Day 2: Evening.

  “It’s already 19:31,” Zta checked the time oerminal. “We’re going to be te.”

  “Rex, they show ercials for the future movies for the first fifteen minutes.” Schalk waved his hand, stepping from the bus, and grabbed Keon and a young soldier by their colrs. “Wait a minute, lovebirds. I know you heard it a thousand times, but stay on the main roads, avoid trouble…”

  “We will,” Keon promised.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe,” the woman slipped her hand uhe blushing Keon’s arm.

  Zta ighe fusing mating dance of the Normies and stormed through the crowd to the building, apanied by Arruda. Her whole body itched; the medie of the Core Lands had done wonders for the skin cer that had pgued her since she had been shot by a green disiion ray. She’d been half tent with perishing as her ans began to give in; oer ahe throat hurt and it was difficult to swallow food.

  Then her friends dominated her and forced the disgraced wolf hag to receive medical help. It was humiliating; the Wolfkins weren’t supposed to get sick, but it saved her life, even if she became depe on pills and procedures to keep going.

  Dressed in heavy military coats, sweaters, and thick pants, the wolf hag ighe tasty smells emanating from the stalls and headed for the movie theater. It was built acc to the structures of the Old Times. Stone pilrs supported the triangur roof, stairs of fake marble led to the entrance, and in podern light, it had bright projectors illuminating feroonsters on the walls.

  Houstad boasted a wide array of emas, but Arruda and Zta had been eyeing this particur pce sihey heard about their “vacation”. This theater didn’t show retly made movies or those from the st days of the Old World; no, its sele of films predated even the first space flight, and movies about cowboys, the Middle Ages, and bd-white pictures awaited guests ied in the old times of the Old World.

  “Two…” Zta stumbled and g Arruda for help as they stopped before a booth. The woman inside, a young ss in a full-body bck-furred e, squealed and pulled the animal mask from her head.

  “Tickets. It’s what you call a permit, right?” Arruda said, tilting her head at the Normie’s strange behavior.

  Zta sensed panid… shame reeking from the young woman. She could somehow uand the panic; the news kept talking about the brutal fight between Janine and Lacerated One. Sihe army had refused to ent, the experts said that the Wolf Tribe had secrated the base in this way.

  Not the worst way to put it. Zta thought, curious about the reason for the shame.

  “S-sure!” the cashier quickly fired the words and pushed the tokens back. “N-no he gover is paying for you…”

  “Cool,” Zta grihose tasty sausages in bread will be hers on the way back. “So, we just go in?”

  “Which seats do we take? Never visited a ema before,” Arruda expined.

  “The staff will show you to your seats.” The ressed her palms together. “But are you sure you want to go? The ‘Blood-Curdling Howl Five’ be... you know... iive, offehat sort of thing.”

  “You’re joking, right?” Zta smiled. “We waited years for a ce to see a proper horror.”

  The two officers were led into a wide hall. Its surface sloped down from the entrance so that every er could see the wide white s in its ey. The sounds of teeth mung pop, children ughing, and parents hushing greeted the Wolfkins as they were seated in wide chairs more suited to Orais than to them. Aside from a few curious looks, no one had disturbed them, and they rexed, listening to advertisements for local restaurants as the movie was about to start.

  ****

  “Is this a horror or a edy?” Zta gritted her fangs, checked the brochure, and tried to keep her voice low. “No, don’t growl; you imbecile; bite and chew already, you evolutionary mistake.”

  On the s, a huge gray werewolf crept closer to a small window of the attic where the survivors of the party massacre had gathered, hoping to wait until the su. Zta grabbed her own throat, choking on her e, as the idiot creature roared, removing every ounce of advantage gaihrough stealth.

  It smashed through the window, yellow eyes burning, moonlight refleg off the gss stu the matted fur, and dropped Kirk, the muscle-head of the group. Instead of ripping his face off, it roared into his fad then closed its jaws around the teen’s neck, shaking his body in the air as the others screamed, tried to help, or ran. Then it tossed Kirk, still alive, at a girl, sending them both through the thin wall of the attic.

  And roared. Zta grabbed her hair.

  “Easy,” Arruda’s steely fingers pressed on Zta’s wrists, loosening her grip. “It’s a male; what did you expect? Are you rooting for a bad guy?”

  “I ’t help it; he’s so pathetid retarded. Again. Why are you howling, you freak?” Zta cursed.

