“Why are you lot here?” Janine asked bluntly.

  She was ie partment of the crawler, surrounded by crates. Sts of oils and some remnants of energy cells gave her a general idea of what this pce had been used for when the army had enough resources to fill it. The captain, unwilling to deprive the Sed Army of its precious supplies, has ordered the army to take the bare minimum from their allies, and Ravager, despite Devourer’s arguments, has supported this decision.

  Their journey has beeful so far. Crowded into tight quarters, the packs grumbled. The slightest provocation sparked fights and dominations, and the military police, more ehan usual, fired tranquilizer darts aric shots left and right to break up scuffles. Wolf hags patrolled the corridors, stamping out any disturbance of the peace, while the warlords drew matches, hoping to win a lottery for a daily patrol outside. Ravager assigned Dragena and First to take charge and sealed herself in her quarters.

  Janine skipped the offers of the outside patrols, much to the disappoi of her pack. She kheir eagero leave this steel coffin and go hunting, bathing away their worries in ioids’ hemolymph. But civilized nds awaited their arrival, and they had to look the part. With brutal efficy, the warlord started implementing her pn.

  In the m, she summoned her entire pack, cheg their well-being and supervising the domination and rank duels to prevent the fools from killing one another. After pleting the task, she visited the injured members, and while she was away, the wolf hags ducted the pack’s training sessions, using a rge cargo ste partment to stage bat exercises. Its wall reeked of acid and napalm as the other warlords joihe Janine pack. Afterwards, she sat her pack down like unruly puppies ahem about the s and rules of their homend. It wasn’t a simple task to trust aroniotebook, and she invited several officers to help her lead these lessons. Captain Cristobo joihem oelling about his own experience. Janine also added new rules. Defeg outside the toilet, fifteen shes. Insulting the crew, thirty shes. Failure to ahe quiz at the end of each study is a single sh.

  Wolfkins were hardy people, but she taught them to fear the in Janine’s arms. A single sh prised a regur strike, but rather than pulling the titanium back, the warlord waited until it ed around the insubordinate soldier’s torso. Then she yanked him or her off the ground, spinning the idiot in mid-air as sharp links bit into the body, drawing blood and scraping against the hardened exoskeleton. The cumutive disorientation of the spins was humiliating enough to ehat no lower rank could enjoy the pain, as Anissa, Bogdan, and Melina learned on their hides.

  After three days of strictly enf the new rules, Janine had earned a seething hatred from the medics who had to treat the wounded, a begrudging respect from the Alpha pack who admired her adhereo iron discipline, and many scarred bodies who huffed and scrubbed and took notes in css for fear of getting a bad grade. When Warlord Alpha picked up on Janine’s methods, a spark of pride shot through the pack, and they smugly whispered praise for their leader’s iy to the wolfkins who served under various warlords. Predictably, this led to an influx of domination matches.

  Thankfully, the ice boys stayed on their side of the crawler, joining the tribe during feeding times in areas where both warlords and sword saints enforced Ravager’s order to refrain from engaging in duels or bat betweewo groups. Some of the sword saints joihe lessons led by Janine, but she kept Bertruda away.

  With free time on her paws, Janine had called Marco for a regur personal lesson, only to find the partment they had chosen for themselves cramped. Ignacy, Bogdan, Impatient One, and Anissa, both of whom had finally healed enough to sit fortably after all the shes they had received for the prades, showed up. Elzada, the only scout who had performed well during studies, came after them, bringing a notepad. The scout with the metal leg and artificial lued herself o Ignacy, almost pushing him off the crate with a casual movement of her hip. The arm, broken by Anissa, still rested in a sling. Most annoyingly, Kaisa and Anji forced their way through the closing door. Kaisa angrily sat behind everyone, and Anji found a spot beside Marco.

  “Still on leave,” Ignacy replied, resting his slightly oversized metal arm on his knee and fiddling with a screwdriver. His new arm still had the gray color, but her son had pns to paint it bck. His new fingers had the same fluidity as his anies. Bogdan admitted to Jahat Ignacy had already disassembled and reassembled his new arm at least orying to speed up his new fingers. “Might as well learn something new.”

