Omega

She glanced over her tail up the passage she came from. The caves were becoming darker again with fewer and fewer light-rocks in the chambers, but it was not dark enough to obscure the truth.

There were more Cleansers out there, and they had to be following her. Dark shapes were barely visible out of the corner of her sight whenever she carefully looked. None of them came close enough that she could see them with life-fire sight or try to control them. That the Cleansers were following and staying barely out of sight was likely confirmation that a greater kin was leading them and was aware of her.

As she passed through the chambers, she had to restrain her anger at the sight of kin-bones gnawed on, snapped, and emptied. Some of the bones were almost certainly of light wings, though there were far more kinds too. Whether the various kin had died normally and been left to be food for the Cleansers, had been abandoned to be preyed on, or another foul end, there was no way to know. She did not want to know either. That truth changed nothing for the Alpha she would kill.

Even the least bad possibility, that of disposing of those who died normally, was still a foul-wrong practice. None of the other packs she had ever been to had left their dead out to be preyed upon by other kin or false-kin. Instead, they took the dead to sink in deep waters, or they buried the dead so the ground could eat and grow more plant-life. The twisted pack's lack of respect for their own old ones was just one more way all the packmates were treated as lesser than the leaders.

Just how had that pack gone so rotten? It had to concern why the peace broke between the dark wings and the light wings, but the details were unclear.

A whisper echoed from the distant caves, or maybe from her own liver.

That pack needed saving, and no one else was in a position to do that. No one else was strong enough, brave enough, or deserving of being the Alpha after the deed was done.

Why limit her status to only that one pack? There was nothing preventing multiple packs from having the same Alpha all bowed to. Yes. Visit all the important packs, force the Alphas to obey her or replace the existing Alphas with ones that would be loyal, and she could lead them all to protect the hidden ranges.

Two-legs found a way in once, and they would surely do that again. More fighting and conflict was unavoidable. Kin and two-legs would meet far into the future, and the fighting and thralling would continue. Inevitable.

What if two-legs were never given the chance to claim the hidden ranges? What if all kin hiding underground were to unite and fly with one goal together into the above? Together, they would eliminate all two-leg monsters. Fill the skies with flame, burn and trample the two-leg nests, flow over the ranges like a wave, and leave none of them alive. Kin could change the world forever and cleanse the above of monsters! Purify the entire world above and-

She landed on the nearest ledge, weary at the thought of so much death.

Where were these thoughts even coming from? The goal was not to take the above. Let the two-legs have the above. Kin could stay in the hidden ranges which were safer. Just let the kinds be apart. That would be enough.

She had to do a better job of controlling those thoughts. The two-legs were, for now, completely unimportant. There were other flights to fly.

But it was curious that her sire-father had not considered the possibility of taking the above, preferring instead to hide away all kin underground. Had he known of a problem she could not see?

She steadied herself before entering the next and final chamber. The path leading into the chamber was covered in a faint red glow from within, and the chamber was much larger than the others. The Cleansers had to have been bringing dead kin here for countless life-cycles, so there were probably bones everywhere, like some of the chambers before.

What was causing the red light? Melted rocks? Uncontrolled fires?

There was only one way to find out.

She took flight and continued into the chamber while keeping alert. The range was empty of plant life, very long in all directions, and had twisted-shape rocks and spikes growing along the rocky ground. The ground had some scattered kin-bones, but not as many as she had feared.

There were many tens of Cleansers along the walls. Most of the Cleansers were motionless, probably asleep, but those which were awake were facing her direction, though none of them moved.

She glided while remaining alert until one of the Cleansers jumped from a ledge and flew toward her. A quick touch of its thoughts revealed nothing, no plan to attack or awareness. However, there was a will within its life-fire, like a hotter flame burning inside and smothering a far weaker one.

She landed and waited for the thralled Cleanser to touch down before her, which it did, keeping its distance.

'I search for the Alpha of your kin-kind,' she announced.

'Why?'

This indeed must be the Alpha Cleanser speaking through a thrall. The thought-voice was muffled and distant, but also far more powerful than those of the Cleansers she had fought. There was no reason to pretend she did not know the Alpha was the one actually present.

'Because I wish to speak to you. Do you know who I am?' she asked.

'I know the thief you are like. You killed several of my thralls.'

'Only in my own defense because they threatened me. I warned them to stop.'

'They act as their wants compel them when I am not present. Apologies for them wronging you.'

She snorted, 'It is not only them. You tried to harm me in a thought-vision.'

