The oil lamp in the corner of the wooden table burned low, cutting through the night haze that was starting to creep in through the cracks in the tent leather.
Outside, cold wind scraped over dry leaves, mixed with the faint creak of the three grain wagons that had been hidden in the cave behind the base.
Valerie bent over the sheet of leather paper spread across the table, a piece of black charcoal in her fingers.
Beside her, Caleb stood straight and still, staring hard at the tent curtain that kept swaying in the wind.
“They’ve already crossed the northern hill line, Valerie,” Caleb said, his furry ears twitching beneath his hair as they caught the sound of horse hooves.
“How many soldiers did he bring?” Valerie asked, lifting her head without a trace of fear.
“Only two personal guards,” Caleb replied, narrowing his golden eyes, which glinted sharply in the dark.
“Good.
So he came here to negotiate, not to start a bloodbath,” Valerie said, nodding with relief.
“But never let your guard down in front of Varkas, Valerie,” Caleb warned, stepping one pace closer to where she stood.
“Why?
Is he that hard to talk to?” Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow, curious.
“Varkas is the most stubborn mountain wolf clan chief alive, and he hates humans,” Caleb explained, his voice very heavy.
Before Valerie could answer, the tent curtain was shoved open from outside.
A broad man with a face full of claw scars walked in without even bothering to knock.
A black wolf fur cloak covered his wide shoulders, and a pair of blazing red eyes swept the room before locking onto Caleb.
“So the rumor brought by the intruders wasn’t just night wind nonsense after all,” the man said, his voice rough like two sharp stones grinding together.
“Long time no see outside the mountain territory, Varkas,” Caleb answered, greeting him in a calm voice that still carried clear authority.
“I didn’t come here to exchange warm greetings, Exiled Prince,” Varkas said, flicking his fur cloak so dust scattered into the air.
“Then what made a clan chief like you step into a modest place like this?” Caleb asked, staring straight at him.
“I heard a rumor that a rebel group managed to seize three grain wagons from Oakhaven Fortress without a single death,” Varkas said, narrowing his red eyes.
“That rumor is completely true, Varkas,” Vane said as he stepped forward out of the shadows in the corner of the room.
“And I’d bet those grain wagons were taken by Prince Caleb’s skill and his big sword,” Varkas said, showing a smug grin that revealed one lower fang.
“You’re wrong, Clan Chief Varkas!” Valerie cut in from behind the wooden table.
Varkas stopped laughing at once, then turned in a jerky motion toward the voice.
His stern face instantly soured when he saw a human girl in a plain dress sitting calmly in front of a military map sketch.
“What little creature dares interrupt me like that!?” Varkas demanded, pointing at Valerie with a thick veined finger.
“My name is Valerie,” Valerie said, staring back at the red eyes without blinking.
“I didn’t ask for your name, human!” Varkas snapped, stepping forward until the pressure of his Alpha aura from the mountain clan filled the tent.
“Watch your attitude in front of my honored guest, Varkas!” Caleb growled, stepping right in front of Valerie’s table.
“Why did you bring a weak human into our war tent, Caleb!?” Varkas barked, his red eyes blazing harder as he fought to hold back his anger.
“She’s not some weak human you can look down on!” Caleb shot back, his voice shaking with the effort of holding down the fury rising in his chest.
“This human girl doesn’t even have claws or fangs to tear an enemy’s throat out!” Varkas sneered, waving his hand in open disgust.
“But this human girl’s brain can shut down dozens of your enemy soldiers without even touching a sword!” Valerie snapped back as she stood up straight from her chair.
Varkas went silent for a moment, staring at the girl in front of him with a deep crease in his brow.
“What did you just say, girl!?” “Those three grain wagons in your back cave were seized with my strategy, not with the stupid bloodshed your clan always likes to use!” Valerie said, crossing her arms over her chest with a calm face.
“Don’t lie to me, human!” Varkas shouted, slamming his hand onto the wooden table so hard the map on top of it shook.