  “Everyone is retarded in this movie,” Arruda stated, sipping off a soda drink. “Oh, we found bloody bones in the creepy guy’s house. Let’s call him out loud instead of... running away…” she growled, the fur on her back rising as the group of survivors tried to get into a car outside the house. “Flee, dumbasses! There was an engineless car before; it’s self-evident…” A panicked woman hurriedly searched for the keys on the s and tried to start the car when the beast nded on top of it, crumpling the roof. “… You deserve to die.” Arruda rubbed her nose.

  “Even cubs would be more mature.” Zta leaned ba her chair. “Those actors in the movie. They’re dead, right?”

  “Probably.” Arruda shrugged. “It’s been what, over a millennium? Why do you ask?”

  “It’s just dawned on me,” Zta ughed, scratg her . “We were filmed entering the city yesterday. Imagine someone pulling up that old video a thousand years from now and seeing us, living, breathing, while we are long deposed.”

  “Morbid,” Arruda said. “It doesn’t bother me. We’ll die doing our duty and living to the fullest. How many cim the same?”

  Zta shut her mouth, surprised at the statement. Indeed, hoeople are blessed with gifts and sed ces like hers? She was hoo be born in an era where she could pay the blood price to protect others and bask in the radiance of a living god fighting by her side. Is she afraid of death? No, it couldn’t be so; she had brazenly faced and overcame mortal perils enough times to be sure of her dedication.

  Eternity dreaded her, Zta realized. Surely none of the actors on the s could have imagihat one day their homends would be reduced to ashes, that the os and kes where they rexed would dry up, and that life itself would be in danger of withering away. They, too, were living good lives, bringiions to their viewers, and there came a moment whehing anyone had ever done was in danger. Humanity nearly died. Who was to say that somewhere in the impossible, distant future, the Recmation Army would not be toppled, eroded, or burned? She imagihe walls of the movie theater crumbling, its halls empty of human speech for decades, debris falling from the ceiling…

  “Are you werewolves?” A girl’s voice brought Zta back to the present.

  Several kids left their seats and came to the Wolfkin as the group on the s had reached the police station. The girl who asked the question was apanied by her father and looked pletely normal, aside from having a set of fat, oily, and pale tendrils fs.

  “Don’t lump us in with that junk, little one,” Arruda said.

  “We are Wolfkins.” Zta smiled. “We are like Ice Fangs…”

  “Only better,” Arruda interjected.

  “And ’t shapeshift,” Zta finished her words.

  “I’ve never seen your kind iy,” a boy said.

  “That’s because we live outside the wall,” Zta answered, and a flood of questions about the people living outside the Core Lands poured at her. She grinned, waved the personnel away, and began expining the situation, s, traditions, settlements, and cultures, as she uood them, to the curious little ones, fetting all about her fear.

  She wasn’t a god, so why worry about the future? It was best to trate on living here and now, serving the state holy and proteg the weak. Soon Arruda joined her, and their expnation tinued long after the movie ended.

  ****

  Day 2: Deep Night.

  Soulless O paws behind her head, examining the white disk hiding in the clouds above. Lacerated O her and several other shamans to learn more about Houstad, and the shama her time familiarizing herself with aensive park iy's south. There were many trees here she had never even seen before, not even o. From firs that decorated the streets during New Year’s celebrations to sturdy oaks, their branches decorated with wooden gazebos. Soulless One snuto oo meditate in peace.

  It wasn’t easy this time, no matter how hard she tried. Worries clouded her thoughts, selfish worries that focused strictly on herself rather thaterment of the tribe. The augments buried in her body no loicked or ked; they worked so quietly that she sometimes fot their existeogether. Pus no longer covered her eyebrows in the m; the coughing and cramping had left her; her limbs were estic; foht her joy; and, worst of all, she was grateful to Janine.

  The shaman ched her paws. The sanctity of the body aramount to the Wolfkin, ever since forced copution had been outwed as abhorrent and barbariale had the right to order a male or female to ge the color of their hair, let ale their souls by breaking their e to the divihrough the iion of fal. This w was being circumvented all the time, but the knowledge of it didn’t help Soulless One.

  Who knows how long she will live now? Days, years, decades, turies, or worse? A taste of teology was entig; already Soulless One had the thought of asking Till Ingo and Bao improve her further, to give her the ability to feel in the numbed parts of her body, to make her stronger and faster, and… it was Janine’s doing. She saved the shaman’s life; she helped Soulless Oo e into this world, but this ultimate breach of trust and the naggiation bothered the shaman, denyihe crity of her earlier vision, where she knew for certain the immi end of her misfortune.

  “Why did you hit him?” Soulless One’s ear perked at hearing little ones going below. It was unusual; the park’s paths were brightly lit, but very few families still walked in this te hour.

