Rise of an Alpha Female (Two Moons Book 1) Page 11

  "Go on!"

  "As a Diplomat, how would you handle a negotiation where you knew for sure you had the short end of the stick?"

  Jena smiles as understanding reaches her eyes.

  "I'd insinuate, suggest and use interpretable phrasing."

  "You mean bluff? You want to bluff us out of this situation?" Alastair asks catching on.

  "What could possibly go wrong?"

  "Nothing much. Just everything!"

  "And we would be back to fighting it out for as long as we can hold."

  "Guess it's worth the try."

  "Lands, let them know we want to talk."

  "At once, my lady," he says and the most experienced of them goes running. Two minutes later, a voice comes from the opening, though far enough to be safe from the cornered wolves and cats.

  "I heard you wanted to talk to me. Are your ready to surrender then?" The Second asks, barely holding the smugness from his tone.

  "Hardly so. You sound a little too confident for someone in such a precarious position, don't you? A big mouth for someone with barely over 15 warriors left," Jena answers back, going full Alpha behind her words.

  Damn it, that bitch is not a Diplomat; she's an Alpha. That traitorous Mahli lied to us.

  "You are no better off either, stuck in that hole you crawled into like a mouse, with 30 cats playing at being warriors. Hilarious! Why don't you come out and we settle this like men? Oh wait, you're just a girl. A girl mouse. Mousette!"

  "This Mousette got her entire pack to safety and killed five of your own so-called warriors. They were nothing more than overgrown wild hogs. We wolves hunt wild hogs for their juicy meat often. Actually, I think I've had more of a challenge while I was out hunting wild hogs. Anyway, shouldn't I be talking with your Alpha, you mangy mutt? You give a rather pathetic vibe. Are you an Omega or something?"

  "You insolent bitch! I am a Second, and you'd do well to remember that! And the Master does not converse with insignificant dogs. We'll just come in there and kill you all!"

  "With the success rate you've been having? Ha! But feel free to do so! By the way, how many of the wannabe fighters did you say you lost on your way here? I did promise my pack more hog meat to go around, and fresh from the kill is the best way to go. We'll keep taking them in a few at a time if you don't mind, so we don't waste any of the meat with over-abundance since portioning takes time. I mean we have 14 still hungry wolves and around 50 cat warriors, not to mention all the families behind us. Actually, could you call some reinforcements? We may not have enough for everyone to have their fill."

  "Aaarghh! You damn bitch! We'll just hold you in there till you starve and have to come out. Then WE will be taking you down one by one!"

  "That's fine too. One of the cat elders said they have enough supplies here for a couple of months. It's rather nice to have a well stocked and easily defendable spot to fall back to whenever you need to. Thanks to the advanced warning I easily got out of Mahli about your attack, we had to wait quite a while to meet you. I'm kind of disappointed though. Oh well! I'll just have to lower my expectations to your level. How does zero sound?"

  That woman is sooo... I'll make sure to get you back for that insolence of yours, Alpha or not.

  "What happened Mr. Second Familiar, cat got your tongue? Pardon the pun, but hopefully, it will literally happen soon enough. You should use the dwellings in the settlement while you wait us out. I heard well-rested meat tastes better. And don't worry, there is no chance my father, the Alpha of the Oasis Pack, will send a couple of war parties this way to check up on me and the rest of his men since I failed to check in with him a couple of days ago. I mean that would be a slaughter with a force of fully fledged warrior wolves, acting like a pack to take down some measly prey, barely a quarter of their numbers. My new pack would probably join in since they have developed a taste for hog flesh now. But that won't happen, so no worries. Now if you'll excuse me, there are hot springs back here so I'll go take a long bath. It seems I was downwind from you, and I got the stench all over. You shouldn't sleep with the pigs, you know? It's not sanitary. Bye-bye now!"

  Damn wretched, insolent, bitchy, female wench! Aaargh! The snarl is vicious and the Second barely contains himself from going after her and finding his own death in the process, but if thoughts alone could kill, one wouldn't want to be Alpha Jena right now.

