-v-

Interlude: Plots within plots

Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "Remember that plots can be deduced and subverted."

Student: "But, Great Teacher, how does a leader avoid this fate?"

Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "Have many plots, spread them far and wide, and leave your adversaries in confusion and disorder."

Student: "But how will my allies be able to know my intentions?"

Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "How will you know your allies are not really your adversaries?"

The ruminations of Rhy'thnuk

From the Summation of Ancient Thought - Volume 86

The inner chamber of the Great Leader's cave:

"So let me get this straight: Wrok's minions have not only murdered the two footer of the Silent Gorge, but they have attacked Mender in the Great Valley's territory itself?"

Ignis stared down her deputy with the demeanor of a snake getting ready to envelop its prey. Shranok had never had the greatest performance of her deputies, and it showed in this report. That was why she had assigned her to managing the scouting parties for the valley. The one area she thought was most secure from mischief. A view that she now knew was wrong.

"There was also an, um, another incident in the valley with our spies," Shranok said nervously.

Ignis took in a deep breath as her two personal guards shifted uneasily behind her. "Go on…"

"The spies reported that there was a flyer making false reports to them and to our allies. They thought the spies were Wrok's and sent one of their own allies to deal with them. One of our spies was killed before everyone realized they'd been tricked," Shranok said clearly if a bit hurriedly, as if giving the report more quickly would make it any less terrible.

Ignis's foot slammed into the ground inches away from the deputy. "So not only did your scouts manage to be detected, but now the valley has reason to suspect us!"

"Why would the valley suspect us?" the deputy asked, not understanding the connection.

"Come on, Deputy Shranok! The valley has always been uneasy about the alliance despite the understanding of its elders. Now the loss of one of our own can be used against us!" Ignis pointed a claw at her. "Do you honestly think that the average valley resident understands or cares about our hidden runner disputes? To them we are just hidden runners. This threatens everything!"

Ignis nodded for her deputy to have a seat, which she promptly did as if running from a ferocious predator. She then sat back down in her own scrape, her head wearily resting on her right hand. This does not bode well. The packs will see more here than what is actually there. They will see Fate's work here.

"If you wished it, Honored One, we could make a deal with Questor or at least offer one. That would allow us to use him to against Wrok", another deputy, Clantor, suggested.

Ignis inwardly groaned. "What would you suggest, Deputy Clantor? That I offer one of my sisters as a fuck-offering to appease the back-clawing leach? That I give him an even better position to challenge my pack once Wrok is out of the way? You know what such an offer would provide him."

That was when another voice spoke out.

"I'm not interested, by the way."

Ignis could only snort at her sister's clarification. Sometimes when faced with command decisions it was hard to remember that one of her deputies was her elder half-sister. "Not that I would ask that of you, Deputy Glise. No, we need some other way to escape this briar patch."

Ignis leaned back. It was times like this when she wished she could see into her enemies' minds for just one moment.

"Perhaps, Great Leader, it might be time to fight claw with claw?"

Of course Dravos can see into their minds. My Left Claw has a mind as twisted as theirs!

"What are you scheming, Dravos?" Ignis questioned.

"Why, Great Leader, I only mean to…"

"You can drop the act, Left Claw; this is a meeting. There are no low hatched here," Ignis chided.

Dravos nodded as he leaned in as if whispering to her, "Very well. What I would recommend is to get leverage on those who might desert us."

Ignis and the deputies looked confused for several moments.

"The Great Valley," Dravos clarified.

"I hardly think that a threehorn or a swimmer will accept me as a mate, Left Claw!" Glise mocked as several of the other deputies snorted, "Your usual tactics will not work with them."

Dravos shook his head with a slight smirk. "Not a mate offering, Honored One, but a threat. Something that is also one of my usual tactics."

Ignis's eyes turned towards the Left Claw. "Go on, Left Claw. What is your proposal for this council?"

"It is a proposal for you, Great Leader. Your council is only here to provide counsel," he cautioned.

Ignis glared at him.

"Very well. What I suggest is that, since we do have the rainbowfaces in our possession, perhaps we could keep them in our possession."

Ignis blinked. "As prisoners?"

Dravos nodded. "Of a sort… just like how we have 'extended guests' of other packs to ensure compliance that are traded each season… perhaps the valley could be introduced to this worthwhile tradition."

"My mate wants to protect the alliance, Left Claw, not destroy it!" Viscond protested.

"My mate understands my heart and mind on this, Left Claw," Ignis spoke in a low voice, "We will not resolve this crisis by cultivating hatred."

Dravos bowed as if dismissed. "Understood, Great Leader. But do keep in mind that this is a crisis that can only get worse through inaction."

Ignis held up a hand as both guards blocked Dravos's path. "What do you know, Dravos?"

The hidden runner stopped as if encountering a wall and slowly turned back. His expression never changed. "My spies inform me that several of the western packs are making… adjustments in their planned guests for the next season."

"In the hostages to be exchanged?" Ignis asked.

Dravos nodded. "It seems that Alfrok, for one, intends to send us his brother. This normally would be seen as a trusting gesture… a sign of his esteem and proof that he has no plans of rebellion or…"

"But he hates his brother," Ignis deduced.

Dravos nodded. "Good deduction, Great Leader. He hates his brother and sees him as a rival. So having him killed if Alfrok takes advantage of weakness on our end… well… he would not see that as an inconvenience,"

"I'm sure that would not stop him from claiming otherwise for wider support," Glise quipped.

Dravos smiled. "Exactly."

Ignis closed her eyes for a moment as she massaged her now aching head. "So the other packs are making similar plans if there is a vacancy in the scrape in the near-future."

One of the guards audibly gasped in the background. Even the other deputies appeared perturbed that the thought had even been mentioned.

Dravos put his hands together, "I can only report on what my spies tell me, Great Leader, but I would consider that a reasonable interpretation of the facts."

