-Wolf Territory - Marshlands-

On the 12th day of the second Winter Quarter, at the center of Black Wolf territory, the orange Sun approached the grassy expanse on the horizon and cast long shadows with thick clouds moving North along a breeze getting colder. As the night was about an hour away, the nocturnal animals began making their presence known within the sound of rustling grass and gently splashing water of the great Marsh.

Near the very southern Marsh tip, two Alpha Wolves of different Packs, a male and a female, reached the waters and inspected the aftermath of a battle. After making their judgment and seeing the perpetrators under control at the north, they called the remaining four members that has stayed behind with the charred insects and trotted over as they caught up. On the way, they encountered the multicolored that Wolf had gone to the Water to replenish Elementals and to retrieve a piece of clothing serving as the girl's underwear that she lost in battle. They exchanged a brief greeting, but the multicolored canine wasn't interested in talking, so they continued on their ways.

...

Over a hundred meters further north, around 50-meters East of the Marsh bank, three 4-meter tall green wolves, a purple-blue Dragon, and a human girl surrounded an injured blue Wolf tied on the ground. A few minutes had passed since the Wolf on the northwest began removing Larvas and insect parasites from the Rank 5 water wolf. Starting from the head, he would use Wind Magic to suck them out of the Flesh, causing the sick Beast to yelp and convulse violently. Then the Wind user on the South and Northeast would stop the hemorrhage and apply anesthetic.

As the Dragon oversaw the process while sitting upright, tail coiled to the left, he explained what he knew about the magical insects. He held a Mana Crystal in his mouth, to recover as soon as his Spirit returned from his ongoing ascension. Next to his right thigh, and within the shadows, Shaila lied on her right side, shivering each time the wind blew. With the help of the Old Wolf further right and constant Light recovery magic on her wounds, she was feeling better than before already but too uncomfortable to move.

"And then, these things just...eat us from the inside out?" Long Wind asked as he pulled out another 2-inch long Larva and twisted it into a paste. "Die!" *Bwuosh!* "Kiiiiii--!" *Splat! Puik!*

"...Yes. And Adults liquify your inshides to feed..."

"That's horrible! Why do these horrible creatures exist?!"

"I can't think of a worse way to die." Contemplated Fifth Wind.

"Stop making a fuss!" Rebuked the oldest wolf present. "Haven't we always had to live with many nasty creatures?"

"...True. We even have a weird Lizard in our midst now."

"Huh...? You mutt!"

"For sure. But Senior Old Coat, these things seem too voracious, even compared to Wyverns and magical Birds..."

"Hrrmm, yes. And from what the Dragon said, they might be a much bigger threat than before... Have you all noticed how the Howls from the West stopped?"

""!!?? What?!"" The Beasts uttered in disbelief, perked their ears and turned towards the Marsh.

Shhhiiit... "There wele more insects than we thought..."

After a pause, the senior added. "I hope the nearby Wolfen are just hiding quietly..."

""..."" The Beasts shared the concern while staring at the darkening skies in silence.

The girl sensed the dreadful atmosphere and halted her concentration. "Nefi?"

Nefiru looked down to his right.

"A-are we in danger tonight?"

"...Maybe..."

"Ugh! We can't catch a break..." She grumbled in frustration as her face scrunched angrily.

"Don't worry! I'll think of something--"

"W-we need to warn others!" Fifth Wind interrupted.

"Ya! Let's do a Howl Chain for 'threat from above.'"

"Wait!" The Dragon stopped them. "That will reveal our location!"

"But Dragon! We can save lives and hamper the insect numbers from increasing."

"And you will also get Wolfen killed!"

"The Dragon is right. We should find refuge for the night first. Then we can Howl safely."

"Hyuu... How many Wolfen will die until then...?"

"We'll see what the Alphas decide. I vote to fight!"

Old Coat shook his head and clarified. "Fight? We need to exterminate them. And that will require preparation."

"Hrrrr... Alright..."

"But...fighting flying creatures in the sky is-..."

"Hard... Ah! Let's send the Dragon!"

While throwing a frowning glare to the youngest High-Rank, Nefiru declared. "You can use Long Wind as Bait, hide underground, and ambush the Queen when she descends."

"Me!? No way!"

"That's a good Tactic." That Foxes have used on us...

"Don't agree!"

Well, there's Air cannons and Nets... "There is another method without sacrificing Long Wind."