  “And Ignacy had promised to look at my leg,” Elzada purred, her hip bumping into Ignacy again. At her request, Ignacy added a set of tungsten cws to the i but sturdy toes on her artificial leg. Ignacy had po use a regur titanium alloy, but a student of Till Ingo surprised him, granting the male access to the wreckage of the battle robot. He used the crawler’s foundry to fashion these deadly murder instruments. Elzada grinned and showed him her natural cws. “The cws that were installed on my leg e out a bit… slowly. Perhaps we could use some privad check them in my den?”

  “Why?” Ignacy asked, fused. “Let’s do it now!”

  Janine wao sp herself across the face for her boy’s obliviousness as he dropped to one knee and took a fshlight to examihe spot where the metal had seeped into Elzada’s flesh. He whistled, pulled instruments from his jacket, and began to tinker. Kaisa and Anissa showed no such mercy; o out a mog ugh and kicked Elzada in the back, and the gled like a girl and helped the scout sit up.

  Evee a metal arm, Ignacy was handsome. His fur was bed free of any parasites, and in his experiments to test the parability of his new limb with water, his fur gained a pristine lushness and smelled like a cheap shampoo. Few scars marred his hide, a testament to his sensible nature and ability to survive and thrive iribe. Colt had taught his cubs how to brush their fangs using a special powder bought from the venieore, and Bogdan’s and Ignacy’s fangs sho’s no wohat the girl had fallen over him, flirting with him to get his attention.

  Elzada herself looked no worse for wear. She still had to ask Anissa to help her dress, and the fur around the jun of her biological aal parts and over her lungs was shorn of all fur, but several strands of darkness were already growing oanned skin. A tight bandage hid the mirth of the freshly healed ugly scar in the pce where the cyber crafters had cut her body open to install a prosthetig.

  When Janine approached her to apologize for shattering her legs years ago, the scout raised her eyebrows, puzzled that anyone could remember the events of the distant past. As soon as the medics cleared her to walk, she rushed to Impatient One, fessed her sin, and asked for fiveness for accepting the Metal Union. Impatient One assighe scout a penance, but refused to give Janine aails, promising only that it would not affect the woman’s bat abilities.

  “Huh?” Ignacy mumbled, cheg the metal cws. “The restraint appears to have been iional. Look here once I remove this wire and this…”

  “I literally have no idea what else to do,” Elzada whispered to Anissa, rolling her eyes, and the other woman grimaced sympathetically. “It’s not supposed to be this difficult!”

  “Py-bite him,” Kaisa threw.

  “Ignacy likes pancakes,” Bogdan advised, earning himself a fused look from his brother. “I’m here for moral support, Warlord,” he told Jaugging at the high colr of his jumpsuit and dusting it off. Bogdan, as mischievous as his older sister, healed more slowly than his sister, but Janine smelled no fresh blood on him.

  “There is no need for any payment…” Ignacy began.

  “But I enjoy cooking!” Elzada cpped her paws. “Dad always told me I have a knack for it! He always told me: Elzi, when you’re not busy ramming someone’s fangs dowhroat, you’re making the best... Wait, I meant to say that Dad always told me I was the ge…”

  “I refuse to fail again! Studies or no, I am a shaman, and on my honor, I will meet any challenge head-on and win!” Impatient Oerrupted the sid-sentence, smming her paws against the crate.

  “Well, Ygrite gave me orders to stop beating people up and make myself useful. I tried the kit and the infirmary, but no one needed me, so...” Kaisa began to expin, leaning back against the wall.

  The girl was big. Janine admitted this. Apart from Janine, Kaisa and Anji were the only Wolfkins present who were much taller than three meters, standing half a head taller than Anissa or Impatient One. Both had muscles that looked like ropes, but where Anji sat rexed, smiling auring to Marco about something, Kaisa was nervous and on edge all the time. Anji had her geous mane of white hair tied up in tless braids, while Kaisa’s messy short hair was loose. Where Anji wore an immacute white button-down shirt and elegant green pants, Kaisa wore torn cargo pants and a dirty-looking sleeveless shirt.

  “’t imagine why.” Bogdan ughed, shrinking down as the cws snapped above his nape.

  “What was that, flea? Speak up!” Kaisa frowned and loomed over his neck.

  “Please don’t py-bite me,” Bogdan asked in a steady voice. “I am married and have cubs.”

  “I’d sooner copute with a parasite-ced cusack than touch your filthy hide!”

  “Shall I find one?” Bogdan asked eagerly. “Personally, I’m not into bestiality, so I don’t have your experience, but there should be one itlements nearby...” He fell silent as jaws rattled close to his ear.