Silence reigned for several moments as the council of deputies fell into quiet contemplation of what they had been told. The situation was appearing to be more dire than they could have imagined.

"I will… meditate on this, Left Claw. For now I trust you will inform me of any new developments?"

Dravos bowed lowly. "Of course, Leader Ignis. I am expecting another flyer report any time now."

Ignis flapped her hand. "In that case you focus on that. We will… consider these developments."

Dravos bowed again before departing the dark chamber. No one noticed the smirk on his face.

"So… how are you tonight?"

Wrok casually sat in front of subject of his attention as she attempted to consume more of the egg's interior. What she had been consuming with reckless abandon moments earlier she was now picking at it with caution.

My dear girl, there is no right way to consume a large egg. That is why only High Hatched eat them. For a High Hatched there is no shame in having some food wasted.

Penol kept her focus on the egg, intent on not missing any of the available food. She did look up for a moment, though. "This is really good. Thanks," she said sincerely.

Wrok waved a hand. "It was nothing, really. One such as you certainly deserves at least as much as my deputies."

He then nodded to one of his guards. Within moments three guards arrived each carrying a different fish.

"Thank you, guards. I will have the green and my lady will enjoy the blue one, I am sure."

He smirked as he saw her flinch a little at the term of endearment. The guards departed without a word as the two fish were left beside the egg.

Penol glanced at the fish then back at Wrok, not entirely sure what to do.

"You know… with how hectic things have been I do not believe that we have had the opportunity to have a proper meal alone. That was rather short-sighted of me. I hope that you were not offended," Wrok spoke softly, "Consider the blue fish a token of apology."

"I, uh, hadn't noticed, actually," Penol replied. She cringed when she realized how that might've sounded.

Wrok smiled. A bit nervous, are we?

"Well, even an unnoticed offense is still an offense… Consider this my way of saying 'sorry'." His words came out like a gentle breeze. "And, well… I thought we could get to know one another a bit better. Considering what we both are risking for our common cause."

"Um... okay," Penol said hesitantly, obviously not having any idea what to say to that.

He examined his fish for one moment before tearing into its tail and cocking his head back slowly so that his gizzard could do its work. After a few moments he resumed his quest for conversation.

"When did you realize that you wanted more? Was it when you were still Low Hatched? Or was it when you saw how things were on the other side?"

Wrok maintained his smile. Let's see what the made up story is… and then the truth can be found.

Penol looked pensive for a moment. "Well, when I became High Hatched I saw what is was like. And I had some true responsibilities…"

That is some decent fluff, Wrok thought as he took another bite of his fish.

"Like I said earlier, the more I learned the more that I wanted this to be over. I want to make sure those thr- those under me are safe," she finished.

Those three. The three guards we are holding hostage? Interesting. She is doing her best to lie without lying.

"And you do not think that they are safe now?" he asked.

"With Dravos and the other things that are going on... I don't think anyone's safe now," Penol said.

He sat back for a moment, getting a good look at Penol's figure. To any other male she would look like any other High Hatched female with a well-nourished plump physique under a deep coat of green plumage. But he saw the other details. The thicker than normal musculature under her shoulders for eating on the run. The thinner than usual tail from a youth that was harder than most. There was no doubt about her early life and his deductions about it being correct.

But this lying without lying completely… this fascinated him. This female would either be the death of him or the companion of his nest. And at this point he was not sure if she wouldn't end up as both.

"So the Left Claw was a bit creepy?" Wrok asked easily, "You know I can be creepy as well. It is a necessary trait sometimes. What made him especially… unpleasant?"

"What he says, what he does," Penol started to explain before stopping herself, "No, that's not right. It's why he does it. He can do exactly what any other hidden runner would do but not for the same reasons. And that bothers me. I can't figure him out."

"His intentions are unclear," Wrok said, smiling at the irony of both of them being unclear to the other at that moment, "Left Claw's are like that. For runners like you or I… we might be tricky or even devious, but we value certain things. We have feelings for others. But there are those who do not. That is what makes them so terrifying."

"I never did like being around him," Penol admitted, "I'd try to rush through whatever I was doing to get out of there faster. It, uh, usually had the opposite result."

"You attracted attention to yourself?" It wasn't really a question.

"Unfortunately. I'd end up making a mistake or dropping something, then suddenly everyone's looking at me. Not quite what I was wanting."

Wrok took another bite of his fish. "Do you think he got around you on purpose just to see the reaction?" Or more likely scouting you out for whatever mission you are actually on now.

"Maybe... I hope not," Penol replied.

Wrok tilted his head slightly. "What do you know about me? Besides the obvious stories of my 'unspeakable offenses against the Great Leader's pack that is?"

"Honestly, just the things you've done and that your plans often work rather well, even if I'm still not entirely sure what some of them were," Penol replied awkwardly.

Wrok nodded. The safest answer is sometimes the honest one.

"I grew up with this pack as a hatched and raised outlands hidden runner. My father of honored memory did his best to keep your Great Leader's father off of our backs. A few 'extended guests' and some help for the scouts… but we always resisted becoming like the other allies. We know our lands better than the outsiders, and we have always resented being told what ways are the proper ways from those who don't even know a blue fish from a green fish."

She looked at the fish questioningly as if his words hit home.

"Because we are like that, you see? The green fish, like what I have here..." He raised up his half consumed fish. "is barely distinguishable from a blue fish. You probably did not notice a different in color… but its behavior and taste… that is very different. But it is something that only one who has truly watched both can tell.."

Penol glanced at the two fish, trying to see if there were any truly distinguishing differences, but she couldn't discern any.