'In which you were intruding.'

'So we have both wronged the other. Let us forget those wrongs. Do you have a name?'

'You may call me Omega. You are?'

'Skadi.'

'Why are you here?'

'Because I want to meet you and speak with you. You can answer questions I have.'

'I do not want to meet you.'

Omega had good instincts to feel the danger he or she was in if this had to become fighting.

'On my wings, I will only hurt those who deserve it. You have not hurt me. Your dead kin attacked me without you knowing, so I do not blame you for that.'

'Will you leave me alone if I answer your questions?'

'I will agree to that if you also let me meet you.'

Omega, and its thrall, remained still and silent for several wingbeats.

'Will you leave if I allow you to you meet me?' Omega finally asked.

She purred, 'I will never bother you again after we meet.'

The Cleanser turned aside and stretched its wings, 'So you say. Follow this thrall.'

She followed the Cleanser deeper into the range while other Cleansers remained at a distance. The red glow came from a distant corner of the chamber, probably the deepest place. Massive spike-rocks and light-rocks hung from the high ceiling. The other side of the chamber, and the place she was being led, was a deep lake with tall island-spires growing from the dark water nearest the shore. The water quickly dove from being shallow into pure darkness only a pawful of lengths from the shore. Unattended eggs dotted the island-spires sticking out from the shore, but the air was warm enough that the eggs would not go cold.

All looked much as it had in the memory-vision. The only difference was the lack of a dark mist, but that was probably because the mist was not truly in the range, rather a thought-trick Omega had used to hide itself.

The Cleanser landed on the largest island in the shallows. On the island were several other Cleansers, one of which was noticeably larger than the others. The smaller ones departed and landed on other islands.

She landed, approached the remaining Cleanser, and stifled her amusement. The largest Cleanser, a female, was very heavy and not with strength, muscle, or even eggs. Again, a bright life-fire burned through this Cleanser.

'Omega?'

Omega heavily got to her paws and faced her, 'Are you surprised?'

'I did not expect you to be so big.'

'None of the others are important compared to me.'

She glanced at the other Cleansers nearby. They were also females. All the Cleansers she had met, seen, or fought were females.

'I only see females. Where are the males?'

Omega twitched, 'Males are smaller and not as good at fighting. I rarely need them. The hunters are all mine. They do my hunting and fulfill part of our purpose.'

Omega was the dam of her entire pack? That was different from how all other kin made their packs.

Ignoring that rotted situation, there was another detail which was twisted and confusing. Why did all the other Cleansers have smaller-thinking compared to Omega? It was as though they were all less, or different from her. The ones she had killed far away had at least been capable of some thought. Maybe Omega controlling them limited their thinking somehow.

'What purpose?' she asked.

'We grow in number when the kin above become too many. We fly forth, we make balance, and we satisfy our hunger.'

Death. Kin hunting other kin. Unnecessary suffering caused by these hunters. Perhaps Omega and the Cleansers did not mean to cause pain and fear, but they could not help but do that just by being what they were. They were monsters even if their actions caused some good of keeping balance.

She yawned without showing any teeth. Anything that could put Omega at ease would help.

'I do not agree with you, but that is not why I am here. Do you know dark wings?'

Surprisingly, Omega growled freely, 'I know dark wings very well. They were a problem once to my… our kind. Why do you ask?'

'Because I met a kin named Reflection. She said she is half dark wing and half Cleanser, which is what the light wings call you. That would mean your kind and dark wings once made eggs. Why would that happen?'

Omega did not immediately answer. She had to know something she was not saying.

'Who can say? Wants and desires can become twisted and foul,' Omega answered.

She huffed, 'You clearly hate the dark wings. What did they do to you?'

'They are why I am the last of my kind. I will not say more.'

How could Omega claim to be the last of her kind when there were many tens of other Cleansers in the chamber? The temptation was very strong to force her way into Omega's memories and learn the truth by force. Maybe soon if no answers were freely given.

'How do you control your thralls from so far away? No kin I have ever met can do that.'

Omega stiffened, 'That does not concern you, but my kind can naturally do this. We have great wills. You should leave.'

She blinked, seeing that Omega had just lied. Cleansers did not have the great-wills that would let them thought-control others. Being the largest or most dominant kin in the pack would not change that and instantly give a kin new life-will-powers.

'I will soon. Can you touch life-fires with kin not like you?' she calmly asked.

Omega did not answer that question.

