Chapter Ten: A Plan within Plan
Everyone, including the very calm Lyya, was dumbfounded as Shadowfang step into the clearing, a stranger tan wolf who unmistakably bore the scent of an Eastern War. A few of the wolves jumped to alert position and others growled lowly with grudge in their eyes, but Shadowfang walked in steadily, and shook his head to the angry and confused crowd in annoyance. Behind him, the tan colored wolf walked in nervously.
"Who are you, wolf of the Eastern War, what's your business here?" Rokal demanded, anguish emitted from his tone.
The newly arrived she-wolf flinched as she heard the furious old wolf, "I… I am Siria…" she uttered, hardly audible, which only added to the grey wolf's displeasure.
"Speak up you coward! Dare walk into our territory so bravely and now you can't talk like a wolf to this elderly here?" He roared, his paws clawed the clearing floor with fury.
For a moment, Siria was lost in words, and Kaltag, who was sitting silently on the side of the den, was thinking that this wolf that just came in would not live the sun of the next dawn.
"Why did you bring her here, to die?" He whispered to Shadowfang, who was sitting motionlessly two yards away from Kaltag. Shadowfang jerked his head towards the currently speechless she-wolf in response.
"Observe and listen." Kirdo, who was by Kaltag's side, translated. His sight was firm on the newcomer, "Kamsa never do things without a good reason, and that reason must be able to convince him. If he feels it's safe to bring an enemy into our midst, a great chance that the enemy won't be our enemy for long."
Kaltag turned and looked at Siria, she was steadier now, and managed to say, "I am Siria," this time louder than the previous, "And I am here to assist you all, by giving information and maybe more depends on what I can give."
"What can you give, Eastern War?" Rokal growled, "What else can you offer other than the total destruction of mine pack?" A deep hatred seemed to flow out from his eyes, but he was able to contain himself from attacking.
"I don't know what I can give other than information," Siria replied reluctantly, "But I will do anything in my power to help…"
Rokal opened his mouth ready for another sentence of mean words, but Lyya cut him off with a soft smack on the side with her tail. She stepped elegantly into the center of the crowd and spoke with her cunning voice, "Why argue upon what you aren't sure about? Why not just give her a chance to prove herself worthy to be trusted?" She then turned and whispered into Siria's ear, "Now, I think you have a little sharing to do… but, a piece of warning for you, Siria, not all of us are as hot-headed as that old oaf over there, we know much more than we let on." She left Siria a little startled. "So, let's get started, we don't have a whole day to spare."
After a few seconds of unnerving silence, Siria spoke. She started softly, related the reasons of the attack she told Shadowfang earlier in the night to the rest of the wolves, earning a few angry comments and snarls from her audience. Next, in a louder, but more hesitant voice, she broke the plans of her pack, and the newly confirmed attack to her shocked audience.
Another unnerving silence filled the air in the clearing. And the Valley's End wolves exploded into a mess of shouting and roaring, everyone were panicked and desperate, even for Balto and Kaltag, who had never witness the strength of the rival.
Eventually, Balto had enough of the chaos. Screams and complaining about the problem will only make the matter worse, and what's important is that time isn't on our side. Upon thinking this, He shook his mind clear and shouted loudly. "Calm down, stay calm! Complaining isn't the solution! We need a plan!"
The chattering voiced down a bit, everyone looked at Balto with expectations and maybe, a little confusion. "We must decide what we will do before time runs out."
"Balto is right." As expected, the sole white wolf among the crowd voiced herself, "And I do have a plan." She added in her attractive yet cunning sounded tone.
Without the agreement of the other wolves and wolf-dogs, and ignoring the angry protest of Rokal for laying out the plans in front of a outsider, Lyya laid out her plan. Everyone was involved in her plan except for Kaltag; even Siria had gotten a small role to play. It was a quite complicated strategy, and very daring, however, there is one very obvious flaw in the plan; it was utterly meaningless as it would most probably end up having them all surrounded with no escape.
"Why should we do this, there's no reason for it! This is not a plan, it's suicidal." Kirdo stated, and the other wolves nodded in agreement.
"Of course it is pointless," Lyya replied with indifference, "Because it is only part of the plan, leave the rest to me and do your own parts."
"And you'll just leave us to die like the last time?" Rokal growled, he instinctively lowered his body, "We all know what you did in the last battle, don't ever think we don't! A high risk plan like that one would be impossible to come out from your damn clever brain, if you truly want to do your duty!" He spat as he finished his sentence.
"I must say that Rokal is right," Kirdo continued, a small hint of anger, which was rare for a wolf-dog as magnanimous as him, "Almost everyone saw the flaws in your plan, but none of us questioned it due to our late alpha's trust in you. But they never would have thought that you would buy your own escape with the lives of the whole pack."
If Lyya was surprised by the accuses of Kirdo and Rokal, she showed no emotion. Her face remained calm, "Just do what I said." She said quietly.
Rokal and Kirdo's reaction was predictable, and well understandable, but before they could bark out anything, Mukhas stopped them. "Stop it guys, time is against us, this is no time for suspicion within our own rank!"
"But she betrayed our pack!" Rokal roared, "Leaving her alive and untouched is already against the rule! If only there's someone with the authority to judge, she will be sentenced to death and I swear on my hide that I will execute her myself!"
"Woah woah," Balto said calmly, "Take it easy Rokal, don't get out of control. Perhaps Lyya has something to say about this?"