"The more I grew the more that I noticed those differences. I began as one of my father's scouts, just like any other healthy runner of the pack, and I volunteered to be the 'extended guest' of the great pack on my tenth Cold Time… the disdain that I saw from the High Hatched there… the utter indifference of the Great Leader, Ignis's father… from that moment on I realized what the elders of the pack said was true. We outlanders were different. We were special. And it was time for the hidden runners to recognize our value."

He gave a placative gesture with his hands. "But not quite yet… my father could see the passion in my eyes and the anger on my face, but he cautioned me from my course of action. He told me that my desire was the desire of every proper outlander, and that we had bided our time until Fate decreed that the moment had arrived. From that moment, however, he knew that I was worthy of leadership, and he put me on the path to being a deputy. When he finally passed in a hunt the duty of command fell upon me. And… as soon as I heard the valley and the fastbiters had a dispute involving the one they call Path, I knew the time to make our move had begun. That is when I ordered our pack to not exchange a guest for the season, and, instead, upon the transfer, we struck dead the guest we were to return. A symbol of what we were prepared to do in order to claim what was ours."

Wrok gave her a nod. "So that is what I am, Penol. All of the evil that I may do, all of the schemes I may scheme, it is for that singular goal of ensuring my people command themselves. And the best way for us to do that is to ensure that one of us, perhaps me or perhaps my successor, sits upon that scrape. For we will not be secure until all of the old order and its arrogance is killed in a volley of pointed sticks. Then the new order can begin."

He took another bite of his fish as Penol gave him a sympathetic yet oddly determined look. "And unlike some of the other stuff we have said to one another tonight, what I just told you is the truth."

Silence reigned for several awkward moments as the two hidden runners looked at one another eye-to-eye. Though Wrok did not drop his slight smile or give any sign of reproach to Penol, it was obvious that a covert battle of wills was going on.

And Penol did not look away.

Fascinating… and barely any scent of fear. Wrok smiled wider. "Who taught you composure lessons?"

Penol didn't respond but instead took another bite of her fish. She gave Wrok a small smile.

Wrok did not break his stare. "They did a fine job. Did they get to the lesson about what to do if you faced a nonverbal challenge?" He then took another bite of his fish as well so as to not be outdone by the simultaneously infuriating and interesting female.

Oh, crap, Penol thought, What is he implying? If he keeps asking questions, he'll start figuring things out.

The male continued to smile at her as if she was the most interesting thing in existence. This made his cheeky comment all the more disorienting. "They left off on the charm lessons, didn't they?"

"Kinda," Penol admitted. It's probably better not to take offense. "I was never meant to persuade anyone." She looked away a bit, now feeling extremely awkward. Even with what I was pretending to do, I wouldn't have needed social skills.

Mercifully this was the exact moment when Wrok shifted his gaze slightly. "What your cousin tried to force you to do is a very unjust thing. Knowing Questor's 'luck' with his mates they should have taught you some self-defense at least."

He actually bought that? Penol thought, Really? I'm not entirely sure what to do here. I would have thought he would've seen right through that. "I'm sure Ignis planned on eliminating the problem before it came to that," she muttered, slightly disturbed by her own stream of thought.

Wrok bobbed his head slightly. "Of course."

"Sir?"

Wrok groaned slightly before giving her an apologetic nod. "Yes, Bluntbeak? I take it that we now have word from the flyer?"

Penol stiffened a bit as she watched the hidden runner and Wrok begin to talk. Within moments Wrok was wrapped up in the other conversation as he began to dictate new orders.

Should I do it? Can I do it? Maybe. I've got a chance now, but...

She carefully reached down to the small leaf that was tied to her largest foot claw. To anyone else it would have looked like something stuck to her foot, but she knew better. As she raised it up she could see the small blue specks hidden in its depths. Resen from what was called the sleeping tree. Not the most effective method, nor the most certain, but the one that left the fewest questions. Perhaps he would wake up… perhaps he would not…

But the leaves appeared to mock her as the condemned hidden runner continued to talk in front of her, with his back turned away from his potential murderess. No matter his deeds and no matter the cost, could she do this? And if she did it now it would not only cost her life most likely, but also the lives of the three guards being kept as extended guests...

I can't do it. I just can't.

She quietly let the leaf drop along with its contents. To anyone else it would just be another leaf.

"Well, thanks for that, Bluntbeak. Send my proposal to the flyer."

"Will do, sir!"

Wrok then turned around with an amused look on his face as he sat down again to face his dinner companion. "To the rest of the pack that would be insulting, but I think that is as formal as Bluntbeak gets. He could have probably used some lessons from your mysterious teacher!"

Macefa would be happy to hear that, Penol thought, After he finished laughing, that is. I didn't start out as all that great a student. Though I was still better than Bluntbeak.

Wrok then took the remainder of the fish and shoved it entirely in his beak, consuming it in one swift movement. It was the kind of eating etiquette that would have made Ignis flinch.

Wrok then shrugged as his gizzard worked its magic on the swiftly consumed meal. "My father was my composure teacher… my mother made sure I got other lessons."

Probably a good thing, Penol thought, squashing any thoughts of laughing. She did let herself smile a bit, though. "My mom taught me my first lessons. I had to unlearn a few of them later."

"Well." Wrok went back to his previous smile. "You might need to relearn some of those. We outlanders do not always stand on ceremony."

He then looked around as if making sure he had not been seen. "Okay, not struck by lightning. I guess my Mom didn't notice."

"My teachers would've died if they saw that," Penol said before finishing her fish with far less care than she'd previously taken. And they'd never forgive me for this, either.

The male continued to smile at her politely as he licked his claws to clean the delicious fish residue from them. "Well, Penol, I have enjoyed our dinner today. I hope that you will be interested in seeing me for tonight's meal."

Penol stiffened a bit in surprise and concern. Um... I knew what I was probably getting myself into, but not this quickly.

His eyes went wide for a moment. "Just a late meal. To clarify."

