As I walked unhurriedly down the pathways that led to the deepest section of the den, I realized that the deeper I went, the older the inhabitants must be, given how spawnling eggs are laid nearest to the entrance to the den. A part of me idly wondered if the new clutch I was hoping to lay claim to would be near one of the other entrances to the den itself. I supposed so, given that I hadn't seen any sign of an entryway higher up the tunnels than our own little den. We continued onwards, with me slightly distracted as we went, until we were stopped by a group of adults unknown to me.

"These'uns dunno where they're." One (a large male who seemed to be the second in command to a thin, powerful-looking female) growled at us, chuckling. He was substantially larger and more powerfully built than Greel, but he was only 1.2m at most, so far from the intimidating sizes of Rulac and Redael. His only notable feature were his particularly powerful legs and almost disproportionally large feet which ended in toes like an eagle's--long and meant for the business of inflicting hurt. He continued, "Yer lost. If'n that female were purty, I'd take'er, but sheain't. Take 'nother step n'I'll bite ye." He squared up with me, and I looked briefly at Took, who stepped forward, shrieking a challenge at him. I would have gone myself, but I was far from 100%, and the leader going against a subordinate rankled.

The male, for his part, seemed surprised that we didn't bow before him, and looked at us with a newfound respect. "Yeh've got spines. See if yeh've got scales n' fangs t'go with." He invited us to pass into their den which was nearby, and the front room was built somewhat similarly to our own. The main difference was that there was an obvious arena built into the space, where the male went, with the Took, Brutus, me and the rest of his pack following.

"Ai'm not 'ere t'kill a spawnling. T' first blood?" He spoke up, and Took simply nodded.

They both stalked in a circle as if by ritual, then, again, as if rehearsed, they both charged forward at the same time. The male seemed to be testing Took more than trying to actually fight her, and, going off of how he held himself, he was no stranger to this trial by combat. She rushed forward with the same leg-grappling attempt that had worked to such effect on Greel, but he stepped deftly to the side. As she attempted to recover herself, he heavily shouldered her, knocking her sprawling. She was far from beaten or downed though, and she rolled into it and to her feet. The heat of the moment had initially gotten to her head, but she began to calm herself at this point.

Took approached cautiously, and began to try probing the much larger male. She started slowly, grabbing out with one hooked hand, then the other, then trying to bite at him like a viper, neck extending to its fullest. Unfortunately for her, the male seemed wise to her attacks, and was able to dodge each one, and return with not-quite gentle strikes of his own. The way he was pulling his punches infuriated her, and she began to lose her composure once again, swinging wildly with her claws, then, after he began to commit forwards to strike her again, she rapidly spun and tried to strike his legs out from under him with her thick tail. Took was able to score a heavy strike on his shins, but it did nothing but sound out a loud crack... then he retaliated.

Took had needed to lower herself to attempt this move, and, with her head rising up after her spin, the large male simply stomped her head to the ground. Then, while still holding her down, he almost ceremoniously lowered his mouth to her neck, and, before Brutus or I could do anything, bit a long, thin stripe into her neck.

As the blood flowed from Took's neck, the male released her and stepped back. "Ai've drawn first blood. Th'victry's mine." After he finished his little ritual, he grinned. "Ai'm Crolt, beta to this'un." He nodded his head to the female that seemed to be in charge. As he did so, I couldn't help but notice a series of scaleless lines on his neck, mirroring Took's.

The female spoke up then. Her voice was surprisingly husky, considering her thin physique. "She's got potential, and," then she turned to me, "since she follows you, I'd guess you do too. If you make it to adulthood, we'll welcome you and any others we deem worthy into our pack." I must have looked confused, since she smirked and continued, "You must think you can just keep going as you have been once you and your pack reach adulthood, huh?" I hesitantly nodded. "Well, you're wrong. The adults leave the spawn to themselves, but once they're adults, they're a part of the swarm. You'll see, and, at that time, say that Wisterl's got her eye on you." She nodded, then changed the subject.

"So, why're you all down here? Given your apparent levelheadedness and pride, you should have some reason."

"Well, I was going to talk to Rulac and see if I could acquire some assistance from him in exchange for some information."

As I said Rulac's name, Wisterl nodded appreciatively at me. "If you know his name, you should know what that means. What's your information? I was his Gamma for a time, so I might be able to help."

After a moment's hesitation I spoke up.

"We've located the den of the wolfstags believed to have killed the previous beta of the swarm. I want to trade that information with the opportunity to accompany the swarm in leveling and razing the den." I stood tall as I spoke.

"You've got scales on your heart and fangs in your soul. I'm sure he'll make the trade. Don't think Redael will come along though." Wisterl smiled and nodded. "Follow me, I'll take you there."

I smiled, and gestured for my companions to follow.

...

Took was sullen but pensive as we walked deeper. I could see her occasionally twitch this way or that as she relived the fight, thinking about how to improve. Brutus spoke companionably with Crolt and some of the others while I walked alongside Wisterl in a comfortable silence.

There were a couple of other dens between us and our goal, but the 2 times someone poked their heads out, they quickly went back in upon seeing Wisterl flanked by 6 of her finest. I could hear echoes of her name and the title "Alqat". I thought about what it could mean, but before I decided to ask, we came upon Rulac.

He was womanizing, which seemed to be a permanent state of being for him, with a female that I thought (but was unsure) was different from the previous one. As we approached, Rulac noticed that Wisterl was there, and smiled at her. "My proudest Alqat. Have you come for pleasure or business?"

"It's been a long time since I came to you for pleasure. Just thought this spawnling was interesting, and decided to escort him." Wisterl chuckled at his antics, and Rulac smiled back.

"Yes, well, given this particular spawn, I was pretty sure it wasn't pleasure, but you never know." He then turned to me. "So, what's up for you? It hasn't been long since I last saw you, so I'm surprised to see you grow so much! I can't imagine you'll change much more before adulthood though."

"I'll be straight with you. I--"

Rulac interrupted, "I wouldn't have it any other way, I like the females too much." He laughed, and it took a second for me to comprehend what he was saying, and another second to wonder about the existence of homosexuality in reptiles. After I shook that thought from my head, I continued.

"I've come to attempt a barter with you."

"Oh, that is interesting. I see why you brought him to me, Wisterl." Rulac grinned and stepped forward while pushing off the female. She seemed unoffended and laid there, languidly listening. "What do you have that would be of any value to me?"

"We have the location of the wolfstag den."

Rulac immediately shifted from joking and laidback to deathly serious. It was almost frightening how much he'd changed--his aura became absolutely calm and he radiated an aura of fettered violence that made my blood run cold.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then the pack marches tomorrow night at midnight."

I was surprised to hear him say "pack", and not swarm.

"Do you mean the swarm, sir?"

Rulac grinned in a rictus. "Oh no, just the pack. I'll be bringing out the Alqats for this. Wisterl," he turned to her and loomed over her, "I offer a formal call to battle as an Alqat. Do you answer?"

Wisterl bowed low. "Forged in war and tempered in blood, I follow."

"You keep your vow. I acknowledge it. Gather the rest. We will feast on our brother's killer tomorrow." Rulac nodded at Wisterl and turned to go deeper to Redael's lair, stepping over the now-forgotten female in his path.

I looked up at Wisterl, somewhat confused. "Given their numbers, don't we need more than just one pack? I don't underestimate you all but..." I trailed off.

She grinned down at me. "2 things. 1. Yes, you ARE underestimating us. 2. Don't worry. You have Rulac and his 'killers' on your side. No wolfstag will live to see the morning after next."