"Why you--!"

"But your Elders told me not to spread knowledge carelessly. Because it would, uhh, make your Tribe less stable."

"Humm... That's wise of them."

"...Sounds like they want to stay in power forever..."

"What do you know, Pup?!" Old Coat rebuked sternly. "There are many Wolfen proving themselves at the Northern Border, to follow after the Elders or replace them, should they fall. But it's the Matriarch who acknowledges who can be a Leader."

"We all decide who to impart knowledge." Added Fifth Wind.

"Wuu... I get it..."

"Achualee, Long Wind is not all wrong. With new knowledge imparted to hundreds of Wolfen to gain an advantage in the War, the Elders have to try their best not to fall behind."

"Say I'm right then!"

"I see..."

"But it is as you say; most that want to rule cannot be effective Leaders," Nefiru announced and looked to the Northeast, remembering the lazy canine leading the Artillery group heading to the border. "While those highly qualified don't want the responsibility. Or don't want the bad sides of ruling... But your current leaders have been consistent for many years."

""...""

"Well-spoken, Dragon." Old Coat praised and turned at the moving figures to the south. "Weun, speaking of Leaders, let us discuss with the Alphas. They are finally here."

"Long Wind-..."

"I know..."

...

Six Wolves around 4-meters tall approached slowly from South the group keeping the blue Wolf alive and prepare to heal him. At the front, the two Alphas. On their left, walked elegantly, a Low-Rank 7 darkness She-wolf with her glossy black fur giving off pleasant natural fragrances. On their right, paced a bright green Low-Rank 7 male Wolf with Light brown tribal marks on each side of his belly. Each had two Rank 6 darkness followers behind.

To avoid misunderstandings, Long Wind approached the group first and began explaining everything that he knew, and resumed what the group behind him had conversed about.

After several inquiries and explanations for several minutes as well as complaints, the Male Alpha burst out suddenly.

"He did WHAAAAT!!??"

Startled, the Beasts on the north perked their ears and turned their heads.

"I told you not to freak out!" Long Wind protested and followed on his right.

The double affinity canine stomped his way towards the scaly Beast and snarled. "YOU! Fight me!"

The Dragon flinched. Washed by the intense aura and hostile display of fangs much larger than his, he felt like backing away instinctually. But with the little girl behind him, he could not. However, still feeling pushed, he had to move his head back over a meter. A feat that his long neck allowed.

"...!! Wh--? Why??"

"For the Earth Elder! Relinquish her if you want to live!"

"Huh??" Worried and intimidated, it took Nefiru a moment to regain his bearings and realize the misunderstanding. "W-wait! Wait! Wait! She's not my Mate!"

The aggressive canine's expression softened. "!? She's not??"

"No! I'm a Dragon! I desire a Dragoness Mate!"

At the declaration, the Beasts felt relieved. The girl, however, felt a little rejected.

"Then why did you two Mate?!"

"It was just once! And it was really difficult. And she forced me!" She wanted my D! He retorted to himself, feeling if saying that out loud would get him bitten. "Because she wanted my Seed." Well, the experience was beneficial to me too...

"Your Seed???" Questioned the Wolf whilst tilting his head quizically.

"I have--had many Malked Seeds. She spent half a day experimenting with it. Even Dark 9 asked for it. And he's a Male!"

As one of the confused wolves, the Alpha turned to the old Wolf. "What does this mean???"

"Hrrmm..." After a brief deliberation, Old Coat didn't answer and asked the scaly Beast instead. "Dragon, the hues on your scales... You are a Double-High Affinity, aren't you?"

""Double-High?!!"" A few Beasts blurted in near unison and others muttered while staring at his body incredulously.

For a moment, Nefiru felt hesitant to respond. This was not a matter he should show off, even if he wanted. But under the curious gaze of the wolves, he decided to affirm this much. "...Yes."

The Wolves made a fuss again. They all knew at least a Wolfen that gambled in selecting more than one Affinity that felt strong, only to end up with Low Affinities, ruining their whole future or dying right after. In their minds, there would only be a couple of such lucky magicians in their whole Tribe.

Meanwhile, the girl put on a smug expression, being proud of the Pet she owned.

Comprehending the revelation, the high-Rank Alpha became depressed and sat back down on the spot, allowing the Dragon to straighten his body again.

Old Coat nodded in understanding. "Of course the Elders would be so interested in him. We all seek higher Spiritual qualities. That's what it took for her to Mate again..."