Penol visibly relaxed. "I'd like that."

Wrok smiled one more time. "In that case, my dear… I shall see you when the Night Circle awakens the ancestors and the night shines with their brilliance." He then nodded to a guard. "Show our newest member the sleeping scrape I prepared for her. I'm sure that she wants to rest after the meal."

"Of course, sir."

He did what? Penol thought in surprise, Wrok made a scrape for me? I... I don't know what I should be feeling here.

"Ma'am?"

The guard offered a bow as he gestured for her to follow him. It did not look like she would have much time to consider her thoughts before she was led away towards her gift.

"Thank you," Penol said, bowing slightly towards Wrok before turning back to follow the guard.

I'm starting to like this guy despite myself, but what am I supposed to do now? Penol thought, I just gave up any chance to kill Wrok, so how am I to stop him from killing Ignis? Is there a way to keep them from killing each other? Ugh... I'm in trouble.

Wrok watched with bemusement as the female followed the guard to her new sleeping spot. She did not need to know that he had prepared it well in advance when he had first gotten the news of her impending capture. All that she needed to know is that it was he who prepared it.

His smile dampened a bit, however, when he thought to his own feelings on the matter. I was prepared to face an ambitious female. But she is something else.

He reached down to the ground and picked up the leaf that she had dropped.

This was stuck on her foot. The foot she tried to avoid putting too much weight on.

He tilted the leaf over as its contents began to spill out.

He smiled once again. An assassination! Now that is exciting! And she didn't have the heart to carry it out… hmmm...

He raised a hand and gave a 'come hither' gesture, summoning a guard.

The guard approached, glancing at what Wrok was looking at but not recognizing it. "Sir?"

"See to it that my dear Penol is carefully watched without her knowledge."

"Is there a problem, sir?" the guard asked.

Wrok smiled at the guard. "No, not a problem at all. But when one is courting a female it is best to ensure that she has no distractions, if you know what I mean."

The guard gave the pack leader an affirmative nod as his eyes twinkled with understanding. As he departed Wrok was once more left with his thoughts.

Good try, Ignis. Take a female who is low-hatched, raise her to the High Hatched, and then teach her just enough manipulation to be innocent enough to avoid being obvious but devious enough to strike me or Questor dead. But there is one thing you did not plan on, oh Great Leader.

He looked in the direction that Penol and the guard had left.

Those who has walked the same path understand those who has done the same. And you have just given me a female that has the innocence of a tiny biter and the sharp mind of a Left Claw. And this one… this one I shall keep.

He replaced the poisonous cargo in the leaf and smiled.

"Penol… Penol… Penol… I do look forward to tonight's meal."

Ignis's scrape:

Ignis watched as the messenger flyer soar into the turbulent sky, fighting against the hidden currents like a leaf being carried by a gale. Exiting with that flyer was any hint of peace of calm that she could clutch to despite the struggles of her own people. She could not have those things now. Not after what she had learned.

"When the rain comes it brings the storm, and the storm seldom spares the exposed."

As she muttered the old saying she was all too aware that she had been given a lesson in the cruelty of fate as of late. First it was Wrok's escalation in the Mysterious Beyond, and then the attack on Mender, and now this… Littlefoot had requested a meeting of the packs.

The fastbiters would most likely soon join the battle.

She ignored her advisors and even her mate as she re-entered her cave, her head bowed with worried thoughts. They merely watched in silence as she walked to her scrape and sat down with a tired scowl.

Viscond waited for several cautious seconds before leaning in. "Was the news bad, dear?"

Ignis resisted the urge to snort at the understatement as she rubbed her green feathers to calm her nerves. You could say that. "Seeker has requested that the fastbiter pack leaders meet in the Lowlands."

Her mate blinked once and then twice as that news registered in his skull. Then, with sudden understanding, he nodded and returned to his place to her right.

But her left side was absent.

"Is the Great Leader occupied, or may we give our farewells?"

Ignis closed her eyes and sighed as the distant voice carried from outside of the cave. Of course the rainbowfaces would pick this time to go back to the valley. I have not even had time to inform them of Mender, let alone all of this!

She peered in the distance at a guard who was looking into the cave with a concerned expression. He obviously did not want to be the one to ask her at this moment, but he also did not want to be the one to tell the rainbowfaces to wait if that was not Ignis's wish.

Ignis snorted and waved with more than a little exasperation. "Go ahead and send them in, guards. They should hear the news while it is fresh in my mind."

The guard stiffened almost imperceptibly in surprise before turning around and disappearing from sight. A few moments later the rainbowfaces walked in.

Ignis watched them approach until they were the obligatory halfway into the cavern. Then, being polite, she rose to greet the dignitaries.

They both bowed slightly before Logos spoke. "Our apologies for the interruption, Leader Ignis. But it is time for us to depart."

Ignis nodded. "No apologies are necessary here. We appreciate your presence in the same way that we appreciate your valley's friendship. I do hope that you will give the valley those sentiments upon your return."

Chronos nodded. "Of course, ma'am."

It was then that Ignis froze with obvious concern on her face. This led to both of the rainbowfaces looking at one another, obviously wondering if either of them had broken etiquette.

"Forgive me, Logos and Chronos, but I have recently received word from my flyers. There have been developments in the valley in your absence."

Logos and Chronos looked at one another knowingly before Logos spoke for them both. "We had heard rumors… that is part of the reason that we decided to return."

Ignis sighed softly. "I will give you the brief version..."

As Ignis began to recite the reports of the flyers with all of the laconic prose of a messenger she could see the reactions of the rainbowfaces as a glimpse into her own mind. When Mender was mentioned both of the rainbowfaces visibly sagged, which turned into an outright wide-eyed stare when she mentioned the killing of one of her scouts. By the time that she mentioned that Littlefoot was getting the packs together for a coordinated action, both of the rainbowfaces looked ready to drop. Only their mysterious heads were held high, now carrying a familiar wearry sag due to being weighed down with the new information.

