Yuki-onna:

  "I suppose there is a reason they do not say the second time is a charm."

  It was her second night waiting for Tash at the border between Pantsti and Chikukei. Such commitment to a half-haphazardly made offer was a foolish endeavor, the Icy Sorceress admitted. However, it was her only chance to finish her work without unneeded bloodshed. If it failed...

  ...

  No. It wasn't the time to be clouded by unpleasant thoughts. Yuki-onna needed all the concentration to detect any Monoke Saniya approaching. Her technique wasn't nearly as refined as a trained Wolf guard, so she needed to enter a meditative position and state of mind to pull it off. What if the captain arrived with her squad or an even higher number for backup? The pale maiden was powerful, succeeding in holding down several Basan soldiers to rescue her Weasel underlings. However, Tash proved her worth as an opponent through her solo performance against her and Hari. A terrifying feat for a being that vastly paled compared to her in terms of experience.

  Tizohi's shadows protect her. There was still that Human who wormed his way into the Dragon's Guard ranks. That golden aura wouldn't fool her. Its visage was burned into her memories so deeply her mind could reminisce and convince herself she had traveled back to that agonizing point.

  ...

  A Saniya signature came into her radius and overshadowed the rest. A single Monoke was approaching her location.

  Could it be...? She had to stay on her toes, hands seething with a cold haze. The chance it was any other guard in patrol was tangible.

  ......

  Misplacing a bush with her paw, the captain of the Dragon's Guard arrived, clad in uniform. Of course, the most pertinent detail was the lack of a Human brat limp in her hold.

  The Wolf and the Yūrei entered a nearly endless staring battle, each standing on opposite sides of the red line that delimited two grand territories. I mean, someone literally painted a pronounced red line on the ground. Who would've wasted their energy on such a tiresome task that would be for naught in a few months? The Chōkō? Honestly, that would be perfectly on-brand for that egotistical buffoon...

  The captain spoke first, carefully stepping with her ears darting in all directions. Even with her Saniya sensing, she still didn't have complete trust in the icy Yūrei coming alone. Impressive, if a tad unflattering.

  "You are either too courageous for your own good or vastly overvalue your abilities, Yuki-onna."

  The pale Monoke decided not to indulge in this plain taunt. "If the child is not in your hands, I assume you came here to notify me not to waste my time?"

  "You're not too far off," Tash spoke with an emotionless voice and expression as she sat on a rock. "But I also came with a proposition..." She clasped both paws.

  A wicked grin formed on her almost non-existent lips. "Oh, Captain..." She waved a dismissive, skeletal hand. "I was not aware of your talents in comedy..."

  The Wolf shook her head, sighing. "Call it what you want, but it's for your own good if you listen." She scraped her claws on the jagged, rocky surface. "You got an extensive, outstanding file on your life in the grand Human-Monoke war... And I'm not talking only about combat prowess..."

  The Yūrei's huge eyes narrowed. "Elaborate."

  Tash grazed a piece of moss off the rock. "Records say you mostly lived in reclusion in the early years of war until a horrendous incident with a Human spurred you to go 180° through the rest of the conflict."

  Yuki-onna didn't respond, her eyes locked on a falling leaf.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "What was her name?"

  Judging by the captain's softer tone, the sorceress knew she wasn't referring to Hari...

  "Tae-fuyu." She contemplated properly speaking her name with her mouth, but that furry wench wasn't nearly worthy. "She had just completed 500 years..." Her icy breath lodged down her throat from the memory. "You... know all this and..." Her eyes shot a violent glance at the captain. "You still protect them? Is this about your job?"

  Her Saniya subtly seeped through her paper-thin skin and comingled with the air, lowering the temperature in a small radius. However, to Yuki's surprise, the Wolf maintained her composure as if she hadn't been impaled by the sorceress' blade two days ago.

  "This is not about my job," Tash stated bluntly. "If that brat slightly stepped out of line, I'd have no qualms snapping her neck like a twig!" She raised her paw and clenched it to accentuate her point. "However..." She took a deep breath. "She hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, my daughter adores her. They are packmates, you know. And I won't start desecrating my people's traditions for so little..."