"But he's a Dragon!"

"And, many Beasts can procreate with different Species. Dragons are notorious for it. Either that or-..."

The Alpha glared at the scaly Beast.

"Don't look at me! They didn't tell me much and I didn't ask. I just wanted it over with. But-..." Nefiru blurted out when he suddenly recalled. Dante asking me to Mate with Eluana along him, and to control his body... "Maybe they tried to use me to Mark their Seeds and Eggs?"

From behind, Old Coat affirmed. "Or that, yes. But I have yet to hear of any success in tricking the Elementals into marking foreign Seeds. Even a transplanted Spiritual Mark falls apart. I tried..."

"Wait... You really can do that??!!"

"At Higher Ranks, yes. But it is very difficult and takes sooo long. But if you could mark Seeds faster-..."

With me, Tests would go millions of times faster! "I see... And why doesn't work?"

"The usual. Spirit-Lifeforce compatibility."

"Wait, what is this 'Mark,' exactly?" I'm getting something wrong here...

"Why, it's a stable tiny bundle that your Elementals make severing your Spirit, Lifeforce, and Mana."

"...Say what???!! Elementals cut my Spirt?!"

"They do. The tips that manage to retain Mana. This increases with Rank. Ah, but they make sure you don't feel Spiritual pain."

"That's scary still!"

"I didn't know that..." Commented the girl on the ground. Sometimes, I regret leaving school...

"Not to worry. It's like a mark every few days... And Spirit grows back as long as Mana reaches it..."

What about me??? How much is my Spirit being shredded!? Wait, then...I literally ejaculate my Soul away!!! What the heeeeell!!! ... Is that why it glows? To warn me? Ugh...

Although a little frantic at first, Nefiru still looked at the positive side, and with a quick pondering, he recalled previous discoveries. He became excited, and his tail lightly smacked the ground a few times, which didn't escape the girl's attention despite being on the opposite side.

"Nefi... What are you planning...?"

"Hm? Do you not realize what this means?"

"Umm... That Foxman you told to get new genitals may never have magician children again?"

"Ohh...! Whoops?"

"I know what it means, Nefi." Even common creatures would be able to have magical offsprings easily. And that would throw the World's balance in chaos... "But even if you make that work somehow, Trouble won't be far behind."

"Hmmm... You are right..." It's gotta be a Top secret thing. "My Partner is growing so wise~"

The girl recalled the flow of events and while feeling her throbbing wounds, sighed. "Haaaim... Consequences are just painful..."

The Alpha waited for the Dragon to turn back to him, narrowed his green eyes, and asked in a foreboding tone. "What will you do... if she's pregnant?"

All present stood quiet, feeling a rising tension. Even the girl held her breath.

"Hmm... Honestly? I would be happy to be a Father. It's not how I explected my life to go, but I'll accept it. But I would alsho worry how our Pups turn out... Even their life would be harsh. And... I think she should find a proper Mate for next year..."

""...""

"T-then--"

"I can't just tell her to accept you."

"..."

"You need to earn that. But... do you Qualify?"

"..." The canine remained silent, his ears dropped and his head lowered, staring at the ground sulking. He replied with little energy. "...I Courted her before. She... couldn't care less how I felt. There were too many males better than me..."

Yup. Erina never even mentioned him. "And you still want her?!!"

"...Since the moment I laid eyes on her dazzling figure." The Alpha revealed while lifting his head. "Her sweet, feminine scent, is entrancing enough to make me daydream. And when I do dream, I dream of what it would be like... And when I try to fornicate--"

"Stop! Stop! I get it..." Jeeesh. He's in love huh?

"I tried staying away, but I still can't move on... Can't you help me? Like you how promised Long Wind...?"

"Hmm... Maybe... Are you a close descendant of her?"

"No, far from it... Is she still angry about her last Mate?"

"Not that much... What are your Affinities?"

"Medium Earth and High-Wind. Is she lively?"

Nefiru nodded approvingly and then looked down at the Wolf's crotch. "...You have a small package..."

"HRRGR!"

"Eaaasy there. I wasn't mocking you." Not completely... "But, can you produce more than one Mark at a time?"

"...Rarely. But Healers said it was too risky to enlarge them. I'm stuck like this."

"I see..."

From behind, the oldest Wolf spoke regretfully. "I'm sorry, Son. I couldn't give you better biology..."