  “That asshole yelled at me after I actally crashed into him on my bicycle. He even kicked it…”

  “You crashed into him?” the first voice asked, and there was a sound of struggle. “e, let’s apologize.”

  “I am not going to do this ge! He’ll e to his seomorrow!” The sed voice panicked.

  “And what if not? Would you like to have one less friend, T?” the first voiquired.

  “Ughm… No,” the sed voice admitted. “But it’s kind of dark already. I apologize tomorrow, Jay?”

  Thank you. Soulless Ohahe Spirits fuidahey never intervened directly, but there were signs, and this here was exactly it. Friendship. Janine wao save her in her oard way, not just because of what the shaman represeo the pack, but because of who Soulless One was to Janine. In a way, it was a weakness; the warlords were meant beyond such feelings, but the shaman smiled and jumped down, frightening a pale, fat boy on a bicycle and his taller friend, whose face was covered with freckles.

  “You have allies in the night too, little ones.” Soulless One bowed low, showing that she meant no threat. “If you allow me, I will apany you to ease your souls and then back to your parents.”

  “I am not ready!” T, the fatter boy, panicked suddenly, and Jay took him by the shoulder.

  “We’re orphans, miss,” Jay said. “It’s not time for us to go to our parents yet,” he finished with a sad smile.

  “Then I’ll simply be yuardian for tonight,” Soulless One offered aended her paws. After some hesitation, they took her by the paw and led her to the pyground, telling her about their fight and firing questions about whether it was true that the Wolfkins preferred to eat human flesh.

  Soulless One enlightehem to the best of her abilities and waited patiently for T to apologize for his as toward another boy. There was no ce for life in her womb. But thanks to Jahere was still strength withio proted safeguard the little ones of the world, and to help her kin reach greater heights. And in finding this purpose, Soulless One found te and her measure of peace.

  The fight was soon fotten, and the group of little ones surrounded her, loudly urgio fsh her cws and cut something to show how amazingly sharp they were.

  ****

  Day 3: M.

  “I was expeg more people,” Zero said, gng out of the cab at the front gate of Ironwill Mansion. “I don’t even see any Wintersongs, Sunbdes, Summersprings, or even Voidrunners here.”

  Zero smelled of soft violet perfume and put on silver bracelets and neckces gifted to her by the Twins themselves for this happy occasion. She wore the sleeveless bck gown, cut at one side to reveal her elegant leg and the dark purple of the inner side of the gown. There was still a helmet on her head, but she adjusted it to show her snout, hiding her ears and eyes from the curious people.

  “It’s politics,” Ashbringer replied, cheg the gifts. “Our cousins are weird like that. It isn’t proper for the upper households to grace a lower ohout receiving a proper bribe, and the Ironwills are heavily ied in their expansion. Teically, everuda shouldn’t be here, sihe Mountaintop household is much rger than the Ironwill, and rumor has it that Tancred isn’t really a sword saint.”

  “The rumors lie; I attest to that, sister,” Zero said.

  “Don’t ask, don’t care,” Ashbringer snorted. “Shameful. The girl is shakiering another house, and the old fucks py rituals, funting their ranks and showing the Ironwills their pce.”

  “Is that so…” Zero mused.

  Ashbringer got drafted by her sister for this wedding invitation. Out of respect for the anxious young one who will marry Tancred, Ashbringer dressed for the occasion, donning the stern business suit she had purchased at the Ironwill boutique. A stern blue tie held up the colr of her auburn shirt, golden pins held up the sleeves to free her paws, and on her legs were fortable boots. The annoying salesman tried to force her to put on the skirt, but she told him to piss off and took the pants, not seeing what the big deal was. On her head was a simple helmet that hid her hideousness from the eyes.

  Then came the trickier part. Every guest attending a sword saint wedding was expected t a gift. This, in and of itself, wasn’t that much different from the Wolf Tribe, where the warlords did the same. But the Ice Fangs were an exquisite group, and a simple beer like Zero wa first just wouldn’t do. No, they needed a prift, and Ashbringer dragged Zero by the ear into a jewelry workshop belonging to Mountaintop after receiving tokens from Lacerated Ohe materials for the gifts were found irophy rack of the Iable. Upon learning of their purpose, the workshop’s owner refused to accept payment and expihat First Sunbde would cover the expenses.

  It was satisfactory, and Ashbringer ehe smeltery at night a in the m, having fused the golden ore, a bar of ptinum, several ks of silver, and diamonds into two amulets. Zero’s sharpest cws then woveapestry onto the metal. Then a thin yer of diamond ced over the open side of the amulets, forever sealing the drops of blood taken from each warlord inside, and the overppials f the s created pleasant-to-the-eye imagery of dang wolves woven into each link of the . Ashbriruly ehe warmth of the fe and thahe overjoyed owner for his kindness.