Every attempt to subtly touch Omega's life-fire failed, as though her thoughts were hidden in a way she had not faced before. A thick, dark mist hung between her and Omega's life-fire, which was curious. That mist, the same which she had felt in the memory-vision, was surely a type of thought-defense.

Why did the situation feel very wrong, not as it seemed, or like she had missed an important detail?

Why would Omega need such a defense? Why was Omega do different from the other Cleansers?

'You are hiding something,' she said.

Omega chuffed, 'As are you. I know who you are like, but with one important difference.'

'Which is?'

'He could speak to and command many at once. You do not know to use a great will like mine.'

The threat was as clear as bared teeth and open flame.

She growled, ready to pounce, but several tens of Cleansers were too close, gliding around the island. Attacking Omega would probably be successful, but there would be no escaping afterwards. Controlling the others one at a time would not help against so many. Escape was still possible.

Omega stiffened, 'But I do not want you dead. You will be far more useful alive.'

Omega fell limp to the ground, as if asleep. There was no time to wonder about that.

The water erupted.

She tensed as a massive shape burst from the dark waters.

It emerged from the deep water and strode ashore in the shallows, each step trembling the ground underpaw. As large as a great-tusk, five eyes glaring at her while one eye was ruined, and a bony-boulder at the end of its massive tail.

Omega was not a Cleanser after all. Instead, the six-eyes boulder-tail had been controlling the female Cleanser, and probably the entire pack, using them all for her own purposes.

There was power in those eyes narrowed on her. Such a powerful and large kin should be obeyed. They were natural Alphas which kin had to obey.

The chamber was gone. The Cleansers were gone. The island and water and everything were gone.

Nothing except a force of will surrounding and smothering her life-fire. Obey. Submit. Give up. Stop resisting. Go to sleep. Fall into sleep-visions. Why even bother? Omega was too big to fight, with a will like a roaring flame encircling hers.

Yes, Omega was so great that it was her place to obey and submit to the greater will and let her in and-

Why?

Why bow?

Why bow to anyone else?

The roaring flame pushing against her life-fire was itself pushed back by a greater wind. Omega's flames were forced in on themselves, collapsing into a darker and hotter mass. Within that swirling mass of life-fire were memories which she touched and-

Omega was young when the dark wings attacked her nest of controlled kin and forced her to flee. They struck the above-nests in order, killing her kind. Dark wings struck first and left her the last she knew about of her kind.

Missing an eye and a wing, she fled into the deep waters and the hidden ranges to hide from dark wings. Hiding and safety found amid kin that hunted other kin and cleansed ranges. They were easy to control and would bring food for her so she could stay safe. Dark wings would never think to look for her here. But she could not get to dark wings while staying hidden. No way to get justice and revenge. A problem. A plan hatched.

Dark wings were too fast and dangerous for her kind to fight directly. Others had to do the fighting for her, and her great-will was strong enough.

Controlled thralls found dark wings in distant ranges, captured living dark wings, and brought them back to her. With the dark wings controlled and unable to resist, she made a new mixed-kin with all the speed and powers of dark wings, the need to kill of the hunters, and life-fires she could more easily control. With a great need to hunt and cleanse already in their livers, she gave them a purpose. Nothing else was important. None of the other kin-kinds mattered.

Swimming the above, all her dark wing killers connected to her life-fire through a link of thought, except for one which was stolen. Their thoughts were shared and known, completely obedient to her. They did the hunting where she could not go. They brought back dark wings for her to eat or stomp on.

An unexpected ally found above in a two-leg which shared her purpose, its liver and thoughts being much like hers. One of her creations given to the two-leg to use. The killer used from afar many times and finally lost in a failed fight against two dark wings and a light wing.

Two-legs? What were those? Why were they important? Traps, using, abusing, tricking. Countless dark-light cycles in traps. Hunger and isolation.

Did she have a name, or was she nameless?

Nameless?

Skadi?

Both?

Neither?

Omega?

She recoiled from the ball of wrathful flame that was Omega's life-fire. Other life-fires, those of the Cleansers, lay at the edge of thought-vision, and there were small webs growing out from Omega's life-fire to the Cleansers.

A connection between life-fires, the link. The way for thought and will to fly across the gap between kin. Those thought-webs were probably what let Omega control the Cleansers. A single command from Omega would have all the Cleansers attack her at once while she was stuck struggling with Omega's life-fire. The connections between Omega and the Cleansers were too dangerous.

Dangerous but also fragile.

Flames of thought burned and snapped each strand of the web, one at a time and all at the same time.

