THE ART OF WAR

26 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, CONTINUED

With more than one Alpha on the Alpha Channel, I guess it was expected that there would be a bit of awkwardness to untangle first. (Sorry, Dad. I wasn't thinking.)

Dad addressed Alpha James quite publicly and politely, {Thank you Alpha Lorent for all your help.}

{Don't mention. Don't mention.} Alpha James sounded only relieved, {Your wolves were holding out all on their own.}

And just so nobody would misunderstand his intentions, {I did not mean to take the reins at all. Your daughter just told me to hold on to it for her.}

And then he laughed, {I was just the placeholder.}

Dad laughed too, {My daughter caused you trouble again.}

Yeah, blame your cute daughter!

{Not at all. Her leadership was truly impressive.} Alpha James was all grace and light as usual, {To summon so many wolves at such a young age...it honestly surprised me.}

{Our Alpha Princess is well beloved by everyone in our pack.} Beta Gerald, the other wolf who was all grace and light, explained.

Well, I was quite sure it wasn't EVERYONE. I wouldn't even dare say I had even met EVERYONE yet. Wait, why was I getting embarrassed?

{She just saved me and her Mum from an enemy ambush.} Dad didn't hesitate to inform everyone, {I would not have returned as quickly without her help.}

Yah, I was the hero. :3

Dad sounded like he was sure he would have returned anyway. But that sort of made me feel better. It was a relief to think that not everything was all on me.

{Such a brave girl!} Alpha James praised, and then he laughed, {Daughters truly are a greater blessing than sons.}

Which was a Lycan saying, although a misquoted one...

{Indeed.} Beta Gerald agreed.

Good thing Harvey wasn't around to hear it.

{Beg your pardon Alphas and Beta, our loyalty to the Alpha Princess, Yo and all, but we're still fighting here.} Gamma Endo gruffly interupted the exchange with his usual tack.

{Beta Gerald and I are OTW. We are almost at front line.} Dad assured him. So Dad and Beta Gerald were running to the front lines and not just making small talk.

Actually, my Dad... I had to say, he was quite a different man when running a war.

{You're all doing well in the frontlines. Keep pressing in.}, Dad informed everyone.

{Yes, Alpha!} Our warriors felt suddenly reenergized.

This was my dad's leadership at its finest. Funny how I never saw it first hand like that before.

{Any updates on the Underground's ETA?} Dad asked, almost casually.

Delta Flynn, {Stephan and his men have entered No Man's land.}

That's like the border space between the Green Packlands, Warlock lands, and the Ventali Coven closest to Morning Light. Why build your pack closest to the worst possible combination of neighbors? I was told Morning Light was also the spot of our Packlands where the first light of Morning would fall...

{Good. They're just in time.} Dad said. You could almost see him smiling through the link.

My dad was the sternest man I knew on any regular day, but now that he was running into the frontlines, he was a changed man. Did no one else notice it? Dad did a social laugh, small talk, and in general everything else he said sounded like he was leading a casual and witty conversation about... I had never heard my Dad start a casual and witty conversation about anything.

Who was this man?

{Alpha is here.} Beta Gerald announced. I guess they had arrived at the front lines.

{Sam. Have your army press in from No Man's land, but provide a leeway just off the side for them to escape into the Warlock lands.} Dad said.

Wait what? We were letting them escape?

Beta Gerald was most appreciative of Dad's wisdom, {Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.}

Wait, what? We're building a bridge? Or was that like a quote? Okay, nevermind.

{Tell them yourself.} I decided. I quickly connected Stephan and my Underground wolves to the Alpha Channel. It was easy now that I've done it once, it felt like I could do it anytime, {Everyone meet Captain Stephan and our warriors from the Underground Army.}

And for some reason, Stephan thought the appropriate response to such an introduction was blasting loudly into the Alpha Channel, {OUR LOYALTY TO OUR ALPHA PRINCESS!}

So that all my warriors (as well as whoever felt like it in our pack) yelled back, {YO!}

They didn't just yell it through the mindlinks either. They howled (if they were in wolf form), and shouted (if they were in human form) and shot their guns (it they had them in hand) and stamped their feet.

The combined effect was deep rumble from the front lines. I could actually see the trees shake and feel the ground under my feet tremble. It was cool (to me) but I think it made the rogues freak out a little.

It might also be useful to note that the fact I was close enough to the front lines to witness it. Looks like I ran the long way around.