  Having barely calmed down, the wolf returns by his leader’s side, beginning his report.

  "And that is everything she said, Master," the Second finishes, looking down and working hard to control his body's tendency to start trembling whenever the Master is angry.

  "I see. Looks like we have a new player on the board. And it is one that deserves some attention. So we have a fresh tiny Princess playing at being a Queen."

  "Yes, Master!"

  "Shut up, you fool! You have no idea what I'm talking about. I was talking to the only intelligent person here – myself."

  "Yes, Master."

  "Let's pull back, and move in on another location."

  "But she may just be bluffing Master."

  "But is it possible she is telling the truth as well? Is there even a slight chance of that being so? Is it plausible?"

  "Yes, Master."

  "Are you actually answering me or just agreeing with anything I say?"

  "Yes, Master."

  "By the Moons, you're an imbecile! I should replace you as soon as I can! Do you think your new Alpha friend would like the job? Don't bother answering; she's probably too proud. Very well. Let's see if we can bring this wannabe Queen down to broken Princess status. It's time to shuffle the pieces and rearrange the board. Leave three warhogs here, so it appears we are present and take the rest with you. A perfect opportunity for you to visit your old flame Second. See if the fire still burns as hot as it used to within your mate's heart, with whom I know you didn't cut ties despite me ordering you to. Take the rest of the warhogs with you and contact me through the blood link when you reach your destination."

  "And you Master? What if anyone comes and finds you here?"

  "Don't presume to know what I intend to do! Raised! Ask your warhogs for five volunteers that will enter the Promised Lands ahead of all the others. They will all be generals in my Holy Armies on the other side!"

  "There is no greater glory!" The Raised answers and grunts to his comrades.

  Five warhogs step forward and kneel. The Master walks in front of the first two, closes his eyes and placing a hand on each of their head he chants:

  'Tva rakta mama zakti!'

  They start convulsing violently and suddenly drop dead, with no apparent wound.

  "These two have already arrived in the Promised Lands. I can see them assuming their roles, with hundreds bowing down to show their respect. You," he points to the last three still kneeling warhogs "will stay here guarding this pass for the next three days. After that, engage the enemy, and you will quickly join your comrades in the Promised Lands. Disobey me, and I will be there when you arrive to personally turn you away and drag your souls into an eternal pit of torture!"

  The three of them rise and move to stand by the choke point, looking stoic, while the Master changes to his brown-yellow coated wolf form and takes off at a speed unnatural to any wolf, only leaving behind the feel of the unholy aura he sometimes displays. Even the cat warriors would have trouble keeping up with him for more than a few seconds, despite their amazing sprinting speed.

  With nothing left to do but obey, the Second turns around, starting the long run to his destination, accompanied by the Raised warhog and his 10 remaining comrades.

  ***

  "Anything?"

  "No Alpha, they haven't moved. Maybe they really did decide to force us out by starving us. Shouldn't they think we will be able to hold in here for a long time?" One of the cats on duty says.

  "Perhaps they saw through your bluff," Alastair adds.

  "They would be attacking if they did," Lands counters.

  "
What if they're hedging their bets? If it were me, I'd use scouts to see if the Oasis Pack reinforcements come but have them placed far enough out that I could get away in time if the odds are against me."

  "But there is nobody coming."

  "They don't know that, Alastair. And if you lower your voice, they will continue to be oblivious to that fact. And didn't you say..."

  "Alpha? Anyone? Can you hear me?"

  "Nazih? Welcome back!"

  "Alpha... Diplomat Jena? I mean... Alpha Jena?" He finally realizes why he could no longer feel Mahli through the bonds; though the Alpha presence was definitely there, maybe even stronger than before. But it's clear now after being answered that Jena is his new Alpha.

  "What happened to..."

  "Now is not the time. In short, he betrayed you and us, so we fought, and he lost the right to live. Hani, please explain to him where we are."

