That was enough for me.

I pulled my dogtag chain with all the strenght I could muster, splattering metal balls everywhere, and threw it at his feet

"You want it, Markus? Have it. I don't care about being the commander, I just wanted to keep us all safe and well."

I turned around and left to the bow/spear firing range, without looking back- but I heard Scarlet's steps reaching him.

Diana followed me close, as I approached the field, and jumped over my chest, when I threw myself on the ground.

I hugged her and messed with the fur, enjoying the extreme fluffiness she provided.

She then left my chest, and started looking at me, sending "affection" and then "worry"

Not understanding what she wanted, I sent her back "confusion"

And to my surprise, she answered with images of my fight with Markus, and me breaking my necklace

... this little wolf is getting smarter

I sent her back "calm" and a memory of me shaking his hand, showing that I'd try to make up with him, then patted her.

Karah, who'd been shadow training, and throwing her spear at the target, saw me having some kind of stare contest a wolf, came closer, and asked me what I was doing- to wich I couldn't find other answer than

"Talking with Dia"

Karah couldn't handle my serious face while answering, and fell into laughter

"Man, how can you say that with such a serious face? Hahahahaha!"

And after stopping she asked

"But really now, how does that work? Is she able to use words?"

"Not... yet. We communicate thought emotions, I think, and then through 'pictures' or 'videos'. But little Dia is getting smarter by the day. She was showing me her worry about me and Markus right now"

I answered

"Wow... wait, what was that about you and Markus?" She asks

Damn me and my mouth slips. I sigh and answer

"He was pissing me off, wanting to be commander and whatever, since my troubles with Dia, and I had enough. I broke my dogtag chain and gave it to him, he can command for all I care, but I'll still do my best to keep you all safe"

"Pffff"

Karah stutters and giggles a bit, then says

"I think I know why he wants to be commander"

"Why?" I ask, curious

"I think he's got a crush on Scarlet, judging by the way he looks at her- and Scarlet respects you a lot, because you take things seriously, always has good ideas, and takes care of us. Maybe he thinks that being commander will impress her..."

She says

I couldn't handle that

"Are you kidding me? All that bitching around because of a fucking crush? We're stranded in the middle of a hellhole of death, and he's like that?"

I simply let my head drop between my hands while hearing Karah's giggles.

Soon she stopped, went behind me and gave me a hug.

"And thanks for that part about protecting us" she said while ruffling my hair.

Then she let go of me and ran towards the main room, leaving me stunned on the grass with the baby wolf.

"Women are strange, Dia..."

After hearing that, she sent me "confusion"

I just laughed and said

"Exactly"

While getting up.

I spent the rest of the day shadow training, meditating on my fight and playing around with Dia.

When the sun was about to set, I decided to go back to the seed.

I walked back, with the wolf on my heels, again and walked in the room, to a cooking Karah, and an exhausted Scarlet. Markus was playing with the golden dogtag I had.

I sighed and commanded

"Seed, recognize new leader: Markus Eden, and relay instructions."

And after a pause

"Seed, provide tracker and dogtag named 'Diana Eden'"

After that, a tube went down over the kitchen table, and dropped three dogtags, and an injection pistol.

I walked over to it, picked up my new silver tag, put Diana's on her neck, and injected a tracker on her, so I'd find her on any occasion.

"Hey, new leader, catch!" I told Markus as I threw his golden necklace at high speed

Scarlet looked strangely at me as if asking what happened, and I motioned "forget it" with my hands.

Then I asked Karah if she wanted help in the kitchen. She blushed and said "No", and that it was her turn to surprise us.

I pointed towards the bathroom, looked at Diana and told

"Wait for me there"

To wich she answered with "fear", "acceptance" and "affection", and walked slowly.

What's up with her and baths, I rid her of hundreds of insects that made her scratchy, and she still doesn't like it. Whatever.

I walked closer to the wall beside the kitchen, where there was a tube, put some kind of grass, that exhaled a good smell, told the seed to analyze its properties and left to the boy-wolf cleaning, and drying.

When I finished everything, Karah shouted from across the room

"Hey, Nate! Tomorrow Dia's mine, you already spent two full days with her, and gave her two baths!"

I looked at the little wolf, who was sending me "fear" and bits of "panic", laughed and said

"Nothing I can do about that, pup"

And sent her "calm" and "acceptance", that made her sad to the point of whimpering

Wich got a laughing session from me and Scarlet, and a pouty face from Karah.