"We… forgive us, we will need some time to contemplate this," Chronos finally offered with a polite nod as he touched his mate's shoulder and they both began to depart the cavern.

"We will need to go to plan B…"

"Plan B? We might want to go straight to M…"

And just like that both of the dinosaurs were gone from her sight. No doubt they would be using a flyer messenger to send out a message to the valley and await further instructions before cutting their mission short as originally intended.

This time when Ignis sat back down she put her head into her hands. She had to find some way to turn this chaos to her advantage. Her people depended on it. Alone with her thoughts she allowed the banter of her advisors to play on without her in the background.

"Maybe the fastbiters will take out Questor as well as Wrok," one of the advisors suggested, "Now if only we could hint he is somehow part of the problem..."

This lead to a protest from another. "But if the Leader wishes to perhaps take him as a mate then that removes that difficulty without an additional battle…"

"And what's to stop her from ending up dead like Questor's previous mates?" the first advisor replied.

"Well… he will be easier to kill once he is at the scrape…"

"If we're going to do that, we might as well just point the fastbiters in his direction. You heard the same rumors I did."

Ignis, lost in her own morose thoughts, did not notice the rest of her advisors scoot away from the two. Viscond, meanwhile, gave a gesture for a guard to be on standby.

The whispers between the two advisors increased in speed and mutual disrespect until one of the guards nonchalantly walked over and calmly suggested they either calm dawn or take their disagreement elsewhere.

Ignis barely noticed that two advisors being led out of the scrape, complaining to the guard the entire time. It was as if they did not notice that he had a spear in his hand. Though, as silence again returned to the scrape, Ignis was not left with peace. In fact she could almost hear the wing flapping of the flyer that had brought her the latest news. It sounded almost real, as if it were not coming from her troubled memories.

That was when she saw the shadow of the flyer grow against the light entering the cave.

"Um… I bring a message from Wrok."

She rose in annoyance as the guards at the opening raised their spears.

"Let the thing in!" she roared, "I would prefer to get the bad news over with for today!"

The flyer wasn't so much let in as grabbed and all but tossed in the direction of the scrape. "Are you ever going to stop doing that?" the flyer called back to the guard, resisting the urge to rub her beak where it had hit the ground.

It was then that the flyer looked up to see several hidden runners staring at him from the back of the cavern. In front of them stood one with an air of authority about her. The slight nod of her head would have been enough to inform her that she had better get on with her statement.

"What does our good friend Wrok have for us today? A taunt? An insult? Another proposal of whose eggs I should carry? Do go on, flyer… do not keep us in suspense."

"Do you want the exact words or just the information?" the flyer asked, preferring to deliver her message in a way that did not result in her death.

Ignis took a deep breath and closed her eyes as if to will herself not to strangle the flyer herself. "Give us his exact words."

The flyer hesitated for a few moments, her beak quivering, before going on. "My dear Ignis, I bring the most joyful news to you and your followers! For despite your attempts to send away Penol…"

Within moments Ignis was within a claw's distance of the flyer as she hurriedly carried on her statement. Her mate and the advisors all moved forward as if to listen in on every little detail.

The flyer swallowed. "...For despite your attempts to send away Penol to Questor, we managed to free her of that fate. I am pleased to tell you that I have decided to take her as my beloved… a good link from your doomed dynasty to my glorious line."

She then closed her eyes as if expecting death and regretting taking this particular messenger job. "You are, of course, invited to wish us well."

When the flyer was forcibly thrown out of the cave by the Great Leader and her guards they all heard a relieved sigh after the thud.

The flyer did not stick around to hear if she had a return message.

Viscond hurried to keep up with his mate as Ignis moved from cavern to cavern with a murderous gaze.

"Now, Ignis, let's try to stay calm..."

He tried not to take offense when he was shoved against a cavern wall as she moved through the space he had been a moment before. Shaking his head he sprinted to keep up with her.

"For all we know she could have tried this on her own; she…"

She was in his face in an instant. "You know as well as I do that this has his work all over it. And I did not send her as an offering to Questor, but someone did. And someone gave her a full entourage for it."

Viscond opened his beak, but then closed it again. "Alright. Alright, you know your cousin better than I… but if we want her back, then that means not killing your Left Claw. At least not yet."

"Yet," Ignis merely muttered as she took a breath. "What would you do in my place?"

Viscond sputtered for a moment under her gaze before helplessly answering honestly. "I would murder him."

Ignis, despite herself, offered him a smile. "You could never lie to me, nor I to you. If only everyone else had that level of trust." She then frowned as a guard finally caught up to them, and she gestured for the guard's spear.

It was only then that she looked up again. "Dear, we need to control the rumors… 'Penol was captured after an ill-advised diplomatic mission from the Left Claw' is what the others should be told."

Viscond and the guard shared an almost frightened look. "And… what should I say of the Left Claw?"

Ignis merely glared. "Tell them that the leader is dealing with that particular problem."

Dravos was first made aware that he was not alone when a spear embedded itself in the wall right next to his head.

Ignis's hands, on the other hand, did not miss as she threw her body into his, forcing him to the ground in a tumbling conglomeration of flesh. In the end she was left on top of his prone form with her arms wrapped around his neck and her body planted on the front of his back.

"Just who the fuck do you think you are?" The voice did not appear to be hers as what came out sounded more like a two-footer's angry retort. Maybe the fear of death will finally make you speak some truth, Left Claw.

"Ig...Ignis?" Dravos squawked out as he stopped his struggling almost immediately.

That's right, Left Claw. You only know self-interest, and right now your survival depends on being obedient for once. "What did you do with Penol? She is now in the hands of Wrok!"