  "Yes, Alpha!"

  "And then Nazih will scout the area thoroughly and report!"

  Some hours later Jena's pacing makes her anxiety obvious, despite the cool facade she displays.

  "Alpha? I have that report."

  "Is the situation that dire? It took you quite some time..."

  "I'm sorry, but I couldn't finish sooner because it's very strange."

  "Meaning?"

  "There are only three warhogs guarding the entry. I found it odd myself, so I had to settle in a position to supervise them for a while, in case a patrol came by or their friends returned or something. Well actually just two of them, the third one is asleep. When he wakes, he replaces one of the guards, the one that has been on duty the longest. That's the only thing they ever do."

  "And you've checked further out?"

  "I've sent scouts up to two hours in all directions. There's nothing."

  "All right. How is your group looking?"

  "Seven fight-capable wolves, with two of them lightly injured. Another wolf is badly wounded but will survive."

  "There should be one more wolf with you still."

  "I'm sorry... he died a couple of hours before I first contacted you."

  "Damn it! And my cat warriors?"

  "One dead cat, one missing with seven still combat capable even though three are lightly injured. There is also one heavy injury that may or may not recover."

  "The missing one was probably Mahli's loyal minion, doing his traitorous bidding. We had a run-in with him back at the settlement. Hold on; I'll discuss it with the others and come up with a plan."

  "Yes, Alpha."

  30 minutes later, the cat is still pacing around anxiously, waiting for his new Alpha’s orders.

  "Nazih?"

  "We are ready. What are your orders?"

  "Get all the injured in one safe spot, with the lightly injured but fight capable guarding them. Then get your five wolves and yourself and the other three uninjured cats and let yourself be seen. Be ready for a fight."

  "We will Alpha, but I can't guarantee success. It seems we usually need three wolves for every warhog. We will do our best!"

  "Duly noted. Don't worry; we will come out and help from the other side."

  "We are good to go," he says back within minutes.

  " Report, then begin."

  "We are in position. They've seen us. The third one has awakened. Bad news though. Two are facing us, but one is still facing the inside of the passage."

  "They're not dumb; I'll give them that. Fine, you are in charge of the group outside, wait for the signal, then act."

  "What signal?"

  "You will know it when it happens."

  Inside the canyon, everyone is fidgeting with anticipation.

  "Sima!"

  "Alpha, please let me help, I'm all better now, I swear that wound is already closing," Sima says doing some mobility movements and wincing slightly at the pain.

  "OK, I will use your help."

  "But I promise it's nothing, I can... wait, you said OK?"

  "Yes. OK. We are going to use you. You will be the first to go through the choke point."

  "What... really? I mean of course I will," he says, his expression now a stoic one, ready to give his all for his pack.

  "Because we need a ramp," Jena says.

  "Excuse me?"

  "You are going first; get as close to the warhog that is blocking the exit as you can. All this in your human form. Once you get in position, you will bend down from your waist while standing and hold still; lean on the walls if you need to. I, Alistair and Lands along with a couple of cat warriors will jump on your back, and then push on, going over that warhog. Please forgive us in advance if we, by any chance, scratch or otherwise injure you, but I just don't see any other way at the moment."

  "Of course, Alpha! That will be nothing. Don't worry about it! What do I do then?"

  "Return to the canyon side of the choke point and keep it blocked with the rest of the cat warriors until we come to get you all."

  "But I could still..."

  "NO! You will do as I say," the Alpha in her enforcing her words. "I need one of my best warriors in top shape for the following battles. I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

  "Yes, Alpha!"

  "Good! Alright everyone; let's get this nasty warhog business over and done with, I'm getting tired of the constant stench."

  Fierce determination can be seen on everyone's faces, along with hope and a confidence one would have struggled to see just a few hours before.

  As she jumps over the warhog, Jena takes in the situation:

  The three warhogs are almost forming a perfect triangle, while Nazih and the others are slightly off and to the right.