“Wolf kin never submit, and we never use the cheap tricks of humans in battle!” “And that’s exactly why your clan has been stuck on the stone hills for the last three months, isn’t it?” Valerie taunted with a thin smile on her lips.
“You…!” Varkas growled, clenching his fists until the veins on his hands stood out thick and hard.
“Calm down and hear her explanation first, Varkas!” Caleb ordered, giving the clan chief an intimidating stare.
Varkas dragged in a long breath, trying to hold back his boiling temper even though his eyes were still fixed on Valerie with open hatred.
“Speak before I lose my patience and throw you right out of this tent!” “Your clan has eight hundred trained soldiers, but you keep losing every time you try to approach Oakhaven’s outer fortress, right?” Valerie began, pointing to the fortress mark on the map.
“That fortress is protected by four hundred mounted soldiers and three linked watch towers!” Varkas argued, defending the honor of his mountain clan.
“And you always attack them from the front valley at night during a full moon, right?” Valerie asked, lifting one eyebrow.
“That is our clan’s battle tradition!” Varkas roared, snapping back hard.
“A stupid tradition that the enemy fortress commander can read way too easily!” Valerie said, answering his shout with eerie calm.
“What are you saying, girl!?” Varkas hissed, clearly irritated.
“The enemy commander lets you hide on the stone hills on purpose because he knows you only attack in the same time pattern!” Valerie explained at length.
“They placed twenty poisoned archers on the towers exactly two hours before the full moon night would begin!” Varkas froze, his hard face slowly draining of color.
“How do you know about the poisoned archers on the towers!?” “From the arrow marks stuck in the cloak of your dead soldier last week!” Valerie said, pointing to the iron tipped wood fragment in the corner of the table.
“The poison was night tree sap, and that poison takes two hours to prepare before it can be used!” Varkas fell silent, staring at Valerie from head to toe with a look that was completely different from before.
“You built this analysis from an old arrow fragment?” Varkas asked, his voice suddenly lower now.
“I build strategy from data and enemy habits, Clan Chief,” Valerie said, tapping a finger on the map.
“What about their water supply?” Varkas asked, suddenly moving into battle technical territory.
“They rely on the northern river source that flows through the rock gap,” Valerie explained, sliding her finger to the upper side of the sketch.
“That river source is heavily guarded by a full battalion of front line soldiers!” Varkas said, his brows drawing together.
“Front line soldiers who rely heavily on their sense of smell to detect danger hiding in the bushes,” Valerie added with a faint, mysterious smile .
“Then what’s your magical plan for getting past our sharp noses!?” Varkas asked, tilting his head with curiosity.
“We won’t get past them.
We’ll shut them down with smoke made from burning sulfur leaves and dried datura flowers!” Valerie answered with confidence.
Varkas’s eyes widened in shock as he looked back and forth between Caleb and Vane.
“Datura smoke…
that sharp stink can shut down a wolf’s sense of smell for hours!” “Exactly!
And once they lose their main sense, your clan troops can surround the river source base without making a sound!” Valerie said, finishing her explanation.
Varkas stayed quiet for a long while, staring at the red lines Valerie had drawn on the bark leather map.
The contempt that had burned in his eyes a moment ago started to fade, slowly replaced by deep admiration for the human girl standing in front of him.
“A very sneaky and dangerous mind,” Varkas muttered, rubbing his thick beard.
“That’s called warfare strategy, Varkas,” Caleb said, cutting in as he stepped to Valerie’s side.
“I have to admit, your analysis of the tower archers and the river source is dead accurate, human girl,” Varkas said, nodding slowly.
“My name is Valerie, Varkas!” Valerie corrected him once again.
“Fine, Valerie,” Varkas said, showing a rare honest smile.
“The mountain clan will contribute all eight hundred of our soldiers to this alliance!” “That’s a very wise decision from a clan chief like you,” Vane said, relief showing on his face from the corner of the room.
“But I have one absolute condition before I hand over my main troops!” Varkas interrupted, fixing a sharp look on Caleb.
“Say your condition, Varkas!” Caleb answered, staring back without any fear.
“The attack on the northern river source tomorrow night has to be led by you and this human girl at the very front line!” Varkas demanded.