Dravos's body collided with the wall as Cynnil looked at her hands. It was as if she were not controlling them.

But as Left Claw and Great Leader locked eyes once more there was no doubt who was in control of this conversation. Dravos bowed low as he placed his hands in a placative gesture.

"I only suggested to the girl that…"

"First Assistant," Ignis interrupted.

Dravos looked up as if confused.

"She is my First Assistant If you are going to send my cousin on a death quest the least that you could do is to show her proper respect, you miserable wretch."

Dravos opened his mouth before closing it and beginning again. "I only suggested to First Assistant Penol that she could cause some discord between Questor and Wrok by… pretending to be the consort of one before being 'liberated' by the other." He shrugged. "She seemed open to this idea, and I made the necessary arrangements."

"Open to the idea? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Ignis raged as she pointed a finger at Dravos's beak. "She was petrified of you! You know as well as I do that she must have done this out of fear!"

Dravos tilted his head. "That is an idea. But ideas are not necessarily reality."

He did not seem surprised when he ended up against the wall again.

"If I had known about this, I would have never agreed to it!" Ignis roared.

Dravos rubbed his beak, ignoring the small amount of blood that ended up on his hand. "And that is why it was done this way, Great Leader. I am supposed to take the hard actions that you must not know about, so that the Right Claw stays clean."

Ignis growled. You insufferable piece of spiketail shit! "Listen to yourself! Think about what you are actually saying. Do you honestly think those two were allied permanently? Do you honestly think that there would not be a breach at some point? And now you have given Wrok an opening to mate into my line. Now all he has to do is get rid of me and my children and…"

She waved her hand. "You have just given my enemy a chance. A chance that he barely had before. I thought you were supposed to be the devious advisor, Dravos, and not the clueless one. Remember that you only live as long as I do, Left Claw."

Dravos rubbed his beak with an annoyed scowl on his face. "How could I forget, Dear Leader?"

Ignis groaned as Dravos got up.

"This situation does pose a risk, but also many benefits for us. For one we now have a possible inroad with Wrok's pack so if he meets his demise… a more peaceful arrangement could be made with Penol acting as an intermediary. And, as has been discussed, we have broken the alliance between our two adversaries. All in all a suitable sacrifice, one girl's freedom for the benefit of the entire pack."

Dravos was surprised by the sudden silence as Ignis merely looked at him coldly. Her eyes appeared to watch him like a trapped insect. As if he were merely something to observe.

"You honestly don't get it, do you?" Ignis asked after a pause.

Dravos did not answer, obviously not understanding the question.

Ignis shook her head. "She is a person, Dravos. They all are. Everyone who dies because of a decision that we make, every hidden runner who is injured or maimed, every person who is harmed by our schemes. They all have lives, hopes, and dreams. But you don't get that, do you? To you those are all meaningless words. They are just objects to you."

"If you say so, Great Leader," Dravos answered neutrally.

The cold refrain of her Left Claw appeared to shake something loose in her as her thoughts shifted from the abstract to the concrete. From empathy in general to the actual focus of her angst. Oh, cousin. You are like me in so many ways though you do not recognize it. You have the same fire that I do, and this led you away just like how I went with Viscond to fight in the battle of the valley. Just keep yourself alive, Penol. I do not blame you for my Left Claw's schemes.

Ignis took a deep breath. "I say that Penol is my cousin, and that she will remain that in my eyes throughout whatever may come. You may have no love for anyone else, Left Claw, but I do. And you had better hope that she makes it through this alright."

She turned her back as she prepared to exit, being in a hurry to depart from this monstrous thing that she could no longer pretend was anything else. To lose a Left Claw at this time would be to invite talk that fate had deserted her, but that did not mean that she could not prepare herself mentally for the parting that was to come.

Dravos tilted his head. "Her loss might be unavoidable in this affair, but I will do my best to see that it does not come to that."

Ignis stopped but did not turn back.

"See to that, Left Claw. Or your loss will be unavoidable."

Wrok's territory:

And the guards were so scared of waking my girl,

That they came back to my place and for a spell

But none of my guards wanted to say,

That they had touched my girl on this day

Half-awake, Penol covered her head with her hands as best she could, hoping to block out the noise. Why couldn't the annoying voice just let her sleep a little bit more...

Sadly my singing leaves much to be desired,

But maybe a stick on one's rear, an awakening will inspire...

Feeling a stick touching her tail, Penol bolted to her feet, suddenly awake. "I'm up. I'm up."

She was greeted by a familiar face as Wrok smiled and tossed the stick aside. "Awful singing aside, it sounds like you are a deep sleeper. You even slept through Bluntbeak's attempt."

"That was him singing?" Penol asked, cringing a bit. Was he trying to be the worst singer ever?

Wrok snorted before taking a bow. "If that is what you wish to believe then that is fine. It is harder to think of a song on the spot than it looks!"

He then gestured for her to follow him as he took a few tentative steps in the direction of the center of the territory. Where his scrape is, some part of her mind added.

Okay, so where exactly are we going? Penol wondered, Is there an actual spot for eating or... She nearly laughed at herself. Wow, I really have been away from home for too long if I'm overthinking this.

"I am curious, how were meals handled in dear ol' Ignis's pack? Does she hold to the common three, or has she fallen to the temptation of ignoring the night meal?" Wrok asked without looking behind him.

"I kinda got into a habit of going to find her if she didn't show up after Viscond told me to go find her three times in a row," Penol said, "I still can't figure out how she remembers all of this other stuff then forgets to eat." And Ruga probably isn't going to go find her without being told. Great... Another thing I didn't consider.

This made Wrok stop for a moment as he tilted his head, still not looking her way. "So… she has not fallen into decadence?"

Guess you don't know Ignis that well, Penol thought, noticing Wrok's surprise. "She misses the night meal a lot, but not because she sleeps in, if that's what you're asking." And she'd probably would've forgotten it exists without me going to get her consistently.