  “I ’t hear you! Going mute on me suddenly? Good. Stay that way before I pull out your tongue.” Kaisa smiled wickedly and turo Janine. “As I said, when I saw that little gnome in the pany of two wolf hags, I followed them out of curiosity…”

  “Just tell the truth. You don’t have any friends and you want to socialize,” Anissa yawned, ign Kaisa’s angry hiss.

  “Nissa and Anji are here because of me.” Marco scratched the back of his head. Notig Janine’s raised eyebrow, the boy promptly offered an expnation. “Anji showed me how to sew! Then I sort of got lost in this maze, and she led me here, a Nissa along the way.”

  “It’s Wolf Hag Anji, Marco. It is disrespectful to address respectable officers by mere names. And you shouldn’t have bothered Wolfkins from other packs.” Anissa anxiously moved closer to her brother, wary of the rger female’s possible rea.

  “Oh, it’s quite alright, Ani!” Anji pressed a paw to her mouth to stifle the ughter and patted Marco. “We’re off duty, anyway. Marco, it’s been a genuine pleasure teag you. Warlord Janine, your boy really is a pleasant little gentleman.”

  Should I be worried? Jaurhe smile. No Wolfkins worth her salt would refuse to py with or train a cub, and Marco was still young... But Anji weirded her out. The woman was too pleasant for her ranks; other wolf hags, Anissa aside, gave Marco the cold shoulder, maintaining their status or seeing no reason for him to be so close to the warlord.

  “Wh yourself before the males. Is there a limit to your false modesty, Anji?” Kaisa ughed mogly.

  “Don’t worry, Kaisa. I do not have any aspirations of taking your pce.” As she held a paw over her mouth, Anji’s smile never wavered.

  “Yeah, like you could… Wait, what?” Kaisa jumped to her feet, and the fur on her ood up.

  At Bogdan’s chuckle, Kaisa whirled in pce, aiming to kick him in the head. Anissa acted ahead of her and tackled her brother, rolling away with him to avoid the blow, while Impatient One caught the ki her palm and closed her fist.

  Jani her cool, breathing through her nostrils and fighting against a barely tained rage. This wasn’t her pce to interfere, not now, not until cws started fshing. Her reckless behavior had brought shame to her pack; there is o include Ygrite’s pa the mix. Bogdan has overstepped his bounds, even though Kaisa has indicated a desire for casual versation.

  I keep the situation under trol. Her paw found a crate nearby, and she ran her fingers over the steel lid.

  “If you dare to try to touch our soldiers ever again, I’ll murder you in your sleep, Kaisa!” Impatient One growled.

  “A peculiar offer, but I do not swing that way, shaman.” Kaisa tore her leg free and jumped on the crate, being the shaman with a finger. “Feel like stepping up to me?”

  “I feel like stepping on you,” Anji said icily.

  The wolf hag stopped, sensing that the aggression had focused on her. Positioning herself in front of Mard Impatient One, Anji cracked her knuckles in a silent threat. Ignacy shoved the pining Elzada toward Bogdan, then pointed his metallic arm at Kaisa. The steel fingers of his ha bad slid into special recesses carved into the metal frame. His palm opened like a flower, and a fme was born in the barrel of the hiddehrower.

  “What’s this?” Kaisa sang sweetly, smiling from ear to ear. “A little pest has fotten his p the pad is trying to be a hero? Shall I py the part of a monster and rip off yhter to beat you with it?”

  The wolf hag’s body spasmed untrolbly; her pupils dited in respoo adrenaline release; her paws closed and opened, seeking some unseen prey; and the tips of her ceared from pockets of her fingers. Pissed. Pissed off beyond any reasonable measure, she was angry enough to maim a soldier for a situation that she herself initiated. Janine ihe air, tasting Kaisa’s st and catg the urge to dominate in it. It surprised her. Wolf hags were not gentle leaders, but her were they fools who fought for nothing. There was no honor here; any other wolf hag would’ve turhe situation around, pying it as a joke and won panionship.

  What is wrong with her? Why is she wasting aggression on a male?

  “T-tr-try m-me,” Ignacy stuttered, sug in the air and trying to appear calm.

  Never had Janine been so proud of her son as she was now. Ignacy had retly been injured; no doubt his skin and nerves were still healing, resulting in a moderate itch around his horrific wound. A here he was, standing his ground against an immensely more powerful oppo, afraid but unwilling to abandon his friends. Kaisa she air, first nervously, then infuriated.