After this episode we went to sleep

And the next three days were spent like that. Training, wolf-cuddling, and idle banter between me and the girls.

Markus spent his time playing chakram-throwing at the seed's hull, and admiring his sword- as apparently he had found some button that made its edges heat up, and the sword would light up in red.

In the end of the third day, thinking it was strange for only his weapon to have some special function, I called the girls, and told them to search for hidden mechanisms in theirs.

I found a button on the hand guard of my katana, that turned it into a vibroblade.

Scarlet found out that, by turning her whip's handle clockwise, it'd shrink and become a rapier.

Karah's knives had blades that could be shot out of the hilt, connected by a wire. It was something like a grappling hook- and her spear functioned just like my gloves

This was the day the techno-fighting-geeks were born.

Three pairs of eyes sparkled constantly in awe with the discovery of their weapons' functions.

I had another idea, wich was to try equipping the armor on Dia- I needed to protect my baby- and she would eventually grow up, and fight with us.

So the third day ended with new discoveries, and a black Diana running around everywhere, afraid of herself...

We all went to sleep after that- and of course Diana was trapped in Karah's hug

Fourth day began

A loud noise rang inside the main room, waking up three humans and a wolf

Markus had woken up when the sun rose, and was hitting a frying pan with his sword

Karah woke up moody and said

"What the fuck, Markus?"

With her hair all messed up

Scarlet threw a pillow at him, and hid herself under the sheets

Diana jumped out of the bed and started growling and barking

I just gave up, ignored him, and went to the bathroom, to brush my teeth, and clean my face.

"Today we have a mission!" Markus tried to start

But me and Karah cut him

"Whatever. Later, man" I said

"Fuck you, Markus, I'm going to the bathroom"

And we both went to our respective bathrooms, leaving a very disturbed Markus behind.

Scarlet had went back to sleep

After a cold shower, brushing my teeth, and taking a look at my eyes, I left -they had really become kind of blue, it was cool, looked like lightning had spred through them.

Just as I walked the door, so did Karah. She wore yellow and pink pajamas, and had brushed her hair. It was all down again.

I came closer and said "Good morning, moody beast" with a smile

She blushed and said

"Go to hell you too"

"Already there" I told, then ruflled her hair, while saying "Nice hair"

Nedless to say I was slapped and punched several times by a beet-red little girl, who went back to the bathroom with disheveled hair once again.

Then I went to the corner of the room, equipped all my armor and weapons, then proceeded to the kitchen, and began making breakfast.

"Say it after breakfast, Markus" I told the blond boy who was sitting across the table

And he simply grunted in answer

I finished breakfast- two natural sandwiches for each person, and two fried eggs, along with banana vitamin.

I put everything over the table, and said

"Scarlet! Breakfast ready"

She instantly jumped out of her bed, startling Dia, who'd been lying down over mine, and ran to the table with a smile.

How the hell her hair wasn't in full disorder is a mystery I can't unravel.

She began eating voraciously.

Then I put Dia's meat- wich was already separated- in her pot, before taking my plate and beginning to eat slowly

Markus didn't even look at the food

And Karah sped up, seeing the food, when she left the bathroom again

While we ate, Markus tried to begin talking again, but this time Scarlet interrupted him

"Eating time! This is a sacred time- no speaking!"

And put a finger over her lips

Karah giggled, I smirked, and Markus blushed

Yeah, seems Karah was right... how do I deal with this, then?

We all finished the sandwiches, then left to suit up for the day.

And Markus finally got to say what he wanted, while we did.

He said

"Soldiers, we know too little of our surroundings, and today, I command you all to spread out in the forest, and map the area in a 400 meter radius"

"Cut the soldier crap, Markus. You wake me up again like that and I'll kill you" Karah hissed

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to separate, Markus..." I say

"It's not an idea, it's an order!" He said

Scarlet then came closer to me and whispered

"Let him be, just this time- he'll realize what he's doing is wrong in the end of the day"

I sighed, looked at him, and gave him a thumbs up, and said

"But Diana stays inside the protected area"

He squinted his eyes, looking at me, but said

"Fine."

We all got ready for the mission- each one of us grabbed a map-watch, that signaled our locations, and recorded the topography.

All of our watches were synced, so we could see each other's locations on it.

Before leaving I told Dia to stay close to the seed, and send me "panic" if something happened

She yelped, and sent "acceptance"

After that each of us took one cardinal point, making a dot cross on the map, with the seed in the middle, and ventured into the forest.