Omega was almost entirely alone, the connection with her Cleansers broken. Two other, different strands remained and were too strong to break. One leading near and the other, more darkened strand leading far away. Vague sensations of a dark range filled with mist and dim-light rocks. The life-fire on the other end of the strand was disturbed, reached out, and-

Omega howled, flames lashing and struggling as she realized her control over the Cleansers was lost.

Her own wrath and rage grew as the truth became clear. Omega was why dark wings were so rare. Omega had killed many of them and had even made a new kin-kind to hunt dark wings for her. This was a monster far worse than the light wing Alpha she would personally kill.

Omega's life-fire darkened and swelled with new strength, spilling outward in flames that shattered the thought-vision.

She spun away and jumped from the island, fleeing only a wingbeat before Omega crashed down on the island, massive forepaws crushing the largest female Cleanser and crumbling the island. Omega spun in place and leaped at her, howling in wrath.

Omega was surprisingly fast for so enormous a kin, though she could not fly at all. One of her wings was gone entirely, and the other wing was shriveled, probably from not being used.

She spun around a large column to avoid Omega's torrent of flame which chased after her. So much fire and heat was in the air that it was hard to safely breathe.

Omega's roar pained her ears, probably from its many loud and shivering echoes bouncing endlessly.

The Cleansers were fleeing in fear in all directions. Lacking an Alpha to control them, they had to fear the large monster which could eat several of them whole at the same time. They were not going to be a problem.

Near the middle of the chamber, she glanced backward as Omega leaped and bounded, every step booming and visibly shaking the ground. All five eyes were narrowed on her.

Omega was much stronger in life-fire than the great-tusk she had met far away. Omega's burning wrath protected her, so life-will-powers would not help against her life-fire. Omega's scales and hide were too thick to harm with any fire. Even an entire nest of kin fighting as one flight probably could not kill such a large monster.

Omega arched her head and shoulders, gathered fire-air in her massive maw, closed her eyes, and released a roaring fire-cloud that rushed toward her faster than flight.

Unable to avoid the flame-cloud, she dove through it, and felt stronger as she faded. Strength and power crackled in the fire, dancing from the flame-cloud to her scales and hide. All weariness was gone.

How many dark wings had died to Omega's twisted and foul life-flight? How many needed revenge?

Dashing out of the flame-cloud, she glanced over her tail toward Omega, and she stiffened in surprise and shock. Small strands of sky-light darted and dashed on her faded hide and spines, almost like what the crashing-light-eaters could do. Memories flared to life of her sire-father controlling sky-light in his fights against the dark wing hunters which Omega had created. He could control and use the sky-light, and so it seemed could she.

But it was another question whether sky-light would help at all in this fight.

She spun toward Omega, darted between spiked light-rocks growing down from the ceiling, and growled as the monster looked around for her.

The sky-light gathered about her and jumped with a flash and crash directly at Omega's head.

Omega pulled up, howled, and shook her head, keeping her eyes closed while echoes boomed throughout the chamber.

While the strike with sky-light had confused or disoriented Omega, it had not done much harm. Maybe Omega's kind was too large to care about such an attack.

Still hidden from sight, she glided at a safe distance around Omega while searching for something… anything to use against the monster.

Omega slowly spun in place, searching for her. Omega's massive tail with a bony or rocky growth at its end crashed into a column which partially shattered and crumbled into countless pieces. Part of the ceiling fell on Omega's back and broke apart in pieces bigger than most kin, but Omega was unharmed.

Omega stilled and growled a deep and piercing rumble which bounced off the rock and echoed seemingly without end. All of Omega's visible eyes immediately snapped to her and followed her faded flight as the echoes kept bouncing. Fade did not help.

Keeping away from Omega was not difficult. It might be necessary to keep distance until Omega tired herself out. Leaping and dashing would probably tire such a large monster very quickly. However, that still left the problem of how to kill it.

Leaving was an option, but the deaths of countless dark wings had to be avenged. Left alive, Omega might regain her control of the Cleansers. Omega was too dangerous to leave alive, and no one else could give her what she deserved!

But there were no weaknesses that mattered. Powers and thought-control would not help. Even crashing sky-light could not cause harm. Omega was too big and strong for any lone kin other than a great-tusk to kill normally.

The great-tusk she met had lost a fight against dark wings. One of its tusks was broken, and it had also lost an eye.

Eyes. Those were a weakness on anything.

Omega stalked toward her, the monster's massive tail avoiding the rock-columns. Maybe she was being more careful to not collapse the chamber.