“Why do we have to stand in the front line!?” Valerie asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
“I want to see with my own eyes whether your poisonous smoke tactic really works before I risk the lives of my men!” Varkas said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I accept your condition!” Caleb replied without any hesitation.
“Caleb, but our original plan was for you to stay in the rear command!” Valerie protested, turning to him in a panic.
“I won’t let the clan soldiers move without my direct watch, Valerie,” Caleb said, looking at her with a steady, calming gaze.
“Besides, aren’t you the one who keeps insisting that your sulfur smoke trick works?” Varkas teased, throwing back the same challenging look Valerie had given him earlier.
Valerie let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes in surrender.
“Fine.
I’ll go to the river source front line tomorrow night too!” “Brave little girl,” Varkas praised, letting out a rough chuckle that echoed through the tent.
“Tell your men to start gathering dried sulfur leaves tomorrow morning, Varkas!” Caleb ordered, cutting off the clan chief’s laughter.
“Every instruction will be followed exactly as you said, Prince Caleb!” Varkas said, lowering his head in a formal bow he had not given in a long time.
“We meet again at the northern hill gap two hours before dawn breaks,” Valerie said, marking the meeting point on the map.
“See you on the battlefield, Valerie the strategist!” Varkas said his farewell, then turned and walked out of the tent with his two guards.
The moment Varkas’s footsteps moved away from the base area, the inside of the main tent fell quiet again.
Vane exhaled in relief and leaned his back against the wooden support pole.
“That old man is exhausting just to talk to,” Vane muttered, shaking his head.
“But we got the full support of the strongest clan in this border region,” Caleb said, looking down at the lines on the table map.
“All of that was thanks to Valerie staying calm when Varkas tried to pressure her earlier,” Vane said, giving the human girl a sincere look of respect.
“I only explained the analysis we already discussed yesterday, Vane,” Valerie replied, waving a hand modestly.
“Not everyone can stand tall in front of the fangs of a mountain wolf clan chief, Valerie,” Caleb muttered, which made Valerie give a small laugh.
“I’ve gotten used to dealing with people who shout at me, Caleb,” Valerie said, remembering her own dark past in the human world.
“You mean the people who chased you on the first night we met?” Caleb asked, looking at her with restrained warmth.
“Something like that,” Valerie answered shortly, hiding the faint sadness that suddenly appeared on her face.
“I’ll go out and get the night watch posts ready, Prince,” Vane said, understanding the mood and stepping out to leave the two of them alone.
The oil lamp on the table gave off a soft hiss, cutting through the darkness outside that was only growing deeper.
Caleb stepped closer and sat on the wooden chair beside Valerie, who looked exhausted.
“Are you really okay going to the front line tomorrow night?” Caleb asked, his voice turning much softer.
“I’m the one who designed this tactic, Caleb.
How could I hide in the back while you all risk your lives out there?” Valerie answered, looking into the golden eyes in front of her.
“This world is dangerous for a human like you, Valerie,” Caleb whispered, glancing away toward the tent wall.
“But I’ve got a wolf prince who promised to protect me, right?” Valerie teased, nudging Caleb’s solid arm with her elbow.
Caleb went still for a second, then a thin, very charming smile touched his lips.
“Yes.
I’ll make sure not a single arrow touches your skin tomorrow night.” “Keep that promise, chatty prince!” Valerie said with a sweet smile, looking up at the wolf man beside her.
“Now go to sleep.
Your face is already white as a burial cloth!” Caleb ordered, pointing toward the bedroll in the corner.
“You always know how to ruin the mood instantly, Caleb!” Valerie grumbled, pretending to be annoyed as she stood up.
Caleb gave a low chuckle, the kind of laugh that almost never left his throat since the coup war had broken out in the palace.
Valerie walked toward the thick bedding in the corner of the tent, letting the heavy tiredness in her whole body slowly loosen.
Behind the tent curtain, Caleb’s tall and steady shadow remained on watch in silence, guarding the sleep of the human girl who had changed the path of their battle fate in the land of wolves.