""!!??""

"Nonsense, Dad. You are not a Divine."

"But what if I didn't feed you enough?"

"It's alright. Stop dwelling on pointless regrets."

"Hrrmmm..."

The Dragon, waiting for his chance to jump in, turned to Old Coat. "Wait... You are his Father??!"

"As you heard. Surprise~?"

"But isn't he your Alpha?"

"Yes, he is. I retired. It's up to him to lead our Pack and find a Female to procreate now. We are a Family Pack, after all. Although all Packs are like family..."

"Seriously? ... Wait, there are different kinds of Packs?"

"Of course. There's the Military Packs that focus on fighting power, defense, and order. The Scavenger Packs that collect food and materials to deliver where needed. The Roaming Packs. The Healer Pack. The Deviant Pack, where defective or discontent wolfen gather. And others not worth mentioning."

"Interesting." So, 'Alpha,' is a general leader position of a group. Oh, and it seems the gay wolves didn't tell me everything about their Pack... "Hm... But what happens to the female Alpha in your situation?"

"That... Unless she needs to lead the Pack herself, she typically passes on that position. Rarely, they mate with the new male Alpha."

"Ohh..."

"Weun, in my case, my Mate left me a while ago."

"What?! That's terrible!"

"Huhu..." The old Wolf softly chuckled. He couldn't help but want to teach this young Dragon that had become an Alpha recently and was curious about Wolf Packs.

With a shake of his head, he denied. "No, it's not. She's still young and wants to continue having Pups. That's to be admired. Praised, even! Many Females get tired of it all quickly. Can you imagine giving birth over a hundred times? Then raise hundreds of Pups. And then watch most of them die...?"

Damnnn... "I get it..."

The lecture caused all present, including the human girl, to reflect and remember stories of their own.

"But it's not only that." Declared Long Wind, waiting for the Dragon to turn his head to him. "He was also reaching the end of his Lifespan."

Nefiru snapped his head to the opposite side and blurted. "!!? Yu-you are dying...???"

"No! Not that soon, Dragon. I still have years in me! I just need some more ranking..."

"Hm..."

"Dad..."

"Stop it. Worry about doing things right. Keep my Legacy alive..."

"...I know..."

"And don't trust others blindly. Confirm what you can. What if Long Wind was wrong?"

"Ah?! Sorry..."

"And ..."

As the two were having an emotional moment, the Dragon pondered.

Long Wind called out and asked curiously. "Hey, Dragon... What does it feel to have a long neck like a Snake? Doesn't it hurt twisting like that?"

"Uhhh... No, it's quite flexible. It's not as firm as yours, but it has conveniences. Only in Magic, my head feels far from my body."

"I see, I see... And your Tail; that pointy thing impales?"

Nefiru looked down on his left and raised the end of his tail. The scaly hair fibers cascaded downwards, fully exposing the arrow head-shaped sharp tip.

"Yes, but my tail is more flexible towards the end, shooo it lequires great control..."

"And you can fly too... Dragons are impressive."

Nearly a dozen meters away, a Darkness Wolf complained. "It's a shame we are not eating Dragon too."

"I know right? All that energy wasted..." Said another hungry Wolf.

"...EAT GRASS!" Barked Nefiru angrily and slammed his tail down.

""...""

Having decided what to do, Nefiru said to the Alpha. "Listen, you-... What do I call you?"

"I'm PondWish's Alpha. You can call me that, or... just use my Ranking designation. That's harder to fake than a Name."

"...Your Pack had name, but not you...?"

"Yes, most large Packs get fitting names. Our Lair is next to a bottomless Pond surrounded by Stone-shaped creatures. Nice, right?"

Statues...? Weird... "Uhh-huh..."

Long Wind used the opportunity to introduce himself as well. "And I'm 4th Wind 7! Known as Long Wind for my looong member--"

The Alpha interrupted with a fed up half-open eyes look. "He used to Fart a lot back when we took his dying corpse into our prestigious Pack."

"Wuk! Come on! Why do you have to take it like that?" The boasting canine protested and walked away while grumbling. "Wurrruurgh... Since the Cheating Dragon isn't food anymore, I'll get back to Debugging. Or is it de-worming? Huu... Whatever..."

Ouch... "I have a name too. But you wolfen always call me 'Dragon.'"

"But that's easier to identify you, and remember you."

The other Beasts agreed.