Mista, who was almost forgotten by the others, suddenly rose from her resting place and walked up slowly to Lyya, a strange expression was in her eyes, that of suspicion and hope mixed together. "We are not going to judge you now or maybe ever… But we need a plan that will success this time… will you help us? As one of us?" she pleaded with her eyes opened big and shiny, like what a pup would do.
To everyone's disappointment, Lyya's expression remained unchanged and cold as frost, "Just do what planned, if you do trust me, then leave the rest to me." She repeated.
Perhaps the only one who was not cast down by the attitude of the white wolf, which just rejected the chance to redeem herself without a second thought, was Mista. She just rolled her eyes, and turned to face the crowd, "let's just do what she told us." She said, surprising everyone but Mukhas, the brown eyes of this cheery black wolf widened for a split second, but smiled in comprehension right after that.
"Wait...What?" Began, dumbfounded by what just happened between Mista and Lyya, "Are you out of your freaking mind, Outrunner? You actually believe in that sly fox over there? Who almost bought her damned life with your life as well, if it wasn't for the fact that her filthy life was too cheap that our ancestors deemed that she wasn't worth it, you'll be some pale bones in the middle of nowhere by now!"
Mista turned around and faced the complaining old wolf in the eyes with insistence. "She will help this time. Besides, what are we gonna do if we don't follow her plan? Do you have a better plan in mind?" She turned around, her piercing eyes scanned across the clearing and everyone in it, "Anyone here has a more decent plan? One that will have a better chance of success than this one?"
Mista gave the other wolves and wolf-dog some time to make up their own plan, but, most to Rokal's surprise, after a minute of silent waiting none of the plans of the others would give a better result than Lyya's already mad and suicidal plan.
"It is settled then," Mista declared on her own, "we do our parts and we don't complain. Please do not let us down."
"There's nothing we can do other than that," Mukhas added, much to Rokal's surprise, "So why not give it a try?"
"Agreed…" Kirdo mumbled reluctantly, Shadowfang nodded before he left again, probably to do his parts right away.
"What say you, brother?" Kirdo asked, the question was directed to Balto. Balto knew that eventually it will lead to some sort of vote, so he had make up his mind halfway when his brother asked for his opinion. To him, there was one thing he always regretted, that Steele never got a second chance from the dogs in Nome, he clearly predicted he would not get that chance, or he did not want that chance, and snuck away into the forest before the town's dog returned to his last appearing ground. He did not like Steele, but everyone deserved to get another chance to prove him or herself.
"Although I do not fully understand the conflicts that happened in your pack, Kirdo," he finally voiced his choice, his voice clear and firm, "But I agree, and I will help in her plan."
After Balto made his choice, everyone turned and looked at Rokal, the old wolf was appearing uneasy, as if he was trying to convince someone but no one would listen to him. "Fine!" He finally surrendered, "But if anything happen to anyone here, I swear I will tear you into a thousand pieces even if I am reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes! Mind this, white fox…"
Lyya's expression remained unfazed as her friends left the clearing, mumbling, while getting into their own positions to undergo her plan. Mukhas gave another smile to Mista before he trotted off to his location of action, meaning that he knew what Mista was thinking. Soon, only Kaltag remained, as he was not given any task to do, he decided to go back town and share the grim news with the dogs of the town.
Just then, he heard Lyya called for him, in a weird tone. Before he can ask why, Lyya got into a string of nearly inaudible mumbles; Kaltag could notice the sign of her voice shaking as she spoke. Kaltag focused on his ears but could only make out random words "They… sorrow… hate… help…"
Of course, no one could understand what those pieces of a sentence could mean, but before Kaltag could ask, Lyya pulled herself together and, in an instant, back to her usual, mysterious and keep to herself state. "I didn't mention you throughout the whole plan, did I?" she said with a calm voice, as if nothing happened, "But I didn't say you are not part of my plan."
"Sure, my part would be, get out of the way and let the wolves and wolf-dogs do the job." Kaltag answered sarcastically.
"Then my answer will be surprising to you," Lyya responded with a hint of seriousness in her tone, "You'll play the major role…"
Lyya explained the part she planned for Kaltag, and as he listened, his face turned from disbelief to shock and to fear. At the end, Kaltag could hardly apprehend the risk of the plan or the insanity of the wolf-dog that stood before him.
"This is the only way," Lyya insisted, "We have to stop it somewhere, or they will haunt us to the end of time."
"But…" Kaltag stammered, he could not imagine himself doing such a thing, "Is this really necessary?"
Lyya nodded with her eyes closed, "You better hurry, the enemies are on the way and no one knows how long you'll need."
"I didn't sign up for this!" Kaltag complained, "It's nothing I will ever do! It's the most horrible, the most terrible, the most regrettable to do!"
"Balto is out there, one of your friends is out there," Lyya pointed out, much to Kaltag's irritation, "If you don't want to do it, then he's screwed." And in a much lighter tone, she said, "Consider this an effort to save a friend; this will make it a lot easier for you mind and your so called 'morality'."
"You…" anger started building up inside of Kaltag, "You left me no choice!" He gave Lyya a dangerous glare, and ran off toward the town without looking back.
Lyya stood alone after Kaltag left, her face showed none but the void of expression. Softly, she said, "I hope you can all forgive me… in time you will know why…"