  Yuki detected a slight hesitation in her voice. Something else was at play - a small detail she wasn't willing to disclose.

  ...

  By Tizohi's antlers... What if the Human and Tash's pup were...

  ......

  "Are they courting one another?"

  After a single question, the captain's cold, unafraid mask has shattered.

  "E-excuse me?!"

  That was all she needed to hear...

  "Listen to me." Yuki-onna boldly stepped toward the Wolf, her mouth fuming with her frigid breath. "This is the beginning of the end for your pup. Once she is completely enamored by that demon, she will suffer through a living hell. If that Human will not target her directly, she will go after everyone she holds dear." She pointed a finger at Tash. "You included."

  The captain trembled slightly at the warning. But then, her eyes widened in realization. "So specific..." She slowly stood up. "So that was the gap your file left unattended..."

  Yuki-onna stepped back instinctively.

  "You were in love with a Human..." Tash spoke almost accusatory. "Was the Human directly responsible for your daughter's death?"

  The Yūrei huffed, a wave of frigid mist seeping between her teeth. "I trusted him with my child, only to find him with her blood on his hands an hour later! He sicced his cohorts on me, thinking they would be enough to stop me!" A thin layer of frost clung to her bony hands. "He thought a broken heart would be enough to make me a wailing damsel..." Her sickly grin widened. "The true terror he expressed while forever stuck as an ice statue is some of my most comforting memories..."

  The Wolf mother scrunched her face with sheer disgust. "Speaking with you only reinforces my belief that I made the right choice..."

  The Icy Sorceress' cold, rageful eyes intently locked on the arrogant, foolish, high-ranking guard. "Your CHOICE is to doom your daughter's life..." Her heart pounded with righteous anger. "I was convinced we were kindred spirits, especially since you lost one pup to THEM." Revulsion dripped from every inch of her like venom. "But you are clearly too short-sighted and selfish to make the hardest decisions..." She clenched her hands so tight she felt heat prickling through her palms for the first time in forever. "I should freeze you to death right here and now..."

  Tash nodded. "You can try..." Blueish sparks flashed all over her body in a split second. "But not even you can contend with the old coot..."

  Damn her. Hōkō must be listening to their conversation. His Saniya is too diluted through Pantsti's flora to pinpoint his activity. Regardless, Tash was correct. The Wolf elder might be the strongest living Monoke, with the only true contender being Queen Malka. If Yuki attempted to capture the Wolf guard with her Body Scramblement technique, he might pounce on her.

  The captain cocked an eyebrow. "Any more words, Yūrei? Our next conversation will be when I capture you and your lot."

  Yuki-onna snarled like a raging beast, the first sound she uttered in centuries.

  "Two Humans bask in your protection. If you think-"

  Tash held a paw to interrupt her. "ONE Human."

  She scoffed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Are you serious? I know about The Silver Knight and his deceptively buffoonish facade."

  "I have no idea what nonsense you're spewing at me..."

  "I KNOW only Humans have a golden aura. I fought countless of them."

  Tash shrugged. "Yeah, he got a device that customizes the color of his Saniya. His Human mentor told him his kind do that as often as painting their hair." She chuckled. "I don't get the appeal, either."

  Was that bitch mocking her? Did she think such an inadequate claim would fool her? Her cold exterior was defrosted by the heat of her rage, rippling and bubbling into a scalding ocean.

  Yuki started to step away from the Wolf. "You will not dissuade me from this paper-thin excuse, Captain Tash... I am done presenting my point to you." She lifted her index finger. "Know this..."

  Captain Tash's body halted, her eyes darting with a lingering anticipation.

  Yuki-onna's feet abandoned the dirt. Her shadow, projected by the moonlight, expanded each second until it swallowed the Wolf whole.

  "Whatever these next few weeks will hold... no matter how unfortunate... Remember..."

  A sick grin returned to her pale features.

  "It will ALL be YOUR fault..."