The faint weariness came over her all of a sudden as her wings felt heavier. The void flew at her with almost impossible speed from the side. She backwinged just in time as a rush of wind passed where she had been.

She gasped in alarm as the emptiness, shaped like a kin, spun around and flew for her.

Omega had a dark wing killer with her, and it had fade.

Another cloud of fire from Omega forced her to dodge and avoid a column.

How could she kill this new, far more dangerous thrall? It was easily as fast as her, and, just like when being near Reflection, being around this one left her slightly weary and weaker.

Wait, there was already an answer. Her sire-father had used sky-light against these monsters. That was their weakness. All she needed was a clear shot after gathering enough sky-light and heat.

With the faded killer close on her tail, she fled from Omega, wanting space before turning on the killer. One enemy at a time was enough.

Its life-fire was absent. There was no will of its own which she could control, only another will of death and revenge.

She readied sky-light and spun in a loop, facing the faded killer. It barely dodged the flash of sky-light before continuing after her. This was easily the fastest kin, or false-kin, she had ever fought.

She faced toward Omega and flew straight at her, diving through another flame-cloud. With more power gathered for sky-light, she ducked beneath Omega, barely missing a snap of massive jaws, passed between her column-like legs, and darted around her side with the killer close behind. She barely dodged a swing of the massive tail. How had Omega known where to strike? Only by seeing from the dark wing killer. Having more eyes was an advantage, but it could provide her an opportunity.

From the side, she dove between the massive legs, under the belly, and out Omega's other side before pulling up into a tight loop, her sky-light ready. Neither the faded hunter or Omega had any eyes on her at the moment.

The faded dark wing killer had no time to react.

Her sky-light struck it, and the faded killer dropped, falling many lengths until it crashed to the ground in a spray of dust and life-water.

Omega howled in wrath and filled the air with flame.

Holding her breath, she dove through the fire, followed Omega's neck higher, and landed on the massive head.

Her claws barely giving her grip, she leaned over and flamed the nearest eye, destroying it before Omega knew she was there. A quick jump off Omega's head saved her from being crushed when Omega tossed her head and struck the ceiling with a crash which trembled the chamber and sent boulders tumbling.

Omega shook her head in pain and probably confusion while keeping her eyes closed.

Perfect.

'So slow! I see why the dark wings beat you!' she teased, racing toward a specific place in the chamber.

Omega ran at her while roaring in blind wrath, heedless of the rock-columns and light-rocks, shattering the light-rocks in her way on the ground.

The distance between the ground and the ceiling narrowed slightly, forcing her flight lower. Almost there. Almost.

Finally where they would meet at the correct position, she let her fade drop and spun toward Omega with sky-light readied. The timing had to be perfect.

Omega slowed, inhaled, and parted her jaws just as a flash of sky-light struck, igniting the fire-air deep in her maw. There was a flash of light and a hissing like wind as fire poured out from Omega's jaws, but it was not like fire-breath.

Omega coughed and reared back, and everything exploded in light and heat.

A fireball and wave of wind rushed out in all directions, even knocking her head over tail in the sky. Tumbling and rolling in the fireball, she held her breath and kept her eyes shut until the heat faded. She recovered her flight as the fire swirled, died out, and revealed-

She roared in triumph as Omega's body fell to the ground with a great crash. Light-rocks like spikes were embedded in Omega's neck, and the remaining light-rocks growing down from the low ceiling were covered in life-water.

Omega killed herself by rearing back from the explosion, striking the lower ceiling, and impaling herself on sharp light-rocks. Her own strength, massive size, and blind wrath did what no amount of flame, sky-light, or thought-powers could do.

Why was the rumbling and growling not stopping, instead only growing louder?

More of the ceiling began collapsing around Omega. Damaged rock-columns throughout the range cracked and imploded as the rumbling grew louder throughout the entire chamber and above. Columns Omega had crashed into in blind wrath were shattering. Chunks bigger than kin began falling.

Afraid again, she spun around and flew as fast as possible toward the distant cave-mouth, sparing only a glance backwards as the ceiling completely collapsed and crushed Omega's remains. Light-rocks shattered in crackling sprays of reflected light, sending shards through the air faster than flight. A column ahead of her cracked and broke, forcing her to dodge falling boulders and chunks of the ceiling.

Ducking, twisting, and spinning, she dove into the cave-mouth as a rush of wind struck from behind and forced her forward. She continued weaving and spinning through the path until the chaotic noises faded except for echoes and rumbling. The cave was not breaking like the chamber had.

