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36

Dorin finally made it back home. He didn't know exactly how late in the day it was because the sun hadn't shone through the clouds even once today, but it felt like a whole week had gone by since he first stepped outside his tent this morning. He just wanted to go inside, collapse onto his bedroll, and go to sleep. Hopefully there wouldn't be any dreams. He didn't think he could handle seeing Lana's blood-caked face floating through his nightmares, calling him an animal. Anything but that. He just wanted to close his eyes and make everything go away...

Just like Mother did...

Dorin clutched his forehead with one hand and blindly pawed at his tent's flap with the other. When he finally managed to flip it up and step inside, a familiar scent greeted his nose, but it was one that didn't belong in here.

"Well hello there, Dorin," Wardo said. "You look even worse than you did in Shekka's tent. That arm still giving you trouble?"

"No, Chieftain, it's just a headache. It happens sometimes when you lose a lot of blood."

"Ah, tell me about it. I used to get really bad headaches myself. I've found a good meal usually helps with that."

"I'll keep that in mind, Sai."

"All right, now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way, how about you tell me what you've learned? Anything suspicious going on?"

As Dorin's eyes adjusted to the gloom, he began to see Wardo's outline sitting on his bedroll, smiling up at him with those monstrous teeth of his. He hated that smile. He knew Wardo was always genuinely having fun, especially now, but that smile of his always felt fake, somehow. Like it was just a mask he wore, the equivalent of a layer of dead leaves covering up one of his clever traps.

"Hezzi and Danado haven't spoken at all inside that cage. Shekka's in her tent, sleeping. Renna is with her mother, being disciplined. Taberah and Sorrin are keeping their heads down, just like you predicted."

"And Nilia?"

"She's in the training grounds, probably getting frostbite. None of them have gotten together, or spoken to each other, or hatched any plans. Of that I am certain."

"Good, very good! There's just one more tiny little thing I'd like to know about."

"Yes, Chieftain?"

"My key." Wardo's eyes flashed in the darkness, and his tongue slid over his teeth like a pink worm. "You gave it to her, didn't you?"

Dorin swallowed. His throat felt dry and scratchy. "Yes, Chieftain."

"And? Does she suspect anything?"

"She is definitely wary. I'm not sure if she'll come tonight."

"Oh, she'll come all right. She has to."

"Forgive me for asking, Chieftain, but how could you possibly know that?"

Wardo tapped the side of his head with his finger. "Because Wolves can't think with their hearts and their heads at the same time. It's either one or the other, and Nilia is always thinking with her heart. That makes her stupid. She'll put herself in danger to save her friends, just like Ander did."

"She did say something about that, but it didn't make any sense to me. Something about how animals feed their hunger with hate, while the non-animals feed it with love, or something? She was a real mess."

Wardo slapped his forehead and threw his arms in the air. "You see? You see!? It's spouting nonsense like that that gets Wolves killed."

"Speaking of getting her killed, who will get the honour?"

"Seffer and Denko, two of the most promising young archers I've seen in quite a while. They've been looking to prove themselves to me, so they were very enthused when I offered them the job."

"One in each of the two northern watchtowers, right?"

"That's the plan. When Nilia shows up to unlock the cage with the key that she 'stole', she'll find Hezzi and Danado slumped on the floor. When she tries to wake them up, she'll find that they're already dead. So sad. That's when Seffer and Denko will shoot her in the head. Unfortunately for them, Nilia's death can't be explained away so easily, so they'll have to stand trial. But I've explained everything to them, and they agree. They may have been a bit... overzealous, shall we say, but it's quite understandable. They're young, it was dark, they obviously didn't mean to kill her. But even so, Nilia was committing a very serious crime against the village, attempting to free her fellow conspirators, which would have resulted in a death sentence anyway, and... You know what? Maybe we won't even need a trial. I'm sure everyone would be glad to be rid of that bitch, walking around like a warrior when she should be cleaning rabbits and gutting fish with the other she-wolves. Am I right?"

"So Hezzi and Danado kill each other in the cage, and Nilia accidentally gets shot while trying to free them. You murder all three of them in a single night without drawing any attention to yourself, and you do it in such a way that no one even suspects they were actually assassinated. And even if someone does suspect something, there is no proof. And even if someone does find proof somewhere, it will only lead to Hyker, Ivio, Seffer and Denko. And even if those four mess everything up, the key you had me give to Nilia is a fake, so her little quest is doomed to fail from the start. If I may say so, Chieftain, you scare me."

"Nyahaha!" Wardo cackled and slapped his knee. "Three birds with one stone. I told you I had great plans for this tribe, didn't I?" He stood up and put a gnarled, callused hand on Dorin's shoulder. "And it's all thanks to you, my right-hand Wolf. I think you deserve a little reward." He rummaged in his pocket for a bit, and to Dorin's complete and utter revulsion, he pulled out the plain-looking knife that had ended Lana's life.

It still had her blood on it.

Dorin shook his head and, trying not to reveal his disgust, said, "Oh no, Chieftain. I couldn't possibly accept a gift like that."

"I insist. Take it."

"But that's your knife, Sai."

"Not anymore. This is the knife you used for your first kill. It is a symbol of your loyalty, devotion, and killer instinct. Take it, wield it, and feel proud."

"Th- Thank you Chieftain." Dorin took the knife with shaking fingers. It was sticky and cold.

"Now get some rest, and heal that wrist of yours as quick as you can. There'll be even more work tomorrow morning."

"I'll be looking forward to it, Chieftain."

"That's what I like to hear!" He clapped Dorin on the shoulder and, cackling like a loon, he stepped outside into the driving snow, disappearing into the white like a phantom, still laughing and laughing. Even after he must have been well out of earshot, Dorin thought he could still hear that laughter, fused with the wind that was now rippling his tent, sucking out all the warmth, trying to get inside.

Dorin dropped the knife with a clatter and wiped his fingers on his pants. He felt absolutely filthy, as if he had stuck his hand into a giant egg sac and now there were millions of slimy spiderlings crawling through his fur.

Dorin took a deep breath and slowly blew it out in a rattling sigh. He sat down heavily on his bedroll, crossed his legs, and tried to still his beating heart. He was shaking all over and he didn't know what to do about it. All the little tricks he had picked up from his fellow warriors over the years weren't helping. He couldn't calm down, he couldn't focus, and he couldn't concentrate.

He lay down and listened to the wind pushing against his tent, making it bulge to the inside. If he looked really closely, the folds and shadows almost seemed to form a face.

The knife was lying on the ground, pointed back at him. He stared at the blade, at the spots of metal shining through the black mess, and he already knew before it started, that this would be the time his thoughts tried to bury him.

Hezzi called you a puppet, and a puppet is exactly what you are. It is a doll held up by string. It can't move without a child pulling on its limbs. Without a master, it's just a useless shell. He was so right to call you that.

Choice. That's the real difference between a Wolf and a puppet. A Wolf can choose, but a puppet can only dance to the melody of its strings.

You're just an animal, incapable of understanding anything other than fear, hatred, and hunger. You disgust me.

I'm simply giving you a choice. What you do with it is up to you.

Dorin closed his eyes. He had given himself a choice, as well. He only prayed he had made the right one...