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When Mordekai awoke in his tent, he sat up wearily and rubbed his eyes. The dying embers of a small fire gave the tent a harsh red tint, casting long shadows that were only just beginning to fade with Belluosus's rising. His skull ached like he'd taken a blow to the head, and his ears protested every noise, seeking the soft silence of deep sleep. He looked down to see Kage sleeping on one of the furs piled on the ground, and noticed that his mate had cleaned the boy's fur while he slept. Without the blood stains, he once again looked like a pup, a soft runt without any hope of winning a fight, much less felling a champion. When Curatrix noticed that he'd awoken, she broke the silence softly.

"He played us all for fools, that he did."

"I can't much argue that. Did you see his eyes when he spoke to me? Nothing but fear. No hope, no plan, no chance. Then he pulled the stunt he did... He's either the best best fighter I've ever seen, working purely off of instinct, or he's a grade A liar."

"It doesn't change anything though. He won. Sicarus lost. That's all that matters, or at least that's all that should matter."

Mordekai fell silent after that, and Curatrix watched her mate uneasily. His eyes defocused, and his shoulder's sagged. For just a moment, he wasn't chief. He wasn't the one whose decisions might mean the life or death of hundreds, if not thousands. He was just a wolf, beaten and broken, who'd run out of energy to deal with the world.

"Mordekai... what was your vision about?"

He swallowed heavily, and refused to look at her. Belluosus never spoke unless it was of utmost importance, and his manner only made her more anxious.

"Mordekai, please. Tell me, then we can figure out what to do."

"My vision... as fitting for a god of chaos, nothing remained the same for more than a glimpse of an eye. Images flashed past so quickly that I could not discern them, but as a whole, they formed his face. He spoke then, and when he spoke, it was ten thousand voices each giving forth the most brief utterance. They overlapped and contested, working against each other even as they formed his voice."

"And his message. What did he say?"

"I couldn't tell... it was so confusing. He said something about a war. Something about war and the extinction of all life, and Kage is the key to it all."

Mordekai fell silent again, and Curatrix had known and loved him long enough to know that there was more.

"Please... just tell me. I know you're still hiding something."

"He... he spoke of vengeance. He said that vengeance must be found, or else I will suffer a betrayal Sicarus's funeral feast."

"and what would you do?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

His outburst caught them both by surprise, and he slumped back to the ground.

"I don't know. I'm tired, my love. I know that honor must always be at the forefront of our minds, but I would like more than death for my ideals. There are so few loyal to me. We might resist, we might fight and die to buy him a chance to escape, but for what? What would that accomplish? His tribe sent him here to die, surely he would not fare better there. He cannot return to his home. He has nowhere to go.." Two words filtered through the back of his mind. Mountain Sage. That could only refer to one person... but Mordekai refused to even consider him. He was a liar and a witch, possessed by evil..."

Curatrix was silent for some time, and when she spoke, her voice was weighted by sadness.

"If that is what you feel is right, then so it must be. Go now to your warriors. Help them prepare, and let them know that you plan for the boy's death. Win back their favor and soon, enjoy the feast in Sicarus's honor. I will see to the boy. When he awakes, I will explain things to him."

Mordekai's eyes were distant for just a moment longer, but he shook his head and cleared his thoughts.

"It is as you say, you always were wiser by far. They will see me merry, treating them as friends, and that will be answer enough for them."

He rose to his feet, padded to his mate, and kissed her gently.

"Do no worry, this too will come to pass. Soon we may rest."

As he left, Curatrix muttered something under her breath. It was soft, nothing more than a whisper, but it was said nonetheless.

"Requiéscant in Mortem"

Then he was gone, and she roughly shook Kage awake.

"Ungh, my head... Sicarus...?"

"No, dear boy, Sicarus is dead. You won."

"That's nice, I could use a nap."

"You'll rest in the eternal sleep if you do not wake."

That got his attention. He sat up sharply and quickly rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"What happened?"

"While you were asleep, Mordekai received a vision from Belluosus. From what he heard, he believes that Belluosus commands him to kill you."

Curatrix fell silent, and Kage sighed audibly.

"So the Chaos Lord himself wants my head on a platter? I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. I should have known better than to rise above my station. If only I had just undeniably proved my worth to the entire world and the gods above it. Oh wait, I did just do that. Nevermind."

"You're about to be marched to your death, and all you can think to do is spit sarcasm?"

He coninuted onwards, as if she had never spoken. as he spoke, his voice acquired more pretention and irony than she thought possible, and she had to bite back a laugh.

"Truthfully, 'Tis the curse of we runts, if ever we fight and prove our strength, it is sacrilege, and we must be buried alive, immediately, that our evil souls might be locked within the earth."

"No, no, if you're resigned to your death, the least we can do is give you a warrior's pyre. You're no coward, to be locked within Paenitentia forever."