"Haaa..." Nefiru helplessly sighed, and then spoke gravely in low growls. "You two should go to the Mana Vein Valley as soon as you can."

""Wuoh??! Why?""

"Your Tribe is changing far more than the rumors. Merit will be rewarded more than before. Knowledge will be shared more. Things are being built... You need to get there before many others realize."

Old Coat spoke first. "Oh?! The Elders are trying new things... I hope they are careful though. Change doesn't just bring good things..."

"That's correct. Which is why I'm sure, they will welcome your Wisdom."

"...Can I do non-combative work too?"

"Yes. Plenty."

"Hrmmm... I think I will..."

Nefiru then turned to the south. "And Mid-Earth-High-Wind... I think you have great Potential."

"Thank you."

"There's even a chance you can upgrade your Earth Affinity at Divine."

"...?? No, that's--"

"Possible! Is she not enuff motivation?"

"...!! I-I could try..."

"Aim for it!"

"A-alright. I'll try!"

"Good. I'll try to persuade her to wait. And if it's ever possible, I would Mark your Seeds."

"Really?"

Oh-yeah, I need Soldiers... "You will owe me though."

"...As long as you keep it fair. But I want to see progress first."

"Alright." Another quest...

In the following awkward silence, the female Alpha walked behind the Green Alpha, stopped on his right side and barked at him.

"My turn now! Go away!"

"!!... Alright, alright... No need to bark in my ears."

Seeing the Wolf retreat, Long Wind called. "Alpha! I could use your help here..."

"On what?"

"Earth Magic can remove the Tiny bugs easily."

"...Fine..."

The She-wolf then turned to the Dragon with a sharp glare. "Listen carefully, Lizard. I want you--!"

The Dragon cut her off. "You smell nice."

"--Wh-what?!!" Stammered the Wolfess as her expression transformed into astonishment.

"And her Fur is amazing, Nefi!"

Running his gaze on the Wolfess, Nefiru repeated. "How is your Fur so nice and shiny?"

"Th-that... I-I use oily fruits, and aromatic bushes, and I groom-..." Why am I telling this to a Dragon...???

"And you are so patient."

"Hmph! I'm an Alpha. Of course--Ah! Stop that! GRRR--!"

"And your Fangs are so sharp..."

Stop falling for the compliments, stop falling... "Enough!"

"Okay, gruff! What do you want; a Mate too?"

"My Mate went to the border with nearly half our Pack to fight off an invasion you triggered! Bring them back!"

Nefiru frowned.

"Were they forced?"

"...No. But Wolfen this far South shouldn't fight there! That's why we send frozen food to the fighter Packs there..."

The Dragon shook his head. "Sawdly, the Foxes want to fully use this opportunity and sent all their forces... I was told if they break through, half your Tribe... will be lost."

The revelation caused all the Wolves to halt and fall silent with grave expressions.

However, the She-Alpha still wanted to counter. "And wha--what are you doing about it!!? This is your fault!!"

"I did my part too! I fought Foxes, I killed Foxes, I ate Foxes. I gave your Tribe plenty of advantages to Win. All risking to be captured by enemies and suffer..."

"Did you now? The Beast that was supposed to bring us to prosperity just brought us destruction!"

Feed up with their ignorance, Nefiru sighed. "Haaa... Seems I need to tell you all everything that happened."

"Please do." Approved Old Coat.

The Dragon proceeded to give a brief summary of the battles starting with the Matriarch. Only leaving out secrets. Just enough to cause many different reactions and interruptions.

A few minutes later, Pondwish broke the resulting silence.

"...That's too hard to believe, Dragon. And for such a short time."

Long Wind finally closed his mouth and uttered. "I don't know what's more unbelievable; that two Foxes joined us or that an Elder mated with a Fox..." Weun, Dark 8 is a weird one...

"I'm sure you will hear more about it from other Wolfen. Or just go ask..."

""...""

I feel silly... Though the She-Alpha as she looked down. "...My Mate... My Children... Can they survive...?"

"I believe so." Reassured Nefiru. "I don't think the Foxes will reject the Deal." I'm more worried about what they'll scheme...

"I hope so too... But Dark 8 forces are the weakest."

"Oh... You follow her."

"Yes. Our Pack's name is SquareRuins. If you hear anything, please protect them."

That's extremely unlikely. "Alright." Also, another odd name... Ah! "Say... Can I call you Deevah?"