He nodded at her answer before looking in her direction and gesturing at a prepared spot near the marking line. Even in the darkness she could see four fish laid out on a pile of leaves. "I thought that we might enjoy this meal by the scouting line. This is where we would have caught our night meal back in our lower-ranked days, after all."

And even then I'm pretty sure you outranked me, Penol thought, Odd place for a leader to eat, though.

Remembering her etiquette, however, she waited for Wrok to sit before she did so. It was only then that she took a look at the pile of leaves at Wrok's side. A pile from which the glorious scent of fish was emanating.

Never found that around here, Penol thought, Wouldn't the river have been a better spot?

"I figured that this spot would… give us some more privacy," Wrok said simply as he handed her one of the massive leaves with a slight nod of his head, "Something to tide us over before we dine. It is unwise to consume red fish on its own."

Penol froze. Um, I think I just lost my appetite.

He rolled up his own leaf, forming a roll that was nearly twice the length of his head. Then, without missing a beat, he consumed a portion of it. He appeared to savour its taste for a moment before allowing it to roll into his throat.

"These are fine as a starter, but I feel sorry for the leaf-munchers. Can you imagine dining on these alone?" Wrok muttered, "But leaves have their uses. Sometimes a lighter flavor can allow us to appreciate what comes next... Like anything else, it is best to see complexity before one confronts boldness. And red fish are certainly bold."

What? Now you've just lost me, Penol thought, And yes, I know what its like eating just leaves. Well, mostly leaves.

Wrok gave her a playful smirk. "You dislike people saying two things at once, don't you? You would prefer that someone get right to the point?"

Penol nodded somewhat uncertainty. "Yes, sir."

Wrok snorted. "Fair enough. I have learned a bit about you from what you have told me, but there are bits that I am in the dark about. And I would like to truly know you. To use the fish analogy that confuses you, I have tasted your boldness, but I have yet to taste your subtleties."

I'm not sure if that should make me worried, Penol thought.

"Like, for example, you are the Great Leader's cousin, but you were Low Hatched. How did that happen?" His face was kind but his eyes were cold and calculating. "That does not seem like a common arrangement."

"It's not something I like to talk about," Penol said, hoping Wrok would drop the subject.

Wrok nodded. "I understand, but it is something that we might have to deal with at some point. For now just tell me this… was it something that you did or an ancestor?"

"My parents weren't the same rank, okay?" Penol replied defensively. I've heard enough from everyone else. I don't need to hear it from you.

Wrok looked confused for a moment, but then nodded. "The sort of thing that only the arrogant pack would be concerned with. In the outlands people change rank through deeds all the time."

I don't think he quite gets it. "It was a bit more than just a few ranks. "High-Hatched and Low-Hatched aren't supposed to mix," Penol said.

"And my mother was a rogue female before my father fucked her, what's your point?" Wrok suddenly snapped. "Only in the old packs is such crap worried about!"

"And there's a reason for that," Penol replied, her voice defiant, "There's a massive difference between being part of a pack, even being its leader, and being the Great Leader. I've tried to learn how to pretend to be High-Hatched, and I can barely pass for one. If I thought I'd ever end up in charge of something, I would've quit a long time ago. There's just too much to worry about. I can't imagine why anyone would want Ignis's job."

Wrok tilted his head curiously. "But yet you have given that topic some thought."

"Sir?" What's your point? I think about a lot of things. It's pretty much the only thing I can do since my only friends are either back with my family or greatly outrank me.

"You have given some thought to how complicated it would be to keep hidden runners working together as a group," Wrok clarified with an approving smirk, "Unlike me you are just too humble to admit that some part of you is fascinated by that power. Humility was never a vice of mine."

Humility a vice? Sir, that's going to get you into a mess sooner or later. I could give you plenty of examples I've overheard, Penol thought. "I got pushed into acting as an assistant to Ignis before I had even finished learning basic etiquette. It was kind of hard to avoid thinking about it."

Wrok merely smiled as if she had given something away. "Well, do not worry about this meal. There is no etiquette in a private dinner like this." He then theatrically gestured at the pile of leaves and removed the top leaf with a flourish, revealing four blood red fish with a familiar blue substance on their skin. A blue substance that she thought she had left behind.

This is definitely the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, Penol thought, And the most concerning. Was I found out, or does Wrok really not know what that stuff is?

"I took the liberty of adding the special seasoning that you left at our last meal. You obviously decided it did not go with blue fish… but maybe this will be to your liking," Wrok added, his face completely unreadable.

Okay, so he doesn't know. That might be good. And bad. Extremely bad, actually, Penol thought, panic threatening to overtake her, If I do eat the fish, there's a pretty good chance I'll die. But so will Wrok. If I don't eat the fish, he'll get suspicious, and then I'll die. If I somehow don't die from the poison the guards will kill me anyway, so I'm dead no matter what I do. But maybe Wrok will do for me what I couldn't do myself... I guess Dravos knew there was no coming back for me.

He placed one of the fish in front of himself before placing another in front of the female. His smile indicated nothing but contentment.

He then gestured at the fish, which was an invitation for her to pick it up. "I would like you to take the first bite, Penol. Let me know what you think of this delicacy. Some even say it is to die for."

What did I do wrong that Fate decided I should die like this? Penol thought, If the poison doesn't kill me the irony will. Fearing her resolve would fail her, she forced herself to take a bite of the fish. On top of everything else, did this stuff have to taste horrible?

Penol forced herself to look up at Wrok.

Wrok gave her a sad smile. "It won't take long, don't worry. That is some powerful stuff. I suppose whoever ordered you to kill me wanted to offer me that mercy at least."

He then put his red fish down.