"Truly, my heart overflows from your boundless generosity, if only all of my brethren might be killed in such a manner, we might finally know happiness."

"If you'd cut the flowery speech and self-degrading sarcasm for more than five seconds, you'd hear that I'm trying to save your ungrateful ass."

The act dropped at once, and he sat forwards.

"Then start explaining, from the beginning. Why does Mordekai fear that he'll be overthrown?"

"How did you-"

"I awoke about the time he did. Now if you really want to help, start explaining. I need to know what shape the puzzle pieces take.

She was silent for a moment. She wasn't quite sure when the situation had turned from her explaining things to him interrogating her, but he spoke with an authority that almost surprised her into answering. She collected her thoughts and decided which facet of the truth she wanted to tell.

"You know of our past, yes? Of the other races, the non-wolf ones?"

"I know a little."

"When Belluosus first retreated from Paenitentia, he left us in chaos and disarray. Those alive at the time had no notion of how to survive, and many hundreds died quickly. Those that survived instantly fell into war over resources and land. To make a long story shorter, we the wolves won. We claimed the fertile grasslands as ours, and shunted the others away."

"Yes. The armored ones live in the western badlands, and the rodents were stuck with the deserts, and so forth. What does that have to do with this?"

"War is coming. Everyone can feel it. Negotiations between the wolf tribes are failing, and we're at each other's throats."

"And Mordekai is trying for peace because..."

"Because he believes that our neighbors are still watching. He fears that after we have decimated each other, the other races will step in and finish us off. He fears our kind might soon be driven extinct."

Kage was silent for a moment as he pondered that thought.

"So... because of this fear, he's doing his absolute best to ensure peace between the wolves. Even if it means swallowing an outrageous insult. His warriors don't understand why he is disgracing their tribe by lowering himself. They want war, and they aren't looking forwards far enough to worry about survival."

"In its essence, yes. They will not serve a war chief who brings only peace."

"So where do I fit into this? Killing me would guarantee war with the Stripe Hides, something he doesn't want."

"You're still missing a piece of the story. Among those discontented, Saccularius was one of the most vocal. As the best warrior, he was well known and honored, and he voiced his objections frequently. For some time, he has been gathering support, and we feared that he would soon attempt a coup."

"And I just killed him... A runt... They're going to cry foul play. They'll assume he poisoned or drugged him so he'd fall to me. The Chief gets rid of an enemy, and has an excuse to continue the peace... It would be a damning argument in their eyes, one they're sure to believe."

"They cry for your blood as recompense, and for the blood of your tribe."

"O...kay... but none of this explains why you're helping me."

"You would so blatantly test the edge of a gifted knife?" Her tone was teasing, with fake incredulity over the fact that he wouldn't trust her.

"Yes, for if it is dull enough that it might fail me, I'd rather know now than later."

"Well spoken. I believe that Mordekai is wrong. By his own admission, a vision from Belluosus is nothing short of mind-wrenchingly chaotic, and I believe that he misinterpreted the god's words. His mind is in turmoil now, and he doesn't know what to do. He secretly wishes to remain chief, but he didn't want to do so at your expense. If Belluosus himself spoke on the matter, it would take the decision out of his hands, and he could send you to death with an easy heart. I for one cannot believe that Belluosus would take such a casual interest in us. He is weak still, and speaking from the heavens is taxing. He would not give a vision just to mandate your death."

Kage was silent for several minutes. He thought over everything, lining up all the little details, until the larger picture was formed and cemented in his mind.

"So I'm knee deep in a viper's den. Do you have a plan? What about allies, who would support you, against the chief?"

"When Mordekai stood to support you, there were but a dozen warriors who would support us, and even they might change their minds once they know Mordekai will not protect you. I can think of two wolves who would fight die for honor above all else. They will help us."

"And what about a plan?"

"I have an idea or two, but nothing workable yet. We do have time though. Belluosus has just risen, but the feast and ceremony will take time to prepare. We have three days, perhaps two, then he will be burned at the day's end, when both gods may watch over him. At the beginning of the ceremony, Mordekai will pass judgment on you. You would likely be burned alive, with Sicarus's pyre."

"Any chance of sneaking me out before then?"

"Not likely... There will be guards all around camp. Our only hope is to try for something just before the ceremony, once they have all gathered in one place."

Kage was going to say something more, but instead he yawned long and wide. Curatrix saw this and sighed.

"You are tired, as you should be. Sleep now, you will need your strength."

He nodded as he slowly sank back to the ground where he pulled a few of the luxurious furs over himself as a blanket.

"Curatrix?"

"Yes, young one?"

"Someone is going to bleed for this... there isn't a peaceful way out of this."

She chuckled softly as she stroked his fur.

"You're right. There will be death, soon, and Belluosus will feast on the souls of the righteous."