. The girl was barely conscious and blood mixed saliva pooled on her lap from her broken jaw. Falko called for Adelheid to respond and his pleas grew more desperate as there was no response.

Tanisha was going to pull away from Bjorn but she hesitated. There was a pang of shame when she looked at Adelheid’s broken form. She still felt angry but now that anger was focused on herself, but why? Wasn’t she justified in what she was doing? They deserved this. But still, seeing Bjorn’s calm gaze made her question herself.

Tanisha took out another potion, this one a lesser health potion she kept in reserve for personal use. She took a breath, her emotions raw but controlled. Bjorn let go of her and she nuzzled his closest head then walked to Joha. The tiger demon had not said a word the entire time but Tanisha found that she could not look him in the eyes. She gave him the potion while averting her gaze and keeping her head low.

She wasn’t sure why she couldn’t look up to meet his eyes but she felt disappointed in herself. If Bjorn hadn’t stopped her she would have beaten Adelheid to death right then and there. She wouldn’t have been wrong to do so either. The council had already given her the right to kill them. They were assassins that would have killed her without a second thought if she, or Joha had been just a little bit slower. But knowing this didn't make her feel any better.

“Joha, Robert can ask his questions. Give her the potion.” Tanisha said in a whisper. “Tell me how it goes… but—I can’t be in here.”

“Don’t go too far, stay within earshot of the door.” Joha said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “If something happens I need to be able to get to you quickly.”

Tanisha’s nod was nearly imperceptible before she hugged the demon and walked away.