  If the Ice Fangs won’t support their family, the Wolf Tribe will. Sure, not every wolf was the same size, and the amulets were rough around the edges, but the named sisters were proud of the results.

  They stepped out of the taxi and were greeted by the worried youths of Ironwill, who escorted the two warlords to the mansion. Guests from the city were there, chatting in the gardens and beiertained by performers. Ashbringer hesitated, drawn by the pageantry of the Fireeaters’ crew. They leapt through the rings of fire to the apa of music, stepped into the burning cages, only to be unched from their tops and dev burning stakes. To an outsider’s eye, they were the masters of the fmes, bending them to their will, but the warlord noted how respectable and cautious this family of five was. They never left their members without support; every trid jump was the product of tireless practice, and she appuded their skill.

  Rare dishes, tables of hurrying servants, dispys of the test Ironwills products filled the modest gardens. The household tried its best to portray opulence, but it showed primarily prosperity, and the most iing people in today’s marriage were the iors. The mayor sent his secretary to represent him; there were no civilian representatives from the rger households present; the guests took their time before bowing to the masters of the house, and Ashbringer got pissed even further when she finally met the newlyweds.

  Lord Tancred held himself with dignity, dressed in a bck suit, and greeted each guest who stepped uhe defense of his house. There was a glint of uainty in the eyes of his dy—a young and somewhat fragile Ice Fang in a sky-blue gown, her hair adorned with jewels.

  “Wele!” the dy said, her clear voice trembling as the warlords closed and Ashbringer ko reassure her. No wonder she’s worried; in a pack, her family would be at her side, teasing, cheering, and infuriatio the point where anger would drown out worry. If any of her wretches and buffoons would’ve needed her at their wedding, but didn’t call her thinking for fear of being too low status, she would first expin to them that this is not so, and then she would break their skulls for such idiocy. “Please do not kneel, huests. Everyone is equal uhe roof of our house today. Guests of your stature bless us with your presence alone.”

  “Hard it is not to kneel before the sight of such splendor,” Ashbringer recycled the words she had once heard at First’s wedding. “May the light of your union shine upon Houstad for many years to e. I wish you mahy offspring and offer these humble gifts to show our siy.” She hahe amulet to the woman.

  “Yeah, me too.” Zero smiled, giving her gift to Tancred.

  Ashbriraightened up, not listening to the dy’s gasp. She turned around and spread her arms wide.

  “Is it fitting that our civilized friends should g behind mere barbarians? We see the greatest pearl from afar. What is your excuse, honorable sirs and dies?” Ashbringer addressed the crowd.

  “Hear, hear!” Bertruda replied and hurried to the mansion’s owners, ign the iion of being fashionably te. She boresented her gifts, warmly wishing them many years of happiness, and the guests followed her example, dropping their ceremonial indifferend easing the worries of the Ironwills.

  The processioered the mansion, where the sages of the Ironwill household proudly stood ready to plete the ceremony. Ashbringer and Zero found themselves pced in the front row, but where her named sister paid close attention to the sages’ words, Ashbringer’s focus y elsewhere.

  Music! Cssical music echoed from the tower of gsses. The soothing song of the harp joihe flow of champaghe piano sounds reflected off the sages’ armor, and Ashbringer found herself lost, enjoying her passion. She adored the cssical music of any kind, but an orchestra was her favorite. It reminded her of home—about the days she returned after the pits straight into Mom’s and Dad’s embraces—of the years when her brothers and sisters were still alive and there was always a shoulder to lean on.

  Now she was that shoulder. But even an adult get weary es.

  She was so lost that she didn’t even notice Zero standing up during the st part of the ceremony and approag the Tancred and his dy. At her request, the sages quickly pced a bck booth to hide Zero, Tancred, his wife, aruda from the prying eyes of the curious assembly.

  That idiot… Ashbringer shook her head when a newborn sun suddenly fshed from behind the booth, ing from Zero’s eyes. The people didn’t see her, but they witnessed Bertruda fall to her knees, a trembling paw pressed to her chest, and murmurs filled the room as Zero spoke casually. She cked her sister’s grad eloquence, but her words came from the heart. The stro warlord wasn’t just the newlyweds her best wishes; she was, in a sense, a duit for the Blessed Mother’s will. Try beating that, Sunbdes. Ashbringer grinned and elbowed a nearby Ice Fang.

  “The pce is getting quiet. Care for a dance?”

  “Of course, Sir Ashbringer,” the young man said. “Which dies shall we ask to be our partners?”

  “I’m a woman, you degee!”