"You... don't like my Pack's name?!"

"...Sorry."

"Hrmm... That growl, it's not mockery, is it?"

"No. It's, uhhh, like looking good and popular. It's the growl equivalent to that other speech I know."

"...It does sound pleasing. Feel free." She approved and walked to Fifth Wind's side.

"Mom... Sorry I couldn't secure food."

"It's alright. Let's hunt later..."

Having waited for his turn, Old Coat called out to voice his concern. "Hey, Dragon... That's too much change in our Tribe..."

"Hm? Oh, but your Tribe was slowly collapsing. Your Elders had to change. Your ways had to change. Your Matriarch had to change..."

"...I guess turmoil is better than destruction. At least, it's really good news that the Elder is Rank 10 already. She's our strongest fighter."

"Hm? But Dark 9 is close behind."

"That's good too... Dark 9 knows what to do to win. He is fierce and fearless in combat. But he cannot compare in fighting power to a giant wrecking boulder. He's just a Darkness user."

"Oooohhhh..." I didn't get to see that. "But Darkness isn't as weak as before."

"Oh? Now I'm very curious. For a Tribe with mostly Dark Beasts, that could make a big impact..."

...

A few minutes of small talk later, the Dragon felt within his brain a pleasant sensation. One his Human self never imagined would feel as fundamental as breathing. His Spirit was returning to the World. It gradually speed up until it expanded in all directions for up to 2-meters from his brain within seconds.

"HUuuuaa~!" Nefiru let out a relieving moan. Immediately after, he began molding the Mana of the crystal to his new Density.

"Finally Awakened?" Asked Old Coat.

"No." Nefiru shook his head. "Just a tenth of my Spirit returned. But... the Density increased a little."

"Congratulations then! We don't always receive such boosts."

"Yesh... But when am I gonna finish this!!"

"Idiooot! Doing an Ascension out here..." Mocked Long Wind.

The Dragon accepted the remark, as it was correct. But the girl flinched on the ground, feeling guilty.

"Ignore the envious Wolf." Dismissed the old Beast and then asked. "How many times have you gone through the Mana Feeding?"

"This was the third."

"And you still haven't finished?!"

"Well, it would've been faster if I had the full Spirit volume back!" But I guess Mana is naturally being used to modify my conscious Spirit...

"Hrrmm... It has to be your sizes..."

"As you said before, I'm too small, aren't I?"

"...For your Rank, maybe. But it could be your Soul is too large for your current body."

"My Soul?!" Makes sense...

"And also, you are not supposed to use magic until you finish."

"Oh... Right... But I have to."

The Dragon turned to the Marsh and called out progressively louder until he was heard.

Around a hundred meters away, in the foot-deep waters, the rainbow Wolf was concentrating on keeping Water Elementals under control like never before. Even the colors of its Fur had stopped changing. One mistake and it would lose them all in a blink of an eye, at worst, dangerously. That almost happened when it heard a 'Come' from the distance. And although it was a rejoicing time, now it had to walk back carefully.

...

Having finished collecting the Elementals in his body, Nefiru noticed the small canine would take some time, and moved over to the girl. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and with little resistance, wriggled his Spirit into her body. He collected the few Elementals in her body then began to reproduce her lifeforce on a small portion of his Spirit. A most delicate process that began roughly as he acclimated to his returned senses.

With the help of the multi-affinity canine, Shaila had recovered many minor injuries and bruises. But her three biggest wounds required too much tissue growth and many blood vessels to connect. But to her relief, that immediately began happening within minutes.

However, when the colorful canine arrived, the Dragon stopped healing the girl and started walking away to the west.

Worriedly, Shaila rubbed her bottom until she felt a digit-deep rough dentation. "Nefi... Why is there a hole in my bu-... Gluteus?"

Nefiru halted. He glanced back on his right but not enough to see her. He was aware of how important appearance was to a young girl.

"Sorry... It was too deep... But I will fix it later." He replied with a saddened yet firm tone.

"..." Shaila was about to complain but swallowed her words. She noticed her partner was feeling guilty. Mayhaps he felt too guilty as of late.

But at least she wasn't in pain anymore. Just very uncomfortable lying in grass with only a makeshift bra and exhausted from her battles.

"Nnngggh..." With a loud groan, the girl sat up, closed her legs, and leaned forward to sit with her knees. A position where the grass blades wouldn't bother her delicate parts. She then continued recovering Magic.