  As soon as she touches down, she heads straight for the leftmost warhog. With her previous experience now under her belt, she wastes no time to engage him.

  Knowing Jena's reaction from when they tried to help her back in the canyon, Alastair and Lands headed for the rightmost warhog instead, with the two cats behind them following their lead.

  Nazih started moving as soon as he saw Jena come out, splitting the cats with him between the two engaged warhogs, himself aiming to help his new Alpha.

  He has no way of telling the wolves what to do as they are all in their animal forms, but he hopes they will use their brains, as they so obviously proved they could do earlier when his group was disposing of the six warhogs they were tasked with.

  It is no surprise to see two of the wolves follow him, while the remaining three follow the other cats.

  "MINE!" Jena snaps both over the bonds to her new pack and physically out loud so the five wolves, still belonging to her father's pack, get the point.

  Justifying his former position as a Beta, former since he isn't sure his new Alpha would confirm it for him, he thinks quickly, analyzing the situation. Because the others have ignored the warhog furthest from him at the canyon’s entry, he redirects to that target before it becomes a problem for anyone.

  "My cats on me, aim for the third warhog, slash at Alastair's one as you go by. And I really hope the wolves get the Alpha's message!"

  And as soon as conjures the thought, four of the five wolves follow him, while the last heads in to help Alastair.

  "Alpha, do we give them duel conditions like with the others I told you about?" Alastair asks through the bonds.

  "NO! No more playing around doing the honorable thing. They were willing to attack unannounced and without provocation. The ones with me at the time heard Mahli clearly say they were going to indiscriminately kill everyone. No mercy and no delays! Just kill them!"

  "They were just following orders though," Lands adds.

  "And so will you! I did say kill them, not torture them. What better glorious death than to die while fighting as hard as you can against a superior opponent? Be it superior in numbers or fighting prowess."

  With all the combatants now having both seen combat against warhogs and previously worked together in defeating them, their coordination is good enough that the two fights end in less tha
n five minutes.

  An impromptu circle forms around Jena and her target, as those two are still going at it.

  The warhog has several bite marks over his body, with skin, flesh, and muscles missing here and there, though unluckily, nothing vital has been damaged.

  Jena herself has a couple of cuts here and there, probably from coming in contact with those elbow-length tusks, but Alastair can't help wonder how many bruises and broken ribs she will end up with. By now, his experience tells him that warhogs clearly favor kicking and punching over biting and slashing.

  He watches Jena get hit several times, as she is moving a lot slower than back at the canyon and he begins to worry that maybe she is hurt a lot worse than the eye can see, internal injuries being his main concern.

  "Let us help, Alpha! We can finish him; you have nothing to prove."

  "Stay where you are!"

  She snarls at him again through both the bonds and out loud.

  Time slows down to a crawl. For the Personal Guard, trained to protect above all else, it feels like an eternity of going against everything he has been trained to do.

  But Personal Guard Alastair is no longer Diplomat Jena's protector. He is now Alpha Jena's Beta. And the Alpha gave an order, giving him no choice but to obey.

  Suddenly the warhog drops to his knees, his foggy eyes a little clearer.

  "Alpha," the warhog says acknowledging his opponent.

  Jena changes back to human form, ignoring any worries on nudity. Her body sports numerous red swells that will probably bruise in a day or two.

  "Warrior, you fought well."

  "I see it is true what they say; there are formidable fighters among the wolves and none more so than their leaders. Why did you toy with me though? You could have finished this fight a lot sooner. Or maybe you wish to take me prisoner? Deny me entry to my Promised Lands?"

  "Though you are only the second of your kind I have fought, you will certainly not be the last. Fighting you has been a good lesson."

  "So you were studying me? I don't know if I should feel honored or humiliated."

  "You were a teacher, maybe an unwilling one, but still. Why do you follow this Master? Who is he? What does he want? Where is his base? How many warriors such as yourself does he have?"