Alpha Stand-off: Tales of Nailan

Click here to read past chapters!

---

The Alpha, Sarin, closed her yellow eyes and sighed, “Tara. I was wondering when you would join our meeting.” 

Sarin tucked a short brown piece of hair behind her pointed ear and looked around the room. Aira followed her gaze. Almost half of the seated council looked shocked, but the others looked straight at Sarin, their lips pressed into firm lines. They were not surprised. They had known this was coming and they were looking at their Alpha for her reaction.

Tara snarled, her lips curling to reveal two sets of long, sharp canines, her green eyes seeming to glow as they narrowed, “Are you such a coward that you refuse to answer my challenge?”

“No. But this is not how things are done. You have known our laws long enough. You have served this council long enough to know that. What do you hope to gain by this declaration?” 

Aira was impressed. Sarin was meeting Tara’s anger with calm reason. She hadn’t stood yet she held so much force that she seemed to tower over Tara despite being seated. 

“Your weak ways have only been the law for three generations. Before that, and still, in our true laws, leadership has always been decided through fang and claw and steel. Ridic, would you read the true law, the law that has not been revoked or repealed despite the attempt to weaken us?” Tara turned to a robed werewolf who had a large book in front of him.

Ridic turned to a bookmarked page and cleared his throat, “Per law 368, section 2: if a pack member believes the Alpha is no longer fit for service, she may call a challenge. The Alpha must accept or step down from her position and cede to the challenger. If the challenge is accepted, there shall be a fight to the death or surrender. This we have decreed to maintain the strength of the pack.”

“As you can see, Sarin, you have two choices. Per the law that you were elected to uphold. Fight or cede. Make your choice.”

Sarin looked at each of the council members in turn as she said, “Is this truly what we have become? After all our progress will we revert to such ways?”

The other members looked down and away from her, not wanting to meet her eyes. The robed werewolf sighed, “I do believe that there is very little choice here…”

“Little choice? Why Zeka, I’d have thought better of you, of all wolves!” Tal said causing Aira to jump. He had been so silent. “You know how much we have a choice over!” He stood and frowned at Tara, raising an eyebrow until her shoulders stiffened and she sat, her weapon making a dull thud as it hit the table.

“That’s better. Now, the fact of the matter is, we don’t know what is going on with the dwarves. Or did you witness them stealing personally, Tara? Mm. I thought not. So, you are willing to die over this, are you?”

Tara bared her teeth, “She is not right. She has let us become weak. That has to be answered.”

“Is that so? Let me ask this, what makes you so weak? How has she done that?”

“You can see it here, in her handling of the missing stores! The evidence is there, the dwarves are doing fine, and we suffer because they take our food and water!”
​
“Are they, and do they? I still wonder…” Tal trailed off, touching his chin, “All I see, to be quite frank, is a leader deciding to do what is best for her people. What would the cost be of a war with the dwarves? The werewolf cost? Certainly, you are strong and have an advantage of height, but dwarves are resourceful and if they feel threatened, surely will not simply roll over like you seem to think Sarin will.”

The other werewolves shifted uneasily in their chairs, glancing at each other. Trec frowned at the table then at Tal, “What exactly are you implying? You are an ambassador from Naidow? Why should we continually allow outside influence on personal matters?”

“That is fair, although I am not from Naidow. I was sent from Lartnek and have never in my many years represented Naidow personally, though my wife did for a time. Ultimately, I was called in because your leader felt that we might have some insight into the food storage problem and because she saw the tensions building with your neighbors. And that, my dear Trec, is not a personal problem if you choose to fight the dwarves. Any and all treaties that you have with Lartnek and Naidow will be null and void if you choose this path and, depending on the severity of your assault, we may send aid to the dwarves against you.”

The chamber stilled. While the werewolves were capable warriors and had taken care of themselves for many years, it seemed, they could not afford to have two kingdoms stand against them. The council members looked at Tara, now deflated.

“I still think that the dwarves are responsible,” she said quietly, “I believe I would be a stronger and more capable Alpha.”

“Perhaps. But do you truly believe that you have all the evidence you need to justify this attack to the outside world? I am sure you have a following here that would support you, but outside?”

Tara pulled back her lips in a snarl and folded her arms across her chest, avoiding his gaze.

“Ah. Well, then, seems to me that information is needed before we make any drastic decisions, don’t you?”

Sarin cleared her throat, “As much as I appreciate your input, and value it, I believe that it should be our decision. You all were elected and chosen to make decisions for the best of our people. Will you support Tara in her attack on the dwarves and therefore call for me to cede or fight her for control? Or will you support us in making progress and finding out more information about the situation?”

No one moved for several long minutes. Zeka stood and rubbed their arm, “I feel this calls for a recess.”
Sarin nodded, “That is understandable. I move to reconvene tomorrow at noon with a request that each member stays for a lunch provided by my house after our vote.”

The council members muttered their assent. Tara pushed back from the table, her chair scraping loudly on the floor, and grabbed her weapon, whirling from the room. Tal sighed and met Sarin’s eyes. She nodded.
​
“Well, Aira, let’s see if we can catch that werewolf, shall we?” Tal said, looking down and at a bewildered Aira.

---

Author: Christine Fritzen

C.F. is a math teacher in the northeast Ohio area. She enjoys reading, writing and drawing when she isn't playing games (video or tabletop) with friends and family. She has two dogs (a lab and a husky mix) and a partner who accepted her bisexuality before she did herself!