  A male standing up to a female… For Kaisa, it must be inceivable. Blessed with every possible gift since birth, not unlike Janine, she was e the mere thought of enteriance from those she sidered lesser. In a few years, she might grow up and soften a bit, but for now, this angry teenager was dangerous to her kin.

  Janine knew why Bogdan, Anissa, and Impatient Oood by Ignacy, but Anji surprised her. Anji was not part of the pack, and simir to Kaisa, she had every reason to be angry at the males’ remarks. And here she stood, giving off a st of fort and reassurao Janine’s pack.

  She is going to jump. Janine saw a glimmer of fear in Kaisa’s eyes and guessed the reason. The girl had never had a pack turn on her. She had the strength to escape even if they had attacked her first, but now the fear had taken over, leaving only one way for someone as immature as her. Kaisa had to prove herself; she thought she had to quench this shame in the blood of her opposition. Jaed unwilling to give Kaisa the satisfa of losing or winning. Fear enced groreservatio not to throw it away.

  Screeg metal froze everyone in pce. Janine zily tore the crate’s lid and tossed it at Kaisa’s head, fast enough to turn the projectile into a blur. The arrogant woman noticed the lid in time and ducked, losing some of her hair as the metal smmed into a wall, pinning the woman’s hair to it.

  “Tch. I wao have a haircut. Thanks, granny.” Kaisa gulped in uainty, tearing her hair free from the metal.

  There were grateful tones in her voice, untouched by maliot utterly crazy. But she also did not know how to diffuse the situation without causing a bloody brawl with members of two packs, which could lead to a blood feud between packs. Sihe warlord had intervened, Kaisa had rexed, submitting to the superior and trying to weasel out of a problem while keeping her face. Young. Too young to bee a wolf hag. She ’t even trol her urges, let alo to lead a pack. And Ygrite, iypical fashion, did jad shit to direct Kaisa on the right path.

  Janine didn’t hold a desire for domination or inflig pain on the childish idiot. She was the same; first the shamans, thes, and finally, Terrific beat this into her. But she also learned humility from the older wolf hags araint in not causing needless suffering to the lesser personnel. A single wound in a field could mean the death of a male or the loss of a rival. A rival who could’ve helped bring out the best in you.

  Later, as they served alongside the Normies, Wolfkins females also learned valuable lessons in camaraderie that broadeheir perspectives. Where once a wolf hag would kill for implied disobedieoday’s officers limit themselves to giving an unruly male a scar. Janine wao see these ges spread more quickly throughout the tribe. She refused to let this young fool repeat the mistakes she had made. What use are the old farts if not to show the new geions how to be better?

  “Disrupt my lesson again, and I’ll make you shorter on the head. Then you won’t have to worry about a haircut ever again,” Janine warned Kaisa. The wolf hag snarled and tried to leave, but the warlord stomped on the floor. “Sit. You came here to learn, so sit down and learn. Everyone. Sit.” She didn’t growl, but the group calmed immediately, taking their pce. To avoid exposing his back to Kaisa, Anji sat Mar her knees.

  Kaisa crossed her arms, obeying the irritation in Janine’s eyes, and sat down. Anissa sat right o the idiot, behind Ignacy, and Impatient One fnked Kaisa from the other side.

  “I get the general idea.” Janine decided against dominating Kaisa. Individual beatings wouldn’t solve the problem; if Kaisa had been part of her pack, Janine would have gradually exhausted her, pushio the limit until the votile girl had learo ask for and accept help without seeing it as a weakness. Perhaps a more cautious approach would be better to correct her behavior? “Be silent, everyone. I had pns to educate Marco, but I may as well extend the same courtesy to all of you.”

  Jaivated her terminal and accessed her notes on Houstad. It was surprisingly good not to have to spend aire night out in the open, waiting for a sudden bullet from the darkness or sniffing for svers poag on humans. o check the perimeter; no sudden ambushes. She enjoyed a warm cup of tea and a dry meal for dinner and used her free time to read about a city the Wolf Tribe had ily helped to build. This civilization, the Dynast spoke off… pretty cool, all things sidered.

  “Our destination is Houstad, a city in the Core Lands,” Janine s the fusion in Bogdan and Kaisa’s eyes. “How could you not… Marco, do us the honor and expierm.”