Captain Stephan, {Enemy sighted. Permission to engage.}

Still so formal, but at least now I knew that not every guy would go through a personality change when it came to war.

{Permission granted.} Dad allowed genially, and then as if with an easy smile, {Harry come with me. Titanium, with Gerald. Let's go.}

{They're ******* retreating!} Gamma Endo burst gruffly into the mindlinks, {We're sending the **** ****** your way Alpha!}

Now here's another guy who stayed in character. Looks like it's only my Dad who gets a personality makeover. But now that I thought about it, this personality (like he was everybody's best friend) sort of matches the the Dad portrayed in Beta Lucas' bedtime stories. I've always thought Dad was like that in Beta Lucas' stories because he was Beta Lucas' best friend. Wow... how did my chill Dad become the stoic Alpha of my memory?

{Leave an outlet just off the Warlock land. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.} Beta Gerald reiterated my Dad's order.

{Understood, beta.} Stephan answered. AS IF IT MADE PERFECT SENSE! Why weren't we getting rid of them once and for all? Was I the only one who couldn't understand this plan?

Gamma Endo, {Of course, I know that. But I can ******** ***** **** them while they're still here right?}

Even Gamma Endo wasn't protesting. (By the way, I've given up bleeping Gamma Endo swearing letter for letter. I'm just going to put a few handful of stars - they don't actually correspond to the letter count of the words, so don't waste your time playing Wheel of Fortune or anything.)

But back to the war, wouldn't it be better in the long run, you know, to completely finish them off once and for all?

{Sam.} Dad felt it was a good time to warn me now, {Be careful and don't do anything I wouldn't do.}

Now that was my Dad in all his serious zen vagueness that I knew. So Dad was like everyone's best friend except mine? But Dad was Dad, so whatever. I had better things to do right now.

{Okie dokie!} I gave my widest grin even though no one could see it through the mindlinks, but I was sure everyone could certainly feel the surging confidence.

Their Alpha and Luna were back. The Underground Army certainly made a strong first impression. We had Alpha Lorent helping us. And their Sam was playing her usual tricks.

Because yes, that was my plan. While the big men did their big men business, I was going to disappear behind the scenes and with a bit of luck, maybe find a way to end this war for good.

Dropping off to the side at some inconspicuous point along the woods, I slipped in between the trees, taking extra care to not leave any traces. I was scentless in my dream travel - which was to my advantage.

So here's my idea.

Just like there had to be an Alpha leading our pack to defend against the enemy, there had to be an "Alpha" behind the enemy lines too.

Okay, hear me out. I knew rogues had no alphas! I wasn't a preschool pup! But I also knew because rogues had no alphas, there was no way they could band together in hundreds like they did today to attack us.

Last I heard from the CRC reports Todd had been dutifully sending us, anti-rogue sentiments were at an all time high, and they had stats on violence, abuse, and death tolls all on the rise.

The online advisory was to get papers to secure residency in whatever Colored Packlands they were in or move to one of the Rogue Towns in the Red Packlands and lie low.

There was also view points arguing for and against the legalization of rogues and this idealogy for the common rogues to live as law abiding members in their current communities.

But basically, the message was to not further stir up trouble or get mixed up with the criminal rogues being hunted.

So what was this? The leftover rogues last desperate stand? Did these rogues not get the memo? Or were they the rogues who thought, "F*** that. I'm taking revenge!"

In that case, they've missed the mark - their #1 mortal enemy, the death god named Bell, was in the Warlock Lands. Their #2 mortal enemy, the undead Beta Lorent, was also in the Warlock Lands.

Funny how their top enemies were both Lorent wolves. Hahaha. So why were they attacking Morning Light/Night Leaf when they could be attacking the Lorents? Which by the way, had the other really good entry point directly out from No Man's Land on their side.

What could they hope to gain from waging war on this side of the Green Packlands?

Or rather, the thought did occur to me that the biggest winner from this war, wouldn't be the rogues fighting it, but whoever was the "Alpha" behind them.

Which I would have immediately pinned on the Rogue King. But now that I knew Roy was the rogue king, it didn't seem all that likely at all.

Next most likely suspect would be Beta Lorent. But since Neil and Jax had reported that Bell had left them in pursuit of his uncle, I highly doubt Beta Lorent could be pulling the strings behind this operation unless he could do it while also literally running for his life.

But who else could it be?