A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 25

The Prime Alpha ate his breakfast alone in his hut while everyone else ate together outside. Being able to sleep through the night without any surprise attacks had somewhat lightened everyone's mood.

"My warriors and I will be returning to Quandagh by noon," said Chief Anamak to his daughter. "I would have preferred to stay here until I am sure that this war is finally over before leaving, but the supreme leader thinks that I will be more useful to my clan than to him."

"But what if Nikjin attacks again?" Erin asked. Her voice was heavy with concern.

"Look around you, Edvana. This place is brimming with dozens of seasoned warriors, many of whom did not participate in the previous battles we had encountered on our way here. "They are strong enough to handle Nikjin and his beasts. My reason for wanting to take part in subsequent fights was solely selfish. I wanted to witness the fall of Nikjin firsthand." "Then tell that to our Alpha King. Besides, I still believe that we need every support we can get and that includes you and the Quandagh warriors," Erin insisted stubbornly.

"Never mind that, my dear. The decision has already been made and we shall be leaving soon. Your mother and sister would be beside themselves with worry if I do not return home soon." "You are right,” she said, unable to hide her worry. "What if the beasts attack you and the others on your way home?"

Anamak chuckled. "I am not the one they are after," he said confidently. "Vak Smallchief and his family are the main targets in this war, not a random village chief like me."

"You are not random," said Erin with a smile. "You are phenomenal."

Anamak smiled and embraced his daughter. "You always know the best things to say. Thank you, my darling. I will miss you when I return home."

"I am already missing you," she said.

Danshak walked up to them and cleared his throat to get their attention. "I am sorry to interrupt this tender moment, but I would like to borrow my wife for a few minutes," he said with a sheepish grin. "Oh, absolutely," said Anamak with a jovial grin. "She is all yours."

"Thank you," said Danshak before leading Erin away. "I need your help," he said once they were out of earshot. "What is it?"

"Zanisck has come up with this insane idea that he would journey to Vomani alone to kill Nikjin by himself." "What?"

"Weruona and I have spent the last couple of minutes trying to discourage him from going but he would not listen."

"That is suicidal. He can't even get within 10 feet of Nikjin when he is surrounded by those beastly creatures."

"Exactly! But he is not thinking straight right now. He thinks his anger is enough to give him some kind of superior strength to kill off the beasts and then kill Nikjin. I know he is desperate to avenge the death of our mother, but this is the wrong way to go about it."

"I agree. What do you need me to do?"

Danshak sighed. "Since Weruona and I have been unable to make him see reason, I thought you might succeed in bringing him back to his senses."

"Me? How so?"

"Well, I thought that since the two of you are quite friendly with each other, then you might be the best person to appeal to his common sense. I have a feeling that he will listen to you."

Erin was surprised. "If I remember correctly, you almost bit my head off the last time you saw me and Zanisck sharing a laugh."

"That was then, Edvana. A lot has happened between us since that time," he said with a suggestive wink.

"You are disgusting!" she laughed and punched him playfully in the chest. "Fine, I'll try my best but don't expect too much. Zanisck strikes me as a very stubborn fellow and he might not back down so easily."

"It takes one to know one," said Danshak.

Erin raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he said and dodged Erin's balled fist as she swung it at his head. "If you keep trying to fight me, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you to our room where we can fight properly without spectators." "You would love that, wouldn't you?" she teased him.

"Very much. How about we go inside for a quick fight and then come back to talk to Zanisck?"

Erin laughed. "No, this is urgent. We can have our private moment later."

He groaned and she laughed. She was still in awe of how their relationship had evolved and improved within such a short period. It was a shame that the war was marring this honeymoon period of their relationship and she hoped that life would return to normal soon so that they can savor the sweetness of their budding love.

As she followed him to where her brother-in-law sat brooding, Danshak took her hand in his and said, "I cannot imagine the rest of my life without you, Edvana. If the odds fall against us in this war, I would rather be dead than be apart from you."

"Please, don't say that, my love. We will both survive this," she said passionately.

"I strongly hope so."

"I know so. Listen, before Mother died, she told me that there would be losses during the war but that was while we were in Ketjuok. As she drew her last breaths on that sordid battlefield, I realized that she had been speaking of her own death."

"But she had said losses, had she not?"

"Yes, but I still believe that she was speaking about herself. Now, let's stop talking about death and go talk some sense into Zanisck's thick head."

Danshak chuckled. "Your father was right. You always know the right things to say. I am the luckiest werewolf alive."

"Don't make me blush," she laughed.

When they got to where Zanisck was sitting on a tree stump, they found Weruona sitting by his feet, idly sharpening his spear.

"Ah, here she is. The she-wolf with the words of wisdom," said Weruona.

He couldn't keep the bite off his tone because he was annoyed that his reasonable explanations were not enough to convince his little brother that he was about to ride to his death if he continued on his solo quest for revenge. "There is nothing anyone can say to change my mind, so do not even bother," said Zanisck. His jaw was set firmly in a look that Erin recognized. It was the same way her brother, Eric, looked whenever his mind was made up even when what he was about to do was totally foolhardy.

"It would be a terrible thing for your father to lose his mate and his son within hours of each other. I'd say that's a very mean thing to do to a man who is also being haunted by his own blood brother."

"Is that your brilliant tactic? Guilt-tripping me?" asked Zanisck, unimpressed.

"No, Zanisck. I don't have any tactic to stop you from getting yourself killed," said Erin. "If you believe that you would be more useful to your clan when you are dead, then, by all means, get up right now and run off to Vomani but don't sit here and hide your fear behind false bravery."

Everyone was stunned by her speech, including Zanisck who glared at her with unrestrained anger.

"Danshak, tell your mate to shut her mouth before I lose my temper," he said through clenched teeth.

"And then what?" Erin challenged him.

"Do not push me, Edvana. Be quiet!"

"Mind your tone, brother," Danshak warned.

"If you wanted to avenge your mother alone, you would have done that by now," Erin continued, ignoring Zanisck's threat.

"The fact that you are still here, talking about it tells me that you know that that would be a foolish thing to do and you want your brothers to recognize your feelings and acknowledge your bravery. I understand what it feels like to be invincible in a family of powerhouses, where victory is usually secured before you can even make your own contribution.

"You want to be seen, respected, validated, and I understand that very much. Mind you, I am not trying to make a mockery of your feelings, just using this as an opportunity to remind your brothers that you matter. You may be the youngest, but that does not make you less of a werewolf. After all, you are Vak Smallchief's descendant, an alpha werewolf. That is the definition of power, Zanisck."

Humbled by Erin's speech, Zanisck looked away but said nothing. His shoulders sagged and he exhaled slowly. It was a relief for him to know that there was at least one person who understood his plight even better than he did.