It was done.

Relief followed as she slowed to a glide and caught her breath. There were a pawful of Cleansers in a small group on the ground, but they were not important or a threat. While they were hunters of kin, they would not be as terrible as they were in the past. They might even die out completely if Omega had controlled the only pack and not kept any males.

Most importantly, Omega, probably the last six-eyes boulder-tail, or whatever the terrible kind was called, was dead, and the dark wings Omega had killed directly or through others were avenged.

She roared, warmth filling her liver at great victory. Omega had been far more dangerous than the Alpha light wing could ever be. Killing him would be easy enough compared to what she had just done.

If she had understood Omega's memories correctly, dark wings had long ago tried to kill all of the six-eyes boulder-tails which had made their places in great nests of kin as Alphas. But if those Alphas turned against kin and made kin into prey or mere ways to provide for their own needs, the dark wings would have been in the right to free kin from such monsters.

She realized another useful detail from the battle with Omega. Speaking to or controlling more than one kin at a time from afar was possible by using the link between all kin, if she could ever find out how to do that herself. That was surely how her sire-father could speak to all the kin in all the ranges at once.

But that was flying too far ahead. Getting to the light wing pack while being rested, fed, and ready to fight was important to make her victory certain.

She yawned, her eyes and wings feeling heavy. All the fast flying had left her very weary, far more so than she probably should be from only flaming and quick flight.

Did using sky-light leave her feeling weaker than usual? It was possible. Regardless, there was nowhere immediately nearby which would be a safe place to rest.

The twisting and winding path was no obstacle. She knew well from memory how to get to the light wing pack. The Cleansers avoided her either on their own or with only a passing thought-command.

However, the darker and deeper ranges were still lacking in food. Some of the ranges had mushrooms, but those were not the most filling meals. Meat with warm life-water, or piles of fish would be much better than the bugs and crawling things which were more common.

She took a side-path which, as she knew from the Cleanser's memories, led to a water-range. The water-range was dark, and the water tasted slightly foul. However, there were fish and other prey down in the water. Many-legged snappers could not hide, and the fish worth eating could not flee.

No different from how she would hunt in Ice-Water-Pack's territory or with Blue long ago.

With a full belly, she left the water and found a safe crevice to crawl into for rest. The Cleansers would not dare attack her. Or would they? They might try to attack her while she slept and could not ward them off.

She remained attentive for any creeping shadows. Resting without actually sleeping was much safer. Going too long without sleep would be a problem, but sleep could wait until she was out of the darker and deeper ranges or at least further away from the Cleansers.

Relatively safe, she lay down and relaxed, letting her thoughts fly far away. What, if anything, might have happened in the light wing pack since her sudden departure? What would have changed? Most of the pack saw her and heard her thought-voice at the end. The Alpha could not hide from or deny that. He had told them that she left to return to another pack, but everyone saw her there and heard the accusations which they knew were true.

What could he say to them? How could he twist to his advantage what had happened? Maybe he would say she came back after becoming thought-rotted and confused. But she only said what they already knew, so why did they not do anything?

She moaned, again confused by how everyone else there had not acted. None of her supposed allies had done anything to help. Why did others not act for their own good? Why were they so compliant even when they saw right before them the proof of what they knew in their livers?

Maybe groups of kin acted differently than individual kin did. But every group was made up of individual kin, and the group would never act if someone did not act first as an example for the others.

Was it as simple as their fear kept them frozen, unwilling and unable to do what they knew was best for them? Were the light wings of that pack so weak of will that they would not… no, could not act on their own? Willpower. Strength and determination. The ability to want and act to get what was wanted.

The light wing males who showed willpower by refusing to comply were secretly killed off by the Cleansers. Females who spoke up or asked questions were shamed and probably demeaned as punishment. Both were taught from a young age to neglect their own wills and instead obey rules given by the leaders for the benefit of the leaders.

Safety came from not being noticed. Blindly obeying what they were told, even if they knew the traditions were rotted and that what they were being told what was false, kept the obedient packmates from being noticed.

Was willpower like normal strength? Not practicing and not working to stay strong at fast flight or fighting would lead to greater weakness until the kin could not act well even if it wanted to.

Would anything be different this time?

They had to have been talking among themselves since that confrontation. They saw her defiance and knew it was possible to resist. Being defiant toward the Alpha before the entire pack had to have changed everything for them. She could find out from the first guards she met.

If nothing had changed, she could sneak in using fade and kill him in his sleep. No one would be expecting her return either way.