"Alpha... Hu-hurry..." The multicolored canine urged in strained growls.

The Dragon rushed over and carefully stripped the Water Elementals off the Wolf's Magic threads.

A minute later, he approached the blue wolf's head to begin making his life force when the canine let out a snarl.

"GRRrrr..."

Fearing being bitten by the loose head, Nefiru stopped.

"Eeeeaasy there..."

On the left, Long Wind noticed his hesitation and said in a stern tone. "Don't back away! Assert yourself."

"Huh?"

"He's like a wild Beast now. Only way to reason with that is force and intimidation."

"Uhh... I don't want to make it worse..."

"Too soft..." Long Wind dismissed with a shake of his head and turned to the southern Beast. "Fifth..."

"Sure." Lying on the ground, the high Rank accepted and snarled as menacingly at the blue Wolf. "GRAWR!"

"EEP!"

"Like that. And if he bites, you bite back more. Simple."

"Hmm... It's still gonna be hard to heal an unwilling magician. Any of you know any Magic Arts to force him asleep?"

"Not me. I haven't even learned Old Coat's pain relieving magic."

"Me neither."

"I don't, but he could faint without air."

"That's too dangerous in his condition." Oh, wait. "Actually, it's better to move him awake. Just... help me push back his Magic."

"We can do that." Said Old Coat that was free now.

"And it's easier now that water Alpha de-ranked to low-5." Commented Diva, recalling the last time she met her neighbor.

"..." Crestfallen, the colorful canine tried to ignore everything unrelated to healing its father.

After a moment of thought, Long Wind remarked. "You know, Dragon, for your position, you are rather weak on Leadership."

"...I can't disagree. I don't even like leading much." Said Nefiru as he identified the water Wolf's Lifeforce frequency. "But I have to... I know things. I'm good at fixing things too. And--"

"And creating problems!"

"...Can't be helped. Almost everything we do has a negative impact."

"Excuses! You are just not careful enough, are you?"

"Hmm... I guess I gotta manage Risk better."

"Yahh... We can't lose this land..."

After removing tens of Larvas from the upper body, Long Wind moved to the rear for the last ones when he noticed something that made his expression darken and scrunch in horror.

"Huaargh!! W-w-what is thissss!!?? Huurgh! These things--are eating his Balls!!"

""!!... What??"" All present turned to look with perplexed expressions and sent their magic to probe what the fluffy tail was covering.

"Seriously?! That's too cruel!"

"Wuuuargh! The horror!"

"Vile creatures! That's worse than death!"

The She-Alpha stared unamusedly. "Males..."

The girl also shook her head while rolling her eyes.

"Males..." Care too much about genitals...

The genderless Beast, however, had a different reaction.

"Noooo! We can't lose my Father's testicles! Alpha!"

"!? That's-... We have to prioritize his Life..."

"Please! Our Water Lineage could--Will be lost with him! I can't reproduce!"

"Uuurgh... Fine... I will have nightmares..."

...

And while the Beasts were making a fuss, a powerful Spirit made contact with Old Coat's, making him tremble.

"D-Divine...!!" He uttered in astonishment.

But none of the others noticed. His growl being lost in the commotion was no coincidence. Nor was his heavy expression and tense body as he pondered what to do unnoticed.

A potent Transmission traveled up his Spirit into his brain then translated into thoughts resonating in his mind. "Greetings, Wise one. This is an Aquatic Backer of your Tribe. I have reached you with a request."

"!!... Greetings, Great immortal. We are ever grateful for your support. It will be a pleasure to be of service." Old Coat replied back politely in the same manner. In the presence of such status, he would not dare deny.

Seconds later, as there was a delay due to distance, the behemoth imposingly demanded. "Convince the Dragon to resume his Journey."

"!?... To the Coast? B-but the insects--ah! M-my apologies. I am not opposing. It's just...he might not make it..."

"...Those insects are just a symptom of a much bigger problem. Something he could help with someday. He should not perish to mere bugs so easily." The intent answered, clearly being aware of many things.

Although cryptic on purpose, a realization struck the old Wolf. This...! This isn't about Mana Crystals... The Dragon is being evaluated!!

Realizing that the wolf realized, the Divine sent back just the necessary information once again. "We are pleased that he has aided your Tribe. But he was too careless... His time as a free Beast is soon to end within days."

"Wh--!?"