I've got nothing to lose now, Penol thought as her self control finally failed her. She leapt at Wrok, hoping that the suddenness of her attack would make up for the fact that she didn't have the first clue how to fight. But as her body collided with his shoulder she could feel her ambitions evaporating right before her eyes. Within a split second he had spun around and landed on her back, forcing her into the ground. With his arms around her own and his legs keeping her body pinned, she had no hope at finishing her final desperate mission.

I'm sorry, Ignis. I tried. I tried so hard.

But the final killing blow never came, nor did any obvious attempt to inflict pain. Instead Wrok merely held her in place.

"You were willing to die for this. To eat the poison first and then to attack me. I respect that."

You've got a funny way of showing it, Penol thought.

"Before I end this, could you tell me the truth? Who put you up to this?"

"Who do you think?" Penol replied bitterly, "Dravos talked me into it." And arranged everything else, but you can find that out for yourself.

Wrok leaned into her ear as he maintained his grip, though the struggle had long since died down. "And why did you fail to kill me before? You were so close."

"I still had something to lose," Penol muttered, the fight having seeped out of her.

"Your three former guards will be fine," Wrok's voice noted, "But what you just said was a half-truth. There is something else. Some other reason that you did not make your move."

I'm not a killer, Penol thought but didn't voice aloud, and for some reason I was starting to like you. But I'm never telling you that. I'll deny you that one thing.

Wrok let her go, much to her surprise. Startled and confused she rolled back to her feet and looked up to see an almost kind face.

"I can tell half-truths as well." Wrok then picked up another red fish, one without any hint of blue spots. "For example, red fish are actually awful and cause vomiting."

He tossed it in front of her with a stern, commanding glare. Despite this there was something in his eyes that made the glare bearable..

"But they are a delicacy in this case as they will save your life. Eat up and throw up what you consumed. Because, though you won't admit it, I am beginning to like you as well."

Desire to live driving her, Penol lunged at the untainted fish, eating a rather generous portion of it. Wow, this tastes worse than the one with the poison. She almost immediately started to feel Wrok lightly put a hand on her back it appeared to trigger something in her as she was lost in a cascade of bowel-shaking convulsions that eliminated the contents of her stomach.

And saved her life.

Ugh. I don't think I've ever felt that sick before, Penol thought as her stomach finally started to settle down, I thought I was dead. I should be dead. She groaned as she held her stomach. And now I'm starting to wish I was.

"You may not believe it, Penol, but I do no more harm than is necessary to achieve my aims. Consider this a learning experience with its own punishment."

Wrok offered her a large leaf to wipe her beak, which she accepted readily. He then allowed himself to sit down beside the female who had only moments before tried to kill him. As he looked at her there was only curiosity in his gaze.

Is part of the punishment making more confused? Penol wondered.

"Where do you want to go, Penol? Based upon what you have told me, I don't think anyone has asked you that before."

"I... I don't know," Penol said slowly, genuinely surprised that she had been asked that question.

Wrok nodded. "Finally, the truth. Perhaps then we can find out the answer together?"

He then extended his hand open-faced towards the still-recovering female. It was an offering of truce, and perhaps something more.

Penol looked at the offered hand for a moment, unsure of herself.

But then she hesitantly took his hand.

Now that the full extent of the hidden runner intrigues are rapidly becoming apparent it rests upon the remaining factions in this tale to decide what they will do next. In the next chapter, the last of this particular act, we will see how the valley and fastbiters finally respond to the steady shedding of blood. As always I look forward to your thoughts on this interlude, and I thank you all once again for the reviews!

bryan mccloud: These are some good questions. As you probably do not remember, much earlier in this story it is implied in one of Logos's reports that they had received the Archiver Stones as a "surprise gift" from the Consortium. Though I did not specifically mention it in the story it is implied that these healing rocks also came from the same package which was disguised as a falling sky rock (small meteorite). As for the world war, this is certainly shaping up to be a massive regional conflict between the major allied packs, the hidden runners, and the valley. What we are seeing here is a rapid shift from tribal loyalties (pack and herd) to larger assemblages akin to alliances and confederations. Though this comes with great promises of benefits, it also comes with a great increase in the potential for bloodshed and conflict. In many ways Red Claw's super-pack was the first form of this kind of larger grouping but, as we are now seeing, it was not the last. I look forward to hearing what you think about the latest chapter. (:

Keijo6: I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Mender past story. I think it really shows her development as part of a coherent pack. Though the past scenes will become much more sporadic from here on out there will be a few more to show some of the other unseen major developments which led to the current state of affairs in the Mysterious Beyond.

As for Penol she is now really deep in it indeed. :p But, interesting enough, Wrok is not dealing with this plot in the way that Penol or an onlooker might expect. Wrok is certainly more multidimensional than Calin was and this is on account of Wrok having a much different psychological profile. What we are seeing here is a leader whose ruthlessness comes from extreme compartmentalization as opposed to an outright lack of empathy. Though as far as Ignis is concerned this makes him no less of a threat. As for Penol we will just have to wait and see how she deals with her current predicament. Will she follow along and then try to strike again later? Will she be subverted by Wrok's affections? Only time will tell. (smirks evilly)

gordhanx: Thank you once again for the detailed review. (: And there is no need to apologize for the delay in reviewing the story. Trust me, I can relate to having little free time and struggling to keep up with things. As for the past story, I must admit that makes up some of my favorite writing in the original role play. In many ways those events made Mender who she is in the present scenes. And this will shed light on her actions in the coming chapters.

UnionRags123: There is a repository of Seven Hunters art on Deviant Art. It can be found at my Deviant Art page under The-Amazing-Rhombus. From there you can find a link to the Seven Hunters Art group and you can certainly join if you wish. As for art of Taunt making his signature gesture... not yet... but I do hope to have an art commission of that gesture at some point. I will let everyone know when such artwork is ready. (: